Chapter Six

It was great to have a dummy for a mum like An An’s mum. There was nothing that was too much trouble for An An’s mum even An An’s love blues. All An An’s mum needed to do was cry crocodile tears and pull her dad’s sleeve and he’d be compelled to deal with whatever was troubling An An’s mum. Only An An’s mum could make An An dad put down his cold exterior, not even An An or Xiao Xiao was an exception.

‘An An,’ dad said. Her dad’s hand that held her was warm. ‘Come with me to my study and we can talk for a bit.’

The truth was An An disliked talking with her dad, he was too intelligent and no secret could be hidden from his sharp eyes. She felt she wasn’t smart enough or witty enough, which made her uncomfortable in her dad’s presence.

‘An An, you’re all grown up. You don’t need me to lecture you. Most of my attention is taken up by your mum, but I can’t overlook your current miserable state. I feel the need to interfere to help you solve whatever problem that’s affecting you to this extent,’ dad said.

An An shook her head and helplessly voiced her dilemma. ‘Li Mu likes Liang Xing. You meddling won’t change the outcome.’

‘Did Li Mu tell you himself?’ dad asked.

‘I witnessed it with my own eyes. Even though it makes me jealous to see them together they do make an ideal couple,’ she said and let go of her dad’s hand. ‘Dad, I know for certain Li Mu doesn’t love me. Li Mu saw Gu Yang kissed me and Li Mu turned away and left.’

An An’s dad smiled. ‘Gu Yang that little trouble maker…’

An An knew nothing could fool her dad.

‘Mmm. This is a problem that should stay between the four of you to solve. Lift up your chin a little. Don’t let me see my daughter being played. You won’t like this when you were younger. I like an An An that’s intelligent and confident,’ dad said.

An An realised both her dad and Gu Yang were similar… cold men like them when they smiled were easy on the eyes.

‘In the love department I inherited mum’s genes,’ she said.

Her dad shook his head and smiled. ‘If you inherited half of your mum’s lovable traits then you wouldn’t be in this situation.’

‘Dad!’ she said. ‘I’m your flesh and blood. Is it that hard for you to offer some comforting words to ease my suffering?’

‘Since I was young I never had the patience to comfort others so I leave it to your mum to do the comforting,’ dad said.

Her dad stood up and offered a final advice. ‘Have a heart to heart talk with Gu Yang. If Gu Yang doesn’t accept your decision then even if you and Li Mu wanted to be together it wouldn’t work out.’

Her dad was someone she looked up to and believed in the most so she followed his advice.

Gu Yang was in disbelief when she took the initiative to seek him out. When she took him to the restaurant she reserved he didn’t wear a devious smile, but he smiled sincerely as if he was truly happy.

‘Honey, what do you want to eat?’ Gu Yang asked.

‘Up to you,’ she said.

‘Just looking at your beautiful eyes makes me full. You choose. Whatever you order I’ll eat,’ Gu Yang said.

‘Gu Yang, I’m not your little girlfriend. You don’t need to sweet talk me. It makes me nauseous before eating dinner,’ she said.

‘Oh. How is the restaurant going to profit tonight?’ Gu Yang asked.

Gu Yang looked disappointed and was about to say something but changed his mind.

‘What about we order a bottle of wine? It’s been a while since we drank wine together,’ she said.

She hated the way Gu Yang scrutinised her with his eyes as if he could decipher her thoughts and feelings.

Gu Yang creased his forehead and smiled brightly. ‘Ok.’

End of Chapter Six.