Madam Gu and Shen Mianyin turned around at the same time and saw Zhou Jingqi walking toward them.
Madam Gu had no choice but to let go of Shen Mianyin.
Shen Mianyin found it odd—why did it seem like Madam Gu didn’t dare to act out in front of Zhou Jingqi?
Zhou Jingqi walked up to them and said to Shen Mianyin, “The president was worried that Director Shen might have trouble walking, so he sent me to escort you. Madam Gu, what were you just doing?”
“It’s nothing…” Madam Gu said coldly.
Zhou Jingqi smiled and said, “Director Shen, the president asked Chang He’an to drive you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chang He’an pulled up in the car.
Madam Gu naturally knew who Chang He’an was, and her gaze flickered uncertainly.
How could that heartless Gu Huaizhi be so attentive to Shen Mianyin?
“Please thank President Gu for me,” Shen Mianyin quickly said.
“You’d better thank the president in person; these were all his direct instructions,” Zhou Jingqi said, unwilling to pass along the message himself.
He watched as Shen Mianyin got into the car, then turned to ask, “Madam Gu, what brings you here?”
“I’m here to see your President,” Madam Gu replied.
“Apologies, but the president is in a meeting, and his schedule is completely booked for the rest of the day. Madam Gu, it would be better to make an appointment next time,” Zhou Jingqi said. Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned and walked away.
Madam Gu: “!!!”
Gu Huaizhi and Zhou Jingqi—did they not take her seriously at all?
Meanwhile, sitting in Gu Huaizhi’s car, Shen Mianyin thought for a moment before sending him a WeChat message: “President Gu, thank you for having Assistant Zhou help me out just now.”
Zhou Jingqi hadn’t lied to Madam Gu; Gu Huaizhi *was* indeed in a meeting.
At that moment, his phone screen lit up silently.
Gu Huaizhi hadn’t paid much attention at first, but instinctively glanced at his screen. When he saw the notification, he was surprised to find it was a message from Shen Mianyin.
He quickly opened it and replied, “Did my second sister-in-law cause you trouble?”
Shen Mianyin: “It’s nothing serious, just a bit annoying. I’ve already told her I’m not interested in Gu Luo’an anymore, that I broke up with him. She should go tell him, too, and stop pestering me. Isn’t that exactly what she wanted? I don’t know what else she’s unhappy about—she just won’t let go of me.”
Gu Huaizhi couldn’t help but smile slightly. The way this girl spoke—how could Madam Gu possibly be pleased after that?
Madam Gu had always regarded Gu Luo’an as her pride.
Gu Huaizhi: “I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”
Seeing his reply, Shen Mianyin thought to herself, Gu Huaizhi is actually quite warm-hearted.
Meanwhile, Gu Huaizhi seemed to be managing the conversation well, without missing a beat in the meeting report.
But the others in the meeting looked at Gu Huaizhi with expressions of sheer horror, as if they had seen a ghost.
Why the hell is Gu Huaizhi smiling?!
And he was smiling during a meeting!
The worst part is, his smile didn’t even seem to be in response to anything in the meeting report.
Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze to Zhou Jingqi.
Zhou Jingqi maintained a polite smile, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Just wait, your good days are still to come.
***
Shen Mianyin didn’t expect Gu Huaizhi to act so quickly. The next afternoon, just before the workday ended, she received a call from him.
“President Gu.” Shen Mianyin thought to herself, Has Gu Huaizhi already come up with new ideas for the plan so soon?
“Are you working overtime?” Gu Huaizhi asked on the phone.
“I don’t need to work overtime, but I plan to take the proposal home to revise it,” Shen Mianyin replied honestly.
“If it’s not urgent, come with me to my place,” Gu Huaizhi said.
If it weren’t for Gu Huaizhi’s voice always being as cold as usual, Shen Mianyin might have thought he was taking her to meet his parents.
Even so, she was still shocked and exclaimed, “Ah?”
“I’m just talking about my neighbor upstairs. They’ll be there tonight, so if you have time, you can go visit today,” Gu Huaizhi explained.
“Sure, sure.” Even though Gu Huaizhi couldn’t see her, Shen Mianyin couldn’t help but nod repeatedly while typing her reply.
Gu Huaizhi: “I’ll pick you up from your company after work.”
Shen Mianyin: “President Gu, could you wait at the back of our company instead?”
Gu Huaizhi: “?”
Shen Mianyin: “President Gu, you’re just too noticeable. As soon as your car stops in front of our company, people will recognize you immediately.”
With Gu Huaizhi’s reputation for keeping outsiders at bay, how would people interpret him coming to pick her up in person?
Gu Huaizhi: "…"
Shen Mianyin quickly asked, "President Gu, will you agree?"
Gu Huaizhi: "…"
Shen Mianyin: "Gu Huaizhi!"
Gu Huaizhi: "Shen Mianyin, are you taking advantage of your position?"
When Shen Mianyin saw that message, her mind immediately went blank, and her face turned bright red.
Her hand trembled, and she couldn’t think of how to respond to Gu Huaizhi. Just then, her phone rang.
Looking at the screen, she saw that it was a call from Gu Huaizhi.
Her hand shook again, and she almost dropped the phone.
The phone rang for a while before Shen Mianyin finally mustered the courage to answer it, her voice weak as she said, "President Gu."
Gu Huaizhi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Now you’re calling me President Gu again? Weren’t you calling my name so smoothly just now?"
Although Shen Mianyin was feeling a bit flustered, her stubborn side kicked in, and she straightened her neck, saying, "Didn’t you say it’s fine to call you that privately?"
Before she could finish, she heard two light chuckles from Gu Huaizhi on the other end of the phone.
The sound of Gu Huaizhi’s light laughter seemed to brush right past her ear as her phone was pressed to her cheek.
Shen Mianyin felt her ears turn completely red.
Did this man have any idea how captivating his voice was?
"Alright," Gu Huaizhi’s deep, smooth voice came through the phone, “From now on, you can call me that privately. Remember it.”
Shen Mianyin: "…"
Not wanting to make her feel awkward, Gu Huaizhi said, "I’ll pick you up. I won’t put you in a difficult position."
With that, he hung up the phone.
Shen Mianyin didn’t have a chance to ask for further details and could only stare at her phone, puzzled.
'How exactly is he not going to make me feel awkward?'
Shen Mianyin simply sent a WeChat message asking, “President Gu, what exactly are you planning to do?”
After quite a long wait, Gu Huaizhi finally replied, “In a meeting.”
*Wait, didn’t he just talk to me on the phone?*
How could he be in a meeting now?
In the conference room, Gu Huaizhi put down his phone and said, “Continue.”
Everyone: "..."
Wait, what’s going on with the CEO lately?
It was bad enough that he was looking at his phone during the meeting, but then he suddenly stepped out to take a call.
After coming back, he even replied to a message before finally putting his phone down.
Whose messages are so important?
Shen Mianyin had been curious about what Gu Huaizhi was planning to do. Soon enough, as the end of the workday approached, the answer revealed itself.
"Director Shen, President Gu is at the company!" Gao Zhoulei hurriedly knocked on the door and barged into Shen Mianyin's office without waiting for her response. As soon as he entered, he spoke in a rush.
"Which President Gu?" Shen Mianyin didn’t immediately react. She would never have thought of Gu Huaizhi, and her first instinct was to wonder what Brother Luo'an was doing here.
"Who else could it be? President Gu from the Gu Corporation—Gu Huaizhi!" Gao Zhoulei was practically frantic. "The CEO is on a business trip, and right now Vice President Zhang and General Manager Zhou are entertaining him. Neither of them seems to have any intention of calling you over."