A BITTER LIFE

PART 22

After talking with Haoxuan, Gu Wei returned to A-yuan's room. He paused when his phone vibrated and smirked as he read the message. "We did it." He didn't reply and entered A-yuan's room.

"Superhero uncle, you came back just in time" A-yuan said with a smile.

"For you, I'm always on time" Gu Wei replied. They chatted for a while, but A-yuan noticed Gu Wei yawning repeatedly. He invited Gu Wei to lie down next to him, as the bed was large enough. At first, Gu Wei looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say?" A-yuan smiled at him. "I think you're tired, and since you watched over me, you should sleep here beside me."

Overjoyed, Gu Wei hugged A-yuan, who hugged him back. "You don't know how many times I've wished to sleep beside you, my baby radish" Gu Wei thought as he lay down next to A-yuan. "Are you crying?" A-yuan asked, hearing a faint sniffle.

Gu Wei shook his head. "I'm just happy" he said as he gradually drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Eros entered A-yuan's room and was surprised to find Gu Wei and A-yuan sleeping soundly next to each other. He couldn't help but think that if Zhan hadn't disappeared, this could have been their life now. He recalled that Gu Wei and A-yuan's DNA didn't match.

Not wanting to wake them, he took out his phone. He didn't know why, but he found them adorable and couldn't resist taking a photo. He then sat in a chair, letting them sleep peacefully.

For the first time in 16 years, Gu Wei slept soundly without nightmares.

A few days later, Eros received a call from her mother.

"Hello, Mom. You called?" he answered immediately.

"Your brother called and said they're coming home today. They want to have dinner with you. I'm cooking, so I want you to come over" Katrina said. "By the way, I want some peace" she added, indirectly hinting at something Yibo understood right away.

Eros: "Okay, Mom. I'll come alone."

"Thank you, baby," she said before ending the call. She then called someone else.

Katrina: "Hello, Laylay."

Lay: "Hello, Aunty."

"How are you there? By the way, if you're not busy, come to the house. Haikuan and his husband are coming, and they want to meet your fiancé."

"I'm okay, Aunty, but I'm worried I can't come. I've returned to Canada, but Wei² is still there."

"Oh, would it be alright if I invite him over?"

"Of course, Aunty. But it's not my decision. You can call him, he'll be happier that way" Lay said, making Katrina smile.

"Thank you, but I don't have his number."

"I'll send it to you. By the way, is Liying coming?"

"No, she won't. I want a quiet meal with my children."

Lay was slightly surprised by Katrina's mention of her children but didn't ask further. "Okay, Aunty. I'll send you Wei²'s number. Bye, take care of him."

She quickly dialed the number, but Gu Wei didn’t answer immediately because he had just started a major project a few days ago at Yibo's company. He was a well-known interior designer and had been recommended by his acquaintances in Canada who had business partners in C.

“Hello, who’s this?” he asked immediately, surprised by the call since it was his private number, known only to a few. When he heard the familiar voice, he calmed down a bit.

“Hello, this is Katrina, Yibo’s mother. Sorry to disturb you.” Gu Wei smiled on the other end of the line. “It’s okay, ma’am. Why are you calling?”

There was a brief silence on the other side, so Gu Wei glanced at his phone. “Hello, are you still there?” he asked and heard a sigh on the other end.

“Gu Wei, are you busy this evening?” Katrina asked. Gu Wei checked his watch. “Not too much, ma’am.”

“Perfect. If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite you over to our house. My eldest son and his husband are coming home, and they want to meet you,” Katrina said, making Gu Wei go silent for a moment. “Cheng ” he replied softly. “Sure, aunty. Please send me the address.”

There was a quiet moment on the other side as if Katrina had something else to say but was hesitant. “Is there something you want to say?” Gu Wei asked.

“Ahh, if it’s okay with you, you could ride with Yibo. He’s coming here too” Katrina suggested. Gu Wei raised an eyebrow. “Oh, alright.”

“Thank you, see you” Katrina said.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on Gu Wei's door. Yes, he had his own office at Yibo's company, which had angered Liying due to the special attention he was receiving.

"Come in" Gu Wei said, his attention focused on his laptop. "Am I interrupting?" The voice made Gu Wei look up. He smiled when he saw Eros.

"If I say yes, will you leave?" Gu Wei joked. "Sit down. I can't offer you coffee right now, I need to finish this" he said, turning back to his laptop. "That's fine" Eros replied, taking a seat. "I'm here to tell you that Mom said we should go to their house together" Eros said, catching Gu Wei's attention. "She told me earlier. I was going to call you after finishing this, but thanks. What time are we leaving?" Gu Wei asked.

"It's up to you. Anytime works for me" Eros replied. "Mmm, can I finish this first, and if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to change clothes at home" Gu Wei said awkwardly, secretly smiling. "Take your time" Yibo said.

As Eros sat down, his phone rang. Gu Wei glanced at him, causing Yibo to hesitate in answering the call. He chuckled. "Is it your wife?" Gu Wei asked. Instead of replying, Yibo just stared at him, as if studying every expression on Gu Wei's face.

"You're making me uncomfortable. Answer it before she starts to freak out" Gu Wei suggested. Eros ignored the advice and turned off his phone. "She'll freak out even more" Gu Wei added.

"I'm tired of listening to her" Yibo said tersely, turning his attention to a picture on Gu Wei's desk. For some reason, he felt a pang of jealousy. He intentionally knocked over something near the picture frame, causing it to fall and break.

He quickly apologized, but Gu Wei just smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll buy a new one" he said, starting to clean up the broken glass. He paused when he cut his hand. "Ouch." Yibo immediately rushed over, and in his haste, he put Gu Wei's injured finger in his mouth to suck the blood. Gu Wei's eyes widened, and he quickly looked away. Realizing what he'd done, Yibo released Gu Wei's hand and stood up, excusing himself to leave the room.

As Gu Wei watched Yibo's retreating back, he muttered. "You haven't changed at all." He then stood up to get a tissue.

After 30 minutes, Gu Wei packed up his things and headed straight to Yibo's office. He was about to reach for the doorknob when the door suddenly opened.

"Are you done?" Yibo asked.

"Yes, let's go. We still need to go home. By the way, I'll drive my car, and you can follow me. We'll take your car to your parents' house" Gu Wei replied.

"Okay" Yibo agreed.

When they arrived at Gu Wei's house, Gu Wei invited Yibo inside, and a helper greeted them. "Please bring him some water" Gu Wei said, excusing himself to change clothes.

While Gu Wei was changing, Eros couldn't help but wander around the house. A particular painting caught his attention. "Why does this look familiar? But I can't remember where I've seen it..." His thoughts were interrupted when a helper approached him.

"Sir Gu painted that" the helper said, catching Yibo's attention. "He always looks at it when he's deep in thought" the helper added. Yibo returned his gaze to the painting. As the helper was about to leave, Yibo spoke. "It feels comforting to look at this." The helper continued walking.

Yibo was about to look at another painting when he heard Gu Wei's voice. "Mr. Wang, I'm done" Gu Wei said as he descended the stairs. Yibo couldn't take his eyes off him and softly whispered, "Baobao."

THANKS FOR READING IT 💚 ❤️ 😍