Together Forever - Chapter 19

Volume 1, Chapter 19: The Person I Like (1)

This was his first Christmas Eve in Shanghai.

Although he had attended church schools since childhood, it was only because of their rigorous academics, not because he was a devout Catholic. Gu Pingfan, however, was a true believer and would definitely attend midnight mass.

So, he had arranged to go shopping with Gu Pingfan early in the evening.

He just hadn't anticipated the crowds.

Gu Pingfan looked at the racks of young women's clothing, slightly bewildered. "TK, what are you planning to buy?"

He paused for a moment. "Young women's clothing."

…Gu Pingfan looked him up and down, about to tease him, then suddenly understood. "For your student, Tong Yan?" She stepped aside to let a group of students pass.

"You're about the same size as her, and your taste is… acceptable." He didn't deny it, feeling slightly out of place amidst the throngs of young women. "Buy some suitable clothes for me. I want to give them as a Christmas gift."

He glanced at his watch. "I'll wait for you at Coffee Bean downstairs. Twenty minutes?"

He phrased it as a request, polite and courteous, but it left no room for refusal.

Gu Pingfan was used to his style since childhood and didn't bother arguing, dutifully pushing her way through the crowd.

Downstairs at Coffee Bean, it was also packed. He bought a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Luckily, just as his tea arrived, a table in the corner opened up. Beside him, a young couple in school uniforms giggled, the boy suddenly taking out a small box. The girl, upon opening it, let out a dramatic shriek, her exaggerated reaction clearly for show.

"Ten minutes," a shopping bag suddenly blocked his view. "A down jacket and a scarf, all in my favorite style. Since you complimented my taste, I bought what I like."

He looked inside the bag. Sapphire blue again. "Are you stuck in a time warp? You've liked this color for seven or eight years now?"

Gu Pingfan took out her wallet, preparing to buy a drink. "You said that night that Tong Yan looks good in this color."

She went to the counter, bought a coffee, and returned.

Their table was in the corner. Carrying her coffee, Pingfan carefully navigated the maze of chairs and tables, finally sitting down and looking at Gu Pingsheng, leaning back on the sofa, with a thoughtful expression.

Gu Pingsheng, noticing her gaze, turned slightly, indicating she should speak her mind.

"You and your student…" she searched for the right words, then decided to be direct. "Are you two together?"

After a brief silence, he said, "Just started."

Gu Pingfan raised an eyebrow, took a sip of coffee, and suddenly brought up a topic they had always avoided, a sensitive topic.

"I was chatting with some cardiac surgeons at Ruijin Hospital the other day and mentioned your mother's name. They still remember her, a renowned cardiac surgeon." She took another sip of coffee and continued, "After all these years, even strangers still remember Auntie. TK, haven't you forgotten her at all?"

He didn't speak, picking up his teacup.

The tea had gone cold.

"Although you never talk about it, I've always felt you loved your mother very much," Pingfan said. "Auntie graduated from Penn, so you insisted on going to Penn. I know you had better options. Auntie was a cardiac surgeon, so you became a cardiac surgeon… Even your name, TK, Tong Ke, Gu Tong Ke. You carry Auntie's shadow everywhere."

He still didn't speak.

Finally, Pingfan felt the topic was too depressing.

She sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, are you sure this teacher-student relationship isn't because of your mother? This isn't America. You know teacher-student relationships aren't exactly accepted here. Or is it because the girl's name is Tong Yan?" She speculated, asking her final question, "Or does she have a similar background to yours?"

He raised the white ceramic cup to his lips, then hesitated.

Gu Pingfan, watching him drink, realized this was a one-sided conversation. Just as she was about to give up, he unexpectedly responded. "Is there music playing here? If so, what song is it?"

Gu Pingfan paused, listened for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't tell. It seems like a new song, something the kids listen to these days. I'm not familiar with most of them."

"Not familiar?"

"No."

"Whenever I meet new people, I feel this way. Unfamiliar, haven't heard their voices before, and probably won't have the chance to hear them again," he said, looking into Pingfan's eyes. "You've known me since I was a child, so when you speak, I can still remember your expressions and tone of voice. Now that I think about it, it hasn't even been that many years since I lost my hearing, but I've almost forgotten Zihao's voice."

This time, it was Gu Pingfan's turn to be silent.

"I don't remember many women's voices, but when I saw Tong Yan again, I still remembered hers."

Specifically, her voice when she was thirteen or fourteen.

"It's a sense of familiarity," he said, tapping the ceramic cup rhythmically with his fingers.

Perhaps, from the beginning, it was because of this rare sense of familiarity.

His tone suddenly changed. "And then? Who can say for sure?" His hair fell over his eyes, and in the soft sunlight by the window, he smiled warmly. "If this feeling could be explained clearly, God wouldn't have used the rib story to describe love."

Gu Pingfan laughed. "Don't blaspheme my faith."

"I'm not blaspheming," he said. "I agree with some of your beliefs."

"Such as?" she looked at him, amused.

"Such as, marriage is a gift from God, it's sacred. And, God gave sex as a gift to mankind, but only within marriage is it the ultimate expression of love. Any sex outside of marriage is wrong." A product of church schools, he recited these tenets effortlessly. "I sincerely believe in these."

By 5:00 PM, he was alone.

He remembered the time Tong Yan had mentioned and had intended to wait here until 5:30 PM. But plans were made to be broken. Luo Zihao was bombarding him with messages and emails from Xintiandi, insisting on meeting him. He wasn't familiar with Shanghai and had planned to take Tong Yan to Xintiandi for dinner. Unable to withstand Luo Zihao's relentless messages, he went there first.

He had made a reservation at Din Tai Fung.

"This place is good," Luo Zihao, as soon as he sat down, noticed the paper bag on the table and the distinctly feminine color of the clothing inside. "TK, are you meeting Zhao Yin?"

"Can you and your ex-girlfriend please leave me out of your drama?" he gestured for the waiter and asked for the drinks menu.

Luo Zihao laughed. "Don't tell me you're meeting your girlfriend? Someone I know?"

The waiter brought the menu, and he gestured for Luo Zihao to take it.

"You probably haven't met her, but she'll be here soon."

Luo Zihao almost burned his fingers with his cigarette. He felt like he hadn't seen Gu Pingsheng in ages. What a change!

Ever since receiving his message, she felt like she had done something wrong.

But Shen Yao, whispering in her ear all the way, begged her to stay for dinner, leaving her no chance to refuse. Finally, feeling guilty, she texted Gu Pingsheng, saying she might be a little late. He replied quickly:

It's okay, I'll wait for you. TK

Clutching her phone, she started calculating the time.

Arrive downtown around 6:00 PM, eat quickly, or leave halfway through the meal.

She should be able to get there by 7:00 PM.

Shen Yao hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. She hadn't made a reservation, simply saying she wanted to treat her two guests from northern China to some Shanghai cuisine, and chose Din Tai Fung in Xintiandi.

When they arrived, they found almost a hundred people waiting for a table. Seeing the crowd, Shen Yao frowned.

Just as she was about to leave, Shen Yao suddenly stopped. "Tong Yan, look, it's Teacher Gu."

Her heart skipped a beat.

She turned and, through the glass wall, saw Gu Pingsheng sitting at a prominent table.

He also saw them.

Shen Yao waved frantically through the glass, and Tong Yan could only wave back weakly.

Then she saw him look away and continue talking to the person across from him.

"Your teacher looks like a… refined scoundrel," Cheng Yu smiled. "He doesn't look like a law professor."

Shen Yao took Tong Yan's arm. "I was also surprised when I first met him. He completely shattered my image of a law professional. Forget this place, there are too many people. I'll take you to eat near my home. I forgot it's Christmas Eve. We won't find a table anywhere without a reservation."

Cheng Yu shrugged. "I'm easy. In your territory, I'll follow your lead."

Tong Yan's mind raced, thinking of countless excuses, but she couldn't find a reason to leave.

So, she followed Shen Yao downstairs, feeling uneasy. Because of the holiday, they couldn't find a taxi and walked for a full thirty minutes. She silently memorized the route, afraid of getting lost on the way back.

"What are you thinking about?" Shen Yao asked after ordering their food. "You've been distracted ever since you saw your boyfriend. I think he's quite nice. Arguments are just a little spice in a relationship. After a fight, you just need to give each other a way out."

Tong Yan sipped her chrysanthemum tea and said softly, "He's my ex-boyfriend. We're not together anymore."

"Ex-boyfriend?" Shen Yao's eyes widened, and she immediately reached out and shook Lu Bei's hand. "That's incredible! Despite an uncertain future, he actually traveled 1,400 kilometers to Shanghai! I support you!"

Lu Bei, probably unaccustomed to such boisterous behavior, exchanged a look with Cheng Yu, a smile playing on his lips.

"By the way, 'The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives.' That's a nice line."

Lu Bei paused, looking at Tong Yan quizzically.

Tong Yan kicked Shen Yao under the table. Before she could warn her, Shen Yao blurted out, "Wasn't that the message you sent? Saying you would wait for Tong Yan?"

"Tong Tong?" Lu Bei's expression changed as he looked at her.

Tong Yan bit her lip, hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Yes, I… I like someone else now."

The small private room fell silent. Shen Yao gradually realized what she had done. Cheng Yu suddenly coughed. "Shen Yao, want to go outside for a smoke?" Shen Yao, unusually perceptive, immediately followed him out, leaving Tong Yan and Lu Bei alone.

Tong Yan didn't look at Lu Bei, and he didn't speak.

His hand gripped his glass tightly, as if using all his strength.

She continued sipping her tea. "Maybe you should give her… a chance. You'll find she's… not that bad. Not wearing a wedding ring, not living together, coming to see me on Christmas Eve, none of that changes anything. You're married. As a law student, you should understand the Marriage Law, right?"

She managed to force out those words, then couldn't say anything more. It was Fang Yunyun who had separated them. She could try to forget Lu Bei, but she couldn't bring herself to bless them. If it weren't for that car accident, how would this Christmas Eve have been different?

They didn't speak. She quickly left the room, telling Shen Yao outside that she had to leave.

Shen Yao was speechless, not expecting her matchmaking efforts to end like this… Tong Yan walked quickly, reaching Din Tai Fung in about twenty minutes.

Along the way, she wanted to text him, but she didn't know what to say.

Had he left already? What should she do if he had?

It was 8:00 PM, and the restaurant was still bustling.

He was still there, at that prominent table. His friend was gone.

His coat was draped over the back of the chair beside him. He was wearing a light gray cotton shirt. From this angle, she could see the colorful lights of Xintiandi reflecting off the glass, and he, with his back to the shimmering lights, was holding a book, turning the pages one by one.

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