CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER 258 RUTHLESS

Gu Qingchen was silent for a while, as if he was reevaluating the woman in front of him.

Time is indeed a ruthless knife, sharply splitting one’s past and present into two halves.

And they are halves that can never be put back together again.

The previous Shen Qingya was simple and lovely.

The current Shen Qingya is assertive and tactical.

The only thing that hasn’t changed is her arrogance.

"I really should thank you for your kind suggestion!" Gu Qingchen sneered coldly: "However, I, Gu Qingchen, stand upright and proud, even if I don’t pursue a career as a doctor in this lifetime, I won’t depend on a woman!"

Shen Qingya just gave a faint smile: "No need to refuse me in such a hurry!"

"Show the guest out!" Gu Qingchen said towards the door.

A-Sheng came in and said to Shen Qingya: "Miss Shen, please!"

Gu Qingchen lit a cigarette. After A-Sheng had escorted Shen Qingya out, he came into his office: "President Gu, should Miss Shen make an appointment in advance if she wants to meet you for work matters from now on?"

"Business only." Gu Qingchen said curtly.

"Yes!" A-Sheng immediately left.

...

Earth Wedding Company.

Bei Ran was busy until the afternoon, when she received a package, and upon opening it, she found a pack of freshly harvested autumn tea.

Knowing Gu Qingchen loved tea, she had asked a friend to send it from the southwest.

In the afternoon, Gu Qingchen came to pick her up, which surprised Bei Ran, "President Gu, am I seeing things? How do you have time to come?"

Gu Qingchen looked at the tea leaves on her desk, "I smelled the fragrance from far away and came right over!"

Bei Ran opened it to show him: "The tenderest tea buds! I had someone buy them! Mr. Niu loves tender tea the most!"

Gu Qingchen gazed at her, she was calling him Mr. Niu!

"What I like the most is you!" His eyes were as deep as the ocean.

"Stop being improper!" Bei Ran pinched him, "Here, honor you with this!"

Gu Qingchen took it over, "Little darling is so well-behaved! But, we are only six years apart, it’s not to the point of honoring yet, right?"

"Every three years form a new generation gap!" Bei Ran laughed cheerfully, "You’re outdated!"

Bei Ran said, quickly tidying up her things, she couldn’t let President Gu personally wait for her, a mere planner!

"Are you taking me to a candlelight dinner?" Bei Ran found him very strange, coming so early!

Although the two had been together for over four years, they seldom spent romantic time together, not to mention wedding anniversaries, candlelight dinners, traveling etc.

"Sure!" Gu Qingchen put his hands in his pockets.

Bei Ran picked up her handbag, "President Gu, are you trying to be romantic? Didn’t even bring flowers?"

"You said you liked peach blossoms the most, I asked the florist, but they didn’t have any," Gu Qingchen looked at her.

However, he planned to surprise her. For someone studying medicine, making peach blossoms bloom all year round wasn’t difficult!

He... was researching cultivating a new variety of peach blossoms that only bloom but don’t bear fruit and bloom all year round!

Seeing him take her words to heart, Bei Ran still felt warm inside.

Actually, as long as it was sent by him, she loved whatever flower it was!

Just as the two were about to go for a candlelight dinner, Bei Ran received a call from Zhuang Shengxian.

"Miss Bei, sorry to call you so late..." Zhuang Shengxian was very polite, "I am being presumptuous, but may I invite you for dinner and then discuss our wedding planning?"

"Okay, no problem." Bei Ran hung up the phone, and as the two walked out of the Earth Wedding Company building, she said: "I have a client asking me for dinner to discuss wedding details, I’m sorry, President Gu, our candlelight dinner tonight might not happen."

Gu Qingchen snorted: "I specifically came to pick you up to go to dinner, and you are cancelling my dinner for a client? Which client is more important than me?"

Before Bei Ran could even speak, Zhuang Shengxian’s car was already parked downstairs, he waved to Bei Ran: "Miss Bei..."

Bei Ran smiled at Gu Qingchen, "It’s him!"

Gu Qingchen did not expect it to be Zhuang Shengxian; he knew that Zhuang Shengxian had a good relationship with his grandfather!

After getting off his car, Zhuang Shengxian saw Bei Ran holding Gu Qingchen’s hand; he burst out laughing. If Bei Ran really was his old friend’s daughter, then her being with Gu Qingchen would be the best fate.

"Qingchen..." Zhuang Shengxian patted Gu Qingchen’s shoulder happily, "Let’s go, have dinner together!"

Gu Qingchen was forthright: "Sure, you lead the way, I’ve also driven here!"

Bei Ran got into Gu Qingchen’s car. She wasn’t surprised by the relationship between Zhuang Shengxian and Gu Qingchen. After all, everyone was a medical professional and leaders in the same field, there were many opportunities for acquaintance and communication.

"Oh yes, I have met Miss Shen." Bei Ran sat in the copilot seat, turning her head toward Gu Qingchen, "She is Mrs. Zhuang’s close friend. Today, we discussed where Director Zhuang and Mrs. Zhuang’s wedding should be held. Speaking of which, although I am dissatisfied with your grandfather, he did have good taste in choosing your fiancée. Miss Shen not only comes from a distinguished family but also possesses both beauty and brains."

Gu Qingchen responded indifferently: "No matter how good she is, I will not marry her. You can rest assured waiting to become Mrs. Gu!"

Bei Ran laughed: "Also, I almost forgot to tell you, I recently received a mysterious email..."

"What is it?" Gu Qingchen’s expression became serious.

"It’s a photo of my mother and a man from when they were young." Bei Ran took out the email on her phone, "Let me show you when you park the car..."

Gu Qingchen drove the car to the restaurant’s parking lot, took the phone from Bei Ran’s hand, and looked at the photo in the email, "Is this the only one?"

"Yes!" Bei Ran replied, "I analyzed it with Yufeng last night. The person who sent this photo might be trying to tell me who my biological father is, but Yufeng hasn’t figured out who this man is yet!"

Gu Qingchen nodded, handed the phone back to her, "You look a lot like your mom!"

"Yes!" Bei Ran nodded, then looked at him in shock, "You call me what?"

"Mom!" Gu Qingchen spoke very naturally. Although Bei Ran’s mother passed away before he married her, she was forever his mother-in-law in his heart.

Bei Ran sniffled, her heart filled with joy, but she commented: "Shameless!"

After the three of them arrived at the restaurant, Zhuang Shengxian and Gu Qingchen talked about hospital matters, while Bei Ran quietly enjoyed her dinner.

"I encountered a tricky surgery today; the patient’s thoracic cavity was crushed by a wheel!" Zhuang Shengxian said, "The rescue took too long, and he is still in a coma, in the intensive care unit, still not out of danger."

"All his organs were crushed; surviving that is a miracle itself." Gu Qingchen remarked, "Though he is in a coma now, there’s still a chance he may wake up..."

Seeing Bei Ran so quiet, Zhuang Shengxian quickly added: "We’ve been engrossed in talking about hospital matters; are we disturbing Miss Bei’s dining experience?"

"Not at all, Director Zhuang is being too polite!" Bei Ran said, "I’ve always admired people who are doctors!"

As she said this, she glanced at Gu Qingchen.

Gu Qingchen took a piece of fish, carefully removed the bones for her, and then placed it in her bowl.

Although it was a small, inconspicuous act, it was a tender interaction between them.

She admired him!

He adored her!

Zhuang Shengxian, watching their interaction, felt warmly moved. Nothing was more heartwarming than seeing an old friend’s daughter and a young man he valued so dearly in love.

"Miss Bei, that surname is quite uncommon!" Zhuang Shengxian raised his glass.

Bei Ran also lifted her glass: "Yes, it’s very rare. Director Zhuang, Qingchen and I toast to you. Do you have any suggestions for the wedding?"

Although Zhuang Shengxian had invited her to dinner ostensibly to discuss the wedding, he was more eager to know who her mother was.

"No rush on the wedding matters, Miss Bei, I hope you don’t mind me asking, are your parents well?" Zhuang Shengxian asked.

Bei Ran responded nonchalantly: "My mother has passed away..."

Zhuang Shengxian’s hand shook, then his chopsticks fell to the floor.

To think of how precise those hands that operated surgical tools were; how could they fail to hold onto chopsticks!

Hearing that her mother had passed away, his heart also trembled.

"People of past lives, my forgetful you, do you remember..." Zhuang Shengxian murmured softly.

"Joy and sorrow, birth and death, the unspeakable miracles..." Bei Ran looked at him, continuing the line, "That was a phrase my mother loved to say..."

Zhuang Shengxian held his chest, feeling unbearable heart pain, and after several attempts to speak, he slowly uttered a few words: "Was your mother’s surname Bei?"

"Yes! I carry my mother’s surname!" Bei Ran faintly sensed something was amiss; could Zhuang Shengxian be the man in the photos sent by the mysterious person in the email...