Chapter 10
It was already dark when Qi Baizi got home. She had declined Gu Yuetong’s invitation to have dinner together, choosing instead to return to her low-rent apartment and chew on some bread.
The soundproofing in the low-rent housing was average, and she could clearly hear the two girls next door chatting.
One was complaining about her current boss and colleagues, wanting to switch jobs; the other comforted her, “At least the pay is good.”
Qi Baizi silently swallowed a dry piece of bread, thought for a moment, and then took out her phone to send a message to Gu Yuetong: President Gu, when do we sign the contract?
Gu Yuetong seemed to have been waiting for her message and replied instantly: Tomorrow.
Qi Baizi replied politely: Okay, thank you, President Gu.
They had only just exchanged contact information before parting ways.
As she exited the chat, Qi Baizi paused. She clicked on Gu Yuetong’s profile picture, a golden retriever with its tongue out, looking cute and endearingly simple.
Qi Baizi then clicked on Gu Yuetong’s Moments feed. It wasn’t set to “Visible for only three days”; there was simply nothing there at all.
“Is this a side account?” Qi Baizi wondered.
At Gu Yuetong’s apartment, Qi Baizi had been torn.
If she joined Gu Corporation, she might still have a chance to return to her professional field, like Han Zhiyu, and establish herself based on her own abilities.
But there was also a high probability that, as Gu Yuetong had said, she would be drawn into the power struggles of the higher-ups or targeted by Gu Hezhu.
Seeing her silence, Gu Yuetong had told her to give her an answer the next day.
After leaving, Qi Baizi had been thinking all the way. She didn’t know if she should trust Gu Yuetong.
What if she crossed her again someday, and she decided to terminate the contract on a whim?
Why was it so difficult… She just wanted to earn some money!
It wasn’t until just now, in the convenience store, when she saw the remaining balance in her account after paying for the bread, that Qi Baizi made up her mind: I can’t worry about that much. I’ll take it one day at a time!
Now, seeing that Gu Yuetong had added her with what looked like a side account, Qi Baizi’s confidence wavered again.
Did Gu Yuetong really trust her, or was she just trying to use her to get rid of Gu Hezhu’s control?
Qi Baizi remembered her first day on the job, how Gu Yuetong had immediately sent the Administration Group away and fired the driver… In Gu Yuetong’s eyes, was she just a shield?
If a tool lost its use, wouldn’t it be thrown away at any time?
If she were like Han Zhiyu, even if she were fired, she would have an impressive work history at Gu Corporation to put on her resume for the next interview. But Gu Yuetong’s personal assistant… that wouldn’t be very convincing to a potential employer.
As she sat on her bed in a daze, her mind racing, a red dot suddenly popped up on her work app. She clicked on it and saw a friend request from the HR Director, Han Zhiyu.
After accepting the request, Han Zhiyu quickly sent a message, asking if she wanted to go out for a drink tonight.
After her last drunken experience, Qi Baizi had a better understanding of her alcohol tolerance.
Her mother had forbidden her from drinking since she was a child, often telling her about the harms of alcohol. She had believed it, but she had seen her mother drink with her uncle and aunt—hard liquor, cheap, high-proof stuff, a glass at a time, without even a flush on their faces.
But Qi Baizi had no curiosity about this aspect, especially after learning she wasn’t her mother’s biological daughter. So last time in Donglin, that was really her first time touching alcohol.
She tapped on the screen and replied to Han Zhiyu: I’m allergic to alcohol.
After a thought, she added: But I have time.
Han Zhiyu immediately told her to send her location, saying she would come and pick her up.
After getting in the car, Han Zhiyu gave her two pieces of chewing gum and casually steered the car out of the old residential complex. “Hey, did Gu Yuetong talk to you?”
The minty scent of the gum exploded in her mouth, making her breath feel cool and refreshing. Qi Baizi felt more awake and nodded.
Han Zhiyu glanced at her and tsked. “You agreed?”
“I did.”
Han Zhiyu said nothing. Qi Baizi looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Hmph,” Han Zhiyu sneered.
Han Zhiyu still took Qi Baizi to a bar. It was a quiet bar with few people. The bar counter was right opposite the entrance.
Dim, warm yellow lights hung above the counter, and the liquor cabinet behind it was filled with unknown foreign liquors. The speakers on both sides played pop music with a slow, soothing rhythm.
Qi Baizi followed Han Zhiyu and sat down. Han Zhiyu skillfully ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, then looked at Qi Baizi and asked, “Juice or milkshake?”
Qi Baizi: “Juice is fine.”
After their drinks arrived, Han Zhiyu suddenly asked her, “Do you have feelings for Gu Yuetong?”
“Huh?” Qi Baizi was surprised, thinking she had misunderstood. “I…”
Han Zhiyu stared at her, then suddenly burst out laughing. “She just has that kind of magic, making you fall for her without even realizing it.”
“Falling for someone means you’ll pay attention to them, to their emotions, their health, their desires, even their micro-expressions. Then you’ll constantly be guessing what she’s thinking.”
“These past few days, haven’t you been trying to figure out her thoughts at every moment?”
Han Zhiyu said a lot in one breath. Qi Baizi stood there, stunned, not knowing whether to nod or shake her head.
She did admire Gu Yuetong. She was decisive and professional, and very business-like during meetings. Wasn’t she an art student?
She was also indeed trying to figure out Gu Yuetong’s thoughts. Almost every moment she was with her, Qi Baizi was thinking, afraid of doing something to displease Gu Yuetong.
But her starting point… that wasn’t her starting point!
“I just need this job…” Qi Baizi picked up her juice and took a small sip to hide her embarrassment.
“I tricked myself into believing that at first too,” Han Zhiyu said.
She downed half her drink in one go. The sweetness masked the sting of the alcohol, but a slight kick came back after she swallowed, and a rich, clear aroma filled her mouth, carried out on her breath as she spoke.
“She’s clearly a fickle, eccentric ice queen, yet she makes you feel like she values you.” Han Zhiyu gave a slight smile. “Magical, isn’t it?”
Qi Baizi squeezed her glass and nodded. Han Zhiyu wasn’t wrong; she felt the same way.
“If she were the elite boss type from a TV show, cold and strict, meticulous about her work, and demanding of her subordinates… I probably wouldn’t have fallen for her.” As Han Zhiyu spoke, she lit a slim cigarette. Behind the smoke, her gaze became hazy.
“But she’s… she’s also so soft…”
Han Zhiyu said, “By accepting her offer, you’ve begun your descent into the abyss.”
Qi Baizi said nothing.
Han Zhiyu gave a bitter smile. “That face of hers, from a distance, looks cold and magnificent, making people afraid to approach. But once you get close, you’ll unconsciously become a plaything in her hands…”
“Otherwise, why would you give up the benefits offered by the real power holder, the Chairman, and choose her empty promise?”
Qi Baizi denied it again. “I just need this job…”
Han Zhiyu smiled, blew a smoke ring, and asked, “Do you want to know what happened between us?”
Qi Baizi frowned and, after a moment’s hesitation, nodded.
Han Zhiyu pointed to a table to the left of the bar. “There, I kissed her on the cheek.”
Then she pointed upstairs. “In that cheap motel, I took off her clothes…”
The bar suddenly changed songs. The intro was intense, and Qi Baizi’s head was buzzing.
Han Zhiyu raised her voice. “But she pushed me away when she sobered up.”
“She didn’t say a word, but I knew we were over.”
“Then I confessed to her that I had been working for Gu Hezhu all along, reporting her every move to Gu Hezhu, down to the detail of how much water she drank each day, how many bites she took at each meal, how many times she went to the bathroom, what clothes she wore when she went out, and even the color of her underwear…”
“Isn’t it sick?”
Han Zhiyu laughed. “That’s not what Gu Hezhu wanted to know at all.”
“Just before Gu Hezhu discovered my intentions, I confessed to Gu Yuetong…”
Qi Baizi had to interrupt. “What does this have to do with Gu Hezhu?”
She asked, “Why would Gu Hezhu think that you…”
“Because the task she gave me was to monitor which women Gu Yuetong had contact with.”
Qi Baizi was stunned.
“Gu Hezhu wouldn’t allow her to create a mistake with her own hands in order to prevent a mistake from happening.”
“Fortunately,” Han Zhiyu closed her eyes and mocked herself, “I stopped myself just as I was about to become a mistake.”
Qi Baizi asked, “President Gu used to…”
“Mm.” Han Zhiyu took another sip of her drink. In the short glass, the square ice cubes had melted slightly, revealing a rounded shape. “Gu Yuetong’s ex-girlfriend is named Wang Lin. They met while studying art abroad. Later, the Chairman found out and forcibly broke them up.”
Qi Baizi thought of the woman she had met at the airport today and asked Han Zhiyu, “Is that Wang Lin very beautiful?”
“I’ve never seen her,” Han Zhiyu said. “But she’s an art student, so her temperament must be good.”
“Actually, I used to be a little overweight, but after spending a long time with Gu Yuetong, I inexplicably lost weight, and my personality became much colder.” Han Zhiyu smiled, with a hint of relief. “This might be her magic…”
“You’ll unconsciously be drawn to her.”
After a moment of silence, the bar changed songs again. A female singer screamed, “We were once each other’s only hope, now, who has taken my place—”
Han Zhiyu gave Qi Baizi a strange look.
Qi Baizi snapped out of her memories of Wang Lin. She took a sip of her juice and asked Han Zhiyu, “Why are you telling me all this?”
“I’m just reminding you not to follow my old path.”
“…I won’t.”
After a long while, Qi Baizi said.
The next day at work, Qi Baizi changed into the professional skirt suit that the outsourcing company had given her before and put on the wig.
Under Gu Yuetong’s surprised gaze, she greeted her respectfully as she walked into the office. “Good morning, President Gu.”
Then, she opened the document on the table, placed it in front of Gu Yuetong, adjusted the angle of the computer, and brewed a cup of tea with the right concentration, placing it in front of Gu Yuetong.
“President Gu, the HR Director has already shown me the contract. I have no problem with it. Please take a look.”
Gu Yuetong took a sip of tea and looked up at Qi Baizi. She felt that she was particularly professional today, and even her tone of voice was different from before.
After browsing the contract, Gu Yuetong grunted in acknowledgment and signed it.
Qi Baizi took the folder to find Han Zhiyu, but Gu Yuetong stopped her. “Two copies. No need to give them to anyone else.”
“Yes.” Qi Baizi separated the two copies of the contract, saw the flamboyant signature in the bottom right corner, gave one copy to Gu Yuetong, and kept one for herself.
“President Gu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait.” Gu Yuetong stopped her again. “Your hair and clothes…”
“Reporting, President Gu. Although I don’t work for Gu Corporation, I still move around the group’s building frequently. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I will follow Gu Corporation’s dress code.”
Gu Yuetong frowned. “Was it Zhou Qin? Or did Gu Hezhu find you again?”
“Neither.” Qi Baizi lowered her gaze slightly. “It was my own decision. I believe this is more professional.”
“So you’re treating my words as if they were nothing?” Gu Yuetong’s face turned icy again. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Qi Baizi, her tone serious. “You think wearing a skirt and a wig is a symbol of professionalism, so I’m very unprofessional?”
“…That’s not it, President Gu.”
“Go back and change.”
Qi Baizi bit her lip and stood still.
A few seconds later, she raised her eyes and met Gu Yuetong’s gaze. “President Gu, I don’t need you to grant me special privileges.”
“This is not a special privilege.” Gu Yuetong said, word by word, “This is my requirement for you.”