Chapter 36
Li Yi wanted to say more, but the two bodyguards behind her coughed in unison, conveying a hint of threat. Li Yi had no choice but to close her mouth.
One of the bodyguards said, “Assistant Qi, Chairman Gu has requested your presence. Technician Li, please give her a reminder.”
Auntie Qin leaned in and shot them a glare, then whispered to Qi Baizi, “Should we go find Yuetong and discuss this first?”
Qi Baizi looked at the still-panicked Li Yi and refused. “No need. President Gu is busy. Let’s go see the Chairman directly.”
Li Yi showed a grateful expression, then looked back at the two bodyguards who stood as stern as prison guards. She took a small step forward and said in a low voice, “Later, please tell President Gu for me… that about last time, I’ve agreed.”
“Okay.”
Qi Baizi patted her on the shoulder and looked at the two bodyguards. “Let’s go. Take me to see Chairman Gu.”
This was Qi Baizi’s first time in the Chairman’s office. The decor was monotonous and old-fashioned, with a dark color scheme, but the materials used were more luxurious than in Gu Yuetong’s office.
Gu Hezhu, dressed in a plain long dress, sat behind her desk. A faint, unreadable smile played on her lips as she watched Qi Baizi approach, step by step.
When she was a meter away from the desk, Qi Baizi stopped. She stared into Gu Hezhu’s eyes and curved her lips slightly. “Did Chairman Gu invite me here to ask me something?”
“Oh? Your little classmate already told you?”
“Yes, she told me as soon as we met. Probably afraid I’d die at the hands of your bodyguards.” Qi Baizi glanced at the nearby sofa and sat down without much ceremony.
Gu Hezhu was taken aback, her domineering aura diminishing slightly. She questioned the two bodyguards in the distance with her eyes. The bodyguards shrugged, feigning innocence.
“I didn’t say they did anything. What are you afraid of, Chairman?”
Perhaps the previous encounter at the Huobu Group celebration had given Qi Baizi confidence. Now, facing Gu Hezhu again, she was experienced, her heart calm and her hands steady.
“Are you treating me to a meal this time too?”
Gu Hezhu also remembered the last time she had been bested by her. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she said, “We can skip the meal. I just wanted to invite you to sit for a while.”
Before the meeting with Gu Yuetong and the two shareholders, Gu Hezhu had only intended to summon Qi Baizi to question her about whether she was involved in Zheng Juan leading the joint lawsuit against the Gu Corporation. However, after Gu Yuetong declared she would thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of the compensation funds, Qi Baizi gained another purpose for Gu Hezhu.
“Take her phone,” Gu Hezhu ordered the bodyguards, a vicious glint suddenly flashing in her eyes.
Qi Baizi’s heart sank. She sensed trouble and quickly shouted, “This is my private property!” The two bodyguards advanced menacingly. In a panic, she stuffed her phone down her shirt.
The two bodyguards froze, not daring to move. They glanced at Gu Hezhu, awaiting instructions.
Gu Hezhu was also stunned by her action for a second. Why did she seem to be acting like a rogue? One of the bodyguards voiced her thoughts.
“You’re the ones who started acting like rogues!” Qi Baizi retorted. She curled her legs up, recklessly putting her feet on the sofa to protect her chest. “If you dare take another step closer, I’ll definitely drag you out through that window!”
The two bodyguards didn’t dare to move any further. They had to retreat a few steps, leaving the battlefield to Gu Hezhu.
Gu Hezhu was silent for a moment, her eyelids drooping. She sighed at Qi Baizi.
Qi Baizi saw the change in her expression and instantly guessed she was about to play the sympathy card, pretending to yield just like last time.
“Don’t try that. Just tell me why you called me here. As long as it doesn’t harm President Gu, I can consider cooperating,” Qi Baizi said seriously. “I know you called me here because of the joint lawsuit against the Gu Corporation.”
“Is that so?” Gu Hezhu raised a long eyebrow, enunciating each word. “Then that’s wonderful.”
***
The internal phone line in Gu Yuetong’s office was cut. They sent someone to fix it, but after more than an hour, it still wasn’t working. Zhou Qin would occasionally come by to pretend to supervise. The repairman, sweating profusely, suggested they find someone else.
Gu Yuetong was picking at a boxed lunch Zhou Qin had brought her while scrolling through her phone. Watching the two of them put on this act, she suddenly felt tired for them.
“Why don’t we just forget it? Young lady, you should go eat.”
The repair girl, with her long ponytail swinging, looked at Zhou Qin with a conflicted expression. Zhou Qin put on a show of apologizing to Gu Yuetong, then sternly berated the repairman before sending her away, toolbox and all.
“Was that necessary?” After the red-faced girl left, Gu Yuetong’s expression hardened. She tossed her chopsticks forward and looked at Zhou Qin.
A chill ran down Zhou Qin’s spine. This job was truly difficult, being stuck between a rock and a hard place. But for now, she had to deal with the situation. She forced a smile and said obsequiously, “I was just afraid she would delay your work.”
Gu Yuetong sneered at her words, the coldness in her eyes irrepressible. “You’re not clear on how this phone line got cut?”
Zhou Qin knew she had already guessed, but it was Chairman Gu Hezhu’s order, so she could only bite the bullet and lie. “President Gu, this is my fault. I should have had people inspect it more often…”
“That’s enough.”
Gu Yuetong was impatient and said harshly, “Gu Hezhu isn’t here. What’s the point of acting?”
Zhou Qin pressed her lips together and said no more.
“Your aunt is having coffee at the convenience store downstairs. Go bring her up.”
“And Lawyer Duan.” Gu Yuetong glanced at her watch. “She should be arriving soon. Pick her up as well and bring them in.”
“My aunt?” Zhou Qin was surprised. “What is she doing here?”
Gu Yuetong let out a strange laugh and stared into Zhou Qin’s eyes. “The news of the joint lawsuit against the Gu Corporation is already a top trending topic in the city. As a shareholder, why can’t your aunt come?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Zhou Qin was speechless.
Gu Yuetong added, “If you’re afraid she’ll scold you, I can have someone else pick her up. And by the way, you can also be transferred to another position.”
“No, that’s not necessary, President Gu… I’ll go.” Zhou Qin went downstairs to get them, her head hung low.
As expected, the moment they met, Auntie Qin started being sarcastic with Zhou Qin.
“Yuetong said you were coming to pick me up. I thought she was joking. You, Team Leader Zhou, are so busy every day, serving the Chairman hand and foot. Do you have time to pick up an aunt like me?”
Zhou Qin’s face flushed. “What are you saying? You’re my aunt.”
Auntie Qin didn’t give her a pleasant look. She picked two more packs of sandwich cookies from the shelf and had Zhou Qin pay for them.
Zhou Qin had always been afraid of this aunt of hers. It wasn’t that Auntie Qin was particularly fierce, but that she had gotten into the Gu Corporation entirely thanks to her shareholder aunt’s help. Otherwise, no matter how capable she was, she would never have become a team leader in such a competitive environment.
She just hadn’t expected that not long after joining the Gu Corporation, Chairman Gu Hezhu would approach her. Originally thinking she was serving the company, the extra bonus she received each month had twisted her service into serving only Gu Hezhu.
Gu Yuetong had exposed this matter in front of Auntie Qin, but out of respect for her aunt, Gu Yuetong had never made things difficult for Zhou Qin.
Zhou Qin was grateful to both of them. Auntie Qin was her biological aunt, after all, so she could take a few scoldings. As for Gu Yuetong, as long as they could coexist peacefully, it was fine. Anyway, she was an internal staff member. Besides summarizing Gu Yuetong’s work for Gu Hezhu every month, she didn’t need to do any other sneaky things.
Comparing herself to the previous Han Zhiyu, Zhou Qin considered herself to have a conscience.
“Wait a moment, Aunt. President Gu said Lawyer Duan is also arriving soon. She asked me to bring you both up together.”
At the company entrance, Zhou Qin called out to Qin Lishu. The two of them waited in the shade for Lawyer Duan.
A short while later, a woman with refined features and an elite aura, wearing small leather shoes, appeared before them.
“Duan Ying, long time no see.” Auntie Qin greeted her when she saw her.
Duan Ying was Gu Yuetong’s middle school classmate. They hadn’t been particularly close, but they had run into each other by chance after Gu Yuetong started working at the Gu Corporation.
Duan Ying had just won a lawsuit for Huobu Group. At that time, the social app project Gu Yuetong was leading was at a critical stage and urgently needed Huobu’s expertise. The two of them reconnected at the celebration party. Gu Yuetong, intending to recruit her, invited her to dinner.
From then on, Duan Ying had a new job: Gu Yuetong’s personal lawyer. She had also signed a priority contract.
So, even though she had things to do at the law firm today, when she saw the posts online and Gu Yuetong’s summons via text, Duan Ying dropped everything and sped over.
“I saw online that it’s very lively today. Why is it so quiet now? Where are the protesting workers?”
Zhou Qin replied, “President Gu took care of them this morning. They should be… eating in the cafeteria right now.”
“Oh?” Duan Ying was taken aback, thinking to herself that these workers were quite obedient. She then turned to look at Auntie Qin, trying to read something from her face, but Auntie Qin’s expression was blank, as if she were also completely baffled.
It seemed she would only get answers once she saw Gu Yuetong.
Zhou Qin successfully completed her task and breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the two of them walk into the office. But suddenly, a hand clapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Han Zhiyu.
Han Zhiyu had shed her former sophisticated urbanite style. She was wearing a white casual outfit, her hair was messy and unkempt, and her feet were clad in blackened sneakers. She put a finger to her lips, signaling Zhou Qin to be quiet.
Zhou Qin suppressed her surprise, covered her mouth, and looked around before quickly leading her into an empty conference room.
“I haven’t seen you in so long. Where have you been?”
Han Zhiyu sat down on the floor and started stuffing snacks from the pantry into her mouth. “The slammer.”
“What? What did you do? Does President Gu know? What about the Chairman?”
“President Gu has known for a while. She even came to see me…” Han Zhiyu’s tone shifted. She licked her lips and said, “The Chairman probably just found out not long ago.”
Even Han Zhiyu herself had forgotten how long she had been locked up. The days in the detention center felt like years. Especially after seeing Gu Yuetong, she had developed a strong urge to escape reality, constantly distracting herself. When she suddenly came to her senses, she thought she had spent the entire summer in there.
It wasn’t until she got out just now that the glaring summer sun and the calendar on her phone told her it was all an illusion.
“I heard a lot has happened recently.” Han Zhiyu pulled her thoughts back and asked Zhou Qin while munching on snacks.
A lot had indeed happened, but Zhou Qin wasn’t sure if she should tell her. She hesitated and changed the subject. “You should go wash up and change your clothes first. There might be reporters coming to the company today. If they catch you looking like this and publish it, it’ll be hard to explain to President Gu.”
“What’s wrong with how I look? Does it affect the company’s image?” Han Zhiyu’s hand, reaching for snacks, paused. She sneered, “Is it a bigger impact than those protesting workers in the cafeteria?”