Chapter 30

The two people on the opposite sofa were simultaneously astonished.

Li Yi was astonished by Gu Yuetong’s decision. For one, she didn’t understand the reason, and for another, she was somewhat fearful. After all, Gu Yuetong had a notorious reputation. With a personality that couldn’t even get along with her own mother, who knew if she would be difficult with her subordinates.

Qi Baizi, however, was different. She just didn’t understand why Gu Yuetong was suddenly putting on this show, and why she wanted to transfer Li Yi to her side. Even if she were transferred, what position would she hold? A personal assistant like her?

Did Gu Yuetong suddenly have this idea, or had she had it all along?

Qi Baizi was more inclined to believe the latter. After all, Chen Hao had risked getting himself sent to jail just to do Gu Yuetong a favor. It was likely she had this idea for a while, and the news had spread, giving Chen Hao the perfect opportunity to come up with a desperate plan to get ahead.

Gu Yuetong must have been scared. She was afraid that everyone would imitate Chen Hao, so she wanted to finalize the candidate first.

But why didn’t she discuss it with her beforehand?

Beside her, Li Yi was making faces at her. Qi Baizi came back to her senses and made a helpless shrugging gesture.

Gu Yuetong noticed their silent exchange and spoke up to explain, “I’m not forcing you to transfer. I’m giving you a choice. I can give you a week to consider. Before you become a full-time employee, you can come to me at any time.”

“…Thank you, President Gu. I’ll go back and think about it.” Li Yi stood up and bowed.

After eating fruit and chatting for a bit more, Li Yi mentioned that it was getting late and she wouldn’t disturb Gu Yuetong any longer. Beside her, Qi Baizi also stood up. The two exchanged a glance, preparing to leave together.

Gu Yuetong asked Auntie Qin to see Li Yi off, but then she saw Qi Baizi gripping her phone and putting on her jacket, also looking like she was about to leave. She immediately followed them out.

“Qi Baizi,” she called out from a few meters away.

“Yes, President Gu.” Qi Baizi stopped at the sound of her name and turned back to ask, “Do you have any instructions?”

Gu Yuetong was taken aback, a look of alarm on her face. “You’re leaving now?”

Qi Baizi was very respectful. “Yes, President Gu. It’ll be hard to get a taxi if it gets too late.”

Gu Yuetong paused, then said, “You can stay, or you can drive back later.”

“That’s not necessary, President Gu. I think it’s better if we maintain some boundaries.”

After saying that, Qi Baizi caught up with Li Yi. They walked shoulder to shoulder. As they left the green space, Li Yi even turned back to bid farewell to Gu Yuetong, but Qi Baizi didn’t even turn her head.

Gu Yuetong stood there stunned, watching as Auntie Qin saw them off. A few minutes later, Auntie Qin returned and saw Gu Yuetong looking crestfallen. She asked with some concern, “Did you two have a fight?”

Gu Yuetong returned to her senses woodenly. “What?”

“I said, did you and Little Bai have a fight?”

“No.” Gu Yuetong didn’t think they had argued, especially when they were talking alone outside. After all, in the end, Gu Yuetong had compromised and agreed to explain to her why her attitude had been so bad lately.

It was just… she hadn’t had the chance to tell Qi Baizi about transferring Li Yi to her side.

Could she be angry about that? Gu Yuetong frowned. But she was already prepared to explain it to her. Was she not even going to give her a chance to speak?

Auntie Qin didn’t know what had happened, but she understood Gu Yuetong’s personality.

She knew that Gu Yuetong couldn’t stand the silent treatment in a relationship, so a stalemate like today’s wouldn’t last long.

Sure enough, on Saturday morning, Gu Yuetong dressed neatly and went out.

Auntie Qin asked if she would be back. Gu Yuetong shook her head and said she wasn’t sure.

Auntie Qin didn’t say any more.

Gu Yuetong drove straight to the mall where the calligraphy competition had been held. After going upstairs, she saw the long queue at the fried chicken shop from a distance. She hesitated, planning to go over when there were fewer people.

But she was recognized by the store manager, Pei Ran.

The store manager had just finished frying a tray of chicken skeletons. She saw a familiar figure in the distance through the glass, so she quickly swapped places with someone else, took off her apron, and jogged over.

“It really is you, President Gu.” Pei Ran had a bead of sweat on her forehead and was fanning herself with her hand.

The weather was getting hot now. Even with the air conditioning on in the mall, it was still uncomfortable to be around the deep fryer.

Gu Yuetong got straight to the point. “Is Qi Baizi here?”

Pei Ran grimaced and shook her head. “No, I’m waiting for her too. There’s another event downstairs today, I’m swamped.”

Gu Yuetong asked again, “Then do you know where she went?”

“I don’t know.” Pei Ran wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. “In the past, when she didn’t come for her part-time job, she was either taking care of her mother or out delivering food. But since she started working for you, I’ve had less contact with her. If it weren’t for you investing in our shop, President Gu, we probably wouldn’t have much interaction either…”

Pei Ran was a businesswoman, after all. Her words subtly flattered the other person. But Gu Yuetong was in no mood to chat with Pei Ran today. She just wanted to see Qi Baizi and clear up yesterday’s misunderstanding with her.

“I called her this morning, but she didn’t answer. I thought she had come here for her part-time job.”

“Nope.” Pei Ran added, “But it’ll be more convenient to see her in the future. Once the new store is renovated, as the store manager, she’ll have to come and check on the store every week, right?”

Pei Ran had a smile on her face as she spoke, but Gu Yuetong’s expression grew more and more serious as she listened. She remembered something and asked Pei Ran, “Does she know that I want her to be the manager of the new store?”

“She knows.” Pei Ran paused, feeling inexplicably guilty. “How could I not tell her such good news? I wanted to make her happy too.”

Gu Yuetong didn’t say anything. Pei Ran could see she wanted to leave and quickly said, “Don’t worry, President Gu. If I see her, I’ll definitely report to you.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for your call then.”

And so she waited, all the way until Monday morning at work.

On Sunday, Gu Yuetong briefly left Jingzhou City to attend a painting exhibition held by an old classmate in the neighboring province. Before she left, her old classmate wanted her to stay the night. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time and should catch up.

But Gu Yuetong was preoccupied with seeing Qi Baizi at work the next day and politely declined.

For some reason, the moment she saw Qi Baizi, Gu Yuetong felt a sense of relief.

Monday morning wasn’t particularly busy, but Gu Hezhu held an online shareholder meeting. From sitting down at the computer to the end of the meeting, the entire morning had passed.

There was still half a day of meetings in the afternoon. Gu Yuetong found it hard to find any enjoyment in the tedious meetings. She needed to relax, so at noon, she invited Qi Baizi to have lunch with her.

The restaurant she chose was a French restaurant not far from the company. Qi Baizi had wanted to refuse, but when she heard that Gu Yuetong had already made a reservation, she couldn’t bring herself to embarrass her, so she followed along dejectedly.

Sitting in the private room, Qi Baizi didn’t say a word.

Gu Yuetong tentatively tried to start a conversation, but Qi Baizi was frequently distracted. It didn’t seem like she didn’t want to talk, but rather that she didn’t have the energy to.

Remembering that Qi Baizi had almost run a red light while driving just now, Gu Yuetong was silent for a moment and decided to let Qi Baizi eat first.

The French cuisine was delicious, and it was Qi Baizi’s first time eating at such a high-end restaurant, even more luxurious than the Western restaurant they had eaten at in Donglin. But with a heavy heart, the foie gras she swallowed turned into sour bile in her stomach, her taste buds getting no enjoyment at all.

“Do you need a break?” Gu Yuetong asked after the meal. “I can give you half a day off.”

Qi Baizi put down her fork and shook her head.

Gu Yuetong asked again, “Then what would make you a little happier?”

Gu Yuetong’s question was sincere, but it sounded different in Qi Baizi’s ears. She thought Gu Yuetong was reprimanding her for not being focused and squeezed out a sentence after racking her brains: “I’m sorry.”

Gu Yuetong’s head was about to explode. She couldn’t say her life had been smooth sailing, but she had never met someone who required so much of her attention. Even after being with Wang Lin for several years, she had never had it this hard.

“You might have misunderstood. I meant, what can I do to make you a little happier?”

Qi Baizi was silent for a long time, then stood up and said, “Let’s go back to the company.”

Qi Baizi went to get the car from the parking lot. Gu Yuetong made a phone call while she was gone. After getting in the car, Gu Yuetong took the initiative to say, “Auntie Qin said she misses you. Let’s go back to East Mountain Manor for dinner tonight.”

Qi Baizi glanced at her in the rearview mirror, then nodded.

Gu Yuetong rejoiced in her heart. She had thought she would be rejected. Fortunately, Qi Baizi agreed.

This girl really knew how to make people worry.

In the evening, Gu Yuetong deliberately left work early and returned to the old fortress with Qi Baizi. Auntie Qin was stir-frying vegetables and ran to open the door for them when she heard them arrive.

Gu Yuetong uncharacteristically took the initiative to start a conversation. “Auntie Qin, give Little Bai a key too, in case she wants to come but can’t get in.”

Auntie Qin immediately agreed, then tossed a key to them and turned back to the kitchen to continue her unfinished masterpiece.

Gu Yuetong forced a smile. “Little Bai, please don’t be like Auntie Qin, with her mind only on her cooking.”

It was a meaningless topic, but Qi Baizi still picked it up. “I won’t. My mind is all on you, President Gu.”

Qi Baizi’s words came out fast and unfiltered. By the time she realized what she had said, the words were already out.

Gu Yuetong was stunned for three seconds, then pushed her into the living room.

After they were seated, Gu Yuetong asked, “Tell me, what’s wrong with you.”

“It’s nothing,” Qi Baizi shook her head.

Seeing this, Gu Yuetong sighed helplessly. It was a long sigh, as if she were about to cough up her lungs. Qi Baizi looked up, curiously meeting her eyes. She explained, “You said your mind was all on me, but it doesn’t seem like it today.”

Seeing that Qi Baizi still wasn’t talking, Gu Yuetong feigned again, “It seems I can only half-believe your words. I wonder who else in this world I can trust.”

“No…” Qi Baizi reacted to this. She scratched the back of her neck and said with some hesitation, “It’s just, I have a small family matter. It’s not important.”

“Not important?”

“Mmm…” Qi Baizi lowered her gaze. “It was my fault today for making you worry, President Gu.”

Gu Yuetong saw that her mood had improved a little and her spirits had relaxed a bit. “So you do know I was worried about you.”

Her tone was somewhat coquettish. Qi Baizi was slightly surprised and looked up to meet Gu Yuetong’s gaze again.

Auntie Qin happened to be serving the dishes. “Time to eat, time to eat.”

Gu Yuetong said, “Let’s go, Classmate Xiao Bai.” As she spoke, she held out her hand in a gesture.

Qi Baizi hesitated for a moment, then offered her wrist.

The moment her wrist was enveloped by her palm, Qi Baizi’s face turned red. She tried to pull back, but Gu Yuetong didn’t let go.