Reluctantly Willing

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

Having already been on the island for two days, Gu Jun needed to return to A City. The company had many things waiting for him to deal with. It was not easy for him to spare a day or two.
When they were about to leave, Guo Guo was reluctant to part with Uncle An as they’d only spent a few days together before having to part again.
“Daddy will bring you here some other time. Uncle An needs to work.”
Guo Guo held on to Wonton and refused to let go. “Daddy, let’s take Wonton back. Uncle already has six animals here with him. I only want one. When we get home, the kitty can accompany me to play.”
It was Gu Jun who let An Xiaoyan take the cat with him, thus it would not be appropriate to bring it home now. Besides, he was always busy with his work and could not take care of a cat at home wholeheartedly like An Xiaoyan could.
Finally, An Xiaoyan stuffed Fifth Dumpling into the arms of Guo Guo. He heard people from the pet hospital saying that it would be good for a kitten to grow up with its owner, and Fifth Dumpling was the youngest among all the kittens, so it would definitely grow up closer with Guo Guo.
Gu Jun looked at the kitten in his son’s arms. He knew that An Xiaoyan had let his guard down to be able to trust him with this little life.
Back in A City, something unexpected happened.
Old Mr. Gu directly told Gu Jun to get engaged with Xiu Yijian, and it would be better if they could get married immediately.
This was equivalent to forced marriage in disguise. Gu Jun thought that as long as he compromised, there would be nothing more, but in actual fact, things would not develop in accordance with his intentions at all.
He compromised to take the engagement photos, and in exchange was today’s engagement dinner.
After Gu Jun sent Guo Guo back to the villa, he went straight to the Gu family’s old house. He wanted to make things clear.
Old Mr. Gu seemed to be expecting Gu Jun to come back. The man sat upright in the living room with his face expressionless.
“Why did you spread news of the engagement?”
“The both of you have already taken the engagement photos, shouldn’t you get engaged? You’re already 30 years old this year, marrying a woman and finally having children of your own to add to our Gu Family… Isn’t it the right thing to do?”
Gu Jun was really angry. So this is what the old man thinks! “I already have a child. Guo Guo can become my successor.”
Old Mr. Gu knocked on the ground with a crutch and said with a straight face, “Nonsense! Although Guo Guo is much better than before, in case his ability and learning are insufficient and he cannot take on the responsibility, it is better to have another son! ”
Gu Jun could not hold it back anymore, “Two sons? Do you want another person to compete with Guo Guo for the inheritance? Just like Gu Jing, who would’ve rather destroy me when he could not have what he wanted! Do you think that is alright? Do you want to see the two brothers at each other’s throats when the time comes?”
“What do you know? It’s called survival of the fittest. Gu Jing did not have the capability and made the wrong move; he deserved to be imprisoned.”
Those words sent a chill through Gu Jun’s heart. In the eyes of his so-called father, they were simply tools to manage the company. He did not want to see his children hurting each other. As for Guo Guo, he felt that this son was enough. He would inherit the company if he had the ability. If he had no ability, he could do as he pleased.
“After so many years, I have finally seen through you. If you want a Gu to marry a young lady so much, why don’t you marry one? After all, you’ve had no one to accompany you for so many years.”
After that, Gu Jun did not look back, and left the old house.
When he got in the car, Chen Chen immediately noticed that Gu Jun was in a bad mood. He thought that Gu Jun must have had a disagreement with An Xiaoyan and probed, “How are things progressing between you with Mr. An?”
Gu Jun pressed his temple and relaxed his eyebrows. “Not bad. He said that we can be friends now.”
Chen Chen knew that Gu Jun must be upset over the matter with old Mr. Gu. He did hear about the engagement, but at the end of the day, he is an outsider and can do nothing.
There were still a lot of old Mr. Gu’s people in the company who appeared to be retired, but still knew everything about the company. This annoyed Gu Jun the most. He felt just like a puppet, manipulated by Mr. Gu.
He was still too young. Usually, it would take several years for every chairman of the board to receive his real rights. This was an undeniable aspect of the daily struggles between the rich and powerful. The interests always outweighed family ties.
Almost immediately after Gu Jun had fallen out with his father, A City’s media outlets were reporting on the engagement of the chairman of the Gu Group and the beauty designer Xiu Yijian. All entertainment channels were broadcasting this headline live throughout the city.
After getting out of the car, before Gu Jun could even take a single step, a crowd of reporters rushed in front of the office.
“Mr. Gu, you used to be so low-key about marriage. Why are you now getting engaged so suddenly?”
“We hear that the woman’s father is just an ordinary businessman, in stark contrast to the status of the Gu Family. How did the two of you get to know each other?”
“Mr. Gu, are the two of you really in love? Are you getting married because she is pregnant?”
“You already have a son and what about the man you were rumored to be with? Are you still in contact with him? Or are you marrying a mistress?”
These questions annoyed and perplexed Gu Jun. Now, he was no longer in the mood to go back to the office, and only wished to get back into the car and let Chen Chen drive him away from this place.
Needless to say, this was all the hard work of old Mr. Gu. Truly, businessmen were best at coercing and luring.
“Where are you going, sir?”
Where was he going? He had no idea either. In this big city, he felt as if he had no foothold and did not even have a place to relax.
Unconsciously, he recalled the happiness he had felt with An Xiaoyan the day before, which was a kind of haven away from complicated work and endless interpersonal relationships. Over there, no one knew that he was the high-ranking chairman of the Gu Group. He was just an ordinary person, who could go to the street food stall to eat a meal at ease, or go for a walk in the street.
“Go to the river-crossing bridge in the suburbs.”
A City had a river passing by, and a total of four cross-river bridges were built beside the river: two in the suburbs and two through the middle of the city. The busiest was the Oriental Eye. Over there, one could see the beauty of the whole city.
It took 40 minutes to drive to the outskirts of the river bridge, and Chen Chen parked at the edge of the bridge across the river. The two of them got out of the car and enjoyed the breeze by the riverside.
On the opposite side were a dense green patch and the shadows of several small villages, in sharp contrast to the city on this side.
This road was only used by people who wanted to leave the city, so there were very few people on the road.
Gu Jun stood by the side of the bridge. Looking at the distant Oriental Eye, he felt a little sad. Even though he got the chairman position, he still had to do things against his own will.
Just now, so many reporters were questioning him about the engagement. Shouldn’t an engagement be a blessing? Why did I feel so distressed? This scene seems so familiar. When An Xiaoyan made headlines, he seemed to be like this too.
Being detested and questioned by countless people, every day getting strange looks from people on the street.
Gu Jun was only a little different. He at the top of the city’s social class and no one dared to question or ridicule him. But behind his back, he was sure that there were countless people who detested him.
“Chen Chen, do you think I’m useless?”
“Mr. Gu, I have witnessed your abilities.”
“No, I am referring to relationships. Unless I give up this superior position and become an ordinary person, it is impossible to be with An Xiaoyan at all. It seems like a very difficult thing to achieve and everyone is against it.”
The more you get, the more you are tied down. Chen Chen suggested, “Why don’t you talk to Miss Xiu? As long as she doesn’t agree to get married, it will be impossible for the marriage to happen.”
These wise words woke Gu Jun up from his dejection. How could Gu Jun not have thought of it before? Besides, he could tell from Xiu Yijian’s attitude that it was impossible for them to be together.
He had saved Xiu Yijian’s number on his mobile phone. The call was answered shortly after he pressed the button.
“I have something to talk to you about. Would you like to have a meal with me?”
“Gu Jun, I don’t think we have much to talk about.”
“You must come!” After that, Gu Jun hung up the phone and sent the address of the restaurant directly to Xiu Yijian. He drove to the restaurant himself.
On the other side, Xiu Yijian looked at the phone call which had been hung up quickly. Gu Jun, you are already late.
Gu Jun was sitting in a specially picked restaurant. Beside him was a waiter who was playing the piano and music flowed from the keys.
Xiu Yijian soon arrived at the place. As soon as she sat down, Gu Jun told her directly to disagree to the engagement.
“It’s already made known all over the city. It is impossible to cancel it now. Most importantly, I already agreed to get engaged.”
“Why did you agree? The chance to participate in the design competition has already been given to you. Logically, we should have nothing to do with each other now.”
Xiu Yijian sneered, “But the work I submitted this year has not been examined. I just need a firm foothold in the Gu Group, and next year, my chances will be high. Moreover, your father has promised us a sum of money, with which we can expand our family business, Xiu Group. It’s a win-win deal for me.
“Then you are taking marriage as a joke. Don’t you have anyone you like?”
“After marriage, we can go our separate ways, and you and An Xiaoyan can be together. Although the state has tacitly approved, the two of you still can’t get a marriage certificate. Do you think it will last forever? Whether you choose to be together with him or not, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s just a piece of paper between us.”
The way she put it was so easy, “just a piece of paper” kind of relationship. But this piece of paper was weighing him down and making him feel breathless. He did not want An Xiaoyan to live in the dark without legal status. How would that be any different than having a mistress?
“Xiu Yijian, I thought you were at least a sensible person, but I didn’t know you were the most conniving woman in town!”
Xiu replied indifferently, “Gu Jun, in fact, this is not necessarily bad, as you can keep your position. Is it worth it to do so much for one person?”
Finally, before the meal even started, each of them said what they had to say and left. Gu Jun went home and sat in his room alone.
As long as he did not get married, he would stand a chance. Should he hold the engagement banquet first, and then grasp the rights of the board of directors in his own hands? This way, he would have all the power.
For the first 30 years of his life, he had been single and no one urged him to get married. Now, he finally found someone he liked but had yet to capture An Xiaoyan’s heart. He had mishandled the matter.
All this strife built up unprecedented pressure and fear within Gu Jun.
At night, when Gu Jun had just entered the living room, he noticed that a group of people were moving things in the living room. Guo Guo was holding Fifth Dumpling on the sofa and looking curiously at them.
“Daddy, they said they were going to install something.”
“Install what?”
“I don’t know. They have already installed the things upstairs.”
Looking at the size of the box, Gu Jun had a bad feeling. After going upstairs, the workers were not in the master bedroom, but in the room where An Xiaoyan lived. As he reached the door of the room, he heard the sound of an electric drill.
Boxes were brought into the room one at a time. When Gu Jun entered the room, he fell to his knees and knelt directly on the ground.
This was An Xiaoyan’s room. He dared not touch anything for fear that An Xiaoyan’s smell would dissipate. Now, everything inside was gone.
The bookshelf was gone and the wardrobe was in the corridor. The quilt on the bed had also been taken away. The workers were nailing his engagement photos onto the wall.
Pure black suit, white wedding dress, and a smiling Guo Guo…
“Get out of here, all of you!” Gu Jun roared with his face red in anger. Why did they have to destroy his favorite things? “Take down all these pictures for me!”
One of the bold workers said, “Isn’t that what you told us to install? Why do we have to take it down now?”
“Restore this place to its original state. I’ll give you three times the pay!”
At three times the pay, the workers rushed to take it apart without asking why.
A bit more than an hour late, the engagement photos were gone. Seeing that the room was restored, Gu Jun went into the room and touched the bookshelf lightly with his hand, but found that the feeling was gone.
The smell of An Xiaoyan had dissipated completely.
The master bedroom next door remained unchanged, as before. Gu Jun knew it must have been a deliberate act to destroy everything that belonged to An Xiaoyan around him, but the other party did not know that his heart now belonged to An Xiaoyan.