Unraveled

Talking Back

Yun Hui, from the business side, froze for a moment. She wanted to say "It's really not a big deal", but in the end she kept silent.

The long conference table was filled with members from other teams, and everyone noticed something off in Mr. Wu's tone. They watched as Gu Quan lowered her eyes and apologized meekly,

"Sorry, Mr. Wu. It was my oversight. It won't happen again. If I make another mistake like this, it would mean I've violated the company's professional code of conduct, and I'll resign immediately."

Her words were so firm and final that Mr. Wu couldn't keep pressing. He let it drop, and Gu Quan began her report.

But the process was far from easy. Mr. Wu deliberately picked on her, criticizing every detail. Gu Quan just smiled, taking the blame each time. She absorbed his attacks like soft cotton candy—squeezed and reshaped, but never broken.

At the side, Gong Sheng held his breath, secretly impressed by her composure.

The meeting felt like a battlefield, and when it finally ended, everyone packed up and left. Mr. Wu closed his laptop but didn't move from his seat. In a low voice, he said,

"Gu Quan, stay behind. I need a word with you."

She sat back down. When the door shut again, only the two of them remained.

Mr. Wu fixed her with a cold stare, cleared his throat, and said,

"Gu Quan, I think you already know what I want to talk about. Lately, some rumors in the company haven't been very pleasant. You and I both know there's nothing between us, but upper management takes these things seriously. It affects company culture and morale. After some discussion with them, and after reviewing your overall performance… well, your project's results these past two months have been at the bottom. Sure, client budget cuts are part of it, but from the operations side, you haven't shown enough initiative to fight for that budget."

Gu Quan cursed silently in her heart, but she moved faster than his words, cutting him off before he could suggest pushing her out.

"Mr. Wu, I've been negotiating with clients about budgets all along. To say I haven't put in effort feels rather unfair, don't you think?" She smiled softly, but her words carried weight. "If you're worried that office gossip might affect things, I can request a transfer to the North China Division downstairs. We wouldn't run into each other as much, which should ease concerns. Of course, even if I moved downstairs, as long as your mistress is still right under your nose, who knows when the rumors might start up again?"

The flesh on Mr. Wu's face twitched, his expression darkening with barely contained anger.

"What do you mean by that?"

Gu Quan's pale, refined face remained serene. In a low voice, she said,

"Your relationship with Liang Xixi—I'd be very interested in bringing it up the next time your wife stops by to drop off dinner."

Leaving the company had been on her mind lately. But since she'd been dragged into the mud for no reason, she decided she might as well fight back, squeeze the little snakes until they squirmed, and then make her exit.

Every time Gu Quan used the office restroom, she imagined overhearing her colleagues gossiping, like in a TV drama. Strangely enough, it never happened. TV shows were too fake—people didn't actually gather in bathrooms to talk about scandals.

Gu Quan wasn't some cunning office veteran, but she had been around long enough. The affair between Mr. Wu and Liang Xixi was well-hidden, yet she'd noticed plenty. Why else had Liang Xixi been handed a big project less than a month after Mr. Wu transferred to the East China Division? Why had she received raises for two quarters in a row?

And though Liang Xixi lived quite a distance from the office, why was it that so many times, just ten minutes after Mr. Wu arrived, she would clock in as well—half an hour earlier than her usual time?

Sitting on the toilet, scrolling through her social feed, Gu Quan congratulated herself for her sharp eyes and clever deductions.

She didn't actually want to antagonize her direct superior. But sometimes, there was no other choice.

After nearly twenty minutes of slacking off, she was about to flush and pretend she'd finished when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Yuan Ye.

"Free tonight? Wanna go clubbing?"