Chapter 72 Sharing the Pain
Although I was very happy to see Gu Ruoyan, my joke still embarrassed her. I couldn't help but deeply regret my frivolity. I thought: Tang Qian! The woman in front of you is your benefactor. If she hadn't taken care of you, you might have been unemployed half a year ago, not to mention being transferred to the company's planning department. What a good woman she is! You have done your best. Just because she treats you like this, you should respect her and repay her! Treat her like a relative. Now she has something to ask you, and you can't just agree to it, and you say such indecent words, it's really wrong!
I restrained my smile and said seriously and sincerely: "I'm sorry, manager, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to... make a joke and have fun. I didn't mean to offend you. Please don't take it seriously!"
Gu Ruoyan also quickly recovered from her shyness. She nodded and said, "I know you. I can't guarantee others, but I can trust you! Otherwise, I wouldn't look for you."
Seeing that Gu Ruoyan didn't blame me and trusted me, I felt relieved. I took another puff of cigarette happily. Gu Ruoyan suddenly remembered something and stood up and said, "By the way, I also bought a lot of fruits! Tang Qian, what do you like to eat? There are bananas, oranges, apples, and a bunch of American grapes. I'll wash them for you."
I hurriedly said, "Oh! No need, I don't care. It's nice to have a cigarette." Gu Ruoyan was not willing to listen and ran into the kitchen to wash the fruit.
I was helpless and reached out to look at my watch. It was already half past ten in the evening. I didn’t know how long I would have to wait for Gu Ruoyan to fall asleep.
Not long after, Gu Ruoyan came over with a bowl of washed fruit and urged me to eat. I had no choice but to take a sweet orange, peel it and eat it.
Gu Ruoyan leaned on the sofa with her legs bent, watching me eat happily. When I finished, she peeled a banana and handed it to me, saying, "Come on, eat more, and eat another banana!" I had no choice but to take it and eat it. She didn't wait for me to finish the banana, but picked up an apple and peeled it with a fruit knife.
Seeing her busy and serious look, I couldn't help but feel sad. I guess she must have been alone for too long, so now that someone is talking to her, she is so excited and even enjoys serving others. It's really pitiful!
Gu Ruoyan said as she peeled an apple: "Tang Qian, can you come early tomorrow night? I'll cook a few delicious dishes to thank you. I'm a very good chef, how do you think?"
I hesitated for a moment and didn't answer. Gu Ruoyan immediately thought of it: "Oh, by the way, you have a girlfriend. Not only can you not accompany her at night, but you can't even eat together. Your girlfriend will have an opinion, right?"
I smiled bitterly and thought: Not only would I have an opinion, but what woman in the world would be so generous as to allow her boyfriend to accompany another woman every night? That would definitely cause a big uproar!
Gu Ruoyan's eyes dimmed, and the excitement disappeared in an instant. He whispered, "Look at me, I only care about myself and don't consider your difficulties at all. It's already too much for me to let you accompany me every night, and I'm thinking about occupying your other time. Do you think I'm too greedy?"
I thought about it. Although there was nothing shameful about coming to accompany her at night, it would be better not to let Qiu Jieqin know. Because except for me and Gu Ruoyan, other people would inevitably be suspicious. And how can such a thing be explained clearly? A man and a woman are in the same room and nothing happens at all, and there is not even any love between men and women involved. Who would believe it? So the best way is not to tell anyone, especially my girlfriend! Fortunately, I don’t live with Qiu Jieqin yet, otherwise it will be very troublesome.
But although Gu Ruoyan said that she was too greedy, her face was obviously disappointed. I thought again, although I would have to spend less time with Qiu Jieqin after I agreed to accompany her, Gu Ruoyan was different from Qiu Jieqin. She was more pitiful and needed me more, and the time was only temporary. Although Qiu Jieqin and I may not be together all the time in the near future, we still have a long time to live together. So my main task now is to try my best to help Gu Ruoyan get out of the shadow of divorce as soon as possible and rebuild the courage to live. When Gu Ruoyan thinks it through and is no longer in pain. Then I can retire and no longer interfere in her life.
After thinking about it carefully, I smiled and said, "Tomorrow night? Okay, I'll come early. I just want to know how good Manager Gu is at cooking. I've been working together for more than a year, but I really haven't seen you show off your skills."
Gu Ruoyan was overjoyed when she heard this, and asked in disbelief, "What? Are you saying you agreed?"
I nodded and said, "Yes, isn't it just a dinner? Why not agree? Just don't complain that I eat too much."
Gu Ruoyan was so excited that she stuffed the peeled apple into my hand and said, "How could I complain that you eat too much? The more you eat, the better! Come on, eat the apple quickly. I've peeled it." Then she picked up a cigarette and handed it to me, saying, "Also, have a cigarette. Let me light it for you."
I had no choice but to ask her with a smile: "Manager, do you want me to eat the apple? Or smoke? Or eat and smoke at the same time?"
Gu Ruoyan then realized that she was too excited. She blushed and put away her cigarette. She said, "Well, you should eat the apple first. Tang Qian, please don't laugh at me. I haven't cooked properly for a long time. Thinking that I can have a good meal like a family tomorrow, I am... a little too excited."
I ate the apple without saying anything, and sighed in my heart. This kind of ordinary thing for ordinary people, cooking a meal at home and eating with family, became a happy thing in Gu Ruoyan's eyes. She was so happy that she was at a loss when she heard my promise. I couldn't help but hate the man who abandoned Gu Ruoyan. He left her so heartlessly and cruelly, leaving Gu Ruoyan without any relatives and living a lonely and helpless life. Alas! Even just cooking at home and having someone to eat with is a luxury.
Gu Ruoyan was very happy and excited at night, and kept asking me to eat, drink water, and smoke. In the end, I really couldn't eat anymore, and I refused three or four times before I gave up. Time passed by minute by minute, and Gu Ruoyan didn't feel sleepy at all. I guess it was about eleven o'clock? If she didn't go to sleep, I would have to go home in the early morning.
Although I promised to accompany her at night, I can't sleep here after all. It's not good to come home so late, and maybe it's not just one or two days, right?
I decided to remind Gu Ruoyan, but I couldn't say it directly, for fear of hurting her feelings. After careful consideration, I deliberately yawned loudly during the chat, hinting to her that it was getting late and she should go to bed.
Sure enough, Gu Ruoyan looked up at the quartz clock hanging on the wall and exclaimed, "Ah? It's so late already? No wonder you want to go to bed? Sorry, sorry, then I should go to bed, I... I will fall asleep soon." She stood up in a panic and ran into the bathroom.
I lit another cigarette and waited for her helplessly.
A few minutes later, Gu Ruoyan finished washing up, and the problem was solved. She came out of the door. She asked me to go into the bedroom and stay with her. After I went in, I moved a chair and sat by the bed like I did yesterday. Gu Ruoyan got into bed and looked at me. That look suddenly reminded me of many years ago, when my sister was still young, she always looked at me with the same eyes before going to bed every night, waiting for me, her brother, to tell her the story of the prince and the princess.
But this look in Gu Ruoyan's eyes definitely doesn't mean she wants to hear a story, but why does it seem so familiar to me?
It was not until a long time later that I thought of this question again and asked my sister what it meant. But at that time, I was confused.
Gu Ruoyan was lying on her side, staring at me. Suddenly she smiled and said, "Having a man at home is different. I no longer have to suspect that there are thieves hiding under the bed or worry about mice crawling onto the bed ."
Her smile was pure and satisfying, and she closed her eyes while smiling.
But not long after, she opened her eyes again and said apologetically, "But what should I do if I can't sleep?"
I just took a puff of cigarette, and before I swallowed it into my lungs, I burst out laughing at her words. When my sister was little, she would wait until I finished telling her a story, but she still didn't feel sleepy at all, and would pester me to tell her a second or even a third story. Usually at this time, I would make up some very short stories to deal with her. If that didn't work, I would just say, "Okay, it's too late, close your eyes and go to sleep!" And my sister would almost always say, "But what if I can't sleep?"
Because my sister has been very ticklish since she was a child, I used my trump card at this time and said, "If you don't sleep, I will scratch you." Then my sister was so scared that she quickly closed her eyes tightly, fearing that I would tickle her. Then I gently coaxed her and patted her back, and she finally fell asleep after a long time.
Now Gu Ruoyan is asking me this question, how do you want me to answer? Warn her that if she doesn't sleep, I'll scratch her?
I coughed and said, "I... can't do anything about it. Just go to sleep!"
Gu Ruoyan sighed softly and said, "When my husband and I were still good, every time I couldn't sleep, he would hold me in his arms and gently stroke my back with his hands. It was so comfortable! I would fall asleep unconsciously."
I was shocked and thought, you don't want me to do the same?
She smiled bitterly again and continued, "Come to think of it, that was two years ago. He...never hugged me to sleep for two whole years. Those days were so hard to endure!"
As she spoke, a crystal teardrop slowly slid down her face. I knew she was thinking of the sad past again, but I didn't know how to persuade her, so I kept silent.
Gu Ruoyan continued, "You must be laughing at me for being stupid, right? I am very stupid. In fact, I found out that he had someone else outside a long time ago, but I still pretended not to know and didn't want to expose this layer of window paper. As long as he doesn't leave me, sometimes I just think about it and put up with it. Alas! But a man who has changed his mind, you can't pull him back even if ten cows are on your side!"
Gu Ruoyan sighed and looked gloomy. She spoke in a disjointed and confused manner about what happened after her ex-husband's affair.
It turned out that her ex-husband was the general manager of a trading company. It was just a small company before it became rich. Later, by chance, he met a very capable socialite in the entertainment industry, and won the favor of the socialite with his handsome appearance. With the introduction of the socialite, her ex-husband met many influential people in the business world. With the strong recommendation of the socialite, her ex-husband succeeded in several big deals and became rich all of a sudden. Naturally, her ex-husband and the socialite had an affair. I don’t know what kind of magic the socialite used to take away her ex-husband’s entire soul. From then on, he never cared about his first wife again, and later even moved out and lived openly with the socialite. Gu Ruoyan’s originally happy life was ruined all of a sudden, and they divorced until now. Gu Ruoyan was equivalent to being a widow for two years, which was indeed very difficult for a woman of her age.
I finally understood why Gu Ruoyan was usually serious and had a weird or even fierce temper in the company. Perhaps an unhappy life was one of the reasons?
That night, Gu Ruoyan talked until very late. Out of sympathy, I stopped reminding her that it was already late. I was also very sleepy, so I had to smoke desperately to stay awake.
Finally, Gu Ruoyan still asked me to give her my hand, and she finally fell asleep holding my hand. But I know that she will be more comfortable and cheerful when she wakes up tomorrow morning. Because if you keep some things in your heart, your mood will only become heavier, but once you talk about them and release them, you will feel much more relaxed and happy. Gu Ruoyan is like this , she would rather go get drunk than share her pain with others. So she has no close friends, so she is more miserable.
By chance, I became the only person in the world she could confide in. I solved her two problems and now she had a friend with whom she could share her pain. She was able to share her pain with others.
Some people say that if you tell others about your happy things, you will be twice as happy. If you tell others about your painful things, your pain will be reduced by half. Regardless of whether this estimate is accurate or not, the depression in your heart will certainly be alleviated a lot, and the pain will naturally be reduced.
After Gu Ruoyan didn't make any sound for a long time, and I was sure she was asleep, I tiptoed home. When I got home in a taxi, the taxi driver didn't even turn on the roof light after the car stopped. I didn't even pay the fare, and the back door was opened. A woman's voice came in and said, "Master, please go to Guotai Hotel, hurry up!"
The woman's voice sounded so familiar, I turned around and saw the driver turning on the interior lighting, and the girl and I looked at each other in bewilderment. Then the girl screamed, and immediately got out of the car and ran away.
I yelled, "Xu Xin! Why are you running?"
