Chapter 95: Blocking Unwanted Advances
Inside the Office.
Xiao Hua, a regular employee, had once volunteered to take the "fake Mrs. CEO" to Gu Hanling’s office in hopes of working in the CEO’s department.
When he learned about it, Assistant Liu, showing great consideration, arranged for HR to promote her to the CEO's office… as a janitor.
Now working as a janitor, Xiao Hua diligently cleaned with her tools. She was socially adept and had decent relationships with her colleagues.
"Xiao Hua, did you see that? That gorgeous woman is back again!"
A coworker she was familiar with leaned in, lowering their voice, eyes filled with gossip.
"I heard she was alone with Mr. Gu for a long time last time. What do you think their relationship is?"
Xiao Hua forced a smile and shook her head.
"Haha… I don’t know."
She had learned her lesson from meddling last time, which led to her current situation. At least, as a janitor, she could still brag to her family and friends about working on the top floor of Gu Corporation’s headquarters.
Her coworker patted her shoulder and then grinned while pointing toward the conference room entrance.
A curvy female employee in a tight-fitting skirt with voluminous waves in her hair was holding a cup of coffee.
"Isn’t that the new assistant, Lina? She’s really ambitious. Looks like we’re about to see something interesting."
Xiao Hua sighed and continued cleaning. How many people had tried this already just this month?
She had only wanted a promotion, which was why she took the risk before. But she would never dare to have any romantic thoughts about Mr. Gu.
Lina, wearing bold red lipstick and high heels, walked forward with a confident smile. Many men had pursued her, but none were good enough in her eyes. Ever since she was a child, she had dreamed of marrying a wealthy man.
As she saw the conference room door open, she felt both nervous and excited. Ignoring Shen Xi, who was standing next to him, she stepped forward.
"President Gu, I brought you some coffee."
Her voice was soft and sweet, her gaze carrying just the right amount of flirtation.
Without even sparing her a glance, Gu Hanling simply lifted his and Shen Xi’s interlocked hands slightly and replied in an indifferent tone,
"No time."
Lina finally noticed that the two of them had been holding hands the entire time. Her face instantly paled.
She had heard rumors that Gu Hanling and his wife didn’t get along and that he never brought her to the company. She thought this might be her chance.
But now this woman, without even wearing makeup, looked naturally beautiful, even more stunning than a celebrity. Could she be…?
Shen Xi was still being led by Gu Hanling, her thoughts a mess as she instinctively followed him out of the conference room.
As the lighting changed, she suddenly remembered. Outside was the main office area, packed with employees!
And worst of all, Gu Hanling even raised their joined hands, as if making a public statement. Her mouth twitched, and her face instantly turned red.
Big brother, what are you doing? Announcing it to the world?
All around them, employees stared in shock, their eyes locked onto their interlocked hands. Some covered their mouths in disbelief, exchanging glances, but no one dared to gossip out loud at this moment.
Across from them, Lina stood frozen, looking utterly stunned. Her ears buzzed, and she subconsciously stepped back, almost spilling the coffee in her hands.
She quickly lowered her head and stammered an apology to Gu Hanling.
"S-Sorry, President Gu."
Then, realizing her mistake, she immediately turned to Shen Xi and bowed slightly. Her deep V-neck dress shifted with her movement, revealing a subtle glimpse of her figure.
"Sorry, Mrs. Gu, I didn’t mean to interrupt."
Shen Xi, for once, didn’t even bother admiring the view. Instead, she stole a glance at the man beside her.
Gu Hanling hadn’t even spared Lina a single look. His voice was cold as he simply said two words:
"Move aside."
When she heard that, Lina quickly moved out of the way, her hands shaking as she held the coffee.
Seeing that Mr. Gu didn’t deny the title Mrs. Gu, she immediately knew, it was true!
Several longtime employees held back their laughter. Compared to others who had tried to climb the ranks, Lina was probably the most humiliated one yet.
Meanwhile, Shen Xi, still being led by Gu Hanling, finally noticed Lina’s reaction. She glanced back at the woman, then had a sudden realization.
Oh… So this is your master plan, huh, big brother? Holding hands to block unwanted admirers? Brilliant. Another day of shining for your “decorative wife” and her glorious career.
But then, another thought hit her.
Wait a minute, what about when we divorce? How was she supposed to show her face after this?! The employees will label her as ‘the woman CEO Gu abandoned’… Ugh, this is so unfair!
Gu Hanling walked confidently through the executive office area, still holding Shen Xi’s hand.
Nearby employees quickly lowered their heads, pretending to focus on their work, but their eyes kept drifting toward the sight of their CEO walking away, hand-in-hand with a woman.
The air was practically buzzing with gossip.
"Oh my god, this is huge news! So she really is Mr. Gu’s wife? And she’s this beautiful?!"
Finally, one of the female employees couldn’t hold back and whispered to her colleague in a hushed voice.
"Look at her face, it’s all red. So cute!"
A male colleague sighed dramatically.
"Man, forget dinner tonight. This unexpected public display of affection is already too much to handle!"
As they walked, Shen Xi kept hearing employees quietly greeting them.
"Good afternoon, President Gu. Good afternoon, Madam."
She forced a polite smile, nodding in response.
Seeing many employees with expressions like they'd just heard juicy gossip, Shen Xi wanted nothing more than to disappear.
‘Damn it! When is this going to end? I quit this act, okay? Can I stop now?!’
After what felt like an eternity, but was really just a few minutes, they finally reached their destination. A private lounge next to a larger conference room.
In that short walk, Shen Xi felt like she had lived through a lifetime of embarrassment. Being paraded around while holding hands with this man felt as exposing as walking through the office without clothes on.
Finally, Gu Hanling let go of her hand. Her fingers, feeling a bit sore from being held so tightly, tingled as she shook them out. She shot him a quick glare and whispered in protest,
"Why were you gripping so hard? My hand’s practically crushed!"
Hearing her muttering complaints, Gu Hanling simply smiled faintly.
"Wait here."
With that, he left her behind and walked straight into the emergency board meeting, leaving Shen Xi standing there alone.
The board meeting that determined the fate of all the Wu family executives ended in just ten minutes.
What Shen Xi didn’t know was that Gu Hanling had originally planned to use more aggressive tactics to force the board into agreeing with his proposal, given that they had already lost their collaboration with the European country.
However, with Shen Xi’s special connection to the European royal family and her decision to take on the design collaboration, his plan went through effortlessly.
…………………………………
On the Way Home.
Both of them sat in the backseat of the car, with enough space between them for another person to sit. The atmosphere felt… complicated.
"You must be deeply in love," Gu Hanling suddenly said, letting out a cold chuckle laced with faint sarcasm.
Shen Xi was caught off guard. She turned to look at him, confused. Their eyes met, but his gaze was deep and unreadable.
"You abandoned your own father… just for that Shi guy."
Hearing this, Shen Xi pursed her lips and turned her head away, staring out the window at the passing city lights. She didn’t bother to respond.
The rest of the ride was silent.
At the Villa.
Gu Hanling, acting as if nothing had happened, seriously instructed the chef to prepare the newly researched dishes.
Although the chef was a little surprised, her high emotional intelligence told her not to ask questions. She simply nodded and got to work.
…………………………………
Late at Night.
For once, Gu Hanling didn’t insist on sleeping in the same room as her, which Shen Xi was more than happy about.
She took out an old jade bracelet from the safe and sat on the bed, carefully examining it with a thoughtful expression.
"Little jade bracelet, has big brother forgotten about you? In that case… I'm going to hide you and keep you for myself!"
She carefully put it back. Since she would be gone for two or three months for filming, she didn’t plan on bringing it with her.
After taking a shower, Shen Xi stepped out of the bathroom barefoot, warm steam still clinging to her skin.
Wrapped in nothing but a bath towel, she casually walked towards the bed.
However, just as she reached the bedside, she heard the sound of the door being pushed open...