NOVEL WEB Yi Ran hurriedly stood up and asked doubtfully, “Isn’t it too late?”
The man looked at her with a frown. He was wearing somewhat formal clothes today. On the way, he had taken off his black coat in the car and draped it over his arm, creating an aesthetically different impression than normal.
“The meeting ended early. Since there’s still time, I came over to see my parents.”
Mother Yi was so happy that she immediately called the waiter to add an extra seat beside her daughter, and she came and affectionately patted the son-in-law’s arm. “You’re usually busy enough with work, and it’s rare for you to get off work early. Why didn’t you go home early to rest? We’re just having a regular meal. ”
Yi Ran remembered and asked him, “Have you eaten yet?”
Gu Tingchuan walked over and took a seat next to her. Because there were a lot of people, he seemed even more taciturn than usual. This time, he just nodded slightly, without much polite words.
“Dinner again in ten minutes?” She saw him acquiesced. With a frown on her face, she turned back to her cousin. “Order two more vegetarian dishes. There are still some meat dishes on the table, but it’s better for him to eat a little lighter.”
A lot of people who met a Gu family member would try to ingratiate themselves. It was probably only Yi Ran who would talk this way to Gu Tingchuan.
To Yi Jinting, the strangest thing was that Gu Tingchuan was obviously unperturbed and seemed to have no opinion at all over how Yi Ran had made the decisions for him. Ordinarily, Xiang Dongsheng would still prefer for her to ask him first. After all, he was a young master who was used to others treating him well and respecting his decisions. As a result, she had to be more careful when taking care of him.
Even Yi Jinting’s mother was struck speechless.
Taking other’s stunned reactions into account, Xiang Dongsheng held a wine glass and came to Gu Tingchuan’s side. He was obviously in good spirit as he toasted, “I did not expect to become a relative with Director Gu. I will greet first.”
Gu Tingchuan was usually cold and grim, but he was very well-educated. Moreover, he didn’t want to disrespected Yi Ran’s family. He stood up, took a small glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp. His expression did not change as he said, “You too.”
“We are similar in age, but in terms of business acumen, you have a longer-term vision. Also, your movie were all wonderfully directed. Speaking of which…so many female stars are held up by you.” Xiang Dongsheng was too excited and forgot himself. Before he could think better of it, he already quickly said, “Lu Keliu, Guo Baiyu … My friends around me also praised you and your good eye for actresses.”
Yi Jinting smiled and followed, “So Director Gu already had so many rumors…”
Yi Ran knew that her cousin’s words were not mere jokes. She pursed her lips and immediately responded with a countermeasure.
“Coincidentally, I also met Lu Keliu a while ago, as well as her male god husband. Cousin, He Yang is more handsome in person than on TV!”
Yi Jinting’s expression turned stiff, and Gu Tingchuan smiled lightly. Amused, he looked back at Yi Ran and, even though his mouth only had a slight smile, it was enough for others to see his pampering. “You’re thinking too much. My only good vision is in choosing a wife.”
Yi Ran was surprised. She watched his profile for a long time without moving, her heart surging.
Tonight, apparently Father Yi also became excited. He drank a few more glasses than usual and became drunk. As a result, he had to be helped by his wife and daughter back to the car before being returned home safely and securely.
On the way back home, Yi Ran was tired and lay against him in the back seat of the car. Gu Tingchuan saw that her eyes were closed, her eyelashes curling softly against her cheeks, and her sleeping face looked relaxed and extremely sweet under the glow of the street lamps.
He pursed his lips and stretched out his hands to let her cling on to.
Thinking of the topics mentioned at the dinner table, the scandals were all out of nothing. Except that, at that time, the news about Lu Keliu did have a bit of truth.
He gazed at Yi Ran for a while and felt an inexplicable and ridiculous regret. He had always rationally treated past choices as facts that had happened, but on this matter…it was impossible to change things.
Gu Tingchuan thought that he was fortunate to have met her. This was really the luck with the smallest probability in the world.
The heart always fell in an instant, without any notice or forewarning.
……
After a few days, Yi Ran’s days of peace were suddenly shattered.
Some netizens broke the news that Gu Tingchuan, who was newly married, took two girls to a hotel and booked an overnight room. One of them was the popular actress Guo Baiyu.
That specific netizen happened to be staying at that hotel on that night and was able to take pictures of Guo Baiyu wearing a woolen hat and hurriedly leaving the room with her assistant. At the same time, he also took a picture of Director Gu talking to the manager in the lobby.
Although the netizen hadn’t specifically linked the gossip to the subject themselves and the media hadn’t authenticated the rumors, this small post on Weibo still caught on fire.
As she looked at these pictures. Yi Ran’s first reaction was to think that it was only just Monday and this old lady unexpectedly also made it to the entertainment news. She was not prepared at all!
The second reaction was that there’s no sense of existence at all. She had merely changed her hairstyle a little and dyed her hair but why did no one recognize that she was the genuine wife and had instead been linked as a sex scandal partner with Director Gu?!
Among the pictures posted, there was a slightly blurry picture that was secretly taken when she was rising on tiptoes to kiss Gu Tingchuan.
The man’s tall figure had blocked some of the bright light in the background, making the whole picture look half in shadow and half in light. As a result, his slender and smooth outline seemed as if it was covered in a layer of bright starlight.
Yi Ran looked at her mobile phone with a silly expression, remembering that man’s clear face, which had always been such a silent temptation.
When Gu Tingchuan walked into the room, he found that she had an inexplicable smile on her face. He guessed, “You’ve seen it?”
“Yes, even my friends on Weibo have forwarded it to me.”
He placed his coffee cup on the study table and stood next to her. At this moment, their bodies were so close together that she could easily grab the hem of his shirt and smell the fresh scent of his clothes.
“The company had already issued a statement clarifying your identity to the netizens. Moreover, it will state that Guo Baiyu just happened to be resting at the same hotel and this had nothing to do with us.”
These were mere rumors that would unravel once the truth was revealed. However, she knew that the power of public opinion could not be easily ignored. She stared at her mobile phone for a while and asked him, “You said last time that you plan to open a Weibo account. Then, can I let everyone know on my Weibo that I am really Mrs. Gu?”
Gu Tingchuan’s lips curved up, making his side profile look even more as if it was carved in jade. He looked at her softly and said, “If you want to.”
Yi Ran smiled and no longer spoke. She turned directly and went out. Gu Tingchuan looked after her, confused by what she wanted to do. However, he didn’t follow but continued to sit on the sofa in the study and read some of the company’s contract documents.
After a while, Yi Ran returned with something in her hand, but she still didn’t speak. She bent down in front of the shelf burdened with trophies like the White Birch Award and other foreign film festival awards.
Gu Tingchuan sighed, put down the papers in his hands, got up, and went over to see that Yi Ran had put a stuffed black bear beside his White Birch Award trophy. The bear was arranged to hug the trophy, and Yi Ran was looking at it with a particularly special joy.
He smiled helplessly and raised his eyes to meet her pair of clear eyes, seeing at once the happiness clearly reflected there. To her eyes, these two completely different things, when placed together, was very harmonious.
Outside, the wind was bitingly cold and the mottled tree threw chilled shadows that intersected and entangled together. But, inside the house, the atmosphere and the dim lights cast by the floor lamp gave the home an indescribable warmth.
Yi Ran grinned and said, “I want to take a picture and post it online.”
It was hard to imagine that these two things would intersect, much less hugged one another at this moment. Just like him and her.
How could Gu Tingchuan not see her careful thoughts? He didn’t want to disappoint her and said close to her ears, “Okay. I’ll talk to the company.”
Yi Ran opened up her photo album on her phone and check-marked the picture to upload. Then, she thought about adding text to match and finally decided on one sentence: “Look, hug you.”
Then, she clicked sent.
Not long after, thousands of fans formed a sightseeing group to flood her Weibo homepage all at once. As a result, when the page was open, it would cached for a long before being updated.
When faced with the secrets of the entertainment industry, the netizens had all became smart detectives. The background of this photo was obviously at home, and the trophy was printed with Gu Tingchuan’s movie name. One can easily infer that, apart from Director Gu himself, only his wife would have ability to send out such a picture. As a result, this Weibo post became the gathering point for many fervent discussions.
“Mistress Bear X? Together with the grim Director Gu’s trophy cup?”
“I give this ‘bear hug’ a hundred points! Be fearless and proud, Mrs. Gu!”
“I swiped and, without warning, caught a bowl of dog food. And, it was our people who broke into the circle!”
“This kind of honey juice is just beyond sweet. It’s amazing. Way to go, sister!”
“I feel like this kind of marriage is definitely unlikely to be derailed by any hotel!”
Although Yi Ran did not respond, this picture was already full of pink bubbles.
The next day, as soon as Yi Ran stepped into the office, she was instantly surrounded by several female teachers. Before she could speak, a young teacher had already said, “Yi Ran! I didn’t expect that when the cold male god had a flash marriage, it would be with you!”
She looked up at them, still unable to speak. Everyone began to eloquently express how much they appreciated Gu Tingchuan’s works, particularly his serious and indifferent style of directing, which many found fascinating.
Seeing that Yi Ran’s face was very embarrassed, Yao Juan took the initiative to rescue her. “Yi Ran, have you finished preparing for your open class? Didn’t you ask me to help?”
She nodded quickly and responded, “Yes, there are still two days.”
The teachers who had surrounded her desk had to be temporarily dismissed.
Yao Juan lowered his eyes, covering the thread of disappointment on his face. Then, after a pause, he asked her, “I remember that the International Film Festival will open this week. Isn’t Director Gu’s work being reviewed?”
Yi Ran was in the middle of opening her lesson plans. But, when she heard him, her actions froze mid-way. Oh my goodness. This wife was too incompetent. She even forgot such an important thing!