The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 39.1

Her voice was low and raspy, and even the small mole under her eye seemed to have lost its luster.

Su Shiqiu stared at her, finally understanding why. She mentally commented, You really brought this on yourself, while maintaining a gentle smile on her face.

“Manman, how long have we known each other?” Su Shiqiu suddenly changed the subject.

Gu Man looked up, the corners of her eyes slightly red and misted over. “Two years. Why bring this up now?”

Su Shiqiu repeated, “Two years…”

She continued, “Manman, after two years, I won’t say I know you perfectly, but we are considered friends. Do you feel there is any difference between me and Wen Mian in your heart?”

Gu Man opened her mouth to speak but suddenly found herself speechless. She murmured, “What difference…”

Su Shiqiu hummed. “There are many things I can’t say; you need to realize them yourself. But as a friend, I hope you get what you want.”

She looked at the pensive Gu Man, then quietly left.

The moon was gradually obscured by clouds, and the pavilion grew dim. Gu Man sat there in silence, her expression unreadable.

Su Shiqiu looked back and thought to herself: It looks like tomorrow will be another cloudy day.

The “Friend” Treatment

“Gu-jie really said that to you?!” Zhang Yunxi’s voice was full of disbelief.

Wen Mian put her index finger to her lips, gave a soft “shh,” and whispered, “Yes.”

Zhang Yunxi quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. She leaned in closer to Wen Mian and whispered, “So, what do you plan to do?”

Wen Mian suddenly gave a mischievous smile, a glint of cunning in her eyes. “Since she wants to be friends, I will naturally grant her wish. We’ll see if she can handle it.”

Zhang Yunxi’s eyes widened, and then she gave a big thumbs-up. “Mianmian…no, I should call you ‘Sis’ instead, you’ve really got Gu-jie wrapped around your finger.”

Wen Mian’s eyes were full of laughter. She gave a proud “hmph” and said snidely, “She’s the one who wanted to be my friend. This is how I treat my friends.”

Seeing her triumphant look, Zhang Yunxi offered a silent prayer for Gu Man, just for one second. The rest was pure schadenfreude.

After satisfying her curiosity, Zhang Yunxi prepared to leave, mostly fearing she’d be pierced to death by Gu Man’s cold stares if she stayed any longer.

Wen Mian saw her off and then searched around, feeling a bit confused. Is she not back yet? Was I too harsh?

She had no friends growing up. After coming to this world, she had made three friends: Wang Mo, Zhang Yunxi, and Su Shiqiu. Her way of treating Gu Man was an amalgamation of what she had learned from them. Could she have learned it wrong?

Waiting quietly at the top of the stairs, she finally heard Gu Man’s footsteps.

Wen Mian quickly ducked into her room, her heart racing, pressing her ear against the door to listen to the movement outside.

Knock, knock. A smile immediately hooked onto the corners of Wen Mian’s eyes. She called out, “What is it?”

Holding a cup in her left hand, Gu Man touched the door with her right and said softly, “Wenwen, it’s me.”

Wen Mian smiled, opened the door with a neutral expression, and acted as if she didn’t know anything. “Oh, it’s you. Sorry, I just realized.”

Gu Man shook her head and handed over the cup. “It’s okay.”

“For me?” Wen Mian took it and looked down. It was warm hot cocoa. She took a sip and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

Gu Man watched Wen Mian’s face, her eyelashes trembling, her throat bobbing as words caught in her throat.

“Then I’m going back.”

Seeing Wen Mian about to close the door, Gu Man finally cast aside all hesitation and blurted out:

“Wenwen, although I don’t quite understand yet, I want to say… in my heart, you are a bit different from a friend.”

“Mm,” Wen Mian replied flatly.

The door closed, cutting off Gu Man’s gaze. Her eyes grew dim, and her brow furrowed deeply.

Inside the room, Wen Mian suppressed the excitement in her heart, swallowing back a scream of joy. Her eyes curved into crescents as she hopped slightly, the hot cocoa sloshing and almost spilling out.

Finally! It seems the method is working. I’ll continue tomorrow. I don’t believe she can endure this forever! Wen Mian thought.

The Ruthless CEO

After standing outside the door for a while longer, Gu Man finally turned and walked slowly away. Entering her room, she couldn’t help but glance back at Wen Mian’s door one last time.

She sat at her desk, the computer screen glowing. The cold white light fell across her face, her long lashes casting dark shadows under her eyes, her expression deep and solemn.

Her gaze fell on a contract, but her mind had already drifted elsewhere.

Seeing that Gu Man hadn’t replied for a long time, her assistant Xie Yun was confused. Did the “Sister-in-law” send a message?

She cautiously sent a text:

【President Gu, what do you think?】

The notification broke Gu Man’s train of thought. Her gaze turned icy as she scanned the contract, the anger in her heart rising.

Gu Man: Since he wants to play dirty, let him see our methods.

Xie Yun stared at the aggressive message and shuddered. Wasn’t she happy yesterday afternoon? What’s wrong now? Did Mianmian ignore her?

Sensing she had touched upon the truth, Xie Yun gasped and covered her mouth. She quickly replied:

【Understood.】

Then she immediately cut off the connection, fearing that if she were a second slower, Gu Man would find a loophole in her own work.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, Gu Man threw herself into work. Before long, she had found several loopholes and corrected them with full force.

Like an enraged tiger, she was ruthless in the business arena. For a time, the coordinating secretaries were all terrified, fearing they would be the ones to draw her fire.

“What is wrong with President Gu? She’s suddenly so scary!” someone said, patting their chest in fear.

“I don’t know. Everything was fine a few days ago. What happened today?”

“I know!” someone suddenly raised their hand.

Instantly, all eyes were on her. “What is it? Tell us!”

“Clearly, you guys didn’t watch today’s livestream. Mianmian is ignoring her. Of course she’s going to have a breakdown!” the person said gleefully.

“What?” This time, it was a tone of surprise. No one was in a rush to work anymore; they all went online to check the gossip.

Gu Man worked until midnight before pinching the bridge of her nose. She checked the time on her wrist.

Time to rest. I must show my best self to Wenwen.

Gu Man went to bed and lay flat, drifting into sleep. It was a restless night, her brow remaining furrowed.

As the dark sky outside turned to a pale grey, Gu Man opened her eyes. The light from her phone illuminated her face.

4:30 AM… Gu Man simply got up. With a click, the lights flooded the room.

She put on her athletic gear and, facing the damp morning air, ran a lap around the villa.

Only when sweat began to drip from her forehead did she return to her room. After washing up, she went downstairs to prepare ingredients for breakfast.