After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 5

The feeling of unease on Gu Qian’s back did not disappear until he reached the corner. He took the elevator down to the lobby.

Zheng Bowen was speaking with a middle-aged man. Catching sight of him, Zheng Bowen immediately called out, “Qian, let me introduce you. This is President Chen of Hongfeng Group.”

President Chen stood up and extended a hand enthusiastically. “President Gu, I have heard so much about you!”

Gu Qian walked over and shook his hand. “President Chen is too kind.”

“Old Chen also likes to play. I often run into him here to drink tea and chat,” Zheng Bowen invited. “Shall we call Old Li and the four of us can book a round another day?”

“Sure, no problem at all!” President Chen agreed readily. “I will not disturb you two today then. Let us schedule it for another time.”

After seeing President Chen off, the two men walked toward the exit of the club together.

“By the way, I just ran into the young President Qin of Huanyu upstairs,” Zheng Bowen suddenly asked. “Did you two cross paths?”

Gu Qian replied calmly, “We said hello.”

“We also met at Old Li’s cocktail party last time.” Zheng Bowen glanced at him and joked, “Why do I feel like the air between you two is thick with the scent of gunpowder?”

Gu Qian replied, “Shengtai and Huanyu are, after all, competitors most of the time.”

“That is true.” Zheng Bowen laughed. “But compared to the young President Qin, I still prefer dealing with you.”

Gu Qian gave a faint smile. “I feel the same way.”

Zheng Bowen’s car was parked at the entrance. Once they were inside, they headed straight to a Cantonese restaurant.

After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Qian formally proposed the idea of a partnership. The “Oasis” project had not yet begun the bidding process. Gu Qian was confident that Shengtai’s proposal would be near perfect, but to make it a certainty, he needed extra leverage. After all, Shengtai’s opponent was Huanyu, and his opponent was Qin Yue.

Zheng Bowen leaned back against his chair, affected by the alcohol. “Qian, I have never liked getting involved in the competition between giant corporations.”

“Tengfei does not need to participate in the competition. Shengtai is simply looking for a suitable partner.” Gu Qian had also been drinking. His face was slightly flushed, but his tone remained as cool as ever. “The cooperation model I am proposing is entirely beneficial to Tengfei. Regardless of who ultimately wins the project, Tengfei loses nothing. What do you think?”

Zheng Bowen stared at him for a moment and then pointed at him. “Qian, you are far too good at persuading people.”

Gu Qian replied indifferently, “I am simply laying out the maximum sincerity that Shengtai can offer for you to see, Brother Zheng.”

Zheng Bowen pondered for a while and finally said, “Tell you what, give me two days to think it over properly.”

Once the business talk was finished, they left the restaurant together. At the door, Zheng Bowen tilted his head to look at the handsome face beside him. “Qian, being your partner is much easier than being your competitor, is it not?”

Gu Qian gave a definitive answer. “Yes.”

“Hahaha! Qian, I like how frank you are!” Zheng Bowen laughed loudly and clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, I understand. Let us leave it at that for today. We will meet again soon.”

“Good.” Gu Qian returned the smile. “I hope you will consider my proposal carefully, Brother Zheng.”

Zheng Bowen nodded. “Definitely.”

After watching Zheng Bowen drive away, Gu Qian walked to his own car. The driver was already waiting and nimbly opened the door. “President Gu.”

Once inside, Gu Qian leaned against the window and propped his head up with his hand to rest. In truth, his tolerance for alcohol was not great. He had built it up over the last two years, but he still felt uncomfortable after drinking. His eyes were closed, but his thoughts did not stop.

Why did Qin Yue suddenly appear at the club today? Was it purely to provoke him? No. He understood this President Qin. The man was not someone so bored. Gu Qian rubbed his temples and decided to set the question aside until tomorrow morning.

It was ten o’clock at night by the time he reached home. Gu Qian locked the door, changed into slippers, and took a bottle of water from the fridge before sitting on the sofa. After finishing the water, he stood up to take a shower. He undid his tie and removed his clothes as he walked, arriving in the bathroom completely undressed.

The warm water from the showerhead washed away some of the lingering effects of the alcohol. Gu Qian wrapped himself in a bathrobe and walked to the bedroom. His gaze landed on the spare phone on the table. He picked it up and checked WeChat. As expected, there were two unread messages.

Y: “Are you finished with your business?” Y: “It is late. Are you home yet?”

Looking at the text in the chat box, Gu Qian felt an indescribable, subtle sensation. Since his mother passed away, it seemed no one had asked him: “Are you home yet?”

He climbed into bed with the phone and leaned against the headboard to reply.

77: “Just got home.”

The other party replied almost instantly, as if they had been holding the phone waiting for him.

Y: “It is good that you are home safe.” Y: “Did you eat out tonight?”

77: “Yes, a business dinner.”

Y: “Did you drink?”

77: “I did, but I am not drunk.”

Aside from a slight headache, Gu Qian was conscious and clear-headed. He was indeed not drunk.

Y: “Okay.” Y: “Do you have honey water at home?”

77: “No.”

Y: “Should I order a delivery for you?”

77: “No need.”

Y: “I apologize. I am not trying to pry into your address; I am just worried you might feel unwell after drinking.”

77: “It is fine. I will be better after a night of sleep.”

Y: “Alright, then get some rest early.”

77: “Yes, you should sleep early too.”

Y: “Goodnight, 77.”

After waiting for nearly a minute, Qin Yue finally received a reply.

77: “Goodnight.”

Qin Yue stared at the phone screen, but the scene from the locker room earlier that day played in his mind. In moments like this, his photographic memory proved useful. He was now one hundred percent certain that 77 was Qi Qi.

However, he was in no hurry to expose the little secret. He was more curious about why Gu Qian had a hobby of cross-dressing. Furthermore, what kind of expression would that always-perfect face make when Gu Qian realized his secret had been discovered? The mere thought of it was enough to make Qin Yue’s blood boil with excitement, even more so than winning a major project.

Two days later, Gu Qian received the answer he wanted from Zheng Bowen.

Zheng Bowen laughed over the phone. “Qian, you do not seem surprised by my answer?”

Gu Qian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. “That night you said that, rather than being an opponent, you would rather be my partner.”

“Hahaha, good!” Zheng Bowen replied. “Qian, I believe our cooperation will be very pleasant.”

The two agreed on a specific time to discuss the details, and Gu Qian hung up. He was in a good mood today. When he went home that evening, he was no longer so brief in his replies to Y. The other party was very keen and noticed that his state was different from usual.

Y: “I feel like you are in a good mood today. Did something good happen?”

77: “Yes, something related to work.”

Y: “Then congratulations to you first.”

77: “Thank you.”

Y: “I just remembered, you have not streamed for a few days.” Y: “When will you be free to broadcast again?”

Gu Qian hesitated before typing. 77: “I will not be streaming again for a while.”

The last thing Qin Yue said in the locker room that day had made him wary. President Qin would not mention short-video platforms for no reason. The man must have heard news that Shengtai intended to acquire the platform. Based on past experience, Huanyu would inevitably try to interfere, which meant the man would conduct research on the platform beforehand just as he had.

Although he did not show his face or speak, he would not take the risk, just in case. After all, the thing he hated most was an uncontrollable accident.

Y: “Why? Are you too busy?”

77: “I am afraid of being recognized.”

Y: “Surely not. I feel like the way you look in a dress must be very different from your usual appearance.”

77: “It is.” 77: “But I do not want to take the risk.”

Y: “So you will never stream on the platform again?”

77: “Not in the short term.”

Y: “Then how will you release your stress?”

77: “I will still wear dresses; I just will not stream anymore.”

Y: “I see.” Y: “Are you wearing a dress right now?”

Gu Qian looked down at his bathrobe. He realized he had not worn a dress for several days. He put down his phone and walked toward the walk-in closet. He chose a knee-length white dress, changed into it, and returned to the desk.

77: “I am wearing one now.”

Y: “Really?”

Gu Qian opened the camera, took a quick photo, and sent it to the other party.

77: “Why would I lie to you?”

On the other end of the screen, Qin Yue clicked on the image and scanned it inch by inch. Because of the sitting position, the fabric of the knee-length white dress had ridden up slightly, revealing rounded knees and a section of snow-white leg. His skin was so pale that even the joints of his knees had a pinkish tint. It was not hard to imagine that if such delicate skin were rubbed for too long, it would turn a deeper shade of red.

While Qin Yue was staring at the picture without blinking, a notification popped up saying the message had been retracted. He snapped out of it and let out a “tsk.”

Y: “I have not even seen it yet. Why did you retract it?”

77: “You saw it.”

Y: “You even discovered that?”

Gu Qian gave a soft huff. A feeling similar to shame rose in his heart. This was the first time he had actively sent a photo of himself in a dress to someone. Unlike a faceless livestream, this was a private message sent individually.

Y: “It is very beautiful.” Y: “It suits you well.”

77: “You definitely saw it.”

Y: “I saw it, but not clearly.” Y: “It was just a little trick to get you to send it again.”

77: “Hehe.”

Y: “The twice I saw you, you were wearing long dresses. I thought you did not like wearing short skirts.”

77: “I bought more long dresses.”

Y: “Your legs are also very beautiful. They are very suitable for wearing short skirts.”

77: “Thank you.”

Y: “To show your gratitude, how about sending it one more time?”

Gu Qian: “…”

Men. Do not think he does not know what the man is thinking.

77: “I am not sending it. I am going to sleep.”

Y: “If you do this, I will not be able to sleep tonight.”

77: “Then do not sleep.”

Y: “So cold, so heartless.”

77: “You only just noticed?”

Y: “It is fine. I do not mind.” Y: “Goodnight, 77.”

77: “Goodnight.”

Qin Yue looked at the chat history on the screen, the corners of his mouth lifting unconsciously. Just as he was about to put the phone down, a new message popped up on WeChat.

77: [Image]

The curve of Qin Yue’s smile grew wider. He said to himself, “Truly a hard mouth but a soft heart.”

What should he do? Gu Qian seemed a bit cuter than he had imagined.