Gu Wan’er let out a surprised laugh. “Wow, you’re pretty particular, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. Anyway, gotta go—Mr. Bai is here.” With that, Yu Xiaoduo hung up.
Gu Wan’er let out a long breath. That guy is actually pretty reliable.
Wait—reliable? Where? He definitely tried something this morning. He’s a total wolf. But still, if he can earn Mr. Bai’s trust, I guess that makes up for it.
Yu Xiaoduo straightened up her lazy, sprawled-out posture. The sound of high heels clicking against the tiles reached her ears, and soon Bai Ji appeared at the door.
She had changed into a teal cheongsam, with a beautiful lotus pattern embroidered on the high-quality fabric. What could you call it? Peerless elegance? “Captivating enough to bring down a kingdom” wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I’m sure that by the time Ms. Gu reaches Mr. Bai’s age, after all those years of refinement, she’ll achieve that same level of grace.
After the morning’s conversation, Bai Ji had developed a bit of a fondness for “Gu Wan’er,” though she also felt a slight doubt. Was the eldest daughter of the Gu family really this sweet-tongued?
“Let’s go.”
Yu Xiaoduo hummed in agreement, trying her best to maintain a feminine poise. Good fortune like this wasn’t easy to enjoy. As charming as Mr. Bai was, she was also a rose with thorns. Right now, Yu Xiaoduo just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
Led by a female attendant, the two entered an elegant private room. Yu Xiaoduo was starving and just wanted to down three big bowls of rice.
But when she saw two dishes and a soup on the table, she was dumbfounded. And there was barely any meat in those two dishes either. This was like eating grass.
“I don’t like Western food. I prefer home-style cooking,” Bai Ji said softly.
Yu Xiaoduo could only smile through the pain. “If I’d known you liked home-style food, I would’ve offered to cook earlier.”
“Oh? Miss Gu knows how to cook?” Bai Ji found that surprising. Growing up in a family like the Gus, and as the eldest daughter, how would she ever set foot in a kitchen?
“I cook occasionally. I have a few specialties,” Yu Xiaoduo said modestly. She wasn’t bragging—her cooking skills were legit.
Bai Ji’s stunning face broke into a smile. “Next time, I’ll have to try it.”
“If it’s no good, you can’t get mad at me.”
Bai Ji burst into a light laugh at that. She really did seem happy today. She’d smiled more in this one day than she had all year.
Sure, I made Mr. Bai happy, but who’s going to take care of my stomach? This food was seriously low on oil and salt—basically a weight-loss meal.
“I don’t like wasting food. If it’s not enough, we can order more,” Bai Ji said gently.
Yu Xiaoduo swallowed the pain. “This is plenty. I don’t eat much.”
“Food is the fuel of life. Girls shouldn’t starve themselves just to keep their figure.” With that, Bai Ji picked up her chopsticks and put some food on Yu Xiaoduo’s plate, looking very tender.
Yu Xiaoduo sighed to herself. You know food is the fuel of life, Mr. Bai? Couldn’t you at least put a few slices of meat in these peas? I’m probably going to pass out from hunger this afternoon.
But Yu Xiaoduo was also curious. Bai Ji ate so little, yet she was so voluptuous. I guess all that fat went exactly where it needed to go.
“Tell me about your plans.” Bai Ji lifted a bite of white rice to her luscious red lips and chewed slowly.
Plans? My plan is to wear black stockings tomorrow. Does that count?
“I just got to the branch office. I’m planning to clean out some people,” Yu Xiaoduo said quietly. Even though Gu Wan’er hadn’t said it, Yu Xiaoduo felt like that was what she wanted.
Bai Ji nodded. “I know a little about your family’s branch office. It’s basically controlled by your two cousins. Before, they were competing behind the scenes, but now they’ll probably join forces against you. It’ll be very hard for you to achieve anything.”
“I’ll find a way to kick them out.” Gu Wan’er hadn’t mentioned this yet. If Bai Ji hadn’t told her, Yu Xiaoduo wouldn’t have had a clue.
“Then I’ll wait for your good news.”
From what Bai Ji was saying, she wanted Gu Wan’er to get her own company in order first and show her capabilities before they could talk about cooperation. If Gu Wan’er could work with Bai Ji, her status in the Gu family would soar. No wonder she took this meeting so seriously.
After lunch, they rested a bit, then changed clothes and played some golf. Yu Xiaoduo had only played twice with her dad. She could imitate the basic moves, but there was no way she could fool Bai Ji’s sharp eyes.
“Miss Gu doesn’t play much, does she?” Bai Ji asked gently, holding her club.
Yu Xiaoduo’s heart skipped a beat. She ad-libbed, “I’ve been so busy with company stuff that I haven’t played much golf. My skills have all gone back to the coach.”
Bai Ji set down her club, walked up behind Yu Xiaoduo, and pressed close. Her fair, slender hand covered Yu Xiaoduo’s.
Damn. I’m getting taken from behind by Mr. Bai.
“Eyes forward. Keep your hips stable. Center your weight on your left foot. Use your waist.” Bai Ji’s voice sounded right next to Yu Xiaoduo’s ear, tickling it.
Before she could react, the club in her hand swung forward and sent the white ball flying.
Yu Xiaoduo was a little surprised. Mr. Bai is really strong.
The white ball traced a beautiful arc through the air, landed on the grass, bounced a few times, and rolled straight into the hole.
“Nice shot, Miss Gu.” Bai Ji patted Yu Xiaoduo’s shoulder in praise.
Yu Xiaoduo felt a bit embarrassed. That was pure luck. At least she hadn’t been found out. After all, for someone like Gu Wan’er, not knowing how to play golf would be hard to explain. “Just lucky.”
But Bai Ji’s eyes narrowed slightly—something Yu Xiaoduo didn’t notice.
Meanwhile, back at Gu Wan’er’s office, the workday was ending. Just thinking about the blind date she had to go on gave her a headache. She’d never been on one before, and now she was going on a blind date with another woman. It was beyond anything she could have imagined.
“Brother Yu, let’s go hit the internet cafe for a few rounds,” Zhao Liang said cheerfully as he walked over. The workday was over and there’d been no bad news. Looked like Brother Yu had survived the disaster and was due for some good luck.
“You go ahead. I’ve got a blind date.” If this were the real Yu Xiaoduo, he’d keep it a secret. But Gu Wan’er just said it outright.
“What! A blind date!” Zhao Liang’s big voice boomed out, and the surrounding colleagues all heard. Gossip instantly erupted.
Gu Wan’er really wanted to sew Zhao Liang’s big mouth shut. What’s the big deal about a blind date?
“Brother Yu, let me see a picture.”
“There isn’t one.”
“Aw, come on. Is she hot?”
Gu Wan’er rolled her eyes and hurried away.
“Hey, Brother Yu’s getting shy!” Zhao Liang looked like he’d discovered a new continent. Yu Xiaoduo, with his thick skin, showing a face like that? That was a rare sight.
Gu Wan’er made her way to the parking lot, got in her car, and drove off. Zhao Liang shouted after her, “Brother Yu’s ditching his bros for a woman!” Judging by her speed, she had the gas pedal floored.
Soon, Gu Wan’er found a car wash and then went to a hair salon.
The stylist, Tony, smiled and asked, “Handsome, what kind of haircut would you like?”
Since she was getting a haircut, she might as well get one she liked. Gu Wan’er flipped through the lookbook and picked a clean, fresh style. “This one.”
“You got it. Want a color?”
“No.”
“We’re running a discount for memberships right now. Want to sign up?”
“No.”
Tony smiled to himself. Looks like this guy’s broke.
