Gu Jingxing was wearing a Prince of Wales check suit today. Its sharp tailoring and slim waistline lent him a refined, vintage gentleman’s look that tempered his usual cold, stern air, making him appear all the more captivating.
A "brother" was poised on the tip of his tongue, only to be scattered by the figure following closely behind him.
Chen Wang caught sight of Qiao An and froze. "Why are you here?"
Wasn't this the beautiful woman they had seen at the airport?
Qiao An waved at them. "Hello, President Gu. I’m starting at the Business Department today." She then turned her gaze toward Chen Wang.
Gu Jingxing didn't even look at her, striding into the elevator with Chen Wang following close behind.
Chen Wang took the initiative to say, "I'm Chen Wang, your President Gu’s brother. We met at the airport in Country M."
Qiao An blinked. "I see."
The voice sounded familiar.
Chen Wang also felt the voice was familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.
Once inside the elevator, Chen Wang pressed the button for the top floor.
Soon, the elevator stopped at the fifth floor. Qiao An stepped out first, then turned back to wave at the two men. "Goodbye, President Gu and... Mr. Chen."
As the elevator doors slowly slid shut, Chen Wang’s eyes suddenly widened. "It’s her!"
It was the voice of that flirtatious woman on the phone in Country M!
He hurriedly turned to Gu Jingxing. "Boss, how could you let your little mistress into the company?!"
He continued to chatter incessantly even after they exited the elevator.
Xie Jibai was just coming out of the secretary’s office when he heard Chen Wang spewing words like "little mistress," "infidelity," and "how can you betray Sister Xi."
Xie Jibai: ...
Xie Jibai’s temple twitched. He turned to look at the dark-faced Gu Jingxing and signaled with his eyes: *Are you sure I can't hit him?*
Gu Jingxing walked into his office with a grim expression. "Get him out of my sight."
"Boss, it’s not like that! Sister Xi has been so good to you, how could you do this to her? You need to hurry and—"
"Get out!"
His hushed voice carried a thick, simmering rage, and the air pressure in the room dropped so low that Chen Wang would have exploded if he had moved a millimeter closer.
Dense as Chen Wang was, even he dared not continue when he saw Gu Jingxing’s face turned a deathly shade of blue.
He turned his head toward Xie Jibai behind him, seeking help: *Brother, help me block a strike!*
Xie Jibai raised an eyebrow, his face full of sarcasm.
Chen Wang thought: *You’re really fishing for amusement out of your brother’s suffering, aren't you?*
Gu Jingxing suppressed the fire in his chest and looked at Xie Jibai. "Take him out and wash his brain."
"Fine."
Xie Jibai clenched his fingers and, with a cold sneer, grabbed Chen Wang by the collar and dragged him out of the office.
It wasn't until he had dragged him out onto the terrace that Xie Jibai let go.
Chen Wang stood up straight, feeling aggrieved. "What is wrong with you and the boss? You wouldn't even let me finish my sentence!"
"Finish what? Listening to you spout such nonsense?"
"How is it nonsense? I’m defending Sister Xi because it’s unfair to her!" Chen Wang huffed. "You don't know, I saw Qiao An when I came upstairs just now!"
"Qiao An?" Xie Jibai frowned. "Who is that?"
"She's the one from last time... Oh, right, you didn't go to Country M. Let me tell you, she..."
Chen Wang spilled everything about Qiao An answering the phone in the middle of the night and meeting Gu Jingxing at the airport, his indignation growing with every word.
"My gut tells me this woman is up to no good! Jibai, we’ve been friends with the boss for years; we can’t just watch him make a mistake. Sister Xi took that knife for the boss back in the day; her lungs still ache whenever it’s windy or rainy. Can any ordinary woman compare to that kind of devotion? Sister Xi has been so good to him, sacrificed so much. If the boss loses her, he will surely regret it for the rest of his life!"
Xie Jibai looked at Chen Wang, speechless. "Even though I didn't go to Country M, after hearing all this, I believe the responsibility doesn't lie with the boss."
Chen Wang curled his lip. "I didn't say the boss actually did anything. I was just... asking. Just asking."
Xie Jibai’s voice turned cold. "You keep saying Lin Xi sacrificed a lot for the boss. Tell me now, what exactly did she sacrifice?"
"Of course she sacrificed—"
"I suggest you think carefully before you answer."
Chen Wang was choked by the retort.
"Their marriage was a business transaction from the start—a perfectly fair one. You keep harping on about 'sacrifice,' so set aside the terms of the deal and tell me, what extra, beyond that, did Lin Xi ever give?"
Chen Wang couldn't find an answer.
Aside from the transactional part... did Lin Xi really sacrifice anything more?
Chen Wang was stunned.
Then why did he have the feeling that Lin Xi was getting the short end of the stick?
Seeing that Chen Wang wasn't completely beyond salvation, Xie Jibai reminded him again, "The boss’s private affairs are not for outsiders to judge. Regardless of what kind of relationship he has with that Qiao An, no such speculation should ever come from your mouth."
Xie Jibai’s expression grew serious. "The boss is already under fire because of this 'life-saving grace' business. Do you really want to saddle him with the unearned reputation of a 'heartless scoundrel'?"
"Of course not!"
"Then keep your mouth shut," Xie Jibai said meaningfully. "You’re so worried and anxious about Lin Xi every day, people might start thinking you have a crush on her."
"Don't talk nonsense! I only think of her as my sister-in-law, so—"
Xie Jibai interrupted, "The boss is your brother first; Lin Xi is only your sister-in-law because of him."
Chen Wang felt a cold sweat break out on his back under Xie Jibai’s gaze, realizing belatedly what a foolish thing he had been doing.
He was Gu Jingxing’s brother; his words carried weight. If his loose talk were overheard by others and used to attack the boss...
Chen Wang’s face turned sheet-white.
Seeing that he finally understood, Xie Jibai’s expression eased slightly. "You’re going to inherit the Chen Corporation one day. Try using your brain before you speak or act."
"...What does that mean?"
Xie Jibai turned and started walking back toward the office. "It means if you aren't going to use your brain, you might as well donate it. Don't act like a gossip-mongering shrew."
Chen Wang hung his head and followed behind him, protesting weakly, "I'm not, I didn't, don't talk rubbish."
...
The Gu Group owned numerous brands and a vast array of products. With the rise of e-commerce over the past two years, the mid-year promotion had become the top priority for the Business Department.
Qiao An had just joined the company when she stumbled right into the Business Department’s treacherous mid-year "talent competition."
She was assigned as an assistant to the Deputy General Manager, Liu Can.
In the morning, Liu Can showed her around the department and planned to have her start working on event planning that very afternoon.
During their lunch break, Liu Can took her to a restaurant near the company.
Qiao An poured Liu Can a glass of water and asked gossiping, "Sister Can, I heard the CEO has been in a relationship for years? But how come there’s no news about it in the media?"
Liu Can took the glass and smiled. "Why do you think? President Gu doesn't allow it to be talked about."
"Why? Being in a relationship isn't exactly a company secret."
Liu Can raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who his girlfriend is?"
Qiao An shook her head, feigning ignorance. "I just returned from abroad, I don't know much about the gossip back home."
"It’s Lin Xi, the only daughter of the Lin family—a famous painter and philanthropist."
A mocking curve tugged at the corner of Qiao An’s mouth, but she quickly hid it behind the rim of her glass, saying in an affected tone, "Oh, she’s that impressive?"
"Well, actually, I heard years ago that President Gu had sworn off love and devoted himself entirely to work. That was mainly because when he first took over the Gu Group, the company was in poor shape, so he poured his heart and soul into driving results. But later on... something happened."