Chapter 5: Still Let Teacher Meng Come With Me

The next day.

After breakfast, Meng Shutang left the old residence. She had documents at Qian Shui Wan, so she went home first.

As a result, she ran into Gu Yunci at the entryway, just as he was about to head out.

Auntie Zhang and Sister-in-Law Li were cleaning up—it was obvious they had eaten breakfast at home.

She was a bit surprised. Wasn't he supposed to be taking care of Bai Cixian? Why was he here?

The thought flashed by in an instant. She didn't dwell on it, changed her shoes, and went clip-clop-clop upstairs.

Auntie Zhang asked if she had eaten, and she said she had.

She grabbed her things and came back downstairs. Gu Yunci was still there.

She had a bad premonition, feeling that he had something to say to her. Sure enough, the two of them got into the car.

The man spoke unhurriedly, "You really have your tricks. Playing the helpless, fragile act with me on one hand, while on the other, you go to the old lady to find a backer.

To trample Cixian down, you'd even resort to such underhanded tactics!"

It turned out that last night, after the old lady finished scolding him to his face, she quietly had the steward teach Bai Cixian a little lesson.

The steward always handled things reliably—nothing that would break bones or tear tendons. He simply made Bai Cixian understand that Gu Yunci was a married man, and that the doors of the Gu family were not open to just anyone.

While Bai Cixian was driving to the airport, she got "accidentally" bumped.

The thermos in the cup holder tipped and spilled, and the scalding hot water splashed onto her legs, leaving a patch of red, swollen blisters.

By the time Gu Yunci rushed to the scene, the steward had already left.

Bai Cixian threw her arms around Gu Yunci. "Brother Yunci, my leg is burned. It looks like I won't be able to host that out-of-town conference."

Meng Shutang listened with a face full of bewilderment. She had no idea about the old lady's arrangements at all. "President Gu, you've misunderstood."

"Actually, you don't need to go through all this trouble."

Saying that, Gu Yunci turned his head, his eyes dark and sinister. "The old lady told me last night, told me not to divorce you for now.

So there's no need to be so impatient. The title of Young Madam Gu is still yours for the time being."

Meng Shutang felt suffocated. "President Gu, the title of Young Madam Gu was never something I wanted."

"You didn't want it? Then why did you work so hard a month ago to win the collaboration with the Gu Clan?"

Meng Shutang said nothing more, only lowering her head in grievance.

"For today's Wenlüxiaozhen conference, if you dare make any mistake, or let Cixian suffer the slightest grievance, you can forget about working on this project."

Meng Shutang clutched the proposal in her hands tightly, her eyes stinging and burning.

Starlight Studio was located in a corner of the Gu Clan building's podium.

The reason she had chosen this location back then was simply to be closer to Gu Yunci.

Whether in the office or the work area, she could see the Gu Clan's logo just by looking up, or when working late at night, she could stare at the light in his office and giggle foolishly.

But now, she only felt that she was stupidly ridiculous.

For the next forty-seven days, she would probably have to witness the deep affection and ambiguity between Gu Yunci and Bai Cixian.

She didn't return to the studio, but went directly to the seventh floor of the Gu Clan building.

Before entering the conference room, she spotted Bai Cixian from afar, chatting with everyone.

In the somewhat chilly late autumn, Bai Cixian wore a white slim-fit knit top on her upper body, her chest slightly rising.

On her lower body was a camel-colored skirt, the hem barely covering her knees, revealing a stretch of slender, fair, well-proportioned calf.

The red marks from last night's scalding hot water were faintly visible.

"Supervisor Bai, you're really pushing yourself too hard—coming to work even when you're injured!"

"Supervisor Bai's legs are so nice. No wonder whenever she goes to the cafeteria, the men's eyes are like they're glued on, staring straight at her legs."

When Meng Shutang walked in, she saw a colleague pulling Bai Cixian's work badge over to look at it.

"Supervisor Bai, where is this? Your hometown? What a big pagoda tree!"

At the mention of the pagoda tree, Meng Shutang's heart gave a thump. She tilted her head slightly and glanced over.

When she saw that photo, her footsteps paused involuntarily.

This was the garden of the Meng family's old residence. How did Bai Cixian have this photo?

Bai Cixian caught sight of her from the corner of her eye and casually took it back from the colleague's hand. "My mom said she used to visit this house often. She took the photo as a keepsake for me."

Hearing this, Meng Shutang's doubts were dispelled. In her final years, her grandmother had been bedridden, had a terrible temper, and the household frequently changed servants. People also often came to visit.

Bai Cixian was probably some relative's daughter!

Meng Shutang carried her laptop to a corner and sat down. A moment later, Gu Yunci also came in.

The interval between them made it seem as if the two had agreed to arrive one after the other.

He entered and took the main seat. The commanding presence of someone in authority instantly plunged the bustling conference room into a deathly silence.

Meng Shutang looked at him, her heart leaping straight to her throat.

He normally didn't involve himself with this project, leaving it entirely to the Cultural Tourism Department.

The Cultural Tourism Department manager was on maternity leave, so the actual decision-maker was Bai Cixian.

"Did he come today just to kick me out?"

Meng Shutang thought to herself, fraught with anxiety.

She was still counting on this project to earn money for her mother's medical treatment!

In stark contrast to her was Bai Cixian.

When Bai Cixian saw Gu Yunci arrive, the smile at the corners of her lips was impossible to suppress, nearly reaching her eyebrows.

"We can begin."

The man's fingers tapped lightly on the conference table as he looked at Bai Cixian.

Bai Cixian cast an imperceptible glance at Meng Shutang in the corner, bit her lip, and stood up. Supported by her assistant, she limped over to the podium.

Her appearance was so delicate, like a camellia in the wind.

The large screen bore the words "Gu Clan Cultural Tourism Department Quarterly Project Advancement Meeting." Bai Cixian was confident and radiant, speaking with easy fluency.

Finally, she commented, "Our Gu Clan aspires to create a viral check-in spot for Wenlüxiaozhen, yet this proposal is the exact opposite — the entire thing is just introducing the patina restoration techniques of ancient beads and tracing the origins of astral patterns.

Tourists come to us to have fun, not to attend an archaeology class.

After this many revisions, I see Teacher Meng still hasn't grasped the positioning!" Finishing, she turned her eyes to Gu Yunci. "President Gu, I suggest we choose another studio to work with?"

Gu Yunci said nothing, turning his gaze to Meng Shutang in the corner.

Everyone read Gu Yunci's look and immediately saw that he did not like this designer.

"I think it's mediocre too — no highlights, just popular science knowledge. I was lost in the clouds listening to it."

"Is Starlight Studio trying to use the Gu Clan's platform to gild themselves?"

Meng Shutang didn't argue. Meeting everyone's gaze, she walked slowly to the front of the room.

Neither humble nor arrogant, she took the laser pointer from Bai Cixian's hand. "Many of the check-in spots on the market now are fleeting flashes, and what we want to do is 'differentiation.'

The advantage of 'Millennium Starshine' is precisely that archaeological feel that Manager Bai just mentioned."

Saying so, she pointed at the star pattern. "The astral chart on this ancient bead corresponds exactly to the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Han dynasty.

I've created an interactive exhibit in this area — tourists can scan a code to find which ancient star corresponds to their zodiac sign, and they can also try ancient bead rubbing themselves. Isn't this a selling point that no one else can copy?"

She paused. "As for the patina restoration technique, we'll make it a transparent display case with live demonstrations of the restoration process. Based on my experience, this activity itself is also very eye-catching."

Bai Cixian's face suddenly went pale. Meng Shutang gave her no chance to object, walking to the window and pulling the curtains shut, then raising her hand and clicking off the conference room lights as she returned.

She clicked the presentation, and the dormant ancient beads on the display shelf suddenly lit up.

"The design inspiration comes from the Ice and Snow World — ice sculptures refract colors when they encounter light after dark, and the patterns on these ancient beads actually hide the same secret."

Intense purple, lustrous white, molten-gold red, soft pink — flickering on and off, weaving a river of flowing light and dazzling color in the darkness.

Bai Cixian's expression grew even uglier.

Scattered murmurs of agreement rose from the audience.

"Only now do I understand why Manager Wang insisted on working with Starlight — truly an eye for talent."

"It was President Gu, wasn't it? I heard it was President Gu who chose Starlight."

……

Meng Shutang's voice rang out in the conference room again. "This way, whether day or night, the visitor flow to Wenlüxiaozhen will be endless."

Bai Cixian was about to open her mouth to argue when Gu Yunci, at the head seat, suddenly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop. "Not bad."

Bai Cixian's imminent words of rebuttal came to an abrupt halt and she swallowed them back.

Just then, Qin Zheng pushed the door open and entered. "President Gu, there's a call from Wenlüxiaozhen — they say something unexpected happened and want you to go over and take a look."

Bai Cixian said, "President Gu, I'll go with you."

Gu Yunci said, "If you leave, what about the work here?"

"Qiao Mo and the others are here, and besides, Teacher Meng is here too."

Since Gu Yunci had just praised Meng Shutang anyway, she went with the flow to show her own agreement.

"No need," the man turned his eyes to Meng Shutang at the podium,

"I'll have Teacher Meng come with me instead. Teacher Meng is a professional and has more experience with the implementation of ancient bead displays."

With that, the man slipped one hand into his pocket and walked out of the conference room.

Meng Shutang was stunned for a moment — she hadn't expected the man to take her along.

But she quickly recovered, grabbed her laptop, and left.

Bai Cixian's smile froze on her face. In a voice only she herself could hear, she said, "Meng Shutang, don't get smug too early! All of this has only just begun!"