“You really struck gold, didn’t you?”
“I reached this position relying entirely on my own ability. At the time, the company’s ultimate authority was still in her father’s hands, and I was promoted step-by-step by him. However, her father’s health suddenly deteriorated last year, so he handed all the company’s power over to her. This time when I returned to China, the accounts for the branch here happened to have some problems, so she appointed me as the chief financial officer to audit the accounts over here.”
“Then did you find anything out?”
“Of course! Do you think I spent all those years studying for nothing?”
“Oh, then why didn’t you go help out at your father’s company? Your father’s company in China is probably just as good as the Xia family enterprise!”
“I had a falling out with him before I went abroad. We haven’t had any contact at all for the past five years.”
Hearing the somewhat dejected tone in Xiao Xiaoran’s voice, Gu Ming didn’t continue with this topic. “Have you eaten yet?”
“En. My assistant bought something in the evening, and I ate a little, but I wanted to eat what you make.”
“Then wait a moment. I’ll go heat it up for you.”
With that, she jumped off the sofa without a second word and ran barefoot into the kitchen.
Watching Gu Ming, Xiao Xiaoran suddenly recalled the past.
When she was a child, she had been extremely willful. Whenever something didn’t suit her taste, she would rather go hungry than eat. Once, because the older sister who usually looked after her had to go on a business trip, she had no choice but to eat at her tutor’s place, but the food at the tutor’s home was simply unpalatable. She stubbornly starved herself for several days. When Gu Ming found out, she secretly smuggled home-cooked meals made by her mother out of her house for her. To be honest, Mother Gu’s cooking really was exceptional.
What was completely unexpected was that Gu Ming, who had always been carefree and boisterous since childhood, started diligently following her mother to learn how to cook from that day on. She kept at it for several years. When Xiao Xiaoran tasted Gu Ming’s cooking for the first time, she simply couldn’t believe that this little rascal Gu Ming could actually cook something so delicious. Xiao Xiaoran asked Gu Ming why she suddenly thought of learning how to cook. Gu Ming answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world: Aren’t you a picky eater? You complained that what they made wasn’t delicious, so I’ll cook for you! That year, Gu Ming was twelve years old and had already spent three years learning how to cook from her mother, achieving quite a bit of skill.
Later on, Xiao Xiaoran found out that when Gu Ming first started learning how to cook, she almost burned down the kitchen and cut her hand while chopping vegetables. Upon learning that, Xiao Xiaoran burst into tears, hugged Gu Ming, and asked her, “Why are you so good to me? Why do you have to do so much for me? What qualifications do I have to make you pay such a price?”
Gu Ming wore a completely calm and unruffled expression. “Xiaoran, none of this is a question of whether it’s worth it or not. I’m good to you simply because I want to be good to you. No one else will do.”
With a gaze so intense it seemed as though she wanted to carve Gu Ming’s appearance into her very soul, that year they were sixteen years old and finally had the courage to clasp each other’s hands with their fingers tightly interlocked.
Even though they were young back then, the words they spoke were incomparably touching, far better than all the sweet talk that would come in the days ahead. If possible, how she wished she could use the experience she had gained since then to travel back to their beginning, and then devote all her heart and soul to clearing away every single factor that would cause them to separate. Would she then be able to spend every day and night, every single minute and second, with you, free from any heart-wrenching parting, abandonment, and longing?
Ye Zi
“President Zhao, we discovered someone in the company is secretly investigating our accounts.”
“Investigating my accounts? Who?” The man twirled a knife back and forth in his hands, his eyes shimmering with an indescribable depth.
“We are still working hard to investigate this,” the man dressed in black stammered nervously.
“En, I understand. Go call Vice President Ou over here for me.”
“Yes.”
“Ouyang, this return of Xiao Xiaoran probably isn’t just about auditing the accounts,” the man sitting in the executive chair said to the young man in the white shirt.
“Then do you mean that she has discovered our affairs?”
“Probably not yet, otherwise she would have made a move long ago. Still, we can’t guarantee that her abilities won’t lead her right to our doorstep. Keeping her around will sooner or later become a disaster for us.”
“Shall I tell Han Li to…” The man in the white shirt made a throat-slitting gesture. (Note: ellipses were converted to a period or trailing pause in standard punctuation)
The man in the executive chair roared angrily, “Ouyang, you’ve been by my side for so many years, and you still don’t know how to handle this kind of matter? Do you even know whose daughter she is? Go try touching her and see what happens! You wouldn’t even know how you died.”
“Then…” Ouyang Jin was clearly frightened out of his wits. Having followed this man for so many years, he still could never fully fathom his thoughts.
“Send people to keep an eye on Xiao Xiaoran first. Let’s see what actions she takes before we decide.”
An investigation report was handed over from Li Xin to Xiao Xiaoran. Xiao Xiaoran’s brows furrowed tightly.
She had anticipated that Wang Zhian would have more or fewer personal connections and networks, but she never expected that Wang Zhian would actually have ties to underground criminal forces. Because of this, even though she held evidence of his embezzlement of public funds, there was nothing she could immediately do to him.
Thinking of this, Xiao Xiaoran couldn’t help feeling a headache coming on. A person suddenly flashed across her mind, but just a moment later, Xiao Xiaoran completely dismissed the thought. That person had already drifted too far out of her life, and some things could never be recovered. Why was she still expecting her help?
Xiao Xiaoran leaned back against her chair feeling somewhat powerless. Li Xin, standing off to the side, couldn’t help speaking up.
“President Xiao, you haven’t had a proper rest in days. Why don’t you go rest in the bedroom next door for a while?”
Xiao Xiaoran was indeed exhausted. She had spent the last few days constantly dealing with accounting issues until her head was spinning. Even though the workload when she was studying for her MBA abroad was no less than this, dealing with the cutthroat scheming of real society was simply too draining. School truly couldn’t compare to the harsh reality of society!
However, the mere thought of being able to see the person she hadn’t seen in days tonight made Xiao Xiaoran perk up a little. When had she also become this childish? It was definitely because she had been spending too much time hanging around with a child.
When Xiao Xiaoran finished handling her work and returned home, Gu Ming took her bag and coat like a devoted, virtuous wife. Dinner was already prepared. A warm home and the person she loved most—Xiao Xiaoran suddenly felt her chest overflowing entirely with happiness. (Replaced dash with a comma for flow)
“Xiaoran, are you free tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Probably not. There’s just too much going on at the company lately, and I’m swamped. Why?”
“Oh, nothing much. I was just asking. Just what kind of multi-million-dollar project is your company taking on anyway? You haven’t come back home for days now,” Gu Ming said with a hint of petulance.
“Hey! Even if I told you about company matters, you wouldn’t understand. Once I finish getting through these busy days, I’ll properly stay with you and keep you company, okay, good daughter?” Xiao Xiaoran genuinely treated Gu Ming like a child, and after saying that, she didn’t forget to pinch Gu Ming’s smooth, tender little cheek.
“Damn it, Xiao Xiaoran, you aren’t really treating me like your son, are you?!” Gu Ming blurted out in a huff, completely dropping her previous gentle demeanor.
“Who knows? Maybe I am.” Completely unfazed, Xiao Xiaoran picked up a slice of meat with her chopsticks, getting ready to put it into her mouth, when Gu Ming suddenly stretched her neck forward and bit the slice of meat right off. She then viciously chewed on it in her mouth with loud smacking noises.
Xiao Xiaoran glanced sideways at Gu Ming. “You dare snatch food out of my mouth?”
Gu Ming swallowed it without the slightest bit of courtesy. “I snatched yours, so what are you going to do about it? Who told you not to keep me company?”
So it turned out this person had been going on and on for ages just because of this matter after all. “Didn’t I tell you I really had matters to attend to and couldn’t get away?”
“Hmph, I don’t care.”
“Gu Ming, why are you being so unreasonable? You’re acting just like a total rogue.”
“Is this your first day knowing me? I am being unreasonable, and I am acting like a rogue! What are you going to do to me?” Gu Ming wore a provocative expression.
Xiao Xiaoran ignored Gu Ming completely and went right back to eating her meal. No matter how Gu Ming expressed the dissatisfaction in her heart right beside her, Xiao Xiaoran acted as though she didn’t see a thing.
Realizing she was making a fool of herself, Gu Ming obediently sat down to the side and watched Xiao Xiaoran eat her meal slowly and delicately.
“What? Are you done making a fuss?” A cold tone.
“I’m not making a fuss anymore, I’m not making a fuss.” Gu Ming said with a wronged expression. She knew that under circumstances like this, Xiao Xiaoran would definitely find every possible way to retaliate against her. Call her a rogue? The person sitting right in front of her was even more of a rogue!
Even if Gu Ming was as shameless as they came, she still got completely crushed whenever she was around Xiao Xiaoran. That just went to show that there was always someone better, and a mountain higher than the one you were standing on.
Early the next morning, while both of them were still sleeping soundly in bed, a relentless phone ringing harshly woke them both up. With a face full of morning fury, Xiao Xiaoran glared angrily at Gu Ming’s messy, bird’s-nest-like hair. “How many times have I told you to remember to turn off your phone before going to sleep every night?”
“Don’t yell at me. Aren’t I just afraid someone might have an emergency?” Gu Ming smoothed down her messy, tousled hair.
“Hello? Ye Zi, did you eat something weird last night, calling this early in the morning!”
“Gu Ming, you’re asking for a beating, aren’t you? Your big sis here is being kind enough to take a day off work to accompany you for your birthday, and you still dare to complain about me! Get your ass over to Chen Fei’s place within half an hour, or your big sis will completely break you.”
“Uh, I’ll do my absolute best. Goodbye.” Before Ye Zi could say another word, Gu Ming hung up the phone. Otherwise, there was no telling what else Ye Zi might say to her. Early in the morning like this, Gu Ming definitely didn’t want to go looking for trouble.
After hanging up, Gu Ming looked at Xiao Xiaoran with hopeful anticipation. It was her birthday, after all—surely her girlfriend should show some kind of gesture. Xiao Xiaoran’s train of thought clearly wasn’t synced up with Gu Ming’s at that moment. She walked right past Gu Ming’s upright figure to go wash up. Refusing to resign herself to defeat, Gu Ming called out, “Xiao Xiaoran, my heart is broken.” Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, no one paid her any attention at all.
“Ye Zi, I think my life is a bit of a failure!” Sitting in the VIP lounge of “Passing By,” Gu Ming said to Ye Zi with a despondent expression.
Ye Zi applied her makeup while saying, “Actually, it’s not a failure. It’s just… well, not particularly successful either.”
Hearing that, Gu Ming didn’t even want to rebut her. Her fighting spirit had already been completely drained by Xiao Xiaoran that morning, and she currently had zero combat power left to bicker endlessly with Ye Zi. “Oh, is that so?”
Seeing that Gu Ming wasn’t arguing back with her as usual, Ye Zi felt uncomfortable all over. “Minger, dear! Be a good girl and come over to your big sis here. Let me take a look at what’s wrong with that delicate, pretty little face of yours.”
“Ye Zi, I’m in a relationship.” Even Gu Ming didn’t know why those words just slipped right out of her mouth.
Ye Zi’s hand trembled, accidentally smearing her lip gloss straight across her cheek. “Gu Ming, are you just pulling my leg to make me happy?”
She looked over and saw that this definitely didn’t look like a joking face. “Don’t tell me it’s actually true! Damn it, who is it?! Who managed to reel you in?”