Chapter 53
The restaurant on the back hill was a Barbecue Workshop, a joint venture by the guesthouse owner. In principle, it only reserved seats for regular customers and wasn’t open to the public, but when enough money was offered, principles became negotiable.
The four of them pushed the door open and entered. The manager at the cash register verified their identities and seated them at a four-person table by the window. Li Yi excitedly flipped through the menu, then thought for a moment and handed it to Gu Yuetong.
“I heard that besides the American-style barbecue sausages, their roasted quail is also a specialty, as are the foie gras and fish tails. They’re all signature dishes,” Li Yi recommended as Gu Yuetong looked at the menu. She then nudged Qi Baizi, who was sitting next to her, and whispered, “Does President Gu have any dietary restrictions?”
Qi Baizi shook her head at her; Gu Yuetong was quite easy to please when it came to food.
Gu Yuetong browsed the menu and felt it was just so-so. With something on her mind, she had no appetite for anything.
“You guys order, I’m fine with anything.” She forced a smile and handed the menu back.
During the meal, Gu Yuetong took small sips of soup. Qi Baizi, sitting opposite her, quietly deboned the barbecue meat for her and placed it on her plate.
“Eat more.”
Gu Yuetong raised her eyelids. “Thank you.”
Li Yi didn’t notice anything amiss. On the contrary, she felt smug about their peaceful coexistence, believing that the day’s pleasantness was all thanks to her persuasion yesterday. She couldn’t resist patting Qi Baizi on the shoulder, a look of seeking credit on her face.
It took Qi Baizi a moment to understand what she meant. Exchanging a look, she had no choice but to debone a piece of rib for Li Yi as well.
Li Yi was very satisfied and began to feast heartily.
After the meal, the group strolled back towards the guesthouse. Having eaten her fill, Li Yi was full of energy and walked ahead, calling out to them, “Hurry up, we still have to soak in the hot springs when we get back.”
Auntie Qin followed closely behind, intentionally creating some distance between herself and Qi and Gu.
Qi Baizi and Gu Yuetong both understood Auntie Qin’s intention. Their eyes met, and they instantly agreed, taking a small path instead.
The small path had no streetlights and was pitch black. Qi Baizi turned on her phone’s flashlight to illuminate the way, and the two walked in silence for a while.
Suddenly, Qi Baizi stopped and looked at Gu Yuetong beside her. “I’m sorry, President Gu. I was presumptuous today.”
Gu Yuetong froze, her breathing quickening. She was worried that what happened last time would repeat itself. If Qi Baizi had thoughts of resigning again, would she have to compromise further and allow her to use that form of address?
But Qi Baizi’s next words released her tensed nerves.
“I just wanted a special name just for us, something to distinguish us from everyone else.” Qi Baizi smiled shyly. “But I think I was a bit rash and didn’t grasp the right measure, which made things difficult for you.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“Of course.” Qi Baizi smiled. The surroundings were quiet as she took her hand. “Today, in front of an outsider, you acknowledged our relationship… that already gave me a sense of security. I have no reason to ask for more so soon.”
Gu Yuetong suddenly felt like crying, not for herself, but for Qi Baizi.
What had she done? Qi Baizi was an incredibly pure person, yet she had forced her to retreat and endure step by step—it shouldn’t be like this.
“I’m the one who should be sorry.”
Gu Yuetong had taken Auntie Qin’s words to heart, but before she could figure out how to bring it up, Qi Baizi had apologized first.
“It’s not that I don’t like you calling me that, it’s just…” She was very embarrassed and took the initiative to open her arms and hug Qi Baizi. “You can call me that in private, but…”
Qi Baizi hugged her back and interrupted, “It’s okay, I understand, President Gu.”
Gu Yuetong bit her lip and buried her head in Qi Baizi’s shoulder, a wave of bitterness washing over her.
She didn’t want to be a second Gu Hezhu, hiding her partner away from the world for the sake of her future. But under the circumstances, she could only bow her head for now.
Until she gained absolute power, everything had to be handled with caution.
Qi Baizi was mostly aware of all this. The two had a fairly frank conversation yesterday, so she understood why Gu Yuetong was being awkward today—she was just afraid that she would get used to calling her that and wouldn’t be able to switch back in front of others.
On the lonely mountain path, the two held each other. Nothing was said, yet it felt as if everything had been said.
When they returned to the guesthouse, the little cat was already asleep at the foot of the bed. The cat food in the bowl had been eaten into a small crater, and a good amount of the goat milk was gone too. To their surprise, the little one had obediently peed on the pee pad.
Qi Baizi helped Gu Yuetong find her swimsuit for the hot spring, then went to change the kitten’s pee pad. Because the kitten was there, the door from the inner room to the outside was left open. As Qi Baizi went in and out, Gu Yuetong suddenly asked, “Do you want to sleep together tonight?”
Qi Baizi paused. Yesterday was the first time they had been intimate, but she had still returned to her own bedroom afterward. With Gu Yuetong’s sudden invitation to sleep together, she instantly felt a little nervous.
But Gu Yuetong seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled. “I’m a very still sleeper. Want to consider it?”
What was there to consider? Of course, she had to agree!
Qi Baizi immediately moved her luggage, including her phone charger, from the inner room to the outer room.
At the meeting point, they changed clothes in separate changing rooms.
Qi Baizi didn’t have a swimsuit and hadn’t planned on getting in. She just changed into a pair of shorts and sat on a chair by the pool, watching Gu Yuetong descend into the steamy hot spring.
There were two small pools in this hot spring bathhouse. Li Yi and Auntie Qin’s pool was on the other side. Although they weren’t close, there was no screen-like partition in the middle of the room, and they had all entered through the same door, so it was still convenient to talk.
Li Yi thought Qi Baizi was afraid of offending Gu Yuetong and thus didn’t dare to get in the water, so she called her over. But Qi Baizi shook her head and refused several times.
Li Yi was helpless. Soaking in the water, she leaned against the edge of the pool with a shower cap on, boredly scrolling through her phone. “Ah, I really want to take a picture.”
Hearing this, Qi Baizi felt a bit apologetic, since the camera was in her hands when it got bumped. “I can take one for you with my phone?”
“Phone pictures just don’t have the same feel…” Li Yi’s eyes suddenly darted around, and she put on a fawning expression. “By the way, I saw a camera on the bottom shelf in the guesthouse’s front hall. Why don’t you go borrow it for me?”
“There was one?” Qi Baizi frowned. “How come I didn’t notice?”
“I just have good eyes.” Li Yi leaned on the waterproof railing by the pool, a pleading look on her face. “Please, Little Bai, go ask for me.”
Qi Baizi was helpless. After getting Gu Yuetong’s permission, she put on her clothes and went to the front hall.
After she explained her purpose, the owner hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
“But that thing is pretty old. Be careful when you use it.”
The owner opened the glass door of the shelf and took out the camera along with its case. “There should be a card in the bag, but I don’t know if there’s any memory left.”
“Thank you, boss.”
Qi Baizi took the camera and returned to the hot spring bathhouse, handing it to Li Yi. “Is this it?”
Li Yi took it and looked at it, exclaiming excitedly, “Yes, this is it!”
She found the card in the bag as Qi Baizi had said, inserted it, and took a random shot. “It has power, it works!”
“I heard it’s an antique, so be careful,” Qi Baizi reminded her.
Li Yi smiled and nodded, then handed the camera to Qi Baizi. “Take a picture for me.”
Qi Baizi figured out how to use it, took a few steps back, aimed at Li Yi, and pressed the shutter.
“Let me see, let me see!” Li Yi excitedly took the camera.
“As expected of a real camera, the effect is not bad!” Suddenly, her finger slipped and pressed the page-turning button, and her expression instantly froze.
She subconsciously turned to look at Gu Yuetong in the opposite pool. Gu Yuetong was soaking in the water, her upper body leaning on the edge of the pool, quietly reading an e-book.
Qi Baizi sensed something was wrong and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Uh… nothing.” Swallowing, Li Yi turned off the camera and stepped out barefoot from the nearby steps.
Qi Baizi was puzzled. “Where are you going?”
But Li Yi didn’t answer her, instead walking towards Gu Yuetong. “President Gu.”
Gu Yuetong looked up at her voice. “What is it?”
“Um, let me take a picture of you.” After saying that, without waiting for Gu Yuetong to pose, Li Yi snapped a picture of her.
Qi Baizi was a bit annoyed by Li Yi’s behavior. She knew she had a tendency to suck up, but she should consider the occasion. Gu Yuetong was still in her swimsuit—even though it covered most of her.
She followed over, wanting to order Li Yi to delete the photo, but since Gu Yuetong herself hadn’t said anything, she could only stand by, her fists gradually clenching.
After taking one picture, Li Yi solicitously circled behind Gu Yuetong. “President Gu, take a look. I think it turned out pretty well.”
As she spoke, she held the camera up to Gu Yuetong and pressed the page-turning button several times in a row. Gu Yuetong remained impassive, looked at it for a while, then took the camera and showed Li Yi a grateful expression. “Your technique is very good.”
“I think so too. And I think this camera is very unique. Look at the sticker on it. Why don’t you talk to the guesthouse owner and just buy this camera? That way I can use it more freely later.”
Qi Baizi felt that Li Yi was talking nonsense and was about to refuse on Gu Yuetong’s behalf, but to her surprise, Gu Yuetong actually agreed.
She even looked at Qi Baizi with a smile and asked her to go ask the owner how much it would cost.
Qi Baizi fell silent. She looked to Auntie Qin for help, but Auntie Qin seemed not to see and just shrugged at her.
Coming to a guesthouse for a stay and suddenly wanting to buy a second-hand antique camera of unknown origin—Qi Baizi just found them all baffling.
But since Gu Yuetong had spoken, she had no choice but to comply. She once again passed through the changing room and went to the guesthouse’s front hall.
The moment she left, Gu Yuetong pulled out the camera’s memory card.
Li Yi squatted to the side, at a loss, and silently lowered her head. Gu Yuetong knew that she couldn’t treat Li Yi the same way she treated Qi Baizi. She simply said, “How much money do you want?”
Li Yi was stunned. Her original intention wasn’t to get money.
“Name your terms,” Gu Yuetong said, climbing out of the spring and sitting with Li Yi, her expression solemn. “I just hope this doesn’t get out.”
“I won’t tell anyone…” Li Yi hesitated for a moment, her heart starting to pound. Oh no, President Gu misunderstood. Is she going to silence me?
In an instant, grievance and fear filled her heart, and Li Yi’s eyes turned red.
In the distance, Auntie Qin had watched enough of the drama. She walked over, took the memory card, and then snatched the camera from Gu Yuetong’s hand. She opened it and looked, immediately sucking in a sharp breath.
There weren’t many photos stored on that memory card, but almost all of them were intimate photos of Gu Yuetong and Wang Lin. Although you could tell there was an artistic element to them, but… if Little Bai saw this, all hell would break loose!
Forcing herself to calm down, she looked at Gu Yuetong. “Little Li isn’t after money. Like Little Bai, she’s still a blank slate. Don’t use the same tactics on her as you would on outsiders.”
“…I’m sorry.” Gu Yuetong had also calmed down considerably by now, realizing she had overreacted. She couldn’t help but say to Li Yi, “I implore you not to spread what you’ve seen, especially, don’t let Qi Baizi know.”
“…Fifty thousand.” Li Yi was silent for a moment, then named her price. “If it can buy you peace of mind, for fifty thousand yuan, I will never say a word.”
Gu Yuetong closed her eyes. “Thank you.”