A lifetime of peace and care

39

LTPC Chapter 39: On the Way Back

Yi Ran didn’t know how long she slept, but the vibration of her phone woke her up.

She found that she had fallen asleep on the bed, still wearing the same clothes, and without covering herself with the quilt. The heater was turned on all through the night, and the room was warm but quite dry.

She rubbed her eyes and saw that it was half past six in the morning. Her mobile phone had two missed calls and one WeChat message from Gu Tingchuan.

He knew that she was probably asleep and sent a WeChat message saying that they would rush back in the morning. 

Yi Ran thought for a while. It was probably still very early in the morning for Gu Tingchuan. She didn’t want to disturb his rest so she changed her reply from “Please contact me when you’re free” to “Call me before boarding the plane.”

When she arrived at school, she was a little bit sluggish. Her colleagues probably learned that Homecoming hadn’t received any awards at the film festival. They were afraid she would feel embarrassed so they didn't stop by to chat with her. Only Yao Juan took the initiative to say hello.

He saw the faint circles under her clear eyes and softly said, “There are so many excellent domestic films that don't always win. But, it's a pity for Director Gu.” 

Yi Ran looked up, and seeing the pity behind Yao Juan’s glasses, she couldn’t help but want to praise him, “I say, Teacher Yao, you are too good. Good-natured and good-hearted.”

Yao Juan was taken aback by her words and felt slightly uncomfortable. His brows furrowed a little but he still gave her a smile. 

Just after the lunch break, she finally received a call from Gu Tingchuan. The man's voice was slightly hoarse and there were some noises in the background, but when she heard his voice, her whole heart trembled. 

"I've arrived at the airport and will take off in half an hour."

When the time finally came, she realized that it would be useless to console him. Instead, as his wife, she should give him some encouragements. 

Yi Ran slowed down and said very firmly, “Gu Tingchuan, you are such a good director. That crazy group of judges are blind. I’ll give you a hundred little red flowers when you come back. You’re really great.”

Gu Tingchuan’s voice had a bit of laughter to it, but she couldn’t see that his eyes were still gloomy. 

“As soon as I get off the plane, I’ll have to go directly to the company. There are a lot of things waiting for me to deal with.”

Yi Ran desperately wanted to see him, but she also expected that the man would have to face many problems and difficulties when he returned. After thinking it over, she found that she still could not tolerate it and said, "You always eat indiscriminately. When you return to the company, I’ll make you something to eat."

Gu Tingchuan messaged his eyebrows. But, he understood her mood and was unwilling to refuse her. "Okay, I'll tell Xiao Zhao in a bit and have him send someone to pick you up."

Yi Ran could hear that his mood was extremely bad. The harder he was on himself, the harder it would be for him to forgive himself. It would take a while for him to recover from his loss. 

She thoughtfully said, “Okay. I won’t bother you anymore. Take a rest on the plane, and I’ll see you when you get back. 

Yi Ran hung up the phone and sat by her desk in a daze, absentmindedly pulling her long hair in front of her.