Chapter 21
The visitation area was large and empty, with a pane of glass separating it into an inner and outer section.
Han Zhiyu was in the inner area, where a back door behind the glass led directly to the detention center. She had been held there for the past few days on suspicion of concealing prohibited items. Whether the case would proceed to a deeper level was still under review.
Ultimately, Han Zhiyu was also an implicated party in this matter. Qi Baizi guessed the police were likely in a difficult position, and everything depended on Han Zhiyu’s own attitude.
There weren’t many visitors today. As Qi Baizi entered, two family members were leaving through the main entrance, leaving the vast space occupied only by Gu Yuetong and, behind the glass, Han Zhiyu.
Qi Baizi didn’t walk over directly, instead giving them some space.
However, from the sound of their conversation, she could faintly discern Gu Yuetong’s dissatisfaction—dissatisfaction with Han Zhiyu.
Han Zhiyu, on the other hand, was very calm. Qi Baizi saw her lower her head slightly, her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Her expression held a trace of bitterness, but her charm was undiminished; she even looked somewhat pitiful and helpless.
She was begging Gu Yuetong to get her out.
Gu Yuetong refused. “My authority doesn’t extend to taking a suspect out of a detention center.”
Han Zhiyu fell silent, looking very disappointed.
She hadn’t actually expected Gu Yuetong to come. She had thought it would be Qi Baizi, bringing with her the bad news that she had been fired by Gu Hezhu.
But that wasn’t the case. Gu Hezhu clearly didn’t know about this yet, which was why Gu Yuetong had come.
That made her even more upset.
Because Gu Yuetong was questioning why she had dragged Qi Baizi into their affairs. Was she really that obedient to Gu Hezhu?
Han Zhiyu refuted the second question. It wasn’t that she had submitted to Gu Hezhu from the bottom of her heart; the truth was, she herself didn’t want Qi Baizi to stay by Gu Yuetong’s side for long.
Gu Yuetong couldn’t be with her, and by the same token, she couldn’t be with anyone else.
At the very least, in her eyes, Qi Baizi was not worthy of Gu Yuetong.
This line of reasoning angered Gu Yuetong, who found it laughable. A hint of displeasure appeared on her face, which usually remained impassive. Han Zhiyu knew her well; if they weren’t in a police station, she probably would have slammed the table by now.
“I just don’t want anyone else getting close to you. Isn’t that reason enough?” Han Zhiyu gave a bitter smile, a hint of helplessness in her voice. “President Gu, I’ve always…”
“But I don’t feel that way about you.”
“But I’ve kissed you.”
“That was an act for Huo Bu’s benefit. I explained it to you afterward,” Gu Yuetong’s voice was ice-cold, sounding even more emotionless through the layer of glass.
Han Zhiyu knew this would be the answer. Her slightly widened eyes drooped, and she said no more.
A moment later, Gu Yuetong, clearly still fuming, stood up. The chair scraped harshly against the floor as she moved. She said to Han Zhiyu, “Stay here and think carefully about what you need. Behave yourself, and when you get out, I can guarantee you can continue working at Gu Corporation.”
“But if you try to involve innocent people again, I will not tolerate it anymore.”
Gu Yuetong left her with that warning and turned to leave.
Then she saw Qi Baizi eavesdropping by the door. She paused for a moment, then put on a placid expression. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long,” Qi Baizi replied. “Are you done talking?”
“Yes. Do you want to talk to her?”
Qi Baizi glanced at Han Zhiyu and shook her head. “No need.”
She had nothing to say to Han Zhiyu. If it was related to the case, as long as Han Zhiyu told the truth and was honest enough, she believed the police wouldn’t make things difficult for her.
As they were about to leave the visitation area, the policewoman came over and called out to them again, but this time she was looking for Gu Yuetong. “It’s like this, Han Zhiyu’s younger sister, Han Zhimeng, is serving in the military back in their hometown and can’t return for a while. Her father, Han Zheng, is still recovering in the hospital, and his condition is unstable, so he might need someone to look after him occasionally… We have limited staff. I was wondering if your company could help out?”
Only after speaking did the policewoman notice Gu Yuetong’s grim expression and quickly explained, “He doesn’t need long-term care, just hiring a caregiver or someone similar to look after him for a bit will do…”
Gu Yuetong hesitated for a moment before agreeing. “It’s not convenient for me to show up in person. Can I give you the money?”
The policewoman nodded. “No problem. Please follow me.”
Gu Yuetong told Qi Baizi to go get the car first. She followed the policewoman to an office where a specialist handled such matters. After completing the procedures and paying the money, Gu Yuetong paused as she was leaving and made a request to the police. “I’d like Han Zhiyu to have a more comfortable time in there.”
The policewoman was taken aback. She had other cases to deal with these past two days and hadn’t seen Han Zhiyu much, so she didn’t immediately grasp the meaning behind Gu Yuetong’s words.
However, she quickly understood. After all, life for suspects in the detention center was indeed tough. She must have seen how haggard Han Zhiyu had become during their meeting just now.
“Of course, that’s no problem…”
Before she could finish, Gu Yuetong grunted in acknowledgment and returned to the office. She took out her wallet, pulled out twenty red 100-yuan bills, and a business card.
“If she needs anything in there, you can contact me anytime.”
On the way back, Gu Yuetong took some motion sickness medication and remained silent for the entire journey. Qi Baizi noticed her checking her phone from time to time, as if she had something to attend to.
Sure enough, as they neared the Gu Corporation building, Gu Yuetong told her she didn’t need to go upstairs for the meeting.
“Then I’ll wait for you in the office…”
“No need for that either,” Gu Yuetong said. “Go pick up Store Manager Pei Ran. The site selection for the new store is today. I’m leaving it to you.”
Qi Baizi was stunned for a moment. Pei Ran was the manager of the fried chicken shop where she worked part-time. Site selection for a new store, so soon?
“I don’t know much about this kind of retail business. You have more life experience than I do, so you’ll go in my place,” Gu Yuetong said. “Didn’t you tell me a couple of days ago that you wanted to learn how to handle work matters? This store is an investment under my personal name, so you don’t need to feel any pressure.”
“Yes,” Qi Baizi agreed.
Just as Gu Yuetong was about to get out of the car, Qi Baizi called out to her again. “President Gu—”
Gu Yuetong paused. “What is it?”
“I… I’ve thought it over.” Qi Baizi met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I promised to compensate you for the accident two years ago. I can’t delay it any longer. But I’m a bit tight on cash right now and can’t come up with that much money at once. So, in two months, you can start deducting it directly from my salary… Just leave me ten thousand yuan…”
Towards the end, Qi Baizi’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Gu Yuetong couldn’t help but chuckle. She had sounded so full of confidence when she called out, so why did she sound so guilty now? She wasn’t a tigress, was she that scary?
“Since you’re so keen on paying me back, why not start deducting it from this month’s salary?” Gu Yuetong deliberately teased Qi Baizi.
Unexpectedly, Qi Baizi had quite a strong reaction. “President Gu, please give me two more months…” She turned her head, her deep eyes filled with pleading and anxiety.
“Someone in my family is sick and in urgent need of money. I really can’t have my salary delayed for these two months…”
“Sick?” Gu Yuetong paused, thinking of the aunt mentioned in Qi Baizi’s Weibo posts.
“Just…” Qi Baizi bit her lip, restraining herself from playing the victim in front of Gu Yuetong. “Just take it as an excuse… Anyway, I really need the money recently. I’m truly sorry, President Gu.”
“I understand.” Gu Yuetong sighed. Before getting out of the car, she reminded her, “Drive safely. Call me if anything comes up.”
As she watched Gu Yuetong walk into the Gu Corporation building, Qi Baizi’s tense emotions finally relaxed. She released her tight grip on the steering wheel and wiped her face, only then realizing that in her agitation, she had actually shed tears.
President Gu… she probably didn’t see that, right?
On the way to pick up Pei Ran, Qi Baizi couldn’t help but reflect that she was rarely this fragile. She must have been scared just now.
Her aunt Wu Yanfang’s condition had worsened and she might need to be hospitalized. Her uncle’s family also needed to move. All of this required money.
She wasn’t afraid of hardship or difficulty, only of not being able to provide when her family needed it.
Money, money, money… she needed money so badly.
Qi Baizi composed herself, pulled down the sun visor, and stepped on the gas.
While inspecting the storefronts with Pei Ran, Qi Baizi received a call from the traffic police, asking her to come to the station to sign the Liability Determination Letter when she had time. The other party was primarily at fault, and the insurance company would contact her about the subsequent compensation.
Signing the papers and getting the car repaired could be done anytime. Qi Baizi hung up and continued to look at the storefronts.
These locations were all chosen by Pei Ran, mostly in crowded areas. The agent had already shown them three, with three more to see in the afternoon. The current location they were looking at was in the eastern part of Jingzhou City, on the basement level of a shopping mall.
The foot traffic was decent, but the rent was on the high side. Although Gu Yuetong hadn’t specified a budget, Pei Ran and Qi Baizi had discussed it and agreed it couldn’t be too much higher than the average. Otherwise, if the revenue couldn’t keep up, it would be useless no matter how good the location was.
However, Pei Ran was very satisfied with this storefront. It wasn’t the kind of basement level in an indoor food court, but in a semi-open sunken plaza. The air circulation was better, and there was enough space for tables and chairs. In the summer, they could open the air conditioner and the door at the same time, making it cool and ventilated. It was much better than their previous shop, where even the employee break room was extremely cramped.
Pei Ran nudged Qi Baizi and whispered something to her.
Qi Baizi said, “Can you haggle?”
Pei Ran was a straightforward person who cared a lot about face. She preferred to keep things amicable and wasn’t good at the tense atmosphere of haggling.
She looked at Qi Baizi with a pleading expression.
Pei Ran really liked this place, so Qi Baizi had no choice but to patiently discuss the price with the agent. She wasn’t good at haggling either; as a blunt person who relied on bursts of energy even in arguments, she now had to learn to put on a show of adult pleasantries.
Unfortunately, the agent wasn’t buying it, because he had also received notice from the landlord: not a single cent would be reduced.
Then there was nothing left to talk about.
Qi Baizi was about to give up and look at the next one, but Pei Ran was still not resigned. She braced herself and approached the agent, begging him to call the landlord again.
Renting a storefront in Jingzhou City was a considerable business transaction. The agent hesitated for a moment, also wanting to give it another try.
Pei Ran gave Qi Baizi a “yay” expression. Qi Baizi smiled, but just as she was about to say something, her phone rang again.
It was the traffic police again, asking her to come over as soon as possible.
Qi Baizi had no choice but to leave first. She agreed with Pei Ran that if the price here couldn’t be negotiated, they would meet up near the next storefront.
Pei Ran agreed, and Qi Baizi sped off towards the police station.