Chapter 32
After getting out of the car, Qi Baizi saw the person who had been sneaking into her room. The moment their eyes met, she found him somewhat familiar. As she entered the building, she remembered—wasn’t this the man she had seen talking on the phone in the kitchen the other day, the one with the foul mouth who had bumped into her on his way out?
It seemed this was premeditated.
After telling Gu Yuetong about it, Gu Yuetong’s face darkened, but she said nothing.
The two of them entered the shared apartment, one after the other.
Qi Baizi was actually a little reluctant to bring Gu Yuetong to a place like this.
In her eyes, Gu Yuetong belonged in a crystal palace, eating ambrosia and drinking divine nectar. At the very least, she should be dining on meals personally prepared by Auntie Qin, or at worst, in her own apartment.
This dusty shared rental would only tarnish Gu Yuetong’s nobility. She felt very guilty.
But Gu Yuetong clearly didn’t see it that way.
She helped clean the floor and pick up the trash can that had been knocked over during the chaotic arrest. Then she looked up at Qi Baizi. “You can’t live here anymore. Pack your clothes and documents, and we’ll head back to East Mountain Manor for now.”
Qi Baizi hesitated. “If I move in, will I be too much trouble for Auntie Qin?”
Gu Yuetong usually stayed at her own apartment, which was closer to the office and more convenient for her to paint. Although the Old Fortress had a studio, it certainly wasn’t as freeing as living in her apartment, since having Auntie Qin around was different from being alone.
Qi Baizi knew that if she moved in, Gu Yuetong would likely have to move back for the long term as well. She felt a bit embarrassed. “How about I just make do for a few more nights? I’ll wait until I find a new place.”
“No. Give me your phone.” Gu Yuetong’s tone was firm. “You can’t stay here any longer.”
Qi Baizi couldn’t win against her and lowered her head to start packing.
She didn’t have many things; a single backpack was enough to hold everything. She decided to just leave the bedding and blankets behind.
Being habitually frugal, Qi Baizi felt a pang of regret. These items had cost her a few hundred yuan, and throwing them away just like that felt like a waste. But with Gu Yuetong’s sharp gaze on her, Qi Baizi didn’t dare say anything. For a moment, she just felt that she was being petty.
Gu Yuetong was decisive and efficient. By the time Qi Baizi came downstairs with her things packed, Gu Yuetong had already finished making a call for her—to the landlord.
Faced with this unexpected disaster, the landlord was naturally reluctant, subtly trying to shift the blame and stating that the security deposit would not be refunded if the lease was broken now. Gu Yuetong didn’t argue with her, simply saying six words: “I’m just notifying you.”
Seeing Qi Baizi come out, Gu Yuetong asked her, “How much is your monthly rent?”
Qi Baizi answered dazedly, “Seventeen hundred.”
“I’ll cover it for you.” As she spoke, Gu Yuetong took out her own phone to transfer the money to Qi Baizi, and then used Qi Baizi’s phone to accept the payment.
While Qi Baizi was still dumbfounded, Gu Yuetong turned to the police officer and said, “I will be following this case closely, in my capacity as President of the Gu Group.”
“After all, the victim is my employee.”
With that, she ushered Qi Baizi into the car and sped away.
The police officer, who had intended to treat this as a minor incident, fell silent for a moment. He then picked up his walkie-talkie and gave a new order: “Investigate further! Get all the residents in there out here!”
***
That night, as she lay in bed, Qi Baizi’s mind was filled with images of Gu Yuetong from earlier that day. She was simply “so cool, so awesome.” That figure seemed to merge with the Gu Yuetong she had seen on television.
In reality, after getting closer to Gu Yuetong, Qi Baizi discovered that the working Gu Yuetong was different from her impression. After all, work was exhausting. Gu Yuetong wasn’t a machine; even if she handled things with ease, she would get irritable when bogged down by too many trivial matters.
The tea Gu Yuetong drank was always somewhat bitter; she never touched light-flavored teas. Qi Baizi believed the bitterness kept her sharp, and Gu Yuetong’s behavior reflected that.
Sometimes during meetings, Gu Yuetong would clearly be distracted, but a single sip of tea would immediately restore her clarity.
So it was true that work numbed people. The saying that tea and coffee were the self-inflicted whips of a beast of burden was not without reason.
Qi Baizi had never worked in a formal office setting. If she really thought about it, the time she spent sitting at the Gu Corporation was less than the time she had spent sitting as a Japanese translator.
Gu Yuetong had arranged a desk for her in the adjacent office, but she found it inconvenient and preferred to stand at the door of Gu Yuetong’s office every day, on call and ready to be summoned.
Therefore, she had no experience with desk work and couldn’t understand Li Yi’s complaint that “the workstation is a beast of burden’s whole world.” Her whole world was Gu Yuetong.
After today’s events, Qi Baizi’s trust in this world of hers had skyrocketed. She had to admit it—she liked Gu Yuetong. Curled up under the covers, Qi Baizi confirmed it once more.
Yes, it was a like that encompassed many different aspects.
The next morning, Auntie Qin knocked on their doors one by one to wake them up.
Qi Baizi was already washed and dressed, so she came out as soon as Auntie Qin knocked. But there was no sound from Gu Yuetong’s room.
Auntie Qin grew a little worried. “Is she sick?” Gu Yuetong never slept in.
Qi Baizi was also puzzled. She knocked on the door a couple more times, but there was no response. She tried the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn. She turned to Auntie Qin and asked, “Do you have a key?”
Auntie Qin went downstairs to look for it, muttering something under her breath.
Qi Baizi waited for a moment, but Auntie Qin still hadn’t come back up. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her heart burned with anxiety. She kicked the door open in one swift motion.
Everyone, both inside and outside the room, was stunned by her explosive strength, despite her tall and slender frame. When Auntie Qin heard the noise and rushed upstairs, her jaw dropped.
Gu Yuetong was halfway through changing her pants, a large expanse of her fair, slender legs exposed. She was clearly terrified, and Qi Baizi could see from up close that she was trembling.
“I’m sorry, President Gu!”
But in the next second, Qi Baizi didn’t dare look any longer. She turned her back, then intercepted the incoming Auntie Qin, wrapping an arm around her and guiding her out. Auntie Qin said with a grin, “What are you afraid of? Don’t be shy…”
Auntie Qin was truly improper, Qi Baizi thought at first. But then, on second thought, she realized she was the improper one.
Barging into her boss’s bedroom and catching her changing her pants… unbelievable. What was the difference between this and a death wish?
A short while later, a weakened Gu Yuetong came downstairs. Even her voice was feeble.
Qi Baizi glanced at her once, then didn’t dare to look again.
Gu Yuetong picked up a muffin and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed a few times, then paused, took a breath, and continued chewing, completely lacking her usual calm and composed demeanor.
Standing nearby, Qi Baizi sensed her abnormality. After a moment of silence, she shot a look at Auntie Qin.
Auntie Qin mouthed to her, “It’s not that time of the month yet.”
It was normal for periods to be irregular. Qi Baizi got up, poured a glass of hot water, and placed it next to Gu Yuetong. Then she ran upstairs, found a painkiller in her backpack, and scurried back to present it to Gu Yuetong.
Gu Yuetong was taken aback for a moment. “What’s this?”
“Ibuprofen.”
Gu Yuetong’s expression changed. She said, conflicted, “Aren’t you not supposed to take painkillers?”
Gu Hezhu had told her since she was young that taking painkillers for menstrual pain would lead to dependency.
The last time Qi Baizi had heard such an argument was in high school. Her unfortunate deskmate suffered excruciating pain every time she got her period. She had tried every remedy, and finally, during gym class, she nearly fainted before Qi Baizi saved her with a painkiller.
When the pain returned, she was still hesitant to take another one. Qi Baizi had asked her, “You’ve been in pain for so many years without taking medicine, and it hasn’t gotten any better, has it?”
Her deskmate fell silent. Gu Yuetong now wore the same expression as her deskmate had back then.
Qi Baizi added another word of persuasion, “It might not work if you take it, but it will definitely hurt if you don’t.”
Gu Yuetong looked at Auntie Qin, who just shrugged. Gritting her teeth, Gu Yuetong picked up the glass of water and swallowed the pill.
After the meal, Gu Yuetong went upstairs to change for work. Downstairs, Qi Baizi was on the phone.
When Gu Yuetong came down, Qi Baizi stopped her. “I’ve already notified the attendees of today’s meeting. Sister Zhou Qin will bring the laptop over later. You’ll work from home today. The other staff will also report in online.”
Gu Yuetong was stunned. “You?”
Qi Baizi read the disbelief in her expression but didn’t feel offended. She had always been like a child in front of Gu Yuetong, whether at work or elsewhere, always taking one step for every one Gu Yuetong directed. After so long, it was time she tried to grow up.
As Gu Yuetong’s personal assistant, serving her well surpassed everything else.
After settling Gu Yuetong on the sofa, Qi Baizi organized her thoughts and suddenly said, “Last Friday, I shouldn’t have harbored negative feelings towards you. My ability to regulate my own emotions is too poor.”
Gu Yuetong was slightly surprised and managed to squeeze out a sound. “…Mm.”
Qi Baizi said, “In the future, if there are any problems, please point them out promptly, and I will correct them as soon as possible.”
“…Okay.”
“I can understand why you lied to Li Yi that day. After all, you need a subordinate who follows your orders, and you don’t want us to associate with each other and team up against you.” Qi Baizi paused for a moment. “I should unconditionally stand by your side, not harbor suspicions about your secrecy.”
Gu Yuetong remained silent, a flicker of gratification in her eyes.
Qi Baizi caught this emotion and knew her analysis was correct. She instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
“But you still owe me an explanation. Why were you angry during dinner on Friday, and… all of last week…” Why were you so cold to me?
As Qi Baizi spoke, Gu Yuetong’s expression gradually changed.
Qi Baizi pressed her lips together.
But Gu Yuetong spoke up. “Because I wanted you to say it.”
Qi Baizi was stunned for three seconds.
It was an answer Qi Baizi had never considered, yet Gu Yuetong told her with utmost naturalness, “You’re not the type to beat around the bush. Your emotions are mostly written on your face.”
“I don’t want to see you looking troubled, so I need you to speak up.” Gu Yuetong was very serious and sincere. Qi Baizi found it a bit abstract. Was there really no other meaning behind this?
Gu Yuetong told her, “No. I just need you to be able to speak up at any time.”
“If you don’t want to listen to Auntie Qin’s jokes, you can say so directly. If you don’t want to be the manager of the fried chicken shop, you can also say so directly. Instead of bottling it up.”
“Just be more honest.”
Time was up. Gu Yuetong entered work mode, straightening up for the meeting.
Qi Baizi sat primly by her side, occasionally analyzing her words in her mind. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief and chuckled.