You Owe Me, My Love novel Chapter 317

Chapter 317 Days Without Bai Rong

Gu Mingchen asked how his and Bai Rong’s child ended up with the farmer.

The farmer said that about six years ago, a man entrusted him with a child to raise. The man had even offered to pay a monthly allowance of three thousand. Some time ago, the man ordered him to send the child to a person named “Gu Mingchen.” But that was all the farmers knew.

Gu Mingchen asked if the farmer could describe the man’s appearance.

The farmer shook his head, not saying anything more.

Gu Mingchen couldn’t tell if the farmer had no clue at all about what the man looked like or if the farmer was simply unsure if he remembered correctly.

Gu Mingchen ran a background check and asked around about the farmer’s identity. After interrogating the villagers, everything checked out. The honest farmer had lived in the remote village on the mountain his whole life. But the villagers didn’t know where the child had come from, nor have they ever seen the man from the farmer’s story.

He wondered, Why am I getting news about my child now? Is it because someone doesn’t want me to give up on myself?

If that really was the case, then the child must have been taken by someone close to him.

He decided to visit the chief from his previous mission, Old General Cai. But sadly, when he got there, the chief had already passed away three months ago.

Everything felt like a mystery to Gu Mingchen. There were no clues, no hints or guidelines to help him.

Gu Mingchen named the child Gu Yan. “Yan” to signify a lasting relationship, one with unyielding love.

He also took some time off from the military base to inherit his family’s business. He thought that if he ever chanced upon Bai Rong again, he would travel the world with her. Then they would spend the rest of their lives harmoniously.

Unfortunately, another year passed and Bai Rong was still missing.

Zhou Hailan had been diagnosed with diabetes, so Gu Mingchen took over custody of his other child, Gu Ruoxin. He figured that the two children could keep each other company.

Today was the first day of school for Gu Ruoxin and Gu Yan. They were both going to be first graders.

The school allowed first graders to attend a day in advance so that they could get to know each other. They also organized a meeting for the parents in the assembly hall.

There, Gu Mingchen saw Su Xuyan.

Su Xuyan also noticed Gu Mingchen’s presence. They held gazes for some time before Gu Mingchen turned to face the other way, ignoring Su Xuyan, and walked past him.

But Su Xuyan wasn’t going to let him off that easily. Su Xuyan blocked Gu Mingchen’s way and asked, “Why did you leave the military base? Bai Rong will undoubtedly die because my antidote research has failed… Why didn’t you end me then and there?”

Gu Mingchen’s icy gaze stared at Su Xuyan. “Kill someone like you? If Bai Rong is still alive, I’ll make you watch us live a happy life together. But if she’s dead, I’ll make sure you live a long, long time. You don’t deserve to die just like that after what you’ve done. You’re not worthy of accompanying her in death.”

Su Xuyan lowered his gaze. “She’s already dead. If she were still alive, those holding her captive would have already threatened you or me by now. But they haven’t.”

“She’ll always live on in my heart,” Gu Mingchen said solemnly.

Su Xuyan lifted his head, meeting Gu Mingchen’s eyes. “Rong is really dead. I personally poisoned her and failed to develop the antidote… There’s no way to save her.

“That day on the cruise, I wanted to force myself on her. But she jumped ship and sank into the sea. By the time I rescued her, she was already on the brink of death.

“At the end of the day, it was all my fault, mine alone. I single-handedly killed her. Gu Mingchen, you must avenge her by punishing me! Why do you keep leaving me hanging on a thin thread?”

His words were ignored by an uninterested Gu Mingchen who pushed him aside. Gu Mingchen walked past him and sat on a chair at the very far end of the room.

Su Xuyan trailed along, sitting down on the chair next to Gu Mingchen’s. His eyes were full of self-hatred and regret.

“From this point on, we’ll be responsible for your children’s education as you entrusted them to us. However, parents are the best role models for children, so we hope that you’ll lead by example.”

Involuntarily, thoughts of Bai Rong whirled in Gu Mingchen’s mind. Hearing the teacher’s words, he couldn’t help but think that if Bai Rong were still alive, she would be a great mother to their child, that she would raise their child to be an outstanding person.

Gu Mingchen’s chest ached. Bai Rong’s absence choked his heart like rigorously knotted ropes. It was as if his sorrow had split his body into two.

You’re too cruel, Rong. Disappearing like that without even leaving a single message…

Once the parents’ meeting ended, Gu Mingchen picked up his two children and headed for his office.

There, his assistant knocked on his door. “Mr. Gu, you have interviews with ten tutors scheduled for today.”

“Have them gather in the meeting room,” Gu Mingchen ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Gu Mingchen was late by five minutes. The ten interviewees had already arrived when he entered the meeting room. He sat at the head of the table and straightened his back as if he were a soldier. This was a habit from his military days that he couldn’t quite shake off. He announced, “I need tutors who can stay overnight with my children. Apart from sending them to and from school on weekdays, they also have to work full-time on weekends. If this schedule isn’t appropriate for you, you may leave now.”

Immediately, seven out of the ten interviewees got up to leave. Only three were left—one man and two women.

Gu Mingchen’s eyes scanned them, analyzing one face after another. He finally said, “Tell me what you can do. What are your strengths?”

“I’d like to know what’s the salary that you’re offering us as tutors, Mr. Gu?” the only male interviewee said.

“Let’s talk about your strengths first. What’s the point of telling you the salary if you’re not good enough for the job?” Gu Mingchen retorted.

The interviewee paused. He recomposed himself before saying, “I’m a guy. As far as I know, your sons will relate better to a male tutor. I’ll help train their passion for studying and exercise at the same time. They’ll learn efficiently, maintain healthy bodies, and have no issues communicating their needs with me.”