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Su Wan suddenly found herself caught between laughter and tears, unsure whether she should cry at the old master's prescience in knowing his grandson was a hard stone that no one could warm and had prudently left her a way out before marriage.
Or whether she should laugh that the old master, so prescient, had spared her the effort of preparing for herself.
Flipping through it casually, Su Wan found the contents to be proper and according to the rules, yet every clause seemed to favor her, as if fearing she would be bullied.
The old master had always been extremely good to her.
A sourness welled up in Su Wan's heart.
The young girl lay on the bed with the agreement in hand, staring blankly at the ceiling.
In fact, Su Wan didn't care much for post-marital assets, severance fees, or pensions; Gu Nanzhou didn't owe her anything, and the Gu family didn't either.
It was she who had risked it all alone, and come out battered and bruised.
These past three years, she had really made a mess of things, establishing herself as the gentle, considerate, and non-clingy perfect wife, swallowing down every bitterness, grinding down her edges little by little.
She was almost unable to find the proud and uninhibited Su Wan anymore.
The bed beneath her was soft and comfortable; with so much happening over the past few days, the young girl hadn't had a good rest.
Half-asleep, she thought about how her birthday was only a few days away, and she couldn't help but selfishly wish that Gu Nanzhou would spend it with her. She thought about leaving after that day.
Upon waking, Su Wan pondered how to normally interact with Gu Nanzhou without awkwardness after having asked for a divorce and caused a conflict today.
Gu Nanzhou never liked her to begin with. She wondered if, after this incident, he would think she was being unreasonably disgruntled. What if he disliked her even more? Su Wan thought of many possibilities, but in the end, Gu Nanzhou simply didn't come home.
Su Wan: "..."
The young girl was momentarily stunned upon learning from Mother Wu that Gu Nanzhou wouldn't be returning home. She lit up her phone and saw that there were no messages from him.
Ever since their relationship had improved slightly, Gu Nanzhou would always let the young girl know if he wasn't coming home at night.
With a sigh of resignation in her heart, Su Wan thought that he must really be angry this time.
The words in the chat box were typed and then deleted, deleted and then typed, but in the end, not a single word was sent.
She pursed her lips and sat down at the dining table to eat earnestly.
Remembering the harsh words Gu Nanzhou had said today, she didn't want to deal with him. Not only did he not help her, but he also said such hurtful things.
As her temper flared up, the more Su Wan thought, the angrier she became, her thoughts leading her back to Gu Nanzhou's past behavior and to why Shen Lin was suddenly parachuted into the company.
She also mused over the whispers of the employees, refusing to believe they would claim Gu Nanzhou was definitely unaware. She didn't believe it for a second.
As she dwelled on it, anger rose from within her, and in her fury, she ended up eating an extra bowl of rice that evening.
Gu Nanzhou, staying at the company, had no idea of the young girl's twisted thoughts.
He hadn't come back, not knowing how to face her.
Gu Nanzhou had thought all afternoon, still unclear about his own behavior that day.
His words had been harsh; his state, out of sorts. His heart felt like it was suppressing a blaze, accompanied by a strong sense of powerlessness.
His lips were tightly pressed, his brows deeply furrowed, his eyes roiled with deep and suppressed light, rapidly dropping the temperature around him.
The assistant, forced to work overtime, was as quiet as a mouse, not daring to even breathe loudly.
The next day, it just so happened that he needed to go on a business trip out of town. Though it was a minor contract that usually only required an assistant, Gu Nanzhou still went personally.
And so, Gu Nanzhou was away on a business trip for four days, while Su Wan slept at home for four days.
On the fifth day, Su Wan's birthday arrived.
Upon waking in the morning, Su Wan received birthday wishes from her mother and close friend He Miaomiao, among a few other acquaintances.
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She didn't know if Gu Nanzhou would come back today, but she still wanted to wait for him.
Gu Nanzhou seemed to be really busy, too busy to remember her birthday.
Although in the past few years, it was Su Wan who had to remind Gu Nanzhou about her birthday, the young girl still felt slightly disappointed.
She sat on the bed, staring blankly at the divorce agreement.
Mrs. Wu knew that today was Su Wan's birthday, and she had prepared a rich meal for her at noon, all her favorite dishes.
But by the afternoon, Gu Nanzhou had still not returned.
Mrs. Wu looked at Su Wan several times, as if wanting to say something but hesitating. Before leaving, she couldn't help but explain, "Miss Su, the master might just be on his way back to celebrate your birthday with you. Please wait a bit more."
Her explanation sounded too weak, and even Mrs. Wu herself did not quite believe it, so she found no other words to comfort her.
Su Wan smiled faintly, her expression calm, "I know, it's okay Mrs. Wu, don't worry about me."
Mrs. Wu wrung her hands and, not saying anything else, sighed and left.
After sending away Mrs. Wu, Su Wan continued to wait for him on the sofa.
She didn't know how long it had been; the game was stuck on that level and she couldn't pass it. She curled up on the sofa, bored out of her mind, and eventually drifted to sleep.
Su Wan was woken up by a call.
Perhaps because she had just woken up and her mind was still foggy, the young girl was confused for a moment before her vision focused and she could see the person in front of her clearly.
Gu Nanzhou stood before her, his eyes lowered to look at her, "Why did you fall asleep here?"
"Ah," Su Wan rubbed her eyes, still drowsy from just waking up, her voice soft, "You're back."
The young girl's appearance was naive and her voice was sweet, like a lazy little kitten.
Gu Nanzhou paused, feeling as if a small cat's paws were gently scratching his heart. His Adam's apple moved as he responded in a low voice.
"Today is my birthday, Mr. Gu, can you spend it with me?"
As she spoke, Su Wan couldn't help feeling nervous, her hand under her sleeve tightly clutching her skirt. After all, they had not been too happy with each other a few days ago, and she was unsure whether Gu Nanzhou was still angry.
Gu Nanzhou did not speak.
Su Wan thought that Gu Nanzhou's silence meant a refusal. The spacious living room was too quiet, so silent that only their shallow breathing could be heard.
She awkwardly stirred her hand, swiftly contemplating her words, "It's okay if you can't, it's quite late after all, and Mr. Gu, you've just come back. You should rest early! I'm fine, it's just a birthday, it's not really…"
Listening to the young girl's jumbled explanation, Gu Nanzhou was slightly moved. His eyelashes lowered, and his voice turned very soft, unintentionally, "I'm not unwilling, sorry, I forgot... your birthday."
"It's okay!" Hearing Gu Nanzhou's acceptance, Su Wan's heart leapt with joy, and she didn't feel disappointed about him forgetting her birthday.
She chirped cheerfully, "Then I'll go cook a bowl of noodles, wait for me!"
"Alright."
Gu Nanzhou left his suit jacket to one side and sat in the dining room to wait for her.
He gently pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, looking somewhat weary.
He had indeed been a bit tired these past few days, but seeing the young girl's eyes full of anticipation, he didn't really feel like refusing.
Soon, Su Wan brought out the egg noodles she had made to the dining table.
She also washed her hands and sat opposite Gu Nanzhou, seeing the man looking at the bowl of noodles in a slight daze, she somewhat embarrassingly explained,
"When I was a child, my mom would cook me a bowl of egg noodles for my birthday. Mom's in the hospital now, and with no one to accompany me, I thought of asking Mr. Gu to join me for my birthday."
"I'm not sure if it's to your taste, it's definitely not as good as what the chefs make, it's very ordinary, I hope Mr. Gu doesn't mind."