Watching Gu Wan’er’s gaze, Yu Xiaoduo blinked.
But to anyone else looking on, that blink was clearly a surreptitious exchange of amorous glances—full of unspoken affection.
Gu Wan’er silently cursed Yu Xiaoduo for being so shameless.
Yu Xiaoduo, however, thought to himself: Can’t you see I’m giving you an opening to make a scene out of this? What were you thinking, woman? Have you been watching too many action flicks?
“I think the ones who should be arrested are you people,” Yu Xiaoduo said.
Zhuang Shu quickly stepped in with a suggestion: “President Gu, I believe there must be some misunderstanding here. And it’s best not to blow this up. I think we should settle this privately.”
“Vice President, after all, he’s your son. You decide.” Gu Wan’er’s tone was indifferent, though in her mind, she was already planning to have a good chat with Yu Xiaoduo tomorrow about framing him for this mess.
Gu Lin was barely containing his rage, the veins bulging on the back of his hands. He spoke in a low, gritted voice: “I’ll go along with whatever President Gu decides.”
“In that case, we’ll handle it internally.”
Gu Wan’er felt immensely pleased. Comrade Yu Xiaoduo, I owe you another one. Look at how furious Gu Lin is—and he’s clearly pinned the blame on Zhuang Shu too. This could work out perfectly: let them tear each other apart, while I sit back and reap the benefits.
“I have other matters to attend to. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.” With that, Gu Wan’er turned and left.
Yu Xiaoduo smiled and asked, “I’m here to report to the Security Department. Who do I see?”
“Follow me,” Du Sheng said with a resigned sigh. So many of them had failed to take Yu Xiaoduo down, and he’d even managed to turn the tables on them.
Yu Xiaoduo glanced at Zhuang Cha, whose face was pale as a ghost, and chuckled. “You guys really went overboard. Look at how badly you beat up Young Master Gu.” He walked off, laughter trailing behind him.
That remark was like pouring oil on a fire. Gu Lin strode over to Zhuang Cha, raised his hand, and delivered a stinging slap that sent the younger man sprawling to the ground.
“Uncle…”
Gu Lin’s voice was ice-cold: “Not even the Heavenly Grandfather himself can save you now!” He threw out those words and stormed off.
No sooner had Gu Lin left than Yu Xiaoduo strolled back in, grinning from ear to ear. “Next time you’re putting a sack over someone’s head, make sure you’ve got the right person.”
That was like rubbing salt into the wounds of uncle and nephew alike. The guy had said one thing in front of Gu Lin, and now that Gu Lin was gone, he came back to say something completely different—he was clearly doing it on purpose!
“Uncle, you have to save me! I was only following your orders.”
“Are you threatening me?” Zhuang Shu’s voice was low and sharp.
“Uncle, I wouldn’t dare! I really wouldn’t!”
“You can’t stay in the company anymore. I’ll arrange for you to transfer somewhere else. Keep your mouth shut, or else not even the Heavenly Grandfather will be able to save you!”
Zhuang Cha nodded frantically, promising he wouldn’t say a word.
Meanwhile, Gu Lin stormed straight into Gu Xiao’s office.
“Gu Xiao! You absolute snake! How dare you lay a hand on my son!”
“Gu Lin, what the hell are you talking about? When did I ever touch your son?”
“Still playing dumb?! You had Zhuang Shu’s nephew beat up my son, then tried to pin it on Yu Xiaoduo, hoping I’d just swallow my pride and take it!”
“Bullshit! What are you even saying? Why would I do something like that? All I told Zhuang Shu’s nephew to do was rough up Yu Xiaoduo—how the hell was I supposed to know he’d go after your son?”
“Go to hell with your lies! I’m going to beat you so bad you’ll end up in the hospital today!” With that, Gu Lin lunged forward. Gu Xiao quickly dodged, and the two middle-aged men started chasing each other around the desk, which was honestly a pretty comical sight.
Just then, Zhuang Shu walked in and hurriedly tried to mediate: “Gentlemen, please stop fighting! You’re making a spectacle of yourselves in front of everyone!”
“Zhuang Shu, you tell him—did I or did I not order you to go after his son?!”
“No, I didn’t.”
Gu Lin burst out laughing. “You two are in cahoots! You think I’d believe a word you say?! Zhuang Shu, I’m settling scores with you first today!”
Zhuang Shu was startled and quickly joined Gu Xiao in running circles around the desk. If Yu Xiaoduo had been there, he would have definitely called it the “Magic Spin Cycle.”
Not long after, Huang Lifei hurried over—clearly someone had tipped her off.
She walked in and saw the three grown men panting heavily around the office desk, hurling threats at each other. Even she was left speechless.
“At a time like this, you’re still fighting among yourselves?!” Huang Lifei snapped.
Gu Xiao was equally furious. “Huang Lifei, keep your master on a leash and stop letting him run around biting people!”
“Gu Xiao, say that again, I dare you!”
“So what if I say it?! You’re nothing but a worthless piece of—” Gu Xiao was getting heated too, pointing at Huang Lifei and unleashing a torrent of abuse.
Huang Lifei was no pushover either. She grabbed an ashtray from the desk and hurled it at him. “Gu Xiao, don’t think just because your last name is Gu, I have to put up with your nonsense!”
And just like that, a two-on-two chase scene erupted all over again, completely shredding whatever remaining dignity they had left.
By this time, more senior executives had rushed in to break up the fight, finally managing to separate them.
“Gu Lin, I’m reporting this to headquarters!”
“Hmph, so am I! Just you wait!”
“You think I’m scared of you? Bring it on!” Gu Xiao spat in contempt. What a joke.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoduo had no idea that the two factions were duking it out in the office. He was still sitting in Du Sheng’s office, sipping tea.
“The tea here is pretty good, Director Du. Looks like this director position comes with some nice perks.” Yu Xiaoduo sat with his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair—anyone would have thought he was the director.
Du Sheng was in no mood for Yu Xiaoduo’s arrogant attitude. “Change into your uniform and head to the parking lot.”
“Director Du, don’t rush to assign tasks just yet. How about we have a little chat?”
“What is there to talk about with you?” Du Sheng pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Yu Xiaoduo instinctively patted his pocket. Lately, with all that time spent as a woman, he’d nearly quit smoking. He helped himself to one of Du Sheng’s China brand cigarettes and lit it, much to Du Sheng’s visible annoyance.
“Director Du, I’m sure you’ve heard a thing or two about how well-connected I am.”
Du Sheng chuckled lightly. “You were well-connected, sure. But now that even President Gu couldn’t keep you on, how much pull can you really have left?”
“Hearing you say that, Director Du, makes me a little worried. You can’t always judge things by their surface.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Yu Xiaoduo flicked the ash off his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. “Instead of following two dead-end branch families, wouldn’t it be better to align yourself with a legitimate successor? Who knows—you might even make it to headquarters someday.”
“Hahaha, are you joking? President Gu can barely protect herself. If you follow her, you might not even have a seat at the table.”
“Anyone who’s made it to director level can’t be a fool. Once President Gu takes full control of the company, your faction and the other one will be phased out gradually. You just showed off a bit of your director authority, and I doubt President Gu will be comfortable leaving that in your hands. By the way, do you have a car loan or a mortgage? If you lose your job, can you still make the payments?”
“Oh, and do you have kids? I hear raising children isn’t cheap—all those classes and activities. Here in Longhai, training courses can cost ten thousand or more. If I ever have kids, I’d be worried too.”
Listening to Yu Xiaoduo’s words, Du Sheng stubbed out his cigarette. “That’s a nice pitch, but it’s not enough to sway me.”
“Take some time to think it over, Director Du. The company’s in turbulent waters right now. Pick the wrong side, and at best you lose your job—at worst, you cross lines you shouldn’t. Just like what happened with Gu Long earlier. I’m sure you guys have done plenty of that sort of thing yourselves.”
