A Lifetime of Peace and Care

Chapter 38: A Good Night Sleep

At this time of the year, the rose bushes within the school had already frozen and were all practically bare of leaves. The whole city was covered in a milky white veil of fog.

In the evening, Yi Ran took Gu Tai out to dinner at a Western restaurant with American beef burgers. She was concerned about his homework and his current moods. Compared to when he was having dinner at home Gu Tingyong, Yi Ran allowed Gu Tai to eat as he pleased.

“A lot of students in my class came to ask me today if you’re married to my uncle.”

“Yes, some children came to ask me too.” There was some worry in Yi Ran’s heart, and she asked him directly, “Were the students unhappy with you?”

The child took a bite of his beef burger and then sipped his iced tea. He said calmly, “How is that possible? I’m so smart, who can be unhappy with me?”

Yi Ran’s mouth twitched. Yes, even if someone disliked Gu Tai, the one she should worry about was not Gu Tai himself but the other party.

Gu Tai blinked and asked, “After this, will you be officially open about your relationship? When are you going to have a wedding?”

“You villain, who cares so much about me? I want to ask you, how are things with your dad?”

She put ketchup on his plate of fries, and the little boy calmly said, “He’d been at home lately. My mother is still angry with him…But, I know these are just tricks and she still likes my dad.”

Yi Ran couldn’t help but silently criticize the man. Although she had firsthand knowledge of how charming the Gu men could be, if there came a day when Gu Tingchuan would start to flirt with other women, she didn’t think she would be able to look at him the same way.

After Yi Ran sent Gu Tai home safely, she returned home to practice the content of the open class by herself. When she grew tired, she laid in bed and twisted and turned. The big bed was soft and warm but every time she laid down, she felt as if she just couldn’t get comfortable.

Gu Tingchuan’s phone call came at this time. As soon as she was connected, she heard the man’s deep voice came through, the timbre sounding particularly nice and pleasant to her ears.

“Do you remember when I said that I will be going abroad to a film festival this week and needed to prepare some things?”
Noticing that she hadn’t responded, he hesitated briefly before asking, “Do you want to come along?”

Yi Ran mildly entertained the idea of accepting the invitation. Her heart was filled with a mixture of joy and an ambiguous soreness, and even her ears became slightly itchy. Although she wanted to accept, she knew that couldn’t let go of her work so casually. Besides, he really caught her by surprise.

“I have classes, and it won’t be convenient to take time off on such short notice.”

Moreover, she felt that her status as Director Gu’s wife had to be used step by step. At present, it was already big enough just to let the people around her know.

Gu Tingchuan really wanted her to appear bright and beautiful in front of the media and knew that she will be flooded by the bright flash of the reporter’s cameras.

But then, such publicity will result in her freedom being greatly curtailed in the future.

Gu Tingchan didn’t want to force her. Maybe, if it had been in the past, perhaps he might have been more demanding and ask her to stay with him. But, his mood had also been disturbed recently. Judging by the feedback received from various parties, it was completely unknown whether Homecoming will even win. For the first time, he felt uneasy and didn’t want to affect her mood.

“Okay. You’ll be home for a few days so remember to go back and spend some time with your parents.”

Yi Ran didn’t know about Gu Tingchuan’s uneasiness. She pressed the mouthpiece closer and said, “I know. Don’t worry about me. Gu Tingchuan, next time, can you tell me earlier about your work arrangements?”

Gu Tingchuan was working overtime in the office and could see the bright moon from the window of the high-rise building. The moonlight reflected his clear eyebrows and turned his eyes into bright diamonds.

“Yes, I forgot to tell you this time. Oh…You’ll be hosting your open class soon. Don’t be nervous. You’ve always been expressive and memorable.”

Yi Ran: “…”

His voice was indescribably sexy.

Director Gu still remembered such a small thing. In fact, it was really nothing, but she still felt very happy to be cheered by her husband.

She breathed in through her nose and said, “I won’t let you down.”

As their marriage slowly deepened, Yi Ran’s understanding of Gu Tingchuan also deepened.

For example, she knew that he wrote his first screenplay at the age of fourteen and studied at an American university and majored in literature, history, and drama. He received many scholarships and directed the first film in his early twenties. That movie made him famous overnight.

Gu Tingchuan had the tendency to study Western culture, but he also carried the heritage of the East. Regarding his films, she couldn’t judge them like a professional film critic might, but she still had great confidence in them.

Yi Ran turned her head and breathed in scent left Gu Tingchuan left behind on the bed sheet. She knew that it was just a lingering breath of him but she couldn’t help herself. It was that smell that finally helped her fall asleep.

……

Yi Ran successfully completed the school’s open lessons, and the feedback from the students and teachers were very good.

In a flash, New Year’s Day was almost here.

Gu Tingchuan was busy with the company the whole day, and then he flew directly overseas with his team. Even though they were separated for only three days, they still felt that time was passing by very slowly.

The day faded away and night descended. There was a six-hour time difference between the city of S and the place where Director Gu was at. The award ceremony would be held at 1 a.m. Beijing time. Yi Ran expected to stay up all night and so she returned to her family home. She hid in her room with the door closed. As soon as the time came, she eagerly waited for the official announcement to be published on the internet, followed by the red carpet photos of the stars.

When it was past 12 o’clock midnight, she unexpectedly received a call from Gu Tingchuan.

In an isolated corner of the hotel where the team stayed, he leaned against a wall with one hand in his pocket and one hand holding the mobile phone. He deliberately avoided the noisy media and crowds outside. At night in a foreign country, some thoughts always came suddenly.

Although Gu Tingchuan was always working outside, when he was home, at least he could go to see her. Now, they were separated by such long distance and it naturally felt different.

Yi Ran was also full of such thoughts. She suddenly wanted to say a lot of things to him. When they were together, due to various reasons like restraint, shyness and unfamiliarity, she rarely took the initiative to affect him. But now, she missed those tight passionate hugs and kisses the most.

But, she didn’t know how to say these things. In the end, she was still careful and said, “Gu Tingchuan, can you take a selfie for me?”

His eyes darkened and he smiled. But, he still directly said, “No.”

“Yes.” Yi Ran pouted and jokingly said, “Why not? There are so many beautiful babes around you. I’m worried. How about we wait for you to be alone, then we’ll video chat?”

Gu Tingchuan glanced at the hotel pool reflecting the bright moonlight. His eyes lightened for a moment. “What kind of video?”

Yi Ran paused when she heard this. For a few seconds, her heart throbbed and lurched like a roller coaster.

In the past, she would blush and feel embarrassed. But now, she was already married and had the ability to fight back. She hummed low in her throat and said, “Director, which one do you want? Otherwise, you book a time and I will prepare for it?”

Gu Tingchuan’s fingers tightened on his mobile phone. But, before he could answer, someone shouted his name. Yi Ran certainly knew that his hands were full these days. Between dinners, luncheons, award ceremonies and so on…the fact that he would take the time to call her was already a rarity.

She wanted to linger but instead said, “Go and get busy. I’ll wait for you to come back to tell me about it.”

Gu Tinghuan murmured “en,” then paused. The sweet words he wanted to say–words that could eloquently capture that unfamiliar throbbing and missing sensation he felt without her–he ultimately still did not know how to turn them into the most moving words. In the end, he only said, “Don’t stay up too late and go to bed early.”

They were just a few simple words but they were said in a voice that was extremely gentle.

Yi Ran, who hadn’t slept yet, was entertained by various stories from some of the major media. She even followed several tags on Weibo and stared at pictures of Gu Tingchuan as he walked the red carpet.

He was wearing an expensive but low-key suit with a fine pattern on the black lapels and neckline. His temperament was noble and handsome. His face was as indifferent as ever, and his skin tone was white and clear. Only the corners of his mouth were faintly raised in the barest hint of a smile.

She was a little nervous and a little excited, and as the awards ceremony began, awards were soon handed out one after another.

In the early morning, the other side of the world was celebrating but, on this side, there was only a silent, sleepless night.

Even as Director Gu’s fans waited for him to glorify the Chinese domestic films once more, the international reception for Homecoming was unprecedentedly cold, and no awards were won.

When Gu Tingchuan first debut, his qualifications were still not sufficient so the expectations were quite low. In recent years, he had won a staggering amount of awards. As a result, the expectations for his success grew by leaps and bounds, making this current loss completely different from his first year.

If you were just a pure newcomer, maybe no one will pay attention to your losses. But, once your fame became loud enough, even just a little lost will become the fodder for sensational headlines.

Yi Ran reviewed a variety of information and the more she read, the more she felt sleepless and shaken.

A well-known film critic who also participated in the film festival had, after watching the film, written: “In terms of martial arts film, Homecoming was indeed different and full of courage. However, because of the excessive emphasis on Gu Tingchuan’s personal style, the film came across as too proud and aloof, thus creating a sense of disconnect between the film and it’s audience. Gu Tingchuan was a master at surprising and exceeding people’s expectations. However, in this rare instance, he was entrusted with the expectations of countless people but he ultimately failed.”

Yi Ran’s expression changed one after another. It was as if that block of text was constantly hitting her eardrum, creating a buzzing echo in her ears.

What should she do? Whether it was glory or failure, she should stay with him and share it with him.

This was the responsibility of a married couple.

The night was very quiet. She sat in front of the computer and waited for a long time. She couldn’t help but take out her phone, thinking that Gu Tingchuan was probably tired after dealing with various interviews at this time. But, she wanted to call him, wanted to hear his voice, wanted to comfort him.

She dialed his phone number, and it rang for a long time but no one answered. She bit her lower lip, and for the first time, she didn’t know what she could do and what she should do. She was completely at a loss.

She couldn’t sleep and hugged her knees, pinching her body tightly with one hand and feeling the coldness of her fingers.