Chapter 12 Immorality
After stumbling out of the conference room, Gu Cunxi arrived at Zhang Qiming's office. Along the way, a voice in her heart kept telling her, this time! I must refuse! I really can't touch power again, just live a simple life! She was scared...
"Why don't you want to accept the position of Marketing Director? Do you think it's too hard?" Zhang Qiming asked puzzledly.
Gu Cunxi was silent, not knowing how to answer. He just sat quietly in front of Zhang Qiming, frowning.
"You're such a strange person! You'd rather be a small receptionist and earn that little salary than be a marketing director. Do you think my temple is too small? Give me a reason that can convince me," Zhang Qiming continued.
Gu Cunxi was silent for a long time, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly said: "Of course not, it's just that I can't give Mr. Zhang any reason, because this is my personal matter. My refusal to accept your appointment has nothing to do with whether it is hard work or not. You really think too highly of me. I don't have any ambitions, I just want to be a small receptionist, that's all. Mr. Zhang wants to set up a marketing department, I can provide some promotion plans, but for now, I'll leave it at that. Regarding the meeting just now, if my words offended you, I'm sorry!"
Zhang Qiming looked at Gu Cunxi, shook his head helplessly, and stopped insisting, saying: "Forget it, if you change your mind one day, you can come to me at any time. I don't think highly of you, Gu Cunxi, you are indeed very capable. Although I don't know why you want to hide these things and are willing to be at the bottom, but since you insist, I am willing to respect you. Okay... There is no need to apologize, and it is not offensive. You are telling the truth and you dare to speak frankly in front of so many people. I admire you very much. Okay, you can go."
Gu Cunxi nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang..."
After she finished speaking, she stood up and left. Zhang Qiming looked at her back and fell into deep thought.
"Gu Cunxi" seems to have heard this name somewhere...it seems familiar...
Gu Cunxi walked towards his workstation with heavy steps. When he passed by Xiao Peiyin's office, he heard her calling him. He hesitated a little, but stopped.
"Cunxi...are you okay? You looked very bad just now," Xiao Peiyin asked worriedly.
"fine!"
"Thank you... for speaking up for me just now!"
"You misunderstood. I didn't mean to speak for you. I was just telling you the truth," Gu Cunxi replied coldly.
Xiao Peiyin looked at her back and felt a hint of coldness and alienation. Her heart ached with suffocation. She said anxiously and angrily, "I don't know why you are so cold. You clearly mean well, but you always act the other way and pretend to be someone else. Don't you get tired of this?"
Gu Cunxi was slightly startled, feeling a sense of panic as if she had been seen through. She opened her mouth but could not speak, feeling exhausted. She did not want to explain anything about Xiao Peiyin's painting, so she stood there without turning around and said coldly, "What you see is me. I will not refute whether it is good or bad!"
After saying that, he left Xiao Peiyin's sight and returned to his workstation. Cheng Sheng asked worriedly, "Sister Cunxi, are you okay? Did Mr. Zhang scold you?"
Gu Cunxi shook his head: "Nothing, just talking about the marketing director's business"
"Sister Cunxi, I don't quite understand... Isn't being a marketing director much better than being a receptionist? If it were me, I'd be so happy!"
Gu Cunxi was silent for a long time before he responded: "Cheng Sheng, I just want to live a simple life, that's all!"
At this time, Wang Pan came from behind and looked at Gu Cunxi and Cheng Sheng: "Regarding the program for the annual meeting, you two will decide and then report to Manager Shi."
Gu Cunxi didn't respond, or even look at her, as if he didn't hear her. Wang Pan looked at Gu Cunxi and ignored her, feeling very unhappy. She thought, "But Mr. Zhang praised her a few times, and she was so arrogant. She glanced at Gu Cunxi and turned away. Cheng Sheng looked at her helplessly."
"Sister Cunxi..."
Gu Cunxi really didn't have the energy to think about anything else. She ignored Cheng Sheng and buried her face in her arms on the table. Thinking of her attitude towards Xiao Peiyin just now, even she herself didn't know why, she inexplicably wanted to distance herself from her, but it would be very sad! Her heart ached...
I don't know why I can't stand Zhang Qiming's embarrassment of her, and I don't know why she feels angry about it. I don't know why I impulsively asked to help her. If I didn't say that, Zhang Qiming wouldn't notice me at all, wouldn't have made such an appointment, wouldn't think back to the past, and it seemed like I really cared about her...
Could it be! Is this really like what Cheng Sheng said, that this feeling is love, that it's a heartbeat? Gu Cunxi was frightened by her own thoughts. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, forcing herself not to think about it. Even if she liked him, so what? Xiao Peiyin was a woman, a person of the same gender as her. She was a wife and a mother... No matter which point she said, it was full of taboos! She couldn't and shouldn't have the slightest thought about such a person!
This... is too immoral. She can't like Xiao Peiyin!
…
Xiao Peiyin was in a complicated mood in the office. She was not angry about Gu Cunxi's coldness towards her, but was even more worried about her...
In the conference room, her expression was so painful and frightened. Xiao Peiyin didn't know what she had been through, but she thought it must have been something very bad...
Thinking back to what she had said in the meeting, Zhang Qiming was speechless and unable to refute it. Her way of thinking about problems and her ability to analyze the market were not like those of an ordinary employee. Zhang Qiming's appointment did not surprise her, but instead frightened her. The fear she showed in the meeting room emerged when Zhang Qiming mentioned the position of marketing director. Was it because she was afraid of the power? Was she firmly rejecting Zhang Qiming's appointment?
Xiao Peiyin kept thinking about what kind of person would be afraid of authority and refuse it...
She thought about it and felt that only those who had been hurt by power would be so afraid and resist...
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became about Gu Cunxi. She could no longer sit still in her chair. She stood up and walked quickly towards the front desk. She saw Gu Cunxi lying quietly on the table as if he had fallen asleep.
Cheng Sheng saw Xiao Peiyin and quietly walked over to her and said, "Sister Cunxi seems to have fallen asleep. She looks very tired. Let her sleep a little longer. It's almost time to get off work. I don't know what's wrong with her, but she seems so exhausted. Just now, the supervisor came over to talk about the annual meeting, but Sister Cunxi ignored him without even looking up. She rarely responds when I talk to her!"
Xiao Peiyin looked at Gu Cunxi and felt distressed and anxious. She didn't know how to comfort her. She sighed helplessly and said to Cheng Sheng, "Let her be quiet for a while. She probably doesn't want to be disturbed now. Wake her up after get off work." Then she turned and walked back to the office.
Her heart felt like a stone was blocking her. Just now in the meeting, she had spoken so harshly to Zhang Qiming, her tone filled with anger. Was it because of her? Her intuition told her that Gu Cunxi was acting like this because of her, but for some reason, she was so cold and denied it...
She couldn't see through her! Sometimes gentle, sometimes distant, and the way she looked at her always had something she couldn't interpret. She would buy her milk tea, but then distance herself in front of Cheng Sheng. In the meeting room, she would help her out, but when faced with her concern, she was extremely indifferent. The more Xiao Peiyin thought about it, the more upset she felt. Gu Cunxi always occupied her thoughts, making her increasingly restless...
The ringing of the cell phone woke Gu Cunxi up. She picked it up and saw that it was Xin Hai calling. Gu Cunxi frowned and picked up the phone.
"Cunxi, is it almost time to get off work?"
"What's the matter?" Gu Cunxi asked in a cold tone.
"Can you have dinner with me tonight? Today... is my birthday!"
Gu Cunxi suddenly remembered and looked at the date. Today was indeed Xin Hai's birthday...
She was silent for a moment and then said, "Okay!"
"Then I'll pick you up. I'm right near your company and will be there soon. Let's eat out tonight. There's a good restaurant nearby!" Xin Hai's tone became obviously cheerful.
"good!"
Hang up the phone
Looking at the black screen, Gu Cunxi sighed. She didn't really want to have dinner with Xin Hai, but today was his birthday, and she couldn't refuse...
Never mind, just a meal
Gu Cunxi raised her hand to check the time. It was almost time to get off work. She sat up and stared at the computer screen in a daze. After a while, she turned off the computer. She didn't know where Cheng Sheng had gone. Just as she was thinking about it, she saw Cheng Sheng and Xiao Peiyin coming out.
"Sister Cunxi, are you awake? Let's go together after get off work!" Cheng Sheng walked to Gu Cunxi's side, put his arm around her, and said softly
Seeing Xiao Peiyin remained silent, Gu Cunxi nodded to Cheng Sheng, picked up his bag, and walked out. None of the three of them spoke in the elevator. It was so quiet that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats...
Soon, the elevator reached the first floor, and Gu Cunxi walked out first. At the company door, she looked at Xin Hai standing there in the distance, frowning slightly, and her steps paused for a moment.
"Looking at the time, I guessed you would be coming out soon. Just when I was thinking about it, you showed up. That's great!" Xin Hai said happily, his tone light as if nothing had happened.
Cheng Sheng and Xiao Peiyin stood there, watching Xin Hai, wondering if he was Gu Cunxi's boyfriend... He was wearing a casual suit, had neat short hair, and was tall and thin. It was obvious that he was very fond of Gu Cunxi. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since the beginning, and a smile was always on his lips. But Xiao Peiyin felt something was amiss. He was clearly smiling, but he came across as a bit cold, especially his eyes, which didn't even hint at a smile...
Xiao Peiyin's pretty eyebrows unconsciously knitted together. For some reason, her first impression of Xin Hai was that he was being hypocritical... Perhaps she was overthinking it. Looking at the man standing next to Gu Cunxi, she felt an inexplicable pang of sadness in her heart...
"Why do you look unwell? Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?" Xin Hai asked worriedly.
Gu Cunxi shook his head and said, "I don't have much of an appetite, so let's just eat something outside and spend your birthday with you."
Seeing Gu Cunxi in such pain, Xin Hai lost the desire to eat. He took off his coat, put it on Gu Cunxi and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home first!"
After saying that, Xin Hai raised his hand and put his arm around Gu Cunxi's frail shoulders, then walked downstairs. Xiao Peiyin watched Gu Cunxi leave, feeling incredibly worried. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the moment the man's arm was around her, Gu Cunxi seemed to struggle slightly, as if trying to shake off the hand. Watching Gu Cunxi get into the man's car and disappear from her sight, Xiao Peiyin stood there in a daze, unable to articulate her feelings. She just kept mumbling...
"Sister Pei Yin, Sister Cunxi's boyfriend seems quite considerate, but I always feel that he is not worthy of Sister Cunxi. It doesn't seem nice to talk about someone behind his back. Forget it, Sister Pei Yin, I'm leaving first!"
Xiao Peiyin listened to Cheng Sheng's mumbling, did not respond, nodded at Cheng Sheng, and turned to leave.
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