Chapter 13

Qi Baizi had no appetite after just waking up, so she offered to eat after Gu Yuetong’s dinner party was over. Once Gu Yuetong entered the private room, she stood by the door, yawning. In a moment of laxity, a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth, followed by another hand gripping her neck. Before she even had time to struggle, she was dragged away.

Stumbling, she was pushed into another private room where she saw Gu Hezhu sitting at the head of the table. The people who had brought her there automatically retreated outside the room, closing the door and isolating them.

Qi Baizi straightened her messy clothes and smoothed her hair, for the first time showing a disdainful expression in front of Gu Hezhu. Gu Hezhu ignored her expression and forced a fake smile. “We meet again, Assistant Qi.”

Qi Baizi couldn’t be bothered with her sarcastic tone and retorted sharply, “Yes, Chairman Gu. Next time, please find a more humane way to summon me.”

Gu Hezhu’s expression flickered. Qi Baizi continued, “After all, the termination process for my outsourcing contract is already underway. I’m not an employee of the Gu Corporation. To me, you’re just a rich, old stranger.”

“But no matter how rich you are, you can’t break the law.”

Qi Baizi rarely got angry. She was the type of person who, when faced with problems, seldom stewed in them and instead actively sought solutions. Or rather, she was a straightforward simpleton—that was how she defined herself. Unless she encountered an unsolvable problem and the pressure became too much, she might ramble and complain a bit. But after a night’s sleep, whether it was a sunny or rainy day, she would face it with composure.

Even on the day her mother died, she had only shed a few quiet tears before quickly asking for leave to go home and handle the funeral arrangements. She was so calm that even her kind-hearted student counselor had a fleeting moment of doubt, thinking she was lying.

But today, Gu Hezhu’s actions had clearly crossed her bottom line. This whole kidnapping act—did this Chairman Gu have any idea they were living in a society governed by the rule of law? As she spoke, Qi Baizi pulled out the chair opposite Gu Hezhu and sat down. She turned sideways to Gu Hezhu, casually crossed her legs, and took out her phone to scroll through Weibo, completely ignoring her.

She really didn’t need to flatter Gu Hezhu as she had before, regardless of whether Gu Yuetong could protect her this time. Gu Hezhu remained silent for a long time. Qi Baizi, unhurried, pretended to be busy typing on Weibo: I’d heard before that capitalists don’t act humanely. Now I know, they barely act like humans at all.

After posting, she glanced at Gu Hezhu out of the corner of her eye, bored. Gu Hezhu seemed to be trying hard to compose herself. She was furious, but her age and the fact that they were at the Huobu Group’s anniversary celebration, with many reporters present, meant that any conflict would have a huge impact on the Gu Corporation. What concerned her most was that Qi Baizi seemed to have broken free from the usual framework of her interactions with “subordinates.”

She could contain her thunder within this private room, but she couldn’t control whether Qi Baizi would shout and draw attention. After all, a person like this, with no rules and nothing to lose, didn’t care about face. She softened her tone as much as possible. “Assistant Qi, I just wanted to discuss something with you.”

Qi Baizi paused for two seconds before responding, “What is it?”

“What are your views on relationships between women?”

Qi Baizi was taken aback for a moment, thinking of Han Zhiyu. Han Zhiyu had said that Gu Hezhu had almost discovered the impure nature of her relationship with Gu Yuetong. To suddenly ask this now, could it be that she suspected her too?

Clearing her throat, Qi Baizi shifted her gaze to the floor. “What do you mean, ‘what are my views’? I abide by the law and don’t look at what is improper.”

Gu Hezhu was momentarily speechless. With Qi Baizi’s attitude, she really couldn’t tell if she was faking it. However, Gu Hezhu had built the Gu Corporation from scratch at the age of thirty; she was no fool. She stood up and slowly walked over to Qi Baizi. Qi Baizi had no choice but to tilt her head up to look at her.

As their eyes met, Qi Baizi was momentarily dazed—Gu Hezhu and Gu Yuetong looked so much alike. They were truly mother and daughter. Although fine lines had appeared at the corners of Gu Hezhu’s eyes over the years, her skin was relatively slack, and her lips weren’t as full as Gu Yuetong’s, their similar expressions and noble bearing were like a perfect copy… No, that wasn’t right. There was something else about Gu Yuetong that Gu Hezhu lacked. Or perhaps, it was something she had shed after a lifetime of experience… melancholy.

Beneath Gu Yuetong’s cold beauty was a weariness that was hard for ordinary people to detect—very faint, yet etched into her eyes.

Qi Baizi had been about to throw a few more barbs at Gu Hezhu, but the other woman didn’t seem to want to argue. She pulled over a chair and sat down in front of Qi Baizi, no more than half a meter between them. Qi Baizi uncomfortably drew her legs back. The unprofessional white flat shoes peeking out from under her pants caught Gu Hezhu’s eye. She smiled and asked softly, “Xiao Bai… may I call you that?”

Qi Baizi didn’t speak.

Gu Hezhu continued to smile. “I’ve already asked your classmates. Your family situation is rather special. You’re an only child, right?”

Qi Baizi froze, instantly on alert. “You investigated me?”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t done anything out of line,” Gu Hezhu reassured her. “A lot of things are written in your file, like they’re carved on your bones. Anyone who wants to get close to you can naturally find out.”

Qi Baizi gripped her phone tightly. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say, if we switch places, perhaps you’ve also heard about some of your President Gu Yuetong’s past affairs, the ones with women,” Gu Hezhu said. “Someone has told you, right?”

Qi Baizi no longer tried to hide it. She nodded, meeting Gu Hezhu’s eyes. “I’ve heard, or rather, I was forced to hear. In any case, I do know some things… but I have no right to interfere in my superior’s personal life, do I?”

Qi Baizi wasn’t without her suspicions about Han Zhiyu. She had come to her out of the blue, seemingly pouring her heart out. But Han Zhiyu was actually a cautious and meticulous person. As the HR Director, managing the group’s personnel transfers, she was no stranger to human nature. She should have known that Qi Baizi was just a junior assistant; even if she fell for Gu Yuetong, she couldn’t cause any major waves. Moreover, her relationship with Gu Yuetong was already awkward, so why would she suddenly come over to talk about past private matters, and under the banner of warning her? Qi Baizi found it hard not to suspect she was acting under someone’s orders.

Now that Gu Hezhu had half-spelled it out, Qi Baizi stopped being coy. She also forced a fake smile at Gu Hezhu and said, “If you’re worried that I’ll develop special feelings for President Gu like Director Han did, then you’re really overthinking it.”

Gu Hezhu raised an eyebrow.

Qi Baizi continued, “Since you’ve investigated me, you should know what I lack most right now. I want to stay by President Gu’s side, firstly because I don’t want to violate my principles. I believe privacy is privacy. It’s about a person’s dignity, not something that can be bought with money. Secondly, it’s because I need money. I’m desperate for it.”

“The salary President Gu offered already satisfies me greatly,” she said. “As long as she doesn’t mind me, I can follow her to the ends of the earth.”

Qi Baizi wasn’t exaggerating. The exclusive contract Gu Yuetong had her sign stated a monthly salary of no less than forty thousand yuan. Even in her own professional field, such a salary for a recent graduate was extremely rare. This money was enough to pay for her aunt’s medical treatment every month and even improve her uncle’s family’s living conditions.

One shouldn’t be greedy.

Qi Baizi’s tone was firm. “Chairman Gu, I just want to focus on my work. Please put your worries about me to rest.”

She paused. “If you’re really that curious about President Gu’s schedule, like who she’s met or eaten with, then I suggest you take the initiative to improve your relationship with her. Maybe she’ll voluntarily report to you.”

Gu Hezhu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then gave a bitter smile. Qi Baizi couldn’t tell if it was genuine or fake, but she had a faint feeling that Gu Hezhu had her own difficulties. She didn’t ask any more questions.

Gu Hezhu returned to her seat at the head of the table and had someone serve the food.

“Eat with me.”

After all the commotion, Qi Baizi felt much more awake and was indeed hungry. After the dishes were served, she waited for Gu Hezhu to start eating, but Gu Hezhu looked tired and gestured for Qi Baizi to eat first. Qi Baizi cautiously took a sip of the pre-dinner drink, glanced at Gu Hezhu, and noticed she seemed lost in thought and wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. So, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat in small bites.

After a long, long time, Gu Hezhu finally swallowed her first bite of food. Then she looked at Qi Baizi and suddenly laughed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten with Yuetong.”

Qi Baizi paused, not knowing how to respond.

“Yuetong likes women. Perhaps that sounds absurd and rebellious to you, but I know she just takes after me.”

Qi Baizi was shocked. “Chairman?”

Gu Hezhu seemed very pleased with her reaction. Qi Baizi was actually a sensible girl. She spoke directly, and her reactions were enthusiastic and undisguised. Gu Hezhu let down her previous guard against her and decided to open up and chat.

“I loathe men, and I loathe being a mother, but I still gave birth to her.”

“Because my lover at the time wanted us to have a child.”

“I was ridiculously stupid back then. I thought that having a child that belonged to us would make our relationship more stable, but I underestimated human nature.”

“Not long after Yuetong was born, my girlfriend at the time went abroad and married a man. I had no choice but to keep Yuetong and raise her by myself.”

Qi Baizi’s expression shifted from surprise to softness, and then to a hint of suspicion. As Gu Hezhu’s voice trailed off, Qi Baizi immediately asked, “But this child, legally and biologically, has nothing to do with your girlfriend at the time… Why did you think you could tie her down?”

She asked so bluntly that she didn’t notice the change in Gu Hezhu’s expression. Gu Hezhu clearly hadn’t expected Qi Baizi to ask such a question. “You think Yuetong and I look very much alike?”

“That’s right,” Qi Baizi said. “Your features, your bearing, and what you just mentioned… you both like women.”

Gu Hezhu lowered her eyes. “Alright…”

Qi Baizi put down her chopsticks and sat up straight at the table. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to make a bold guess.”

“President Gu wasn’t personally…”

“Assistant Qi.” Gu Hezhu suddenly raised her voice, interrupting her. She abruptly looked up, meeting Qi Baizi’s eyes.

“Assistant Qi, some things are best kept to oneself.”

Qi Baizi fell silent. After a few seconds, she gave a bitter smile. “Yes, best kept to oneself.”