Meng Shu Tang went to the studio, and the first thing she did was print out the revised proposal and have Ruan An take it to Gu Yun Ci when she had a moment.
Ruan An did not delay; she went over as soon as she finished her work.
Arriving at the door of the President's Office on the 28th floor, she did not knock three times as she usually did. Instead, she knocked once, waited for a response from inside, and then pushed the door open in a cold and hard manner to enter.
"President Gu, Miss Meng asked me to deliver something to you."
The young girl was usually like a little sun, very fond of smiling, but today she was stiff and kept strangers away.
Gu Yun Ci was burying his head in reviewing documents. He glanced up and noticed her expression was off. "Just put it there!"
Ruan An did not respond; she bent down and placed the document on the desk, far away from Gu Yun Ci.
Then she lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on her own toes.
Gu Yun Ci saw from the corner of his eye that she hadn't left. "Is something the matter?"
Ruan An said, "Please take a look. See if I need to go to your Gu Corporation's legal department. I don't want to leave later only to be told that our Fan Xing is acting shamelessly and taking advantage of your Gu Corporation."
Hearing this, Gu Yun Ci put down his pen and picked up the document to flip through it.
Qin Zheng saw that she had been fuming since she walked in, every word sharp. "Miss Ruan, our Gu Corporation hasn't offended you, has it? Why is your attitude like this?"
Ruan An replied, "Assistant Qin, that’s a meaningless thing to say. I am here to discuss work, yet you are accusing me of having a bad attitude."
Changing the subject, she continued, "Yes, your attitude is great. Yesterday, you held such a large bouquet of champagne roses and shoved them into my arms, saying they were for Tangtang Jie... for our Miss Meng."
Who knew that you had actually gone to the wrong door and given them to the wrong person.
"The Gu Corporation is such a large company," she said, turning her eyes to glance at Gu Yun Ci, "and you are the assistant to such a big leader. Don't you feel ashamed that your work turned out like this?"
"Anyway, I'm not like you. In the workplace, when others interact with me, I only talk about work. I don't care about attitudes; that's not something I should be considering."
Qin Zheng's face turned cold and gloomy, but he had no way to refute her.
Gu Yun Ci smoothed things over for him. He closed the document, got up, and handed it to Ruan An. "Go back and tell your Miss Meng that the proposal is fine; there is no need to find the legal department."
Ruan An took it with a smile. "Thank you, President Gu. President Gu is the best after all."
As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at Qin Zheng. "Unlike some people who can even deliver things to the wrong place."
After saying that, she skipped away.
In the office, Qin Zheng looked completely bewildered, his aggrieved expression as he subconsciously wanted to say something but didn't dare to being extremely cute.
Gu Yun Ci's brows relaxed slightly, a hint of a hidden smile pressing at the corners of his lips. He glanced sideways at Qin Zheng, his eyes surging with helplessness mixed with amusement.
The person Meng Shu Tang trained is truly interesting.
However, when the face of Meng Shu Tang and that string of Ancient Beads around her neck appeared in his mind, the smile on his lips instantly stiffened. He sat down and continued his work meticulously.
Ruan An returned to the studio.
"Tangtang Jie, the proposal has been delivered. President Gu was very satisfied and even politely said he let me make a wasted trip."
"But that Qin Zheng has no eye for detail. It's a waste of such a fair and handsome face."
Meng Shu Tang could imagine the scene in Gu Yun Ci's office just now; she smiled and said nothing.
At noon, Meng Shu Tang went to a nearby mall to eat. Ruan An had something to do and did not follow.
Very coincidentally, she saw Bai Ci Xian as soon as she walked in.
Meng Shu Tang subconsciously turned to leave.
"Miss Meng, meeting by chance is better than an invitation. Let's eat together!"
Bai Ci Xian stood up and took the initiative to invite her.
This day was bound to come.
After a brief moment of thought, Meng Shu Tang sat down opposite her with grace.
Bai Ci Xian picked up the chopsticks for Meng Shu Tang. "I just came from Brother Yun Ci's office. He said that the proposal was revised exceptionally well, especially the clever idea of adding the chrysanthemum exhibition. It's truly brilliant."
Meng Shu Tang smiled faintly without even lifting her eyelids. "Of course. The proposal was revised over two sleepless nights. President Gu's eye for talent is indeed good; he only praises those who deserve it."
The smile on Bai Ci Xian's face stiffened slightly. "I noticed Miss Meng has been leaving work very early these past few days. When I went downstairs, the lights in your studio were already off."
"Did you take the proposal home to revise it?"
Meng Shu Tang nodded. "Yes, in the attic on the third floor."
Bai Ci Xian pursed her lips and smiled, her slender fingers picking up an exquisite teacup to take a sip.
A waitress came over and asked what they wanted to order.
The two of them each took a menu. Bai Ci Xian glanced lightly at Meng Shu Tang. "Speaking of which, Brother Yun Ci was the one who brought me to this private kitchen. Their teppanyaki tofu is a specialty. I guess Miss Meng has never had it before, right?"
"After all, Brother Yun Ci said that apart from me, he has never brought anyone else here."
This show-off was blatant. If it were in the past, Meng Shu Tang would have felt a sting in her heart upon hearing this.
But now, her smile was cold and indifferent. "He didn't bring me here because the teppanyaki tofu has chili in it, and I can't eat spicy food."
"As for you, Miss Bai, you remember so clearly which places he took you to. It seems he hasn't taken you to enough places."
"Unlike me, there are so many that I can't even remember them all if I tried!"
The waitress was experienced and worldly; she had already realized that this was a mistress challenging the legitimate partner, and she felt deeply stung.
She watched Bai Ci Xian as if watching a show.
Bai Ci Xian's face turned a shade paler, and she felt a bit embarrassed. She ordered a few dishes simply and handed the menu to the waitress.
"Let's not talk about this."
As she spoke, she raised her hand to brush her stray hair behind her ear, deliberately exposing the bracelet on her wrist.
Meng Shu Tang thought she was going to show off the one Gu Yun Ci bought for her at the Cultural Tourism Town mall that day.
She glanced at it nonchalantly, but at that one look, she froze instantly.
The bracelet was not some expensive item; it was just an ordinary, aged bracelet.
There was a small, worn-edged silver camellia pendant on the bracelet.
She had seen one exactly like it; it was an old possession of her father, Meng Zhibang.
The camellia petal on the pendant had a missing corner, and the missing corner on Bai Ci Xian's pendant matched it perfectly.
She had asked about it at the time, and Meng Zhibang said it was a gift from a friend when he was young.
She had even teased Meng Zhibang, "Is it a token of love?"
Meng Zhibang didn't say a word.
She smiled and stood up. "I'm going to tell Mother."
Meng Zhibang pulled her back.
She hugged him with a smile. "I'm just teasing you. How could I tell Mother? But you should keep it safe and don't let Mother see it."
So many years had passed, and she had almost forgotten about this item.
She never expected to see it on Bai Ci Xian's hand today.
Could it be that Bai Ci Xian was the daughter of Meng Zhibang's old flame?
Could it be that Meng Zhibang had ignored her and Zhou Xingfan for all these years because he was comforting an old flame?
Meng Shu Tang didn't dare to think, nor did she want to believe it. She grabbed Bai Ci Xian's wrist. "Tell me, where did you get this bracelet?"
Bai Ci Xian was not frightened by her sudden action. Meeting those eyes that seemed to be burning with fire, she still acted as delicate as usual. "It's my own!"
"You're talking nonsense," Meng Shu Tang said, standing up, her aura fully unleashed. "Tell me, where did it really come from?"
Bai Ci Xian stood up, and as she braced herself against the table, she accidentally put her hand into the teacup, causing her to gasp in pain from the heat.
Bai Ci Xian, like Meng Shu Tang, had cold, fair skin.
In an instant, her slender fingers turned red.
She pushed Meng Shu Tang away abruptly. "I suddenly remembered I have something to do. You eat by yourself!"
After saying that, she grabbed her bag and left.
Meng Shu Tang turned around, her deep gaze fixed on Bai Ci Xian's panicked retreating figure, her fingertips clenched until they turned white.
That was Meng Zhibang's bracelet; she could not have been mistaken.
She hurriedly searched for her bag to get her mobile phone, intending to call Meng Zhibang to ask.
Just then, a call came from Nurse Li at Jiangcheng Hospital.
"Miss Meng, your mother... is not doing well."
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