Miss Wheelchair - Chapter 25.1

“Come here.”

When Gu Ci spoke, she was holding a goblet in one hand. Her eyelids were lowered slightly, her half-drooped gaze exuding a touch of languid warmth.

Fearing she was hallucinating, Tan Xin secretly bit her tongue. The pain sent a sharp jolt through her, convincing her that this was actually happening.

It was real. In the dead of night, Gu Ci was inviting her for a drink.

As the old saying goes: Tea is the gentleman’s sober counsel, but wine is the matchmaker of desire.

Romance Index: Up!

To make matters worse, Gu Ci was only wearing a bathrobe—a silk one, at that. Her open collar offered a glimpse of her sharply defined collarbones, and her sleeves, rolled up to her elbows, exposed arms as flawlessly pale as porcelain.

Romance Index: Up, Up!

Furthermore, before even opening her mouth, Gu Ci had already polished off nearly half a bottle on her own. At this moment, her cheeks were lightly flushed, a delicate pink blooming beneath her fair skin.

Romance Index: Up, Up, Up!

Tan Xin let out two fake, dignified coughs. “Ahem, ahem.”

As she stretched, she intentionally let the strap of her nightgown slip off her shoulder. The slender strap hung loosely against her skin, blending with her cascading long hair to exude a raw, sensual allure unique to the bedroom.

Wifey, are you utterly captivated by me yet?

“What’s up?” Tan Xin walked over nonchalantly, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “Why are you drinking alone in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Gu Ci fetched an empty glass, swirled the decanter, poured it about a third full, and pushed it in front of Tan Xin. Her crimson lips parted slightly.

“I can’t sleep. Alcohol helps with that.”

Tan Xin stared at the dark red liquid without moving. She only dared to steal occasional glances at Gu Ci, her heart hammering against her ribs from the impact of such earth-shattering beauty. She quickly averted her gaze, refocusing on the liquid in her glass as if the wine weren’t wine at all, but a fire extinguisher.

“Oh. You, uh, what did you just say?”

Good heavens. She had been so busy worshiping her wifey’s breathtaking face that she hadn’t processed a single word.

Gu Ci paused, her cool, detached eyes scanning Tan Xin’s body before she repeated herself:

“I can’t sleep. I got up to have a drink to help me sleep.”

This time, Tan Xin heard her loud and clear. “Oh, right. True, drinking a little red wine before bed really does help with sleep.”

Utterly at a loss for words, she essentially translated Gu Ci’s words back to her in plain prose.

Even after speaking, she still felt a fire burning in her chest. So, she picked up the glass and downed it in one gulp.

“Gasp, hiss.”

The slightly bitter liquid wreaked havoc down her throat. Her already restless chest burst into absolute flames fueled by the alcohol. Her entire being felt like a piece of charcoal tossed into a furnace, on the verge of burning to ashes.

Seeing her grimacing face, Gu Ci’s brow furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Tan Xin was terrible at holding her liquor. Chugging the glass so frantically had left her eyes watery and flushed crimson.

“Nothing.”

Without realizing how easily her face betrayed her feelings, Tan Xin desperately tried to suppress the raging heat inside her. She grabbed the decanter, poured herself another glass, and said:

“I can’t sleep either. Drinking more means I’ll sleep soundly later.”

With that, she was about to down it again when Gu Ci caught her by the wrist.

“What?” Tan Xin’s voice had gone raspy, pickled by the red wine.

“Drinking too fast gets you drunk easily.” Gu Ci didn’t let go.

“Drunk?”

Unexpectedly, Tan Xin locked eyes with Gu Ci. Those eyes were truly magnificent. They were originally cold, aloof, and detached from the mortal world, but under this dim, golden light, they had been dragged down into the earthly realm.

Tan Xin desperately wanted to dive into those eyes and discover all the stories from her past.

She wanted to kiss those eyelids and feel the flutter of her eyelashes sweeping against her lips.

“I am drunk.”

From the very first moment I saw you, I fell into your eyes, completely and utterly drunk.

Gu Ci took in the infatuation swirling in Tan Xin’s eyes. As an adult, she knew exactly what a look like that meant—especially since Tan Xin wasn’t hiding it in the slightest.

“Fine.” Gu Ci wanted exactly this infatuation. “Then tell me, what is your purpose in trying every possible way to get close to me?”

“Purpose?” Tan Xin pondered for two seconds. Her instinct was to pour her heart out, but the words were swallowed back down by her last remaining shred of sanity. “My purpose. I’m afraid if I tell you, you’ll be upset.”

Gu Ci countered, “And you think keeping me in the dark makes me happy?”

Tan Xin quickly explained, “No, no, I didn’t mean that.”

Gu Ci pressed on. “Spit it out.”

“It’s just.”

Tan Xin hesitated, timidly muttering under her breath:

“I, I like you.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the system’s emotional value notification.

Would Gu Ci be angry? Anyone would be a little angry or disgusted when approached by someone with ulterior motives, right? What color was disgust again?

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the sound effect for the emotional value never came. Even the hand clasped around her wrist hadn’t pulled away.

Huh?

Am I hallucinating?

Did I get so drunk that I only thought I spoke, but actually said nothing at all?

Cautiously, she cracked her eyelids open a sliver to steal a peek. She saw Gu Ci sitting there with perfect composure, looking at her with the exact same expression one might use to look at a pebble on the side of the road.

Tan Xin quickly forced a flattering smile to salvage the situation.

“Haha. Uh, I think I was hallucinating just now. I thought I said something, but I didn’t, right? Let me say it again. My reason for getting close to you is—”

This time, Gu Ci cut her off.

“I heard you. You said you like me.”

Now, Tan Xin was entirely at a loss.

“You, you heard me, but why don’t you have any reaction at all?”

Though she was technically complaining, her tone was utterly meek.

Gu Ci countered as a matter of course, “What kind of reaction am I supposed to have?”

Tan Xin’s voice grew weaker with guilt. “Well, someone just confessed to you. Don’t you feel any emotional turbulence?”

Gu Ci stated the plain fact: “I am never in short supply of confessions.”

It took Tan Xin a moment to process this, but she found it entirely reasonable. Exactly. My wifey has the face, the body, and the professional capability. The line of her pursuers could easily stretch from China to the South Pole. A mere confession is hardly worth mentioning.

“Yeah, you have a point.”

An invisible dog tail wagged joyfully behind Tan Xin.

Ignoring her easily swayed principles, Gu Ci delivered her second reason:

“Your words are half-truths. Why should I believe you?”

Tan Xin froze; her imaginary dog tail stopped wagging.

“Wait, what do you mean by half-truths? I’ve never lied to you.”

Gu Ci’s tone turned abruptly cold. “Who was the one pretending to be injured and riding around in a wheelchair before?”

Tan Xin instantly deflated. “I, you, I. That time, that time was my fault, okay?”

Grip tightening around her glass, she added, “I’ll penalize myself one drink.”

With that, she brushed off the hand on her wrist, tilted her head back, and downed the wine in one go.

“Gasp, hiss.”

Why is this red wine so harsh on the throat? It’s burning my chest into a panic.

Gu Ci dithered for a moment, her gaze falling on Tan Xin’s flushed cheeks. She found it somewhat comical.

“Heh.”

Hearing the chuckle, Tan Xin turned her head suspiciously just as a sharp ding sounded. An emotional value shift appeared above Gu Ci’s head.

[Green +10]

“Hehehe.” Tan Xin let out a gooey smile. “You finally turned green.”

Gu Ci was confused. “What does that mean?”

Contented, Tan Xin replied, “Nothing, it means nothing.” Pausing, she corrected herself, “No, it does mean something. I mean something for you.”

Watching her struggle to profess her love despite being tipsy, Gu Ci genuinely found her to possess a sort of clumsy cuteness.

“Tan Xin.”

“Mm?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely tell the truth. I’m a thoroughly good person.”

“Is your reason for getting close to me really just because you like me?”

“Yes. I like you, so I want you to like me back.”

“Then what was the deal with jumping off the building?”

“Jumping off a building?”

“And the tracking software on your phone. Why were you tracking me?”

“What tracking software? Do you want to track me?”

Having asked a whole string of questions without yielding a single shred of useful information, Gu Ci felt a pang of dissatisfaction and gave up.

“Forget it. Not a single word out of your mouth is real.”

“Don’t be mad, Gu Ci.”

Tan Xin began to feel aggrieved as a wave of self-doubt washed over her. Snatching the glass from in front of Gu Ci, she said:

“I’ll penalize myself another one.”

Another chug, leaving the glass bone-dry.

Gu Ci glared at her. “That was mine.”

Tan Xin nodded. “Yes, I am yours.”

Gu Ci: “Are you drunk?”

Tan Xin was stubborn. “No.”

Gu Ci didn’t buy it. “Then let me ask you, who am I?”

Tan Xin looked up, solemnly studying the beautiful face before her.

“My wifey.”

Gu Ci calmly drew her conclusion: “You are definitely drunk.”

Tan Xin was awakened by her alarm clock. Her head felt heavy and groggy, and her throat was as parched as if a desert wind had blown through it all night.

With her hungover brain failing to fire on all cylinders, she sat up in bed, clutching the duvet with both hands. She spaced out for a long time before finally realizing where she was.

And what she had done last night.

“I’m doomed! I am completely finished!”

In a scramble, she dialed Zhang Huiqian.

Zhang Huiqian was currently getting her makeup done. She raised a hand to signal the makeup artist to wait a moment.

“What’s wrong? What do you mean you’re finished?”

Like a thief trying to hide, Tan Xin curled herself entirely under the blanket, turning into a turtle.

“I drank last night, and to Gu Ci, to her, ahhh.”

Zhang Huiqian’s eyes lit up. “You slept with her?”

Tan Xin jumped in fright. “How could that be possible?”

“Then what did you do?”

“I spoke wildly to her.”

“What wild words?”

“Well, I, right to her face, I called her ‘wifey’.”

“That’s it?”

“Huh?”

“You only called her ‘wifey’?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that enough?”

Zhang Huiqian instantly lost her appetite for the gossip.

“Sister, I started calling Lu Ran ‘wifey’ ages ago. Her contact name on my phone is literally ‘Wifey’ right now.”

Tan Xin argued meekly, “But Gu Ci’s favorability rating literally just went from -10 to 0.”

Zhang Huiqian offered an objective assessment: “Okay, then that is indeed a bit offensive.”

Tan Xin fell deeper into despair. “What should I do now?”

“Don’t panic just yet. You got drunk last night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did the system pop up to tell you that the favorability rating dropped?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, there you go. If the favorability didn’t drop, it means Gu Ci didn’t take it to heart. You can still continue your conquest.”

An expert was indeed an expert, pinning down the exact solution to the problem.

Since the favorability hadn’t changed, Gu Ci wasn’t angry.

Naturally, her wifey was magnanimous. How could she possibly hold a minor offense against her?

She wouldn’t. She definitely wouldn’t.

Gathering her spirits, Tan Xin washed up and opened the door to step out, only to find that Gu Ci hadn’t gone to the office.

The study door was wide open, and Gu Ci was inside conducting an online meeting.

Today, she wore an aqua-green suit. The color was light and subtle, like a faded lotus leaf, making her skin look incredibly fair.

A flash memory surfaced in Tan Xin’s mind—the sensual scene of Gu Ci sitting under the amber light sipping wine last night.

No, no, no! Stop thinking about it!

Tan Xin smacked her own head hard twice.

Consequently, Gu Ci looked up just in time to see someone in the hallway punching themselves in the head.

What kind of performance art is she pulling now?

The two of them ate lunch at home. Since it was the weekend, there was no need to go to work.

Yet, Gu Ci, who owned two companies, was bogged down with official business.

To be precise, it was personal business disguised as official business.

“I have a dinner gathering tonight. No need to wait up for me.”

By the time Gu Ci said this, she had already touched up her makeup.

Tan Xin stared at her crisp, clearly ironed aqua-green blazer, her neatly pinned hair held in place with styling spray, and even her new shade of lipstick—this was definitely not her usual workplace attire.

The last time Gu Ci said she had a dinner gathering, she had gone to a private rendezvous at a KTV with that news director. That incident had forced Tan Xin to rush out to catch them in the act, exposing the fact that her legs were fully healed and causing her favorability rating to plummet to -20.

Sour jealousy surged straight from her heart, and envy reared its ugly head.

No way. I finally managed to crawl my way back into her good graces; I have to nip any homewrecking crisis in the bud.

Even potential ones are strictly forbidden.

“A dinner gathering, huh?” Tan Xin summoned every ounce of her courage. “Can I come with you?”

Gu Ci turned around. She noted Tan Xin’s casual expression, but her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes at her sides. Gu Ci’s gaze flickered. Recalling the teary-eyed girl who had desperately called her “wifey” last night, her heart softened by a fraction. Then, she remembered the tracking software on the phone, and her newly softened heart hardened right back up.

“I’m going to discuss business tonight. It wouldn’t be convenient for you to go.”

Tan Xin refused to back down. “How is it inconvenient? I won’t butt in. And besides.”

“Besides what?”

“Besides, aren’t I your girlfriend to the outside world? What kind of dinner gathering is inconvenient to bring your girlfriend to?”

Unless someone at that dinner is trying to become your actual girlfriend.

Ultimately, Tan Xin didn’t make the cut. Gu Ci’s reason for rejecting her was simple: You are not my girlfriend yet.

With that, she left.

Tan Xin sat on the sofa fuming for a solid hour. Her eyes were wide and perfectly round, her eyebrows drawn sharply together. Tensing her muscles, a layer of mist welling up in her eyes, it felt as though she was about to turn all the alcohol she drank last night into tears.

No, I can’t cry. I can’t lose heart.

A real woman doesn’t let a temporary setback break her—especially when it comes to chasing the precious wifey closest to her heart.

Think of a way. There’s always a way.

By the time Auntie Wang finished mopping the floors and wiping the windows, Tan Xin was still sitting cross-legged on the sofa like a statue, completely lost in her inner thoughts. If she sat there any longer, was this girl going to turn into a “husband-waiting stone”?

Shaking her head, Auntie Wang let out a sigh.

“Miss Tan, President Gu forgot her keys. Could you do me a favor and bring them to her?”

Tan Xin instantly charged up like a battery, snapping to attention. “I’m on it!”

Auntie Wang smiled discreetly. “Then I’ll send you the location of the restaurant.”

Tan Xin beamed with absolute delight. “Great!”

The dinner was set at a five-star Thai restaurant. Tan Xin looked it up on a niche review app—it averaged 2,000 RMB per person.

Clenching her fists, she cursed under her breath, “The gates of the rich reek of wine and meat while the poor freeze on the streets!”

She took a taxi to the restaurant and sat in the adjacent private room for a while. Pressing herself against the wall, she couldn’t hear a single sound from next door; it was likely soundproofed. Quietly cracking her door open a sliver, she saw the hallway was empty, so she crept over to Gu Ci’s private room and pressed her ear against the door panel to listen intently.

The sound was muffled, but she could distinguish Gu Ci’s voice.

She seemed to be saying words like “bidding documents,” “next week,” and “data.” Occasionally catching a word or two, she couldn’t string them into a complete thought.

Listening to it this way, it really did seem like pure business with no romance involved.

But Tan Xin lingered for another dozen seconds, confirming that there were only Gu Ci and another woman in the room.

This was not a good sign.

Who was to say that once business was wrapped up, a little alcohol would flow, a little driving would happen, a little bed would be shared, and bam—the rice would be cooked.

It was time to make her move. Clutching the keys in her hand, Tan Xin repeatedly rehearsed the script she had drafted in her head.