A BITTER LIFE

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.