How did Lin Yue end up here? I immediately realized - Zhao Yuwei's company had taken on work for the Gu Group education division, so he was most likely accompanying her.



The woman with the Gu Group badge leaned close to Zhao Yuwei's ear and said something. Zhao Yuwei nodded, her gaze sweeping over in my direction. The silver brooch on that woman's lapel had the words "Curriculum R and D Department" engraved on it, flashing once under the chandelier.



Lin Yue stood next to her, holding the orange juice for a long time without taking a sip. His gaze was not on the dessert station - it was on me. To be precise, it was on Gu Lingfeng. His gaze scanned Gu Lingfeng's cufflinks, tie clip, suit tailoring, like someone taking notes.



The next second, Zhao Yuwei's voice drifted over from the side.



"Lin Yue, I asked you to get me a brownie, what are you standing there daydreaming about?"



Turning her head, Zhao Yuwei saw me. She paused, then her gaze moved to Gu Lingfeng next to me, slowly traveling down from his face to stop on the cufflink on his suit sleeve. Platinum inlaid with sapphire. She could not identify the gemstone, but she recognized that price point.



"Su Qing? You're here too?" She looked Gu Lingfeng up and down, a standard social smile hanging on her face. "Last time at the kindergarten gate was too rushed, I didn't get to properly introduce myself."



"My boyfriend." I tightened my grip on Gu Lingfeng's arm. "We've met before."



Zhao Yuwei extended her hand: "Hello, I'm Zhao Yuwei, I do consulting. My company has been cooperating with the Gu Group education division for a long time."



Gu Lingfeng did not extend his hand, only nodded. Then he turned to me, his tone switching from the social channel to the private channel: "Qingqing, the dessert station is over there. Around this time the French chef should be making molten lava cake."



He walked away with his arm around me. Behind us, Zhao Yuwei's hand hung suspended in mid-air, slowly withdrawing. Lin Yue had not made a sound from beginning to end, but the glass cup in his hand was about to be crushed.



I was in front of the dessert station studying which direction to approach the molten lava cake with my spoon when a man's voice came from behind me.



"Su Qing? You're Su Qing?"



Turning around, it was the operations director of Gu Group's education division, surname Zheng, who had come to our kindergarten to discuss cooperation before. At that time, I represented the kindergarten in two meetings with him. The contract was not signed in the end - Gu Group's quoted price was too high, and our kindergarten was a small institution that could not afford it.



"Director Zheng, long time no see."



"What are you doing here? Representing your kindergarten?"



Before I could answer, Director Zheng's gaze had already moved to the person next to me. The wine cup in his hand nearly slipped out.



"G-Gu... President Gu?"



Gu Lingfeng gave a slight nod: "Lao Zheng, I read the due diligence report you did for last week's merger case. The data was very solid. Double-check the equity structure of the third division - the board of directors will be discussing it next week."



"Yes, President Gu. I will verify and revise first thing tomorrow morning."



Director Zheng's expression when he left and looked back at me was like watching a neighborhood pancake stall owner having dinner at the same table as the mayor.



"The molten lava cake should be eaten while hot. Once it cools, the chocolate inside solidifies." Gu Lingfeng leaned down and whispered in my ear.



"That Director Zheng - "



"He had half a year's performance pay deducted last month. But his ability is not bad - it's just that his report writing is poor." He took the spoon from my hand and drew an arc along the edge of the cake. "Cut it like this, the chocolate won't spill everywhere."



He did not mention Director Zheng's reaction at all. Did not mention the merger, did not mention the board of directors, did not mention who he was. He was teaching me how to cut a piece of cake.



When the banquet was dispersing, Zhao Yuwei made a name for me.



She blocked me at the bathroom door. The surrounding area was full of departing guests. She controlled her volume just right - loud enough for the circle of people next to her to hear, but not so loud as to look like she was picking a fight.



"Su Qing, what does your boyfriend do? Just now I heard that director calling him President Gu? Is he with the Gu family? I heard there are quite a few grandsons in the Gu family - which department's junior manager is he? Tell us about it, maybe we'll have opportunities to cooperate in the future."



The smile on her face was the kind I had seen too many times. The knife was already sharpened, just wrapped in a layer called "politeness."



I listened to these three sentences, and my heart skipped a beat. She was probing for his position, his place in the Gu family, his relationship with the Gu Group. This was not gossip. She had asked in three directions, each one stepping on a vital point, as if someone had prepared the questions in advance - her brother Zhao Zheng was in charge of curriculum R and D at the Gu Group, and these directions were all things he could lay out for her.



"He's not a manager. He's..."



I had not finished speaking when someone else picked up for me. The voice came from the corridor corner, not rushed, not slow.



"Her boyfriend is the CEO of the Gu Group. In the board of directors, he votes however he wants, no need to ask for permission. Do you have any more questions you'd like to ask?"



The surrounding area went quiet for about five seconds.



Zhao Yuwei turned her face, looking at the person who was speaking. Gu Lingfeng walked over from the corridor corner, his suit jacket draped over his arm, one button of his shirt collar undone. His expression was very plain, but every word was as precise as a surgical knife.



"I have one more question." Zhao Yuwei was struggling to maintain her facial management, but her voice had already started thinning. "CEO... you are the Gu family's - "



"Gu family's third son, Gu Lingfeng." After he finished speaking, he looked at me once. "Let's go. It's raining outside, the car is parked in B2. Those shoes of yours aren't waterproof."



He pulled me into the elevator. Behind us, Zhao Yuwei's face was blank.



After the elevator doors closed, I realized my fingertips were trembling.



"Why are you trembling?"



"Being interrogated by an ex-boyfriend's current flame - who wouldn't tremble?"



He looked down at my pair of black stilettos: "Are the shoes new?"



"Shen Miao's, borrowed. The heel is chafing my foot."



He suddenly squatted down. In the elevator, wearing a custom suit, he squatted down. He spread his suit jacket on the ground, then gripped my ankle and helped me take off both shoes.



"Step on the clothing. Your heel is broken, don't wear these anymore. There are flats in the car - my cousin left them in the trunk last month. Size 37, should fit perfectly."



The elevator dinged and arrived at the first floor. The doors opened. Standing outside were a group of people waiting for the elevator. Everyone looked at the scene inside the elevator: a man in a suit and leather shoes squatting on the ground, a woman standing barefoot on his suit jacket.



Gu Lingfeng did not even lift his head.



"What are you looking at? Never seen a boyfriend take off his girlfriend's shoes?"



A guest who was holding a phone pressed the shutter.



That evening, that photo went viral inside the Gu Group. The caption read: President Gu squats to take off girlfriend's shoes in China World Trade Center elevator, suit jacket placed under girlfriend's feet.



After I saw the screenshot, I sent a message to Shen Miao: Someone is pushing this photo.



Shen Miao replied in seconds: Not a good thing. The rhythm of this internal dissemination is too coordinated - clearly someone is pushing it from behind.



Then she sent another message: Someone has their eye on you guys.