Together Forever - Chapter 63
Volume 3, Chapter 63: Your Mrs. Gu (3)
This project turned out to be unexpectedly challenging.
After rescheduling his classes, Gu Pingsheng barely had time to go home and grab his luggage before rushing to the airport.
Of course, amidst all this haste, he still managed to visit the hospital. The elderly patient had been suffering from illness for many years, and a liver transplant required lifelong anti-rejection medication, which took a toll both physically and mentally.
This time, however, he was greeted with a rare smile, tinged with self-deprecation and concern: "Our grandfather and grandson, we really are the ones with the worst health in the family," the elderly man said, noticing Gu Pingsheng's suit and luggage, and guessing his upcoming trip. "Business trip?"
Gu Pingsheng placed his suitcase by the bed and sat down on a chair: "I have to go to London unexpectedly. I should be back in about ten days."
Both grandfather and grandson seemed to want to say something, but they just smiled at each other, neither speaking first.
He didn't have much time to stay. As he got up to leave, he suddenly said: "Last time, I didn't get the chance to introduce her to you. When I return from London, I'll bring her to meet you formally."
Perhaps because he was feeling better today, the elderly man didn't show much resistance.
"That student of yours, is she graduating this year? Has she considered a suitable job?"
"She just finished her internship," Gu Pingsheng replied, then jokingly added, "But her grades are average, much worse than mine. She'll need to work harder to find a suitable job."
The elderly man laughed: "You're still as arrogant as ever, never modest."
During the project in London, Gu Pingsheng unexpectedly ran into an old classmate. They were on opposite sides of the negotiation table, fiercely debating every word during the day. Despite being old friends, the nature of the project left little room for personal interactions. It wasn't until the legal negotiations were over that they realized they were staying at the same hotel.
The chance encounter happened in the hotel elevator.
"TK," the blonde woman next to his old classmate gave him an enthusiastic hug, asking in broken Chinese, "How are you? Are you doing well?"
"Very well," Gu Pingsheng replied in Chinese, patting her back lightly.
Their exchange left the old classmate confused, and he joked that it was like old lovers reuniting, leaving him, the new lover, feeling left out. Amidst the banter, people entered and exited the elevator. It wasn't until he heard them mention children that he realized with delayed surprise: "When did this happen?"
"Last year, around this time," the woman made a delighted expression, "Children are so adorable. I even thought about getting married. If we have another child, we'll get married."
Gu Pingsheng gave her another hug, offering his sincere congratulations.
If possible, he wanted to leave London immediately.
To go home and see his little girl.
For several days, she had been distracted in their communications, as if something was wrong.
Ten days, a week and three more days.
On the seventh day, Tong Yan suddenly called Shen Yao: "Are you still in Beijing? I want to go to the amusement park today. My treat, let's go to the Beijing amusement park?" The line was noisy, and Shen Yao yelled back: "I just arrived at Capital Airport. I'm leaving in an hour. Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Can you leave a day later?" Tong Yan sat on the sofa, her voice unusually soft.
Shen Yao was silent for a few seconds, then cursed: "Give me your address. I'll see you in an hour... No, wait for me at home. I need to drop off my luggage at your place first."
Shen Yao stood outside the amusement park, already getting into character, carefully planning how to make the most of their time and hit all the rides they wanted. She even drew a route on the map, circling the key attractions.
Tong Yan was distracted.
"Listen, Tong Yan, if it weren't for the fact that I'm about to go abroad and won't be back for a while, I wouldn't entertain such unreasonable requests. Do you think I'm your boyfriend or something? I was already at the airport, and you just called me back like that..." Shen Yao bit the end of her pen, suddenly looking up at her thoughtfully. "What's the big deal?"
Tong Yan adjusted her sun hat, its wide brim covering most of her face.
"Did you break up?" Shen Yao sighed. "Women are the strongest creatures, but when it comes to breakups, it's like breaking bones."
"As if I've never been through a breakup before," Tong Yan said slowly as they walked forward.
Shen Yao thought for a moment: "Don't get mad, but before Gu Pingsheng, I never saw you with a boyfriend at school. So before I came, I called my man to ask what you're like after a breakup, so I could prepare. Honestly, my man never has anything good to say about you. His opinion of you is pretty biased, but on this one thing, he said you're tougher than most men."
Tong Yan remained silent.
"You didn't shed a single tear, but your ex-boyfriend was crying like crazy... Tong Yan, you're ruthless."
Shen Yao teased her lightly, but when Tong Yan turned to look at her, she was stunned.
Where was the ruthlessness?
Her gaze was unfocused, her eyes red but no tears falling.
Shen Yao had never seen her like this and could only hug her like a fool: "What's going on? Is Gu Pingsheng not doing well? That can't be. The last time I saw him, he was devastatingly handsome, and his complexion was great..."
As she spoke, Shen Yao reached out to touch her eyes.
Dry. She really hadn't cried.
But it was scarier than if she had.
Tong Yan pushed her hand away: "Get lost. Don't you dare curse him."
"..."
"Did you really break up?" Shen Yao nudged her. "If you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in. It's just a few days of sadness, maybe a few months, or at most a few years. Once you forget, you can find someone better... Though it's hard. In my twenty years of experience, I've never met anyone better than Gu Pingsheng."
Tong Yan laughed. She had never seen anyone console someone like Shen Yao: "I never thought about finding someone better."
After a breakup, you can always find someone else.
Say goodbye to the past relationship and cut off all ties with the person you once loved.
In this city, every corner, every second, the same story plays out. But Tong Yan and Gu Pingsheng were different. She wanted to leave him because her family situation wasn't suitable, not for any trivial reason.
Originally, Shen Yao had come to accompany her.
But in the end, Shen Yao completely forgot her original purpose and immersed herself in the thrill of the high-risk rides.
Tong Yan, who was too scared to ride the roller coaster, watched as Shen Yao rode it once and then got back in line for another round of the "devil's journey."
She bought a bottle of water and sat in the rest area, watching from a distance.
It wasn't summer vacation yet, so most of the people sitting under the trees were young parents with children or college-aged couples. Tong Yan sat there, listening to a young couple behind her arguing about their child's extracurricular activities. The man advocated for free development, while the woman insisted on well-rounded training.
Tong Yan glanced at her phone. It was already past 2 pm. He should be awake by now?
Hesitating, she sent him a text: Are you awake?
Just woke up. -TK
She got a response but didn't know how to continue.
As she was lost in thought, another message came in: I'm on a flight back to Beijing tonight. -TK
Her heart tightened.
The shortened trip was an unexpected surprise from him.
But Tong Yan didn't have the courage to face him and talk about breaking up. She held her phone in her right hand, thinking for a long time before finally asking: Is your schedule tight today?
The negotiations went smoothly. Strictly speaking, today is a day off. -TK
A day off? That was good.
Tong Yan stared at her phone screen, slowly typing out her next words: There's something I've been thinking about for a long time. I don't dare to say it face-to-face. Can I tell you over text?
She waited for a long time, but he didn't reply.
Tong Yan grew anxious, her hands trembling. After a while, there was still no response. She didn't know if he hadn't seen it or if he had already guessed something. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and sent another message: Did you see it?
This time, he replied quickly: Go ahead. -TK
Just two words and a signature, giving no hint of his mood.
Tong Yan felt a tightness in her chest. She slowly typed out a few words but couldn't bring herself to finish. She looked up, took a deep breath, and watched Shen Yao excitedly jump into the roller coaster, waiting for the safety bar to lock in place, carefree and happy.
For the first time in her life, she felt a pang of envy, even jealousy.
She remembered hearing a story once.
In Thailand, white elephants are considered national treasures, owned only by the royal family. Once, a king gifted a white elephant to a minister. At first, the minister was overjoyed and took the elephant home, caring for it meticulously. But over time, he realized that maintaining such a treasure was incredibly costly. In just over a decade, he went bankrupt, and his family fell into ruin.
The person who told the story said that everyone desires perfection, but they forget that not everyone can bear the burden of such perfection. Like the minister in the story, he received a symbol of royal honor but ultimately couldn't sustain it.
Her relationship with Gu Pingsheng was like that.
She had stubbornly believed that she deserved happiness but forgot to consider whether she could bear the weight of such a relationship.
"In sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, I will always be with you." When she had said this to Gu Pingsheng, she was full of confidence, believing she could handle whatever came next in his life.
But what if she was the one who brought sickness and poverty?
Tong Yan lowered her head and finished typing: I want to break up. It's too hard. I never know what tomorrow will bring, only that it will be worse than today. I'm sorry I couldn't hold on until the end.
It was straightforward, with no extra words.
She didn't even remember how she had typed out those words and sent them.
A long wait followed.
He didn't respond.
Behind her, the young couple's argument grew more intense, but they kept their voices low so their child wouldn't hear. Tong Yan listened intently but couldn't recall what they were actually saying.
After about ten minutes, Shen Yao finally got off the roller coaster and stumbled over to her, exclaiming how thrilling it was: "It's a shame you came to the amusement park and didn't ride the roller coaster."
Tong Yan handed her the bottle of water.
When she looked down, she noticed an unread message.
Opening it, she saw it was very brief: Give me some time to think. -TK
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