After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 7

Gu Qian stared at the message on his screen, momentarily speechless. He thought for a few seconds before slowly typing a reply.

77: “Should I say you are thick-skinned, or praise you for being frank?”

Y: “Are those not both compliments?”

77: “…”

Y: “So, were you seduced?”

Gu Qian’s fingertips hovered over the screen, curling slightly. He scrolled up and clicked on the photo of the abdominal muscles again. He worked out himself, and objectively speaking, the man’s abs were indeed well-trained; they were firm, full, and clearly defined without being exaggerated. Due to his own physiological limits, no matter how hard he worked, he could only develop a thin layer of muscle, so he felt a hint of envy toward the other man.

As for whether he was seduced; what do you think?

77: “What do you think?”

The other side remained silent for nearly a minute before sending a reply.

Y: “In theory, I should have a lot of confidence in my body. But facing you, I seem to have lost a bit of that confidence.”

77: “The Top Tier Donor actually has moments of insecurity?”

Y: “The title is undeserved. How long has it been since you last streamed?”

77: “I am not streaming, but you still saw it, did you not?”

Y: “Does that mean you only showed it to me?”

Gu Qian typed a few words into the input box, then deleted them.

77: “Yes.”

That single word caused Qin Yue, on the other side of the screen, to bolt upright in bed.

Y: “For real? You only showed it to me?”

77: “As of now, I have only sent it to you.”

Y: “Then it counts as only showing me.”

Gu Qian said nothing. Technically, there was nothing wrong with that logic. He certainly would not send photos of himself in a dress to anyone else. As for why he sent it to Y, he considered it a temporary lapse of judgment.

Y: “What a coincidence. I have also only sent my abdominal photos to you.”

Gu Qian let out a soft laugh, not believing a word of it. From Y’s chat history, the man was clearly a seasoned flirt. Besides, how innocent could someone be if they casually sent muscle photos to others?

Y: “You do not believe me?”

77: “Just assume that I do.”

Y: “Not only is this the first time I have sent such a photo to someone, but it is also my first time chatting with someone online like this.”

Gu Qian’s brow twitched. Even knowing the other man might be lying, he could not help but be curious.

77: “Why?”

Y: “I am not sure myself. I am just following my heart.”

The answer was a non-answer, yet it unexpectedly struck a chord with Gu Qian. In truth, he did not understand why he had lowered his guard toward a complete stranger either. Perhaps many things in this world simply cannot be explained.

They chatted for a few more minutes until it was nearly midnight. After saying goodnight, Gu Qian put down his phone, changed out of the floral dress, and prepared for bed.

One week later, the bidding for the Oasis project was held in the City Hall conference hall.

Besides Shengtai and Huanyu, two other real estate groups participated. After the four groups made their final presentations, the evaluation committee announced a recess to conduct the final review in a smaller meeting room.

The large conference room fell silent. Everyone waited in tense anticipation for the results. In this heavy atmosphere, Qin Yue’s gaze drifted casually toward the person opposite him.

Gu Qian wore a black suit today, with his shirt buttoned to the top as always, exuding an air of cold asceticism. There was no expression on his handsome face, and his long, thick lashes were lowered, masking his pale eyes. Qin Yue’s gaze shifted down to the slender fingers playing with a fountain pen. He had noticed before that Gu Qian had a habit of fiddling with a pen during important moments.

Gu Qian was not unaware of the gaze from across the table, but in this setting, he chose to ignore it. It was not until a sudden, low chuckle broke the silence of the room that he looked up. Their eyes met, and Qin Yue inexplicably curled his lips into a smile.

Gu Qian could clearly feel that the other man’s attitude today was far too friendly. Did Qin Yue feel that the outcome was already a sure thing for him? Gu Qian frowned imperceptibly. That seemed impossible; based on the project benchmarks revealed earlier, Shengtai’s proposal was the most competitive, unless something had changed.

Before long, the project manager returned to the room with the bid documents. Everyone sat up straight. Gu Qian silently tightened his grip on his pen.

The chairman of the evaluation committee cleared his throat, said a few words, and then began announcing the winner. When Gu Qian heard the words “Shengtai Group is the successful bidder,” his heart finally settled, and his grip on the pen relaxed.

The project managers behind him could not help but cheer. “We won! President Gu, we won!”

The other two real estate groups had known they were just along for the ride, so they were not surprised and offered their congratulations to Gu Qian and Shengtai. While responding to them, Gu Qian looked at Qin Yue. He noticed that Qin Yue’s face was not as grim as he had imagined; the expression in those dark eyes was difficult to read.

As the meeting concluded and people began to leave, Gu Qian thanked the city officials, instructed his subordinates on the next steps, and rose to depart. The results still needed to be publicly posted for three business days before Shengtai would receive the official notice and sign the contract.

Walking out of the municipal building, Gu Qian saw a tall figure standing at the bottom of the steps. Hearing the movement behind him, Qin Yue turned around and offered his congratulations gracefully. “Congratulations, President Gu.”

Gu Qian nodded slightly. “President Qin, thank you for the fair competition.”

“It was not just a fair competition; I am sincerely convinced by this defeat.” Qin Yue paused and asked with a smile, “Since you have secured another major project for Shengtai, should you not treat me to a meal so I can share in the good fortune?”

Gu Qian did not respond. He thought expressionlessly that this man must have lost his mind after losing to him again.

Assistant Liang, standing nearby, reminded him, “President Gu, you have another meeting this afternoon.”

“I see,” Gu Qian said. He walked down the steps. “President Qin, I will take my leave.”

Qin Yue stood with one hand in his pocket, his gaze following Gu Qian’s every move. Being stared at made Gu Qian feel uncomfortable; he felt something was off. Qin Yue’s reaction was far too strange this time.

Just as Gu Qian was getting into his car, that deep voice rang out behind him again: “President Gu, remember that you owe me a meal.”

Gu Qian remained silent.

Back at the office, Gu Qian called Zheng Bowen.

Tengfei Group had also sent a representative to the bidding, so Zheng Bowen had learned the result immediately. As soon as the call connected, he spoke first: “Congratulations!”

Gu Qian replied, “Securing this project smoothly was thanks to your support, Brother Zheng.”

“It was mainly because Shengtai’s own strength is solid. Tengfei was just the icing on the cake.” Zheng Bowen’s tone was full of praise. “I knew I did not misjudge you.”

After chatting for a bit, Zheng Bowen suggested, “Qian, how about I host a victory banquet for you this weekend?”

Gu Qian hesitated and politely declined. “Brother Zheng, I plan to treat the team to dinner tonight. I do not think a victory banquet is necessary.” To him, cash bonuses and vacation time were more practical rewards for employees than a formal banquet.

“How can that be? You took such a huge project; you cannot be so low-key,” Zheng Bowen insisted. “Do not worry about it, Qian. Just keep doing your work; I will handle the banquet.”

Since he put it that way, Gu Qian could no longer refuse and agreed. Before his meeting, he received another call from Meng Ye. He did not care how the ailing Chairman Meng was so well-informed. After a routine report, he hung up.

At the team dinner that evening, his subordinates were in high spirits. Gu Qian was also unusually happy and was persuaded to have two extra drinks. His driver took him back to the residence and stepped out of the car out of concern. “President Gu, let me walk you up.”

“No need,” Gu Qian said as he raised a hand. “You are off duty. Pick me up tomorrow morning as usual.”

The driver stopped. “Yes, President Gu.”

Gu Qian leaned one hand against the wall as he opened his door and entered the foyer. He changed his shoes and walked toward the living room. He had drunk a bit too much tonight; after a few steps, his head felt dizzy, so he simply collapsed onto the sofa.

Gu Qian closed his eyes and reached up to loosen his tie. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body. After an unknown amount of time, the phone in his pocket vibrated against his thigh. He pulled it out and lit the screen.

Finding it inconvenient to carry two phones, he had Assistant Liang switch him to a single phone with a dual-app feature, allowing him to stay logged into both his main and secondary WeChat accounts simultaneously. He clicked into the secondary account, and as expected, there was a message from Y.

Y: “Are you finished with work, Qiqi?”

77: “Just got home.”

Y: “So late today. Another social engagement?”

77: “The team just secured a project. We had a celebratory dinner tonight.”

Y: “That impressive? You are excellent.”

Gu Qian sank deeper into the sofa. Due to the alcohol, his brain was moving slowly, and his typing speed followed suit.

77: “It is not that I am impressive; it is the result of the team’s hard work.”

Y: “But the project was won under your leadership, was it not? Qiqi is still impressive.”

Gu Qian squinted at the text on the screen, and his lips slowly curved into a smile. He was very happy today. Securing the Oasis project was significant for both him and Shengtai, yet in Meng Ye’s eyes, it was merely what was expected of him. Until this moment, it felt like someone finally shared in his joy.

77: “That is right. I am impressive, am I not? If you knew who I defeated to get this project, you would think I am even more impressive.”

Y: “Oh? I am all ears.”

Gu Qian let out a small tsk. An image of a handsome yet obnoxious face appeared in his mind.

77: “Just an old rival.”

Y: “An old rival? Do you hate him?”

77: “I would not say hate; it is just…”

Y: “Just what?”

77: “Nothing. It is actually quite good to have a rival like him.”

Y: “So, you actually have a good impression of him?”

77: “Only when he is defeated by me.”

Across the screen, the smile on Qin Yue’s face vanished instantly. He gritted his teeth and repeated the words one by one: “Defeated by her?”

Before his anger could flare up, a new voice message popped up in the chat. Qin Yue quickly opened it. A soft, slightly lazy voice came through the speaker: “I want to thank you tonight for giving me someone to share my victory with.”

Because Gu Qian had been drinking, his voice lacked its usual coldness. The ends of his words trailed off unconsciously, making him sound almost as if he were acting spoiled.

Qin Yue’s throat moved. He clicked the voice message again, holding the phone to his ear to listen a second time.

After sending the message, Gu Qian received no immediate reply, so he got up and went to the bedroom to shower. Just as he was about to set his phone down, a reply came through.

Y: “Qiqi’s voice is also very beautiful. Can you say a few more words for me to hear?”

Gu Qian raised an eyebrow. His lips parted as he uttered a few words: “Are you asking for a scolding?”

Y: “That sounds wonderful.”

Gu Qian: “?”