After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 8

Gu Qian gripped his phone, and though a string of insults was at the tip of his tongue, he managed to swallow them back down. He set the device aside, reached up to pull off his tie, and stripped off his clothes to head into the shower. Turning on the showerhead, Gu Qian closed his eyes and tilted his face up to meet the warm cascade of water.

A blurry, tall silhouette flickered in his mind, but he could not quite imagine what kind of face that person might have. To say he was not curious at all would be a lie; however, since he had no intention of exposing his own identity, he naturally could not demand that the other party show their face. Staying at the stage of internet friends was the safest state.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Gu Qian picked up his phone while drying his hair. In that short amount of time, Y had sent a string of messages.

77: “I went to take a shower.”

Y: “You are finally acknowledging me.” Y: “I thought you were angry.”

77: “I am in a good mood tonight, so I will not argue with you.”

Y: “Since you are in such a good mood, are you going to wear a pretty dress?”

Gu Qian’s movements stopped. He draped the towel over the back of a chair and continued typing his reply.

77: “No.”

Y: “Do you not want to celebrate?”

77: “It is you who wants to see it, is it not?”

Y: “Seen through by 77 again.” Y: “Then I will admit it frankly; yes, I want to see it.”

Gu Qian gave a light scoff and sat on the edge of the bed.

77: “No viewing today.”

Did the man really think he could see whatever he wanted just because he was the top donor?

Y: “Then, how about I let you see me?”

77: “I do not want to see you either.” 77: “I am tired. I am going to sleep.”

Y: “It is getting late. Get some rest then.”

After saying goodnight, Gu Qian had just put his phone down to sleep when it vibrated again.

Y: “I am also very happy tonight. I am glad you were willing to share your victory with me.”

Gu Qian stared at the screen for several seconds before clicking the phone off and placing it on the nightstand.

On Saturday evening, after handling group business, Gu Qian took a car to the victory banquet. Upon arriving at the hotel, he was guided to the elevator by the staff. With a ding, the doors opened, and the greeters in the hallway immediately stepped forward. “President Gu, this way please.”

Gu Qian walked to the entrance of the banquet hall and scanned the room discreetly. Tonight, rather than a victory banquet hosted by Zheng Bowen for him, it was more of an announcement to the industry of the cooperation between Shengtai and Tengfei. He did not mind President Zheng using his name to host a party; after all, the two groups were currently in a mutually beneficial relationship. As long as it did not harm the interests of Shengtai, it was a harmless favor.

“President Gu is here!” someone called out. The hall fell silent instantly as countless gazes turned like spotlights toward the tall figure. Under the collective stare of the crowd, Gu Qian walked into the banquet hall with poise.

“Congratulations, President Gu!” “President Gu is truly young and promising!”

Gu Qian nodded in acknowledgment, thanking the guests for their congratulations as he walked deeper into the hall. Zheng Bowen was chatting and laughing with several investors. When he spotted him, he immediately came forward and shook his hand. “Qian, you are here!”

“President Gu looks very high-spirited today!” an investor greeted with a smile. “We were just talking about you.”

Gu Qian smiled faintly. “President Cheng, you overpraise me.”

“Not at all, not at all!” President Cheng praised. “With the powerful alliance between Shengtai and Tengfei, I imagine you will be invincible in the industry.”

After they chatted for a moment, someone walked over and whispered, “President Zheng, it is about time.”

“Alright, I understand,” Zheng Bowen replied. He placed an arm around Gu Qian’s shoulder. “Qian, it is your turn to go up.”

Gu Qian frowned almost imperceptibly and said politely, “Please excuse us for a moment; we need to head over.” With that, he turned and discreetly slipped out from under Zheng Bowen’s arm.

Zheng Bowen did not notice the movement and led the way toward the stage. “Let us go, Qian.”

The two walked to the backstage area. Zheng Bowen took the stage first and tapped his wine glass. “Distinguished guests, good evening.”

The banquet hall gradually quieted as everyone looked toward the stage.

“Tonight we are gathered here to celebrate Shengtai Group’s successful acquisition of the Oasis project,” Zheng Bowen said in a steady voice. “It is also to celebrate the new strategic cooperation between Tengfei and Shengtai!”

The audience responded with timely applause. Zheng Bowen continued, “However, the protagonist tonight is not me. Please welcome our soul protagonist, the CEO of Shengtai Group, Mr. Gu Qian, to the stage!”

The applause instantly grew enthusiastic, mixed with a few cheers. Gu Qian adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and walked slowly onto the stage amidst the thunderous applause. Zheng Bowen watched him with a wide smile and personally handed him the microphone.

“Thank you, President Zheng,” Gu Qian said as he took the microphone, beginning in an unhurried manner. “First of all, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend tonight’s victory banquet.”

His voice was not loud, but it had great projection. It carried a cold texture, yet the tone was so pleasant that it remained easy on the ears. Gu Qian did not like making long speeches or engaging in provocative performances. After a few brief words, he yielded the stage back to Zheng Bowen.

After Zheng Bowen gave his concluding remarks, he raised his glass. “Finally, let us all raise our glasses!”

Gu Qian raised his glass and happened to glance at the audience, meeting a pair of dark, heavy eyes. Qin Yue, dressed in a black suit, stood among the crowd. He raised his glass from afar with an ambiguous smile on his face and mouthed the words: “To President Gu.”

Gu Qian withdrew his gaze, lifted his chin, and took a shallow sip of champagne.

As they stepped off the stage, Gu Qian asked in a low voice, “Did you invite the young President Qin, Brother Zheng?”

“Oh, right. I forgot to mention it to you.” Zheng Bowen paused before replying. “I figured we all see each other around, so I sent an invitation to him as well. I did not expect him to actually show up.”

Gu Qian said nothing more and continued walking forward. Tonight, was Shengtai’s victory banquet, and Huanyu was the loser in this contest. Sending an invitation was inherently mocking. However, given Qin Yue’s personality, it was not surprising that he would attend. Although the man had a strong sense of pride, the more one provoked him, the more his competitive spirit was aroused.

While Gu Qian was lost in thought, a tall figure blocked his path.

“President Gu,” Qin Yue said in a casual tone. “You looked a bit surprised just now. Did you not expect me to come?”

Gu Qian lifted his eyes to look him directly in the face. “Thank you for joining us, President Qin.”

“We truly did not expect President Qin to show us such respect.” Zheng Bowen also stopped and casually placed a hand on Gu Qian’s back. “Qian and I are both quite flattered.”

Qin Yue’s gaze grew cold. He replied with a forced smile, “The respect tonight is for President Gu, not for President Zheng.”

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

“President Qin is joking. I do not have that much influence,” Gu Qian said, deflectingly. “We have things to attend to. Please make yourself at home, President Qin.”

Qin Yue stared at him for a few seconds, then performed a gentlemanly bow and stepped aside.

As the banquet continued, Zheng Bowen introduced Gu Qian to several important clients, and they had pleasant conversations. Gu Qian noticed his glass was empty and signaled to a nearby waiter. The waiter immediately approached with a tray and respectfully offered a glass of red wine. Just as Gu Qian reached for it, someone bumped into the waiter from behind. The waiter stumbled, and more than half of the red wine splashed onto Gu Qian’s suit jacket.

The waiter turned pale with fright and stammered an apology. “I, I am so sorry! It was not intentional, President Gu!”

Zheng Bowen’s expression changed. He scolded in a low voice, “How do you do your job? So clumsy!”

The waiter was so terrified that the hand holding the tray began to shake. “I, I am sorry, I.”

Gu Qian looked down at the red wine stain spreading on his jacket and said calmly, “It is fine. Go back to your work.”

The waiter remained frozen, not daring to move. Zheng Bowen waved a hand. “Fine, go on.” The waiter then retreated, bowing as he left.

“The quality of the staff at this hotel needs improvement,” Zheng Bowen said regretfully. “It ruined your suit.”

“It is just a suit.” Gu Qian gave a slight nod. “Please excuse me for a moment; I will go to the restroom to handle it.”

Guided by the staff, Gu Qian entered the restroom alone. The soundproofing was excellent. He stood at the sink, took off his soiled jacket, and used a wet towel to gently wipe the stain on his shirt. Unfortunately, the stain only grew darker. Gu Qian sighed, intending to give up. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Assistant Liang. “Assistant Liang, bring the suit from the car up here.”

To handle such emergencies, he always kept a spare suit in his car.

“Certainly, President Gu,” Assistant Liang replied. “One moment, I will be right there.”

Gu Qian hung up and leaned over to wash his hands. When he looked up again, a handsome, deep-featured face had appeared in the mirror. Qin Yue had appeared behind him silently and was staring at him with an indescribable gaze. Gu Qian felt his heart skip a beat, but he greeted him with an expressionless face. “President Qin.”

“President Gu, what a coincidence,” Qin Yue said with a smile. “Life is full of unexpected encounters.”

Gu Qian said nothing. Who would want to encounter you in a restroom?

Qin Yue did not mind the silence. His gaze moved through the mirror to Gu Qian’s chest. Some red wine had seeped into the white shirt, blooming like a dark red flower, almost looking like an intentional design. His gaze traveled further down to the waist tucked into the trousers. Gu Qian had a beautiful figure: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Even a simple white shirt looked different on him.

Under the man’s scrutiny, Gu Qian’s brow furrowed. There it was again, that indescribable gaze that felt like needles on his back. Assistant Liang had not arrived with the suit yet, but he did not want to remain in the same space as this man. He turned to leave.

“Leaving already?” Qin Yue suddenly flashed in front of him.

Gu Qian skidded to a halt, nearly slamming his head into the man’s solid chest. With the other party repeatedly causing trouble, he was beginning to lose his temper. He asked coldly, “President Qin, what exactly do you want?”

“I do not want anything.” Qin Yue gave him an innocent smile. He reached out, took off his own suit jacket, and draped it over Gu Qian’s shoulders. “Use this for now.”

Gu Qian was caught off guard, suddenly enveloped by the jacket that carried the other man’s body heat. He froze in place. At that moment, Assistant Liang, who had just walked in with the new suit, also froze.