PB - Chapter 64
Chapter 64
The banquet hosted by the Qi family was lavish and grand. To everyone’s surprise, Qi Sitian was being led around and introduced by the president of Rongfang Group. The perpetually aloof President Gu had never done such a thing before. A crowd of brightly dressed people surrounded the newly prominent Qi Sitian, chatting and joking as if they had known her for a long time.
Gu Jianchu introduced Qi Sitian to many potential business partners. Su Jiayin accompanied them at first, but seeing how adeptly Qi Sitian handled herself, she realized there was no need for her to intervene and slipped away to enjoy a quiet drink.
After Qi Sitian had more or less made her rounds, Gu Jianchu found Su Jiayin and walked over. Qi Sitian followed along and said shyly, “Thank you, Aunt Jianchu.”
“If your aunt were here, she would do the same. I’m not teaching you; I’m just helping her.” Gu Jianchu’s gaze lowered slightly as she looked at Qi Sitian. “Do you remember what I told you the first time you came to my office?”
The circumstances of that day had been strange, so Qi Sitian remembered it clearly, but she didn’t know which specific sentence Gu Jianchu was referring to. She shook her head.
Gu Jianchu said irritably, “I told you then, never back down easily, no matter the situation.” Qi Sitian was rather amusing; whenever she was scolded, she would get a dazed and confused expression, just like a student being reprimanded. Gu Jianchu had no choice but to soften her tone. “Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Then don’t disturb your Aunt Su and me while we’re talking.”
Qi Sitian had to quickly say goodbye to Su Jiayin and hurry away. Su Jiayin watched Qi Sitian’s back as she re-entered the glittering crowd. Seeing her handle herself competently, she finally looked away. She asked Gu Jianchu, “Do you know what A Qi is off doing?”
Gu Jianchu took a light sip of her wine, unconcerned, and answered, “I do.”
“Soulmates, huh?” Su Jiayin smiled, a hint of worry in her voice. “The two companies will be competing again in the future. Is that really good for your relationship?”
A smile touched the corners of Gu Jianchu’s eyes. “Work is work. It can all be resolved.” She was radiant as she spoke, proud and self-assured.
The two of them continued to chat idly. At one point, Shen Shoucheng came over to greet them. Socializing was the most troublesome part. After fulfilling her duties, Shen Shoucheng returned and simply joined their idle conversation. The Qi family’s banquet was truly dull, aside from the large number of people.
At that moment, in the center of the banquet hall, Qi San finished a short toast under the spotlight and began chatting cheerfully with others. Seeing that Qi Sitian was now handling things with ease, Gu Jianchu left with Su Jiayin. They both had work the next day and had no time for further amusement; they just wanted to go home and sleep.
On the twenty-third day after Qiao Qi left, news arrived that a Ruifeng subsidiary had fully acquired a European company. Hank quickly called Gu Jianchu to express his concerns about the future of the market. He had met Qiao Qi and had personally investigated the strength of various domestic enterprises, so he was certain that Ruifeng’s move was intended to put new pressure on U.E. But Gu Jianchu just agreed with him on a few points and didn’t discuss the matter further.
As for Qiao Qi’s side, the most excited person was Jin Zhiyu. The scale of the project he was handling this time was beyond anything he had previously imagined. After the acquisition was complete, they held a late-night remote conference with the domestic team. During the three-hour meeting, Qiao Qi quickly laid out an integration plan for the new company. By the time Jin Zhiyu got through that busy month, he was in absolute awe of his Sister Qiqi. The more he watched her, the more he felt his sister shone brightly.
“Sister Qiqi, this is way more impressive than anything I learned in school.”
“You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”
Jin Zhiyu played the fool, saying respectfully, “Then I’ll need Sister Qiqi to guide me more. You can’t think I’m stupid.”
Qiao Qi looked at him very seriously and said, “You’re not stupid.” Jin Zhiyu never expected her to respond so matter-of-factly and was stunned for a moment. Only then did he see the smile hidden at the corner of her mouth.
Even before Qiao Qi returned to the country, the board’s attitude toward Jin Zhihuan had already shifted noticeably. Those who had previously sided with him were defecting one after another. Jin Zhihuan knew it was only a matter of time before he lost power completely. Competing on the same stage was a zero-sum game; the more obvious his decline, the more glorious Qiao Qi’s victory would be.
And then there was Jin Zhiyu, who had feigned goodwill toward him while secretly currying favor with Qiao Qi. Now he was thriving in the group, on the verge of climbing over his head. He was resentful and found it hard to swallow this humiliation. He should have crushed this woman under his heel the moment she first appeared. If he had done so back then, Grandpa certainly wouldn’t have felt the slightest bit of pity. Unfortunately, he had already missed the best opportunity.
A few days later, Gu Mingyi gave him a call, completely out of the blue. A look of disgust crossed his face, but he answered anyway. A warm “Brother Jin” came from the other end.
Jin Zhihuan feigned cordiality. “What have you been busy with lately? I haven’t seen you around.”
Gu Mingyi knew Jin Zhihuan wasn’t actually concerned, so he cut to the chase. “Brother Jin, I’ve got a few big projects on my hands and was hoping you’d invest. Besides, you’re more familiar with the domestic scene and can help me vet them.”
Jin Zhihuan was impatient. What kind of decent projects could Gu Mingyi possibly have? He demurred, “I’m swamped over here. And the domestic market isn’t great right now; I’d advise you to be cautious too.”
Gu Mingyi had expected Jin Zhihuan wouldn’t help him. He was annoyed, but his words were crafted to elicit sympathy. “Brother Jin, to be honest, I’m at my wit’s end. I can’t count on Rongfang at all. My only option now is to rely on my friendships and ask my brothers for a little help.”
Gu Mingyi’s show of weakness stirred a sense of shared misfortune in Jin Zhihuan—a tiger stranded on a plain. Gu Mingyi had been kicked out of Rongfang by Gu Jianchu. And him? Perhaps as soon as Qiao Qi landed back home, he would be driven out of the group. Suddenly, he remembered Jin Zhilan mentioning the relationship between Qiao Qi and Gu Jianchu. With that thought, Gu Mingyi suddenly seemed much more relatable.
“How about this: come by my office in a few days, and we’ll talk in person.”
Gu Mingyi was a bit surprised by how quickly Jin Zhihuan had changed his tune. He quickly said, “Then it’s a deal, Brother Jin.”
After hanging up, Gu Mingyi immediately called Qi Simiao.
Qi Simiao answered and asked, “Did the great Young Master Jin take the bait?”
Gu Mingyi told her the truth. “He only agreed to meet with me. Are you sure he’ll be of any help to us?”
“Of course.” Qi Simiao admired her freshly manicured nails, growing more pleased the longer she looked. “People like him, who are arrogant yet timid, are the easiest to manipulate.”
“What use could he be? What are you planning to do?”
Qi Simiao hated Gu Mingyi’s incessant questions, but they were in the same boat now, so she had to explain to placate him. “Young Master Jin is the eldest grandson of the Jin family, after all. If I drag him into this, I’ll have someone to take the fall for me. Besides, he’s much richer than we are. What doesn’t require money these days?”
Gu Mingyi commented casually, “It’s true what they say, the most venomous heart belongs to a woman.”
Qi Simiao reacted as if her tail had been stepped on, retorting, “No matter how venomous I am, it’s better than a dog that only barks but doesn’t bite. I have things to do. Bye.” With that, she hung up. Looking at her nails again, they no longer seemed as pretty as before.
Qiao Qi returned to the country more than ten days later than planned. Gu Jianchu had moved back to her own home for the convenience of getting to the office. In her rush, Qiao Qi hadn’t had time to tell her about her return flight before boarding. And after arriving, she decided to skip the trouble of a phone call altogether. So when Gu Jianchu opened her front door a little after ten at night, beyond the unexpected surprise, she felt a deep, lingering throb of emotion.
They both tacitly recalled the first time Gu Jianchu had spent the night at Qiao Qi’s place. The faint, stimulating memory made their breathing grow more heated. Immersed in their intimacy, Qiao Qi heard a meow and felt a ball of fur rubbing against her leg. She used a bit of strength to push away the clinging Gu Jianchu and looked down to see Ping An, protesting its dissatisfaction.
She picked Ping An up and stroked its fur. “What’s he doing here with you?”
Gu Jianchu, annoyed that the black cat had ruined the mood, said, “Jiayin isn’t around these days. I was afraid he’d die in your house.” She noticed that the Ping An in Qiao Qi’s arms was a completely different cat from the usual Ping An. Other than Qiao Qi, she had never seen this cat pleasantly allow anyone to pet it, not even Su Jiayin.
She asked, “Why are you back so suddenly?”
“I missed you.”
“You missed me, yet you’re holding the cat.”
Qiao Qi feigned remorse. “Oh, so it was Ping An I missed.” She held the cat up and asked, “Well, did Ping An miss me?”
Gu Jianchu took Ping An from her arms and set it free. “I don’t know if he missed you or not,” she said, then reached out, pulled Qiao Qi back into her embrace, and moved closer. “I only know that I missed you very much.”
With Gu Jianchu’s beautiful face so close, Qiao Qi’s eyes filled with a smile. She took the initiative to kiss her, and there was no way Gu Jianchu would let her go now. Moreover, their pent-up longing had reached its peak, brewing anew under the moonlight.
The next morning, Qiao Qi woke up very early due to jet lag. After that, she couldn’t get back to sleep. She thought about getting up, but Gu Jianchu stirred restlessly in her arms, so she lay back down and, by the faint light, studied Gu Jianchu’s delicate features. She raised her hand, her fingertip gently touching the tip of Gu Jianchu’s nose, then smoothed the frown that had formed between her brows in annoyance at being disturbed.
She stroked Gu Jianchu’s smooth back in a gentle, soothing gesture until the woman in her arms fell soundly asleep once more. This time, she got up even more gently, not waking her at all. Following her intuition, she found the apartment’s walk-in closet, chose an outfit that fit, and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
Ping An had heard her moving about long ago. It watched her motionlessly at first, only walking over to her feet and meowing after seeing she was lost in thought. Qiao Qi smiled faintly and picked Ping An up. The apartment was completely unfamiliar to her, and since she was up too early with nothing to do, she took the opportunity to tour Miss Gu’s home by the faint light of dawn from the window. Starting, of course, with the wall-sized wine cabinet.
Just as day was breaking, Gu Jianchu, whose internal clock was always precise, slowly woke up. Still groggy, she instinctively reached out to the side. The warmth and softness she expected was replaced by the smooth texture of the bedsheets under her fingertips. She opened her eyes. Everything from last night felt like a dream, and now, with the morning light, the dream had ended, leaving only a sense of loss. She composed herself and got out of bed. Though the person was gone, it didn’t stop the endless smile from flowing in her eyes.
Gu Jianchu left the bedroom. There was no one in the living room. She was about to check the kitchen when she passed the study and saw the door was ajar. She changed direction and pushed it open. The first thing she saw was Qiao Qi studying a painting from her collection. Her profile, bathed in the morning light, made Gu Jianchu’s heart skip a beat. Ping An was lying on a corner of the desk, tail twitching, watching her. A sense of peace and contentment filled her heart.
She walked over and asked, “Do you like it?”
Qiao Qi blinked, her eyes and brows crinkling with a smile. “Is Miss Gu willing to part with her beloved possession?”
Gu Jianchu moved closer and smiled. “As long as you like it.”
The beautiful face was too close, and the words were utterly ambiguous. As expected, Qiao Qi blushed. She said, “Then let’s leave it hanging here for now. I’ll come get it when I have time.”
“How early did you get up?”
“A little before four.”
“So you came here to get over your jet lag?” Hearing the familiar-sounding words, Qiao Qi paused for a moment, then broke into a smile. Gu Jianchu took her hand and led her out of the study. “I’ll have someone take the painting down and send it to you. Let’s have breakfast first.”
President Gu was cooking personally and even requested an audience to watch. Qiao Qi watched for a moment, smiled faintly, and stepped forward to lend a hand. Making breakfast with the person she liked, they were both in high spirits.
During the meal, Gu Jianchu said, “Shall I drive you to work later?”
Qiao Qi smiled faintly and replied, “Okay.”
The brief warmth of the morning kept them both in a good mood for the entire day. Yao Qiu and Liu Yanyan both keenly noticed this. The scene from that morning was etched in the minds of Qiao Qi and Gu Jianchu like a painting, its aftertaste lingering tenderly.
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