The more Fang Mian tried to resist his flirtatious words,
the more uncontrollably her face burned with heat.
Why, after working at the company for over two years, was she only now discovering that President Gu was actually a rogue?
Was it just her eyes that had a problem,
or did everyone in the entire company have the same issue?
Suddenly, a cool sensation spread across her scalp.
Gu Tingye used a wet wipe to carefully clean the spot on her hair where Gu Ziqian had just kissed her.
His movements were meticulous and deliberate, yet carried an undercurrent of danger.
Gu Tingye spoke slowly, his tone icy and detached: “Besides kissing, what else have the two of you done together?”
“Which parts of your body has he touched?”
“Have you ever been completely open and exposed to him?”
“Have you ever spent the night together?”
Wasn’t this too direct?
Fang Mian was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
After a long silence without her reply, Gu Tingye’s entire demeanor instantly turned bone-chillingly cold.
Seeing that he was about to lose his temper, Fang Mian quickly confessed: “We haven’t done anything.”
Recalling the vivid red stain on the bedsheet that night,
Gu Tingye’s cold, stern brow gradually relaxed.
He extended his thumb and gently stroked her full, plump lips: “Come to my place tonight, hmm?”
The rising inflection of his voice carried a hint of ambiguity.
He changed the subject too quickly, and Fang Mian wasn’t mentally prepared: “I haven’t told my mom yet.”
“You have two minutes. Call her now.”
“I… I just remembered there’s a report I haven’t finished.”
“I’ll assign you less work tomorrow. You can finish it then.”
“But…”
“Fang Mian.” Gu Tingye narrowed his eyes slightly.
His large hand slid down from her lips and suddenly gripped her neck: “My patience with women has its limits! After all, you were the one who provoked me first.”
“Since you had the nerve to stir up trouble, you should have the courage to face the consequences and clean up the mess properly. Otherwise, with my methods, I doubt you could handle the fallout!”
After glaring fiercely at her flushed, oxygen-deprived face, Gu Tingye restrained his anger and released his grip.
Once freed, Fang Mian immediately gasped for air, trying to steady her breathing.
“You’ve completely ruined the mood.”
Gu Tingye shot her a cold sidelong glance: “Forget it tonight. We’ll arrange it another time.”
“If you need time to mentally prepare yourself, I can give it to you.”
“But I hope Assistant Fang won’t spoil my mood again next time!”
Fang Mian lowered her gaze slightly: “Understood, President Gu.”
After Gu Tingye left, Fang Mian took out a small mirror from her bag to examine her neck.
He really had a heavy hand!
There was already a red mark circling it.
Was this man insane?
Even if there was no deep professional camaraderie between them, at the very least, they shared some intimacy in bed, didn’t they?
How could a man, especially one of his stature, be so rough with a woman?
She must have been crazy too!
To have been so desperate that she ended up sleeping with such a temperamental man…
What a miscalculation!
If only she could return him…
On the hotel bed.
After an intense session of physical intimacy, Fang Lu lay coquettishly in Gu Ziqian’s arms.
“Master Gu, I’ve slept with you so many times now. When are you finally going to break up with Fang Mian?”
Gu Ziqian closed his eyes, resting peacefully: “Didn’t I already tell you? We’re just fuck buddies!”
“Are you running out of money?”
After saying that, he picked up his phone and transferred five hundred thousand to Fang Lu’s bank account: “Take it and spend it. Don’t call me again in the future—it won’t be good if my baby finds out. I’ll contact you if I need anything.”
Fang Lu still felt a bit jealous: “It’s always ‘my baby, my baby.’ You’ve never called me that even once.”
“Can you compare to my baby?” Gu Ziqian said with a face full of happiness. “I’ve known her since high school. I chased her for exactly one thousand and one days before she finally agreed to be my girlfriend.”
“She’s the most special girl I’ve ever met. Not too soft, not too tough; not overly delicate, not domineering; neither cold nor clingy. Being with her feels incredibly comfortable and free.”
“Plus, she’s very independent—she has her own ideas, dreams, plans, abilities, and determination.”
“Nowadays, pretty faces are everywhere, but those who are financially independent, spiritually independent, and intellectually independent are few and far between.”
“In short, marrying her is a blessing I must have earned over ten lifetimes.”
“Hah! Sounds nice,” Fang Lu said dismissively. “If you really love her so much, then why are you fooling around behind her back?”
Gu Ziqian playfully kissed her on the cheek: “It’s precisely because I like her so much that I’ve grown fond of the people around her too!”
“Besides, she’s always busy with work and doesn’t have much time for me. As a man, I get lonely too.”
“You’re so twisted, Young Master Gu! But… I like it!”
“What do you like about me? Want to go another round?”
“You’re awful…”
“Hahaha…”
7:30 a.m.
Fang Lu returned home after a night of fooling around.
Everyone was having breakfast.
Seeing that his daughter hadn’t come home all night, Fang Jingyuan, the head of the household, instantly grew angry: “Where were you last night? Why are you only coming back now?”
After taking her seat, Fang Lu picked up a glass of milk and took a sip: “Dad, I’m 27 years old—an adult. I should have some freedom of my own.”
Fang Jingyuan scolded her angrily: “Do you even realize you’re almost thirty?”
“Look at Mianmian—she’s only four months younger than you and is already an executive assistant.”
“And then look at you—you slack off at work, idle around all day, and only know how to have fun…”
“Yes, yes, Fang Mian is better and smarter than me. Why don’t you just treat her as your own daughter? I’ve lost my appetite—I’m too angry to eat!”
Fang Lu glared furiously at Fang Mian and stomped upstairs in a huff.
Fang Mian quietly sipped her porridge, unaffected by the commotion.
Fang Jingyuan said awkwardly, “Sorry, Mianmian. Lulu has had a bad temper since she was little and doesn’t act like an older sister at all.”
Fang Mian smiled gently: “It’s fine, Uncle. Being a bit willful isn’t so bad—at least she won’t get bullied.”
“I’m glad you understand. If she were even half as well-behaved as you, my hair wouldn’t have turned so gray.”
Mother He Lan brought freshly made sandwiches to the table: “What’s going on? Where’s Lulu?”
“It’s because you were too slow bringing out her favorite taro pudding sandwich.”
Jiang Yan rolled her eyes at He Lan in annoyance.
Fang Jingyuan’s expression darkened: “How can you talk like that? It’s bad enough that Lulu is immature—why are you acting the same way?”
“He Lan has been taking care of the family’s daily meals all these years with good intentions, contributing both merit and hard work. You should be more polite to her from now on.”
Jiang Yan slammed her chopsticks on the table, eyes blazing with anger: “I think Lulu is right! Since you’re so protective of that mother-daughter pair, why not just let them be your daughter and your wife!”
“You three can have this breakfast together! I’ll eat out.”
She kicked the chair aside forcefully, grabbed her car keys, and stormed out.
Fang Jingyuan trembled with rage: “One after another, sooner or later they’ll be the death of me!”
For a moment, He Lan stood awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or remain standing.
Fang Mian quietly observed her mother’s discomfort.
After a moment of thought, she looked up and said, “Uncle, I’ve already bought a house, it’s just not furnished yet. When I’m on leave next week, my mother and I will tidy it up and move in.”
Fang Jingyuan was taken aback: “How can that be? This house was originally built with funds from both Jing Jiang and me, so half of it rightfully belongs to you and your mother.”
Fang Mian smiled at her mother: “My mother and I have already discussed it.”
“Thank you, Uncle, for always looking after us. Now that I have a stable job, it’s time for us to move out. You won’t have to feel so conflicted anymore.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“You must have spent a lot on the house, right? Let me transfer 200,000 to you…”
“No need! I paid in full! And it’s close to the company, so commuting will be convenient.”
Seeing Fang Mian’s determination to move, Fang Jingyuan didn’t press further.
He sighed helplessly: “It’s all because Jing Jiang left too soon, making you more mature than your peers from a young age.”
“And it’s also my fault for being useless and failing to manage things properly, forcing you both to endure such disrespect here!”
Indeed!
Both her mother and Fang Mian herself had long suffered disdainful treatment.
All because her mother, He Lan, came from a background as a maid.
It was only due to a drunken mistake by her father that He Lan had the chance to become a daughter-in-law of the Fang family and give birth to Fang Mian.
But their small family’s happiness didn’t last long. After a plane crash, her father was forever separated from them.
From then on, the mother and daughter, having lost their support, had no choice but to live under others’ scrutiny.
Even though Fang Mian had always been sensible and well-behaved…
Even though her mother continued to serve as the Fang family’s unpaid maid day after day…
They still couldn’t earn the respect they deserved from the Fang family.
It was better to move out.
From then on, the world would be vast and open for them to soar freely.
Life was short, and she only wanted her mother and herself to live happily.
The company had been very busy these past few days.
Gu Tingye was either in meetings or attending social engagements every day.
It was always the secretary-general who followed him around, handling all the arrangements.
Fang Mian finally enjoyed a few days of peaceful, uneventful life.
Until Thursday, when she invited a few close colleagues to celebrate her housewarming at her new home on Saturday evening.
“Wow, Fang Mian, you’re amazing! You’ve already bought a house outright with your own salary!”
“I’m still living paycheck to paycheck, with no savings at all.”
“You’re still better off than me. I’m over 100,000 in debt!”
“By the way, Fang Mian, did you invite President Gu?”
Fang Mian paused: “Why would I invite him? He’s not part of the secretarial department.”
“But he’s our supervisor in the secretarial department! You’ve invited all of us, yet you’re leaving him out—doesn’t that seem a bit disrespectful?”
“I think Huanhuan has a point. Whether President Gu comes or not is his business, but whether you invite him or not is your responsibility, Fang Mian!”
Fang Mian found herself in a dilemma.
“President Gu.”
“President Gu…”
Suddenly, commotion and murmurs arose from behind.
Everyone fell silent and buried themselves in their work.
Gu Tingye tapped on Fang Mian’s desk. “Come to my office.”
“Yes, President Gu.”
After checking her appearance in a small mirror, Fang Mian nervously made her way to the president’s office.
Inside, Gu Tingye was busy with documents and his computer.
He completely ignored her presence.
Fang Mian stood idly to the side, not daring to speak up.
As time ticked by, Fang Mian gradually grew bolder.
She began stealing glances at Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye had a strikingly handsome appearance!
His demeanor was cold and aloof, his figure tall and well-proportioned.
Even a single glance felt like an impossible dream.
Add to that his noble upbringing, illustrious family background, exceptional business acumen, and… his impressive performance in bed.
Sleeping with him—she really hadn’t lost out!
“Have you reflected enough?” Gu Tingye suddenly spoke.
Fang Mian snapped back to attention.
She asked in confusion, “Reflect on what?”
Gu Tingye stopped his work and cast a cold gaze at her. “You’ve been standing here for so long, and you still don’t know what to reflect on?”
Uh…
Had she just been punished by standing?
Wasn’t he the one who had been busy all along?
Fang Mian looked utterly bewildered.