Free Web NovelChapter 1068: Chapter 44: I Like You, So I Want You to Be My Wife (Part 2)
Gu Yan unconsciously sped up his smoking movements, his voice becoming hoarser with each puff of smoke exhaled from his mouth and nose, "I’m giving you time to think clearly, whether you want to be my wife or my lover. If you choose to be my wife, I will cherish you, protect you, and never treat you like I did tonight.
If you choose to be my lover, then you must be prepared to be just that! I, Gu Yan, will absolutely not offer a shred of consideration to any woman other than my wife.
This pain, maybe it’s just this once, or maybe it will happen countless times in the future. Think it over."
Nie Xiaoxing remained silent from start to finish.
The car heater wasn’t turned on, the December weather in Z City was bone-chilling cold.
Nie Xiaoxing was barely clothed, her bruised skin showing hints of blue.
Gu Yan’s eyes stung a little, his thin lips holding the cigarette trembled imperceptibly, for three to four seconds.
He suddenly reached a hand to pull the cigarette from his mouth, rolled down the car window and threw it out, then closed the window, turned around, and scooped Nie Xiaoxing into his arms, wrapping her with his coat.
Nie Xiaoxing lay against his chest, her swollen eyes silently staring at him.
Gu Yan looked at her as well, his heart feeling an unprecedented weakness and ache, "I’m asking you, is it because you don’t like me that you’d rather be my lover and refuse to be my wife? Nie Xiaoxing, is there someone you like?"
Nie Xiaoxing’s eyes ached, barely moving her pale lips, she rasped, "Then let me ask you, do you like me? Are you choosing to marry me and make me your wife because you like me?
Or is it because you know well that you can’t be with the woman you truly love in this life, so you settled for me?"
Gu Yan tightened his long eyebrows, "The woman I truly love?"
"Have you never liked a woman? Or, are you currently in love with someone?" Nie Xiaoxing pulled her lips.
Currently in love?
Gu Yan narrowed his eyes, staring deeply at Nie Xiaoxing, saying slowly, "There is indeed someone I’m currently in love with."
Nie Xiaoxing’s heart felt as if pricked, quickly turning her face to the side, she said self-mockingly, "There you have it. Since you have a woman you like, why let someone like me occupy the position of your wife."
Gu Yan’s face darkened slightly, his tone serious, "Nie Xiaoxing, if you don’t want to be my wife, there’s no need to divert the reason onto me!"
"You say I divert the reason onto you, then I ask you, do you like me? What is your reason for wanting me as your wife?" Nie Xiaoxing looked at him.
Gu Yan held his breath, articulating each word clearly, "What if I say it’s because I like you? I like you, so I want you to be my wife?! Will you agree?"
Nie Xiaoxing was shook to the core, her eyes shrinking rapidly, staring at Gu Yan in astonishment, "You, what did you say?"
"I said I like you!" Gu Yan affirmed each word.
Nie Xiaoxing suddenly sat straight on his legs.
Yet as soon as she sat up, he forcefully pulled her back down into his embrace, wrapping her up, "Don’t move, aren’t you cold?"
Tears twinkled in Nie Xiaoxing’s eyes, rolling out of her eyes one after another, she clutched his chest tightly, sobbing, "Say it again?"
Gu Yan’s ears tinged red, his gaze deep and fixed as he stared at Nie Xiaoxing.
Nie Xiaoxing clutched his clothing tighter, her tears falling harder, "Say it again, say it again, say..."
"I like you!"
Gu Yan stated, gazing into her eyes.
Nie Xiaoxing shut her eyes, swiftly raising her hand to hug Gu Yan’s neck tightly, "Are you teasing me?"
Gu Yan looked down at her, conveying his seriousness through his gaze.
Nie Xiaoxing’s choking sobs broke apart in her throat, yet she didn’t dare to voice them, slowly swallowing them bit by bit.
She rested her forehead on Gu Yan’s chest, large teardrops falling onto the fabric covering Gu Yan’s abdomen, quickly soaking a large patch.
Gu Yan stared blankly at Nie Xiaoxing, aside from holding her, he suddenly didn’t know what else to say.
Because he wasn’t sure, Nie Xiaoxing’s tears at this moment, what did they mean.
Was it affection, or something else?
...
Past two in the night, Nie Xiaoxing dressed and sat in the back seat with Gu Yan.
Gu Yan turned his head, studying her intently, his eyes probing.
Nie Xiaoxing’s body was still in pain, but her heart held no resentment.
It seemed the suffering she endured before was insignificant compared to Gu Yan’s words "I like you."
"I’ll get you some medicine." Gu Yan glanced at Nie Xiaoxing’s tightly closed legs and the hand placed on her abdomen, awkwardly said.
Nie Xiaoxing stared at Gu Yan, "Medicine?"
Gu Yan’s eyes flickered, "Aren’t you in pain?"
Nie Xiaoxing stared for a moment, seeing Gu Yan’s eyes intentionally or unintentionally darting towards her legs, she suddenly understood, her face turning bright red like a ripe tomato, she whispered, "I thought you didn’t know!"
Gu Yan bit his lower lip, his handsome face equally flushed, eyes staring intensely at Nie Xiaoxing, "Who told you to provoke me? I just wanted you to taste what it’s like to be a little lover! Let’s see if you dare to say that ever again!"
Nie Xiaoxing glanced at him speechlessly, "Doing such things, you sure have a lot of reasons!"
"What reason? This is just what I thought!" Gu Yan glared at her.
Nie Xiaoxing frowned, lowered her eyes, after a while, she spoke with some grievance, "If you do this to me again next time, I’ll break your leg!"
Gu Yan’s corner of the mouth twitched.
Gu Yan didn’t reply.
Silence fell in the car once more.
No one knew how long it lasted.
Nie Xiaoxing softly said, "I’m going back, you should go back too."
Gu Yan quickly turned, his gaze swiftly fixing on Nie Xiaoxing, his glare slightly fierce.
Seeing this, Nie Xiaoxing instead felt sweet inside.
The corners of her pursed lips gradually curved into a barely noticeable arc, she tilted her head, lifting her eyelids to look at him, "If we don’t go back, are we supposed to spend the night in the car?"
"Spending the night in the car means spending the night in the car!"
Gu Yan stretched his handsome face, roughly pulled Nie Xiaoxing into his arms, his gaze coldly fixed on her, "As long as I can be with you, even living in the car forever, I wouldn’t mind!"
Nie Xiaoxing paused, looking at him with reddened eyes, her heart feeling both sweet and bitter at this moment.
Gu Yan looked at her deeply, "Little Xing’er, I’m asking you, do you want to be my wife, or my lover?"
Nie Xiaoxing sniffled, reaching out to touch his face, "Gu Yan, can you give me some time? I need to think about it."
"How long?" Gu Yan gripped her shoulder tightly, asking heavily.
Nie Xiaoxing gently shook her head, "I don’t know."
Gu Yan inhaled deeply, "Okay, I’ll give you time! For now, we’ll be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. I’ll wait for you, I’ll wait for you to willingly agree to marry me."
Nie Xiaoxing’s eyes grew misty, she carefully and earnestly studied his face, inspecting every inch closely, the pads of her fingers lightly brushing over every line on his face, her voice hoarse as she softly said, "Gu Yan, can you say it once more?"
Gu Yan held her hand that slid across his face, "Say what?"
Nie Xiaoxing strained to open her sore eyes wide, "Say you like me."
"..."
