Xiao Man menyetujuinya.
Gu Shaojun sudah berbicara dengan sangat terus terang. Ia tidak mempermasalahkan latar belakang Xiao Man, karena pernikahan mereka kelak hanyalah pernikahan di atas kertas. Ia hanya butuh seorang pendamping, sementara Xiao Man akan mendapat dua keuntungan: bisa tinggal dan merawat orang yang dihormatinya, serta bebas dari kecemasan masalah keuangan.
Sejak saat itu, hidup Xiao Man jungkir balik. Setiap hari, seorang sopir mengantarnya ke berbagai tempat untuk menemui tutor yang berbeda-beda. Isinya tak lain adalah belajar, belajar, dan terus belajar! Para tutor bahkan datang langsung ke vila untuk mengajarnya pada hari Sabtu dan Minggu.
Setiap kali ia menghadapi soal yang sulit dan merasa berkecil hati hingga ingin menyerah, Gu Shaojun selalu berada di sisinya, memotivasi dan menyemangatinya. Pria itu mengatakan bahwa demi masa depan mereka, ia harus terus bekerja keras!
Setahun kemudian, ia telah mencapai sedikit kesuksesan yang lumayan, dan Gu Shaojun mengadakan pesta untuk merayakannya. Ia mengundang beberapa teman terdekatnya, termasuk Zheng Shaolian dan sang pengacara. Malam itu, Gu Shaojun berkata kepada mereka, "Ini tunanganku, Mo Xiaoman!"
Xiao Man begitu terkejut hingga gelas anggur di tangannya terjatuh ke lantai dan pecah berkeping-keping.
Sejak kabur dari Beijing dan menjadi korban perdagangan manusia, ia sudah berhenti menggunakan nama Mo Xiaoman. 'Bagaimana mungkin Gu Shaojun tahu?'
Semua pria di meja itu menatapnya. Tatapan sang pengacara tampak tenang dan sabar. Barulah saat itu Xiao Man paham: pengacara itu sebenarnya sudah mengenalinya sejak pertama kali melihatnya di vila.
Setelah itu, Gu Shaojun, sang pengacara, dan dirinya duduk di ruang kerja untuk meluruskan semuanya.
Ternyata pengacara tersebut sengaja pura-pura tidak mengenalinya tempo hari, memilih bungkam agar tidak mengejutkannya. Pria itu takut Xiao Man akan lepas kendali, kabur, atau bersembunyi.
Bagaimanapun juga, sang pengacara dan Tang Haocheng telah mencarinya selama dua atau tiga tahun tanpa hasil. Siapa sangka ia malah bersembunyi tepat di sisi Gu Shaojun!
Mendengar hal itu membuat Xiao Man membenci Tang Haocheng sampai ke tulang sumsum. Kalau saja pria itu tidak mengurungnya, ia tidak akan ketakutan sampai kabur, untuk kemudian ditipu dalam kepanikan dan dijual ke desa pegunungan miskin.
Sang pengacara mengatakan bahwa Tang Haocheng sangat terpukul. Pria itu tengah terlibat dalam proyek penelitian krusial dan tidak bisa meninggalkan pulaunya, tetapi ia terus memikirkan Xiao Man sepanjang waktu dan berharap mendapat pengampunan, serta agar Xiao Man mau berbicara dengannya.
Jika Xiao Man hanya mengangguk, sang pengacara—atas nama Tang Haocheng—akan langsung memulai proses pemulihan nama belakangnya dan membantunya kembali ke keluarga Tang.
Tanpa ragu sedetik pun, Xiao Man menolak.
Pengacara itu mencoba membujuknya lebih jauh, tetapi Xiao Man berkata di sela-sela air matanya, "Aku mohon, aku tidak bisa memaafkannya! Dalam hidup ini, kecuali aku sudah mati, aku tidak akan pernah mau melihat siapa pun dari keluarga Tang lagi!"
Begitu selesai berkata, ia bangkit untuk pergi tetapi ditarik dengan kuat oleh Gu Shaojun, yang kemudian menyuruh sang pengacara meninggalkan rumahnya malam itu juga.
Ia mengira Gu Shaojun akan mengatakan sesuatu kepadanya, tetapi pria itu bersikap seolah tidak terjadi apa-apa, tetap mendesaknya untuk belajar dan sama sekali tidak pernah menyinggung soal keluarga Tang.
Meskipun Xiao Man kini tahu siapa gadis di dalam foto itu, ia tidak memiliki keberanian untuk pergi. Setiap kali ia mencoba membuka suara, satu tatapan saja dari Gu Shaojun sudah cukup untuk membuatnya terdiam.
Ia tidak bisa menebak seluruh arti yang terkandung di balik tatapan itu, tetapi bagaimanapun juga, tatapan tersebut hanya membuat hatinya terasa sangat ngilu, seakan tak sanggup untuk melepaskan.
'Pria ini bukan milikku. Dia milik Xuanxuan itu. Janjinya untuk menikahiku dan memberiku tempat untuk bersandar hanyalah cara untuk menebus kesalahannya demi Xuanxuan!'
Ia ingin mengatakan bahwa ia tidak membutuhkan itu semua, lalu berbalik dengan angkuh dan melangkah pergi. Namun, ia tidak bisa melakukannya.
'Aku suka mendengar suaranya. Aku ingin berada dekat dengannya. Selama dia ada di sini, seluruh dunia terasa damai dan tenang! Aku melihatnya sebagai sauh hidupku, malaikat pelindungku. Dia juga satu-satunya pria yang ingin kuperlindungan, satu-satunya pria dalam hidupku yang pernah kusayangi dan kukunci dalam hati!'
Tanpa tahu malu dan tanpa rasa sungkan, Xiao Man terus tinggal di sisi Gu Shaojun.
Namun, kondisi kesehatan Gu Shaojun semakin memburuk hingga akhirnya ia tidak sanggup bertahan lagi. Ia harus menjalani perawatan dari para ahli medis asal Beijing. Banyak kerabat dan teman dari Beijing yang juga akan datang menjenguk—termasuk, kenyataannya, keluarga Tang dan Xuanxuan.
Xiao Man tidak ingin menghadapi keluarga Tang, tetapi demi Gu Shaojun, ia tidak meminta untuk dikirim pergi. Sebaliknya, justru Gu Shaojun yang menyuruh pengacaranya membawanya ke kota pesisir lain sambil berpesan, "Nanti kalau aku sudah sembuh dan mereka semua sudah pergi, aku akan menjemputmu kembali!"
Namun, sebulan kemudian, sang pengacara datang dan memberitahunya, "Gu Shaojun sudah tiada."
Tidak ada kata perpisahan, tidak ada pesan terakhir. Pria itu hanya meninggalkan beberapa dokumen untuknya—surat kepemilikan apartemen tingkat tinggi tempat ia tinggal sekarang dan beberapa properti lainnya. Sang pengacara menjelaskan, "Vila tempat kalian tinggal dulu dipersiapkan oleh keluarga untuk pernikahan dan liburan Gu Shaojun serta Xuanxuan. Namun, apartemen ini adalah apa yang dipersiapkan Gu Shaojun khusus untukmu. Letaknya di kota pesisir yang kamu sukai. Tempat yang sangat bagus."
Xiao Man tersenyum pahit. 'Jadi, memang benar seperti dugaanku, bukan? Semua yang dia lakukan hanyalah untuk menebus kesalahan atas nama orang lain.'
'Dia bahkan tidak menganggap pertemuan terakhir itu penting.'
Ia tidak menerima warisan tersebut.
Setelah tiga tahun mendapat didikan, ia sudah memiliki keahlian untuk menghidupi dirinya sendiri. Gaji selama lebih dari tiga tahun telah ditransfer ke rekeningnya dalam sekali jalan. Uang ini sudah lebih dari cukup baginya untuk pergi ke kota mana pun dan membangun kehidupan baru.
Gu Shaojun juga sempat menanyakan pendapatnya dan membantunya mengurus KTP baru, kartu keluarga di kota tingkat pertama, serta memulihkan namanya kembali menjadi Mo Xiaoman.
'Sudah cukup, Gu Shaojun.'
'Tetapi aku hanya akan mengingat utang budi yang kuberi padamu. Aku tidak akan pernah mengakui bahwa semua ini ada hubungannya dengan
Xiao Man agreed.
Gu Shaojun had been very clear. He didn’t mind her background, because their future marriage would be one in name only. He just needed a companion, while she would gain two benefits: she could stay and care for the person she respected, and she would be free from financial worries.
After that, Xiao Man’s life was turned upside down. Every day, a chauffeur drove her to various places to meet with different tutors. It was nothing but studying, studying, and more studying. Tutors even came to the villa to teach her on Saturdays and Sundays!
Whenever she encountered a difficult problem and felt discouraged enough to give up, Gu Shaojun would be by her side, motivating and encouraging her. He would tell her that for the sake of their future, she had to keep working hard!
A year later, she had achieved some modest success, and Gu Shaojun threw a party to celebrate. He invited a few of his closest friends, including Zheng Shaolian and the lawyer. That night, Gu Shaojun told them, "This is my fiancée, Mo Xiaoman!"
Xiao Man was so shocked that the wine glass in her hand fell to the floor and shattered.
Ever since fleeing Beijing and being trafficked, she had stopped using the name Mo Xiaoman. ’How could Gu Shaojun possibly know?’
All the men at the table were looking at her. The lawyer’s gaze was calm and composed. Only then did Xiao Man understand: he had actually recognized her the very first time he saw her in the villa.
Afterward, Gu Shaojun, the lawyer, and she sat down in the study to lay out the truth.
It turned out the lawyer had only pretended not to recognize her last time, keeping quiet to avoid startling her. He was afraid she might lose control, run away, or go into hiding.
After all, the lawyer and Tang Haocheng had been searching for her for two or three years with no success. Who would have thought she’d turn up right beside Gu Shaojun!
The mention of this made Xiao Man hate Tang Haocheng to the bone. If he hadn’t locked her up, she wouldn’t have been so scared that she ran away, only to be tricked in her panic and trafficked to a poor mountain village.
The lawyer said that Tang Haocheng was heartbroken. He was involved in a crucial research project and couldn’t leave his island, but he thought about Xiao Man constantly and hoped for her forgiveness, and that she would talk to him.
If Xiao Man just nodded, the lawyer, on behalf of Tang Haocheng, would immediately begin the process of restoring her surname and helping her return to the Tang family.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Man refused.
The lawyer tried to persuade her further, but Xiao Man said through her tears, "I’m begging you, I can’t forgive him! In this lifetime, unless I’m dead, I will never see anyone from the Tang family again!"
With that, she stood up to leave but was pulled back firmly by Gu Shaojun, who then told the lawyer to leave his house that very night.
She thought Gu Shaojun would say something to her, but he just went on as usual, urging her to study and never mentioning the Tang family at all.
Even though Xiao Man now knew who the girl in the photograph was, she didn’t have the courage to leave. Every time she tried to speak up, a single look from Gu Shaojun would silence her.
She couldn’t quite decipher all the meanings contained in that look, but in any case, it just made her feel an immense heartache, an inability to let go.
’This man doesn’t belong to me. He belongs to that Xuanxuan. His promise to marry me and give me a place to call home was just to compensate me on Xuanxuan’s behalf!’
She wanted to say she didn’t need it, to defiantly turn and walk away. But she couldn’t do it.
’I love hearing him speak. I want to be near him. As long as he’s here, the whole world is peaceful and calm! I see him as my anchor, my guardian angel. He’s also the man I want to protect, the only man in my life I’ve ever cherished and held in my heart!’
Shamelessly, brazenly, Xiao Man remained by Gu Shaojun’s side.
But Gu Shaojun’s health grew worse and worse until he could no longer hold on. He needed to receive treatment from medical experts from Beijing. Many relatives and friends from Beijing would also be visiting—including, in fact, the Tang family and Xuanxuan.
Xiao Man didn’t want to face the Tang family, but for Gu Shaojun’s sake, she didn’t ask to be sent away. Instead, it was Gu Shaojun who had the lawyer take her to another coastal city, telling her, "When I’m better and they’ve all left, I’ll bring you back!"
However, a month later, the lawyer came and told her, "Gu Shaojun is gone."
There was no goodbye, no final message. He only left her a few documents—deeds for the high-rise apartment she was now living in and several other properties. The lawyer explained, "The villa you two lived in before was prepared by the family for Gu Shaojun and Xuanxuan’s wedding and vacations. This apartment, however, is what Gu Shaojun prepared for you. It’s in the coastal city you like. It’s a very nice place."
Xiao Man gave a bitter smile. ’So it was just as I thought, wasn’t it? Everything he did was just to compensate me on behalf of someone else.’
’He didn’t even think a final meeting was necessary.’
She did not accept the bequests.
After three years of his tutelage, she had the skills to support herself. More than three years’ worth of salary had been deposited into her account in a lump sum. This money was enough for her to go to any city and build a life for herself.
Gu Shaojun had also asked for her opinion and helped her get a new ID card, household registration in a first-tier city, and restored her name to Mo Xiaoman.
’That’s enough, Gu Shaojun.’
’But I will only remember the debt I owe you. I will never admit that any of this has anything to do with "Xuanxuan"!’
Ignoring the lawyer’s attempts to dissuade her, Xiao Man forced her tears back down, suppressed all her grief, pulled herself together, packed her things, and left without a second thought.
She thought she had made a clean break, leaving no trace behind, but the lawyer soon reappeared before her, as persistent as a ghost that couldn’t be exorcised. He interfered with her work under the guise of a friend and meddled in her business as her self-appointed legal counsel. Xiao Man protested vehemently, but the lawyer just waved a piece of paper in her face. "Gu Shaojun knew you’d be like this. This is a letter of entrustment! He wrote it himself before he died and even put his handprint on it. He asked me to watch over you and make sure you live well, and I accepted the case! You haven’t forgotten that you two announced your engagement in front of friends and family, have you? As long as you don’t marry someone else, I have to take Gu Shaojun’s place and look after his fiancée!"
After that, several other people showed up one after another, all with more or less the same story.
As time went on, her grief faded, leaving only longing and gratitude. The lawyer told Xiao Man that Gu Shaojun had actually fallen into a coma right after she left and never opened his eyes again, not even when his heart stopped beating.
He had long known he didn’t have much time left. Before meeting Xiao Man, doctors had predicted he had eight months at most, but he had somehow managed to turn those eight months into three years.
He had the lawyer take her away not only because he didn’t want her to see him in that state and be heartbroken, but more importantly, to keep her away from the Tang family and any other potential trouble. He couldn’t fulfill his promise to be her companion for life, so the least he could do was ensure she had a peaceful, trouble-free environment.
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