After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 16

After Gu Qian sent the image, he leaned back on the sofa to look at the photo he had taken. As he stared, a faint heat began to rise behind his ears. He admitted there was a hint of mischief involved; he knew the other party was at an important dinner, yet he had deliberately sent that photo at such a time. However, he had taken it quite casually. Looking closely now, the suggestive undertones seemed a bit too strong.

With a buzz, the phone vibrated. Gu Qian exited the full-screen view. Seeing the message from Y, he could only play dumb:

77: “I don’t want to know.”

Y: “Saying that means you already know what I want to do.”

Gu Qian: “…”

There were pros and cons to chatting with smart people. The con was that the other person could easily catch the loopholes in his words.

Y: “You little troublemaker. You knew I was out socializing, yet you dared to send a photo like that to seduce me.”

Looking at the text in the chat box, the heat from his earlobes quietly spread to his pale cheeks.

77: “I told you not to open it while you were out.”

Y: “So you admit you were proactively seducing me?”

Gu Qian had quite a bit to drink tonight, and his brain wasn’t moving as fast as usual. Unable to out-talk him, he simply gave up and leaned into it.

77: “What, only the officials are allowed to set fires, but the commoners aren’t allowed to light their lamps?”

A moment later, a picture was sent over. Gu Qian clicked it instinctively. When he saw the contents clearly, he gasped, nearly throwing the phone across the room. The other party seemed to be leaning against something, the camera aimed directly at his lower body. Even the black suit trousers couldn’t hide the prominent bulge; it was so clear he could practically see the shape.

Gu Qian turned his face away, his finger stabbing at the screen twice to exit the image, but the mental picture refused to fade. It was too exaggerated. Was there a bottled water hidden in those pants?

Y: “Since I’ve been seduced to this extent, Qiqi needs to take responsibility for me.”

77: “Calm down, you’re still outside.”

Y: “If I weren’t outside, I wouldn’t have time to be typing to you right now.”

Gu Qian unconsciously licked his lips. The alcohol in his system had already raised his body temperature, and now he felt even hotter. He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and opened it to let the wind blow in.

77: “I’m stopping here, I’m going to sleep.”

Y: “So you’re just going to run away after flirting?”

Before Gu Qian could think of a reply, another message popped up.

Y: “Alright, go to sleep. You must be exhausted after a busy day.”

77: “Mn. Go home and rest early after your dinner is over.”

After saying goodnight, Qin Yue put his phone away. Looking down at the part of him that still refused to settle, he had to face a hard fact. He felt an unprecedented physical urge toward Qiqi, or rather, toward Gu Qian’s body. Qin Yue took a deep breath, turned on the faucet, splashed cold water on his face, and forced himself to calm down.

The next afternoon, Gu Qian took the contract terms refined by the legal department and prepared to head to the venue for the signing. With a ding, the hotel elevator doors opened. Qin Yue was standing outside with one hand in his pocket. Upon seeing Gu Qian, he smiled: “President Gu, we meet again.”

“President Qin,” Gu Qian greeted him coolly, taking two steps back to make room.

Qin Yue walked into the elevator. Instead of turning around, he stood facing him directly. The group waiting outside filed in, making the spacious elevator feel cramped instantly. Qin Yue seemingly was forced to step forward, ending up much closer to Gu Qian. His gaze fell on Gu Qian’s downcast lashes, and his nose caught that refreshing, cool fragrance again.

Just as Gu Qian was about to discreetly take another step back, he heard the other man ask near his ear: “President Gu, I’ve always been curious, what perfume do you use?”

Gu Qian: “…”

Their relationship didn’t seem nearly close enough to recommend personal items like perfumes to each other. Fortunately, the elevator reached the first floor. As everyone walked out, Qin Yue remained still, staring at the person in front of him as if he were truly interested in the answer.

Gu Qian spoke politely: “President Qin, please excuse me.”

Only then did Qin Yue leisurely step aside, saying in a joking tone, “Is President Gu planning to give me the answer the next time we meet?”

“Sorry, I don’t remember the brand,” Gu Qian brushed him off casually and stepped out first.

Qin Yue followed him out, his gaze trailing the tall, elegant figure. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Last night, he was sending such lovely photos to seduce him, yet once he put on a suit during the day, he turned cold and acted like a stranger. However, thinking that he was the only one who got to see that side of Gu Qian, Qin Yue felt his blood beginning to boil again.

About half an hour later, Gu Qian’s team arrived at the signing venue. To show the importance of the event, President Chen had invited many media reporters for on-site interviews. Gu Qian was dressed in a black suit, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge. He looked exquisite from his hair down to his shoes: articulate, graceful, and incredibly noble. Every reporter on site aimed their lenses at him, determined to capture the perfect shot of President Gu.

Once the signing ceremony ended, reporters swarmed forward, surrounding Gu Qian.

“President Gu, I’m a reporter from Financial Daily. We’ve been trying to book an interview with you for two months. Do you have time today?”

“President Gu, do you have other plans during your visit to Jiangcheng?”

As the reporters shouted their questions, Gu Qian maintained a professional smile. Assistant Liang stepped forward to hold them back: “Apologies, everyone. President Gu has a flight to catch and cannot take interviews today. Please schedule another time.”

Seeing this, Director Li proactively stepped in to draw the fire: “Come interview me! I have plenty to say!”

Meng Siyao, having a rare moment of quick-wittedness, carved a path through the crowd: “Excuse us, please let us through!”

Gu Qian successfully left the venue and headed straight for the airport. Meng Siyao, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead, asked sincerely: “President Gu, should you hire a couple of bodyguards for your next trip?”

Gu Qian replied with a question: “If I hire bodyguards, what would I need you for?”

Meng Siyao protested: “I’m a presidential assistant, not a bodyguard!”

“Close enough,” Gu Qian replied flatly. “Assistant and bodyguard. It saves the company expenses.”

Stunned, Meng Siyao could only mumble to himself, “Truly more of an exploiter than the old man.”

Gu Qian glanced at him: “What was that?”

“Nothing!” Meng Siyao denied it instantly, making a zipping motion over his mouth.

The plane landed at 7:00 PM. Gu Qian skipped the office and went straight home. The first thing he did was shower. After coming out, he picked up his phone.

77: “I’m home.”

Y: “You’re back already?”

77: “Yes, I flew back right after the session this afternoon.”

Y: “That was fast. I thought you’d stay in Jiangcheng for a few more days.”

Gu Qian was about to reply when his finger froze above the screen. He remembered only telling Y that he was on a business trip; he never specified it was to Jiangcheng.

77: “How did you know I was in Jiangcheng for business?”

The other side remained silent for quite a while before a reply came.

Y: “Didn’t you send me a photo of the river-view hotel you were staying at? There was a landmark visible right across from it.”

Gu Qian frowned and quickly scrolled up to check the photo he had sent. He had taken it haphazardly and indeed hadn’t noticed that the landmark was in the shot.

77: “Have you been to Jiangcheng too?”

Y: “I haven’t, but a friend has. I heard the scenery there is nice, which is why I asked why you didn’t stay longer.”

77: “I was there for work, not for leisure.”

Y: “You should relax once in a while.”

Gu Qian sat down. Relax? It wasn’t time for that yet.

Y: “Did the trip go smoothly?”

77: “Very smoothly.”

Y: “Did anything interesting happen?”

Gu Qian thought seriously: “Nothing interesting, but I ran into my old rival again.”

Y: “What a coincidence.”

77: “Right? I’ve been running into him very frequently lately.”

Y: “It must just be a coincidence, right?”

Gu Qian tapped his fingers on the desk. He felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what the problem was.

77: “Maybe.”

Y: “Don’t overthink it. You worked hard on this trip, get some good rest tonight.”

Gu Qian lay on the bed, holding his phone to continue the chat.

77: “I’m already lying down. What about you?”

Y: “I just got home. Haven’t showered yet.”

77: “Then go shower.”

Y: “If Qiqi wants to watch, I can do a live stream for you.”

Seeing the conversation head toward inappropriate territory again, Gu Qian typed a refusal quickly.

77: “I don’t want to see it. Declined.”

Y: “That’s a pity. By the way, Qiqi, I want to ask you a question.”

Too lazy to type, Gu Qian sent a voice note: “Is it a serious question?”

Y: “You won’t answer if it’s serious?”

Gu Qian laughed and scolded him with one word: “Scram.”

Y: “Thank you, Qiqi.”

Gu Qian: “…”

Y: “It is a serious question. A friend of mine has a birthday coming up in a few days. I want to give him a bottle of perfume and was wondering if you have any brand recommendations?”

Gu Qian blinked: “What kind of friend?”

Y: “A workplace elite, just like you.”

Gu Qian thought for a moment: “Does the person have a preferred scent profile? For example, citrus, spicy, or woody?”

Y: “I’m not too sure about that either. Do you have any perfumes you use often?”

Gu Qian looked at his vanity and sent the name of the perfume brand he frequently used.

77: “If it’s not a very close friend, I actually don’t recommend giving perfume as a gift. Perfume is very personal; everyone’s perception of a scent is different.”

Y: “That makes sense. I’ll think about it more then.”

Qin Yue finally got the perfume brand, but he wasn’t as happy as he expected. Instead, his feelings were complicated. He had asked twice in person and only received a dismissive “I don’t remember,” yet by donning the skin of an online friend, he got the answer with ease.

Did Gu Qian hate the real him that much? At that moment, Qin Yue inexplicably found the WeChat account “Y” a bit annoying.

Qiqi: “Wasn’t this the skin you put on yourself?”

President Qin: “Mind your business, I’m just jealous of myself.”