Chapter 319 Unrecognizable
Bai Bing’s features loosened into a blank stare. “Will they really wait for me in heaven?”
“Yeah. Yeah, so you have to get better because they’re in heaven, watching you and cheering you on.”
“Heaven,” Bai Bing uttered as she looked upwards. Her gaze was deep but hollow.
Wu Nian’s heart ached in her chest. She stood up and walked back outside to the nurse. “Can you show me what Bai Bing’s diet consists of?”
“Sure, follow me.” The nurse walked ahead.
Once Wu Nian got hold of Bai Bing’s dietary records, her eyes carefully scanned through the list. “It’s really well planned,” she complimented.
The nurse chuckled lightly. “Of course. Although that lady’s daughter has passed, she still has a rich son-in-law named Mr. Gu. Every month, he sends someone to settle her hospital fees and take her out on strolls. Sometimes, they also go out to buy clothes, or other necessities. This lady is really fortunate to have such a great son-in-law.”
Wu Nian’s eyelids lowered as she took in this information. Then she opened her eyes and turned towards the nurse, cautiously pleading, “Actually, a friend entrusted me with privately visiting Madam Bai. If anyone asks… can you not mention my visit today?”
As Wu Nian explained, she pulled out an envelope from her bag and placed it into the nurse’s hand.
The nurse pushed Wu Nian’s hands away. “I cannot accept this, but my lips are sealed. I won’t say what shouldn’t be said. Don’t worry,” the nurse promised.
Wu Nian thanked the nurse. She left the psychiatric hospital, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her gait was easy and relaxed as she gently placed one foot before the other.
The city had been urbanized over the past two years. A lot had changed in A city’s economic status. Property prices had increased by fifty percent and there were now various luxury cars speeding along well-paved roads.
Wu Nian regretted not buying a house earlier in life. Now, she could only reside in a hotel room.
After walking for more than an hour, the sky had dimmed and the street lights flickered on. Her stomach rumbled just as she noticed a restaurant. Feeling hungry, she walked in.
Inside the restaurant, people were swarming around. Since when did the citizens here like this type of food?
Wu Nian found an empty table and sat down. After scanning the QR code, she accessed the menu on her phone.
She ordered some vermicelli rolls, steamed dumplings, and some soy milk. After placing her order, she swiped onto the latest news broadcast.
She suddenly remembered a joke that she had once heard. It was about two people who were comparing their lonesome experiences. One said that the loneliest thing was to eat alone whilst the other argued that watching a movie alone was more lonesome. The first person retorted, “If you go to the washroom during a movie, the seat would still be yours when you come back. But if I do the same whilst eating at a restaurant, someone else would occupy my table by the time I get back from the washroom.”
Wu Nian found it funny. Ironically, she had gone to the movies alone. And now, she was eating in a restaurant alone.
“Here on your own?” a familiar voice sounded.
Wu Nian looked up in surprise. Seeing Gu Mingchen, she shot out of her chair in shock. She exclaimed, “Mr. Gu! What are you doing here?”
“I live nearby. No one cooks at home so I often take my children out for meals. Since we’re already here, let’s eat together. It’ll also be good if you got to know them better.” The words glided out of Gu Mingchen’s mouth in a calm manner.
Wu Nian did not shy away. She nodded, “Okay. I already ordered a meal for myself. Where is your table? I’ll have the waiter send my order over.”
“Table 48,” Gu Mingchen stated. He tilted his head, indicating table 48’s location which was not that far away. It was placed diagonally across the room.
Wu Nian informed the waiter before turning to get a glimpse of Gu Mingchen’s two children.
“Gu Yan is the older one, he’s seven years old. Next to him is Gu Ruoxin, he’s also seven this year,” Gu Mingchen introduced.
Wu Nian’s eyes glimmered at the sight of Gu Yan as her lips curled slightly into a soft smile. There was a gentleness in the way she looked at Gu Yan adoringly. “Your boys are both fine young men.”
“I’m handsome because I look like my mother. She’s really pretty,” Gu Ruoxin emphasized.
Wu Nian glanced at the proud boy.
He was, indeed, the spitting image of his mother, Zhou Hailan.
Gu Yan tilted his head, taking Wu Nian in from top to bottom. “Is she going to be our new mother?”
A bright pink tinged across Wu Nian’s cheeks, burning a brilliant red on her nose. She flashed a shy smile and said, “I’m not here to be your mother. I’m Ms. Wu, and I’ll be taking care of your needs from now onwards. I’ll help wash your clothes, cook your meals and send you to school. If there’s school work that you don’t understand, you can also ask me.”
“A housemaid,” Gu Ruoxin said. He pressed his lips into a thin line. “My mother can do all those things. I don’t want you.”
“If I do these things, then your mother will have more time to spend with you.” Wu Nian words were sincere and unthreatening.
This shut Gu Ruoxin up. He stopped whining and bowed his head in shame.
Gu Yan examined the scene before him. He looked at Gu Ruoxin, then at Wu Nian who flashed a warm smile at him. Gu Yan spoke excitedly, “You’re welcome to visit our home, Ms. Wu. Do you draw? I love drawing.”
“That’s great, Yanny! Can you teach me to draw too?” Wu Nian beamed at the boy.
“Who said you could call him ‘Yanny?’ You should call him ‘Young Master,’ and I’m ‘Second Young Master.’ Also, you can’t even draw? You’re asking us, children, to teach you? How funny!” Gu Ruoxin complained.
“I may be a master of my own specialized field, but there’s always more to learn. So even though I’m older than you, there are things that I will humbly ask for your advice on. As for the terms of address…” Wu Nian turned to look at Gu Yan. “Yanny, how would you like me to address you?”
“Call me Yanny, it sounds friendlier. ‘Young Master’ is just too formal,” Gu Yan decided.
“What do you mean, ‘formal?’ She was hired by Daddy to take care of us. She should address us in a way that respects our higher status in life,” Gu Ruoxin declared proudly.
Wu Nian’s expression remained tranquil. In an amused tone, she asked Gu Ruoxin, “Aren’t you the order-seeking judge? Alright, then who do you think has a higher status: the boss or the employee?”
“Obviously, it’s the boss,” Gu Ruoxin proclaimed.
“Is a teacher higher in rank or a student?” Wu Nian questioned again.
“The teacher, of course.” Gu Ruoxin stared her down with extreme confidence.
“Then what if the employee hired by the boss is a teacher?”
Gu Ruoxin’s lips pursed tightly. His eyes darted around as he struggled to think of an answer. Eventually, he responded, “The boss. Whomever pays the other is more powerful.”
“I see. What if the boss needed the teacher’s guidance to help him, otherwise his company would go bankrupt?”
Gu Ruoxin hesitated for some time. Annoyance took form in his puffy cheeks and clenched fists. “You’re speaking nonsense! I’m telling you about respect and inferiority, why are you changing the topic?”
Gu Mingchen simply glanced at Wu Nian. He remained outside of their conversation, curious about what Wu Nian would do next.
Surprisingly, Wu Nian only laughed gently before saying, “The food’s here. You boys can dig in; I’ll go wash my hands first.”
She got up and headed to the washroom. Whilst scrubbing at the suds on her fingers, she noticed Gu Mingchen’s reflection appear in the mirror. He was standing beside her.
“I’m curious as to what you would’ve chosen,” Gu Mingchen stated, his words a blend between a harmless question and a forceful statement.
Smiling politely, she cautiously responded, “Because he’s your child, I didn’t want to say certain things in front of him. But I’d like to have an in-depth discussion with you regarding the matter. Can I have thirty minutes of your time on Sunday?”
Gu Mingchen’s expression remained unbothered. His words were transactional like a businessman’s. He said, “Then I’ll see you on Sunday. If your methods don’t meet my standards, I may terminate your employment contract early. I assume that’s alright with you?”
