I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 26

After dealing with Sun Yiming, her “rival,” Gong Muyu was quite pleased. She had imagined that once the holiday ended, she’d find an opportunity to take Yan Zhao out for some fun, strengthen their bond, and carefully choose the perfect moment to confess. Maybe that silly girl would even agree to be with her.

But to her surprise, when she arrived at the company brimming with anticipation, she saw that the silly girl had actually moved out of her office!

For a moment, Gong Muyu didn’t know how to react. She decided to pretend nothing had happened and simply returned to her office.

But when Gong Muyu finally reached her office and saw the empty room next door, devoid of the Silly’s presence, she felt a sudden pang of distress. She stood up and walked to the blinds, watching Yan Zhao’s weary figure outside. Several times, she wanted to push the door open, call her in, and demand why she had moved out without a word. But she held back.

The Silly had always been naive. It couldn’t be because she’d discovered Gong Muyu’s feelings for her, right?

Could Sun Yiming have said something to her after that day?

Gong Muyu considered this possibility. But without evidence, there was no way to confirm her suspicions. She could only hope Sun Yiming hadn’t misinformed the Silly and caused her to misunderstand.

Yet the thought of letting the Silly slip away under her nose was unbearable. With a deep sigh, Gong Muyu couldn’t help but rub her cheeks. Her gaze fell on the little head icon in the lower right corner of her computer screen, blinking persistently. A sudden impulse stirred within her.

Sliding her chair back, she glanced at the Ethernet port beneath her desk. After a moment’s hesitation, she committed the second most childish act of her life…

******

Gong Muyu emerged from under the desk, looking at the small, dark figure of the doll’s head. She dusted the dirt from her hands, raised an eyebrow, and couldn’t help but smile. Turning to glance at Zhang Sheng, who was standing outside the office with Yan Zhao, she picked up the landline phone on her desk and dialed his number.

“Manager Zhang, why isn’t the internet working in my office?”

Gong Muyu lied without a hint of shame or nervousness, watching as Zhang Sheng approached. When he was close enough, she hung up the phone.

Zhang Sheng was thoroughly confused by Gong Muyu’s call. If there was a network issue, shouldn’t she have contacted Li Chong, who handled both HR and logistics? What use was it to call him, the supervisor of the Operations Department?

As if he was some kind of repairman…

Still, since his superior had already called him, it wouldn’t be right to simply dismiss her request. So, Zhang Sheng went to the General Manager’s Office, where Gong Muyu was standing by the desk, repeatedly adjusting the settings.

“General Manager Mu, is the network fixed yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve tried several times, but it’s no good. I didn’t bring my laptop today, otherwise I could have connected wirelessly.”

Gong Muyu’s voice carried a note of urgency. Zhang Sheng, with his half-baked skills, tried unplugging and replugging the cable several times, but it made no difference. He stood with his hands on his hips and sighed.

“Should we get another colleague to take a look? I really don’t know what’s wrong. If all else fails, we could report it for repair.”

Hearing this, Gong Muyu grew visibly agitated. “My proposal and reports are all stored on this computer! They need to be printed and sent out immediately. How long would a repair request take?”

Zhang Sheng remembered that they were supposed to submit the proposal today. Hearing that the documents hadn’t even been printed yet, he began to feel anxious himself.

“The company intranet isn’t working either? What are we going to do now?”

Zhang Sheng scratched his head, his gaze settling on the empty desk next to Yan Zhao’s.

“Let’s move you out here for now. You can print your proposal and reports first. I’ll let Li Chong know to send someone over to take a look. I’ll have someone clear this desk for you. You should shut down your computer first.”

With that, Zhang Sheng headed out.

As he reached the doorway, he spotted Dong Wan, Sister V, and the others chatting. He quickly beckoned them over.

“Dong Wan, clean and wipe down the table next to Zhao. Liu Yiyang, go to General Manager Mu’s office and bring her computer here.”

The team was stunned by Zhang Sheng’s instructions.

“Why would we move General Manager Mu’s computer out of her office?” Sister V asked, clearing the clutter from the table.

“The network in her office is down. We have urgent documents to print, so we need to move it here.”

As he spoke, Liu Yiyang had already retrieved the computer. Once Dong Wan finished wiping the table, they set it up. The team quickly worked together, and within five minutes, the computer was reassembled and booted up. Gong Muyu thanked everyone and settled into the seat next to Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao returned from the restroom to find Gong Muyu working intently beside her, her eyes widening in surprise. She quietly approached Dong Wan, patted her on the shoulder, and gestured at Gong Muyu, asking what was going on. She was just using the restroom for a moment—how did Gong Muyu end up here?

Dong Wan shrugged off Yan Zhao’s hand with a subtle shake, shooting her a meaningful look to return to her seat quickly.

Yan Zhao pouted and reluctantly returned to her workstation. She glanced sideways at Gong Muyu, feeling as if she were sitting next to a thriving cactus rather than a person. Any sudden movement would send its spines through her clothes, prickling and stinging, and impossible to remove…

Perhaps due to Gong Muyu’s presence, the entire Operations Department hall fell into an eerie silence that morning. Liu Yiyang, Dong Wan, and Yan Zhao, however, kept a steady stream of messages flowing in their private chat group, their fingers dancing over their keyboards to maintain the appearance of busyness.

[Zhao: Why did she move next to me? Is she here to supervise us?!]

[Wanran Smile: Ugh, just knowing a divine presence is sitting behind me is making me uneasy…]

[Yang Boy: Damn! Li Chong’s been on leave lately—his daughter’s hospitalized. He won’t be back anytime soon.]

[Yang Boy: “General Manager Mu can’t possibly be staying with us all day, right?”]

[Zhao: “No way! Besides, reporting a repair is just a phone call away. Even if Li Chong isn’t here, we can just call the service center and get it sorted.”]

[Wanran Yi: “Although… I still have a feeling things aren’t that simple.”]

[Yang Boy: “I agree!”]

******

Turning back, she rolled her eyes at the other two and silently scoffed. What on earth is wrong with Gong Muyu? she thought. Why would she abandon her spacious office to squeeze into the Operations Department’s crowded hall?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gong Muyu about to stand up. Yan Zhao quickly composed herself and reached for a file on the rack, pretending to retrieve a document.

“Yan Zhao, do you have plans later?”

Having just returned from vacation, Gong Muyu knew the Operations Department wasn’t yet busy. She’d seen Yan Zhao typing furiously earlier—did she really think Gong Muyu couldn’t tell she was chatting instead of working?

“Huh?” Yan Zhao froze, staring at Gong Muyu in disbelief, as if under a spell.

“What’s with the ‘huh’? If you don’t have plans, tidy up and come with me to deliver the bid later.”

Without waiting for a response, Gong Muyu stood up and went to have the printed documents bound.

Yan Zhao stared blankly at Gong Muyu’s slender back, her mind filled with exasperation.

She keeps calling me a fool, yet insists on dragging me into everything. What’s wrong with her head?!

Yan Zhao, her head drooping like a chastised elementary school student, followed Gong Muyu to the car, carrying her bag as they drove towards Jinghai Road.

This time, Yan Zhao didn’t sit in the passenger seat. Instead, she took the back seat, propping her head up with one hand and pretending to gaze out the window.

She really couldn’t understand why Gong Muyu, who liked Sun Yiming, kept tying herself to Yan Zhao. Did she really think Sun Yiming liked her just because he occasionally spoke to her? There were several female colleagues in his department—why was she so fixated on Yan Zhao? Did Gong Muyu really believe that a few extra words from Sun Yiming meant he liked her?

Even if that were the case, given Gong Muyu’s own qualities, she should just go ahead and pursue Sun Yiming herself. Why humiliate Yan Zhao in front of him like this? What was the point of that?!

Gong Muyu watched Yan Zhao’s round face shift constantly in the rearview mirror. She knew it was because she’d dragged her out of the office again.

But she was genuinely curious about what had suddenly upset Yan Zhao. Knowing Yan Zhao’s stubborn nature, Gong Muyu knew a direct question would get her nowhere. Her only option was to keep Yan Zhao around and gradually coax out the reason for her distance during casual conversation.

Yet Yan Zhao seemed unusually determined to hold her grudge this time. By the time Gong Muyu was almost on Jinghai Road, Yan Zhao still hadn’t uttered a single word.

Gong Muyu sighed helplessly and decided to break the silence herself.

“Yan Zhao, are you feeling okay?”

Yan Zhao hadn’t expected Gong Muyu to initiate conversation. After a moment of surprise, she replied sullenly, “I’m fine. Just a little off since the vacation ended.”

Knowing Gong Muyu hated slacking off at work, Yan Zhao deliberately chose to provoke her. Little did she realize that Gong Muyu’s pet peeves varied depending on the person.

“Did you use up your annual leave? If you need it, you can take a couple of days off.”

Yan Zhao was surprised that Gong Muyu had so readily agreed to let her take annual leave. However, annual leave was like money—it vanished as soon as it hit the account. Asking about it now, it was no surprise that she had zero days left.

Rubbing her nose in defeat, Yan Zhao said helplessly, “How could I possibly save any annual leave? I’ve used it all up ages ago.”

“General Manager Mu, you should be able to deliver the proposal yourself, right? Why did you have to bring me along?”

Gong Muyu noticed Yan Zhao’s mood gradually improving and couldn’t help but feel relieved. Her voice softened unconsciously as she spoke to Yan Zhao.

“I was worried you’d be bored at home, so I thought I’d take you out for some fun.” Seeing Yan Zhao’s skeptical expression, Gong Muyu glanced at her through the rearview mirror and continued, “Why did you suddenly move out of my office without even telling me? Did I do something to upset you?”

Yan Zhao fell silent. Remembering the conversation she overheard outside the private room that day, her relaxed expression darkened again.

Just as Yan Zhao was about to speak, Gong Muyu cut in, “Did someone say something to you? Is that why you’ve decided to move out?”

“No one said anything,” Yan Zhao replied, lowering her head and picking at her fingers. “I just feel that now that CHI’s operations are running smoothly, working in the same office as you would only hinder your work.”

Gong Muyu could clearly tell Yan Zhao wasn’t being honest. However, with the car about to turn, she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Once the car pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop, Gong Muyu gathered her documents and turned to face Yan Zhao before getting out of the car.

“You haven’t hindered my work at all. In fact, having you in my office and working together has actually made me quite happy.”

Hearing this, Yan Zhao felt a flicker of happiness. She couldn’t understand why Gong Muyu’s words to her now differed from what she’d heard Sun Yiming say. But she didn’t want to dwell on it. Even if Gong Muyu weren’t her superior, she couldn’t directly confront her. Better to just convince myself, she thought. As long as Gong Muyu didn’t find working with this “silly” person too exhausting, she didn’t care.

After reaching this conclusion, Yan Zhao felt a sudden sense of relief. Her gaze fell on the brown paper bag in Gong Muyu’s hand. It was already nearly 2:30, with only half an hour left before the bidding deadline. She couldn’t help but wonder why Gong Muyu had delivered the bid so late.

Lost in thought, Yan Zhao stumbled on the steps, nearly falling. Fortunately, Gong Muyu, who was walking ahead, heard her gasp and reached out to steady her.

“Watch where you’re walking,” Gong Muyu said. “Tripping on the steps isn’t fun.”

Yan Zhao nodded, still shaken. She patted her chest and looked up at Gong Muyu, noticing how pale her face was, as if she were the one who had nearly fallen.

“Thank you, General Manager Mu. I’ll be more careful.”

Relieved that Yan Zhao was unharmed, Gong Muyu checked her watch and saw that time was running out. She hurried to the front desk with Yan Zhao, announced their company name, and handed over the brown paper bag.

After leaving Minglan Commerce, Yan Zhao glanced back at the company’s logo and finally couldn’t resist voicing her concern.

“General Manager Mu, is it really okay to submit our proposal so late? Won’t it leave a bad impression on Minglan Commerce?”

Gong Muyu was pleased by Yan Zhao’s use of “we.” Noticing an open-air café nearby, she led Yan Zhao over.

“No, as long as we submit the proposal by the deadline, it’s fine. The impression we make will depend on the data, not the timing.”

She beckoned a server, ordered a caramel macchiato for Yan Zhao based on her known preferences, and a plain Americano for herself. Seeing the young woman’s wide, curious eyes fixed on her, Gong Muyu, in a rare good mood, shared a cautionary tale from the industry.

“Once, a decent-sized company submitted their proposal early. Their bid was tampered with, and they ended up going bankrupt not long after.”

“Failed to win the bid? That can’t be right. Even a mid-to-upper-tier company, even if it’s just living off its past successes, shouldn’t go bankrupt, right?” Yan Zhao, having worked in the industry for several years, understood the basics. Hearing Gong Muyu’s statement, she couldn’t help but ask in confusion.

“No, he actually won the bid.”

“Ah, he won the bid? Then how could the company still go bankrupt?” Yan Zhao was even more puzzled, feeling like this piece of information was beyond her understanding, her brain struggling to process it.

Gong Muyu, seeing Yan Zhao’s curious expression, couldn’t resist poking her round face. Watching Yan Zhao wipe the spot where she’d poked and continue staring wide-eyed, her ‘little inquisitive’ look made Gong Muyu chuckle.

Gong Muyu had curves in all the right places, and when she laughed, her breasts trembled slightly, leaving Yan Zhao staring, her eyes wide with desire. Though she’d never been in a relationship, she knew what she liked: soft, fragrant women were her true passion.

Such a private matter as her sexual orientation wasn’t something she could easily discuss with others, so she found solace in reading novels and watching movies.

Now, with a stunning beauty right in front of her, laughing and practically glowing, how could Yan Zhao possibly restrain herself? Her gaze was glued to Gong Muyu, as if stuck by double-sided tape, unable to look away.

Gong Muyu couldn’t possibly miss Yan Zhao’s blatant stare. Having experienced countless attempts at seduction over the years, she’d always ignored them for the sake of the “Silly” boy buried in her heart.

Now that Silly was right in front of her, drawn to her body, Gong Muyu felt herself one step closer to her goal.

“Because the competitor had drastically lowered their bid, the client naturally chose them. By the time they discovered the trickery after receiving all the orders, it was too late.”

“Before bidding, you have to pay a substantial deposit. If you don’t win the bid, it’s refunded. But if you do win, you can only get it back after the contract expires. If there’s a major unexpected event or the other party breaches the contract, the higher-ups have the right to confiscate the deposit.”

By the time Gong Muyu finished speaking, even someone as dense as Yan Zhao couldn’t fail to understand.

Because the prices were so low, every order would result in a loss. If they unilaterally canceled the partnership, they wouldn’t get a single penny of the deposit back. Even if they gritted their teeth and endured until the end, the only outcome would be bankruptcy and closure…

“So, Yan Zhao, you need to be more careful in everything you do from now on. That’s the only way to sail a ship for ten thousand years.”

Yan Zhao stared intently at Gong Muyu, her soft, melodious voice stirring something within him. His hand, resting on the table, unconsciously reached out to touch the back of Gong Muyu’s hand, which was as fair as white jade. Just as he was about to touch her, a café server emerged with two cups of coffee.

Realizing he had lost control, Yan Zhao hastily withdrew his hand and averted his gaze.

Gong Muyu glanced sideways at the approaching server, a flicker of irritation flashing in her eyes.

So close… Just a moment away from that little snail Yan Zhao emerging from his shell on his own…

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