Chapter 42 You Have a Special Interest in Du Xiaoxian

Before entering the secretary’s office, Shao Boqing opened the door slightly. Through the small crack, he saw that Zhou Ting was watching attentively at the computer screen. He walked over quietly and slapped on the table violently. Zhou Ting cried out in shock. When she found out that it was Shao Boqing, Zhou Ting was so amused that she raised her hand and pretended to hit him. Shao Boqing succeeded in tricking her and laughed out loud, then dodged into the door.

It was very quiet in the president’s office. Gu Nianbin was writing something with his head down. After Shao Boqing approached him, Gu Nianbin said, “As the General Manager, could you please mind your image? Gu Nian’an has complained about you thrice this month. Did you know about that?”

“About what?” Shao Boqing casually sat down into the chair and crossed his legs. “About me harassing his secretary? Come on. His secretary has nothing I want. She’s way no match for Nina in terms of body shape.”

Gu Nianbin ignored him and continued writing quietly with his head down. Shao Boqing snorted and said, “He complained about me! In fact, I also have something to complain about him!”

“What do you want to complain about him?”

“He kept staring at Nina’s breasts during the last meeting. What did he mean? Did he think that he could watch my Nina for free?”

“Tell your Nina to dress herself properly. Then he won’t look at her anymore.”

Shao Boqing chuckled. He suddenly said seriously, “I rejected Hexun’s budget. He was quarreling with me yesterday.”

Gu Nianbin said without any emotion, “You did the right thing.”

“I know that you told him to come to me because you don’t want to have a head-on conflict with him. Otherwise, your father would be in a difficult position. But in the long run, I will become a bad guy in his eyes.”

“Do you think you are a good guy in his eyes now?”

Shao Boqing shook his head and sighed. “He and Gu Nianjing were born by the same mother but their temperament differs significantly. The elder brother has lots of schemes and intrigues in his mind, and stirs things up and down in the company. However, the younger brother is honest and open-minded. Apart from their similar looks, I really can’t tell that they are brothers born by the same mother.”

Gu Nianbin didn’t say anything. He did not look up at Shao Boqing until after finishing what he was busy with. “What did you come to me for?”

“Nothing,” Shao Boqing said, “can’t I just come to say hi?”

Gu Nianbin was silent again. He continued to bury himself in sorting out documents. Shao Boqing sighed and said, “I really don’t know why I chose you back then. You actually can stay silent for half a day without saying a word. I really don’t like your personality.”

Gu Nianbin rolled his eyes at him. “Go back to where you came from!”

“Alright, I’ll go.” Shao Boqing stood up. After taking two steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said, “Oh, I saw Du Xiaoxian.”

As expected, Gu Nianbin raised his head, and his indifferent eyes lit up. “Where did you see her?”

“On the road. She… Well, never mind.” Shao Boqing continued to tease Gu Nianbin. “Just keep busy with your work.”

Gu Nianbin didn’t say anything and just stared at Shao Boqing. Shao Boqing had no choice but to come back and sit down again. “You are really a stubborn person. Will it hurt if you beg me for more information?”

“Where did you see her?”

“At the bus stop. She was waiting for the bus under the scorching sun, wearing a big schoolbag. I didn’t bear to see that, so I asked her to get in my car. But she refused. And in the end, the policeman even came over.” Shao Boqing took the traffic ticket out of his pocket and put it on the table with a slap. “I got this because of Du Xiaoxian. Anyway, you have to give me reimbursement!”

Gu Nianbin looked at the traffic ticket and frowned slightly. He looked at Shao Boqing coldly. “Say it clearly, why did the policeman come?”

Shao Boqing dared not tell him the truth. He evaded the crucial details and skipped the part in which he dragged Du Xiaoxian. Instead, he insisted that Du Xiaoxian refused to get onto his car and come to the company. In the end, he also exaggerated the facts and said, “I told her that you would definitely be happy to see her. But she didn’t show me any respect and refused decisively. See? You were so kind to her, but she didn’t care about you at all.” Shao Boqing paused for a moment. After finding that Gu Nianbin did not respond to him, he continued, “In fact, in my opinion, what’s good in Du Xiaoxian that is really worthy of your care? She’s skinny and small. Without a plump body, her hand feel…”

Gu Nianbin raised his eyelids and threw a sharp stare at him. Shao Boqing stopped immediately.

“What do you want to say?” Gu Nianbin asked him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Although Shao Boqing knew that Gu Nianbin was not happy, he intended to offend him this time. He continued and said, “You have a special interest in Du Xiaoxian!”

Gu Nianbin suddenly laughed when he heard this. He turned the picture of Xia Xiaowan on the table and showed it to Shao Boqing. “How dare you talk nonsense in front of Xiaowan!”

“It’s been more than three years,” Shao Boqing said angrily. “Xiaowan is in the past. How come there’s still such a weirdo like you nowadays? This is insane. People who know each other for one hour can have sex and who know each other for three days can get married. Then they also can get a divorce a month later. No one would wait for their boyfriend or girlfriend for five years like you.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I don’t want to understand either.” Shao Boqing looked at Gu Nianbin and sighed helplessly. Over the years, Shao Boqing had given countless good advices to Gu Nianbin, which might be harsh to the ear. But Gu Nianbin either turned up his nose at him, remained silent, or exploded with rage. In short, Gu Nianbin had never listened to Shao Boqing for once. In the end, Shao Boqing was unwilling to counsel him anymore.

After the mentioning of this matter, Shao Boqing did not want to stay any longer. He stood up and said, “It would be better if you fall in love with Du Xiaoxian. At least, she’s real and right before your eyes. You can do whatever you want with her.”

“Get out!” Gu Nianbin waved his hand to drive Shao Boqing away. But there seemed to be a smile in Gu Nianbin’s eyes. Do whatever I want? But Du Xiaoxian is merely a poor little girl. What can he do with her?

The scene Shao Boqing had just described was very lively. Gu Nianbin could easily imagine the way Du Xiaoxian seriously refused Shao Boqing. He felt kind of gratified. He had told her to keep away from Shao Boqing. Then, the little girl did follow his instruction and did it without any hesitation. No matter how eloquent Shao Boqing was, he could do nothing about the stubborn Du Xiaoxian.

But… Gu Nianbin frowned slightly. Did she really not want to see him? Was she afraid of bothering him? Or had she never thought of coming at all? Did she really not want to see him at all? Thinking of these, Gu Nianbin fell in a weird mood. It felt that his chest got blocked, and he felt a little suffocated. He walked to the window and lit a cigarette.

The bright sunlight cast on the glass curtain walls of the buildings nearby, reflecting dazzling lights. In the azure sky, the white clouds looked exceptionally three-dimensional. They piled up into many giant colossi without a specific shape. Gu Nianbin suddenly blinked his eyes hard: Du Xiaoxian’s face suddenly appeared in the sky. With a small face in the size of a palm and a sharp chin, she was looking at him timidly with her big eyes.

Gu Nianbin was stunned for a while and then continued to look down. The road winded like a long silk belt, and cars were moving forward in an orderly manner like small square boxes one after another. However… He rubbed his eyes and saw that Du Xiaoxian’s face appeared on the road as well. She tilted her head and was looking at him with a charming smile.

Gu Nianbin took a few steps back and fell sitting in the chair. He rubbed his temples with uneasiness. He lit a cigarette but didn’t smoke it. He watched the cigarette burn out slowly until to the tip of his fingers. His mind went blank. Recently, he was going through much pressure because there were so many complicated things in the company for him to deal with. Maybe that’s why he was having illusions. But why did Du Xiaoxian appear in his illusion? He called Zhou Ting on the inner line and asked her to make a cup of coffee for him. He didn’t really like coffee, but compared with tea, coffee was more helpful to soothe his nerves.

When Zhou Ting brought the coffee in, he asked, “I remember we have a business dinner with Chenguang tonight, right?”

Zhou Ting nodded. “Yes, General Manager Shao will be there.”

Gu Nianbin took a sip of hot coffee and suppressed the uneasiness in his heart. “I should show up. I’ll go in person to show our sincerity.”

Zhou Ting looked at him in surprise. Chenguang was just a small company. It was already lucky enough for them to get the opportunity to work with the Gu’s. It wasn’t necessary for Gu Nianbin to show up in person.

Besides, the contract had already been agreed on. The following step was for executives of both sides to meet again to talk about the specific plans and arrangements. Chenguang would be flattered as long as Shao Boqing showed up. But now, if Gu Nianbin went to the dinner as well, Chenguang must feel extremely honored. Would they be able to handle the situation properly?

Actually, Zhou Ting could vaguely guess why Shao Boqing wanted to go to the dinner. She heard that the marketing manager of Chenguang was a pretty good-looking lady. Shao Boqing was going to the dinner out of both public and private considerations. But why did the boss want to go? Could it be that he also wanted to meet that beautiful marketing manager?

“Chenguang will only have Boss Ma and General Manager Fang show up at the dinner. If you go there, will it be a little bit…” Zhou Ting put it mildly, and she meant that it would be a little condescending for Gu Nianbin to show up at the dinner.

However, it seemed that Gu Nianbin didn’t get her. He waved his hand and said, “Tell General Manager Shao that I’ll also go to the dinner later.”

“Yes, boss. I’ll tell him immediately.” Zhou Ting nodded. She turned around and walked outside. She would certainly follow the boss’ orders. However, she felt that the boss had changed so much recently!

When Shao Boqing received Zhou Ting’s call, he was also a little surprised. Gu Nianbin did not like joining in the fun. But now he took the initiative to go to the dinner with him. This was truly unusual. However, he didn’t think too much about it. It was common for him to be unable to figure out Gu Nianbin’s thoughts, though they had been friends for more than ten years.

After work, Gu Nianbin did not go home. He took a shower in the rest room, changed his shirt, and went to the place of the dinner.

Gu Nianbin showed up early. But to show respect, people from Chenguang had of course arrived earlier.

Manager Fang was waiting there, and when she saw Gu Nianbin, she got thrilled immediately. Although she was extremely sophisticated and was adept at dealing with people, there was a moment of confusion in her mind. It was as if she was a fan of Gu Nianbin and finally saw him in person, with her heart pounding uneasily. But anyway, she had been in the business world for years and experienced many big events. She quickly calmed down and greeted Gu Nianbin elegantly, shaking hands with him. She served tea for Gu Nianbin in person while secretly winking at her people. Her people worked in the marketing department and were all skilled mind-readers. They got her message and sneaked out to call their leaders to report first-hand intelligence.

Soon, Chenguang’s Boss Ma and Chairman Xue arrived. This dinner was originally intended as an opportunity for executives from both sides to communicate with each other. There was no need for any big potatoes to be present. Boss Ma showed up only because Shao Boqing would attend the dinner. Now that Gu Nianbin came as well, Chairman Xue must be present too.

In the eyes of Chairman Xue, Gu Nianbin was a noble and mysterious figure. He was very excited to meet the famous President Gu of G City. Chairman Xue and Boss Ma chatted with Gu Nianbin with flattering smiles. Although Gu Nianbin was a person of few words, he could handle such an occasion easily. He didn’t speak much but the way he spoke was extraordinary and graceful. He was calm and composed. Compared to businessmen who started from scratch, such as Chairman Xue, Gu Nianbin’s temperament was naturally different. Almost all the staff from Chenguang looked up at Gu Nianbin with adoring eyes.

As usual, Shao Boqing arrived late. He was dressed like a playboy and showed up together with Nina at the door. The moment he saw Gu Nianbin, he shouted exaggeratedly, “Hey, boss, you’re already here! Chairman Xue, you are much more important than I am for President Gu! You know what? I have long intended to treat President Gu to dinner, but failed to make it for half year.”