TGSS - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Message

Hearing something so far beyond her comprehension, Chu He nearly spat out the drink in her mouth. She clutched the can and looked toward Zhou Mindan, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly as she waited for her to continue.

"Just one day, you only need to pretend to be my girlfriend for one day. What's with that expression, do you think I could ever like a lunatic like you?" Zhou Mindan waited a long time without a reply from Chu He and hurried to explain.

Chu He looked boredly at the interior design, and after a long moment her voice drifted faintly, "From calling me a psycho to asking me to be your girlfriend in just a few minutes. Miss Zhou, I'm personally not very interested in your kind of make-believe game. It sounds like a lot of trouble."

Zhou Mindan stood up from the sofa, her youthful face flushed red, "If you won't help me, then I won't be able to find that camera either, I'll call property management to have you taken away right now!"

"Oh, I already registered at property management when I came up." Chu He swept a glance at her with her long eyes. Only now thinking of kicking her out, a bit slow.

Zhou Mindan was so angry at her nonchalant tone she jumped up and down, her silver gray hair rubbed into a mess. She clenched her fists and finally said, "Then I'll help you find that camera today, and you help me tomorrow?"

"Deal." Chu He lowered her long legs, tossed the can accurately into the trash bin, brushed off her black suit and stood up. Her tall figure paired with exquisite makeup made her look somewhat cool and severe.

Not until she was sitting in the car with Chu He did Zhou Mindan secretly grind her teeth. She had no idea at what point things had gone wrong, or how she had ended up obediently agreeing to help her find the camera first.

Chu He leaned half her head against the car window, eyes half closed, looking a little tired. She began to listen as Zhou Mindan poured out the story of being double-crossed by her best friend and ex-girlfriend. Chu He only needed to hear the beginning to know how the story went. This little girl was the textbook example of being naive, rich, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. If not her, who would they scam?

"So you want me to play a... someone who pursued you for a long time and was only reluctantly accepted tomorrow?" Even saying it made Chu He's teeth ache. Her tone was lazy and tinged with mockery, which immediately made Zhou Mindan anxious.

"Is it that funny?" Zhou Mindan tried hard to keep a straight face as she asked her, looking very displeased with her attitude.

"No. Whatever makes you happy." Chu He brushed her off, while picking up her phone to send Zheng Xinyan a message saying she wouldn't be back at the hotel for the next couple of days.

Chu He watched the scenery outside the window fly backward as the car sped along, responding to Zhou Mindan perfunctorily as she continued to spill out her whole history of being cheated on in a rush.

The environment of S City was no different from what Chu He had seen before, the landmark buildings, the rows of tall towers. When she got out of the car and saw the familiar landmarks she even felt momentarily dazed. Zhou Mindan shrank her neck and gave her a push, but failed to move her.

Chu He's back tensed for an instant. She turned around with a somewhat cool expression, "Let's go, you lead the way."

"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Mindan muttered quietly, tightening the scarf around her neck before quickly walking toward the building entrance. Because of her sexual orientation she had fallen out badly with her family. She had moved out on her own since high school and almost never came to see her parents except during holidays, so even as she stood side by side with Chu He in the elevator she couldn't help feeling irritated. It would be best if her parents weren't home.

But her hope was quickly dashed. As soon as she opened the door, two imposing figures sat on the sofa sweeping her and Chu He with scrutinizing eyes.

Zhou's Mother looked extremely imposing in her elegant dress. When she kept a cold face she was very difficult to get along with. When she saw the visitor was her unlucky daughter her eyes twitched and she said cuttingly, "Well, what brings our busy person here today? And who have you brought along?"

Zhou's Father wore a stern face. The hand wearing prayer beads tugged at Zhou's Mother's arm, signaling her to say less, though his own expression was hardly any better.

"You think I wanted to come? Hah." Zhou Mindan had planned to greet them calmly before looking for the item, but her anger flared at their words. The atmosphere turned confrontational. Zhou's Mother breathed rapidly, her chest heaving, as if she were about to step forward and hit her.

"Hello Uncle and Auntie, I'm Mindan's boss, my name is Chu He. She's been interning in finance at our company recently. I wanted to borrow something from her, so I came to bother you without warning, sorry for the trouble." Chu He took a step to the right. She had just finished a cooperation meeting two hours ago, and at the moment she was dressed in a very businesslike style. Her expensive clothes and accessories and her naturally noble bearing made her words very convincing.

Zhou's Mother's expression softened slightly, looking a little embarrassed and half believing. Zhou's Father on the other hand laughed, giving Zhou Mindan a look, "Why don't you hurry and find the thing for your boss."

Stunned for an instant by Chu He's ability to lie without batting an eye, her mouth twitched. Under Zhou's Father's urging gaze she slipped away in a flash.

The atmosphere was a little cold. Zhou's Father warmly invited Chu He to sit down. Seeing Zhou's Mother still standing there awkwardly, Chu He took the initiative to speak, "Auntie, the Buddha pendant you're wearing has excellent translucency."

Zhou's Mother was taken aback, instinctively lowering her head to look at the glassy jadeite Buddha pendant. Her expression completely softened and she instantly became interested, "President Chu also knows about jadeite?"

"Just a little." Chu He sat down and smiled, "Auntie, this piece of jadeite must be in the mid six figures, the quality is very good. I have a friend who does business in this area."

"Isn't that right, Xiao He? Do you have a good source?" Zhou's Mother brightened up. She squeezed the bewildered Zhou's Father aside, her well-maintained hand waved in front of Chu He, a lavender bangle slid down from her wrist.

"Oh Auntie, this bangle is top grade. Nine out of ten lavender jades are woody, but this purple is not dull at all, and the texture is mature. Let me take a look, let me broaden my horizons today." Chu He grasped her hand with a look of surprise, her tone full of admiration.

When Zhou Mindan came out dusty holding a box, she saw Chu He holding Zhou's Mother's hand and talking about palm reading and fortune. Her mother was beaming with a flushed face and could hardly close her mouth. She hadn't seen her mother look so kind since she started middle school. What on earth had Chu He done in just half an hour!

Zhou Mindan watched with a wooden expression as Zhou's Father and Zhou's Mother saw them to the door. As they left, they reminded Chu He to visit often, leaving Zhou Mindan with only one instruction: work hard with Chu He and be diligent.

Zhou Mindan's face twisted with anger. She shoved the box at Chu He, "After all it's been so long, I don't know if it still works, you figure it out yourself. Wait, I'm giving you the thing now, you're not just going to slip away, are you?"

Thinking of this, she quickly snatched the box back, looking at Chu He warily, "What did you say to my parents? They seem to like you quite a lot. Not a single woman who's appeared by my side since I became an adult has ever met with their approval."

Chu He shook her head, her eyes very clear. She said softly, "Resource exchange, you'll understand in a few years." Where do people get so many feelings of liking and disliking? Most people's likes and dislikes are based on interests. Without benefit, what is there to talk about feelings?

Seeing that Zhou Mindan still looked as if she only half understood, she did not want to waste more words on her. Her gaze rested on that box, her expression dazed. This held Liang Zhouyi's past, didn't it?

"Hey, how did you know I study finance." Zhou Mindan asked.

Chu He sighed. Her thoughts interrupted, her expression already faintly impatient but she still said gently, "The textbooks scattered around your room told me."

Chu He rubbed her brow, raised her phone to see if Liang Zhouyi had sent her a message, and suddenly discovered she had actually missed a message! Beyond shock, Chu He's fingers holding the phone began to tremble.

This message from Liang Zhouyi five hours ago had received no reply from Chu He. Liang Zhouyi had been restless the entire afternoon and unable to concentrate on work, mainly because Chu He had always been someone who replied to messages instantly and shared every bit of her life at all times. Her sudden disappearance left Liang Zhouyi quite puzzled and uneasy.

At first she hadn't taken it to heart, only glancing at her phone occasionally, most of her attention still on work. But as time passed, Liang Zhouyi began to feel anxious. She tried hard to calm this irritation, yet her scattered thoughts still left her unusually flustered. She even began to worry needlessly, worrying whether something had happened to Chu He.

After a fierce internal struggle Liang Zhouyi still sent Zheng Xinyan a message saying she had work matters to discuss with Chu He but couldn't reach her.

"She had something urgent and left first. She's not with me."

Zheng Xinyan replied very quickly, but as Liang Zhouyi looked at that message, her eyes turned completely cold. Not together? Chu He had clearly said she went to entertain a client with Zheng Xinyan, so if she didn't go, what urgent matter had she gone to do?

When she saw Liang Zhouyi's message Zheng Xinyan felt somewhat disdainful. She couldn't stand people like Liang Zhouyi who were so hesitant. If you like someone, just go after them. Why use work as an excuse to look for them?

So the next day when she was having afternoon tea with a friend she was still complaining about Liang Zhouyi's behavior.

The friend opposite Zheng Xinyan scooped a bite of cake and burst out laughing, "What, you still haven't given up on that cool older colleague you mentioned before?"

"I know she doesn't like me, actually I was already planning to give up." Zheng Xinyan gripped the metal spoon unwillingly, her tone carrying a bit of helplessness, "But every time I see her nonchalant face, and those gold-rimmed glasses I just..."

The friend laughed so hard her eyelashes trembled, "I'm telling you, Xinyan, in our line of work, so many beauties are waiting for you to meet, why hang yourself on one crooked tree."

Zheng Xinyan rolled her eyes at her, shifting in her seat with a frantic expression, "I already told you, you don't understand... it's that restrained, straight but not quite straight aura about her that's so attractive, you'll know when you actually see her one day, I can't describe it to you."

"Restrained, gold-rimmed glasses... are you talking about that person!" The spoon in her friend's hand clattered onto the plate. With cake still in her mouth, she stared past Zheng Xinyan.

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next