Gu Xiao then said respectfully, “Young Master, I know a little about Liang Xing. If he really agrees to transfer the shares to Gu Wan’er, he definitely won’t give them to anyone else—unless Gu Wan’er gives up herself.”
Gu Yuanli took out his golden smoking pipe again and said coldly, “I don’t care what methods you use, I don’t want to see my sister succeed. If she succeeds, you’re out!”
It’s really quite a pity to see two middle-aged men, both nearly fifty, being scolded like this.
As the screen went dark, Gu Xiao and Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged a glance—this wasn’t going to be easy.
Over at the dining floor, Zhao Liang was waiting by the elevator. When he saw Yu Xiaoduo walking out, he grinned and greeted him, “Secretary Yu, I’ll be counting on you to look after me from now on, haha.”
“Oh, get lost.”
“I’m so envious of you, Yu. There’s probably a small bedroom inside General Gu’s office, right?”
Yu Xiaoduo was speechless. My relationship with Gu Wan’er is purer than plain water: “Can’t you think about something more serious for once? Do I really seem like that kind of person to you?”
But thinking it over carefully… there actually was a small rest bedroom.
“Anyway, you two are a couple. Just let me, a lonely old bachelor, feel envious.”
“Are you depressed or something? You should go see a doctor.”
While getting his food, Yu Xiaoduo noticed one or two people pointing and whispering. Being a male secretary really wasn’t easy—it attracted too much jealousy. Especially after offending all the senior executives in one go today, the days ahead were definitely not going to be comfortable.
“Yu, how did you actually win General Gu over? Teach me, please. I’m not asking for a celestial beauty like General Gu—just any woman would do.”
“Ah, Lao Zhao, it’s a long story between me and General Gu. The twists and turns are such that you can’t really look at them through a normal lens.”
Zhao Liang looked completely unconvinced: “Yu, we’ve been brothers for so many years. Can you really bear to watch me achieve my dreams with my own two hands night after night? Wouldn’t your conscience hurt?”
“Oh, come on, am I really that kind of person?”
“Then teach me!”
“Alright, who have you got your eye on in the company?” Yu Xiaoduo knew this fat guy wouldn’t let it go, so he decided to stall for now.
Zhao Liang glanced around and lowered his voice: “She’s not from the company. She’s from our neighborhood.”
“You don’t mean that one?!” Yu Xiaoduo was shocked.
“Yep, that one.”
“But she’s got a kid, buddy!” Yu Xiaoduo looked astonished. This story went back six months.
It was a very ordinary Wednesday morning. Yu Xiaoduo was waiting for Zhao Liang to head to the company together, just like always. But that day, a woman came down the elevator with Zhao Liang. She was really attractive, had a great figure, and more importantly, her black stockings were something else—she gave off a strong, mature, womanly vibe.
Back then, they didn’t know she had a child. They’d stake out the spot every morning just to feast their eyes. But then one day, she showed up with a three- or four-year-old boy, and suddenly it wasn’t fun anymore. Yu Xiaoduo thought Zhao Liang felt the same, but this guy was still hung up on her.
“Yu, your thinking is so behind the times. You can always have more kids.”
“But she has a husband! Are you planning to steal her away?”
“I did some digging. Her husband kicked the bucket.”
Yu Xiaoduo: “…”
He had thought she was just a mature, attractive woman, but it turned out she was a widow. This fat guy had some seriously unusual taste.
“How old is she?”
“Thirty-one. Still young, just a few years older than me. Yu, look at me—I’m not getting any younger, and my family’s been nagging me non-stop. Please, just help me out.”
Looking at Zhao Liang’s pitiful expression, Yu Xiaoduo felt a headache coming on. I don’t even know how to chase a girl myself—I’m still stuck at the theoretical stage.
“What does she do for work?” Yu Xiaoduo asked curiously.
Zhao Liang chuckled: “She’s an executive at some company. Otherwise, how could she have that kind of class?”
“Well, here’s the problem. She has to like you first.”
“Yu, if General Gu could fall for you, I’ve already lowered the bar by several notches.”
Yu Xiaoduo’s face twitched: “Why do I feel like that was an insult?”
“Yu, my dear Yu, just let me have a love life, please. I’m begging you.”
Yu Xiaoduo put down his chopsticks and sighed deeply: “Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t have much experience, so if you fail, you can’t blame me.”
“Yu, you’re being too modest. You’re the deepest, most affectionate man in all of Longhai!”
Yu Xiaoduo: “…”
After lunch, Zhao Liang left in high spirits, as if he had already started fantasizing about his wonderful new life. Yu Xiaoduo returned to his own desk.
When he saw Yan Li nibbling on what looked like plain greens, he asked curiously, “Eating just that little bit?”
“Mm, I’ve been eating too well lately. Gained a little weight,” Yan Li said with a slight smile. Honestly, Yu Xiaoduo thought she was a nice girl, but that fat guy had his heart set on someone with a kid and a dead husband. How thrilling.
Yu Xiaoduo said, “Oh,” and asked, “Has General Gu come back from lunch yet?”
“Not yet.”
He wondered if that woman had been influenced by anyone. If she fell for something, he’d be in big trouble too.
No, he had to figure something out. How was he going to fill a two-billion-yuan hole?
Two billion. That wasn’t two bucks. Who was he supposed to go to for help with that?
Suddenly, a graceful figure flashed through Yu Xiaoduo’s mind. My dear Sister Bai—isn’t she a rich lady?
He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Bai Ji: “Sister Bai~”
Yan Li, sitting nearby, saw the strange smile on Yu Xiaoduo’s face and couldn’t help but shiver. That kind of smile usually appeared on the face of a player.
Before five seconds had passed, Bai Ji replied: “Short on cash?”
As expected of Sister Bai. I haven’t even said anything yet, and you already guessed it.
“As expected of my Sister Bai, truly clairvoyant!” After typing, Yu Xiaoduo added a playful emoji. But inwardly, he thought, If Sister Bai ever found out I was chatting with a guy, would she jump right out of my phone screen and stab me?
“How much do you need?”
“Two billion.”
“When do you need it?”
Yu Xiaoduo sat up straight after reading that. As expected of Sister Bai: “The sooner, the better.”
“Mm, I heard all the VPs from your company came back today. Looks like you hit a snag.”
“Sister Bai, if it weren’t for you, I’d really be done for this time. Love you, Sister Bai (heart emoji).” Yu Xiaoduo chuckled to himself, wanting nothing more than to give Sister Bai a big hug.
Bai Ji sat lazily on her sofa, half of her fair, slender legs exposed. Unfortunately, no one was there to appreciate the view. “Take me out for a meal some other day.”
“No problem.”
He put down his phone, rested his hands behind his head, and thought, Gu Wan’er, I’ve done you another huge favor. When are you going to introduce your sister to me? Then we’ll be family, and of course I’ll help you.
About half an hour later, Gu Wan’er finally returned. But her face showed clear exhaustion, as if she hadn’t gotten the result she wanted.
Yu Xiaoduo thought she’d call him over, but she walked straight into her office instead. Fine, let her fret for a while. I was going to tell her the good news.
“General Gu looks like she’s in a bad mood,” Yan Li said quietly.
“Yeah, a pretty bad mood.”
Yan Li sighed softly. She really felt for General Gu—so young and already burdened with so much.
