PART 54

...

Gu Wei woke up at lunchtime, suddenly sitting up in alarm when he realized he didn’t recognize the room. His hands began to tremble with fear, but he quickly calmed down when he spotted a picture on the table near the bed. Tears welled up in his eyes as he realized that the three of them were in the photo: him holding Ayuan while Yibo hugged them both.

“This is the family that gave me hope to live. My boys,” he whispered, hugging the frame tightly.

When Gu Wei heard a knock at the door, he quickly returned the picture frame to its place and straightened himself up. "You're awake," Eros said as he grabbed a glass of water. "Sorry for falling asleep" Gu Wei apologized as he got off the bed. "You don’t need to apologize" Yibo replied, handing him the water. After drinking it, Gu Wei thanked him and stepped out of the room, surprised to see Liying still in Yibo’s office.

"You really waited for me to wake up?" Gu Wei said, catching Liying's attention as she was reading a magazine. While Gu Wei was asleep, Eros had been urging Liying to go home, but she refused, so Eros let her stay, though he didn’t speak to her. "Oh, the employee who naps in his boss's bed is awake," Liying remarked, standing up. But instead of acknowledging her, Gu Wei turned to Yibo with a question.

"About that meeting with the clients abroad—when is it?" he asked, taking a seat in front of Yibo's desk. "Our flight is tonight, so you can head home now to prepare your things" Eros replied. Gu Wei was surprised, but smiled when he saw Liying’s eyes flare up in anger. "I'll drive you home." Eros added.

Liying approached them. "You're really deceiving me right to my face, Yibo?" she asked, disbelief in her voice. Gu Wei stood up. "Okay, I’ll just head to my office for a bit," he said, then glanced at Liying. "You should be thankful that you get to see it happening right in front of you. Or would you prefer it behind your back?" With that, he walked toward the door, leaving Liying speechless with rage.

...

When they reached the parking lot, Liying continued to follow them, persistently trying to hold Yibo's hand, but he kept dodging her attempts. "You're like a leech," Gu Wei remarked as he quickly got into the front seat, where Liying had wanted to sit.

"What are you doing? Why are you sitting there?" she asked angrily. "Your husband volunteered to drive me home, so what were you expecting?" Gu Wei replied, not waiting for her response before closing the car window.

"Yibo, why are you doing this to me?" Liying asked pitifully, but instead of feeling sympathy, Eros felt disgusted. He pulled his hand away from Liying. "I'm tired!" he said, then got into the driver's seat. Liying quickly climbed into the back seat, glaring furiously at Gu Wei.

Gu Wei turned to look at Liying, then glanced at Yibo, who had started driving.

"If you check into a hotel, book only one room," Gu Wei said, looking directly at Yibo. Suddenly, Yibo slammed on the brakes, his ears turning red, a reaction that Liying noticed immediately, who was now seething with rage as she stared at Gu Wei.

Instead of asking Liying, Eros turned to Gu Wei. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. Gu Wei smiled at him. "I'm fine," he replied, then glanced at Liying. "What about you? Are you okay?" he asked teasingly.

"I won't be okay as long as I have to see your face," Liying spat, glaring at Gu Wei.

"Well, then you'll never be okay because I'm not the one who's going to adjust" Gu Wei said, looking straight ahead.

Soon, they arrived at Gu Wei's house, and before Gu Wei could get out of the car, Eros had already opened the door for him. "Thanks," Gu Wei said and gave Eros a kiss on the cheek. Eros was surprised but quickly replaced it with a sweet smile. "We'll head to the airport together," Eros said. Gu Wei simply nodded in response and walked into his house without looking back at Yibo and Liying, who was watching them intently.

After Gu Wei left, Eros turned to Liying. "I don't like the way you behave, especially when he's around," he said, causing Liying to raise an eyebrow.

"I don't want you two spending time together," Liying insisted, but Yibo ignored her, got back into the car, and locked the doors before she could get in. "Take a taxi," he said, driving off.

"WAAAAANG YIBOOO, YOU'RE SUCH A J@RK! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!!!" Liying screamed. Just then, Gu Wei, who hadn't entered his house yet, witnessed the whole scene and walked out of the gate. "Do you have money for a taxi?" Gu Wei asked mockingly, stepping closer to Liying.

"Why do you still stick with Yibo despite how he treats you?" Gu Wei asked.

"Because I love him, and we're married," Liying replied proudly.

"You love him, you're married, but the real question is, does he love you?" Gu Wei asked, clearly enjoying the anger in Liying's eyes. He stepped even closer and whispered, "What if his husband comes back—I mean, your brother. Will your marriage still matter if that happens?" Gu Wei's words turned Liying pale.

"He won't come back. He's been dead for 16 years," Liying said confidently.

Gu Wei patted Liying's shoulder. "Are you sure about that? His spirit is right behind you," he said. Liying quickly turned around in fear, causing Gu Wei to laugh out loud. "Don't be afraid of the dead, be afraid of the living. Just a reminder, do everything you can to keep Yibo close, or one day you might wake up to find someone else by his side. I'm telling you this so it won't be a shock when it happens," he said before turning away. "Oh, here's money for the taxi," Gu Wei added, then finally went inside.

Meanwhile, Eros went straight to the house he had built and started packing his things. While he was packing, his phone suddenly rang, and he immediately answered when he saw her mother's name. "Hello, Mom. You called?" Yibo asked. When Katrina heard Yibo's voice, she covered her mouth to stop herself from crying.

"Mom, are you okay?" Yibo asked worriedly when his mother didn’t respond.

"Son... I... I want to see you," Katrina stammered.

"Mom, I have somewhere to go. Can we meet when I get back?" Yibo asked.

"Just for a little while," Katrina pleaded. Yibo looked at his watch. "Okay, Mom, just tell me where," Yibo agreed. Katrina nodded as if Yibo could see her. After hanging up, Yibo quickly received a message from his mother. He packed the rest of his things into his suitcase and left the house.

Elsewhere, Diego, Sebastian, Lara, Katrina, Haikuan, and Cheng were at a restaurant, waiting for Eros to arrive. "Do you think what Mianmian said is true?" Haikuan asked, still in disbelief. "We'll find out soon," Katrina replied. A few minutes later, they saw Eros entering the restaurant, but none of them called his name. They waited for Eros to approach them, as they were seated at a table near the entrance, clearly visible to anyone walking in.

However, Eros walked right past them and sat at a secluded table where there were fewer people. He checked his watch, as if waiting for someone. A few minutes later, Eros took out his phone and called his mother.

Katrina answered the call, her tears still falling. "Mom, where are you? I'm at the restaurant" Eros said.

"I... I'm on my way," Katrina stammered before ending the call. "He really doesn't recognize us," she said, breaking down in sobs. Haikuan, who was watching them, couldn’t help but cry as well. "How did it come to this?" he whispered.

They were startled when Katrina's phone rang again, and they saw his name on the caller ID. Katrina answered the call, even though she was just a short distance away. "Mom, I don't have time. Let's meet when I get back. I have a business trip now," Eros said. As he walked past them again, Katrina was about to call out to him, but she stopped when she heard what Eros said next. "I'm with Gu Wei," Eros added. Katrina looked at the others. "Okay," was all she could say.

On the other side, when Gu Wei arrived home, he immediately told them about the business trip abroad. "Are you okay with just the two of you going together?" Lay asked while helping Gu Wei pack his things. Gu Wei smiled at him. "Yes," he answered simply.

"That's good. Just call us if you need anything," Lay said and hugged Gu Wei. "Okay, Sir," Gu Wei replied, laughing, and hugged Lay back.

"Thank you for everything" Gu Wei whispered. Lay didn't say anything, just hugged Gu Wei tightly.

Elsewhere,  after Yibo placed his belongings in his car, he immediately drove to Gu Wei's house. While on the road, he received a call from Mianmian.

"What’s your plan?" Mianmian asked right away. "Plan for what?" Yibo responded, causing Mianmian to raise her voice on the other end of the line. "I swear, Chen Yu, if you don’t tell Gu Wei about this, I’ll be the one to tell him. And if you’ve forgotten, let me remind you that this will be your third surgery. The longer you delay it, the more complicated it will become."

Eros remained silent as he listened to Mianmian’s words over the phone. He had already decided not to go through with the surgery.

"Do you know how Gu Wei would feel if he found out that the reason you're not getting the surgery is because of him? Could you bear to see him blame himself?" Mianmian’s question made Eros suddenly stop the car. "If you’re thinking that you’ll d@e and he’ll eventually forget, you’re wrong. He’ll carry that pain in his heart for the rest of his life, Yibo. Think about it—could you really leave your child behind?"

THANK YOU FOR READING IT 💚 ❤️ 🥰