Not long after the black Rolls-Royce started moving, the mobile phone on the center console vibrated, and the soft voice of Bai Ci Xian came from it.
"Brother Yun Ci, did Teacher Meng leave behind some supplementary documents? I have organized them. Should I bring them over to you now, so as not to delay work?"
Meng Shu Tang raised her eyes slightly, meeting the gaze that Gu Yun Ci cast over.
What "left behind documents," what "afraid of delaying work"—it was clearly an attempt to use the excuse of delivering documents to force her way into this business trip.
But Meng Shu Tang felt that Gu Yun Ci would not agree.
She knew him too well; he had always prioritized work, being so professional that he was almost cold.
At such a critical moment, he would never give the green light to personal feelings, even if it was a request from his "White Moonlight" that was so obviously driven by selfish motives.
The next second, the man, biting on a cigarette, said in a calm, emotionless voice, "Come over."
The hand Meng Shu Tang used to hold her pen curled slightly.
So, some things were only for her; for Bai Ci Xian, it was favoritism, where any principle could be shattered to pieces.
Three hours later, at the Cultural Tourism Town project base.
The person in charge, Zhang Nan, said with an urgent tone, "President Gu, the main display rack in the intangible cultural heritage handicraft area has collapsed! The workers were very careful during the setup, but the accident still happened."
The man's brows knitted together abruptly.
"A solid wood rack can be rebuilt, but several exhibits from intangible cultural heritage masters have been damaged. Tomorrow, the tourist group and the Ying Xia Group are coming for an inspection. If it's not fixed today, the entire experience area will have to be sealed off!"
The man's gaze fell upon Meng Shu Tang.
She only said calmly, "I will go take a look."
In ten minutes, Meng Shu Tang identified the problem—
The expansion bolts at the joints of the display rack were non-compliant, and the construction team had unauthorizedly altered the load-bearing partitions.
Looking at the precious Ancient Beads shattered all over the floor, with scattered tourists gathering around to point and whisper, Meng Shu Tang simply explained the situation to Gu Yun Ci.
"Have President Zhang reinforce the display rack, and I will repair the Ancient Beads now. You coordinate for the tourists to take a different route; before the repairs are done, no one is allowed to enter here."
"Okay."
Gu Yun Ci replied, then turned to look at Zhang Nan, his tone bone-chillingly cold:
"The display rack is left to you. If there is another problem, get out."
Zhang Nan felt a chill down his back and hurriedly agreed.
After Gu Yun Ci left, Meng Shu Tang immediately took out her tools, lowered her head, and became immersed in the repairs.
From the midday sun to the twilight staining the horizon, she finally repaired all the damaged Ancient Beads one by one.
Seeing this, Zhang Nan sighed sincerely, "Teacher Meng's way of doing things is truly reliable."
Gu Yun Ci stood by the side at some point, his expression indifferent, showing no emotion.
At this moment, a delicate figure approached.
Bai Ci Xian, in a pink dress, came gracefully and called out sweetly, "President Gu."
The people around immediately greeted her warmly, clearly in a very familiar manner.
She distributed pastries and milk tea to everyone, her tone well-behaved, "Everyone has worked hard. The Gu Corporation will not treat you unfairly."
Finally, she walked up to Meng Shu Tang, who was covered in a thin layer of sweat, with a shallow smile, but her words were laced with thorns.
"President Zhou and the others have always been reliable. How could a perfectly fine display rack collapse?
...Could it be that the weight of the exhibits provided by Teacher Meng was incorrect?"
Zhang Nan held his breath instantly, his heart rising to his throat.
He had just praised Meng Shu Tang, saying she was reliable; if this accident was her fault, wouldn't he be responsible?
He secretly looked at Gu Yun Ci and, seeing the man's gloomy face with his gaze fixed on Meng Shu Tang in the twilight, he also broke into a cold sweat for her.
Gu Yun Ci was always strict; dereliction of duty was always punished. At this moment, whoever was pointed at would be the scapegoat.
But Gu Yun Ci said nothing, put one hand in his pocket, and turned to leave.
Bai Ci Xian immediately followed, turning back to say softly to Meng Shu Tang, "Teacher Meng, we will go to the restaurant and wait for you. Come over when you're done."
The workers who had just been surrounding Meng Shu Tang, saying they wanted to learn restoration from her, now stood silent as cicadas in winter and hurriedly dispersed.
No one dared to be associated with her.
As twilight gathered, Meng Shu Tang stood alone in the empty exhibition area, her heart feeling desolate.
The accident happened in the area she was responsible for; until the cause of the accident was investigated clearly, any argument would be pale and powerless.
She remembered one thing: there was someone acting suspiciously at the construction site today. This matter must have something fishy about it, and she had to have it investigated clearly.
She could not just be a scapegoat for nothing.
After working for a while longer, she went to the restaurant.
The purpose was to avoid Gu Yun Ci and Bai Ci Xian.
Little did she know that as soon as she walked in, she saw Bai Ci Xian and Zhang Nan talking.
Zhang Nan said, "Thank you, Miss Bai, for today."
Bai Ci Xian replied, "No, I was just telling the truth."
Being far away, Meng Shu Tang did not know what they were saying. She turned to leave because she saw Gu Yun Ci sitting not far away.
Before she could turn around, Bai Ci Xian greeted her enthusiastically, "Teacher Meng, you've been busy all afternoon, let's eat together."
Walking to the long table, Bai Ci Xian sat down naturally beside Gu Yun Ci.
Meng Shu Tang sat down directly opposite them.
During the meal, Bai Ci Xian teased Gu Yun Ci, "I came here, not entirely for you... guys," and as she said this, she glanced at Meng Shu Tang.
"My father's birthday is in a few days. He loves orchids, and the orchids in the Cultural Tourism Town are world-famous. I just happened to buy a pot to give to him."
Meng Shu Tang's hand paused upon hearing this.
Her father, Meng Zhibang, also had a birthday in a few days.
Should she also buy him a pot of orchids? He liked them very much too.
But then she thought, no, he should have long forgotten about her, his daughter.
After Zhou Xingfan was in a car accident, he used the excuse that it was inconvenient for a father to take care of a daughter to send her to the Zhou family.
At first, he only gave a very small amount of money for Zhou Xingfan's medical treatment, and later, he didn't give a single cent.
She had gone to look for him, but each time she was stopped outside the door and the Company by his Assistant.
Later on, she never looked for him again.
Ding, the mobile phone on the table lit up.
Meng Shu Tang picked it up and answered, "Nurse Li."
Nurse Li said, "Miss Meng, there are still some small expenses for this period. I have sent them to your mobile phone. Please pay them when you see them.
Also, remind President Gu's side to pay the treatment fees in advance; don't keep making us urge you."
After saying this, Nurse Li hung up.
The taciturn man threw down his chopsticks, looked at Meng Shu Tang, and frowned, "Has your mother's treatment fee ever been delayed?"
He had instructed Qin Zheng about this matter, and Qin Zheng had always been reliable; it was impossible for there to be any oversight in this matter.
He thought Meng Shu Tang was doing it on purpose.
Seeing this, Meng Shu Tang thought that since he was already angry, she might as well take this opportunity to remind him.
After all, they were not divorced yet, and he needed to pay the treatment fees on time according to the agreement. Once divorced, she would never make this request unreasonably.
But before she could speak, Bai Ci Xian accidentally knocked over the water glass next to her, and the water wet the man's cuffs.
She hurriedly grabbed a tissue, "I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy."
After wiping it for Gu Yun Ci, she glanced out the window, "It's raining, and I didn't bring an umbrella. How am I supposed to go back?"
After saying this, she secretly peeked at Gu Yun Ci, her tone soft.
Gu Yun Ci raised his hand to call the waitress, "Please bring an umbrella."
After saying that, he turned to Bai Ci Xian and said, "I'll take you; it's on the way."
The two got up, and Bai Ci Xian "accidentally" bumped into Meng Shu Tang's chair, then, as if remembering something, looked at Gu Yun Ci with an innocent face.
"Brother Yun Ci, you are taking me, but what about Miss Meng? Didn't she also not bring an umbrella?"
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