Chapter 59

For the next two days, Qi Baizi went to work as usual, occasionally bringing dinner for Han Zhiyu in the evening. Han Zhiyu’s health recovered somewhat, and her spirits improved.

Whenever they met in the living room, Qi Baizi would remind her about the deadline for turning herself in, but other than that, no additional unpleasantness arose between them.

Amidst the monotonous daily routine, the only difference was that Gu Yuetong began to appear more frequently.

On her phone.

At the same time, Li Yi informed Qi Baizi that her suggestion had been adopted. The next day, the factory workers moved into the temporary housing at the construction site.

“I told President Gu it was your idea,” Li Yi said. “Although it’s not certain when you’ll be back, I don’t want to take the credit.”

Qi Baizi hummed a faint “mm-hmm,” feeling that some things were becoming clearer. No wonder Gu Yuetong had suddenly thanked her yesterday and even flirted with her from afar.

Gu Yuetong didn’t have a strong reaction to Han Zhiyu’s appearance. Perhaps after spending a long time together, she knew her well enough. She only reminded Qi Baizi to try not to clash with a madwoman.

Qi Baizi wasn’t sure if Han Zhiyu would go crazy again. For now, Han Zhiyu had food, drinks, and air conditioning every day. Most of the time, she was either watching movies on the sofa or sleeping soundly. Her condition was quite normal.

Qi Baizi put Gu Yuetong’s mind at ease.

Gu Yuetong adopted a gentle policy, transferring another sum of money into her card and reminding her: if Han Zhiyu was unwilling to turn herself in, she could let her stay in the house for the time being. She could be used to strike at Huo Bu at a critical moment.

Qi Baizi didn’t quite agree with Gu Yuetong’s point of view, but she accepted the money on Han Zhiyu’s behalf. Then, a week later, in the evening, she took Han Zhiyu out for a high-end barbecue dinner and, incidentally, called the police.

Appearing along with the police was Lawyer Duan Ying. Han Zhiyu was taken away amidst furious curses. Before she got into the police car, Qi Baizi didn’t forget to remind her, “Don’t forget your father.” If Han Zhiyu was smart enough, her testimony had the potential to bring down Huo Bu.

But Qi Baizi didn’t know if Han Zhiyu could figure this out. She stared into her furious eyes and watched the police car drive away.

Duan Ying patted Qi Baizi’s shoulder from the side and comforted her, “It’s over. You’ve gotten your revenge.”

Qi Baizi didn’t feel the pleasure of having avenged a great wrong. She had only been hit with a stick and hospitalized for a few days. Anyone would be angry if their unmentionable secret was exposed in such a situation. She sympathized with Han Zhiyu.

But she did feel a real sense of relief. The night before, Han Zhiyu had been searching for Wang Lin’s old social media accounts on the study computer. There were still some traces of Gu Yuetong on them, but only someone close to Gu Yuetong would be able to tell. And Qi Baizi had seen it all clearly on the projection screen.

The court date was approaching. Duan Ying said the evidence of Han Zhiyu’s intentional injury was complete, and she was confident she would be sentenced to at least two years. At least she wouldn’t have the chance to pester Gu Yuetong again in the future.

“What about President Gu? On a day like this, you didn’t invite her to witness it with you?”

“She doesn’t know yet.” Qi Baizi smiled faintly, her bangs covering her face. “Thank you, Lawyer Duan. Please tell President Gu that Han Zhiyu turned herself in.”

***

Before Han Zhiyu and Qi Baizi’s case went to trial, the Gu Corporation contract breach case, which had caused a stir online, was heard first. The group’s legal team and the lawyers hired by Zheng Juan and others went back and forth heatedly in court. At a critical moment, Duan Ying and Gu Yuetong appeared as witnesses, helping Zheng Juan win the lawsuit.

The verdict required Gu Corporation to compensate Zheng Juan’s factory and the other factories that had sued jointly with three times the breach of contract penalty, with payment to be made within three months.

At the same time, Gu Yuetong, on behalf of the group, filed a lawsuit against Peng Chunlai and others for the crime of embezzlement. Seeing this, the several shareholders who had been eyeing the positions held by the Gu mother and daughter quieted down.

They also learned that some of the construction sites Gu Yuetong had taken over had already resumed work, and a new team was being formed.

In mid-September, the weather was still scorching, but the autumn wind occasionally brought a touch of coolness. Gu Hezhu’s health improved, and she held a birthday celebration at her private villa. Those shareholders decided to take the opportunity to get closer to Gu Yuetong, hoping to smooth over their differences.

However, they seemed to have chosen the wrong approach.

Gu Yuetong and Li Yi stood on the second-floor balcony looking out. In her peripheral vision, she saw one of the group’s shareholders, a short, plump middle-aged woman, walk up to Huo Bu and strike up a conversation.

From their lip movements and expressions, it was not difficult to see that Gu Yuetong was the focus of their conversation. Li Yi couldn’t help but frown. “What are they doing?”

Gu Yuetong sneered. “Can’t you tell? They want to use me to buy Huo Bu’s favor, and then use Huo Bu to curry favor with me.”

Recently, Huo Bu had been intentionally leaking news of a collaboration with Gu Corporation. Even people who didn’t pay much attention to the business world would have noticed on the trending topics that Gu Corporation’s social media app was using Huo Bu’s overseas servers, and that the two companies’ friendly relations suggested further cooperation.

Huo Bu was a middle-aged bachelor, the power at Gu Corporation had shifted, and the two had been photographed having a private dinner. The marriage alliance trope that uninformed netizens loved to see seemed to be on the verge of playing out.

That shareholder was one of the uninformed.

Huo Bu was ambitious, wanting to both annex Gu Corporation and win the beauty. Naturally, he was happy to have as many people misunderstand as possible. He familiarly raised his chin towards the second-floor window. The shareholder followed his gaze, gave Gu Yuetong a gossipy look, and then squeezed out a smile.

Li Yi knew that Gu Yuetong was disgusted by this from the bottom of her heart and didn’t know how to offer words of comfort.

Fortunately, Gu Yuetong’s reaction was calm. She pretended not to see, turned around, and asked Li Yi, “Has Wang Lin arrived in Jingzhou?”

“She said her business over there is almost finished, she’s on her way,” Li Yi said. “But she said the patient’s family still thinks the money is too little, they probably want to extort some more.”

“Her mother caused a hit-and-run in another city and still wants to evade responsibility. Getting locked up would be letting her off easy. As for the money, let her figure it out herself. We’ve already given more than enough.”

Li Yi nodded and asked again, “What if she doesn’t cooperate later?”

“She will.” Gu Yuetong closed her eyes. “Although she’s willing to fall out with me for money, she still wants to continue in the art industry in the future. Showing her face today will only benefit her. Once her past is dug up, her fame will increase, and in the future, she can rely on the gossip-hungry public alone to generate buzz for her exhibitions.”

“Besides, how can an artist without some experience have any buzz?”

Li Yi seemed to understand. “Indeed…”

“Where are they?”

“They’ve already gone back,” Li Yi said. “Auntie Qin just sent a photo, look.”

Li Yi held her phone up to Gu Yuetong. In the photo, Qi Baizi was sitting on the sofa, holding Milk Ball and eating a cat treat stick.

Gu Yuetong breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She only hoped that nothing that happened today would disturb Qi Baizi.

“By the way, does Little Bai know about what’s happening later?” Li Yi suddenly remembered something and asked cautiously. “Will she be unhappy? After all, she’s your official girlfriend…”

“Don’t underestimate her.” Gu Yuetong pinched her fingers and turned her head slightly to look at Li Yi, smiling proudly. “She’s one of the masterminds.”

At twelve noon, the celebration began. The invited emcee read out congratulatory remarks. Gu Hezhu, seated in the main seat, showed a rare benevolent face, with Doctor Cen standing behind her.

Several old shareholders and friends who had fought alongside her for years took the opportunity to flatter the Gu mother and daughter, going on stage to deliver speeches reminiscing about the past and wishing Gu Hezhu many happy returns. After their empty, grandiose words, they came over to toast Gu Hezhu, who responded to each one, occasionally glancing at Gu Yuetong in the distance.

When it was Gu Yuetong’s turn to go on stage, Huo Bu suddenly snatched the microphone from the emcee’s hand and followed her up.

Gu Yuetong clearly hadn’t expected this and was a bit awkward. The crowd put on expressions of watching a play.

Someone in the distance suddenly started heckling, leading some others to join in. Even the few invited reporters all turned their cameras from Gu Hezhu to the stage, as if to force the two on stage to admit something.

Huo Bu was triumphant, his small, cunning eyes shining. He was brewing up something to say when a figure suddenly rushed onto the stage from the side. Huo Bu was stunned—it was Wang Lin.

“Gu Yuetong, did you and your mother plot to break up with me just for today?” Wang Lin said, disregarding everything, snatching the microphone from Huo Bu’s hand as if she had rehearsed it beforehand.

Gu Yuetong was first shocked, then quickly squeezed out a few tears, looked at the wide-eyed Gu Hezhu below the stage, and put on the appearance of a victim.

“Are you two really so mercenary? Didn’t you say you only loved me!”

“Security, security!” Huo Bu came to his senses and immediately called for people to drag Wang Lin off the stage. He had previously planned to use Wang Lin to threaten Gu Yuetong into submission, but now that the buzz about him and Gu Yuetong was already stirred up, Wang Lin’s sudden appearance would make him a clown, wouldn’t it?

“And you, Huo Bu, you lied to me! You said you would get Gu Yuetong back for me, you liar!”

“Gu Yuetong doesn’t even like you, stop forcing her!” Wang Lin was being dragged off the stage by two people, but in her struggle, she didn’t forget to put on a show and frame Huo Bu. Huo Bu’s face was extremely ugly, his lips trembling, as he desperately suppressed the urge to go up and slap her.

Just as Wang Lin was taken off stage, he calmed his breathing and was about to offer an explanation when police sirens wailed in the distance.

Gu Yuetong, like a willow in the wind, cried inconsolably and was helped off the stage by Li Yi.

Huo Bu first thought he had misheard, but then he saw everyone below the stage turn to look for the source of the sirens and realized it was real. He stood frozen on the stage until the police rushed in and restrained him. Only then did he finally realize that today’s birthday banquet was designed especially for him.

“According to the testimony of an informant, you are suspected of a series of crimes including blackmail, intimidation, and illegal confinement. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation.”

***

In East Mountain Manor, Qi Baizi sat on the sofa holding Milk Ball, watching the local news that had already exploded.

Auntie Qin carefully observed her expression. She saw her shake her head one moment and chuckle the next. Auntie Qin thought she must have been severely traumatized and didn’t even know what to say to comfort her.

But then Qi Baizi suddenly laughed out loud and held her phone up to Auntie Qin. “Look at this comment, it’s hilarious.”

“A toad on the instep doesn’t hurt but it’s disgusting. The princess belongs with a celestial beauty, what right does a demon like you have to interfere—” A comment below refuted, “He’s just an old shrimp. See, he’s caught in the shrimp trap now.”

This generation of netizens really had poison on their tongues, but Auntie Qin didn’t dare to laugh.

That phrase “princess belongs with a celestial beauty” was clearly referring to Gu Yuetong and Wang Lin, but the two had broken up long ago. Now that the public misunderstood, why wasn’t Qi Baizi jealous?

“Little Bai, are you alright?”

Qi Baizi was taken aback and looked up at Auntie Qin. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good…” Not knowing if Qi Baizi was being genuine, Auntie Qin tried to explain on Gu Yuetong’s behalf. “Yuetong had no choice but to kick you out before. You probably don’t know, but Gu Hezhu has been secretly investigating Li Yi these days. And Gu Hezhu didn’t know about the play acted out today to bring down Huo Bu, so you…”

“I understand.” Qi Baizi smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. “But now, the only one left to deal with is Gu Hezhu, isn’t it?”