After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 11

Gu Qian could guess what Y meant by asking if he had brought a friend home, but he had not expected the other party to use the word “jealous.”

77: “What are you jealous of?”

Y: “I am jealous that your friend gets your concern. You went to pick him up in the middle of the night just like that.”

Gu Qian was too lazy to type, so he sent a voice message. “Do you think I wanted to go?”

He had never liked noisy environments, especially a place as chaotic as a bar. It was simply that if something happened to Meng Siyao while under his watch, he would not be able to account for it to Meng Ye yet.

Y: “Well, actually, I am equally jealous of everyone around you.”

Having chatted for this long, Gu Qian could more or less hear the subtext in Y’s words. This time, however, he did not continue the topic.

77: “It is too late. I am going to wash up and sleep.”

Y: “Why did you stop sending voice messages? I still want to hear your voice.”

77: “Are you looking for a scolding again?”

Y: “Is that how you are going to reward me?”

Gu Qian: “…”

Sometimes he could not help but wonder if he had underestimated the thickness of the other man’s skin.

Y: “Alright, I will stop teasing you.” Y: “Hard work tonight. Sleep early after your shower.”

Gu Qian said goodnight first. Just as he was about to put his phone down, it vibrated again. He clicked into his primary WeChat account; it was a message of concern from Assistant Liang.

Assistant Liang: “President Gu, did you pick up Mr. Meng?”

Gu Qian: “I sent him to a hotel.”

Assistant Liang: “Understood. I will not disturb you then. Please rest early.”

Gu Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and typed a line in the input box.

Gu Qian: “You seem very concerned about Meng Siyao.”

It was not a question, but a statement of fact.

Assistant Liang replied quickly: “I was supposed to pick up Mr. Meng tonight, but it troubled you instead, so I asked one more question.”

Before Gu Qian could reply, another message popped up.

Assistant Liang: “I apologize, President Gu. It will not happen again.”

Gu Qian: “No need to be nervous. I was just speaking casually.”

Assistant Liang: “Thank you for your understanding, President Gu.”

Gu Qian exited WeChat, clicked the screen off, placed the phone on the table, and turned to the bathroom to shower.

The next morning, after the senior management weekly meeting, Gu Qian had just returned to his office when his phone vibrated again. He glanced at the caller ID and answered. “Sobered up?”

A raspy male voice came from the other end. “I am sober, but my head hurts so much.”

Gu Qian gave a cold laugh. “You deserve it.”

“Was I not just heartbroken and drowning my sorrows in alcohol?” Meng Siyao asked weakly. “Brother Qian, have you ever been heartbroken? Do you understand the pain of a breakup?”

Gu Qian spoke expressionlessly. “No. I do not understand.”

Meng Siyao was so choked by those four words that he could not speak for a long while. Finally, he managed to squeeze out: “Brother Qian, we cannot continue talking if you are like this.”

Gu Qian pulled out his executive chair. “Then I am hanging up.”

“Wait, wait!” Meng Siyao shouted hurriedly. “I have not finished yet!”

Gu Qian took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you want to talk to me about your history of heartbreak, I do not have time.”

“I did not want to talk about my heartbreak. I just wanted to ask.” Meng Siyao became hesitant as he spoke. “I blacked out last night. I only remember you taking me to the hotel. I did not say anything I should not have, did I?”

Gu Qian paused and asked back calmly, “What do you think?”

“I am asking you because I do not remember, Brother Qian.” Meng Siyao suddenly had a bright idea. “But since your attitude toward me is so good right now, I probably did not say anything crazy, right?”

“I do not have time for idle chatter. I am hanging up now.” Gu Qian did not answer the question directly but reminded him: “By the way, the repayment deadline is approaching. Remember to pay on time.”

With that, he ignored the wailing on the other end and hung up. The office was quiet for a moment before a knock sounded at the door.

Gu Qian: “Come in.”

Assistant Liang entered and placed a folder on the desk. “President Gu, this document needs your review and signature today.”

Gu Qian took the file. “Fine.”

Assistant Liang asked, “Should I head out then?”

“Wait.” Gu Qian looked up. “Has Huanyu made any new moves lately?”

“I have not heard of any major moves for now.” Assistant Liang shook his head and asked, “Do you need me to conduct an in-depth investigation?”

Gu Qian tapped his fingers on the desk. “No need. Go back to your work.”

As the office door closed, he pushed off the floor with his toes, spinning his chair to face the floor-to-ceiling window. Gu Qian gazed at the blue sky and white clouds outside the glass, lost in thought.

Common sense dictated that after losing such a large project to him, Qin Yue would surely find a way to take something back from elsewhere. It was impossible for the man to let it go just like that. Gu Qian suddenly thought of the acquisition of the short-video platform. Qin Yue had mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally before; perhaps he had planned to snatch that project all along?

At this thought, he turned his chair back and dialed the internal line. “Assistant Liang, have Manager Li from the Cultural Entertainment Group see me before the end of the day.”

Assistant Liang replied, “Understood, President Gu.”

Mondays were always busy. By the time Gu Qian finished his work, it was already nine o’clock at night. He stretched his stiff neck and shoulders, leaning back against his chair to take a short nap. With a hum of vibration, Gu Qian opened his eyes and reached for his phone on the desk.

Y: “Another day of overtime?”

77: “You guessed it again.”

Y: “Please call me a master fortune teller.” Y: “Have you had dinner?”

Gu Qian instinctively touched his flat stomach and realized he was indeed a bit hungry. Normally, Assistant Liang would arrange his meals on time, but if he was in a meeting or busy, eating was pushed back.

77: “Not yet.”

Y: “What do you want to eat? Should I order something for you?”

77: “No need. I will just grab something on my way home later.”

Y: “Sigh, rejected again.” Y: “Crying_Cat.gif”

Gu Qian wanted to laugh. The frequency with which the other party was rejected by him was indeed quite high.

77: “You should get used to it early.”

Y: “Heartless man.”

77: “Thank you for the compliment.”

After replying, Gu Qian put away his phone and left his desk. It was long past closing time, and only Assistant Liang and another female secretary remained in the office. Seeing President Gu come out, they greeted him together. “President Gu.”

Gu Qian nodded slightly. “It is late. You should go home too.”

Assistant Liang stood up. “President Gu, you have not had dinner yet. Should I order for you or?”

Gu Qian replied, “No need. I will just grab something casual myself.”

“Understood, President Gu.” Assistant Liang said. “Please be careful on the road.”

On his way home, Gu Qian randomly chose a restaurant and went in to order a bowl of noodle soup. After the meal was served, he suddenly remembered something, took a photo, and sent it to Y.

Y replied instantly: “Is that all you are eating?”

77: “Just a simple meal.”

Y: “Eating only those few bites does a disservice to your hard work today.”

77: “I am not very particular about food.”

In fact, during his years studying abroad, Gu Qian’s only requirement for food was that it kept him alive. Now, eating was merely to maintain basic survival needs.

Y: “That is because you have never eaten anything truly delicious, so you think everything tastes the same.”

77: “Perhaps.”

Y: “I will let you taste my cooking when there is a chance.”

Gu Qian did not take the bait and picked up his chopsticks to begin eating. After dinner, Gu Qian sat back in the Cayenne. The car drove smoothly through the night. He suddenly asked, “Uncle Wang, have you ever eaten any food that was truly delicious?”

“Ah?” The driver, Uncle Wang, paused and looked in the rearview mirror. “President Gu, are you looking for a good restaurant?”

“No.” Gu Qian withdrew his gaze. “I was just asking casually.”

“Actually.” Uncle Wang gave a simple laugh. “I think the most delicious thing I have ever eaten is the food my wife cooks.”

Gu Qian was thoughtful. “I see.”

No wonder Y said he had never eaten good food. He could not remember the last time he had eaten a home-cooked meal.

After returning home, Gu Qian took a shower first. After showering, he came out in his bathrobe. When he went to get his phone, he found several unread messages on his secondary WeChat account. Clicking into the chat, the first thing that caught his eye was a photo of abdominal muscles.

Gu Qian raised an eyebrow slightly and clicked on the image. The man seemed to have just finished a shower as well. He was bare-chested, with eight-pack abs that were firm and well-defined. Under the overhead light, the water droplets rolling on his muscles had a beautiful sheen. This time, even his chest muscles were fully exposed, looking full and firm, as if they would feel quite good to the touch.

Gu Qian’s gaze accidentally shifted downward, landing on the lower edge of the gray trousers, and he immediately pulled away as if he had been electrocuted. A few seconds later, Gu Qian could not help but look back at a certain spot. His pale amber pupils constricted slightly.

The reason most men liked wearing gray trousers was obvious, but even if gray trousers made things look bigger, was this person not being a bit too exaggerated? Gu Qian quickly exited the full-screen mode and started typing.

77: “Did you send that by mistake?”

Y: “You are finally acknowledging me.” Y: “Abdominal photos really do work.”

Gu Qian: “…”

So the other party sent this kind of photo, one that did not align with core social values, just to get his attention because he had not replied in time?

77: “I only just saw the message.”

Y: “Fine, fine. Whatever 77 says goes.”

77: “…”

Y: “Do the abs look good?”

The image of what he had accidentally glimpsed just now flashed through Gu Qian’s mind, making him want to curse. If you want to send a photo of your abs, just send the abs. Why specifically take a photo of that area? Was he showing off or what?

Y: “77, give me an objective evaluation.”

77: “It looks bigger than last time.”

Y: “Big? Which part are you referring to?”

The moment Gu Qian received the message, he realized his words were ambiguous. His original intent was to imply that Y must have exercised specifically before taking the photo to make his muscles look bigger. He had not expected the other party to directly misinterpret his meaning.

His snowy ears turned a shade of crimson. Gu Qian pursed his lips, his fingers typing with more force than usual.

77: “I am talking about your muscles, of course!”

Y: “Oh.” Y: “I thought 77 was praising me for other parts.”

Gu Qian took a deep breath and decided to strike back.

77: “Do you have anything else that is big?” 77: “It is quite average.”

Qin Yue: “???”