Chapter 41
In the hospital, Qi Baizi stared blankly at the floor, silently waiting for Auntie Qin and Lawyer Duan to unpack takeout at the table. She showed none of the excitement or joy one would expect after just confirming a relationship with the person she loved.
In truth, the joy was there, a persistent spark of surprise tucked away in her heart, but what Qi Baizi felt more acutely was unease.
From her perspective, her confession had come out of nowhere, and Gu Yuetong’s acceptance had been just as unexpected.
It was a decision made in a moment of emotional impulse, a clever little ploy that was half-coaxing and half-demanding while banking on the sympathy from her injury. The result, however, had been surprisingly perfect.
The more Qi Baizi thought about it, the more she felt that Gu Yuetong was just pitying her. If that were truly the case, she would rather have been rejected. After all, she wanted love, not Gu Yuetong’s one-sided, reluctant compromise.
“Want some cuttlefish balls?” Auntie Qin suddenly asked, sitting down beside her with a small bowl.
It was still inconvenient for Qi Baizi to get out of bed, so she was propped up against the semi-inclined mattress. Auntie Qin and Duan Ying had agreed to take turns feeding her.
Qi Baizi’s hands weren’t injured, at least not to the point where she couldn’t hold chopsticks, so she offered to eat by herself. But Auntie Qin worried that with the IV drip in her other hand, she wouldn’t be able to hold the bowl steady. What if she spilled it? So, Auntie Qin planned to use a spoon to cut her food into small pieces, drain the broth, and put it in a separate small bowl for her.
Qi Baizi didn’t insist. Spilling would only cause trouble for everyone, and she couldn’t even take a shower by herself. So, Auntie Qin asked her item by item what she wanted to eat, and she responded absently to each question.
Auntie Qin sat down and saw her dazed expression, assuming she was still unwell from the concussion. She waved a hand in front of her face and asked, “Should I call a doctor over?”
Qi Baizi sluggishly refused and raised a hand to take the bowl, but she nearly poked Auntie Qin in the chest. Duan Ying came over, took her cold wrist, tucked it back under the covers, and said, “Just let Auntie Qin feed you. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Duan Ying was worried she wouldn’t even be able to find her own mouth.
Qi Baizi said no more and quietly opened her mouth.
Only then did Duan Ying take a serious look at her face. Noticing something, she quickly nudged Auntie Qin’s shoulder with her elbow.
Auntie Qin had just picked up her chopsticks and nearly dropped them from the jolt. Just as she was about to protest, she looked up to see Duan Ying winking and gesturing at her.
Following the direction of Duan Ying’s finger, Auntie Qin leaned forward in surprise.
The sudden movement startled Qi Baizi, causing her to fall back against her pillow.
“What is it, Auntie Qin?” she asked with a frown.
Auntie Qin and Duan Ying exchanged a glance, then quickly pretended nothing had happened. “Nothing, nothing. I thought I saw something on your face, maybe a bug, but it was just a strand of hair. Let’s eat.”
Qi Baizi gave a wooden “oh” and opened her mouth again. Auntie Qin fed her a bite of steamed egg custard.
“How does it taste? I often take clients there, and the feedback is excellent.”
Qi Baizi forced a laugh and said gratefully, “It’s delicious. Thank you for your trouble, Lawyer Duan.”
“Don’t mention it.” Duan Ying walked around to the other side of the bed and asked softly, “But I’m curious, are you interested in becoming my next client?”
Seeing Qi Baizi’s confusion, Duan Ying continued, “Although I specialize in civil and commercial law, I’m also very knowledgeable about criminal law. You can trust me one hundred percent.”
It took Qi Baizi a moment to understand what she meant. Just as she was about to speak, Auntie Qin cut her off sternly, “We’re eating. Why bring this up?”
Duan Ying fell silent with a helpless look. As she stood up, she gently patted Qi Baizi’s shoulder and advised, “If you have any thoughts, just let me know. I can help you for free, just consider it pro bono work.”
Qi Baizi’s mouth was stuffed with half a three-delicacy wonton, so she just nodded without speaking.
After dinner, Auntie Qin and Duan Ying chatted in the hospital room, gossiping about their family trifles. For the most part, Duan Ying listened while Auntie Qin talked, occasionally pulling Qi Baizi in for her opinion. Qi Baizi was even worse at these topics, and her opinions were just repetitive platitudes about who should apologize to whom.
However, Qi Baizi keenly picked up on one piece of information: Zhou Qin’s position at Gu Corporation was very precarious.
It wasn’t just Gu Yuetong who disliked her because of factional alignments; apparently, Gu Hezhu had also considered replacing Zhou Qin.
This was an excellent sign. If Gu Yuetong needed allies in the future, Zhou Qin would be a good person to win over.
“Oh my, it’s gotten so late.” As she was talking, Auntie Qin suddenly noticed the streetlights outside were on, and the sky had turned a deep, rich blue. She pulled out her phone, which had been silent all this time, and saw there were no new messages.
“Didn’t Yuetong say she was coming over after she finished her business?”
Duan Ying hummed in agreement, her eyes glancing at Qi Baizi. “She said she would come take care of Xiao Bai. She’s probably busy and not done yet.”
Auntie Qin asked, “As her lawyer, don’t you need to go over and check on things?”
“I’ve already organized the evidence on my phone. Whether or not to file a lawsuit against those pests at Gu Corporation still depends on President Gu’s instructions. As for the rest, it has nothing to do with me,” Duan Ying said, looking at Auntie Qin.
Auntie Qin nodded, only half-understanding. “Then shouldn’t you head back and get some rest?”
Duan Ying thought for a moment and didn’t refuse, but she took a business card from her briefcase and handed it to Qi Baizi.
“Remember to contact me when you’ve made up your mind. I’ll be leaving now.”
Qi Baizi took the thin, square card and grunted in acknowledgment, then suddenly called out to Duan Ying, “I don’t need to think about it. I’ve decided to sue her.”
“Oh?” Duan Ying shot a triumphant glance at Auntie Qin, who pouted and shifted her gaze back to Qi Baizi’s face.
Qi Baizi spoke calmly, “Lawyer Duan, please help me gather evidence… It would be best if we could sign a power of attorney.”
Qi Baizi didn’t want a direct confrontation with Han Zhiyu, but she was determined to hold her accountable. She also made a request that surprised both Duan Ying and Auntie Qin.
“I don’t want any form of financial compensation. I just want her to go to jail.”
“A Grade 3 concussion, a minor injury, plus the fact that the other party acted intentionally… we can try to push for it,” Duan Ying said after a moment of silence. “But the chances are slim.”
Qi Baizi paused, a thought suddenly sprouting in her mind. She hummed in agreement, told Duan Ying to be careful on her way back, and then lay down under the covers on her own.
Han Zhiyu was a major obstacle. Regardless of what Gu Hezhu thought, she would definitely use her against Gu Yuetong again.
Qi Baizi didn’t want that to happen again. She had to eliminate the problem once and for all.
At nine o’clock that night, after the emergency shareholder meeting concluded, Gu Yuetong was sentenced to a half-month suspension. During this period, she was forbidden from interfering in any company affairs, especially the joint lawsuit. Of course, the shareholders all had their own ulterior motives and wouldn’t let Gu Hezhu have her way by letting Han Zhiyu take her place.
Gu Yuetong herself didn’t show much of a reaction, but Gu Hezhu’s expression was grim.
After the other shareholders left the conference room, only the mother and daughter remained at the long, empty table.
Gu Yuetong rolled her neck to get her nearly stagnant blood flowing again. From the chairman’s seat, Gu Hezhu looked at her with icy eyes. “Are you satisfied, my dear daughter?”
“What’s there for me to be unsatisfied about?” Gu Yuetong glanced at her nonchalantly. “A half-month long vacation for free. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Do you have any idea what those old geezers are plotting?” Gu Hezhu was very displeased with her carefree attitude and slammed her hand on the table.
Gu Yuetong sneered, “Of course I do.”
“Then why did you…”
“Mother, why did you insist on putting me in Gu Corporation in the first place?” Gu Yuetong suddenly asked with a serious expression, interrupting Gu Hezhu’s tirade.
At this question, Gu Hezhu fell silent.
“Let me answer for you,” Gu Yuetong said. “You wanted me to build connections and stop those shareholders from trying to usurp your power. Because you’re a hypocrite. You’re unwilling to be the villain and kick out these uncles and aunts who were loyal to you when you started the company, but you also don’t want their power to surpass yours.”
“But you’re old now. Your body can’t handle long hours at a desk, and you can’t manage everything personally. The people who were once loyal to you are now forming their own alliances behind your back. A new power structure has formed within Gu Corporation, one you can no longer control.”
“At this point, two people actively approached you, and you thought you had found a lifeline. But take Peng Chunyue, for example. Did she ever consider you or Gu Corporation before she did those things?”
Gu Hezhu was momentarily speechless, her eyes glaring fiercely.
Gu Yuetong sighed. “You believe anything outsiders say, but you refuse to believe me.”
“If Gu Corporation doesn’t undergo a major reshuffle soon, those parasites will eventually hollow it out.”
“Being sued jointly for withholding compensation is just the beginning of Gu Corporation’s downfall.”
Leaving those two sentences hanging in the air, Gu Yuetong stood up from the conference table. Before walking out, she turned and gave Gu Hezhu a deep look, saying no more.
Gu Hezhu was too suspicious; some things were best left unsaid.
She hurried to the hospital and arrived outside the VIP ward, where she saw the sleeping Qi Baizi through the window. Duan Ying had sent Gu Yuetong a message before she left, so she already knew that Qi Baizi planned to sue Han Zhiyu.
Auntie Qin was idly scrolling through her phone, looking bored. Gu Yuetong pushed the door open. Auntie Qin’s face lit up in surprise for a second before she immediately put a finger to her lips in a “shush” gesture, signaling her to be quiet.
Gu Yuetong put down the toiletries she had instructed Zhou Qin to prepare before she left, and joined Auntie Qin outside the room.
“How is she?”
“Her eyes are still the same, but she just couldn’t sleep. The doctor said it might be stress-induced insomnia, but they didn’t dare inject her with any sedatives, afraid it might mask her injuries,” Auntie Qin said with a sigh. “Later, I made her a cup of jujube seed tea, and she just fell asleep not long ago.”
A flash of pain crossed Gu Yuetong’s eyes, but she forced herself to remain calm. She patted Auntie Qin’s shoulder and said, “You’ve worked hard, Auntie Qin. Go home and rest. I’ll watch over her.”
“Forget it. Let’s both stay. You can sleep on the companion bed, and I’ll have Zhou Qin’s brother bring me a cot later. We can rest together, and if anything comes up, we can discuss it.”
Auntie Qin was always more considerate. Gu Yuetong nodded.
“It’s not that much trouble. You should sleep. I don’t have to work for the next few days, so I can stay with her.”
“No work?” Auntie Qin froze for a second.
Even though it was the weekend, with such a huge crisis at the company, the President didn’t have to work?
“Did those shareholders give you a hard time again?”
“It’s not exactly giving me a hard time. They’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Gu Yuetong said with a relieved smile, comforting Auntie Qin. “I can finally get some rest. Isn’t that great?”