Together Forever - Chapter 47
Volume 3, Chapter 47: My Mr. Gu (2)
His words lingered in her mind.
Whenever she had a moment to herself, she thought about what he had said.
Following his logic, knowing her family situation, she had dragged him into it. If he were healthy, perhaps he would have the strength to share her burdens, but with his health issues, was it selfish of her to make him face all this with her?
“How was your morning at the prison?” another intern asked, placing her lunchbox in the microwave. “I was terrified before my first visit, but it wasn’t so bad.”
“It wasn’t what I expected,” Tong Yan said, placing her lunch on the table. “I went to the women’s prison. Many of the inmates kept calling me ‘government, government’…”
She had imagined prison would be like in TV dramas: long, silent corridors and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The inmates would be a motley crew, their gazes filled with untold stories.
Perhaps they did have stories, but when they saw her, they acted like eager schoolchildren, trying to impress her, hoping for a reduced sentence. It wasn’t something she had heard from her seniors; most of them had gone to work at international law firms, their days filled with conference calls, emails, and consultations.
Their work experiences, filled with office towers and overtime, were vastly different from hers.
After a quick lunch, she went downstairs to collect some documents from a lawyer. In the lobby, two elderly men, their faces tanned and weathered, were arguing, one blaming the other for the lawsuit… As Tong Yan approached, both men, regardless of their earlier animosity, turned to her with friendly smiles.
As if anyone who emerged from the court offices had the power to solve their problems.
Uncomfortable with the mistaken identity, she was about to turn away when she saw a familiar face. As she searched her memory, the man approached, smiling. “Miss Tong, remember me? I’m the pharmaceutical representative who picked up Director Dong at the airport.”
“Oh, yes, I remember,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Delivering something for a friend,” the representative replied warmly. “Do you work here? Recent graduate?”
It was easy to tell whether someone had worked before, and she quickly clarified, “I’m still a student, just interning here.”
“Good job. This is a good place for young girls, not too stressful, no need to beg for favors,” the man said, then casually steered the conversation towards Dong Chang Ting. “I was in a hurry to take Director Dong to a conference that day, so I didn’t get to properly meet your boyfriend. Is he a doctor, like Director Dong?”
Tong Yan shook her head. “He’s a university professor.”
“Oh, that’s good. Is he related to Director Dong? Judging by his age, perhaps a nephew?”
Tong Yan didn't want to reveal their relationship, but she also didn't want to deny it.
It felt unfair. They were father and son, yet they couldn’t acknowledge each other. Gu Pingsheng’s avoidance was his choice, but as a father, shouldn’t Dong Chang Ting bear some responsibility?
Perhaps pharmaceutical representatives were naturally good conversationalists; she ended up talking to him for quite a while. The casual conversation gradually painted a picture of Gu Pingsheng's father: a deputy director of nephrology at a reputable hospital, well-respected in his field, married to a cardiologist, also a director at the same hospital. A seemingly perfect life, except for the absence of children.
That evening, traffic on the Third Ring Road was unusually heavy. As she walked from the bus stop to her apartment complex, she saw Gu Pingsheng waiting for her, browsing the fruit stand.
The owner, who was fond of him, always picked out the best and freshest produce, not just the ones that looked appealing. As Tong Yan approached, she saw the owner showing him how to choose dragon fruit and mangosteen.
She took his free hand, and he, knowing it was her, continued listening to the owner without turning around.
Finally, after the owner had weighed the fruit, he looked at her.
“I don’t like dragon fruit; it has no taste…” Tong Yan said immediately. “Can we get mangoes instead?”
“Mangoes are heaty,” the owner chuckled. “I told him you liked mangoes, but he wouldn't let me get any.”
“How about those small ones…?”
“You had mangoes this week,” Gu Pingsheng said firmly. “I’ll get you some next week.”
She was about to argue, but he paid for the fruit and led her away, ending the discussion.
After much consideration, she decided not to tell him what she had heard about his father. A couple of weeks later, however, he brought up the topic of work.
Both he and Pingfan had legal backgrounds and had many connections in the field.
Apparently, when he returned to China, his best job offer had been from an international law firm. He had turned it down to teach, and the partner who had been most interested in hiring him, a fellow alumnus, hadn't been able to find a suitable replacement since.
“Don’t you want to teach anymore?” Tong Yan asked, ironing his shirt, surprised by his sudden change of heart.
“I’ll probably continue teaching,” Gu Pingsheng said, as if he had already thought it through. “The workload isn’t too heavy, so I’ll have time for other opportunities.”
Tong Yan carefully ironed the sleeves, then looked up. “But I don’t think your health can handle it.”
“I know my limits.”
Behind him, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city lights.
Tong Yan continued ironing his shirt, a thoughtful expression on her face.
She could guess what he was thinking.
He hadn’t worked for long; his apartment and savings were inherited from his mother.
If he were healthy, with his prestigious medical background, life would have been easy. Even if he could no longer perform surgeries, without her and the uncertainties of their future, he could still live comfortably.
But those were just hypotheticals.
Even ordinary couples had to face life’s unpredictable ups and downs. They, however, had more than their fair share of challenges. He would probably need another surgery for his avascular necrosis, and the long-term effects of SARS would continue to emerge. Her grandmother was also getting older. These were all issues that needed to be addressed, preparations that needed to be made.
She had been thinking about these things since his recent health scare.
Seeing he hadn’t moved, she looked up, wrinkling her nose slightly. “Fine, go ahead and pursue your ambitions. Give me ten years, and I’ll be the breadwinner, while you tend to the garden.”
Gu Pingsheng chuckled, a smile playing on his lips.
Tong Yan brandished the iron playfully. “Careful, or I’ll burn you.”
Unfazed, he leaned in, and she instinctively raised the iron, avoiding his face, their kiss awkward and uncomfortable.
Later, after hanging up his shirts and closing the wardrobe door, she remembered the past.
Lu Bei had always been a rebellious student, skipping classes, getting into fights. Exasperated, she would sometimes scold him, saying he would get into serious trouble one day.
Whenever she said that, he would grin, kiss her, and say, “Since you’re so sure, why don’t you study law? Then you can be my lawyer when I get into trouble.” She had found it amusing back then, but seriously, no matter what Lu Bei did, she would have always stood by him…
She hadn’t changed much.
When she loved someone, she gave it her all.
Gu Pingsheng was a man of action.
The next morning, while brushing her teeth, she watched him through the partially open bedroom door, meticulously fastening his cufflinks. She couldn’t see his face, but his hands, even performing such a simple task, were elegant.
After his shirt came the suit jacket.
Finally, the pocket square. He took a handkerchief from a drawer, carefully folded it, and placed it in his breast pocket.
Impeccable. Absolutely perfect.
After he finished dressing, she almost didn’t recognize him.
“Mr. Gu, you remind me of a movie,” Tong Yan said, rinsing her mouth. “Roman Holiday. You remind me of Roman Holiday, except Audrey Hepburn was a princess disguised as a commoner, and you’re… well, you. Is this how you looked after graduating from King’s College?”
“If I had stayed there, or if I hadn’t gone into academia after returning to China, I probably would have looked like this.”
He leaned against the bathroom doorframe, reaching out to wipe a bit of toothpaste foam from her mouth.
Gu Pingsheng, Mr. Gu, he was truly a vision.
She tilted her head, teasing him. “So I’m about to be a wealthy housewife? Should I get five or six dogs and spend my days walking them and tending to the garden?”
“That’s an easy request to fulfill,” he said thoughtfully, a smile playing on his lips. “To a certain extent, this profession can be quite lucrative. For example, a former classmate of mine, during the 2008 financial crisis, when his company had no projects, was given a year-long paid sabbatical. During that year, he received a salary of $500,000.”
Tong Yan was stunned. “$500,000 a year for doing nothing? And if he were actually working…” She thought about her own meager internship salary of 1,600 yuan a month and silently concluded that compared to legal consultants at international firms, she was truly underpaid.
After he left for work, Tong Yan packed her lunch and headed out.
It was raining heavily, and the bus stop was crowded. She finally found a spot, closed her umbrella, and just as the bus arrived, a long, articulated bus, already packed with people. Seeing the crowd, many people gave up, but Tong Yan, worried about being late, pushed her way towards the door.
Just as she squeezed onto the bus, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the rain.
Startled, she turned around and saw Lu Bei, shielding her with his jacket. “I need to talk to you.”
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