When Gu Li'an lowered his hand and opened his eyes again, he had returned to his normal appearance.
Cold and aloof, extremely restrained.
Yun Daixi finished speaking before she could finish: "Good night, Mr. Gu."
He didn't respond, but turned his back and waved goodbye to her.
The marble-paved corridor was waxed, and the shadows cast by the lamps on the floor exuded an air of extravagance and luxury, yet his figure still possessed a solitary and aloof air.
Back in the room, without turning on the lights, I lay quietly on the sofa by the light of the neon lights outside the window. For a while, the warmth of the kiss still lingered on my lips.
Mr. Gu's thoughts are truly unpredictable.
The spot on the inside of my mouth that bled from being pinched yesterday hasn't healed yet, but today I received a warm, fleeting kiss.
It's like the devil testing the hearts of greedy people.
-
Tormented by the unexpected kiss, Yun Daixi didn't sleep well all night. When she woke up the next morning, she selectively replied to some important messages and didn't look at any work-related messages on her phone.
After the tax evasion rumors surfaced, the company, apart from issuing a statement on its official account warning against spreading rumors, focused more on guiding public opinion online.
As for the rest, as long as it doesn't affect her business, she decided to let time handle it. Any further comments from the authorities would only add negative weight to this trending topic.
Yun Daixi called Sai Jinhua, saying she wanted to go there to clear her head.
Having learned from her previous encounter with Gu Li'an, she called him first to confirm: "The best mentor in the world, are you free today? I'd like to come see you."
"Come over here, I'm just going out to buy groceries. You can have lunch here."
For her, Sai Jinhua was not only a mentor but also a family member.
In order to escape that scumbag, I decided to choose a more positive path, studied desperately, and got into a school in Beijing.
Tuition and living expenses were all needed, and by chance, he was spotted by Sai Jinhua's talent scout on the street and ended up working for the company.
At that time, she was very young and had an outstanding appearance, but she refused to accept Sai Jinhua's contract and pursue the path of a female star.
Standing in front of Sai Jinhua's desk, her eyes were firm: "Female stars, whether they have reached the peak or not, will feel disappointed. They will feel disappointed if they don't get it, and they will feel disappointed if they lose it after they get it. That's not what I'm looking for."
Sai Jinhua laughed at her for not seeing enough, saying that she would cry when she saw the girls who came in with her earning a lot of money filming outside.
She just smiled and said, "That depends on who earns in the end, making a steady profit."
This phrase, "a steady and continuous flow," meant that by the time she graduated from university, she had already been working for Sai Jinhua for four years.
I've weathered many storms, and the celebrities I've supported have come and gone.
Sai Jinhua has connections and is good at business, but she is being pushed along by time and is getting older, becoming increasingly out of touch with the times.
The rise of short video companies in recent years has had a significant impact on the industry, and she always jokes, "They're going to be eliminated by the times."
Before that day even came, she prepared to retreat, saying she wanted to leave with dignity.
Ultimately, 80% of the company's shares were handed over to Yun Daixi, while Sai Jinhua only held 20%.
That's what they say publicly, but the company isn't actually listed. This is just a profit-sharing arrangement agreed upon by the two of them, which she uses to secure a retirement fund for herself.
At that time, Yun Daixi was only twenty-three years old, still a naive young girl just starting out.
When the news was announced, it certainly garnered a lot of attention for Yun Daixi, with both positive and negative opinions, which significantly increased her popularity in the industry.
In recent years, she has independently promoted several people to stardom with low investment and high net profit. She has figured out the tricks of the trade and can replicate them, making her a new generation of star-making machine.
When they arrived at the entrance of the villa area, they happened to run into Sai Jinhua carrying large bags of groceries. Yun Daixi quickly ran over to help her.
With a forced smile, she said, "You've gone through all that trouble."
"Has something happened recently?"
"No, everything is fine." As he spoke, he took a few rather heavy-looking bags from Sai Jinhua's hand.
In a lighthearted tone, "It was just that Mr. He from Hejun Media spread the news, saying that I was evading taxes."
Sai Jinhua smiled and shook her head. Having dealt with him for so many years, she knew what kind of person He Botao was, and she was even more aware of the details of her tax records. She just thought the rumor was ridiculous.
"Master, why are you still laughing! Aren't you afraid I'll get locked up?" she said coquettishly.
"Tell me how much you stole?"
Yun Daixi held up five fingers, making an exaggerated expression: "Five hundred million!"
"That's incredible! The company runs so well without me, they could even steal 500 million yuan." Sai Jinhua joked with her, but she was even more certain that it was all nonsense.
"Uncle Li was the first to call and tell me." She was being mischievous, trying to test the waters.
"He's so old, yet he's still unwilling to step down," Sai Jinhua said, her tone still disdainful.
"Sigh... Not everyone thinks as clearly as Master, and not everyone has such a good successor as Master, right?"
"You!" Sai Jinhua tapped her nose, "You're full of schemes."
Sai Jinhua prepared three dishes and a soup, all of which were home-style dishes that she hadn't had in a long time.
Normally, I either eat at a formal banquet or order takeout, but today I ate with extra relish and ate two bowls of rice.
"Master, I'll come every day, okay?" She put down her chopsticks and stood up to clean up.
"You'd better manage the company properly, or I'll lose all my retirement savings," Sai Jinhua pressed her hand down and called to the housekeeper, "Ming's wife, come and clean up."
She feigned a sob and cried, "Master, are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Lunch is over, time to get back to work. I need a nap, I don't have time for you. Hurry up and get back to making money for me."
"Indeed, like master, like disciple." Yun Daixi murmured, mimicking Sai Jinhua's lip movements and tone behind her back.
Sai Jinhua, who had already climbed the stairs, turned back and asked, "Mr. Gu, who came last time, have you kept in touch with him since then?"
Without thinking, Yun Daixi blurted out, "No."
There is probably no one in this world who understands her as well as Sai Jinhua. Judging from her reaction, one can guess that something must have happened between the two of them.
He immediately offered a suggestion: "Stay away from him."
His tone was exactly the same as Li Lifei's.
Yun Daixi chased after her, asking, "Master, why should we stay away from him? Uncle Li and you both said so. Also, what did he come over to get last time?"
"I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone about what I took last time."
"Oh," Yun Daixi nodded obediently, not expecting to get any answers anyway, so she wasn't disappointed. "Then why should I stay away from him?"
"This is also related to what I promised him."
"Hey... Master, you guys are so boring, all mysterious."
"Don't try to take advantage of him; you'll only get yourself into trouble."
Before leaving, the master gave a special warning.
-
When Yun Daixi arrived at the company in the afternoon, she made a special trip to the office where the young girl from last night was.
She was indeed still here, just like yesterday, sitting in front of the computer typing furiously.
Yun Daixi asked her assistant, "Are any of the other people who came yesterday still here today?"
The assistant replied, "No."
It seems that the other side and the CEO have nothing more to release, and the level of attention has dropped considerably.
She went over and knocked on the door, asking the little girl, "May I come in?"
She only went in after they answered "yes".
"May I have your name?"
"Ding Mingxi." Her voice was young but clear.
"It's like a nail driven right into here." Yun Daixi smiled. "Shall I treat you to dinner tonight?"
"Don't try to bribe me. I have my own journalistic ideals and only report the truth."
"Yes, that's ambitious." Yun Daixi gave her a thumbs up.
"Of course," came the reply from the other side, who raised its head high.
She pushed the envelope in her hand toward the young girl's computer: "I have some firsthand information here. You can take a look first. As for how to handle it, follow the rules that financial reporters should follow."
Inside the envelope were photocopies of the documents Gu Lian had given her yesterday, each one of which she had personally copied today.
Ding Mingxi, who was studying finance and minoring in accounting, opened the document and understood what was going on after just a few glances. His eyes widened even more.
"How is it?" Yun Daixi asked her.
"If this information is true, and the amount exceeds 30%, such a large sum of money, if he can't repay it, it's enough to put this boss in jail for three to five years."
Are you reporting on this?
"If you report this, Mr. Yun, I will report it as if I were in the same situation you are in now. Otherwise, how can I explain where I got this thing? I've been staying here for the past few days, which is not good for either of us."
The little girl is quite clever.
"Alright, since you haven't decided yet, I'll take back the information."
Yun Daixi smiled as she packed all the materials back into the envelope and left the meeting room.
This document wasn't originally intended for Ding Mingxi; it was just meant to test whether this girl was tight-lipped.
She turned and went out, only calling He Botao after getting into her car downstairs.
The phone rang busy for more than a dozen times, but Yun Daixi remained calm and patiently waited while gripping the steering wheel.
My index finger touched the edge of the steering wheel following the sound.
She would be worried if he answered the call immediately; in times like these, the longer she waited, the more guilty she would appear.
The call was finally answered, and Yun Daixi used her usual obsequious tone: "Mr. He, I recently acquired something that I'd like to give you. Would you have time to meet me?"
Without much hesitation, the person on the other end replied politely, "Of course, it's a rare opportunity to meet President Yun."
"Then I'll book the place later and have my assistant send the address to your assistant so we can schedule a time when you're free."
The other end replied, "Okay."
He hung up and immediately dialed Gu Li'an's number again.
After a few rings, Gu Li'an answered. There must have been an international conference on the other end. He spoke to the person next to him in a British accent, "Wait a moment, I have some important things to take care of, I'll be right back."
Once Gu Li'an reached a quiet place, he continued, "Go on."
"Mr. Gu, could you recommend a restaurant for our business meeting? Taste isn't important, I just need something safe." The word "safety" was emphasized.
It would be unwise for her to attend the banquet alone; going to Mr. Gu's place would be much better.
Perhaps no one understands business security better than him.
"What time is it?"
"It's not decided yet."
"Tell me when you've set a time, and I'll come pick you up."
"good."
She breathed a sigh of relief.
-
We finally agreed to meet at 9 p.m. at Chengheyuan in the western suburbs with He Botao.
A place that specializes in traditional Chinese food.
Yun Daixi specially chose a black Chanel suit, paired with a black wool coat and a black handbag.
As they sat in the all-black Cullinan that Gu Li'an had driven today, the two exchanged a smile, both understanding each other's thoughts.
"I never imagined that Chenghuayuan was also Mr. Gu's property."
His background is truly unfathomable.
"It's just a suburban restaurant. The dishes aren't anything special. They just use the characters 'Chenghe' for good luck."
"I didn't expect Mr. Gu to believe in these things."
"In business, you always have to leverage certain forces, whether it's the weather or people." His words were loaded with meaning.
"Of course." Yun Daixi continued, throwing the next sentence back at him.
"Miss Yun, have you decided what to do with those documents?"
"I've made up my mind." She paused. "Would Mr. Gu be interested in knowing?"
"I don't want to disturb Miss Yun's decision. Whether to advance or retreat, I'll just wait for the result. I'll wait for you outside the door, and you'll know when I take you home."
I will wait for you outside the door.
Yun Daixi repeated these seven words in her mind.
Coming to my senses, I was startled. My first reaction wasn't to weigh the fish to see if it had gotten any heavier.