Chapter 62

The day Gu Hezhu could barely get out of bed, Gu Yuetong was in a meeting at the group headquarters.

Just before finishing work, Qi Baizi, representing the project supervision team, rushed back to the group from the construction site. She reported the new measurement analysis and the completed electronic model data directly to Gu Yuetong, and also handed her a steaming hot portion of fried chicken.

Not long ago, taking advantage of the buzz around the fried chicken shop, Gu Yuetong had hired a spokesperson for promotion and decided to expand the chain. Unexpectedly, Qi Baizi had volunteered to be the store manager this time. After a few years of working with Pei Ran, she was already familiar with store management. Compared to the backstabbing and scheming at the group, she knew she was better suited to a simpler work environment.

However, she was also involved in many of the group’s projects. She served as a brick behind Gu Yuetong, running errands when Li Yi was too busy. At first, Gu Yuetong was afraid she would be too tired and unable to adapt, but she seemed to enjoy it, saying with a smile that it was all for gaining work experience. In reality, Qi Baizi was afraid that if she left the group, someone like Chen Hao would appear again, and she wouldn’t be able to respond in time without knowing the situation.

That morning, Lawyer Duan had sent good news, saying that the evidence against Huo Bu was conclusive and they were just waiting for the verdict. Han Zhiyu and Chen Hao would not escape the law’s punishment either, so they could rest assured.

The app had previously used Huobu Group’s servers, and for the past two days, they had been busy with server changes and product updates. Afraid that the team would slack off, Gu Yuetong had personally supervised them. After several days of hard work, she finally heard some good news. She hadn’t felt too tired even after a full day of meetings, and seeing Qi Baizi now, her mood improved even more.

Qi Baizi could see she was in a good mood. After closing the door, she sat down beside her and helped her open a pair of disposable gloves, unable to hide her hesitation.

Gu Yuetong smiled at her and suddenly asked, “Do you have something to say to me?”

Qi Baizi hummed in affirmation, staring into Gu Yuetong’s eyes. “But I’m afraid it will affect your mood.”

“Just seeing you makes it impossible for my mood to be bad.”

Qi Baizi paused. Hearing such a subtle yet sudden sweet nothing from Gu Yuetong’s lips still made her a little unaccustomed. She lowered her head, her hair covering her blushing face, and said after a moment of silence, “Doctor Cen called me.”

She paused, glancing at Gu Yuetong’s reaction.

After detecting no emotional fluctuation, she continued, “Doctor Cen said the Chairman can get out of bed. She wants you to go back and see her… and for me to go too.”

Since Gu Hezhu had fallen ill, Gu Yuetong had only returned to the villa on the day she was discharged from the hospital. Expecting a refusal or some other excuse, Qi Baizi was surprised when Gu Yuetong asked, “Do you want to go?”

Qi Baizi couldn’t say whether she wanted to go or not. In the end, Gu Hezhu’s sudden stroke was also related to her. If she hadn’t deliberately acted intimately with Gu Yuetong to anger the old lady, she might not have ended up in this state.

So, beneath her resistance, Qi Baizi held a faint trace of guilt.

“I can go with you…” And buy some things, as an apology, she thought.

“Then let’s go back. I’ll have the maid prepare dinner.”

For so many years, Doctor Cen had been by Gu Hezhu’s side, earning a fixed salary. The villa provided food and lodging, and if she needed anything, she just had to tell the maid. But she wasn’t in charge of paying salaries.

After Gu Hezhu fell, that group of people naturally shifted their focus to Gu Yuetong. After all, where the money is, the heart is.

Upon entering the house, Qi Baizi noticed a big change in Doctor Cen. She was ten years younger than Gu Hezhu, but she was meticulous about her appearance and usually looked no older than her early forties. Now, perhaps from having to care for a patient, coupled with the maids’ intentional slacking, she had to do many things herself and had aged a whole decade.

Gu Yuetong noticed this too. After dinner, she deliberately asked Doctor Cen how the staff was working out, saying she could replace them at any time if they weren’t suitable. Doctor Cen wasn’t a nosy person, but she could tell that Gu Yuetong was intentionally favoring her, and her attitude inevitably softened.

After eating, Gu Yuetong finally suggested going upstairs to see Gu Hezhu.

Qi Baizi hesitated for a long time, then ran out to the car to get the gift she had brought for Gu Hezhu—some nutritional supplements and a portion of ginseng.

After her aunt’s health improved, the pressure on her family lessened considerably. Her uncle, Qi Hai, had found a new job delivering for a traditional Chinese medicine shop. The owner was a nice person and would occasionally give some supplements to the employees. Qi Baizi would sometimes visit, and before she left, Wu Yanfang couldn’t help but stuff a pile of things she couldn’t bear to eat herself into her hands. To put them at ease, Qi Baizi would accept them.

Before coming back, Qi Baizi had made a special trip to the Chinese medicine shop where her uncle worked and bought the best quality ginseng. Gu Yuetong wanted to pay, but she was reluctant. “I’m still working for you. I can’t take any more things from you.”

Gu Yuetong didn’t insist, just finding Qi Baizi’s earnestness a little cute.

However, she also reminded Qi Baizi that Gu Hezhu wasn’t someone who would soften just because she was sick. You could give all this, but she might not appreciate it.

Of course, Qi Baizi knew that. She wasn’t looking for Gu Hezhu’s gratitude, only to erase that trace of guilt in her own heart.

Standing in front of Gu Hezhu’s bedroom door, prepared to be yelled at, Qi Baizi took a deep breath and followed Gu Yuetong inside.

She pretended to greet her naturally and placed the things on the bedside table. After the whole sequence, to her surprise, Gu Hezhu just gave a flat “mm-hmm” and said nothing more.

Of course, there was absolutely no enthusiasm either.

Doctor Cen explained that Gu Hezhu’s speech was now slurred, and she hadn’t been fond of talking since returning from the hospital.

Qi Baizi nodded. Gu Yuetong, standing beside her, suddenly chimed in, “She’s more like a person when she’s not talking.”

The atmosphere instantly changed. Qi Baizi and Doctor Cen froze. Gu Hezhu, on the bed, her gaze turning sharp, struggled to get out of bed to confront Gu Yuetong.

But Gu Yuetong just smiled indifferently. “Forget it. If you fall, Doctor Cen will be the one who gets tired.”

Gu Hezhu froze, her body trembling violently, and then she became even more agitated. Doctor Cen quickly went over to hold her, patting her back to try and soothe her.

After struggling in vain, Gu Hezhu stopped looking in their direction. She turned her head to look out the window and mumbled, “You might as well let me die. I’m going to jump from here—”

“You won’t die if you jump!” Gu Yuetong laughed at her words and raised her voice. “I’ve jumped before, more than once.”

As the words fell, she felt her fingers being held. Turning her head, she saw Qi Baizi looking at her, her eyes full of heartache.

Gu Yuetong held her hand back, gave her a reassuring smile, and then walked to Gu Hezhu’s bedside, forcing her to look at her.

“I am not you, nor will I follow in your footsteps. I will be ten thousand times happier than you could ever imagine.”

“Don’t try to kill yourself. I’ll have people watch you, just like I was watched before. I want you to live to see my future.”

Before leaving, Gu Yuetong gave Doctor Cen a card, asking if she wanted to continue wasting the latter half of her life here, or if she wanted to take the money and start a new life.

Doctor Cen didn’t hesitate, choosing the former.

After getting in the car, Qi Baizi couldn’t help but sigh. “Speaking of Doctor Cen, she’s truly devoted to the Chairman.”

“Many people were devoted to her, including the person who gave birth to me.” Gu Yuetong was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “There isn’t a single one she hasn’t let down.”

After dropping Gu Yuetong off at the Old Fortress, Qi Baizi drove back to her own place. To be closer to the fried chicken shop, she had chosen not to move back to the Old Fortress. Gu Yuetong also mostly stayed in her own private apartment. Afraid that Auntie Qin would be lonely, she would come back two or three times a week.

Li Yi had rented a place of her own. The location was a bit remote. Auntie Qin had tried to persuade her to stay, but she had resolutely run off. One reason was that she had shipped too many CPs and wanted to fall in love herself. A young girl from the Administration Group had been getting close to her recently, and Li Yi felt a sense of excitement, anticipation, and fear, wanting to live alone to clear her head. The second reason was that after all they had been through, Gu Yuetong and Qi Baizi’s relationship had finally stabilized, and she also considered avoiding suspicion, so she simply moved out.

However, since she lived outside, it was sometimes inconvenient to drive Gu Yuetong home if she worked too late, as she would get home in the early hours of the morning.

So Qi Baizi also took on the job of driving her girlfriend to and from work. Gu Yuetong felt sorry for Li Yi, and even more so for her. Her original intention was to drive herself; it was only a little over ten kilometers away. But Qi Baizi, under the pretext of wanting to practice her driving skills, claimed that if she didn’t let her drive, it meant she thought her skills were poor. Gu Yuetong couldn’t say anything more.

But watching Qi Baizi leave early and return late, and her increasingly thin shoulders, Gu Yuetong’s heart ached.

A week later, Gu Yuetong suddenly called Qi Baizi to a certain square in the city center. It was noon, and the chill of early winter overpowered the warmth of the sun. Gu Yuetong had specially brought her a thick trench coat, then took her hand and walked towards the nearby sales office.

After coming out, Qi Baizi was still in a daze, unable to come back to her senses.

“Why did you suddenly buy me a house?”

“This is a house for the two of us.”

“Is it only in my name?”

“Mmm… and I used your money,” Gu Yuetong smiled.

After coming to her senses, Qi Baizi pulled the car over to the side of the road and feigned dissatisfaction. “President Gu, this isn’t buying me a house, this is signing me up for a lifetime of servitude, isn’t it?”

“Are you satisfied? It doesn’t matter if you’re not. You can only complain about me, this black-hearted boss, on your private Weibo account.” Gu Yuetong lifted her chin. “Let me calculate… it will probably take another eighty years for you to pay off your debt to me…”

Qi Baizi froze, feeling extremely embarrassed. She interrupted Gu Yuetong, “When did you find out?”

“Want to know?” Gu Yuetong raised an eyebrow. “Beg me.”

Qi Baizi didn’t want to know anymore. She unbuckled her seatbelt and kissed the passenger seat fiercely— “Hiss, I have a proposal.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you at your apartment tonight.”

After finishing her social engagement for the evening, Gu Yuetong returned to her apartment. After washing up, she changed into a soft set of pajamas. She specially picked out a bottle of red wine and sat by the window, gazing at the flashing neon lights in the distance, her mind involuntarily conjuring up the image of her lover, a hint of anticipation growing within her.

After leaving the shop, Qi Baizi took a shower, washing away the smell of oil, and left the house feeling fresh and cool. She skillfully entered the password to Gu Yuetong’s apartment, pushed open the door, and walked in.

She stepped barefoot onto the floor, ignoring the fallen wine bottle on the side, and hugged the warm body in front of the floor-to-ceiling window from behind, her fingertips roaming.

In the midst of her passion, Gu Yuetong suddenly noticed that Qi Baizi’s movements had stopped.

“…A-Qi?”

“Do you want it?” In the faint light, Qi Baizi’s eyes were cunning. “Beg me.”