“Chi Wei!!! Chi Wei!!!” Zhong Xiao’ou called Chi Wei the second she had a chance to slip away.
“Speak.”
“VP Gu… VP Gu… she…”
“What happened? Is something wrong?” Hearing her stuttering, Chi Wei’s heart skipped a beat.
“No, VP Gu and her scumbag boyfriend—my unscrupulous landlord—broke up!!! They broke up!!!”
“That’s it? You’re this excited? You’re celebrating someone’s breakup? Zhong Xiao’ou, that’s unethical.”
“I am not!”
“I can hear it in your voice. They say ‘rather tear down ten temples than ruin one marriage,'” Chi Wei teased dismissively, already settled at a mahjong table with Qian Lili and the others.
“What are you talking about? That man cheated! What ‘marriage’ is left to save? That saying itself is just archaic ‘straight-man’ cancer. It completely disrespects the contract and trust of a marriage. If the relationship is broken, are you supposed to stay just for a piece of paper? …Hey, are you even listening?”
“Two of Bamboo! Kong! Kong!”
“Winning on the Kong!”
…
Zhong Xiao’ou hung up, her heart unable to settle for a long time. It felt like a glimmer of light appearing where she had never dared to hope, shining brilliantly in the night. She put her phone away and returned to the old teahouse. Gu Ming was reclining on a bamboo chair. The sunlight was a bit bright, so she shielded her eyes with the back of her hand. Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw Zhong Xiao’ou approaching and sat up.
“VP Gu?”
“VP Gu, why are you here?”
Unfortunately, they were swamped by the large group returning from the Liu Family Manor tour. Several bootlickers saw Gu Ming and immediately swarmed her—especially the HR manager, who was being particularly sycophantic. Gu Ming felt uncomfortable but forced herself to go back to the inn with them. Dinner had to be eaten; the company had arranged a DIY barbecue. The inn felt like a replica of a traditional courtyard. As soon as Gu Ming appeared, she was surrounded. As the company’s youngest VP and a beauty to boot, there was no shortage of gossip behind her back—things like “she slept her way to the top.” In a patriarchal society, women always have it hard; any success is attributed to their bodies. Gu Ming had seen enough of it to be used to it. But today, she had come to relax, yet she still had to socialize. She looked around, rare for her, specifically searching for Zhong Xiao’ou. Being with her was much more comfortable than being with these people.
In a corner, Zhong Xiao’ou was huddled with Chi Wei, Qian Lili, Wei Hang, and a few others. “Didn’t you guys go on the tour? You all snuck out to play mahjong!” Zhong Xiao’ou said, flipping a chicken wing on the grill.
“What’s there to see? Since we don’t have a ‘special someone’ to accompany us, we might as well play mahjong, right?” Qian Lili teased her again. “Did VP Gu really break up with that scumbag?”
Earlier that afternoon, Chi Wei had been so obsessed with her mahjong win that she blurted out the “tear down ten temples” comment, and everyone at the table heard it.
Zhong Xiao’ou put down her chicken wing and grabbed Chi Wei’s neck. “You’re spreading it everywhere again!”
Chi Wei, gasping, explained, “No, I really wasn’t paying attention then!”
“If VP Gu finds out, she’ll kill me.”
“To die at the hands of the one you love… that’s a death without regrets.” Is there any saving this masochist Wei Hang?
“No, Xiao’ou, you’re wrong. You hide everything. This is a cause for universal celebration! Everyone is happy for you. Besides, a woman like VP Gu dumping a scumbag is worth setting off firecrackers for. Do you want some? I’ll go buy them; they probably allow it here.”
Qian Lili spoke with such conviction that Zhong Xiao’ou had no rebuttal. She slowly loosened her grip on Chi Wei and leaned in, whispering, “That’s not what I mean. It’s just… it’s her private business. It’s not good for people to gossip.”
“Nonsense, we’re all family here! Look, we can put our heads together and help you pursue her, right?” Qian Lili, with her bold Northeast personality, threw an arm around Zhong Xiao’ou’s shoulder.
“Ahem—” Wei Hang coughed unnaturally.
Lu An, the petite “T” (masculine-presenting lesbian) from Finance, suddenly stood up and shouted, “VP Gu!”
“Stop it, what are you yelling for? You’re jumping at shadows.” Zhong Xiao’ou was still traumatized by Lu An’s online handle “Touch Your Whole Body.” Seeing her suddenly stand up and call out “VP Gu” was the last thing she needed.
Chi Wei, Zhong Xiao’ou, and Qian Lili were facing the same way, with their backs to the entrance. Chi Wei felt a “breeze” behind her and turned around to find Gu Ming standing there, holding a tall glass, looking poised. Chi Wei nudged Zhong Xiao’ou. Realizing something was up, Zhong Xiao’ou turned and saw Gu Ming smiling right at her. She was so startled she forgot to say hello.
“You guys look lively.” Gu Ming had mango juice in her glass. She walked around Qian Lili. “May I sit here?” Qian Lili jumped up instantly. “Please, VP Gu, take my seat.”
“I think something is burning,” Gu Ming remarked, smelling smoke.
Lu An hurriedly used the tongs to flip the mantou (steamed bun) slices on the grill—they were charred black.
Zhong Xiao’ou hadn’t expected Gu Ming to take the initiative to join them. She nervously rubbed her hands against her trousers.
“What does VP Gu like to eat? I’ll have Xiao’ou grill it; she’s quite good at it.” Chi Wei was proving to be a top-tier wingwoman.
“Anything is fine.” Gu Ming wasn’t there for the food. She just didn’t want to hear the sycophants with their fake smiles telling her, “VP Gu, you look so beautiful today,” when she was just wearing casual clothes.
“VP Gu, you’re so capable at such a young age, Classic International is lucky to have you.” She never knew how to respond to such hollow praise.
“VP Gu, you look really good in those clothes today,” Lu An said—a rare moment of her speaking up.
Gu Ming was stunned for a moment, then burst into a genuine laugh. “Are you 90s kids doing ‘heartless’ flattery now too?” Her tone was light; she wasn’t offended. Lu An, who was naturally quiet, was mortified that her rare comment landed poorly, so she shut up and went to grab some pork belly.
Chi Wei handed Gu Ming a can of beer. Everyone raised their cans. Gu Ming didn’t take it at first, leaning in slightly. “I can’t drink; I have to drive back to Chengdu later.”
“It’s fine, VP Gu! I’ll call a designated driver for you later. It’s rare we get to sit with you like this.”
Gu Ming couldn’t refuse again. She took the beer and clinked it with the others.
By early September, the nights were cooling down, shedding the sweltering heat of midsummer. A stray breeze hinted that autumn was coming. With Gu Ming right beside her, Zhong Xiao’ou didn’t dare be too enthusiastic, but she couldn’t be cold either. She just kept piling meat into Gu Ming’s bowl. Gu Ming didn’t have much of an appetite, and the meat piled up like a mountain. Just as she was about to add more, Gu Ming placed a hand over hers. “Stop, I can’t eat any more. It’ll go to waste. Thank you, Zhong Xiao’ou.” She whispered the “thank you” right into Zhong Xiao’ou’s ear—soft and gentle. Caught off guard, Zhong Xiao’ou felt a jolt like an electric shock. Her whole body went numb, and it took her a long time to snap back.
Everyone was drinking happily and started playing a guessing game called “Eighteen Questions.” The rule: you think of a person, and others ask questions that you can only answer with “yes” or “no.” If they can’t guess after eighteen questions, the asker drinks eighteen cups. If they guess correctly before then, the person being asked drinks a number of cups equal to eighteen minus the question number.
The stakes were high—eighteen cups could kill someone. To prevent alcohol poisoning, Qian Lili borrowed tiny sample cups from the innkeeper. To make sure everyone understood the rules, Qian Lili and Chi Wei did a trial run.
Qian Lili asked: “Is it a woman?” Chi Wei: “Yes.” Qian Lili: “Is it someone sitting here?” Chi Wei: “No.” Qian Lili: “Is it someone we know?” Chi Wei: “No.”
Wait— Qian Lili scratched her head. Not here and not known? That range was way too big. She glared at Chi Wei, who looked smug. Qian Lili decided to play her trump card: “Is it the woman you slept with last night?”
Pfft— Zhong Xiao’ou’s heart leaped into her throat. She squeezed Chi Wei’s palm hard. Are you guys serious? Do you have any consideration for the fact that there’s a straight woman here? Do you even care that VP Gu is right there??
Chi Wei bit her lip. Qian Lili really knew her. She gritted her teeth and said firmly, “Yes!”
The atmosphere erupted. You guys are definitely wasted, Zhong Xiao’ou thought.
Fortunately, Gu Ming was focused on the game and didn’t seem to dwell on why Chi Wei had slept with a woman the night before.
Qian Lili: “Was it fun?” Chi Wei gave a wicked smile. “Yes.”
Gu Ming looked confused, while Zhong Xiao’ou was covered in a cold sweat, feeling like she couldn’t watch this game for another second…