Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoduo had just said goodbye to Master Bai and gotten into his car. Overall, the day had gone pretty well. He’d managed to keep Master Bai in good spirits. As long as Gu Wan’er could secure real authority within the company, everything should fall into place.
But honestly, he was starving. He wondered how Gu Wan’er’s blind date had gone. He pulled out his phone and gave her a call.
Gu Wan’er, who was sitting there sipping her now-lukewarm bubble tea with a sour mood, felt a wave of guilt wash over her when she saw Yu Xiaoduo’s name flash on the screen.
“Hey, how did the date go?” Yu Xiaoduo asked bluntly.
Gu Wan’er stammered, “Uh… tell me how things went on your end first.”
“Tell you what—where are you? Let’s meet up and grab some food while we talk.”
“I’m at the International Mall.”
“Alright, hang tight. I’ll be there in about half an hour.”
Gu Wan’er felt a headache coming on. Yu Xiaoduo sounded like he’d pulled off his task successfully. But his date… well, she had completely botched it.
Half an hour later, Yu Xiaoduo arrived at their meeting spot. “I’m starving. Let’s go get hot pot. We’ll talk while we eat. You have no idea how dangerous it was today—I almost didn’t make it back.”
“Really? Did Master Bai threaten you?” Gu Wan’er asked curiously as she walked beside him.
“It’s a long story.”
Once inside a Chongqing-style hot pot restaurant, Yu Xiaoduo dug in like there was no tomorrow. Gu Wan’er watched him, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. “Okay, that’s enough. You’re still eating? You’re going to get fat.”
“Relax, it’s not like I’m the one putting on the weight.”
A few dark lines appeared on Gu Wan’er’s forehead. “Yu Xiaoduo, that’s my body. Please stop stuffing it like that.”
Seeing that Gu Wan’er was genuinely annoyed, Yu Xiaoduo shrugged helplessly and put down his chopsticks. “I literally risked life and limb for you today, and you’re nagging me about eating a little extra? Master Bai said that as long as you get a firm grip on the company’s power, we can move forward with the partnership.”
“Really?” Gu Wan’er’s face lit up. If she could actually cooperate with Master Bai, even the elders in her family would have to look at her in a new light, to say nothing of that arranged marriage nonsense.
“Why would I lie to you? I was practically dancing on a knife’s edge today. I was miserable. So, what about you? Where’s the date? It’s only a little past eight—you didn’t go see a movie or something?”
Gu Wan’er pursed her lips. “Well… actually, I thought the girl was just average. A lot of plastic surgery. Her nose, especially. If you’d had kids with her, you’d definitely end up with a kid with a flat nose.”
“Are you serious? A surgery addict? She didn’t look like that in the photo,” Yu Xiaoduo muttered, frowning.
“Photoshop is totally normal. And I’m a woman; of course I could spot the work she’d had done. Consider this a bullet dodged for you.” Gu Wan’er was getting so good at lying she didn’t even blush anymore. If she told him the truth about the stocking comment, he’d blow his top and then just give up on everything.
Yu Xiaoduo clicked his tongue, figuring Gu Wan’er probably wasn’t lying to him. Then he noticed something else. “What’s with you hooking the car keys onto your back pocket?”
“Don’t you guys all like hanging them off your back pocket?”
Yu Xiaoduo felt like someone had just stabbed him in the chest. “Let me ask you this: what do you think when you see a guy do that?”
“Tacky.”
“You know it’s tacky, and you still did it?! Are you trying to sabotage me on purpose? How can you be so petty?”
“I wasn’t trying to sabotage you! My younger cousins do it all the time, and girls’ eyes practically light up when they see those car keys,” Gu Wan’er replied, completely serious.
Yu Xiaoduo slapped a hand over his forehead. “Boss Gu, I only have one request right now. Just please… don’t mess things up for me.”
“I wasn’t messing things up. I was trying to help.”
“Thanks a million,” Yu Xiaoduo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Gu Wan’er had definitely done that on purpose. He was going to have to collect some interest on this when he got home.
After a pause, Yu Xiaoduo asked, “So what’s the plan for tomorrow? Do we keep pretending to be each other?”
“What else can we do? You just keep handling my responsibilities. I’m in HR, so it’s easier for me to investigate from here.”
“I guess that’s how it’s gotta be for now. Just remember to add a bonus and a raise to my paycheck.”
Resting her chin on her hand, Gu Wan’er said, “You are the boss right now. You can give a raise to anyone you want.”
“Fair point. I’m beat. I’m heading out. When you get back, make sure you do those push-ups and sit-ups. Don’t slack off.”
“Hmph. You’re the one so concerned about staying in shape, and yet you just ate all that food and ruined my figure.”
Yu Xiaoduo sighed heavily. “Alright, let’s not attack each other anymore, deal?”
Gu Wan’er shot him a sideways glance, then suddenly noticed her manicured nails were gone. “What did you do to my nails?!”
“Boss Gu, toilet paper is pretty thin. Those nails of yours were long and pointy—they just poked right through it.”
Gu Wan’er was speechless.
Seeing she was about to blow a fuse, Yu Xiaoduo quickly paid the bill and made his escape. “I’m wiped out. I’m heading home.”
Gu Wan’er was frustrated, but she had no choice but to go back to Yu Xiaoduo’s family home. It was almost ten o’clock by the time she got there. Being in an unfamiliar environment still made her a little on edge.
She opened the door and stepped inside. The living room was dark. Looked like Yu Xiaoduo’s parents had already gone to bed. That was a relief…
She went back into Yu Xiaoduo’s room and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. When is this body-swap nightmare going to end? First things first, she needed a shower. She felt gross without one.
In the bathroom, Gu Wan’er examined her—well, his—chest, abs, and the defined V-line. She couldn’t help but poke at the muscles. They were rock solid. She had to admit, Yu Xiaoduo had a really good physique. Her gaze drifted lower, and she quickly felt her face flush.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoduo had arrived back at Gu Wan’er’s place. He’d initially planned on collecting some “interest,” but he was just too exhausted. He fell onto the bed and was asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, Yu Xiaoduo yawned and rolled over, his mind subconsciously registering that the heavy feeling on his chest was gone. He groggily patted his torso. Huh? Flat?!
His eyes snapped open. He saw a familiar ceiling, a familiar bedroom… and familiar… well, let’s just say familiar equipment.
Finally! He was back to normal. Being a girl for a day had been an… interesting experience, but it was definitely not a long-term gig. A huge wave of relief washed over him.
He noticed he was still wearing his pajamas. He had to hand it to Gu Wan’er—she was seriously obsessed with being clean.
Still, he should probably give her a call.
“Hello?” Gu Wan’er’s sleepy voice came through the phone. Now that sounded more like a girl, Yu Xiaoduo thought. Why did she always have to go around with such a sour expression all the time?
“Boss Gu, time to get up and take a shower.”
Gu Wan’er was silent.
Five seconds later, a shriek erupted from the phone.
Yesterday, when she’d turned into a man, there hadn’t been any screaming. But now that she was back in her own body, she let out a shriek of pure excitement. “Yu Xiaoduo! I’m back to normal!!!”
“I’m back too,” Yu Xiaoduo chuckled. It was a shame he hadn’t collected that interest last night.
Gu Wan’er examined her own body, then her voice turned sour. “Yu Xiaoduo! Why didn’t you take a shower before bed?! You didn’t even change your clothes! My hair reeks of hot pot!”
Yu Xiaoduo was speechless.
Just yesterday morning, she’d been ready to kill him for even thinking about taking a shower. Now, her tune had completely changed.
“Boss Gu, you really are the queen of double standards. How was I supposed to dare take a shower? So someone could scowl at me the whole time?”
Gu Wan’er let out a cold “Hmph.” “Whatever. Don’t even think about it happening again. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Gu Wan’er was in an excellent mood. She hummed a little tune as she headed to the bathroom. Her body was so much better to look at. Not like that guy’s—hard and rigid everywhere.
