Grand Gift
Liang Feifan silently finished his dinner and went upstairs to his study. Gu Yan packed a few changes of clothes and came out. His driver was already waiting at the door, saying that the master had instructed him that it was very late and, for safety reasons, Miss Yan should not drive herself.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Gu Boyun remained delirious and could barely answer any questions. Later that night, he suddenly developed a low-grade fever, and it took several doctors a long time to stabilize his condition. Gu Yan was heartbroken by the needles being inserted into her father's body, and she lay curled up on a recliner in the break room until dawn.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, Gu Boyun slowly woke up.
Gu Yan watched as her father slowly opened his eyes in the warm winter sun, his life flowing forth like a long-parched spring. She couldn't help but kneel by the bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. It was as if she had finally emerged from the nightmare of the previous night, and been reborn.
“She’s crying again…” Gu Boyun’s hand trembled as he weakly touched his daughter’s hair. How could his delicate little daughter survive in this treacherous world after he left?
Gu Yan's grievances, shock, lingering fear, hesitation, worry, and terror all erupted. She cried until a small patch of the quilt was soaked before she finally stopped. Her cheek was pressed against her father's hand, and her voice was hoarse as she said, "I've discussed it with the doctor, and the surgery will be next month, okay? Please, Dad."
Gu Boyun replied calmly and firmly, "No."
"I won't marry Liang Feifan anymore. I'll do whatever you say. Please, please go and have the surgery! I don't want you to die... Dad, please..." Gu Yan told him urgently, and as she spoke, she couldn't hold back her tears again.
"Don't cry..." Gu Boyun leaned against the pillow with difficulty, slumped there, looking exceptionally frail.
"You've been suffering these past few days, Dad knows... Gu Yan, Dad really hopes to give you one last bit of freedom before I die. Seven years ago, I personally kicked you out, and you had no choice but to stay with Liang Feifan. Now, we're facing another hurdle like this, how can Dad sacrifice you again? I'm so afraid that when I meet your mother in the afterlife, she'll ask me if our little Yan is doing well? What will I say to her? — Little Yan, you stayed with a man I don't trust to save me. Little Yan, how can I trust Liang Feifan? Think about it carefully, okay?"
Gu Yan nodded repeatedly, stood up and sat down beside his bed, wiping away her tears and smiling through her red eyes, "I know, I know... I know. Dad, I know you're doing this for my own good. I won't get married, I'll wait until you're better."
The father and daughter talked for a while, but Gu Boyun was still very weak and gradually couldn't hold on any longer. Gu Yan helped him lie down and waited for a while to make sure he was asleep. She stood blankly in the quiet ward for a long time, then went into the bathroom to wash her face, touched up her makeup, and went out.
Gu Mingzhu had indeed returned to Web International English. She was wearing a fitted black suit jacket over a white knee-length skirt, her hair was styled up, and her makeup was flawless; she looked radiant. Gu Yan arrived while Gu Mingzhu was in a meeting and waited for about an hour before she came out.
"I'm busy, so hurry up and say what you need to say. Let me make it clear beforehand, if you're going to be a peacemaker, forget it. I'm going back to the hospital tonight, and nobody has time to get angry with the old man. You don't need to worry about the surgery; I'll find a way to get him on the operating table. Just focus on marrying your man." Gu Mingzhu threw herself heavily onto the office sofa, her guard finally dropping, and a hint of exhaustion spreading across her face.
Gu Yan sat down on the sofa opposite, her legs straight and her hands clasped on her knees, a standard negotiating posture. "My wedding has been postponed."
Gu Mingzhu didn't open her eyes, but frowned. "You idiot, try causing me trouble again!"
“It’s my father who’s sick, and it’s me and Liang Feifan who’s getting married. All these conflicts revolve around me. I have to face them myself. Sister, no matter how capable you are or how much you love me, you can’t prepare everything for me. I have to grow up eventually. Besides, I’m already grown up.” Her voice was as gentle and pleasant as Gu Mingzhu had instructed her to be when she was given the task of negotiating.
Gu Mingzhu scoffed dismissively, "Did you tell Liang Feifan?"
"Yes. He promised to think about it. He'll agree. He might not be happy, but he'll support me." Gu Yan was very confident, at least, she pretended to be very confident in front of Gu Mingzhu.
Gu Mingzhu sat up, gathered her hair, and placed a lock of it over her left shoulder. "Gu Yan, do you understand that Dad is being completely unreasonable right now? How can this be? Liang Feifan gave everything to save him, and now he's siding with the culprit, Fang Yicheng? Even if you're not the smartest, you can still tell right from wrong, right? And you still want to go along with his nonsense?! Have you lost your mind again?! You want to postpone the wedding? Do you know that things can go wrong if you wait?! Do you think that just because Dad is better, you can marry Liang Feifan without worry? In his logic, Liang Feifan isn't someone he can entrust his life to! He's been holding a grudge for the past seven years, and this illness is just a convenient excuse. Don't be silly!"
"Sister, in your opinion, in Dad's logic, would he rather be executed, or watch you and Liang Feifan reach an agreement to exchange me for him and get him out?"
"Are you going to blame me for this too?" Gu Mingzhu suddenly raised her voice, which irritated Gu Yan. She swallowed hard, trying her best to suppress her anger. They couldn't start arguing; in these extraordinary times, someone had to remain calm.
"Of course I don't blame you! Even if I had known back then, I would have been willing to sacrifice myself to save Dad. Besides, it was a lucky accident that I'm willing to spend my life with Liang Feifan. Sister, I don't want to argue with you. Let's calmly resolve this issue, okay?"
Gu Mingzhu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise upon hearing this. This was the first time she had seen Gu Yan so rational and mature.
“No matter how unreasonable Dad is, at this time, in this situation, shouldn’t we daughters always prioritize his health? He’s so sick, it’s normal for him to be a little irritable and stubborn! Sister, you saw how much pain he was in, tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep. It broke my heart to see him getting injections of painkillers. Don’t you feel the same way?”
“Sister, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it. It took me seven years to gradually see Liang Feifan’s love. So what about Dad? Are you asking him to believe in Liang Feifan like I do? Isn’t that too much to ask? He’s not a god; he can’t see through people’s hearts. How can you expect him to see how much Liang Feifan loves me all at once?”
“Besides, he just wants me to have real freedom of choice. He doesn’t want to be a burden to me. His starting point is the same as yours, right?” As Gu Yan spoke, she walked to Gu Mingzhu’s side, half-kneeling on the sofa, hugging her sister, and gently and methodically persuading her, “Besides, I’m just postponing the wedding, it’s not like I’m not getting married.”
Gu Mingzhu remained silent for a long time.
Gu Yan held her, resting her head on her knees, breathing slowly and patiently waiting for her to think things through. Nothing is more prudent than taking a long time to consider things.
“I regret it,” Gu Mingzhu sighed, with a hint of a smile. “I shouldn’t have let you resign. You were so clear-headed and persuasive that you convinced me. I should have kept you around to negotiate contracts with me.”
Gu Yan smiled; she knew her sister had agreed. She looked up at her sister, Gu Mingzhu, who patted her face, gesturing for her to get up. "I have a lot of things to do. Come pick me up around five o'clock, and we'll go grocery shopping."
Gu Yan agreed and sat for a while before leaving.
"Xiao Yan," Gu Mingzhu called out to her, then paused, "you've really grown up." Gu Yan chuckled, waved at her, and went out the door.
Gu Mingzhu nestled in the large chair, calm and gratified. Finally, this little girl who only knew how to throw tantrums and act spoiled had grown up, able to bravely face adversity and even try to solve problems with her own abilities and intellect. She was no longer Gu Yan, who would hide in her room all day crying and grieving after every incident. Perhaps, she really should thank Liang Feifan; how profound must his love have been to nurture such a blossoming flower?
Gu Yan rushed to Liang's Group. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a scene of panic in the secretary's office. Liang Feifan was probably throwing another tantrum. That stubborn man, when he was in a bad mood, he would make others suffer.
They were both happy and worried when they saw Miss Yan arrive. For the boss, encountering Miss Yan in his current situation meant either peace and happiness for the whole family, or it would only make things worse and escalate the crisis.
Gu Yan greeted them and went straight into the president's office. There were piles of documents on the large table. Liang Feifan was buried in the back, frowning as he examined the draft in his hand. He was slightly surprised when he saw her come in.
"I've come to have lunch with you," Gu Yan put down her bag, walked behind him to massage his shoulders, and smiled gently. "Would you do me the honor, President Liang?"
Liang Feifan smiled slightly, closed his eyes and enjoyed her massage. His nerves, which had been tense for a long time, gradually relaxed, and he hummed comfortably, leaning his head back against her.
"Wait a moment, I'm waiting for a timely fax. By the way, how is Uncle Gu?" Liang Feifan asked Gu Yan in a deep voice with his eyes closed.
"Things have stabilized, and we can move back to the sanatorium tonight. But we can't get too excited; we still need to have the surgery as soon as possible."
Liang Feifan, of course, knew that Gu Boyun had stabilized. As the boss of ROAL, he knew the situation more promptly and in more detail than Gu Yan. He asked this question simply to find a topic to naturally lead into the next conversation, "Then tomorrow night, I'll visit Uncle Gu and have a talk with him."
Gu Yan stopped pressing his temples. "I—I talked to Dad today." His eyes were closed, so his expression was unreadable. Gu Yan continued to press gently, her voice soft and sweet. "Feifan, just consider it accommodating to the old man, okay? Don't go to Dad anymore. Let's talk about it after his surgery, okay?"
Liang Feifan remained silent.
Gu Yan was anxious. Liang Feifan rarely changed his mind once he made a decision. Moreover, his unwavering expression now only proved that he had to go. Gu Yan didn't know what method he planned to use, but she absolutely didn't want to take the risk.
"Feifan," she tugged at his sleeve, half-pleading and half-whining—this was the most effective method for him—"Please, please? The surgery and recovery observation period only take six months. Just bear with it, okay?"
Liang Feifan finally opened his eyes, shaken by her. His gaze was fixed on her, complex, a mixture of tenderness and affection tinged with an indescribable coldness. He pulled her onto his lap, holding her close, his chin resting on the top of her head. Gu Yan nestled against his broad, warm chest, the fatigue of the past few days slightly relieved. His deep, mellow voice came from above her, "The wedding can be postponed. Let's register first. We'll hold the wedding after Uncle Gu has recovered."
Gu Yan's mood fluctuated wildly as she listened to his words. She had spent the entire morning trying to persuade three stubborn people, and her suppressed frustration was now spitting fire. "What's wrong with you?! My father is so seriously ill, how can I possibly be thinking about getting married? Besides, why take this risk? What if Dad finds out?" Gu Yan stood up, frowning. She realized her words had been too harsh, and seeing his narrowed, piercing gaze, she felt both heartache and anxiety. She stood up and went to the window to calm herself, looking out at the bustling traffic for a while.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” she said slowly, turning to lean against the window and watching his back. “Feifan, I’m very tired right now, and I can’t think of anything to convince you right now. My father’s surgery can’t be delayed, and you are the man I’m willing to spend my life with. These are the only two things I can promise you right now.”
"I'm feeling down, I'm going to talk to Sangsang. You'll have to take care of lunch yourself." Gu Yan forced a smile, hugged him who was unusually silent, turned and left. It was better for the two of them not to be alone in the same room right now, lest they really start arguing.
Unseen by her, Liang Feifan's face was ashen, his eyes gleaming with cold light.
As the elevator descended floor by floor, Gu Yan's anger gradually rose. The two men she loved most in this world had actually put her in such a difficult position! Life was truly utterly boring! Why was marriage so troublesome!
The phone in her bag started ringing cheerfully. Gu Yan reached for it but couldn't find it, which fueled her anger. "Speak!" The number belonged to Rong Er.
"Sister Yan, I can't find the third copy of the wedding order list. Do you have it?" Rong Yan's relaxed and cheerful voice came from behind. Gu Yan's teeth itched. Marriage, hehe, Rong Yan, it seems you still owe me a wedding gift, don't you?
The Beginning of the Side Story (Part 1)
Of all the months in the year, Gu Yan disliked June and January the most because final exams came one after another in that month. Normally, she was the busiest person in the world, with dark circles under her eyes all day long, and her temper was worse than usual. Rong Er and the others didn't even dare to show their faces at the Liang residence these past two days.
Clang, clang, clang.
Bang!
ah!
Ji Xiaoyi, I love you!
One of the traditional graduation activities is shouting from the dorm. Tomorrow, boys and girls embarking on a new chapter in their lives will fully enjoy their last night at university. It's a night of drinking and singing with brothers, and tears of joy with girlfriends. Those who had grudges will forgive and forget with a laugh after a drink, and those who have secretly loved each other for a long time will confess their feelings now. In short, no one will sleep soundly tonight.
Liang Feifan was away on a business trip, and Gu Yan was too lazy to go home for lunch, so she and Mozi ate a few bites at the cafeteria. While eating, they chatted about the upcoming exams, with Gu Yan expressing deep anxiety about the remaining subjects. Mozi, with her mischievous eyes darting around, eagerly invited her to stay at the dormitory that night, saying they could all study together through the night for tomorrow's exams.
Tomorrow is the day the seniors move out of school, and it's already 1 a.m., but there's still a cacophony of wailing and howling in front of the dorms. Gu Yan sighed deeply; how could she possibly concentrate on her studies?
Wow!
"Oh my god, how romantic!"
A series of sighs drifted down from the building directly opposite Mozi's dorm, while screams erupted from the girls in the next dorm. Soon, the noise subsided, replaced by the melodious sound of a guitar and a clear male voice singing passionately: "I've always been confident, usually unafraid to speak my mind, but when I'm with you, I suddenly feel so shy. Girl, you make me so shy every time you walk by. How did I become like this? My body won't listen to me. I've never felt this way before, my emotions are out of control. Don't know what you're to me. I just know it feels right. I've never felt this before, this may like I'm out of control..." Mozi's dorm door was immediately pounded on. "Mozi! Go see! It's Senior Nan! Is Gu Yan there?! Call her, quick!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan glared at Mo Zi with resentment. So that's why she was allowed to stay! Seeing her gritted teeth, Mo Zi covered her neck and backed away. "I had no choice, Senior Nan begged me for so long—" After saying that, she shamelessly leaned closer, "Shall we go and take a look too?"
Before Gu Yan could answer, Mo Zi made a face and darted to the balcony. Their dormitory was on the third floor, with a large lawn below. It was now full of people. In the center of the crowd, there was a heart shape made of candles. In the flickering candlelight, An Nanbei sat on the ground, holding a guitar and playing it passionately towards the third-floor balcony. He was dressed in all white, and his handsome and charming appearance was full of charm. The girls in the entire dormitory building were in an uproar. There are graduation shouts every year, but this year the quality is especially high!
Mozi peeked out and was immediately bombarded with envious glances from downstairs, feeling like she was being shot with icy arrows. She swallowed hard and whispered urgently to Gu Yan, "Hey! This is terrible! He only said it was a last-ditch effort, I didn't expect it to be this big, what do we do now?" In this situation, if the female lead doesn't show up... Mozi shuddered. Senior Nan has already graduated, but they still have a year left to spend here...
Gu Yan lay half-reclined on the bed with a book in her hand, her long legs dangling down, exuding an air of leisure. "I don't care, whoever came up with this bad idea should clean it up."
Mozi was in despair.
After a long, long time, An Nanbei's guitar playing became slightly unsteady. The girls' cries of sympathy and protest came in waves. An Nanbei's group of brothers, who had come to support him and bolster his morale, were also greatly dissatisfied. They led their fan club towards Gu Yan's dormitory, shouting, "Gu Yan! Come out! Gu Yan! Come out! Gu Yan! Come out!"
Compared to the all-night chants of "We've graduated..." in previous years, this lively shouting did not cause any dissatisfaction among the other students in the dormitory. Many girls standing on the balcony had admired the handsome senior Nan for a long time, and now they were excited and joined in the shouting.
Mozi was both excited and scared, clinging to the edge of the balcony with half her head peeking down. A moment later, she heard Gu Yan suddenly drop her book and run downstairs from the house behind her.
Mozi quickly followed him out, her mouth agape with excitement. "Wow, the show's about to begin!"
Gu Yan frowned, hands on her hips, exuding her usual aura. The rabble naturally backed away. She angrily shouted at one of Nan's brothers at the front, "What's all the noise about! What business is it of yours if someone confesses their love! Why are you making such a fuss in the middle of the night instead of sleeping!"
Less than five minutes after she went downstairs, two cars quickly pulled up outside the dormitory building, and Ah Hu arrived in a hurry with more than a dozen burly men in black. "Miss Yan."
Gu Yan waved her hand calmly, "It's nothing." She stepped over the circle of candles and walked up to An Nanbei, "I'm here, speak quickly."
An Nanbei's long eyelashes cast a small shadow on his handsome face, making him look like a beautiful boy straight out of a manga in the candlelight. He stopped the concert with a tremor, gently put down his guitar, and stood up. He was a year ahead of Gu Yan, and he had seen her at the freshman welcome party and was immediately captivated by her beauty. An Nanbei was quite a popular figure at school, but he had been pursuing Gu Yan for two and a half years, and they hadn't exchanged more than a hundred words. She lived off-campus and, he heard, had an exceptionally outstanding boyfriend. An Nanbei believed that his looks, temperament, and family background were no less than anyone else's, and with graduation approaching, he was determined to make a grand declaration of love. He didn't believe that even if he trampled his dignity underfoot, Gu Yan would still be so cold and aloof.
"I like you." An Nanbei's voice was soft and full of affection.
"I know that, you've said it many times. Anything else? Tell me something new." Gu Yan said coldly, arms crossed. It wasn't that she was oblivious to romance; of course she knew about An Nanbei's pursuit.
An Nanbei was speechless, taken aback by Gu Yan's direct and crisp words. For some reason, her small stature and the way she stood there with her arms crossed gave her an air of dominance, and the row of burly men behind her also exuded pressure. He was at a loss for words for a moment.
"That's all? Then I'm leaving." She turned and walked away. An Nanbei subconsciously chased after her. Ah Hu and the others waited until Gu Yan passed before quickly flanking her and cutting off her path, forming a circle around her. An Nanbei's brothers, who were usually very loyal, were now filled with righteous indignation and stepped forward. Just as a battle was about to break out, Gu Yan's clear voice came from behind, "Ah Hu, these are my seniors. You can just spar with them, but don't use guns and hurt anyone."
A crack appeared on Ah Hu's perpetually cool face as he ordered his men in a deep voice, "Did you hear what Miss Yan said? Put the gun away."
Upon hearing their leader's order, the men instinctively reached for their guns. Someone was drawing a gun? Who was it? To deal with these little brats.
An Nanbei and his gang were dumbfounded. Their boiling blood was frozen into ice crystals by the dark gun handle. In the summer night of June, they all hugged each other and remained silent as if they were shivering in the cold.
Mozi, who was waiting for Gu Yan at the corner, craned her neck to look in that direction. Tsk tsk, what a vivid scene it was: a young boy who was determined to fight for love encountering armed men! Gu Yan is truly a femme fatale.
"What are you looking at! Go back and study!" Gu Yan said to her irritably.
"Hey, why don't you like Senior Nan? I think he's great. Although he's not as handsome, rich, powerful, or influential as your Liang Feifan, he's so young and has countless possibilities—" Mozi suddenly shut her mouth because Gu Yan was pointing her index finger and thumb at her temple like a gun. "Fine, then go throw yourself into his arms. If you bother me again, I'll make you regret it."
Mozi raised her hands above her head, and after Gu Yan walked away, she jogged after her, chattering, "Didn't you say you weren't making any progress with your Liang Feifan? If you're not making any progress, why are you remaining chaste for him? You're so stupid! Why don't you use Senior Nan to annoy him? He'd pounce on you as soon as he got jealous and fulfill your wish! Hey... hey, wait for me..."
"Miss Yan... Miss Yan!" Ah Hu hurriedly ran up from behind, "The master's phone call—"
Gu Yan stopped and answered the phone, saying "Hello?" Liang Feifan's cheerful voice came through clearly, "Why didn't you wait for me to come and be the hero?"
"You're back?" Gu Yan asked in surprise. Wasn't she supposed to be gone for a week? Today is only the second day.
"Still in New York, will be back the day after tomorrow." He doesn't use his office in the US often, but there's a photo of her on his desk. Liang Feifan held the phone in his right hand and stroked her photo with his left, smiling warmly. "Miss me? Then I'll come back now?"
Gu Yan glared at Mozi, who was eavesdropping furtively, for the third time. She turned her back to Mozi and Ah Hu, tugged at the corners of her mouth, and mumbled a vague "Mmm."