Chapter 16

Gu Yuetong was dressed simply and completely covered up, not missing a single accessory like sunglasses or a hat, but Qi Baizi recognized her at a glance. Beside her stood a piece of calligraphy, the brushstrokes fluid and a blend of strength and grace.

Qi Baizi was slightly astonished. Didn’t she study painting? How is her calligraphy so strong too?

Perhaps sensing the gaze from afar, Gu Yuetong suddenly looked up while the judges were scoring, her eyes meeting Qi Baizi’s over the rim of her sunglasses. Qi Baizi had already taken off her fried chicken gear. Gu Yuetong had clearly seen her. She tilted her head up slightly and remained motionless. A jolt, like an electric current, shot through Qi Baizi. She turned to the store manager and said, “Let’s go downstairs and have a look.”

The manager hesitated. “You don’t mind the crowd?”

Qi Baizi gave a helpless smile. Of course she minded. The crowd was one thing, but she also smelled like fried chicken. Squeezing into a crowd would make her a walking piece of fried chicken, wouldn’t it? But Gu Yuetong had already seen her. It would be inappropriate not to go and say hello.

I should have just crouched down to watch!

Grumbling to herself, Qi Baizi took the stairs down and circled around to the competition venue. Weaving through the crowd, she stood before Gu Yuetong. The temporary, simple stage for the competition wasn’t large, so they were very close. Just then, the scores for this round were announced. The host announced the results, and Gu Yuetong had won first place.

Qi Baizi led the applause, clapping until her palms were red.

President Gu, I’m sucking up so hard, do you see it!

She wore her signature fake smile, hoping Gu Yuetong would see her effort. But after receiving her award, Gu Yuetong didn’t even glance at her and walked away directly from backstage. Was she angry? Qi Baizi was puzzled. Was it not okay for me to cheer her on?

The store manager tugged at her sleeve. “Daydreaming?”

Qi Baizi came back to her senses. “Oh… I saw someone I know. Let’s go upstairs.”

She kept looking back toward the backstage area. Gu Yuetong seemed to be arguing with someone, but the other person was blocked from view. Qi Baizi saw Gu Yuetong’s lips trembling slightly. It seemed the other person had said something harsh, and Gu Yuetong was holding back. Qi Baizi’s steps faltered. She suddenly broke away from the store manager and walked in that direction.

There were still quite a few people around the venue. She wasn’t naive enough to rush over and stand up for Gu Yuetong. She circled around from the right side, near the speakers, and then stopped.

“Gu Yuetong, I’m trying to discuss this with you nicely. Is this attitude of yours an attempt to tear our relationship apart?” A sharp female voice rang out. Qi Baizi’s chest tightened; the voice was so familiar.

“Five hundred thousand yuan is just pocket change to you. Didn’t you say you’d love me for a lifetime? You’re not even willing to part with five hundred thousand?”

“It was your mom who broke us up. Don’t play the victim with me. Have you forgotten when you—”

Without needing to think, Qi Baizi knew even nastier words were coming. She promptly revealed herself and interrupted, “President Gu, congratulations on winning the competition.”

The shrill argument came to an abrupt halt. Both women turned to look at Qi Baizi at the same time.

“Who are you?” Wang Lin sized her up and cursed with a frown, “Are you crazy? Eavesdropping?”

Gu Yuetong snorted, walked to Qi Baizi’s side, and said, “My assistant. You met her at the airport last time. Ms. Wang is truly a person of great importance who easily forgets.”

After speaking, she winked at Qi Baizi and asked in a low voice, “Why did you come over?”

Qi Baizi was still reeling from the phrase “Ms. Wang.” Wang… Wang Lin? It really was her?

Seeing her distracted, Gu Yuetong took off her sunglasses and pointed at Wang Lin. “Disappear immediately. I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Wang Lin chuckled. “Now that’s more like it.” She glanced at Qi Baizi, and although she felt something was odd, she decided to quit while she was ahead and turned to leave from backstage.

Qi Baizi suddenly asked coldly, “You’re just going to agree to give her the money like that?”

Gu Yuetong was taken aback. Was Qi Baizi questioning her? Qi Baizi repeated, “Why just give her the money like that?”

Gu Yuetong was at a loss for words. She coughed, and Qi Baizi came to her senses, lowering her eyes. “Sorry, President Gu… I just felt…”

“It’s okay. you’re right. I shouldn’t have agreed.”

Gu Yuetong smiled. “It’s not a workday today. You can relax a little.” She raised her hand to check her watch and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Qi Baizi shook her head.

Gu Yuetong said, “Let’s go. Let’s get something to eat upstairs.”

Just then, the fried chicken store manager, who had been eavesdropping from behind, sidled up. “Want some fried chicken? Xiao Bai works part-time at our shop. I’ll give you the employee discount! Guaranteed clean and hygienic!”

Her smile was radiant, her invitation sincere. Qi Baizi’s face stiffened. She cautiously glanced at Gu Yuetong’s face. It’s over, it’s over again. How could I have forgotten about the manager? She must have heard what Wang Lin said! It’s just asking for trouble. Is she going to spread it around?

The next second, she saw Gu Yuetong act as if nothing had happened and smile at the manager. “Then let’s give it a try.”

A private fried chicken shop in a mall certainly couldn’t compare to big brands like McDonald’s or KFC, whether in terms of decor or size. It was lunchtime, and the few tables and chairs outside were all occupied. Qi Baizi didn’t know if Gu Yuetong would be used to this kind of food. Steeling herself, she ordered a few signature items, only to find there was nowhere to sit. Fortunately, the store manager was hospitable and offered to take them to the employee break room.

As they entered, Qi Baizi hesitated for a second and turned on the indoor ventilation. After entering, Gu Yuetong acted like a regular customer, spotting a chair and sitting down on her own. Qi Baizi’s hand, reaching for a tissue, froze. Gu Yuetong smiled at her naturally. “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.” Qi Baizi scratched her nose, feeling a bit awkward. “I’ll go out and say hello to the manager.”

Gu Yuetong knew what she meant and said, “No need.”

“But…” Qi Baizi pursed her lips, troubled. In the end, it was her fault for not being thorough and leaving a loose end. “I’m afraid she won’t keep her mouth shut.”

“Even if she knew who I was, she wouldn’t say anything,” Gu Yuetong said, gesturing for Qi Baizi to sit opposite her. “Because she’s a businesswoman.”

“Oh…” Qi Baizi nodded slightly, only half-understanding.

Gu Yuetong looked around the small break room and asked her, “Do you often work part-time here?”

Qi Baizi nodded. “But don’t worry, President Gu. I only come during my time off. It won’t affect my work on Monday.”

Gu Yuetong was slightly taken aback. “That’s not what I meant.”

As they spoke, the fried chicken was brought to the table. Qi Baizi put on gloves and started deboning the chicken for Gu Yuetong. Gu Yuetong watched her, so focused and busy, and suddenly smiled faintly.

After finishing the fried chicken, Qi Baizi opened a bottle of soda water for Gu Yuetong to cut the grease. She was surprised by Gu Yuetong; she had thought Gu Yuetong wouldn’t eat such junk food, but unexpectedly, the two of them had finished everything. Gu Yuetong took the soda water and had a sip. The greasy feeling did indeed subside quite a bit. She looked at Qi Baizi, a little curious. “Aren’t you having any?”

Qi Baizi shook her head. This bottle of soda water cost eight yuan, and even with the employee discount, it was six yuan—enough for her to buy a loaf of bread for a meal. Besides, Gu Yuetong had come to eat at the shop where she worked part-time; she couldn’t possibly let Gu Yuetong pay, could she? She needed to save every penny she could right now.

Qi Baizi stood up to clear the trash from the table and take it out, intending to pay the bill as well. Unexpectedly, Gu Yuetong followed right behind her and took out her wallet to pay. Qi Baizi glanced at it—an orange Hermès wallet. Her hand, reaching for her phone, stopped. Arguing with President Gu at a time like this… wouldn’t that seem a bit pretentious?

The store manager took the money, her face beaming. “Come again if you liked it!”

Gu Yuetong smiled. “No problem.”

After saying that, she looked around and asked the manager, “Your food tastes great. Have you opened any other branches?”

The manager replied with a grin, “It’s a small business. The rent in Jingzhou is too high. How could I afford to open a branch?”

Gu Yuetong pulled another business card from her wallet and placed it on the counter. “If you want to open a branch, you can call this number.”

The manager’s jaw dropped in utter surprise. Gu Yuetong then pointed in the direction they had come from and said, “Redecorate the employee break room. Contact me if you need anything.”

The manager was a bit embarrassed. “I, I’ll think about it.”

She then gave Qi Baizi a meaningful look. Qi Baizi was helpless, equally puzzled as to why Gu Yuetong suddenly wanted to invest in this fried chicken shop. Gu Yuetong said nothing more and turned to walk out of the shop. The manager quickly sidled up to Qi Baizi. “How much money do you think she’ll invest?”

“How would I know?” Qi Baizi frowned. She had an impulse to follow and ask, but today was a day off, and she had no right to take up Gu Yuetong’s personal time. Besides, was it appropriate for her to question her superior’s decisions?

While she was hesitating, her phone vibrated. It was Gu Yuetong. “I don’t feel like driving after eating. Are you willing to work an extra day? Double pay.”

Of course, she couldn’t ask for more. Qi Baizi hung up, said goodbye to the manager, and immediately dashed out the door. Unexpectedly, Gu Yuetong was waiting for her not far away. Qi Baizi quickly composed herself and walked over with calm steps.

After they both got in the car, Gu Yuetong suddenly asked, “How much do you get paid for your part-time job here?”

“Thirty yuan an hour.” Qi Baizi glanced at the rearview mirror.

As expected, Gu Yuetong frowned slightly. How could a wealthy person care about thirty yuan? But for Qi Baizi, it was enough for two days’ worth of food. Qi Baizi didn’t want to continue this topic, and the question she had wanted to ask was pushed to the back of her mind. It wasn’t until they drove out of the underground garage that she asked Gu Yuetong where she wanted to go.

Gu Yuetong thought for a moment and said, “To East Mountain Manor.”

Qi Baizi replied calmly, but her heart was pounding. East Mountain Manor sounded like the name of a villa community. She had passed by it before during her part-time jobs. The outer wall was surrounded by huge cypress trees, giving it a sense that one could get lost just by looking at it. None of the information related to Gu Yuetong had ever mentioned East Mountain Manor, and the prices here were exorbitant… Could it be her private residence?

Qi Baizi drove silently. When they arrived, the gate automatically lifted. Gu Yuetong, who had been closing her eyes the whole way, suddenly spoke up. “Area A.”

Qi Baizi acknowledged and silently followed the signs to their destination. Unknowingly, they drove through another white-painted gate. Gu Yuetong said, “Stop the car. We’re here.”

Qi Baizi was at a loss. “Where should I park?” She hadn’t seen any underground garage or parking lot on the map.

Gu Yuetong unbuckled her seatbelt. “The ground we’re on, from the moment we passed that gate, all belongs to the Gu family.”

She winked at Qi Baizi in the rearview mirror and asked with a grin, “So, where do you think you should park?”

Qi Baizi was speechless.