Chapter 36 - Arriving Late
A Lifetime of Peace and Care
Chapter 36: Arriving Late
A few days later, when Yi Ran went home for dinner, Mother Yi asked if her son-in-law would be able to attend Friday nightâs dinner. Yi Ran took a sip of juice, remembering that last night the man had said, âAn important meeting just came up and will be held Friday night. I wonât be able to go with you. Iâll call mom tomorrow night and tell her.â
Although she felt a little lonely, she merely nodded and agreed.
After she was done with her drink, Yi Ran took her mobile phone out and watched the video homework that had been submitted to the studentsâ parents. She said, âHe had originally meant to come, but now a problem came up and heâll have to meet with others on Friday.
Father Yi held a glass of rice wine and said, âHeâs busy from the start of the year to the end of the year. He really is a workaholic director. Can you two even talk to each other when you get home?â
Although the daughter had been married for some time now, the father and the son-in-law hadnât seen each other much. However, Gu Tingchuanâs character was calm and every time he talked to his father-in-law, he was careful and focused. As a result, Father Yiâs impression of him was still very good.
Yi Ran deeply felt that she was being insulted by her own biological father. She refuted angrily, âOf course, I can chat with him. I donât just play computer, okay? Plus, I may only be a language teacher, but I do have some cultural knowledge.â
Mother Yi said, âOh.â Then, she eyed Yi Ran meaningfully. âOkay, you two are in a good relationship. Now, your mother is getting older. When will you give me a grandson?â
ââ¦â
Yi Ran was instantly suppressed. She buried herself in her meal and wanted to cry without tears.
On Friday night, Yi Ran left the office after finishing the rest of her remaining work. Next week, she will have an open class on campus and must prepare for it within the next few days.
Although Gu Tingchuan did not physically show up, he carefully sent the companyâs car to meet her parents at home and then to pick her up at school.
Father Yi had three siblings and was the fourth child in the family. Yi Ranâs cousin, Yi Jinting, was the child of one of the brothers and was able to have a more advantageous family conditions since young. However, because of the relationships between the previous generation, they grew up together. In addition to meeting at family events, they also occasionally go out to eat.
âOf course, this Cantonese restaurant is Michelin-starred, and their food tastes very good. You see what you like.â
i Ran was in a good mood and nodded along.
Yi Jintingâs mother turned to look at her and asked in front of the relatives, âDidnât you say on the phone last time that you got married?â
Without hesitation, Mother Yi happily thought of her son-in-law and she smiled, her eyes narrowing into seams. However, she did not show off and seemed not to care much as she said, âJust to a decent son-in-law who makes film.â
Yi Jintingâs second husband, Xiang Dongsheng, asked curiously, âWhatâs his name? If heâs in the film industry, I might know of him.â
Mother Yi looked at her daughter and said nothing, but she knew that her son-in-lawâs family owned a major company and had high connections. It was much broader than them, so she answered vaguely, âMaybe you knowâ¦â
Yi Jin Ting, who sat next to Yi Ren, nudged her with an elbow. âHey, I didnât expect my sisterâs husband to be like this. Hurry, are there any photos of your husband? Show me. â
Photos ⦠Yes, yes, these can be easily found on the Internet.
Yi Ran thought of it this way, slowly took out her mobile phone, and checked for photos of Director Gu.
As a result, when Yi Jinting came closer, she saw that her cousinâs photo album had a picture of a man resting on a corner sofa. The floor lamp cast a layer of light over the image, turning the manâs outline slightly blurry. Even so, the picture was unforgettable.
âWhat was that photo ? Is it your husband?â
Yi Ran quickly shook her head to jokingly deny it. In fact, it was a photo that sheâd secretly taken one afternoon when Gu Tingchuan was napping.
âIâll find it for you, wait a minute.â With that said, she opened a web page and planned to turn out a snapshot of Gu Tingchuanâs photo shoot at the press conference.
Yi Jinting just wanted to see a photo. At this time, her mother said, âOf course, this child has been with Tingting since they were young. Their visions are similar. But, it is definitely difficult to find a husband that match the standard set by Tingtingâs husband.â
Yi Ran knew that her aunt wasnât trying to be rude. She just easily forgot herself and liked to fight for face in front of the relatives. She liked to show off everything, especially after having a son-in-law like Xiang Dongsheng.
âLook at this family Dongsheng, such a talented person. This time their company took down a project and it was worth millions. The young couple will soon buy a house near Mingwan.â
Come to speak of it, Yi Jingting also had some skills. Yo Ran could see that her husband treated her sincerely. Therefore, since her cousin had married her current husband, she had been very happy and was basking in her newly married life.
Yi Jintingâs mother looked at her with twinkling eyes, âOf course, I actually just wanted to say that even though your husband isnât as elite, itâs not important as long as he treats you well.â Without giving Yi Ran an opportunity to comment, she added another sentence, âYou, if you lower the standard, you should be able to find someone, right?â
Yi Ran felt uncomfortable when she heard this sentence. She was a little irritated and didnât want to keep silent anymore. She said, âI just wanted to find someone I find pleasing. In fact, this marriage is very fast because my husband is very pleasing to me.
Before her aunt could say anymore, the daughter laughed first. Pointing at Yi Ranâs cell phone, she said, âOh, how familiar is this âmale godâ?â
Xiang Dongsheng took his little auntâs cell phone and looked at it with a smile. âNo, this is Gu Tingchuan. The well-known director.â
Yi Ran nodded amicably, âYes, Gu Tingchuan is my husband.â
A sudden silence fell over the dining table.
Yi Jintingâs disbelief was difficult to hide. Her tine was raised a few degrees as she said, âYou must be joking, right? Donât joke around. Isnât Gu Tingchuan the director of âCloud Headdressâ and âDark Riverâ?
She turned back to her husband again for confirmation and, after getting a positive answer, incredulously said, âThe one whose movie went to watch together at the cinema?â
âThatâs right, itâs him.â
Yi Ran and Gu Tingchuan had always kept their marriage extremely low-key. Even the extended family from the Guâs side did not know, let alone her cousin.
âYou married the owner of Jiaye Films?â
She didnât know how many times her cousin was going to ask, but she nodded.
Xiang Dongsheng was also quite surprised. As a straight man, although he thought that his wifeâs sister was also very beautiful and her character was straightforward, but for her to be favored by a man like him was already very good, let aloneâ¦.the rich master who was better than him.
âHow did you know each other? Itâs just so amazing.â
Yi Ran thought about it and said, âYes, speaking of it, if it wasnât for my brother-in-law who introduced this job to me, I wouldnât have known my husband. His nephew is one of my students.â
âOh, such a coincidenceâ¦Shi Xiang, the principal of the school, I seemed to hear that there was an investigation and now he is being suspended?â
She looked at her brother-in-law and nodded, then looked back down while picking up vegetables. âYes, he often accepts large gifts and his behavior is also not rightâ¦â
Yi Jinting sat silently for a long time, wondering how her cousin managed to marry such a big man. She lowered her voice and whispered in Yi Ranâs ears, âWhy did you sign the prenuptial agreement?â
Yi Ran just took a bite from the cold dishes and bit her chopsticks before answering, âI didnât sign ⦠Actually, I still think I should sign it. But, I mentioned it several times to Director Gu and since he was particularly disgusted with the agreement, I didnât want to push it.â
Yi Jinting was so surprised that she couldnât speak any more. Another relatives at the dinner table wanted to stir up the atmosphere and held up a glass of wine. He laughingly said, âI didnât expect that our two little girls would marry one better than the other. Come and celebrate, everyone, have a drink! â
Whatever the case, the family dinner finally began.
Yi Jinting felt merosed and didnât want to say anything for a while.
Half-way through the dinner, Yi Ranâs mobile phone suddenly rang. When she answered, it was from Director Gu asking if the dinner was already over.
Yi Jinting watched as her cousin lowered her phone. She hesitated for a moment and suddenly said, âYour husband should be really busy, right? Then he doesnât spend much time at home?â
Yi Ran just answered truthfully, âHe was very busy a while ago and was just starting to have more time recently.â
Xiang Dongsheng also had his own calculations in his heart. Although he was still in shock, but having a relative like Gu Tingchuan was like building a ladder and using that connection to make the family business become more popular.â
The sky was already dark, and the streets near the hotel was already illuminated by the street lamps. Yi Ran was almost full. She looked at the night scene outside the wonder and wondered who was knocking at the door to their banquet room.
The closest relative got up to answer the door. The waiter leaned in halfway and asked the man behind him, âThis is the banquet room for Mr. Xiang. Is this right?â
Then, he let the person in through the door. Everyone looked up at the same time.
When Gu Tingchuan came in, his face reflected the color of the lights in the room. He brought in the cold of the winter night, and his clear eyes were a little dark.
He wore the same clothes from the meeting without any intentional modification, but his temperament clearly carried the proud air of those who were born superior.
Xiang Dongsheng, who was a rich second generation, had no problems. But, when placed next to GuTingchuan, the gap between them was really obvious.
âSorry, Iâm late.â He didnât bother to talk to Yi Ran first, but instead looked at the elders on the side. He nodded politely. âDad, mom, Iâll send you back in the evening.â
After speaking, he turned to look at Yi Ran with a smile. She initially wanted to say something but she was too fascinated by the beautiful man in front of her.