Together Forever

Chapter 2.3

Those Little Stories

When Gu Pingsheng returned, the paper was still blank. She truly did not know how to solve it. Afterwards, because it was getting late, Gu Pingsheng's cousin invited her to stay for dinner.

To be honest, the cooking skills of this former lawyer of the states of New York and California were really something that could not be praised. Tong Yan tasted a few of the dishes and then, without so much as batting an eyelid, she stretched her chopsticks over toward the easiest dish to make, shiitake stir-fried with bok choy. Coincidentally, Gu Pingsheng also happened to pick up a bok choy with his chopsticks as well. A glance passed between the two of them as they put the food into their mouth, and then, at the same time, they both picked up their glasses of water...

Gu Pingfan was eating with great enthusiasm. "TK told me that the two of you had known each other in the past, and it was actually when he was working as an intern doctor?"

Tong Yan nodded and continued drinking more water. "We met only the one time."

She did not know how much Teacher Gu had said, and she, naturally, was also happy to give a vague answer and let things be.

That incident was like a very private matter. She did not know whether, to Gu Pingsheng, that was the only time he had behaved uncharacteristic of himself, but to her, that was her one and only time she had ever exposed in front of someone else all those secrets that, even to this day, were otherwise hidden away.

In this day and age where morals had completed eroded away, many people simply did not even bother paying attention anymore to the existence of third parties in people's relationships.

But what if your mother, the one who should be the most gentle and warm person, the one who was always patient and forbearing toward you, suddenly became the party who was wrecking someone else's home and family? In a single night, the person you most depended upon from the time you only babbled and cooed and were learning to talk suddenly became the type of person that you most despised and shunned. To her, this form of hurt that had been brought upon her was destructive and devastating...

"What do your parents do?" Gu Pingfan suddenly asked her. Her smile was very warm and kind, and a dimple could also faintly be seen in her cheek. So very much like Gu Pingsheng.

Tong Yan stared at the reflection of the wall lamps in her eyes and, all of a sudden, was somewhat at a loss for words.

It was actually Gu Pingsheng who carried on the conversation. "How much of the sugar and MSG in my house did you use in your dishes today?"

Gu Pingfan looked at him quizzically. "Not much. I mostly used salt." At this point, she suddenly clued in. "You found the food salty? TK, the things you say are crossing the line more and more..."

Later, before Tong Yan had even come up with an excuse, Gu Pingsheng had already recommended that this week, they would have only this one tutoring session and they could discuss the following week about the remainder. He had driven her back to school and had said this as she was getting out of the vehicle on the road opposite the main entrance of the university.

She nodded at him through the car window. Then, she suddenly remembered, "I'm going home for the National Day holiday. That's next week. I definitely won't have time for tutoring lessons."

Gu Pingsheng looked at her. "I will be going to Beijing next week, as well. If there's anything you need, you can contact me any time."

Smiling awkwardly, Tong Yan replied, "I won't. Don't worry, I won't disturb your holiday."

During the National Day holiday, it was difficult to get even a single train ticket. She had asked around for help from several of her senior schoolmates, both male and female, from Beijing before she was able to obtain one standing ticket.