The Way of the Husband

On Monday morning, in the lobby of CAQ Group, office workers hurried to their respective workstations as usual.

Suddenly, a small commotion spread like ripples.

Whispers gradually rose, and countless eyes turned toward the main entrance.

Qu Shiyao walked in confidently amidst the stares of the crowd.

Her white T-shirt was absolutely the center of attention! It featured a crystal-clear photo printed on the front:

It was last Friday night when she, Jin Yuxi, Lin Weiwei, Zhang Li, and Wang Qian entered the Jinxiu Shanhe villa area and were photographed!

The back of the bag also features a picture of them coming out together shortly afterward!

The images are so high-resolution that you can clearly see the expressions on everyone's faces!

Right above the chest of the T-shirt, five eye-catching characters are printed: Do not believe or spread rumors!

That's not all! She was also carrying a canvas bag.

The front of the bag reads: My true love is someone else.

The back reads: Want to know? Paid consultation available!

A payment code was also printed very clearly below.

The entire group of workers in the hall fell silent for three seconds.

Although it's unclear what exactly happened, this commotion clearly indicates that someone is spreading rumors, and the person in question is directly presenting "evidence" to refute them!

"Shiyao!" A voice called out from the corner of the hall.

Qu Shiyao turned her head and saw that it was actually her former colleagues from the 8th floor!

Gao Huixin, Shi Qingqing, Chen Xu, Zhuang Rou'er, Li Yue, and even Jin Yuxi were mixed in, waving at her, clearly waiting for her there.

"Why are you all piled up here? Aren't you going upstairs?" Qu Shiyao walked over calmly, completely ignoring the probing gazes around her.

"Hehe, I heard about your story from Sister Gao, so I came here to support you!" Shi Qingqing laughed and put her arm around her shoulder.

Qu Shiyao responded with a smile.

Chen Xu pulled a large bag of snacks from his backpack and handed it to her: "Shiyao, here, calm your nerves!"

"Thanks!" Qu Shiyao took it and looked at it. Well, it was Chen Xu's favorite cucumber-flavored potato chips. This flavor is really addictive.

"So you just hung us on your body like that?!" Jin Yuxi tugged at Qu Shiyao's T-shirt, her expression indescribable.

"There's nothing I can do about it," Qu Shiyao shrugged, looking helplessly at her.

"Your spirit is with me. I didn't even ask you to appear on camera and stand next to me. Isn't that enough?"

Jin Yuxi: "..." That's so kind! Is there any difference between this and the real person appearing on camera?! The photo is even clearer than the real person!

"Qu, Da, Zhu, Li!" A chilling voice rang out from behind Qu Shiyao.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhuang Rou'er immediately shrank behind Shi Qingqing, knowing who it was without even looking.

Shi Qingqing also instantly went into a state of alert.

Qu Shiyao turned around and looked.

Wow! Led by Lin Weiwei, followed closely by Wang Qian and Zhang Li, the 66th floor team made a dazzling entrance!

At this moment, Lin Weiwei's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, Zhang Li's smile was forced, and Wang Qian was still trying her best to be a background figure.

"Oh~ my dear colleagues! Good morning!" Qu Shiyao smiled innocently, her tone full of emotion.

Lin Weiwei came over early in the morning, hoping to see if Qu Shiyao would be blocked at the door by those crazy women. She wanted to make a quick buck before someone died. Of course, she was mainly worried that if someone was beaten to death, she wouldn't be able to earn any extra money.

As soon as I entered the lobby, I was dazzled by this walking "notification board"!

Seeing her own image in high definition on the T-shirt, she felt a "boom" in her head, and blood rushed to her head! She was purely furious!

"So! You're going to use this method to put us out in the open?!" Lin Weiwei said through gritted teeth, her voice low, ignoring the wary expressions of the group on the 8th floor.

She didn't care about their attitude; she had never liked Zhuang Rou'er when she worked on the 8th floor.

Although she was wrong when that incident happened, wasn't Zhuang Rou'er's cowardly personality also a problem?

Qu Shiyao said with an upright and righteous expression: "How can this be called public humiliation? We are comrades who share weal and woe! I am just using my actions to uphold the innocence of our group!"

"Hehe..." Zhang Li tried her best to maintain a smile and offered a friendly suggestion:

"Shiyao, it's getting a bit chilly. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to wear so little? I have a spare jacket in my office. Why don't you put it on?"

"Eek~" Qu Shiyao immediately took a step back, covering her T-shirt with both hands, and said with a wronged look on her face, "No! I want this! It's my favorite now! I'll never be separated from it!"

Zhang Li's smile froze completely.

What's with the whining? If it weren't for maintaining her public image, she would have loved to immediately find a sack and cover Qu Shiyao, clothes and all, with it!

Lin Weiwei's face turned from red to black, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

I wish I could throw this person, clothes and all, into the red hazardous waste bin outside.

Wang Qian silently looked away. After spending this time together, she had developed a certain immunity to Qu Shiyao's shady tactics.

"Ahem!" Gao Huixin glanced at her phone, walked over to Qu Shiyao, and lowered her voice: "Shiyao, we've made some progress on the matter you asked me to inquire about. President Si did indeed have a girlfriend in college."

These words instantly attracted everyone's attention, even Lin Weiwei temporarily suppressed her anger and pricked up her ears.

People on the 8th and 66th floors instinctively gathered around, forming a temporary gossip-watching squad.

Gao Huixin continued to share information: "I heard from a friend's sister that she, President Si, and that girl were classmates in university."

The two broke up and got back together several times during college, but ultimately, due to Mr. Si's busy startup, the woman's family's opposition, and her desire to study abroad, they broke up completely.

"Breaking up and getting back together? Why did they break up?" Li Yue sensed the gossip and her eyes lit up.

Gao Huixin swiped her phone screen: "I heard they often argue. The woman is quite independent, but President Si seems to be unhappy because she doesn't put him first."

It sounds like it's President Si's possessiveness at play? That seems quite normal, doesn't it?

Chen Xu stroked his chin: "What would be considered putting it first?"

Gao Huixin looked at the new message, her expression becoming somewhat subtle:

"Hmm... She said that the woman often went on trips without informing him in advance, did other things without discussing them with him, and didn't understand him when he was struggling to start his business..."

"Don't understand?" Shi Qingqing crossed her arms, grasping the key point. "What exactly do you mean?"

Gao Huixin paused for a few seconds, seemingly organizing her thoughts, before reading aloud her friend's sister's original reply:

"...For example, she doesn't understand why he accepted a business investment from another girl who clearly admires him without consulting her. Her true love's family seems to be well-off and has their own private savings."

"Huh?" Jin Yuxi was the first to exclaim in disbelief, her face clearly showing her disbelief.

"Seriously? So concerned with saving face that he suffers for it? He demands his girlfriend report everything, but he accepts money from his flirtatious girlfriend without even consulting her? What kind of hypocrite is this?"

Lin Weiwei scoffed, her words laced with sarcasm: "What do you mean by possessiveness? It's nothing more than someone who can't be faithful themselves but demands obedience and virtue from their partner."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at her in surprise.

I thought she would defend President Si, or at least remain silent, but I didn't expect her to be so aggressive.

"Wow~" Qu Shiyao looked at Lin Weiwei with a face full of surprise, and even clapped her hands. "Senior Lin, you are so insightful! This summary is brilliant!"

[Lin Weiwei seems particularly sensitive to this kind of topic?] The system was also amazed and really wanted to see her biography.

"Hmph! What rubbish are you spouting!"

Lin Weiwei immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, especially towards Qu Shiyao: "Don't look at me like that, like I'm all lovestruck! Especially you!"

She jabbed her finger hard at Qu Shiyao's T-shirt, "Right now! Immediately! Go change out of this tattered outfit!"

"I don't want it!" Qu Shiyao shook her head resolutely, even taking a step back, determined to defend her beloved clothes to the death.

Yes, it's still the same familiar Lin Weiwei, who explodes at the slightest provocation.

Gao Huixin and the others silently withdrew their momentary surprise.

“Shiyao,” Gao Huixin handed her her phone screen and said, “My friend posted a graduation photo of that person. Look, she really does look a lot like you.”

The group immediately gathered together again.

The girl in the photo is wearing an academic gown. She has a gentle and intellectual demeanor, with a faint smile on her lips. She is clearly a rational and independent woman.

Jin Yuxi looked at the photo, then at Qu Shiyao next to her, and blurted out, "Shiyao, when you're quiet and not talking, you do look a bit like her."

Everyone: "..." This doesn't sound like a compliment at all.

Qu Shiyao put her arm around Jin Yuxi's shoulder, smiling kindly: "Jin Jin, you'd better explain yourself. What do you mean by this?"

"What else could it mean? It just means that when you go crazy, you're like a monkey running away from Flower Fruit Mountain!" Lin Weiwei added without hesitation, her face full of contempt.

"Weiwei, don't talk nonsense! That's not what I meant!" Jin Yuxi felt the pressure on her shoulder and immediately slid to her knees, her tone incredibly sincere:

"Shiyao, I mean you two are beauties with different styles! Although you look a bit alike, she has her intellectual beauty, and you have your... uh... vibrant beauty! Yes, vibrant beauty!"

To save his life, Jin Yuxi was forced to use up all his vocabulary.

"Um... it's almost time to start work," Zhuang Rou'er whispered a reminder.

They arrived half an hour early to wait for Qu Shiyao, which had already taken up a lot of time.

“Let’s go upstairs first! We’ll discuss the details in the group chat!” Gao Huixin pointed to their private group chat on the 8th floor, where Qu Shiyao was also in it.

"Huixin! Pull me up! Take me with you!" Jin Yuxi immediately moved over. She had to be the first to know about her boss's old gossip!

Lin Weiwei turned her head away, feigning indifference. Wang Qian glanced at her and then spoke to Gao Huixin:

"Sister Gao, would it be convenient for you to add me to the group too? We're involved in this matter as well, so if we share information, we can discuss how to help Shiyao." It was rare for her to say so much.

Zhang Li smiled and chimed in, "Yes, there's strength in numbers, count me in!"

Gao Huixin hesitated a bit, as the group chat on the 8th floor was their private space.

But she quickly came up with an idea: "Okay, I'll create a temporary group specifically for this. And remember, the content of this group absolutely cannot be shared outside!"

She quickly created a new group and showed the QR code to Zhang Li and Wang Qian to scan.

"Weiwei, we've all joined, you should join too," Wang Qian said to Lin Weiwei after joining the group.

Lin Weiwei then "reluctantly" raised her chin, with a condescending expression: "Since you've invited me so sincerely, I'll go in and take a look."

Gao Huixin, Shi Qingqing, and the others: "..." Who sincerely invited you?!

Shi Qingqing wanted to retort, but considering the occasion and her manners, she held back.

Thus, this temporary alliance, composed of members from the 8th and 66th floors, marched in a grand procession toward the elevator.