Tang Ling was practically walking on air—it felt absolutely wonderful. That was exactly the envious look she’d been craving. Every time those other women bragged about how wonderful and accomplished their daughters-in-law were, she’d had to sit there and take it. Well, today, let them see who reigned supreme in the looks department—her Wan’er was an absolute knockout.
Standing off to the side, Gu Wan’er could only shake her head in resignation. What a headache.
“Your daughter-in-law is gorgeous! Where does she work?” one of the women asked.
Tang Ling smiled modestly and said, “Our Wan’er works at the Gu Corporation.”
At that, the group of aunties sighed with envy. Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she also worked at a major conglomerate. Yu Xiaoduo sure had stumbled into some incredible luck.
Yu Taiduo turned to his son and said, “Your mom’s going to be at it for at least ten more minutes. Let’s go order breakfast first.”
Gu Wan’er watched the mother-son duo ahead of her. Their back-and-forth routine was truly unstoppable. Just look at how jealous all those aunties were! She had to admit, her looks really were something else. Might as well let the two of them have their moment of glory.
Twenty minutes later, the bragging dream team finally made their way into the breakfast joint. Yu Taiduo and Gu Wan’er had already finished eating and were just chatting idly.
“Ah, that felt good,” Tang Ling said as she sat down, looking thoroughly satisfied, as if she’d just been cured of some long-standing ailment.
Yu Xiaoduo shot Gu Wan’er a wink, as if to say: Please, just let my mom have this one.
In the past, Gu Wan’er would’ve definitely had a few choice words, but seeing how happy Auntie looked, she decided to keep her mouth shut.
After breakfast, the two of them got ready to head to work.
“Still mad?” Yu Xiaoduo slung an arm around Gu Wan’er’s shoulder with a grin.
Gu Wan’er shrugged him off. “I’m not mad.”
“Oh, sure—listen to that tone. ‘Not mad,’ my foot. I swear, I didn’t do the swap on purpose.”
Gu Wan’er rolled her eyes, wearing an expression that screamed, I choose to silently protest against the heavens.
“Brother Yu! And—hey, President Gu? I mean, sis-in-law, you’re here too!” Zhao Liang suddenly appeared beside them, clearly startled. He never expected President Gu to be accompanying Brother Yu. That was seriously impressive.
Gu Wan’er gave a faint “Mm” in response. Her expression made it clear she was in a bad mood and not interested in talking.
But to Zhao Liang, it looked like Brother Yu was showing off—President Gu was right there with him, and yet he was the one giving her the cold shoulder.
Yu Xiaoduo couldn’t really explain. If he were in her shoes, he’d be pretty annoyed too. He understood how she felt.
“She’s not having a great day today,” Yu Xiaoduo said by way of explanation.
Zhao Liang was absolutely floored. President Gu actually had to be mindful of Brother Yu’s mood? Brother Yu, stop pretending! Just start teaching your secrets already—I’ll sign up immediately!
The three of them walked a few more steps when Zhao Liang suddenly let out another yelp, startling Gu Wan’er. “What’s with all the drama, Fatty?”
“Brother Yu, look! A Panamera Turbo S! Whose new car is that? It’s parked right in your spot—that’s just outrageous! Look at that sport package, those calipers—they’ve definitely been installed aftermarket. It’s probably just a base model trying too hard to look fancy.”
Suddenly, the car’s headlights flashed a couple of times. Zhao Liang glanced over and saw that Brother Yu was holding the key fob.
“No way! Brother Yu, you bought a new car?!”
Yu Xiaoduo patted Zhao Liang on the shoulder and said, dead serious, “I didn’t buy it. She bought it for me.”
Zhao Liang froze on the spot. Brother Yu, that’s just not cool! How could you not share this legendary “technique” with your brother? How do you get your girlfriend to buy you a car?!
And look at Brother Yu—he still doesn’t even look happy about it! Today, I, Zhao Liang, have truly had my eyes opened.
“You’re not feeling well. Let me drive,” Yu Xiaoduo said, taking the keys from her.
Gu Wan’er didn’t object. She got into the passenger seat. Zhao Liang stood there, watching Brother Yu’s every move like a hawk. This was a masterclass in real-time—the stunning President Gu personally acting as Brother Yu’s chauffeur, without a single complaint.
As they drove out of the neighborhood, Yu Xiaoduo teased, “I bet Fatty’s green with envy right now.”
Gu Wan’er propped her chin on her hand and stared out the window, saying nothing.
This really stumped Yu Xiaoduo. Gu Wan’er in this kind of mood was impossible to deal with.
“Later, when we get to the Security Department, you need to be firm. Yesterday I asked Du Sheng to arrange an easy position for you. If it’s not up to par, you blow up at him.”
“Mm.”
Seeing Gu Wan’er’s defeatist attitude, Yu Xiaoduo frowned. “President Gu, I’ve already explained it to you. It’s not like I did it on purpose.”
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose. But I’m still upset, and I don’t feel like talking.”
This girl—when she got mad, she was like a little kid. Fine, let her cool off on her own.
“That Du Sheng guy might be someone we can turn to your side. Keep an eye on him. No matter how frustrated you are, don’t mess around with your own future,” Yu Xiaoduo warned. If you’re not going to take your own situation seriously, then I don’t really care either.
Gu Wan’er could still tell what was important. She gave a silent nod, though she still looked completely drained.
When they arrived at the company, Yu Xiaoduo went straight upstairs, while Gu Wan’er headed to the Security Department to see Du Sheng.
Standing outside his office, Gu Wan’er knocked. A voice from inside told her to come in.
“Director Du.” Gu Wan’er stepped inside, but there was no smile on her face. She wasn’t in a good mood, and she just couldn’t force one.
To Du Sheng, however, that grim expression looked like a thinly veiled threat.
“Your assignment has been arranged. You’ll work as a record keeper in the office—no night shifts.” Du Sheng said flatly. That was the most he could concede.
Gu Wan’er acknowledged it with another “Mm.” Du Sheng couldn’t tell if she was satisfied or not.
Just then, the internal phone on his desk rang. “A meeting? Alright, I’ll be right up.”
Gu Wan’er raised an eyebrow. It looked like Yu Xiaoduo was about to get to work. She could use a good rest herself.
Hanging up the phone, Du Sheng gave Gu Wan’er a long, meaningful look but said nothing as he walked out. It really was a case of the gods fighting while the mortals suffered.
—
In the conference room, Yu Xiaoduo arrived before anyone else. Gu Wan’er was too soft to play hardball, but he wasn’t Gu Wan’er. A whole group of people had set him up yesterday, and today he was going to have a nice little chat about it.
Before long, Gu Xiao and Gu Lin both showed up. After what happened yesterday, their relationship had hit rock bottom.
Neither of them had reported the incident to higher-ups, though—because reporting it would just mean getting chewed out themselves for not being able to handle even one Yu Xiaoduo.
When they saw Gu Wan’er sitting there with a dark expression, they both knew she was there to settle scores. They’d really shot themselves in the foot.
“President Gu.”
“President Gu.”
The two of them stood beside her and greeted her respectfully. Yu Xiaoduo merely nodded. They sat down on either side of him, and soon the company’s upper management filed in one by one. They had a pretty good idea of what this meeting was about.
Among them, Zhuang Shu felt a little uneasy—but then he remembered he had Gu Xiao backing him, and his nerves settled somewhat.
Once everyone was present, Yu Xiaoduo scanned the room and said coolly, “I think you’ve all heard about the ugly incident that happened in the company yesterday morning.”
Zhuang Shu immediately spoke up. “Rest assured, President Gu—the people who threw the punches have all been fired.”
Hmph. Zhuang Shu had moved fast, but did he really think firing a few people would make this all go away?
“I heard that the one who led the attack was Director Zhuang’s nephew?”
Zhuang Shu’s face stiffened, and a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. “President Gu, he really is my nephew—but I swear, I absolutely did not abuse my authority for personal gain.”
