Boundary - Chapter 6

This seems to be the first full weekend she and Jin Nanting had spent together, Gu Yetong thought.

In the three months since their marriage, Jin Nanting had been on international business trips half the time. He would always leave on Sunday and return home on Saturday, and during the brief few dozen hours at home, he still had to allocate time for their respective families. Their alone time together seemed to consist of nothing more than a few words exchanged at the dining table, aside from their moments in bed.

As the heir apparent to a group with his own ambitions, Jin Nanting’s schedule was always packed. Over the past year, he had been even busier with the restructuring of business operations in Europe and Southeast Asia, constantly shuttling between continents, so much so that he barely had time to spare for his own wedding. From the decoration of their marital home to the wedding arrangements, it was she who had accompanied Tangtang in preparing everything.

But he also knew how to move a woman’s heart. Like that time when, despite his hectic schedule, he had made time to accompany Tangtang on a trip to Berlin to watch a concert performed by twelve cellists.

Jin Nanting hadn’t called for a driver to take them. Instead, he drove his rarely used Land Rover Range Rover. Along the way, they chatted intermittently about recent political and business developments, making the three-hour drive surprisingly not dull.

By the time they arrived at Xishan, it was almost 5 p.m. The hotel manager, having been informed in advance, was already waiting at the entrance. “Mr. Jin, Mrs. Jin.”

The still unfamiliar title made Gu Yetong raise an eyebrow slightly. The feeling of being reduced to an appendage of this man made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Apart from that, the respectful and attentive service from the woman was impeccable. She first led them through the Chinese-style courtyard at the entrance, past a winding bamboo path and an artificial waterfall wall, to the residential area. At Gu Yetong’s request, they were given an exception to tour the only standard guest room that was still unoccupied before being shown to the luxury suite.

“Our occupancy rate this weekend is 90%. September is generally the off-season, but rooms for October and November, during the red-leaf season, have already been fully booked,” the manager proudly introduced her achievements.

Xishan was a rare area in the region with geothermal hot spring resources. In its heyday, the Shengshi Group not only purchased the land to build the hotel but also acquired nearly an entire mountain, spending a fortune to transplant trees and flowers from elsewhere to create a secluded paradise that offered picturesque scenery in every season. It was evident that the hotel drew inspiration from Japanese hot spring inns, with each bedroom having its own private bath. The private bath in this luxury suite was built facing the mountain, ensuring guests both privacy and the enjoyment of breathtaking views.

Yet, the hotel’s overall decor had its own unique Chinese aesthetic. The window lattices, upturned eaves, and potted plants all contributed to the layered progression of the space, showcasing its refined atmosphere. No wonder that even the most basic rooms cost 5,000 yuan per night, and the nearly 60 rooms in the hotel were often fully booked soon after opening.

“As a guest, do you like this design?”

The two of them, not wanting to dine in the restaurant, had the kitchen prepare a simple dinner. However, the assortment of small dishes that emerged from the food boxes nearly filled the entire table.

During the meal, Gu Yetong asked again.

“As a guest…” Jin Nanting said, “I would feel fortunate to be able to afford it. Escaping the city and daily life like this occasionally is definitely worth it.”

Perhaps influenced by the serene atmosphere, the man didn’t open his laptop or phone to work after dinner, as he usually did. Instead, the two of them, like an ordinary couple, brewed a pot of Pu’er tea, curled up on the sofa, and flipped through the TV channels to see what was on.

Would they continue like this? Gradually settling into a routine, becoming like an ordinary couple, spending the rest of their lives in quiet simplicity?

Stealing a glance at the man watching international news, Gu Yetong thought. The glow from the TV accentuated his features, making them even more defined, especially the perfect curve between his brow and nose bridge, which made her want to reach out and touch it.

But in the end, she restrained herself.

Jin Nanting had once made it very clear that all he wanted was a stable, supportive marriage, because he wanted to ensure that his children could grow up in a healthy, warm family. She believed he was a man of principle, someone who wouldn’t cheat or establish a separate family outside of their marriage—unlike her father.

But was she the one who would bear the children he valued more than his wife?

Since their marriage, they had always used contraception. They had a gentleman’s agreement that having children required careful discussion and mutual consent before they could begin preparing. After all, both of them were products of failed marriages and didn’t want to carelessly burden the next generation.

Most of the time, Jin Nanting would use condoms. And for double protection, she was also on long-term birth control pills. Jin Nanting knew this and was aware that she sometimes forgot to take her pills on time when work got busy. So, he instructed the butler to bring the pills to her during meals when she was home and to send her reminders when she wasn’t home for meals.

At first, she had been very resistant to the idea of being monitored like this, but over time, she had to admit that Jin Nanting’s arrangement was necessary.

After all, she didn’t want to risk becoming someone else’s breeding tool.

Although she despised her father for betraying her mother and grandfather, she also pitied him. Her grandfather had only one daughter, so he had brought in his trusted right-hand man as a live-in son-in-law for her mother, which was why she and her sister carried their grandfather’s surname. Her mother, having been the only child doted on since childhood, had developed a somewhat spoiled temperament. As a child, she had heard her mother lose her temper over trivial matters more than once, pointing at her father’s nose and humiliating him with the fact that he had married into the family. Although her grandfather would criticize her mother for being willful, he still inevitably favored his own daughter.

So, when her mother passed away from breast cancer, her father left without a second thought, taking several of her grandfather’s key people with him to another city to establish his own business.

That year, she was only ten, and Tangtang was just four.

Since then, she had never seen her father again. For a daughter who had been treated like a breeding mare, he probably had little affection. It was only later that she learned her father had already started another family outside, and her half-brother was only a few months younger than her.

From what she heard, her father’s later family life was very happy.

So, even though she didn’t fantasize about fairy-tale, undying love, she had always believed that marriage, or raising children together, required at least some mutual affection.

What exactly was the relationship between her and Jin Nanting? And what could it become?

When the news anchor bid farewell to the audience, she pressed the button to change the channel.

“Let’s watch a movie,” she suggested, wanting to pull her thoughts away from the unsolvable.

The man didn’t object, letting her scroll through the options to find something she was interested in.

She didn’t want to watch a romance—she already had too many unrealistic fantasies.

Nor did she want to watch a crime film today—the peaceful and cozy atmosphere didn’t suit violence.

But when she reached the section for art films, a recommendation at the top of the page made her stop scrolling.

The Wedding Banquet.

The simple title was written in traditional red font on the movie poster, and in the lower left corner, echoing the title, was the face of a woman half-hidden in shadow.

That face, already marked by the passage of time, was still strikingly beautiful. The shadow that engulfed half of her face couldn’t hide her serene yet slightly melancholic demeanor. One could imagine how many men she had captivated in her youth.

Jin Nanting’s father had been one of them.