Chapter 66 Losing Her Composure She couldn't help but glance back, and coincidentally, Gu...

The call connected quickly, and Gu Qingyan's clear voice came from the car stereo. The background was quiet, with only the occasional sound of typing: "President Zhou? Is there something you need?"

Zhou Xubai's tone was as warm as ever: "President Gu, are we disturbing you? Weiwei and I would like to invite you to dinner tomorrow night to properly thank you for your help the other day. Would that be convenient for you?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Gu Qingyan's voice was calm and even: "Mr. Zhou, you're too kind. I already said there's really no need for you to spend money."

Zhou Xubai, however, insisted with a smile, subtly drawing Lin Yuwei into the conversation: "This isn't just my idea; Weiwei has also been appreciating this gesture. If you don't come, she'll feel bad." He then turned to Lin Yuwei, gesturing for her to help persuade her: "Right, Weiwei?"

Lin Yuwei had been gazing absently at the flowing night outside the window, trying to pull herself out of the conversation. This sudden call to name caught her off guard. She could only turn her head slightly awkwardly and speak to the air in the car, briefly replying, "Well, Mr. Gu, please don't refuse."

Gu Qingyan clearly hadn't expected Lin Yuwei to be there, especially at such a sensitive time, close to 10 p.m. Zhou Xubai's actions carried a silent message.

Lin Yuwei heard Gu Qingyan's voice pause for a moment on the other end of the phone, and she could almost hear his breathing become heavier. But soon, the other end returned to calm, and Gu Qingyan responded readily and briefly: "Okay, see you tomorrow night, you decide on the location."

"It's settled then. I'll send you the address later." Zhou Xubai hung up the phone with satisfaction.

The car fell silent. Lin Yuwei turned her head away completely, refusing to look at Zhou Xubai. She pressed her forehead against the cold car window, the neon lights outside blurring into a blur. The frustration in her heart washed over her like a tide.

As the car pulled up in front of the apartment building, before it had even come to a complete stop, Lin Yuwei unbuckled her seatbelt, whispered "Be careful on the road," and then got out of the car and walked into the lobby without looking back.

Zhou Xubai sat alone in the car, watching her hurried departure. His fingers rubbed the steering wheel, the gentle smile on his face long gone, leaving only a complex and gloomy expression. He stopped downstairs for a long time before slowly driving away.

The following evening, the atmosphere in the Shiguang Studio was quiet and peaceful, as everyone was finishing up their work and preparing to leave.

Suddenly, the studio door was pushed open, and a tall, upright figure walked in. Assistant Xiao Li, who was near the door, immediately recognized him as President Gu of Qichen Technology. He had dealt with President Gu a few times during the handover of auction items and they were quite familiar with each other. So he stood up and said warmly, "President Gu, good afternoon. Are you here to see President Lin?"

Gu Qingyan wasn't wearing a formal suit today, but rather a high-quality dark casual outfit. This softened his business aura and gave him a more approachable elegance. He smiled at Xiao Li and handed her the paper bag he was carrying: "I was passing by and brought some refreshments for everyone. Could you please distribute them?"

The afternoon tea that Gu Qingyan brought was quite expensive. Everyone was already in a good mood as it was nearing the end of the workday, and they were even happier to receive such exquisite and delicious afternoon tea. They all thanked Gu Qingyan.

"Thank you, Mr. Gu!"

"You're too kind!"

A small, pleasant commotion arose in the office area.

"By the way, Mr. Gu, are you looking for Mr. Lin or Mr. Zhou?" Xiao Li asked while serving afternoon tea.

Gu Qingyan's gaze had already passed over everyone and finally landed on Lin Yuwei's office in the inner room. Her voice was not loud, but clear enough for everyone around to hear: "Everyone, please don't be shy. I'll wait for President Lin to get off work so we can have dinner together."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake. Gu Qingyan, however, calmly walked to the sofa in the reception area, sat down, picked up a magazine and flipped through it, her posture as relaxed as if she were in her own meeting room.

His words instantly ignited the gossip spirit in the office.

Chen Lu nudged Xiao Yu beside her, lowered her voice, and couldn't hide her excitement: "Wow! Did President Gu come all this way to pick up Sister Weiwei from get off work? And he even brought 'offerings'? This is quite a show..."

Xiaoyu's eyes lit up as she joined the private conversation: "That's right! I heard before that President Lin's mother was critically ill, and it was only because President Gu used his immense connections to bring in a top-notch medical team from abroad that she was brought out of danger! That's a life-saving grace!"

"Really?" Li Xiao leaned closer. "So... President Gu is pursuing our President Lin? This offensive, with his good looks, wealth, and dedication, who could resist?"

Xiaoyu sipped her milk tea and sighed softly, "Honestly, the first time I met President Gu, I felt that he and Sister Weiwei had such a perfect match! It's like a powerful couple coming together, like something out of a novel! I agree to this marriage!"

Their excited whispers, interspersed with light laughter, were all heard by Zhou Xubai, who had just come out of the conference room and was about to go find Lin Yuwei.

"Coming to pick me up from work," "Saving my life," "Is she pursuing me?" "A perfect match"... Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing his already taut nerves. A surge of anger, a mixture of jealousy, the humiliation of being provoked, and a strong sense of crisis, suddenly erupted, instantly burning away the rationality and composure he had been trying so hard to maintain.

"I am clearly Lin Yuwei's rightful fiancé!" A sharp voice roared in Zhou Xubai's mind.

The reason he had previously told Lin Yuwei not to announce the engagement was twofold. First, he was afraid of giving her too much time to consider, fearing that she might hesitate or back down after careful consideration, thus missing this hard-won opportunity to keep her by his side. Second, he thought that handling it discreetly would solidify their relationship and prevent Gu Qingyan from finding out and causing complications. However, despite all his calculations, he hadn't expected Gu Qingyan to still appear at the supposedly private engagement party, and now she had even barged into the room, directly shaking his position in the studio and by Yuwei's side...

Thinking of this, Zhou Xubai felt a surge of hatred mixed with a sense of panic that his plan had backfired.

He, usually mild-mannered, suddenly stopped and turned to face the employees who were still chatting excitedly. His face was unusually gloomy and cold, and his tone was clearly reprimanding. Although his voice was not loud, it broke the relaxed atmosphere of the office area.

"What are you all doing?! Chatting idly during work hours? The projects are all finished? The solutions are all perfect? ​​The clients are all 100% satisfied?!"

The sudden, stern rebuke was like a blizzard falling from a clear sky, instantly freezing all sound and movement. The office area fell into dead silence. Everyone stared in astonishment at Zhou Zhou Xubai's uncharacteristic behavior. Xiao Yu and the others were so frightened that they immediately fell silent, hurriedly shrinking back to their workstations, their faces burning with embarrassment, not daring to look up.

Zhou Xubai's chest heaved slightly as he realized he had lost his composure, but his anger was still burning. His face was ashen, and he gave Gu Qingyan, who was calm and composed on the sofa as if she were detached from the situation, a final cold glance before turning around and striding back to his office, where he closed the door.

The door closed with a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft, but it silenced the entire office area completely. No one dared to speak, and the atmosphere became tense.

Gu Qingyan never looked up, continuing to flip through the magazine. Only when her fingers turned the pages did she pause slightly, and the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch slightly, like a very faint, cold smile that vanished in an instant.

Inside the office, Lin Yuwei vaguely heard a commotion outside. She looked up to see Zhou Xubai stride in with a grim face. He didn't look at her, but went straight back to his seat, his entire body obscured by the computer screen. Lin Yuwei had never seen him so angry in front of the whole office, and for a moment she didn't know how to ask him anything.

She got up and went to the outer room. The relaxed atmosphere was gone; everyone was engrossed in their screens, so quiet that only the sound of keyboards could be heard. She turned to look at the reception area, where Gu Qingyan was still leisurely sitting and drinking coffee, as if the oppressive atmosphere around him had nothing to do with him.

Seeing Lin Yuwei come out, Gu Qingyan raised his hand in greeting and said naturally, "President Lin, didn't we agree to have dinner tonight? I was running errands nearby this afternoon and just stopped by to wait for you."

Lin Yuwei forced a smile: "Please wait a moment, Mr. Gu. There are still twenty minutes until we get off work." "No rush, you go ahead with your work." Gu Qingyan nodded.

Lin Yuwei returned to the office, walked to Zhou Xubai's side, and asked softly, "What happened? Why did you suddenly get so angry?" Zhou Xubai rubbed his temples, his voice weary, "I don't know what happened... I just lost control of my emotions."

She patted his arm and comforted him, "It's alright, we've worked together for so long, everyone knows your personality. If you really feel bad, just treat them to a meal another day."

As soon as it was time to leave work, Lin Yuwei said to the outside, "That's all for today. I have appointments with President Zhou and President Gu. Everyone, please be careful on your way home."

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and quickly packed their things and left, avoiding the awkwardness of running into Zhou Xubai.

Lin Yuwei returned to her office and said to Zhou Xubai, "Everyone's gone, let's go too."

Zhou Xubai, Lin Yuwei, and Gu Qingyan walked towards the elevator together. The atmosphere was somewhat somber, with only their footsteps echoing in the corridor. Zhou Xubai seemed to want to salvage some of the impact of his earlier lapse in composure, so he broke the silence, his tone returning to its usual calm: "President Gu, you look very casual today. You still have time to come up and join us for some light." He tried to steer the conversation toward the unimportant topic of clothing.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan simply adjusted her cuffs and replied, "I met with an overseas client this afternoon. The atmosphere was quite casual, so I didn't dress too formally. After the meeting, I found myself near your studio, so I stopped by to pay a visit."

The elevator doors opened, and the three of them stepped into the empty car.

Standing in the middle, Lin Yuwei vaguely sensed the silent power struggle between the two men beside her. To ease the tension, she smiled at Gu Qingyan, echoing Zhou Xubai's words, "Speaking of which, I must thank President Gu again. Last time, you introduced us to the Huanyu Group's project, and President Li of Huanyu recommended some projects to us. Indirectly speaking, we all benefited from your help."

When Gu Qingyan turned his gaze to Lin Yuwei, his tone softened slightly: "It is President Lin and 'Shiguang's' strength that has earned recognition; I merely acted as a go-between." His praise was perfectly timed, acknowledging Lin Yuwei's abilities while maintaining a sense of distance.

When Zhou Xubai heard Lin Yuwei bring up work and thank Gu Qingyan, the smile on his lips faded slightly. He gently put his arm around Lin Yuwei's shoulder, the movement naturally and intimately drawing them closer. He continued the conversation, saying, "Yes, Weiwei has put a lot of effort into these projects. She's often busy at the studio until very late lately. As her fiancé, it breaks my heart to see her like this. However, Shiguang's success today is truly thanks to President Gu." He deliberately emphasized the word "fiancé," his gaze fixed on Gu Qingyan, as if asserting a sense of care and ownership.

Gu Qingyan noticed Zhou Xubai's gesture of putting his arm around Lin Yuwei's shoulder. His eyes remained calm and unwavering. He simply nodded slightly and said in a flat tone, "President Zhou, you flatter me. I'm also very happy to see 'Shiguang' developing so smoothly." He skillfully kept the focus of the conversation on the studio's business, avoiding the private atmosphere that Zhou Xubai was trying to create.

The elevator finally reached the first floor with a soft ding, easing the brief silence inside the car. As they walked towards the parking lot, night fell and the streetlights came on. Zhou Xubai seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just took a deep breath of the cool night air and remained silent.

Upon reaching the designated parking area, Gu Qingyan stopped first and pointed to the Maybach next to her: "My car is parked over there. We'll meet at the restaurant later."

Lin Yuwei followed Zhou Xubai toward his car.

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but look back, still thinking about the commotion in the office and the subtle atmosphere along the way. Just then, Gu Qingyan was also looking back at her.

Their eyes met briefly in the air. Lin Yuwei gave him a smile tinged with complex apology, for Zhou Xubai's earlier lapse in composure and for the awkwardness of the entire evening. Gu Qingyan seemed to instantly understand the meaning behind that smile. He nodded almost imperceptibly at her, his gaze deep, then turned around, deftly opened the car door, and disappeared into the night.

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Author's Note: Gu Qingyan: I'm dressed like this not mainly to meet clients, but because I'm having dinner with Weiwei tonight, so I need to look even more dashing, right? (Secret thought [sunglasses])

Gu Qingyan already knows that pursuing Weiwei requires prioritizing her feelings and ceasing to exert open pressure. Conversely, the usually gentle Zhou Xubai, due to his insecurity, has become somewhat controlling towards Weiwei. There wasn't much chemistry between them to begin with, and this further drama... well, you know what I mean. [Various online comments]