After My Nemesis Discovered My Cross-dressing - Chapter 9

Qin Yue lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon the face that was inches away. Official records showed that Gu Qian was seven centimeters shorter than him, but President Gu had excellent body proportions and impeccable taste in clothes, making him appear quite tall. Furthermore, every time they met, they kept their distance, providing no opportunity to compare their heights.

It was only now, as they were pressed face to face, that he finally felt the undeniable height difference between them. Gu Qian tilted his chin up slightly, looking at him with an upward gaze. In those amber, light colored pupils, a hint of something resembling confusion surfaced for the first time. It was pure and innocent, no longer the cold, emotionless glass beads of a beautiful stranger.

Qin Yue stared into his eyes without blinking, almost losing himself uncontrollably within them.

“Ahem,” a sudden cough broke the stagnant atmosphere in the restroom.

Gu Qian snapped back to reality. He instinctively raised his hands and delivered a firm shove to the man pinned against him. Qin Yue, caught off guard, stumbled back two steps before stabilizing himself. He looked at Gu Qian, his handsome face showing no anger. Instead, he teased with a smile, “President Gu, you certainly have quite a lot of strength.”

Gu Qian pursed his lips. He reached up to shrug the suit jacket off his shoulders and handed it back. “Thank you for your kindness, President Qin.” His tone was no longer as icy as before, sounding reasonably polite.

Qin Yue admired the fluid motion of the gesture as he took the jacket. His voice carried a note of genuine regret: “What a pity. I missed a perfectly good opportunity for the hero to save the beauty.”

Gu Qian: “?” Who was the hero, and who was the beauty?

“I am sorry, President Gu. I am late,” Assistant Liang said, hurrying forward a few steps. “I have brought your suit.”

“Good.” Gu Qian took the fresh shirt and suit, then glanced at Qin Yue once more. Seeing that the man had no intention of making himself scarce, Gu Qian had no choice but to walk around him and head toward the inner stalls.

Qin Yue raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, “It is not as if I have not seen it before. Why be so formal?”

Gu Qian’s footsteps faltered for a moment, but he continued forward and ignored him. Assistant Liang did not dare to dwell on when or where President Qin might have seen his boss undressed; he could only keep his head down and try his best to erase the startling scene he had just witnessed from his mind.

A “click” signaled the locking of the stall door.

Qin Yue let out a “Tsk” and turned toward Assistant Liang. “Assistant Liang, who do you think President Gu is guarding himself against?”

Assistant Liang gave a dry laugh. “Surely not, President Qin.” The answer was obvious; it certainly was not his own assistant he was worried about.

Qin Yue did not care for an answer. He breathed in, and a faint, lingering trace of a cold fragrance seemed to remain in the air. Gu Qian changed quickly and emerged from the stall shortly after.

Qin Yue pulled a paper towel and wiped the water from his hands, watching the man behind him through the mirror. President Gu was once again dressed in a wrinkle free suit with a meticulously tied necktie, without a single flaw to be found on his person.

Gu Qian handed the discarded clothes to Assistant Liang and walked straight toward the door. Qin Yue turned around and followed him at a leisurely pace. When the two reappeared in the banquet hall one after the other, it caused a minor stir.

“Why are President Qin and President Gu appearing together?” “I do not know. Is there not a rumor in the industry that they do not get along?” “I mean, did Shengtai not just snatch this project from Universal? President Qin really does not seem to mind.”

Qin Yue walked over unhurriedly and looked directly at the speaker. “Victory and defeat are common in battle. If I do not mind, why are you minding on my behalf?”

The middle aged man clearly had not expected to be confronted so directly. His face turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment. “President Qin, I, I did not mean it that way.”

The corner of Qin Yue’s mouth curled into a smile. “How should I address you?”

The man forced himself to reply, “My surname is Wang.”

Qin Yue patted the man’s shoulder with a moderate force and said meaningfully, “President Wang, you still need to cultivate a bit more grace.”

To be lectured by a young man more than ten years his junior, especially one he absolutely could not afford to offend, made President Wang wish he could crawl into a hole and disappear. The surrounding onlookers fell silent, especially those who had been gossiping, fearing the fire might turn on them.

Fortunately, Qin Yue had no further interest in lecturing people. He took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and went to chat with the investors. Since he had come all this way, he could not very well leave empty handed.

On the other side, as soon as Gu Qian stood still, Zheng Bowen asked in a low voice, “Qian, why did you come back with young President Qin?”

Gu Qian replied, “It was nothing. We just happened to run into each other.”

Zheng Bowen pressed further, “Did he cause any trouble for you?”

Gu Qian shook his head slightly. “No.”

Not only did the man not cause trouble, but he had also kindly lent him his clothes. This level of abnormality seemed even more troublesome than direct hostility.

“That is good then,” Zheng Bowen said, changing the subject. “Come, Qian, let me introduce someone to you.”

By the time the banquet concluded, it was already ten o’clock at night. Gu Qian said his goodbyes to Zheng Bowen and took the elevator down to leave the hotel. A vibration came from his pocket. Gu Qian took out his phone and logged into his secondary WeChat account.

Y: “Is the social engagement over?”

Before leaving the office today, Gu Qian had casually mentioned to Y that he had an engagement that evening.

77: “It is over. I am preparing to head back now.”

Y: “It is late. Be careful on your way.”

77: “I am not a girl. What is there to worry about?”

Y: “You do not understand. Boys need to be even more careful when they are out.”

77: “…”

Assistant Liang reminded him, “President Gu, watch the steps.”

Gu Qian looked up and saw a tall figure. Under the streetlamp not far away, Qin Yue was leaning against his car door, looking down at his phone. He was tall, and his legs, encased in suit trousers, were very long. His posture was casual and lazy yet pleasing to the eye, like a male model in a car advertisement.

Gu Qian was amused by his own thought and let out a faint smile. At that moment, Qin Yue lifted his face and looked in his direction. Their eyes met from a distance, and Gu Qian walked toward his own car.

Qin Yue stood up straight and greeted him, “President Gu, heading back now?”

Gu Qian gave a slight nod in response. Qin Yue watched him get into the car and shook his head with a smile. “So cold.” After saying that, he opened his own car door, sat in the driver’s seat, and drove off with a burst of speed.

When Gu Qian arrived home, he planned to rest for a moment before showering. He sat on the sofa, drinking water while messaging Y.

77: “I am home.”

Y’s reply was instant again: “Good. I am relieved.”

77: “It is late. I still need to shower, so you should sleep first.”

Y: “Go ahead and wash. I am not tired yet.” Y: “I am waiting for you to tell me if anything interesting happened today.”

77: “Fine. Wait for me for a bit.”

Gu Qian turned off his phone and went to the bedroom to shower. After finishing, as he passed the walk in closet, his gaze flicked toward the inner wardrobe, and he stopped. A few minutes later, Gu Qian sat in a chair wearing a red backless dress.

77: “I am finished.”

Y: “That was faster than your usual shower speed.” Y: “Were you afraid of making me wait?”

77: “Narcissist.”

Y: “Hahaha!” Y: “Fine, then call me a narcissist.”

77: “Did you not want to know if there was any news?” 77: “My old rival was there tonight as well.”

Y: “Did you have a conflict?”

Gu Qian thought for a moment and described the situation while omitting specific names and titles. To avoid revealing his identity, he did not mention that he was attending a victory banquet.

Y: “Based on your description, the other person was quite a gentleman.”

77: “A gentleman?”

Y: “He did not take advantage of your misfortune.”

77: “That is exactly why I find it so abnormal.”

For over a year, Qin Yue had constantly worked against him. While he did not use underhanded tactics, he never missed an opportunity for sarcasm whenever they met. This sudden friendliness was somewhat unnerving.

Y: “Maybe he turned over a new leaf?”

77: “Heh.”

Y: “What are you laughing at?”

77: “I generally do not think so highly of people.”

Y: “That is fine. It is good to be on your guard.”

The conversation drifted as they talked, and Gu Qian’s drowsiness vanished completely. After a long while, Y finally suggested that it was late and they should sleep. Gu Qian looked down at the red dress he was wearing, his slender fingertips typing in the input box.

77: “I want to livestream for twenty minutes before sleeping.”

Y: “Is your concern resolved?”

77: “Not for the moment.”

Y: “Then for safety’s sake, how about you broadcast just for me?”

77: “In your dreams.”

Y: “I will drop Carnivals for you and be your Top Donor.”

Gu Qian’s lips curved. He opened the camera, took a photo, and sent it over.

Y: “Beautiful. Red suits you very well.”

77: “Thank you.”

Y: “I want to see a full body photo. It must be even more stunning.”

Gu Qian blinked his eyelashes, stood up, and walked to the full length mirror. He looked at his reflection in the camera. After a moment, he turned slightly and took a full body photo, cropped out everything above the neck, and sent it to Y.

The moment Qin Yue clicked on the image, his breath hitched. The person in the long red backless dress had skin as white as glowing jade. The exposed lines of the neck and shoulders were as elegant as a swan’s. From the slight side turn, the protruding butterfly bones were visible, and the curve of the lower back led into a full, rounded hip line.

It was like a red rose in full bloom. The intense impact of its beauty could be felt even through the screen. Qin Yue stared intensely at the photo, and that cold, beautiful face automatically surfaced in his mind.

When he thought of how Gu Qian had ignored him while dressed in a formal suit at the banquet, only to return home, change into a beautiful dress, and obediently take a photo for him alone, his heart rate accelerated at an incredible speed. Qin Yue closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

77: “Why are you not talking? Is it not good?”

Y: “It is beautiful.”

77: “Then what were you doing just now?”

Y: “I was stunned.”

77: “It is not that exaggerated.”

Y: “I am not lying to you. I was truly dazed.”

Gu Qian’s eyes were lowered. In his pupils, besides the faint glow reflected from the screen, there were also hints of a smile. Before he could reply, a new message popped up in the dialogue box.

Y: “Do not worry, Qiqi. I did not do anything strange with your photo.”

Gu Qian: “?”