After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 18

Gu Qian stood before his desk, eyes lowered as he stared at his phone. The faint glow of the screen reflected in his amber pupils, flickering slightly.

Y: 【Why did you stop talking, Qiqi?】

Y: 【Are you ignoring me now?】

Gu Qian snapped out of it and typed a reply: 【Rest assured, I am not someone who only cares about looks.】

Y: 【It is not just about looks; there is also personality and things like that.】

77: 【Can personality change too?】

Y: 【Many people have different personalities online and offline. For example, some people are extroverts online but are actually introverts when they meet in person.】

Gu Qian thought about it and found it quite reasonable. The things he freely sent to Y online were things he could absolutely never send to people he knew in reality.

Behind the barrier of the internet, people often released their true selves. However, if that barrier were broken, many things would change.

77: 【No need to worry. I have no plans to meet you for the time being.】

The other side replied instantly: 【Why?】

77: 【I told you before, I still have very important things to complete.】

Y: 【I know, but what does that have to do with us meeting?】

Gu Qian sat in his chair, his fingers habitually tapping the tabletop.

The reason was simple: a lack of trust. The other party knew about his hobby of cross-dressing and even had very undignified photos of him. Once the other party knew his true identity, it would be equivalent to having leverage over him. He would not proactively hand his own leverage over to another person.

The phone buzzed, pulling Gu Qian’s thoughts back.

Y: 【You still do not trust me enough, right?】

Gu Qian lowered his eyelashes and gave a soft sigh.

77: 【Give me, and yourself, some more time.】

Y: 【Okay, I will wait until you are ready.】

Y: 【If you are willing, I can also tell you my secret.】

Gu Qian froze for a moment. He had not expected the other party to not only easily see through his concerns but also proactively offer to exchange secrets.

This person really was “…” more perceptive and more gentle and considerate than he had imagined.

Everyone has their own secrets. Being a secret means it cannot see the light of day. So, what could Y’s secret be?

77: 【Mhm, I will give it some thought.】

Y: 【Be good.】

Gu Qian raised an eyebrow. He did not expect someone would actually use the word “good” to describe him.

77: 【Who are you insulting?】

Y: 【It is a compliment, how is it an insult?】

Gu Qian let out a scoff. The word “good” sounded like a compliment for a kitten or a puppy, but it certainly did not seem applicable to him.

77: 【Try saying that again.】

Y: 【Sorry Qiqi, I was wrong.】

The other party’s apology was very fast and his attitude in admitting fault was good. Gu Qian did not feel like bickering with him further: 【If you know you are wrong, you must change.】

Y: 【I will change, I will change right away.】

Y: 【Did you drink your cold medicine granules?】

Under the man’s urging, Gu Qian had no choice but to get up and go to the living room to rummage through the medicine box. He had a good physique and rarely got sick. On the rare occasions he did, he did not go to the hospital, but he kept quite a few medicines prepared at home.

Gu Qian pulled out a box of cold granules. Just then, another message from Y came through.

Y: 【Remember to check the expiration date. If it is expired, just call for a flash delivery.】

Gu Qian held his phone in one hand and the medicine box in the other to check the date. After confirming it was not expired, he replied: 【Not expired.】

Y: 【That is good then.】

There was no hot water at home, so Gu Qian boiled some water and then mixed a packet of cold granules. After letting it cool, he frowned and gulped it down in one go. Medicine is medicine; even with sugar added, it is still bitter.

Unfortunately, his candy tin was left at the office, so he had to keep drinking hot water to dilute the bitter taste in his mouth. After finishing, Gu Qian put the cup away and walked back to the bedroom with his phone.

77: 【Finished the medicine.】

On the other side of the screen, Qin Yue’s lips curled up. “Clearly so well-behaved, yet will not let people say it. Truly a tsundere little cat.”

77: 【Too lazy to type. Want to voice chat?】

Qin Yue let out a sharp breath, his large hand tightening around the phone. To avoid making Gu Qian suspicious, he had specifically found someone to teach him voice manipulation to change his vocal range. If it were not someone particularly familiar with him, they would not be able to hear his original voice from just a few sentences.

But if it was a voice call, he could not guarantee he would not reveal a flaw. He was not ready to expose his identity just yet.

Y: 【I am still out right now, it is not very convenient.】

Y: 【How about tomorrow night? Let us voice chat tomorrow night, okay?】

77: 【Okay, works for me.】

Qin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and decided not to sleep tonight, staying up to review the voice manipulation tutorials.

The next day, Gu Qian went to work as usual. Before entering his office, he replied “Morning” to the little secretary who greeted him cautiously.

After CEO Gu entered the door, Secretary Xu let out a long breath. “Thank goodness, CEO Gu seems to be in a good mood today.”

Assistant Liang walked over and reminded in a low voice: “Just do your own work. Do not speculate on CEO Gu’s mood when there is nothing going on.”

Secretary Xu shrunk her head: “Got it, Assistant Liang.”

In the afternoon, Gu Qian received a call from Zheng Bowen.

“Qian, it has been a while since we brothers last met.” Zheng Bowen went straight to the point. “Are you free this Saturday to play some ball?”

Gu Qian replied: “What a coincidence, Brother Zheng. I happen to have something to do this Saturday.”

“Then you pick a date, I will cooperate with you,” Zheng Bowen said straightforwardly. “I have a new project here and want to find a time to talk to you about it.”

“Let me ask my assistant if this Saturday’s schedule can be pushed back.” Gu Qian pressed the internal dedicated line on his desk. “Assistant Liang, come in for a moment.”

Zheng Bowen laughed on the other end of the line, teasing: “As soon as a new project is mentioned, you are suddenly free, huh?”

Gu Qian replied calmly: “If Brother Zheng is not in a hurry, then we can make another appointment for another time.”

“Do not do that, Qian,” Zheng Bowen quickly changed his tune. “You check first if you are free on Saturday. Sooner is definitely better than later for the date.”

At this moment, a knock came at the door: “CEO Gu.”

Gu Qian placed the phone on the desk and turned on the speakerphone: “Enter.”

Assistant Liang pushed the door open: “CEO Gu, what can I do for you?”

Gu Qian gave him a look: “Check my schedule for this Saturday and see if it can be pushed back.”

It took Assistant Liang only two seconds to catch CEO Gu’s meaning. He replied: “If you need it pushed back, I will go and contact them right away.”

“Good, push it back then.” Gu Qian picked up the phone again. “Brother Zheng, shall we meet at the court on Saturday?”

Zheng Bowen replied: “Be there or be square.”

After hanging up, Gu Qian asked Assistant Liang, who was standing to the side: “Did you find out anything regarding what I asked you to investigate?”

Assistant Liang hesitated for a moment: “Are you referring to “…” the Universal Group’s project in Jiangcheng?”

Gu Qian: “Mhm.”

“You guessed correctly. Universal Group is indeed targeting AI tech startups,” Assistant Liang dutifully reported the results of his investigation. “However, the company they chose is just starting out, and it is said the contact time was very short. It seems more like “…” ”

Gu Qian took over the words: “A whim?”

Assistant Liang nodded: “Looking at it now, that seems to be the case.”

Gu Qian said thoughtfully: “I understand. You can go back to work now.”

Assistant Liang responded: “Okay, CEO Gu.”

The office fell silent. Gu Qian reached up, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since the Oasis project, every step Qin Yue took had been outside his expectations. He was increasingly unable to see through what this old rival was trying to do. For him, this was not a good signal.

Gu Qian’s gaze shifted to the black screen of his phone on the desk. Y’s words suddenly flashed in his mind. To some extent, Y was right. There are no eternal friends or eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Unfortunately, as long as he was still in Shengtai, he would be on the opposite side of Qin Yue.

When he returned home that evening, Gu Qian took a shower first, changed into a loose and comfortable bathrobe, and sat in his study, processing emails while waiting for a call. It was not until after nine o’clock that he finally received a new message.

77: 【Still busy?】

Y replied almost instantly: 【Wait a moment, give me three minutes.】

After Qin Yue replied to the message, he looked up at the manager standing before his desk, head bowed while receiving a scolding. “Fine, you can go out now.”

“Okay, CEO Qin, then I will go back to work!” The manager felt like he had been granted an amnesty and immediately bolted out without stopping.

Qin Yue reached up to loosen his tie and cleared his throat. He had been thinking about the voice call all day. The fact that Gu Qian proactively suggested it last night meant that the defenses in his heart had loosened by another layer. Naturally, he could not let this good opportunity pass. Unfortunately, his subordinates had been stupid today, forcing him to stay at the company until now, working overtime to scold people.

Once Qin Yue was ready, he clicked to start the voice call. The other side picked up quickly. A cool and pleasant voice came through the receiver: “Hello.”

Qin Yue felt as if his heart had been lightly scratched. He lowered his voice and replied: “Good evening, Qiqi.”

This was the first time Gu Qian had heard the other party use his voice to call him by his nickname. The tips of his ears felt slightly hot.

“Mhm, good evening,” he responded, casually finding a topic. “Were you busy just now?”

“Yes, I am working overtime tonight,” Qin Yue replied. “I am still at the company.”

“I thought you were at home.” Gu Qian paused. “Then should we call after you get back?”

“It is fine, there is no one else in the office,” Qin Yue explained immediately. “I was afraid you would be waiting, so I called you as soon as I finished.”

Gu Qian subconsciously denied it: “I was not waiting.”

“Oh?” Qin Yue gave a low chuckle. “Then who was the one who proactively messaged me just now?”

Gu Qian leaned back against the chair: “I was only asking if you were busy.”

Qin Yue shamelessly countered: “But I automatically understood it as you missing me. What should I do?”

The man said such rogue-like things in that deep, mellow voice, yet it did not sound repulsive. Gu Qian gave up arguing with him and replied in a lazy tone: “Understand it however you want.”

“Alright then, I will take it as Qiqi admitting he missed me.” Qin Yue narrowed his dark eyes slightly and said frankly, “What a coincidence, I have been thinking about you all day too.”

The other end of the line went silent, leaving only the sound of shallow breathing. Qin Yue frowned, secretly wondering if he had gone a bit too far, when he heard a creak. The office door suddenly opened a crack. He looked toward the door, cursing “useless” in his heart. Not only was the work not done right, they could not even close a door properly.

Qin Yue got up and walked toward the door, intending to close it himself. Just then, the person on the other end of the phone suddenly spoke: “Mhm.”

Qin Yue’s footsteps stalled: “What?”

Gu Qian’s voice was very soft, carrying a trace of imperceptible bashfulness: “I did miss you a little.”

Qin Yue’s brain went blank for a moment. Before he could give any reaction, there were two knocks on the office door. The next second, a voice came from outside: “CEO Qin.”

Qin Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Driven by instinct, he decisively hung up the phone.