The Chronicle Of Seducing A Mature Woman (GL) - Chapter 3

Chapter 2

A Night in Chengdu

A summer night—noisy, restless. The surface heat of the ground had yet to fade. Chengdu, Jiuyan Bridge, was the most vibrant part of the city after dark.

“Hey gorgeous, come take a seat!” “How many in your party? Please, sit… sit…”

The street of bars was filled with the sounds of hawking. It was 11:00 PM when Gu Ming, dragging a body full of exhaustion, finally found a place to park. On both sides of the river, the lights were coming on. Drunks in groups of twos and threes staggered along in S-patterns, singing at the top of their lungs. Curses, the sound of vomiting, and off-key singing blended over the shimmering surface of the water, sounding particularly desolate in the dark night.

Amidst the din, Gu Ming searched for the address Shi Lei had sent her. There were hundreds of bars on this street, most looking identical. By the time she found the place, she was drenched in sweat. Inside, the lights were a hazy blur and the music was earth-shattering. Pushing through the crowd, she couldn’t see Shi Lei, but a group of his buddies spotted her and jumped up.

“President Gu! You finally made it. We’re about to wrap up!”

The music was too loud for Gu Ming to hear them clearly. She simply nodded politely. “Where’s Shi Lei?”

“Over there, dancing.”

Following his friend’s gesture, Gu Ming saw Shi Lei in the center of the dance floor, locked in a slow, intimate dance with a woman. It was heated; the woman’s bare, long legs were wrapped around Shi Lei’s. Gu Ming’s face instantly froze. Shi Lei’s friends shouted toward him, but he couldn’t hear. Finally, someone couldn’t stand the tension, went onto the floor, and pulled him away.

Shi Lei, dripping with sweat from the dancing, came over, grabbed a glass, and gulped it down. Only then did he look at Gu Ming, who was sitting to the side. “Oh, so the woman of a thousand affairs is finally done with work?”

Gu Ming suppressed her displeasure. “I’m sorry. I had to work late. Happy birthday.”

Shi Lei said nothing, only giving a cold wave of his hand.

The birthday group, sensing the awkward atmosphere, began clamoring for drinks to break the ice. Gu Ming was exhausted; the sight she had witnessed upon entering the bar sat in her stomach like lead, impossible to digest even with alcohol.

…

The Crack in the Foundation

At 1:00 AM, they finally left. Shi Lei and Gu Ming walked down the bar street. Neither spoke; they didn’t even hold hands. Gu Ming knew he was angry. He had been calling her since 7:00 PM, and she hadn’t arrived until eleven. Today was his 30th birthday, but what could she do? She had cleared her schedule, vowing that even if the sky fell, she wouldn’t work late—but at the last minute, something went wrong at the company.

Feeling guilty, Gu Ming reached out to take his hand, but he snapped it away. Unable to take it anymore, she stopped in her tracks. Shi Lei stopped too, a meter of distance between them. Realizing he had gone a bit too far, Shi Lei stepped forward and grabbed her hand instead. She tried to shake him off, but he was stronger and held her tight.

“Where’s the car? Did you call a designated driver?”

She led him to her car. Drunk driving laws were strict, and since both had been drinking, they sat in the car waiting for the driver to arrive. Shi Lei finally softened his tone. “Can you just quit this job?”

Gu Ming leaned her head against the window and looked at him without a word. Her career was on the rise. Since being promoted to Vice President last year, she had barely rested. Out of 350 days, she had worked 350 of them. This year was no different. She had promised to take him abroad for his annual leave, but the chance to actually take that leave never came. This wasn’t the first time he had complained, and their arguments were becoming frequent.

Seeing her silence, Shi Lei turned away and rolled down the window, feeling irritable.

“Who was that girl you were dancing with?” Gu Ming knew she shouldn’t ask—asking now was like throwing fuel on a fire—but she couldn’t help it. They were supposed to get married in three months. No matter how angry he was, he should have minded his behavior.

“Who?” Shi Lei knitted his brows.

“The long-legged woman who was practically hanging off of you.” Gu Ming glared at him.

He looked at her, then turned away, suppressing his impatience. “Don’t know her. Just met her while dancing.”

Gu Ming felt something collapsing inside her. She could hear the sound of the crumbling debris, yet she desperately wanted to hold it together, to stop the pieces from falling. They had been lovers since college. Upon graduation, his family wanted him back in Chengdu, while she had signed with a firm in Beijing. Neither would budge, and they hadn’t escaped the “break up at graduation” trope. In the end, it was Gu Ming who compromised. After a year in Beijing, she couldn’t let him go and moved to Chengdu.

Was it that the relationship had lasted too long and lost its spark? Or did they no longer love each other? Their wedding was set for National Day in October; after a long relationship, marriage seemed like the natural next step. There had been no grand proposal—just a discussion that they should probably get it done this year. Gu Ming, turning 30, felt the timing was right. They bought rings, booked the banquet… she was too busy to handle the details, so Shi Lei, who had more free time, handled the tedious preparations.

She glanced at him—this man she had loved for nearly a decade, the man she was supposed to walk down the aisle with. Yet, something felt “off.” She wasn’t naive enough to think people never changed, and she never expected their love to remain as heart-fluttering as it was in college. Shi Lei was handsome enough and came from a good family. He had returned to become a civil servant with a stable job. His family owned three apartments; they lived in one, his parents in another, and the third was reserved for their married life. They had no financial pressure, so he never required her to be a high-earner. But Gu Ming didn’t want to be a housewife. Perhaps that was their irreconcilable difference: she was profoundly insecure.

They didn’t speak for the rest of the night. Even in bed, there was no communication. To spend his 30th birthday arguing left Gu Ming feeling stifled. After a sleepless night, she used makeup to hide her pale complexion the next morning.

…

The Encounter at Classic International

8th Floor, Planning Department Manager’s Office. Zhong Xiao-ou held a promotional draft that needed approval.

“Take this to the Vice President for approval and a signature,” Manager Wen said. “Once it’s finalized, send it to the printing factory immediately. It has to go today, or it won’t be ready by Friday. I have a meeting now, okay?”

“The… Vice President?” Xiao-ou was new and still unfamiliar with the leadership.

“Go to the 10th floor and find President Gu, Gu Ming.”

“O-Okay…” Xiao-ou nearly bit her tongue at the name.

She scurried out of “Fatty Wen’s” office and slipped over to Chi Wei’s workstation, tapping on the desk. Since Xiao-ou walked silently, Chi Wei jumped.

“Something wrong?” Chi Wei asked in a professional tone.

Xiao-ou pulled her sleeve and dragged her to the breakroom. “Um, take me to the 10th floor for a second.” She was inexplicably nervous.

“What for? Who are you looking for?”

“The manager wants me to find President Gu. I don’t know where her office is.”

“Gu Ming?” Chi Wei stepped back, looking at her with a gossipy glint. “Not bad, Xiao-ou! Did you volunteer for this? Usually, Manager Wen does the reporting. This is what we call ‘skipping levels’.”

“No, Manager Wen has a meeting and this is urgent.”

They arrived at the 10th floor. “This is it. I’m going back,” Chi Wei said.

Xiao-ou grabbed her hand. Chi Wei felt a dampness on her wrist—Xiao-ou’s palms were soaked with sweat. “My heart is racing so fast, Chi Wei.”

“Are you crazy? It’s not a battlefield. But I should warn you—I haven’t met her much, but they say President Gu isn’t exactly ‘approachable.’ Think about it: she’s 30 and already a VP. Do you know how old the other VPs are? One is 38, the other 42, and they’ve both been here over 10 years. President Gu has only been here five. She’s chewed out and chased off more managers than I can count. Be careful.”

“Don’t scare me! You make her sound terrifying.”

Chi Wei couldn’t be bothered anymore and led her to the assistant. “Assistant Su, is President Gu in? Planning department needs a signature.” With that, Chi Wei drifted away.

Xiao-ou waited outside for five minutes before being led into the office. Thanks to Chi Wei’s “psychological warfare,” she was terrified. She didn’t dare look around and saw only Gu Ming’s back as she talked on the phone. Xiao-ou stood silently, waiting for her to finish.

“President Gu, hello. Since Manager Wen is in a meeting, I have some promotional pages that need your approval,” Xiao-ou said, trying to steady her voice.

Gu Ming started to speak, but another call came in. She gestured for Xiao-ou to leave the documents on the desk. She took the call, leaving Xiao-ou standing there awkwardly, unsure whether to stay or go.

“Are you a new employee?” Gu Ming suddenly asked.

It was that same clear, captivating voice. Xiao-ou hurried to reply, “Yes, I’m Zhong Xiao-ou from the Planning Department.”

Gu Ming didn’t look up. She was studying the pages intently, her brow furrowed. “This rendering isn’t the latest version.”

“Huh?” Xiao-ou was just the messenger; she didn’t know the specifics of the content.

“This rendering is wrong. Did the Engineering Department not give you the latest files?” Gu Ming drew a large “X” across the image.

“Did Engineering give you the latest files?” she repeated.