The man looked at her, his Adam's apple rolling hard.
A moment later, his voice dropped low, as if restraining himself, "Was it you who told Grandmother that I was organizing an art exhibition for Ci Xian?"
Meng Shu Tang gave a bitter smile.
If she said no, would he believe her?
He could even link Bai Ci Xian's car accident last time to her; what else was there that he couldn't imagine!
"Tomorrow is my birthday. Grandmother said she wants a photo of us together."
She didn't want to nag him anymore.
"I will buy a cake and prepare a good meal waiting for you. Just remember to come back."
After saying this, she twisted the door handle of the attic, slipped inside, and slammed it shut.
Gu Yun Ci stood at the doorway for a moment, his eyes deep and dark, until Bai Ci Xian's call came in, and then he dragged his somewhat weary body downstairs.
"Brother Yun Ci, Ying Xia Group is still very eager to cooperate with us. I think..."
Listening to Gu Yun Ci's footsteps fading away, Meng Shu Tang slid down with her back against the door panel.
She raised her hands to cover her face, her nose stinging, and warm tears leaked through her fingers.
The person she had loved since she was young—even though she had clearly let go, her emotions still surged uncontrollably when they locked eyes.
Meng Shu Tang went upstairs and did not come down again.
Even when Zhang Ma called her to come down for dinner, she said she wasn't hungry and didn't eat.
After working on the proposal for a while, she glanced at her watch, got up to stretch, and prepared to tidy up and go to sleep.
When she went out to wash up, she heard Gu Yun Ci on the phone downstairs.
The man, noble and precious, was sunken into the sofa, a cooperation agreement held between his fingertips, his brows slightly furrowed, his whole body wrapped in coldness.
"Let's leave it at that for now; I'll ask her in a moment."
The man hung up the phone and was about to call Meng Shu Tang when he heard movement and glanced up toward the stairs.
When he saw her poetic figure appearing in the dim, warm light of the hallway, he said with business-like bluntness, "Meng Shu Tang, come here."
Meng Shu Tang had intended to lower her head and avoid him, not expecting him to call her, but she walked over anyway. "President Gu."
Gu Yun Ci set his mobile phone aside and picked up the document; the sound of his fingertips flipping the pages was exceptionally clear in the silence.
He was extremely focused, his entire being exuding a calm, professional aura; it was clear at a glance that he was reviewing, not deliberately making things difficult.
Meng Shu Tang stood to the side, watching his usual stern demeanor, her fingertips curling unconsciously, a trace of imperceptible unease flitting through her heart.
But upon hearing his question, her hanging heart settled a bit.
"Zhang Nan said you modified the restoration cycle, shortening it by four days from the original schedule. The risk is too high."
He flipped to the fourth page and said coldly.
Meng Shu Tang saw that the proposal in his hand was the previous version, so she took out her mobile phone and sat down beside him. "I coordinated with the team and conducted closed-loop experiments; it is technically feasible."
She pulled up the latest proposal and handed it to Gu Yun Ci to look at.
Gu Yun Ci took it.
There was a half-meter distance between the two of them.
"The Cultural Tourism Town's D exhibition hall is hosting a chrysanthemum exhibition next month. The Ancient Beads exhibition must be wrapped up in advance; this is also the priority you mentioned before."
The man stared at the mobile phone, his eyes still deep. "Being controllable doesn't mean anything. If a real problem occurs, the reputation of the Cultural Tourism Town will be affected."
"There is a contingency plan in the proposal, and the responsibilities are clearly divided. If a problem really occurs, we at Fan Xing will take the responsibility."
Meng Shu Tang leaned in, scrolled to a certain page, stopped, and tapped it firmly. "If you think these aren't enough, I will have Ruan An coordinate with the Gu Corporation's legal department tomorrow to modify the previous terms."
"I can tell, you just want to end the Cultural Tourism Town project as soon as possible, right?"
As he spoke, the man got up.
He was tall and slender, completely blocking the light in the living room, and Meng Shu Tang, small as she was, was completely enveloped by him.
She looked up at him, momentarily not knowing what to say.
The man did not delve into whether she wanted to divorce sooner or get the final payment, and he raised his mobile phone. "I'll give you an answer after I finish reading it tonight."
Meng Shu Tang watched him walk toward the stairs step by step and stood up abruptly. "President Gu..."
Gu Yun Ci turned around, his tall figure standing on the stairs, straight as a pine, his jawline tensed into a cold and hard arc, his dark eyes looking down at her as she walked over.
"You have my mobile phone." Facing his indifferent and distant gaze, Meng Shu Tang reached out and took it back. "Let's do it tomorrow. I will print it out and have Ruan An send it to you.
If you have any questions, you can tell her and have her coordinate with the legal department... that works too."
The low pressure radiating from the man turned into a slight sneer. "Fine."
He turned and returned to his room.
Meng Shu Tang stood in the empty living room for a while longer before walking back upstairs.
Before her figure had disappeared into the depths of the stairs, Li Sao's deliberately lowered voice drifted up from downstairs, just a few fragmented words, yet every word pierced her heart.
"Yes, Miss Bai, President Gu came back tonight, but that home-wrecker is staying in the third-floor attic and is not in the same room as President Gu."
Meng Shu Tang paused, looking at the gray sky outside the window.
In this home, even the servant who cooked had become someone else's eyes.
She curled her lips into a mocking arc, her face showing no ripples, and continued to walk up.
Master Bedroom.
Gu Yun Ci sat on the bed, took out his mobile phone, and dialed Zhang Nan.
"Zhang Nan."
"President Gu, you asked Teacher Meng, right?"
The man's thin lips pressed together, and he didn't make a sound.
Seeing no response on the phone, Zhang Nan said uneasily, "Actually, the idea of hosting the chrysanthemum exhibition was proposed by Miss Bai. Teacher Meng opposed it at first, and the two of them even had a stiff exchange in the group chat. It was only because everyone felt Miss Bai's idea was good and sided with her that Teacher Meng gave in.
However, this Teacher Meng really has some skills; she quickly adjusted the plan and shortened the restoration cycle by a full four days.
For our Gu Corporation, this can be considered a good thing."
"I see." The man hung up the phone and tossed it aside.
He got up to take a shower, opened the closet, and saw the black nightgown with the tag still attached. He reached out, pulled down his own bathrobe, and closed the closet door again.
The next day.
The two of them went to the dining room to eat, and the atmosphere was inexplicably awkward.
Except for the light sound of tableware clinking against the plates, there was no other sound.
Meng Shu Tang ate little; she hurriedly finished a few bites of toast, drank some milk, and then stood up. "I'm finished."
She went to the doorway to change her shoes, and before leaving, she reminded Gu Yun Ci, "Don't forget, remember to come back tonight."
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