A Lifetime of Peace and Care

Chapter 6: The Outlines of Love

She never thought that this would ever happen, but then it suddenly did.

Yi Ran was so astonished that she couldn’t help but turn her head to look at the man, only to see him so calm and unruffled. Truthfully, she thought she must have heard wrong. Was she so eager to get married that she suddenly started having auditory hallucinations?

As Gu Tinghuan waited patiently, she suddenly gained her senses and asked, “Ah? What did you say?”

He had anticipated her reaction and walked a few steps closer to her side. The elevator door behind her suddenly opened and several guests came out sporadically. When they saw them, they stared for a while.

Gu Tingchuan reached for her and gently pulled her to the corner next to the elevator. He smiled and told her, “You want to get married? What a coincidence. So do I. And, I think we are quite suitable.”

Yi Ran once again had a moment of astonishment. Biting her lower lip in confusion and unable to look at him, she said, “I don’t understand...Are you saying marriage? This is a big event in life. You suddenly said that…”

Gu Tingchaun gazed at her quietly. When he spoke, his tone was steady, “My job, you should know. As for my family background, you can search the internet. Or, if you want to know the specific, we can sit down together and I will tell you. Oh, I don’t drink or smoke. I don’t think I have any bad habits. However, there are some fixed habits when filming, such as drinking a lot of coffee, Sometimes, when I am working on something for a long time, I don’t want anyone to disturb me...But, other than that, if you need me, I will do my best.”

As Yi Ran listened to his words with a dazed expression, she felt that the most incredible thing was happening but Gu Tingchuan’s face was as serious as ever.

“As for your circumstances, I already know a lot. Although we haven’t known each other for a long period of time, at least not enough to thoroughly know one another, but it is sufficient to start this marriage.”

Yi Ran was still in a stunned state. She patted her face with her hands to calm herself for a moment before she said, “I’m a little confused. You are seriously suggesting, I know this, but I also need to think about it. I think…”

Probably because she was too nervous, she felt the illusion of nausea. The injury on her foot, along with the ensuing pain, definitely was not helping her to calm down and think.

Gu Tingchuan noticed that she had difficulty standing so he smiled and acquiesced. “I’ll give you time to think about it. Don’t worry.”

Yi Ran held the cold marble wall next to the elevator. She dazedly said goodbye to him. When the elevator doors opened, she hobbled in with one foot and pressed the layers of button on the wall. There was a suspicious blush on her cheeks as, from the corners of her eyes, she noticed Gu Tingchuan’s face, so finely carved it was like a work of art.

She didn’t dare to look up, even when she heard the elevator door slid shut.

Yi Ran returned to her cousin’s wedding banquet. In an instant, she felt as if the previous event had never happened. This difficult thought caused her graceful eyebrows to subconsciously tighten.

Before today, if others had told her that Director Gu’s temperament was strange and incomprehensible, that he was an eccentric in pursuit of control and perfectionism, she would only be a little skeptical. But, now that she had seen first hand the man’s decisiveness and boldness, she truly admired and bowed down to him.

......

After a few days, when Yi Ran still had not have time to completely digest Gu Tingchuan’s marriage proposal, she had to face a more confusing reality.

She was originally lying at home to raise her feet. The so-called unfortunate good fortune was that her bones were not broken, but she was hurt. The mother who had retired that afternoon was cooking at home. She took her ipad and brushed Weibo. When she got to the headlines, she was shocked. The network was suddenly overwhelmed with new gossip!

Although Gu Tingchuan was slightly prepared, what he had not expected was that his recent interactions with Yi Ran had been photographed by reporters.

One of the pictures was of them at a hotel lobby “snuggling intimately” with each other. However, because their actions were a bit stiff, some entertainment media also used the title “Director Gu suspected of staying overnight with drunk mysterious woman.”

What made people feel even more incredulous was that not only was the photos last night published, but so were photos of them chatting at the theater hall. To think that some paparazzi had already photographed them previously but was just waiting for this type of big news to reveal them.

New remarks will appear constantly, and Yi Ran’s face constantly shifted from gloomy to depressed. If she didn’t already have a bad foot, she would probably jump up and start pacing. She wondered whether she ought to call Director Gu. But, she didn’t know how to face this man...

At this time, Gu Tingchuan was also watching these reports. The assistant Xiao Zhao thought that his boss would look upset. The outcome was that his prediction completely missed the nail on the head.

Gu Tingchuan stared at the photo of them walking side by side in the hotel. His face was clearer than hers, but he could still sense the bright clarity in Yi Ran’s eyes.

This was probably the first time that he praised a paparazzi photographer’s technology and skills.

Gu Tingchuan’s figure was like a shadow in front of the hotel, while the moonlight brushed over the profile of his handsome face. The sharp line of his nose made him look steady and mature; his eyes had a hint of concentration; but, at the moment, it was the rising of the lips that made him looked particularly relaxed.

Even the photos taken with another actress at the scene of Cloud Headdress was not as natural.

Some reporters had already swarmed the outside of the company in order to visit Gu Tingchuan for abuse. This time, it was related to the topics of “drunk” and “hotel.” The public opinion was extensive, but Gu Tingchuan had always been very close-mouthed about his personal affairs. Only, this time, this new topic was too sensational so it might take a while to die down.

In the past, Gu mother wouldn’t think much of these “news.” But, her second son had become such a hot topic of gossip. When he saw her call, Gu Tingchuan had some helplessness.

“Tingchuan, how did you get on the entertainment section?”

He moved his mobile phone slightly away from his face and said, “This time is different.”

Then, taking advantage of Sheng Ru’s surprise, Gu Tingchuan hung up the phone, turned around and asked Xiao Zhao. “Is this it?”

“Yes, Miss Yi Ran lives here.”

He paused and said, “You wait outside.”

When Yi Ran saw her mother’s weird expression as she brought in Gu Tingchuan, the man still holding a small basket in his hand, she was stunned for a while. Then, she quickly pressed her ipad screen to black.

“Xiao Ran, this is your friend?”

Yi Ran casually tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling shy. “How come you’re here?”

Gu Tingchuan calmly stood in front of the two women. His low voice was particularly nice as he said, “There was no way to say in advance that I was coming. Aunt, sorry to disturb you.”

Yi Ran’s mother, seeing that this atmosphere had some indefinable ambiguousness, quietly endured. After a few moments of joy in her heart, she looked at the handsome man and waved her hand. “You talk first. I still need to fry the dishes in the pot.”

Gu Tingchuan handed the visiting gift to the girl with the red face. He looked at her room a little, seeing a black wrought iron shelf bed; a home decorated with some vintage solid wood drawers; a blue-toned vase next to the window with a few bunches of hydrangea inserted inside; the atmosphere was refreshing and charming.

Next to Yi Ran was a pack of opened snacks and a glass of juice with gradually melting ice. She looked down at the things he brought. The package contained a small caramel box that, when opened, housed two gold foiled jars of orange jam.

She was a little surprised, and secretly ridiculed that she was presently not fit to be seen in company, much less to receive a gift from director Gu Tingchuan. But the point was...

“How do you know that I like to eat jam?”

It should not be a coincidence.

“My nephew told me,” Gu Tingchuan said, looking for a place to sit down. Then, he looked at her. “Sorry, I was filming recently, and I only have a little time this afternoon.”

“I haven’t seen Gu Tai for a while, but I’ve still thought of him.” Yi Ran looked at the eye-catching man who was close at hand and lowered her head. She didn’t know where to look.

“You needn’t feel flustered. If you think it is not appropriate, then I won’t mention it. Sorry.”

Gu Tingchuan’s sentence made Yi Ran suddenly relax a lot. She cleared her throat and asked: “Why me?”

Probably because she was a teacher, her voice was soft and the ending of each words were warm and crisp, like jade drops. The sounds were very sweet.

“Because I believe in intuition, so marrying you should be the correct thing to do.” He said this matter-of-factly. 　.

She raised her head to look at him and became more and more convinced. “Is this a compliment? Or... Like, how you personally choose an actress for your movies?”

Rumor was that Gu Tingchuan’s eyes were very perceptive. Almost every movie will have a talented actress. As long as he sees a girl with potential, no matter how much energy he spends, he will pour all his artistic talent into helping the other person become better.

For example, regarding the female lead role in Cloud Headdress, the pure new actor who won the “White Birch Award” in one fell swoop was definitely thanks to Gu Tingchuan’s hands-on teaching.

“Work and artistic creation have nothing to do with marriage. If I have to say that there are any additional reasons...” Gu Tingchuan paused and truthfully said, “My family has always hated gossip, and I am tired of it myself. It is difficult when the media is always spreading rumors bringing me and every actress together.”

If he was married, he could at least avoid some of the evils.

Yi Ran increasingly believed that Gu Tingchuan was really different from many men. While others were pursuing a peach blossom, he was pursuing a stable family life.

Seeing her in a thoughtful attitude, Gu Tingchuan guided her in a timely manner, “How about it.”

This sentence, he spoke as a statement, not a question.

The two most difficult puzzles for Yi Ran was that their emotional foundation was not solid enough and the other was that they might not be able to “co-shoot”.

The biggest problem between them should be equality. But, in terms of Yi Ran, it was not a story about Cinderella and the prince. At least, she refused to put herself in such a low posture.

After all, she was too lazy to use this kind of dramatic Disney animations to compare the possible gaps between their two lives. She was more worried about the problems that may arose—that was, the inability to communicate and to run when things break down.

Love was still love. Money or love, from the beginning of time, both had always been difficult to choose.

It was just that she clearly understood that while she was thinking, time was constantly flowing. Rather than going for it and making the wrong choice, she feared that she will regret her life more if she had missed the opportunity altogether.

She didn’t know what she wanted most, but it would not be difficult for her to like such a man.

In the eyes of Gu Tingchuan, she was probably like an uncut jade. But, she did not need to be engraved by anyone, to be given the most beautiful appearance. Rather, she preferred the modifications given by life.

After a little meditation, she looked up at him and seemed to have an answer in her heart.