Chapter 11

After the morning meeting, Qi Baizi drove Gu Yuetong back to her apartment to change clothes. During the meeting, Qi Baizi had already changed back into her previous attire as instructed by Gu Yuetong. The comfortable, loose-fitting pants gave her an unexpected sense of security. Today was the anniversary celebration for their business partner, the Huobu Group, and Gu Yuetong was an invited guest.

The Huobu Group was an internet company, operating in the same primary business sector as the Gu Corporation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them a predecessor. After all, Gu Hezhu hadn’t originally intended to enter the internet industry. But in today’s environment, where everyone has a smartphone, simply running a traditional business meant falling short among the competition.

Fortunately, the team personally assembled by Gu Yuetong had successfully launched a new business line—an app that integrated social networking, shopping, and photo sharing. It had gone viral over the past year, pushing the Gu Corporation’s stock price even higher. This was how the Gu Corporation and Huobu Group had connected.

Qi Baizi, however, had no experience attending banquets and was afraid of making a fool of herself. When she returned to the company, she specifically brought Zhou Qin a cup of coffee to ask for her advice.

Zhou Qin, a woman of few words, offered only two: “Follow the rules.”

Qi Baizi only vaguely understood. On the way to the celebration with Gu Yuetong, she mulled over asking her again.

But Gu Yuetong spoke up first. “You seem very nervous?”

Qi Baizi didn’t know how she could tell. She glanced at the rearview mirror and grunted in affirmation. “A little… It’s my first time at this kind of event. I’ve only ever seen them on TV before.”

“But I did a little homework,” Qi Baizi continued after a pause. “I asked Sister Zhou Qin, and she told me to follow the rules.”

That should be what she meant, right?

After speaking, she looked up at the rearview mirror. Gu Yuetong’s expression was placid, neither denying nor confirming her interpretation.

“President Gu?” Fearing she had misunderstood, Qi Baizi called out cautiously.

“That was my requirement for her in the past,” Gu Yuetong said. “Next time, you can just ask me directly.”

“Oh…”

Aren’t I asking you right now?!

But Gu Yuetong said nothing more. Qi Baizi noticed that she became quiet whenever she got in the car. Perhaps she got carsick?

After arriving at the apartment, Gu Yuetong didn’t let Qi Baizi follow her upstairs. Qi Baizi waited downstairs for a delivery she had ordered—motion sickness medicine. To meet the minimum delivery fee, she had also bought some common remedies for bruises and sprains.

When Gu Yuetong came downstairs after changing, she saw Qi Baizi fiddling with a delivery bag. A closer look revealed it was full of medicine.

“Are you not feeling well?” She quickened her pace to the car. “Do you need to rest?”

Qi Baizi had been with her on the business trip these past two days and had also been hassled by Gu Hezhu. She was probably exhausted, both mentally and physically. But this kid had a kind of guileless simplicity beneath her cleverness; she would probably never ask for a break on her own.

“I can give you a day off,” Gu Yuetong said.

The moment Qi Baizi turned her head at the sound of her voice, Gu Yuetong had already settled into the passenger seat. Seeing Gu Yuetong’s new white long dress, the words on the tip of her tongue vanished as her mind went momentarily blank. A thin, black, woven leather belt was tied around Gu Yuetong’s waist, cinching her already slender waist to look even more delicate.

Qi Baizi felt her ears burning. It was a good thing her hair covered them; they must be bright red right now. She averted her gaze, coughed, and explained, “I’m fine.”

She held out a small white bottle. “President Gu, motion sickness medicine.”

Gu Yuetong paused for a moment, then accepted it with a smile. “How did you know I get carsick?”

“…” Qi Baizi didn’t know how to explain. She was constantly paying attention to Gu Yuetong, whose expressions and moods were quite obvious, making them not that difficult to read. Plus, back in Donglin, Gu Yuetong had gotten drowsy in the car even after having breakfast, so it definitely wasn’t low blood sugar. And she had perked up right after getting out of the car…

It was undoubtedly motion sickness.

“Then what about all this medicine?” Only after getting in did Gu Yuetong see that the rest were all remedies for bruises and sprains, both for external and internal use.

Qi Baizi quickly explained, “The motion sickness medicine alone didn’t meet the minimum for delivery, so I… I bought these as backups.”

In truth, she planned to take them to her uncle when she had time. Her uncle worked on a construction site where bumps and bruises were common. Like her mother, he was rough on himself, saving anything good for his children. As long as he didn’t break a bone, he wouldn’t even buy medicine. What’s more, with her aunt’s current medical expenses, their family was likely even more strapped for cash.

Gu Yuetong didn’t press further. Qi Baizi retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the trunk for her, and she swallowed two pills according to the instructions. But after taking them, she didn’t move, even turning to fasten her own seatbelt.

Qi Baizi was puzzled. “President Gu?”

Gu Yuetong gave her a slight smile. “Let’s go. It’s easier to avoid motion sickness in the front seat.”

There was logic to that. Qi Baizi stepped on the accelerator, and the car headed toward a nearby seven-star hotel.

After parking, Qi Baizi realized she had been here before. It was a hot spring hotel that offered a buffet breakfast, and a local roommate had brought her here once. Today, however, a giant golden sign at the entrance read: “Temporarily Closed to the Public.” It was meant for individual customers. It seemed the entire hotel had been booked by the Huobu Group for the day.

Walking through the parking lot, they could see the revolving doors of the lobby. Above the doors hung a red banner with white text: “Warmly Celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the Huobu Group.” The Huobu Group also primarily developed social apps, but it had many other business lines as well. Seeing the introductory displays and app icons in the lobby, Qi Baizi realized she used quite a few apps belonging to the Huobu Group in her daily life.

Gu Yuetong walked ahead, and two people came up to greet her. Among the many guests, Gu Yuetong was young but had a high net worth, and those who knew of her were eager to make her acquaintance. Gu Yuetong nodded and smiled, but when faced with excessive inquiries, she simply smiled without speaking and then turned to look at Qi Baizi.

“Is the car parked?”

“It’s parked.”

The two people were cut off mid-sentence. Seeing her intention, they exchanged a look and walked away resentfully.

Qi Baizi stood rooted to the spot, not understanding why she had suddenly asked that. They had parked the car together!

Gu Yuetong lowered her voice. “Stay behind me. If anyone starts a conversation that goes beyond a simple greeting, find an excuse to pull me away.”

So that was it.

Bodyguard Xiao Bai, online!

She followed closely behind Gu Yuetong, keeping a distance of half a meter. A middle-aged woman in simple, elegant clothes, looking to be in her forties, walked out of the reception hall to the left. She froze the moment she saw Gu Yuetong from afar, her gaze fixed on her.

Seeing her expression, Qi Baizi’s heart tightened. This one looks like trouble.

Gu Yuetong had also seen the middle-aged woman but showed no reaction. Qi Baizi immediately stepped forward, creating a barrier between the woman and Gu Yuetong. She extended a hand and said, “President Gu, this way, please.”

Playing the part of a foreign guest was surprisingly thrilling.

After successfully escorting Gu Yuetong into the reception hall, Qi Baizi noticed that everyone else was holding a champagne glass. She quietly asked Gu Yuetong if she needed one. Gu Yuetong gave a slight nod. Qi Baizi went to the side, carefully selected a glass, and placed it in her hand. “President Gu.”

Gu Yuetong said in a low voice, “Don’t be so tense. You can sample any of these.”

However, Qi Baizi couldn’t drink alcohol. Gu Yuetong thought for a moment and added a quiet reminder, “Most of the drinks on display contain alcohol. If you’re thirsty, you can ask a server for something.”

Qi Baizi was already thirsty. She had just spotted what looked like orange juice behind the champagne tower, but after Gu Yuetong’s warning, she immediately dismissed the idea and looked around for a server. There was one just a few meters away. She pointed in that direction for Gu Yuetong, who let her go.

The middle-aged woman who had been blocked on the other side saw her chance and quickly approached. Along the walls of the reception hall were two rows of tables laden with not just wine but also various pastries. Gu Yuetong was staring blankly at a cherry-blossom-shaped dessert when the middle-aged woman suddenly appeared behind her and called out, “Yuetong…”

Gu Yuetong’s expression remained unchanged as she turned to meet her gaze.

The middle-aged woman said, “Yuetong, you don’t recognize me anymore?”

“I do,” Gu Yuetong replied coolly. “Aunt Wang Yun.”

“Yuetong, you…”

The middle-aged woman’s face instantly broke into a fawning smile, and she tried to take Gu Yuetong’s hands. But Gu Yuetong’s face was grim as she took half a step back, avoiding her touch. Wang Yun’s hands grasped at empty air, hovering awkwardly.

As if she hadn’t seen a thing, Gu Yuetong took the initiative to speak to Huo Bu, who was standing not far away. Huo Bu was a short man, about 1.7 meters tall, with an average face. He wasn’t particularly charming by appearance, but he was full of cunning schemes. With this cunning, Huo Bu had made his fortune quickly, acquiring numerous small internet companies and doubling his net worth again and again, finally establishing a firm foothold in the business world of Jingzhou and even the entire country.

As for his relationship with Gu Yuetong… about a year ago, he had confessed his feelings for her. Gu Yuetong had rejected him decisively and had even deliberately let him see Han Zhiyu kiss her on the cheek in a bar. Huo Bu knew when to back down. He pretended to retreat, and aside from mass-sent holiday texts, he never bothered Gu Yuetong again. Gu Yuetong, for her part, rarely paid him any mind.

Huo Bu had been surrounded by people, but as soon as Gu Yuetong approached, the crowd automatically parted to make way for her.

“President Gu.” Huo Bu’s gaze also rested on her face as he proactively extended his right hand.

Gu Yuetong remained expressionless, using her actions to refuse physical contact, but her words were familiar as she greeted him. “President Huo, you’ve put on some weight. Looks like you’ve had a good appetite recently.”

Huo Bu had, of course, seen Wang Yun talking to Gu Yuetong earlier. He had intended to deal with the friends around him before going to help her, but he hadn’t expected Gu Yuetong to come to him for help. To say it was for help was an overstatement. Gu Yuetong was merely looking for a pretext to shake off Wang Yun’s pestering. After all, Huo Bu had long known about the relationship between Wang Yun and Gu Yuetong—Gu Yuetong had an ex-girlfriend, and Wang Yun was that ex-girlfriend’s mother.

So, he was well aware that Gu Yuetong didn’t want to get too entangled with this person. And yet, he had still invited Wang Yun. Wang Yun ran several bed and breakfasts in a suburb of Jingzhou. All the other corporate bigwigs present today had businesses that were more or less related to the internet; only Wang Yun’s was not. That was why she had been uncomfortable from the moment she arrived, her eyes lighting up when she saw Gu Yuetong.

Gu Yuetong wore a standard, detached smile as she asked Huo Bu, “I hear President Huo is also interested in brick-and-mortar businesses now?”

Someone nearby asked curiously, “What do you mean by that?”

Gu Yuetong said, “If I remember correctly, this President Wang runs B&Bs. President Huo invited her here today, so I assume you’re considering an investment?”

Huo Bu’s expression finally cracked, his mouth twitching slightly. “It’s just an idea I’ve been having recently.”

He had thought Gu Yuetong was just using him to get rid of Wang Yun, but he hadn’t expected her to bring up the topic of investing in B&Bs herself. She had actually figured it out. He had truly shot himself in the foot this time.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t very interested in physical industries, President Huo?” someone next to him suddenly asked. “I remember you even said in a business speech that there’s not much room for development in physical industries anymore… Could it be that you’ve discovered a new business opportunity?”

Huo Bu had no choice but to smile and make a “shushing” gesture. “This is confidential. We’ll discuss it later.”

Gu Yuetong said, “Oh,” and raised her voice. “I thought you invited President Wang, the B&B owner, here to have everyone exchange business experiences with her…”

She paused, looking meaningfully at Huo Bu. “Or perhaps you wanted to advertise her B&Bs? What is your relationship?”

Huo Bu hadn’t expected Gu Yuetong’s counterattack to be so sharp. He wanted to make an excuse to leave, but just then, Qi Baizi, who had just gotten a glass of plain water, returned.

She didn’t recognize any of these people and only assumed Gu Yuetong was being pestered. Walking up behind Gu Yuetong, she said with a serious face, “President Gu, President Huo said he has something to discuss with you.”

Gu Yuetong was speechless.

Huo Bu was dumbfounded.