Together Forever - Chapter 51
Volume 3, Chapter 51: When You Listen To Me (3)
New Year’s Day. For those in academia, holidays always meant galas.
Gu Pingsheng, popular wherever he went, was, of course, highly sought after. To ensure his attendance, the department’s student organizers had even called Tong Yan, enlisting her help.
After hanging up, she thought to herself, she was only twenty-one, a senior in college, yet being addressed as “Mrs. Gu” and “Little Ma’am” by his students was starting to make her feel much older.
“I’m still an intern,” she said, brushing her hair. “Teacher Gu, being with you is making me feel so… mature…”
Gu Pingsheng, leaning back on the sofa, glanced at his watch. “It’s time for your nap.”
He completely ignored her protest.
Tong Yan, barefoot, jumped onto the floor and, ignoring his warnings about catching a cold, retrieved a box of colorful nail polish bottles and cotton swabs from the bedroom, tossing them onto the sofa.
“Which color do you like?” she asked.
He wasn’t fond of such frivolous things but knew that girls liked them, so occasional indulgence was necessary.
“The fuchsia one,” he said, after a moment of reluctant consideration.
“Do you know how to apply nail polish?”
“No,” he looked at her incredulously. “Do you think I should?”
Tong Yan, suppressing a smile, said, “Of course not. Mr. Gu, while undeniably handsome, is not effeminate.” She opened the fuchsia bottle, wiped the excess polish off the brush, and handed it to him.
Gu Pingsheng looked at her for a moment, then, his expression serious, took the brush, held her hand, and studied her nails intently.
Tong Yan playfully lifted his chin with her finger.
“What are your orders, Mrs. Gu?” he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners, a teasing smile on his lips.
Tong Yan nodded with satisfaction. “If you hold my entire hand, you’ll make a mess. You have to support each finger individually. Start with a stroke down the middle, then one on each side. And try not to get any on my skin. But if you do, it’s okay; I have cotton swabs and nail polish remover.”
He hummed in acknowledgement and, lowering his head, carefully began applying the polish.
She had been prepared for a messy attempt, underestimating his meticulousness. After finishing her pinky finger, he seemed to get the hang of it. Tong Yan watched him, slightly disappointed; she had intended to tease him, but clearly, it was a futile endeavor.
Then, remembering his meticulous julienning of potatoes, she wasn’t so surprised.
Some qualities were innate.
They sat facing each other, cross-legged on the floor.
His meticulousness gave her ample opportunity to observe him.
Natural sunlight was the best filter, much softer than the harsh glare of studio lights. She tried to find flaws in his features, and if there was one, it was his monolids.
“Are monolids genetic?” she asked, wiggling her fingers to dry the polish.
“Double eyelids are a dominant trait, monolids are recessive, which means the probability of having monolids is lower,” he glanced at the other nail polish bottles. “Want to try a different color?”
“Okay,” she offered him her other hand. “So you must have two recessive genes, while I probably have one dominant and one recessive, or two dominant ones? If our future children have monolids, it’ll be your fault…”
“What’s wrong with looking like me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with looking like you… but if they only inherit your monolids and my other features, they’ll be… less attractive.” While Tong Yan considered herself reasonably attractive, beauty was subjective, and “reasonably attractive” wasn’t quite the same as “stunning.”
They chatted idly, and she enjoyed these moments of meaningless banter, turning a brilliant mind into someone just as… ordinary as her. A game she never tired of playing.
Leaning back against the cushions, admiring her multicolored nails, she sighed. “If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t want to live. I could never find anyone better.” He closed the nail polish bottle and placed it on the coffee table. “You would be fine without me.” His voice was a mixture of playful teasing and quiet seriousness.
“Yes, don’t worry, no matter what happens, I’ll be fine without you. I have other people to take care of.” She bit her lip, wondering why the conversation had suddenly taken a serious turn.
Gu Pingsheng flicked her forehead lightly. “That’s the spirit.”
Tong Yan gathered the nail polish bottles, then stopped and turned back to look at him.
“But that’s not right either. That makes me sound heartless,” she said, frowning. “Who knows what will happen tomorrow? You’re ten years older than me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll outlive you, right? You would also be fine without me.”
Before he could respond, she smiled triumphantly and returned to the bedroom.
She remembered Zhou Qing Chen’s words clearly.
“Pulmonary fibrosis, stroke, avascular necrosis… those are common. Their immune systems are completely destroyed, leading to mobility issues, heart failure, all sorts of problems… Basically, they were alive but incurable…”
A living cancer, a blunt and accurate description.
But she wasn’t afraid of losing him, not because of blind optimism, but because she understood the fragility of life. The person you thought would leave first might be the one who stayed till the end. Who could say for sure?
They had chosen to be together, unafraid of the uncertain future, precisely because of their shared resilience. Romantic love wasn’t everything; life went on, with or without a partner.
But there was a difference. A love like theirs was a once-in-a-lifetime experience; how could there be a second?
Gu Pingsheng had a class on the day of the New Year’s gala.
She took a taxi to the university, arriving just as dusk was settling. He messaged her, saying he hadn't finished teaching yet and that she should go to the student activity center.
Although she had spent her childhood near the campus, she wasn’t familiar with the university’s layout. After a moment of hesitation, she started asking for directions. She happened to ask a girl from the law school, and as they walked towards the activity center, the girl assumed she was there to meet her boyfriend.
“Here we are. Is your boyfriend a junior or a senior?” the girl asked, linking her arm through Tong Yan’s. “Tell me about him; maybe I know him.”
Tong Yan smiled awkwardly, unsure how to explain…
As they reached the second floor, a few students lounging on the sofas in the hallway saw Tong Yan and rushed over, calling her “Little Ma’am,” much to the other girl’s surprise.
Coincidentally, just as she reached the second-floor landing, he appeared in the lobby below.
Amidst the playful chaos, he walked up the stairs, rescuing her from the enthusiastic students, his arm protectively around her waist as they entered the banquet hall, ignoring the good-natured teasing.
He couldn’t hear them, but she could.
Her cheeks burning slightly, she sat beside him at the table reserved for faculty and whispered, “I have a bad feeling.” He looked at her, puzzled. “About what?”
“Usually, the most popular ones… get targeted at these events…”
Gu Pingsheng hummed, seemingly intrigued. “Targeted how?”
“I don’t know…”
Tong Yan silently prayed for mercy.
He greeted the other professors as they arrived, his hand finding hers under the table, a silent, constant reassurance, a subtle message to everyone that he was, indeed, not available…
Initially embarrassed, she gradually relaxed, leaning against him as they watched the student performances. It was a departmental event, the decorations consisting mainly of red banners and colorful balloons, the costumes mostly homemade. It wasn’t elaborate, but the festive atmosphere was palpable.
She was laughing at a particularly amusing cross-dressing performance when the emcee suddenly addressed them. “Teacher Gu?”
Tong Yan tugged his shirt.
Gu Pingsheng turned to look at the two student emcees.
“We were thinking… since you’re the only one who brought your wife, you should give us a special performance. How about a duet?”
Before she could finish, the hall erupted in cheers.
Making this perfect man sing a duet with his wife would be legendary.
Their request was partly meant to be a joke, partly out of consideration for him. It was a lighthearted performance, and no one would be judged too harshly. Unfortunately, Gu Pingsheng, unaware of the song they had in mind, simply glanced around, sensing it wasn’t anything serious.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, “The sophomore class I’ll be teaching next semester… I’ve spoken to the dean, and the moot court grade will count for 60% of the final grade.”
Moot court? Clearly, he was offering them a bribe.
The sophomore class immediately quieted down, their enthusiasm waning.
The male emcee chuckled. “On behalf of the sophomore girls, I love you, Teacher Gu.”
Tong Yan rolled her eyes. Such blatant abuse of power.
He cleared his throat, continuing, “The law firm I’m working at is launching a summer internship program for third-year law students, top of their class.” He paused, then added slowly, “I’ll be overseeing most of the projects, and I should have three or four open slots.”
The junior class gasped, their eyes wide with excitement.
Even Tong Yan was envious. If her classmates knew about this, they would be tearing their hair out…
With these two tempting offers, most of the students were appeased.
But the female emcee remained unfazed, a playful smile on her face. “Teacher Gu, I’m a senior, already accepted into a direct doctoral program, and not even at this university…” She glanced at Tong Yan, then back at Gu Pingsheng. “But since you’ve shown your sincerity, we won’t be too demanding. How about you choose your own song?”
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