Chapter 5

Zheng Xiaoxiao bit her lip, not saying a word, her head bowed so low her face was hidden.

Considering what Li Yi had said about the history between Gu Corporation and Zheng’s mother’s factory, it was hard for Qi Baizi not to draw some conclusions.

But for whatever reason, Gu Yuetong was now her number one priority. Her duty was to consider everything from Gu Yuetong’s perspective.

Gu Yuetong had no work scheduled for this morning according to her calendar. Even if a roadblock appeared, it absolutely could not affect Gu Yuetong’s schedule or mood.

She walked past Zheng Xiaoxiao, intending to turn the doorknob directly. After a thought, she stopped mid-air and knocked instead.

“President Gu, the car is ready.”

Inside the room, the voice of Zheng Xiaoxiao’s mother, Zheng Juan, abruptly stopped. Qi Baizi waited quietly for three seconds, then knocked again. “President Gu, I’m coming in to get your bag.”

Without waiting for a response, Qi Baizi pushed the door open and entered.

Gu Yuetong’s face was expressionless. She was still sitting in her original spot, staring at the dishes on the table with an unreadable look.

Zheng Juan’s expression, however, was extremely ugly. She gave a cold smile and looked at the intruder, Qi Baizi. “My dear, Auntie gave you a chance to catch up with Xiaoxiao, so why are you so eager to come in and be at someone’s beck and call?”

Qi Baizi glanced at Gu Yuetong, then stood behind her and bowed respectfully to Zheng Juan. “I’m sorry, madam, but our President Gu is resting today and is not receiving guests.”

Zheng Juan rolled her eyes at her and sat with her arms crossed, not moving an inch. “Xiaoxiao, your classmate is so clueless. Her President Gu hasn’t even spoken, yet she’s rushing to kick people out. Is this how Gu Corporation does business?”

Zheng Xiaoxiao was leaning against the doorframe, her eyes red. She said timidly, “Mom, please don’t disturb President Gu and Little Bai’s meal…”

Hearing that even her own daughter wasn’t on her side, Zheng Juan exploded, slamming her hand on the table. “You shut up!”

Zheng Juan had been able to tolerate it. Although this Gu Corporation president, who was nearly twenty years younger than her, had casually terminated the contract, costing many people their jobs, and seemed arrogant and self-important to the extreme, she had come today with the intention of having a proper discussion and resolving the issue. But since entering the room, Gu Yuetong hadn’t said a word. Then Qi Baizi came in and interrupted, and now even her own daughter found her to be an eyesore…

Zheng Juan thought back to her helplessness when she had to lay off employees because of the lost contract, and she was on the verge of a breakdown.

“President Gu, I respect you and call you President Gu, but I also ask that when you lack experience, you consult with those around you and your seniors before making decisions!”

“To suddenly cut a sales line and terminate a contract for no good reason—how many production workshops and factories will suffer because of it? How many workers will be laid off!”

After speaking, Zheng Juan pulled Zheng Xiaoxiao’s arm to leave, but Gu Yuetong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. “The breach of contract penalty, Gu Corporation has already paid it.”

Zheng Juan looked as if she had heard a joke and turned back to ask, “Breach of contract penalty? Are you talking about that paltry hundred-something-thousand yuan penalty? For a factory that supports over a thousand people…”

Gu Yuetong stood up and met her gaze. “At least, when I signed it, I saw that Gu Corporation would pay each factory three times the contract amount as a penalty.”

With that, Gu Yuetong strode past Zheng Juan and Zheng Xiaoxiao. Qi Baizi immediately followed. Zheng Juan and Zheng Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, then slowly followed behind them.

Qi Baizi pulled the car up to the restaurant entrance and stopped. Zheng Juan suddenly ran up and asked Gu Yuetong, “The penalty you mentioned, what if we never received it?”

Gu Yuetong didn’t answer, only giving her a meaningful smile before getting into the car.

Watching their car drive away, Zheng Xiaoxiao finally couldn’t hold back her tears. Wiping her eyes, she questioned Zheng Juan, “Why! I told you, Little Bai’s job is very difficult, and she’s not having an easy time! Why did you have to do this!”

Zheng Juan was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh. She pulled her daughter into her arms. “Let’s go. We’ll go back and prepare the materials to sue Gu Corporation.”

In the car, Qi Baizi gripped the steering wheel, glancing at the top-right rearview mirror from time to time.

She was a little nervous. After all, she was the one who had suggested going to that dim sum restaurant, and Zheng Juan was her classmate’s mother. With Gu Yuetong’s aloof and unapproachable personality, if she got annoyed or scared, her job would really be on the line.

Noticing her small movements, Gu Yuetong turned to look out the window and said faintly, “Good performance. It seems you’re already getting into the swing of things.”

Qi Baizi glanced at the top-right corner again and gave a dry laugh. “It’s all thanks to President Gu’s good guidance.”

“I don’t like it when people flatter me.”

“Yes…” Qi Baizi coughed, a little embarrassed. “Um, I’m sorry, President Gu. I didn’t know beforehand that Zheng Xiaoxiao and her mother would be there…”

“I believe you,” Gu Yuetong said.

She believed Qi Baizi, and she wasn’t just being perfunctory.

During the meal, Zheng Xiaoxiao had seen Qi Baizi the moment she entered. If the two had colluded beforehand to bring her there, Zheng Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have shown such obvious surprise while pretending not to know her.

Although Gu Yuetong hadn’t been the president of Gu Corporation for long, she had been learning to read people from Gu Hezhu since she was a child. Coupled with her years of studying art, she had a keen eye for observing the subtle changes in people’s emotions and facial expressions. She had the ability to quickly judge what the other person needed.

Just like when she first saw Qi Baizi yesterday, she could tell her current forbearance and predicament at a glance.

Later, when Qi Baizi came into her office wearing the skirt and wig, she had felt awkward for her.

She wanted an assistant, not a cosplay player. As long as her attire was presentable, there was no need to be so demanding.

As for the people in the Administration Group, Gu Yuetong had long known that they all “carried a heavy burden.” Accepting the “non-compliant” Qi Baizi and moving them out of the president’s office area was already enough to show Gu Yuetong’s attitude.

Regarding this point, she had prepared herself to be questioned by Gu Hezhu upon her return, but she never expected Gu Hezhu to come directly to Donglin.

This was unprecedented.

Gu Hezhu was getting older and had a fear of leaving Jingzhou, a place she was familiar with. As long as Gu Yuetong didn’t openly defy her, she wouldn’t chase after her during a business trip.

This was why Gu Yuetong had been suspicious of Qi Baizi this morning—it had happened too many times.

Among the many assistants eliminated before Qi Baizi, almost half had been bought by Gu Hezhu. They chose to trade her privacy for benefits from Gu Hezhu.

The other half had rightfully assumed that Gu Yuetong, the young president, was still a child who hadn’t been weaned. As her mother and the chairman of the Gu Group, Gu Hezhu had the right and qualification to know Gu Yuetong’s every move, including what she ate, where, and when each day, how long she exercised, and even what she said to whom on her phone.

Gu Yuetong was exhausted by this. She was unwilling to use the secretaries arranged by Gu Hezhu and had declined the “kind offer” of a rotating assistant system proposed by the administrative staff, but she still couldn’t escape Gu Hezhu’s control.

Gu Yuetong felt as if her life was shrouded in a fog. No matter how hard she struggled to break free, that fog always moved with her, damp and sharp, impossible to shake off, forever obscuring the path ahead.

*

They didn’t get to see the art exhibition; it was closed today.

The staff said the curator and the artist were having a disagreement and were making adjustments. The reopening time was yet to be determined.

Gu Yuetong was returning to Jingzhou tomorrow, so it seemed she wouldn’t be able to see the exhibition.

Back in the car, Qi Baizi cautiously glanced at Gu Yuetong’s face, but she found that Gu Yuetong didn’t seem disappointed, just a little tired. As soon as she fastened her seatbelt, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Qi Baizi checked the time. There was still some free time, so she drove Gu Yuetong slowly around the city center.

Qi Baizi had gotten her C1 driver’s license during her freshman year. Unlike her classmates who learned to drive during the holidays, she had learned during the semester, picking times when she had no classes. After getting her license, she helped her family run errands by car during the holidays.

At that time, her aunt Wu Yanfang was still in good health and had opened a mobile food truck near the construction site to supplement their income. Because her cooking was good, many white-collar workers from the nearby office buildings would also order from her. However, the scale was small, and the one-time delivery fees were high, so it wasn’t profitable. Qi Baizi helped with the deliveries, driving her uncle’s red, third-hand car all over the place.

After one holiday, her driving skills had improved considerably.

It was a workday, and there weren’t many cars on the roads of Donglin City. Qi Baizi drove steadily, and Gu Yuetong slept soundly for over two hours.

When she woke up, she was a little disoriented and asked Qi Baizi where they were.

Qi Baizi checked the location. “Near the Donglin Department Store. It’s not far from the hotel, about two kilometers in a straight line.”

She asked Gu Yuetong, “Shall we go back to the hotel? We still have two and a half hours before the afternoon shareholder meeting.”

Gu Yuetong thought for a moment and said, “Let’s find a place for lunch first.”

If nothing unexpected happened, Gu Hezhu should still be at the hotel. Qi Baizi guessed that she didn’t want to go back and face Gu Hezhu, so she found a restaurant that was farther away.

It was another Western restaurant, quieter than the one they had gone to for lunch yesterday.

During the meal, Gu Yuetong still asked her to sit down and eat together. Qi Baizi wasn’t very good at using a knife and fork to cut a steak, so to avoid Gu Yuetong finding her an eyesore later, she only ordered a plate of pasta.

After the food was served, Gu Yuetong was a little puzzled. “You don’t eat meat?”

Qi Baizi honestly explained her concern, and Gu Yuetong fell silent.

She took a sip from her glass of lemon tea and asked, “Do I seem very unapproachable?”

Qi Baizi subconsciously grunted in agreement, then frantically shook her head.

She hadn’t yet adapted to speaking insincerely, and she only knew a few grand, empty phrases. She had almost failed to catch Gu Yuetong’s sudden question.

Besides, the problem wasn’t that Gu Yuetong seemed unapproachable; it was that her focus was so different from most people’s that it was impossible to figure out what she was thinking.

Qi Baizi recalled the document detailing her preferences, and the phone call with the senior colleague yesterday…

Looking at Gu Yuetong’s deep, questioning eyes, Qi Baizi was at a loss for words.

Gu Yuetong, on the other hand, was genuinely curious.

She thought of the Weibo post she had seen last night. In fact, after clicking on the profile, she had scrolled down a few more posts and could basically confirm that the owner of the “Little Baizi” account was indeed Qi Baizi.

Qi Baizi was not someone who could hide her feelings well. She complained frequently, and when she grumbled about life, she was brutally honest.

There was no extra narrative, but one could deeply feel her predicament.

In Qi Baizi’s Weibo post from last night, she had captured the “ferocity” and “pettiness” of her boss in just a few words, making it relatable without needing much interpretation.

It would have been even better if the boss being complained about wasn’t Gu Yuetong herself.

Qi Baizi stammered, while Gu Yuetong looked sincere.

“Am I very fierce?”

This time, Qi Baizi shook her head very quickly.

Gu Yuetong raised an eyebrow, a mix of doubt and satisfaction in her expression.

She called the waiter over, added an order of Beef Wellington, and requested that it be cut before being served.

Qi Baizi felt a silent gratitude towards her, and at the same time, a little shocked—how were there so many services she didn’t know about?

After returning to the hotel, it was time for the meeting. Gu Yuetong went straight to the conference room. Qi Baizi asked the front desk and learned that Gu Hezhu was still in their suite. Apart from calling for room service once, she hadn’t left the room.

Qi Baizi hesitated about whether to book another room, but it didn’t seem right to just leave the Chairman hanging. She decided to ask Gu Yuetong after the meeting.

She carefully slipped in through the back door of the conference room, only to find that Gu Yuetong was the only one there today.

Gu Yuetong sat at the head of the long table, her laptop, which she had just taken out of her bag, and a mouse in front of her.

Qi Baizi handed her a cup of tea at the perfect temperature, then silently moved to a spot a meter behind her and glanced at the screen. It was a video conference.

Gu Yuetong was wearing headphones. Qi Baizi didn’t know what the people on the other end of the conference were saying until Gu Yuetong said something to her in French. She didn’t understand. She glanced at the screen again and saw a few white people, only then realizing it was a transoceanic video conference…

So, President Gu was calling her now… did she want to go to the bathroom?