Misunderstanding.

‘I didn’t touch you that night,’ Qiao Jie said.

Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Jie’s frustrated tone of voice. He walked toward Qiao Jie in case someone wanted to disrupt the wedding.

‘Chen Tan Yi, I didn’t touch you that night,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘That night someone drugged you and my brother-in-law. My big sister didn’t want you to sleep with her husband in your drugged state. Big sister asked me to take you to another room to sleep off the drug effect.’

‘Are you saying nothing happened between you and me that night?’ Chen Tan Yi asked.

Gu Jiao Wu vaguely remembered Chen Tan Yi, she was Tan Pan Ting’s little cousin. He remembered he met Chen Tan Yi once when he was with Qiao Tan Yuan before their divorce. That night he met Chen Tan Yi, he thought she had the same smile as Chu Da so he helped to sober her. But afterward he was drugged and he slept with Qiao Tan Yuan, it was the night they conceived Gu Ting Ding.

‘I’m not a saint but there is one thing I wouldn’t do,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘I wouldn’t rape a woman. If you’re denying you were drugged, are you saying you were the one who drugged my brother-in-law?’

‘I didn’t drug anyone,’ Chen Tan Yi said. ‘I remember when I woke up I saw you. You said nothing happened and you disappeared.’

‘Forget it,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘Now you know the truth. I’m innocent.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Chen Tan Yi said. ‘Thank you for helping me that night.’

Qiao Jie was relieved Chen Tan Yi finally believed he was innocent. He didn’t want to take responsibility for something he didn’t do.

Chen Tan Yi walked away from Qiao Jie, and she b.u.mped into Gu Jiao Wu. She apologised and left. Years ago, she was infatuated with Gu Jiao Wu, but Gu Jiao Wu was indifferent to her.

‘Big brother,’ Qiao Jie greeted.

‘Qiao Jie, tell me what happened that night I was drugged in the hotel,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Big brother, are you saying big sister didn’t explain how someone drugged you that night?’ Qiao Jie asked.

‘What?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘That night big sister attended the business function at the hotel because you and big sister won’t divorced yet,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘She and I looked for you at the hotel function room, but we couldn’t find you. Then we found you and Pan Ting’s cousin lying together in a hotel room. We didn’t know what happened, but we believed you wouldn’t sleep with another woman while married to big sister. Big sister asked me to take Pan Ting’s cousin to another room and make sure nothing happened to her.’

Gu Jiao Wu’s body s.h.i.+vered, he remembered that night Qiao Tan Yuan begged him to believe her that she didn’t drug him to sleep with her.

‘Big brother, are you OK?’ Qiao Jie asked. ‘Did you think big sister…’

‘I’m OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Today is your big sister’s wedding. Be a good little brother, and go greet the wedding guests.’

‘Yes big brother,’ Qiao Jie said and went to greet the wedding guests.

Du Lei Xin overheard Qiao Jie and Gu Jiao Wu’s conversation.

‘Big brother is everything OK?’ Du Lei Xin asked.

‘Yes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I want to make a phone call.’

‘Big brother… are you having cold feet and you want to run away?’ Du Lei Xin asked. ‘You can’t do this to big sister.’

‘Lei Xin!’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Don’t say nonsense. Why would I want to run away from my wife?’

‘Good,’ Du Lei Xin said. ‘If big brother ran away, big sister and Jiao Mai would kill me first.’

Mr Qiao arrived at the wedding, and he found Gu Jiao Wu with Du Lei Xin.

‘Son, I’m giving Tan Yuan to you,’ Mr Qiao said. ‘I hope this time you’ll make Tan Yuan happy.’

‘Dad, I promise I’ll make Tan Yuan happy,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Good,’ Mr Qiao said. ‘You better keep your promise.’

An hour later, Mrs Qiao and Chen Ting Yu were crying happy tears to see their daughters being married off to the men they loved.

After the wedding ceremony, Hu Zui Ren and Tong Shang Wen drank with the heartbroken Shen Cheng at the reception.

Many wedding guests asked the two brides and two grooms where they were going on their honeymoons. Du Lei Xin said he was taking Gu Jiao Mai to a beach resort near the Aegean Sea, and Gu Jiao Wu was taking Qiao Tan Yuan to a friend’s island.

Late at night Gu Jiao Wu drove Qiao Tan Yuan to their apartment. She sat on their bed in her wedding dress.

Gu Jiao Wu answered a phone call downstairs before he walked upstairs to the master bedroom. He sat next to Qiao Tan Yuan on their bed.

‘Tan Yuan, today you look beautiful in your wedding dress,’ Gu Jiao Wu praised.

Qiao Tan Yuan felt shy. Although it wasn’t her first night, but it was hers and Gu Jiao Wu’s fresh start.

‘Jiao Wu… I’m tired and I want to sleep,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Gu Jiao Wu laid on the bed, he pulled Qiao Tan Yuan down next to him and he kissed her lips gently.

‘Tan Yuan… was your first night painful?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘I thought we agreed to forget the past.’

Gu Jiao Wu kissed Qiao Tan Yuan’s wrist.

‘Today I found out something,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Tan Yuan, you didn’t drug me that night at the hotel,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu was talking to Xiao Lam on the phone downstairs. Xiao Lam reported the two rats that betrayed him were taken care of. But it was Qiao Tan Yuan who he cared about. When he was drugged at the hotel that year, he thought he slept Chu Da. It wasn’t Chu Da, it was Qian Tan Yuan who he slept with.

‘It’s in the past,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I don’t want to think about it.’

‘Tan Yuan…’ Gu Jiao Wu called.

Gu Jiao Wu hugged Qiao Tan Yuan. How much did she love him to forgive him? He had accused her wrongly of drugging him to have a child with him, and hang onto to him.

‘Tan Yuan, did you hate me for being so cruel to you?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You were only cruel to me. But you were good to everyone else. You were good to your family, friends and colleagues.’

Gu Jiao Wu kissed Qiao Tan Yuan’s lips gently again.

‘Tan Yuan, I’m sorry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘No one could fault you for not loving me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t care about the past anymore. She believed Gu Jiao Wu would be good to her in the future.

‘Tan Yuan, promise me one thing,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

End of Chapter 151