Love Contract
Chapter 191 Back On Campus (Part Two)

"Daddy Lucas, you too have kissed Mommy. Why will you beat Daddy Barry up for that?" Cradling in Barry's arms, Alick asked. "Well..." Lucas didn't dare to meet either Barry's or William's eyes. He looked around like he was suddenly fascinated by the scenery.

"That's the playground!" Mary shouted excitedly, dispelling the awkwardness in the air. "And behind it, you can see the basketball court. If you look carefully, you can still see a bunch of students playing! Wow, our juniors are quite handsome!"

"Playing basketball isn't a big deal," murmured William discontentedly. "I will show you someday. I am a fantastic player."

"Daddy Barry, what about you? Do you play basketball?" asked Alick, his curiosity piqued.

"Sometimes," Barry replied modestly. "But I will teach you what I know," he added, realizing Alick wished to learn from him.

"Yes! Daddy Barry is awesome!" Alick said, breaking into a smile.

"You are too modest, aren't you?" Mary smiled at him. She looked at Alick and said, "Daddy Barry was the best player during those days."

"Was I?" Raising his eyebrows, Barry feigned shock. "It was a long time ago. I only recollect playing a few matches here and there. But I do remember you brought me water every time."

'Cut the crap!' William thought, his face convulsed with rage. It took a lot of effort to contain his anger. He wished Barry would just shut up! After all, he wasn't here to listen to their trashy love story! Soon, they arrived at the hall of Z University. It was an enormous hall yet it was full of people. Apart from the dazzling light that came from the stage, it was quite dark.

William and Lucas intended to go backstage with Barry and Mary. However, Mary stopped them.

"I want you both to stay here and watch over Alick and Elissa. I'll be back soon," she said and got ready to follow Barry.

"No, I am coming with you," Lucas insisted stubbornly.

"No! You can't always have it your way! I am going inside to see my teacher. Why should you join us? Stay back. We'll leave as soon as Barry finishes his speech," Mary retorted back. "Mommy, I'll wait for you!" Alick nodded obediently.

"That's like my boy!" Mary exclaimed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mommy, come out soon!" Cradled in William's arms, Elissa glanced at the crowd nervously.

"Yes, I will." Then Mary followed Barry to the backstage.

Once they were a safe distance away from William, Barry grabbed Mary's hand.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Startled, Mary looked at him.

"I have been wanting to do this ever since we stepped into the campus. But I was waiting for the right opportunity," Barry said and smiled sheepishly.

Mary was about to respond, but a voice came from behind, interrupting them. "Barry! Is that you?" The department dean, who was reading his presentation, recognized Barry at a glance.

"Dean!" Barry didn't drop Mary's hand, instead he tightened his grip over it. Together, they walked towards him. "Long time no see!" he said to the dean.

"Indeed," said the department dean, who was a humorous old man. His gaze fell on their entwined fingers. Addressing her, he said, "I am glad to see you, Mary! You were a lovely couple back then!" Mary lowered her head, blushing at his compliment. "Thank you for taking care of us, Dean," Barry said sincerely.

"It was a pleasure. Please don't thank me for it!"

After a few minutes, Mary came out from backstage. William and Lucas had already reserved a seat for her. They motioned for her to sit near them.

"Where is Daddy Barry?" Elissa whispered in her brother's ear, noticing he was nowhere to be found.

"Daddy Barry is about to give a speech. We will see him on the stage!" he said, almost shrieking in excitement. Every second, he gazed at the stage, expecting Barry to make an appearance.

His excitement was evident to William. It pained him to watch his son admire some other man! ' Am I supposed to give a speech on stage to win this boy's heart?' he wondered with an annoying pang of disappointment

Before Barry appeared, a couple of school leaders gave speeches. Mary watched them in rapt attention. Once again, she began to reminisce about her school days.

"Now, let's welcome our alumnus, Mr. Barry Gu, an outstanding graduate of Year XX, to give us a speech!" 'Finally!' Mary thought and her excitement grew.

The audience cheered as Barry gracefully entered the stage. Clad in his best black suit, Barry was a sight to behold.

A slow smile worked its way across his face and into his eyes. He stood, calm and composed. As soon as he touched the microphone, another round of applause broke. It was deafening. Barry's looks were driving girls crazy.

"Oh my God! He's so handsome!"

"I wish I was here when he was studying here! The boys in my class aren't half as charming as him!"

"I think I am going to faint!"

Hearing this, Mary snickered softly. Mary had to admit that Barry always had a way with girls. When they studied together, girls chased after him. A lot of them envied her for being close to him. William's eyes were fixed upon Mary's face. He could tell she was staring at Barry! To make matters worse, there was a pleased smile on her face. William felt a twinge of jealousy at this. Grabbing her hand, William pulled her against his side. His actions had caught her off guard. She glared at him and asked in a low voice, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that question! What the hell are you doing? Is he so handsome that you can't stop staring at him?" William questioned. William's jealousy rattled him to the core. "I..." Marry stammered with a guilty look. But soon, she gathered her wits and said, "He is giving a speech for God's sake! Where else should I look? Either way, this is none of your business!" She realized she didn't owe him an explanation.

"No!" he said, his unwavering gaze becoming more intense. She struggled to free herself. He went forward and whispered, "If you continue to struggle, I will kiss you now."

"What!" Her face turned a ghastly shade of white. She didn't think he would stoop so low.

"Mary! Look at me in the way you looked at him! " There was a queer, pleading note in his voice.

Mary was rendered speechless by his words. Pushing him away, she brought her focus back to the stage.

"Good day, everyone. I'm Barry Gu." As soon as Barry started his speech, there was almost pin-drop silence. People listened to him intently.

Once he was done with the speech, Barry hurried out from the backstage. He noticed Mary was eerily quiet. She was rubbing the back of her hand which had turned red from William's tight grasp. "Mary? What's wrong?" Barry asked, noticing it, "Why is your hand red?" "No, it's nothing," Marry said, shrugging it off and forcing a smile. Realizing he was waiting for an explanation, she lied, "It's quite dark here. It got smashed against the wall while I was making my way here."

From the corner of his eye, William gazed at her hand. 'I just marked my territory,' he thought and snickered.

"Hey, if the two of you are done following us, can we get some privacy?" Barry asked, eyeing the two men.

"Why do you need privacy? Where do you want to take her? We shall be following you everywhere," Lucas declared with sudden determination.

"I want to visit my mother's grave. Do I need your permission for it?" Mary said and let out a sigh of exhaustion.

"I...I am sorry," Lucas stammered with a guilty look. Thinking she wasn't convinced, he went on, "Mary, I swear to God I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know it wasn't intentional," Mary nodded in understanding. She knew that Lucas wasn't an insensitive guy.

"In that case, let us go together. After all, what harm can our presence cause?" said William, not willing to let them go alone.

"Yes, I agree. Auntie has been wonderful to us when she was alive. It would be nice to pay her a visit," Lucas said.

Mary contemplated whether to agree or not. Finally, she nodded her head.

Now that she thought of it, her mother liked William a great deal. She had accepted him as her son-in-law with all her heart. Moreover, Dr. Cao had informed her that her mother called William's name in the last moments of her life. Her mother's soul would be a great deal happier if William joined them.

On the way to her hometown, Mary felt a bit apprehensive. The car came to a halt right below the hillside. It wasn't possible to drive the car up there, hence they got off the car.

They took out the sacrificial offerings they had brought and slowly climbed the hill. A gust of wind swept over them. Mary was trying hard to suppress her tears.

Once they arrived at their destination, Mary's eyes fell on her mother's tomb. She stood still for a moment, perplexed. If her memory served right, when she came here four years ago, it didn't look like this. At present, it was renovated and had beautifully carved stones.

"Has anyone been here before?" Lucas asked, looking as confused as her.

All of a sudden, William knelt on the ground and said, "Mom! I am here!"

His actions took them by surprise. They couldn't make sense of the situation.

'Mom? William is the most shameless man in the world!'

Barry thought, feeling repulsed.

"This year I came a little early. And I brought Mary with me," William said. "I have also brought your adorable grandchildren with me. I hope you are watching them from heaven. I wish you could touch them." His voice broke and a tear slid down his face.

Mary sobbed and wondered, 'Does he come here every year? Is he the one who built Mom's tomb?'

"Elissa, the woman in the photo is Grandma," William said, taking her hand.

"Grandma?" Elissa bit her lips. "Is Grandma gone?"

Mary took a few steps forward. Kneeling in front of the tombstone, she said, "Mom, I'm back. I'm back..." Her voice broke and she stopped, wiping her eyes.

She then continued, "I'm sorry that it took me so long to visit you.

I hope you are doing well up there. I miss you so much!"

The two kids watched their mother cry silently. Barry put the flowers in front of the tomb and said, "Auntie, I hope your soul is resting peacefully. You have nothing to worry about. I will take good care of Mary and the kids."

Closing his eyes, William prayed, 'Mom, I am aware I haven't treated Mary fairly before. But I wish to make amends. Please give me another chance, I won't mess it up this time. I love your daughter with all my heart. I wish to spend the rest of my life with her and my kids.'

They stayed there for a long time.

The sun was about to set. Finally, Mary calmed down. "Let's go," she announced.

The group of people silently walked back. Mary turned around to take one last look at her mother's tomb. She didn't have the heart to leave but she knew she had to.

As soon as they went down the hill, Mary came face to face with her old neighbor. He was just returning from work.

"Uncle Ban?" she called out, recognition passing her face.

"Ah! Mary, is that you?" Uncle Ban squinted to get a better look. "Oh my God! It is indeed you. We haven't seen each other for many years! Where have you been?" he asked, looking delighted.

"I went abroad," she said, forcing a smile. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. "How have you been, Uncle Ban?" she asked.

"I am doing fine. Just like I was when you last saw me," Uncle Ban said, flashing her a smile. Then he caught William's eye and recognized him instantly. "William, you are here too."

"Hello, Uncle Ban," William greeted him as he walked forward.

Mary was surprised. 'How does Uncle Ban know him?'

"You are a bit early this year, aren't you?" Uncle Ban asked, smiling.

"Well, yes. But I brought Mary and kids along," he replied. His affectionate gaze fell on Mary.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me!" After saying this, Uncle Ban took a look at the kids. "Your kids are adorable. The boy is a photocopy of your husband, Mary."

Barry's eyes darkened with anger.

"Urn..." Mary muttered, trying to say something. Panic swelled within her.

"Mary, will you go back to your home?"

"No," Mary said, shaking her head, "I will be going back to the city now."

"Well, okay. I am delighted to see you all," Uncle Ban said honestly. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they got back in the car.

It was quite late and the kids fell asleep in the car. They would stay in the hotel tonight and return to A City the next day.

Candy GSmgB