I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 24

Looking back, she realized she had been too rigid. She knew her mother’s stubborn nature all too well, yet she had stubbornly tried to change her, only to end up hurting herself in the process.

Upon reflection, it might be better to let things be. All she needed to do was ensure Yan Chong and that despicable man didn’t harm her mother.

Sun Yiming had reserved a private room on the fifth floor. By the time Gong Muyu and Yan Zhao arrived, the appetizers had already been served. Upon seeing them enter, Sun Yiming quickly stood up to greet them and seat them.

Yan Zhao assumed they’d just casually grab something since it was just the three of them. She never expected Sun Yiming to have prepared such a lavish spread.

Is he also a rich second-gen? she wondered. Why are all the rich second-gens flocking to our company? Is the feng shui that good?

While Yan Zhao silently grumbled to herself, she chose a seat a few chairs away from Sun Yiming and Gong Muyu, hoping to avoid drawing Gong Muyu’s jealous ire and being caught in the crossfire again.

But to her surprise, just as Gong Muyu was about to sit down, she noticed Yan Zhao’s choice of seat and beckoned her over.

“Why are you sitting so far away? Come sit with me.”

Yan Zhao’s hair stood on end. She frantically waved her hands and shook her head. “No need, no need. This seat is fine.”

But Gong Muyu’s gaze remained fixed on her. Yan Zhao swallowed her remaining protests, pursed her lips, and obediently moved her bag to sit beside Gong Muyu.

Yan Zhao muttered under her breath, still a little disgruntled, “Actually, I was perfectly fine sitting there…”

Gong Muyu ignored Yan Zhao’s grumbling as if it were just background noise. Noticing a bottle of red wine being opened by the server nearby, she called the server over and said, “Could you bring us a pot of ginger and brown sugar water?”

As Gong Muyu’s words faded, Sun Yiming recalled Yan Zhao’s awkward expression in the car earlier. Now that Gong Muyu had asked for ginger and brown sugar water, the implication was clear. He felt a sudden awkwardness wash over him.

Yan Zhao also felt embarrassed, rubbing her nose and hunching her shoulders like a turtle retreating into its shell.

“Um, should we order some hot soups instead?” Sun Yiming glanced at the cold dishes already on the table and suggested. After all, women are more vulnerable during their periods, and it’s generally better to avoid cold foods.

“No need, no need, just help yourselves,” Yan Zhao said with an awkward chuckle, shifting her gaze to Gong Muyu. She raised an eyebrow at her, signaling for help.

However, Gong Muyu seemed oblivious to Yan Zhao’s plea, calmly sitting in her chair and scrolling through her phone without acknowledging her.

Just as Yan Zhao thought Gong Muyu’s jealousy was flaring up again, Gong Muyu put down her phone, wiped her hands with a wet wipe, and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Can we start eating now? I didn’t have much breakfast this morning, and I’m getting a bit hungry.”

Yan Zhao and Sun Yiming both felt awkward. Now that Gong Muyu had spoken, Sun Yiming couldn’t possibly keep pressing the topic. He quickly agreed and urged them to start eating, completely forgetting his original intention for treating them to dinner.

*******

In the silent atmosphere, they ate their dinner in harmony.

As the meal neared its end, Yan Zhao excused himself to use the restroom, leaving Gong Muyu and Sun Yiming alone in the private room to discuss the client for the upcoming bid.

Noticing Sun Yiming’s distracted demeanor, Gong Muyu picked up her cup and took a sip of the ginger water. The sweet and spicy taste of the ginger water made her wince, and she pushed the cup aside with a look of disdain.

The silence in the room was suffocating. Gong Muyu felt uneasy at the way Sun Yiming gazed at Yan Zhao with such sticky affection. Worried that Yan Zhao might truly end up with Sun Yiming and get her heart broken, Gong Muyu hesitated several times before finally deciding to speak.

Dragging things out would only make things worse. Gong Muyu cut straight to the point: “Manager Sun, if you’ll allow me to ask, do you have feelings for Yan Zhao?”

Sun Yiming hadn’t expected Gong Muyu to ask so bluntly, nor had he anticipated her showing such concern about the matter.

Sun Yiming didn’t intend to hide his fondness for Yan Zhao. After a moment of silence, he nodded without hesitation.

“Mm-hmm, Yan Zhao has such an endearing and genuine personality. Spending time with her is always so effortless.”

“Is that all?”

Gong Muyu stared at Sun Yiming, her eyes wide with disbelief, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

“Hmm? Isn’t that enough?”

Gong Muyu let out a derisive snort, shaking her head with disdain. Her waist-length chestnut hair swayed with the motion, some strands drifting across her chest before she tucked them behind her ear.

“Have you never had a girlfriend before, Manager Sun?” Before Sun Yiming could respond, she continued, “Yan Zhao is indeed the type of carefree, unguarded girl who makes a great friend. But after spending so much time with her, you should have some understanding of her.”

“Men are visual creatures. Generally, women who are good-looking and have a figure tend to be more attractive to you. Yan Zhao isn’t particularly striking. If you’re simply pursuing her because you like her personality, do you really think this will last? Have you truly taken the time to understand her?”

“I…”

Sun Yiming began to speak, but Gong Muyu cut him off before he could finish.

“Are you about to say that you had to try it to know?”

“But have you considered the distress this will cause her? If you find it unsuitable, you can simply walk away, but what about Yan Zhao? Have you thought about the lasting harm this might inflict on her?”

Sun Yiming had never considered things so deeply; he had only focused on the present. Now, hearing Gong Muyu’s words, he realized his actions had indeed been rash.

But after preparing for so long, could he really just give up like that?

As he pondered, Sun Yiming’s gaze shifted to Gong Muyu, and he belatedly realized his thoughts had been subtly steered off course.

The new female leader before him, though undeniably more capable than the former Lao Wang, was notoriously unapproachable and ruthless.

People were often subjected to her harsh reprimands over trivial matters. Yan Zhao had it particularly bad; simply losing focus for a moment during a meeting earned her a brutal verbal thrashing.

How could someone so cold and detached be so considerate of others?

With this thought, Sun Yiming slowly raised his head to look at Gong Muyu and asked, “General Manager Mu, why do you think my confession would trouble Yan Zhao?”

“Because Yan Zhao is a fool.”

Gong Muyu spoke these words without noticing Yan Zhao, who had quietly returned to the private room.

Yan Zhao had always known that Gong Muyu didn’t think highly of her, but she never imagined it would be this bad. To be seen as nothing more than a “fool” in her eyes…

Yan Zhao had originally wanted to laugh, as she had when others mocked her before. But this time, she found herself completely unable to muster a smile. She tried to convince herself not to care. Gong Muyu’s contempt didn’t matter; the gap between them was an insurmountable chasm. Why let someone she could never be friends with bring her down?

A bitter ache spread from the depths of her heart to her eyes, so quickly that she couldn’t react before tears welled up.

A server approached at the end of the corridor. To avoid being seen by Yan Zhao, she turned and walked toward the restroom.

*****

“General Manager Mu, this is just a normal conversation. Please refrain from personal attacks!”

Sun Yiming seemed annoyed, the anger and dissatisfaction in Gong Muyu’s gaze almost tangible.

“I’m not making personal attacks. I’m just telling the truth.”

“In some ways, Yan Zhao can be a bit slow. But that doesn’t give you the right to treat her like a novelty!”

“I’m not!” Sun Yiming stood up abruptly, his face flushed as he glared at Gong Muyu.

Gong Muyu showed no fear. She looked up at the enraged Sun Yiming, a smirk playing on her lips. “Ask yourself honestly—have you really never done that? Let me ask you this: What’s Yan Zhao’s favorite thing? What’s she afraid of? Do you even know?”

Gong Muyu’s rapid-fire questions left Sun Yiming speechless. He clenched his fists, refusing to answer.

Seeing this, Gong Muyu didn’t bother wasting any more breath. She picked up Yan Zhao’s bag from the stool and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, she turned to look at the stunned Sun Yiming, still frozen in place. With a faint smile, she said, “Manager Sun, give up. Yan Zhao isn’t right for you.”

Sun Yiming was thoroughly enraged by Gong Muyu’s final remark. Looking up at her, he growled, “She’s not right for me. Does that mean she’s right for you?”

“I can’t speak for others, but at least she’s more suitable than you.”

Seeing Sun Yiming’s astonished expression, Gong Muyu playfully raised her pale index finger to her lips in a hushing gesture, a rare display of mischief.

“So, please keep this secret for me, Manager Sun.”

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