Lin Qian reined in her impatience. "It’s just a lucky draw link. It shouldn't take much effort for you to take a look at it right now."
"It's normal for a housewife not to understand the ins and outs of the corporate world. Given the company's current scale, caution is a must."
Watching Su Yurou slide her hand back into the nail lamp, Lin Qian walked over to her computer. "Which folder is the annual budget audit in? I'll open it for you. If everything looks fine, we can just push it through."
Su Yurou raised a finger and pointed toward the security camera in the corner of the room. "Qianqian, I'm really not trying to make things difficult for you. Our current management system is just too strict. If I don't handle the operation personally, this few thousand dollars for the lucky draw could land both of us in jail."
Lin Qian looked at the face before her, painted in exquisite Korean-style makeup, and compared it to how, three years ago, she had tearfully hugged her, saying Lin Qian was the only family she had left in the world. No matter how hard she tried, Lin Qian could not reconcile the two versions of her.
It was a mistake to come here.
"I'll find another way," Lin Qian said, turning to leave.
"The live broadcast room has already received two Class A warnings. One more and it’ll be banned immediately." The operations manager sounded like they were about to cry. "With so many people watching, if the channel gets banned, my performance rating for this month is done for..."
"Hold steady. I need five minutes."
At the top floor of Deep Space Matrix, Lin Qian jogged all the way to Gu Chenxi’s office door.
Zhou Heng, the executive assistant, looked surprised. "Mrs. Gu? How did you get up here?"
His question made Lin Qian realize. Huo Haowen had said that, aside from his and Gu Chenxi’s fingerprints, the elevator wouldn't allow anyone else access to this floor.
The live stream was still being bombarded by hostile comments; Lin Qian didn't have time to overthink it. "Is Gu Chenxi inside?"
Before Zhou Heng could reply, the office door was pushed open from the inside.
"...I was just about to head out," Gu Chenxi said, averting his gaze.
"Do me a favor." Lin Qian took his hand and pulled him toward the desk.
Gu Chenxi’s palms were large; Lin Qian couldn't hold his hand with just one of her own, so she gripped two of his fingers tightly. Lin Qian had naturally fair skin—the skin on her hands was two shades lighter than her face. Since giving birth to Sisi, she had been applying hand cream more frequently to keep her skin soft for the baby, making it appear even more translucent and delicate.
Gu Chenxi curled his fingers. "...Fine. I’m not busy at the moment, anyway."
Zhou Heng was stunned. Wasn't he just told to prepare for a meeting with investors in ten minutes? Since when was the CEO suddenly... not busy?
"The live stream channel ID. There’s a lucky draw link in the internal control settings. Could you override the audit for me?" Lin Qian opened Gu Chenxi’s computer.
The screen saver lock screen appeared. She tried entering her own birthday, and to her surprise, it went straight to the desktop.
"If it’s a lucky draw link regarding the new talent auditions for the group broadcast, I can’t audit it." Gu Chenxi leaned against the desk, legs crossed, and tilted his head to light a cigarette.
"Why?" Lin Qian felt a surge of agitation. "The traffic is so good; isn't it a pity if the channel gets banned because of the trolls attacking us?"
"Because it doesn't comply with the rules."
It was the exact same excuse as Su Yurou’s, as if they had discussed it beforehand. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, the operations manager’s name flashing on the screen. Lin Qian hit the mute button. "Since I was the one who set those audit rules, I have an obligation to amend them."
"But you aren't in that position anymore." Gu Chenxi nudged his swivel chair with his knee and leaned over, bracing his hands on the armrests to look down at Lin Qian’s face.
She had run hard to get here, and her hair was a bit messy, with a few rebellious strands sticking up. With her slightly flushed cheeks and almond eyes, she looked both alluring and playful.
Gu Chenxi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Don't get the rules of the game wrong, Mrs. Gu."
Lin Qian stared into Gu Chenxi’s eyes. She understood perfectly what her husband was saying: in this game of cards at Deep Space Matrix, she no longer had the qualifications to sit at the table, let alone try to interfere with the rules.
"I have my own name," Lin Qian said, pushing hard against Gu Chenxi.
But the man didn't budge an inch; instead, he pulled her closer. Gu Chenxi’s arms, along with the grey steel frame of the chair, formed an unbreakable wall around her. His expression was grim. "You’ve only been to Paris once, and you’re already so impatient to shed the identity of Mrs. Gu?"
Leaving Sisi to go to work—even Lu Yuanzheng could see how difficult that was for her. How could this man, who had shared a bed with her for four years, speak of it so dismissively? A sharp pain twisted in her stomach, and Lin Qian suddenly felt her resolve drain away.
"Mr. Gu is right. I’m just an entertainer invited by the company to stand on stage. I have no right to interfere with your internal affairs. Please move."
"If you didn't have the status of Mrs. Gu, what makes you think you’d be qualified to stand in a live broadcast room with hundreds of thousands of viewers?" Gu Chenxi gripped Lin Qian’s chin. His rough thumb rubbed against her smooth skin, a sensation that was both painful and ticklish.
"Mr. Gu, that new lucky draw link—isn't it a bit too..."
Huo Haowen threw the door open. All four of them froze, including Zhou Heng, who was following behind him.
"I finally remembered—I need to go to the bathroom." Zhou Heng came to an abrupt stop with his coffee cup, splashing coffee onto his shirt. He stiffly pivoted and pulled the door shut from the outside.
"Huh???" Huo Haowen stood there, scratching his head. "Sorry, Mr. Gu. I didn't know you and your wife were... *cough*, *cough*! Don't be mad, I'm leaving, I'm disappearing right now, alright?"
"Wait a moment," Lin Qian said, tilting her head. "Earlier, you said that since I married such an excellent man, I should be kneeling to wash his feet every day."
"...Did I say that?" Huo Haowen scratched his scalp so hard he nearly pulled his hair out.
"You’re right. I’m just an has-been actress with no traffic. If it weren't for a husband who is 'too excellent,' I wouldn't deserve to stand in the center spot, would I?"
Gu Chenxi’s eyes turned colder than before. He released Lin Qian and stood up to straighten his tie. "What do you want, speak."
"It’s about that link in the live broadcast room..."
Lin Qian cut him off. "Internal company business—as an outsider, it’s not appropriate for me to listen. I’ll be going."
Only after listening to the sound of her heels disappear down the hallway did Huo Haowen speak again.
"Mr. Gu... about the lucky draw amount—you said there was no cap, but it’s already over a million now. I need your signature on the paperwork." He held out a folder with both hands, not daring to look up.
Gu Chenxi cast a downward glance and pressed his cigarette butt directly onto the folder. The smell of burning plastic permeated the room.
"Mr. Gu... what does this mean?" Huo Haowen’s face went pale.
"Was it you who told Lin Qian that she should kneel to wash my feet?"
"I was just... just joking with your wife... isn't that what everyone always says?"
Gu Chenxi adjusted his glasses. "Everyone—who exactly are you referring to?"