Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Miao Miao suggested that I should give Gu Xiang's proposal a try. After all, if I don't go, someone else will. This is a great job, and working with Gu Xiang would be easy since he is very caring.
This is exactly what I hope for. If I can really work alongside Gu Xiang, I want to stay for a long time, unlike my time at Lu Ming's where I left after just a few months in a daze.
Miao Miao's support gave me confidence. The next day, when I arrived at Gu Xiang's office, I met Lily. I told her that I wanted to work here after her. Lily smiled at me without any surprise and said, "I think this is a very correct choice."
When Gu Xiang appeared, Lily happily reported this to him. Gu Xiang was taking off his coat to hand it to Lily, who naturally helped him hang it up. I observed Lily's every move closely, wanting to familiarize myself before starting the job.
Gu Xiang was pleased: "That's good. Lily, quickly take down my job posting online; otherwise, you'll receive dozens of calls today."
Lily chuckled but was teasing Gu Xiang: "Mr. Gu, I think you might have forgotten something. After Miss Zhuang came yesterday, you already asked me to take down the job posting."
Their playful exchange greatly boosted my confidence about working with Gu Xiang. When the agreed time arrived, Gu Xiang was chatting with clients in the conference room while Lily took me through the work schedule here.
Lily patiently explained everything to me. Perhaps due to its simplicity and ease, I quickly understood and got the hang of it. After following Lily's instructions once, she gave me a thumbs-up and praised me for being smart and quick to learn.
I shyly shook my head: "It's nothing."
"Well, Mr. Gu will need your help later on. Please pay attention to Mr. Gu's diet; these are his regular restaurants. When ordering food, just choose from these places. Also, be aware of his routine; if it's too late, you can ask Mr. Gu's friend Mr. Zhang to help out as they have already communicated about this."
She then shared some related notes with me patiently, and I took notes on everything she said. I marveled at how much help Lily had been to Gu Xiang all along, but she replied, "Mr. Gu is such a gentle gentleman; he has always been accommodating and caring for me, guiding someone like me who knew nothing until now. I'm very grateful to him."
After reminiscing about her experiences, she suddenly asked me: "Will Miss Zhuang be with Mr. Gu?"
I coughed as if choked and sincerely answered her: "I won't."
"Why not?"
Why not? I thought for a moment and confirmed my stance: "I'm married and currently going through divorce proceedings; it should be finalized soon. Although that’s the case, I haven't considered getting involved with anyone else in the short term; I just want to focus on myself."
This was essentially a work handover; at least my life felt stable without major issues. Before evening came, Miao Miao called me saying that Lu Ming had already contacted Huang Zhang and asked me to join her tonight. She would come by at three in the afternoon to pick me up so we could go together.
I held the phone in my hand, unable to express the feelings swirling inside me. It had come to this point; I definitely needed to meet Huang Zhang. However, recalling how he had effortlessly exposed our scheme before made me wonder if it would be the same this time. In front of him, were we truly as simple as ants?
At three o'clock, I met Miao Miao, who took me for a beauty treatment and had a delicate makeup applied to me. I could gradually manage to sleep for several hours, and my dark circles had faded a bit, but being seen still led to one or two questions.
Makeup had become my best armor.
Miao Miao sat beside me while someone styled her hair. As I stared at the ceiling with false eyelashes being applied, I heard Miao Miao say next to me, "This is about not losing face. Our identity today is that we are with Lu Ming. It's true that Lu Ming dislikes women wearing makeup, but Huang Zhang is different. We need to show him; having a background makes all the difference."
I wanted to nod in agreement but heard the makeup artist behind me softly remind me not to move. I could only slightly part my lips to respond, "Yeah, but I'm a bit nervous, Miao Miao. I'm a little afraid of meeting Huang Zhang."
I was genuinely scared—scared of Huang Zhang's sharp gaze, as if he could see through our every move and understand the implications behind them.
"It's okay. If he knows our thoughts, that's even better. The truth is the truth. As long as we stand next to Lu Ming, we have the confidence to reveal our cards to Huang Zhang. It's better for him to see clearly than to guess around."
Yes, wasn't it just about letting Huang Zhang see? Even if our intentions were fully exposed, so what?
Thinking about it, I realized I was worrying too much. Around five-thirty, I received a call from Lu Ming and hurriedly answered it. His calm voice came through on the other end: "Are you ready?"
"Still a little while longer, maybe half an hour."
"Okay, I'll pick you up in half an hour."
After hanging up, Miao Miao looked at me with excitement: "What happened? Was it Lu Ming?"
I awkwardly put my phone away and nodded in response: "Yeah, he said he'd come pick us up in half an hour and told us to wait for him. Probably a driver or something."
I didn't know why I felt the need to explain this to Miao Miao; an inexplicable sense of guilt made me feel out of place. I then proceeded to choose an outfit for that evening—a light yellow strapless bodycon dress with beautiful tailoring and a soft-colored ribbon loosely tied at the waist. I immediately liked it as the salesperson enthusiastically introduced it: "This is our new style for this season, crafted by a master. Miss, you truly have an eye for fashion."
"Then I'll try this one on."
After putting it on and standing in front of the full-length mirror, I was suddenly struck by how bright it looked. The color complemented my skin tone just as I had hoped, and the good tailoring effortlessly highlighted my figure. It looked great in the display window, but wearing it brought a pleasant surprise.
As Miao Miao walked past me, she stopped to compliment me: "You have such a good figure that everything looks good on you. This outfit makes your skin look even whiter. Just go with this one; you don't need to change."
I agreed. When Miao Miao emerged from the fitting room in a black long dress, her hair was styled up with a few strands falling gracefully on her neck and shoulders, complemented by a bright red lip color that gave her a classic elegance.
"It looks amazing; this piece suits you perfectly."
Miao Miao turned left and right in front of the mirror, a satisfied smile spreading across her face: "Alright, let's get these two."
Once the sales assistant happily left, I cautiously approached Miao Miao and whispered in her ear, "Isn't this place going to be expensive? I have a feeling this dress isn't cheap."
Miao Miao waved her hand dismissively, looking at me knowingly: "Lu Ming is covering it."
I was taken aback: "Isn't that too much for him to pay? That feels wrong."
"It's fine," Miao Miao said, much more relaxed than I was. "These places are meant for high society to dress their companions for parties. Even if we don't go, Lu Ming would spend money on other women anyway; we're just an extra person. Once we go, we'll help Lu Ming save face; he won't be at a loss."
Miao Miao clearly knew how to navigate this situation. She had attended many gatherings with Wang Nan, so she understood some of the unspoken rules. However, I rarely participated and was mostly led by Miao Miao, so I didn't know how to handle things. She reassured me that as long as I followed her lead, there wouldn't be any issues.
This was exactly what I hoped for; as long as there were no problems when meeting Huang Zhang, everything would be fine. Miao Miao seemed calm, indicating that there shouldn't be any major issues.
At six o'clock, we exited the store just as a car pulled up outside. Lu Ming, dressed in a dark suit, casually leaned against the car door. When our eyes met, I quickly looked away to avoid feeling nervous.
Miao Miao took my hand and walked toward the car door, smiling brightly at Lu Ming: "Lu Ge, what do you think? Do you feel like your money was wasted?"
As Miao Miao tugged at me, I had no choice but to look up at Lu Ming. I noticed a fleeting glimmer of something different in his eyes.
"They say being with you is a blessing for Wang Nan, and that's not untrue."
Lu Ming's words made Miao Miao giggle. I figured that if Lu Ming scolded Miao Miao a bit now, she would still laugh like this, as she was the one seeking help.
I got into the car with Miao Miao, who gave me a reassuring glance. I didn't say much during the ride; I mostly listened to Miao Miao discussing Huang Zhang with Lu Ming. Lu Ming briefly mentioned that Huang Zhang's Zun Dian Company had previously collaborated with Lu Ming's company, so they were acquainted. Huang Zhang has a wife, and their marriage was arranged by their families. The women Huang Zhang brought out were always different, and his wife had appeared a few times but left a very bad impression due to her arrogance.
"That sounds really interesting," I said simply, and I could tell Miao Miao was intrigued. I sensed she had some thoughts brewing, but I didn't know what they were yet. Considering Huang Zhang's wife might be a factor, it made sense why Miao Miao was asking so many detailed questions.
"Lu Ge, is Huang Zhang's wife coming today, or is he bringing another woman?"
Lu Ming replied, "It's still unclear, but it's more likely he'll bring his wife. There are many officials attending this time; whoever seizes the opportunity will benefit."
What Lu Ming meant was that if Huang Zhang brought his equally wealthy wife along, her presence would carry more weight in conversations, making our path ahead smoother. So we would not only meet Huang Zhang but also his wife. Miao Miao and I exchanged glances, and from then on until we reached the banquet hall, no one spoke another word.
To our surprise, it wasn't the usual appearance of Huang Zhang but rather a woman with delicate arms linked to him, smiling brightly at those in front of them. This woman, dressed elegantly and paraded like a trophy, was someone who had once made my life miserable.
Deng Xiaomei had come with Huang Zhang.
How could it be her?
Comment 0 Comment Count