<h4>Chapter 1312: An Old Acquaintance of 18 Years Past</h4>


    Stunned, Bai Beibei’s face glowed a rosy red. She clenched her small hands into fists and hammered him, trying her best to hide her embarrassment. “What are you talking about?”


    Gong Yi sped her small hands, pressing them against his chest. The steady beat of his heart thrummed beneath her hands. “I’ve told you this before. Whether you want to take this route is up to you.”


    Bai Beibei did not know how to feel. Her emotions were a mess of tangled knots that confounded truth and falsehood. Was this what it meant to be in love?


    Her watery eyes flickered uncertainly. Within those limpid pools, dwelled an innocence and purity only matched by a young fawn. Gong Yi felt his heart race. Bending down, he kissed her soft, tender lips.


    Bai Beibei ducked, avoiding him as best she could. “Stop... This isn’t right. My mother and your parents will be back soon...”


    Gong Yi’s lips brushed past her pink cheeks and the kiss he had saved was nted in the crook of her neck instead. He frowned unhappily. In a deep throaty voice, he teased, “When was thest time I touched you?”


    This question of his made her feel like her whole body was burning up. It had been a long time, indeed...


    It had been almost a month since her grandmother passed away, and both of them were so absorbed in their grief that they hardly had any time to make love. They had never considered the possibility of Granny’s life expiring so soon. Yet, now that was being so forward with his advances, Bai Beibei wanting nothing more but to cover her ears and pretend she could not hear him.


    Truly, there was no greater suffering for Gong Yi. His body tensed up, and he felt a hot rush coursing through his veins.


    He wanted to push her down without caring for the consequences of his actions. In the end, reason won out. Now was not the right time.


    “Why don’t youe over to my ce tonight, hmm?” He wrapped his muscr arms around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.


    “No...” Bai Beibei shook her head.


    “Why?”


    Bai Beibei was not sure how to answer his question.


    Gong Yi yfully pinched her. “Come on, say something!”


    He exerted some force, causing Bai Beibei to yelp. “Ah!” She cried out.


    “Shh! Don’t scream! If you scream again, I’ll take you on the spot!” He threatened mischievously.


    Bai Beibei buried her head in his chest, her face colouring like an apple. She could not bear the thought of looking up at him.


    Gong Yi hugged her, chuckling as he did so.


    The two young lovebirds were interrupted by a scream from outside. “Ah!”


    Gong Yi released his sweet love, wondering out loud, “What’s going on outside? That sound...”


    “It’s my mother.” Bai Beibei was up on her feet in an instant. “What’s wrong?”


    “I don’t know. We should take a look.” Gong Yi held Bai Beibei’s little hand and led her out of the room in search of the source of that shrill scream.


    ...


    Gong Yi and Bai Beibei rushed into the corridor, startling a flustered figure draped in misshapen articles of clothing. “Mother!”


    Bai Beibei quickly supported Sun Xiaoxiao. “Mother, what’s wrong?”


    Sun Xiaoxiao’s face was pale. She tidied up her clothes as best she could, saying in embarrassment, “Beibei, let’s go home!”


    “Mother, what happened? Are you hurt?”


    From the unkempt state of her clothes, Sun Xiaoxiao looked as if she had been sexually assaulted.


    Gong Yi eyed his father questioningly. His father sported a dark expression, cker than the ckest pits he had ever seen. This very expression was being aimed at Sun Xiaoxiao.


    Gong Yi’s expression changed. He could sense that there was something odd about the situation but he could not ce where it stemmed from. He was clear, however, that the situation was about to take a turn for the worse.


    As he expected, things soon spiralled from there. Sun Xiaoxiao grabbed Bai Beibei’s small hand while ring at his father, “We bumped into each other on the way back. I greeted him with all due respect. Never would I have imagined how he would return my sincerity byying his slimy hands on me!”


    Bai Beibei sucked in a breath of cold air and stared at Gong Yi’s father in disbelief.


    “There must be some kind of mistake! Are you sure it was Gong Yi’s father whoid his hands on you?”


    “Beibei, don’t you trust your own mother?”


    Bai Beibei...


    Madam Gong stumbled on the scene upon her return from answering a call. “What happened? Is everything alright...?”


    Sun Xiaoxiao pulled Bai Beibei away. As she walked past Madam Gong, she said, “I hope you take good care of your husband. I’m sorry but I can’t agree to this marriage!”


    “Mother!”


    Bai Beibei was dragged away by her mother. Helpless, she sent Gong Yi an imploring look.


    Gong Yi watched as Beibei was hauled away, confused by the turn of events. He could neither pursue her nor leave his parents hanging. In the end, he shot Bai Beibei what he thought was aforting look, hoping it conveyed the following message: ‘I’ll look for you once I have a better grasp of the situation.’


    ...


    []


    In the Gong family’s residence...


    The family of three sat on the sofa in the living room. The atmosphere weighed gloomily around them.


    “Father, what happened between you and Beibei’s mother?” Gong Yi was the first to speak.


    Old Man Gong snorted coldly. “You should ask Sun Xiaoxiao what happened. Do you really think that I, your father, would stoop so low as toy my hands on her?”


    Being the good son that he was, Gong Yi immediately affirmed his father’s character. “Nonsense. Something like that could never have happened! I have absolute faith in your character, father. You would never do something so despicable.”


    Old Man Gong’s expression softened.


    “Father, I doubt Beibei’s mother will exin what happened. Was there some sort of misunderstanding between the two of you? Perhaps going over the events that transpired might help. If we both analyze what was said and done, we’ll have a better chance of uncovering the root of this misunderstanding.”


    “What’s there to analyze? Sun Xiaoxiao messed up her own clothes with the intention to frame me.”


    “Why would she do such a thing?” Gong Yi asked with a voiceced in suspicion.


    “Why wouldn’t she? Hah! You don’t know a thing about Sun Xiaoxiao!”


    “You know Beibei’s mother.”


    Recalling scenes that took ce 18 years past, Old Man Gong murmured, “We do know each other. We’ve known each other for eighteen years.”


    Gong Yi did not expect his father to be an old acquaintance of Beibei’s mother.


    “Father, if you both know each other, shouldn’t it be easier for the two of you tomunicate with each other?”


    “Humph! Just because we’re acquainted, doesn’t mean that we’re friends.” Gong Yi’s father angrily rebuked his son.


    Madam Gong took the opportunity to interject at this juncture, “Now, now. As father and son, you ought to speak nicely to each other. Husband, why don’t you start from the very beginning? How else will your son know the whole story?”


    Old Man Gong looked his wife straight in the eye and asked, “Do you trust me?”


    Madam Gong held her husband’s hand, offering him a gentle smile of support, “Husband dearest, we’ve been married for more than 20 years. I know what kind of person you are. Many women flocked to you in your younger days but you spared none of them a second nce. The greatest happiness, in this life mine, is being fortunate enough to marry you. I believe in you – more than anything else in this world.”


    Old Man Gong’s smile lit up like the sun. He held Madam Gong’s hand, recounting the past.


    —


    “18 years ago, the Gong Corporation recruited a batch of clerks. Most of them were girls around the age of 20. Among them, the youngest and most beautiful was Sun Xiaoxiao.


    “At first, I didn’t pay much attention to her. It was only sometimeter when I noticed how many hours of overtime she was working, that I pegged her as a hardworking employee. It was with this impression that I decided to make her my personal secretary.”


    “You see, my secretary, at that time, had resigned. As I needed an assistant, I made an exception and made her my personal secretary.”


    “She flourished in the position I gave her. She was pretty and sweet. Everyone in thepany adored her. She would file my paperwork and send me the most important documents requiring my signature. She even made my coffee!” Old Man Gong paused, contemting his choice of words.


    “Honestly, I didn’t think much of her actions then. I never thought she harboured any designs against me. One night, I brought her with me to a social event. It was careless of me. I had a little too much to drink and by the time the event drew to a close, I was dead drunk. She helped me back to the hotel. Once we were safely secured behind closed doors, she stripped andid beside me, hoping to seduce me. She expressed how much she admired me and hoped we would join together in marriage. She even had the cheek to say she would never destroy our family!”