A bright, sunny afternoon.
In the glass conservatory of the Gu Family villa, bathed in warm sunlight, there was a scene of peaceful tranquility.
Gu Qingcheng was leaning back in a lounge chair, engrossed in a parenting book.
Suddenly, a soft patter of footsteps broke the silence.
Her personal maid hurried in, reporting with a slightly odd expression:
"Miss, your good friend, Miss Ye Shuying, has come to visit."
"However, Miss Ye looks like she's not doing too well."
Shuying?
Gu Qingcheng put down her book, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Wasn't she busy with work recently? Why did she have time to look for her?
And, not doing too well?
Though Gu Qingcheng had some doubts, she immediately ordered:
"Quick! Please invite her in!"
Soon, Ye Shuying entered the room, led by the maid.
When Gu Qingcheng saw her best friend's appearance at that moment, she couldn't help but be greatly surprised!
The Ye Shuying before her bore no resemblance to the calm, capable, astute, and decisive financial talent she usually was.
She was wearing a slightly disheveled business suit, even her buttons were askew, as if she had hastily tidied herself.
Her beautiful face, usually as exquisite as a work of art, now showed obvious fatigue and thinly veiled grievance.
Her eyes were a little red, as if she had just cried, or was strongly holding back tears.
Her gaze, even more uncharacteristically, held a hint of fragility and stubbornness.
"Shuying! What happened to you?"
Gu Qingcheng quickly stood up, hurried over, and took Ye Shuying's cold hand, her voice filled with concern.
"What happened? Come, sit down and tell me!"
But... just as she took Ye Shuying's hand and helped her to a chair.
The scene from the charity auction dinner flashed involuntarily through her mind.
Ye Shuying had attended as the female companion of President Xiao of Longteng Group, that arrogant man who had bid against Lu Cheng for a broken pot!
Lu Cheng had also reminded her more than once that the man named Xiao Zhan was no good, with a complicated background and erratic behavior, urging her to be extra careful.
Even... to be wary of her good best friend if necessary.
Could it be?
A trace of vigilance instinctively rose in Gu Qingcheng's heart.
But when she saw Ye Shuying's disheveled appearance, so pitiful and feigning strength, that tiny bit of doubt was instantly replaced by deep heartache and worry.
After all, they had been best friends since college, knowing each other intimately and sharing everything!
No matter what, she couldn't just stand by and watch her best friend suffer grievances.
Ye Shuying looked at Gu Qingcheng's worried eyes and heard her anxious tone.
Her eyes reddened, and two streams of clear tears instantly fell like broken pearls, uncontrollably rolling down her cheeks.
Her voice, thick with sobs and unrestrained anger, choked out, as she began to recount her "tragic experience" to Gu Qingcheng, disjointedly.
"Qingcheng, boo hoo hoo... I was fired by that bastard!"
"Fired?"
Gu Qingcheng's eyebrows shot up in anger, indignantly asking, "Which bastard? That Xiao Zhan?"
Ye Shuying nodded, filled with grief and indignation, as she sobbed and recounted the events intermittently:
Ever since the last charity auction, when that idiot Xiao Zhan spent 120 million to buy a "broken pot" and became the laughingstock of the entire upper-class society of Modu.
He had vented all his resentment and anger on her, his "ineffective" assistant!
"He said... it was all because of my mistake! That I didn't remind him in time, which caused huge economic losses to the group!"
"I clearly reminded him at the time, but he didn't listen to me!"
At this point, Ye Shuying became even more emotional, because she really had reminded him!
It was that crazy Dragon King who had completely ignored her advice at the time!
"Then I argued with him! I was just telling the truth, and he..."
"He pointed at my nose and cursed at me! Said I was a traitor! And even suspected I was a commercial spy!"
"Then he fired me!"
"He was truly completely unreasonable."
She deliberately emphasized Xiao Zhan's unreasonableness, arrogance, tendency to vent his anger on others, and the irreconcilable fierce conflict between them.
She perfectly portrayed herself as a pitiful victim who was brutally suppressed and retaliated against by an unscrupulous boss for standing her ground.
After listening to her tearful complaint, an unknown fire instantly flared up in Gu Qingcheng's heart!
This Xiao Zhan insisted on competing with Lu Cheng for that broken pot before!
Now that he lost money, he blames her good best friend?
She already had no good impression of Xiao Zhan.
Now, hearing how he was so harsh, heartless, and unreasonable even to his subordinate, her good best friend, made her even angrier!
This Xiao Zhan is simply a lunatic!
A mad dog! Biting everyone!
She quickly reached out and gently patted Ye Shuying's shoulders, which were trembling slightly from her sobs, and comforted her softly:
"That's too much! This Xiao Zhan is not a good person! He's simply a mad dog!"
"Shuying, don't be sad! He's not worth it!"
"It's good to leave such a trash company! Saves you from putting up with his nonsense every day!"
"Looking at his character, that Longteng Group will sooner or later be ruined by him!"
Because of their shared, intense dislike and contempt for Xiao Zhan.
That tiny bit of vigilance and wariness she had previously felt towards Ye Shuying instantly vanished!
After all, Lu Cheng reminded her to guard against Xiao Zhan, and her best friend was a victim hurt by Xiao Zhan.
Therefore, her best friend should now be an ally on the same front as her, both opposing Xiao Zhan!
Gu Qingcheng immediately took charge, patting her chest as she told Ye Shuying:
"Shuying! Don't worry! With me here, you will never suffer any grievance in Modu!"
"As for work, leave it to me! With your ability, what kind of job can't you find?"
"You stay with me for a few days, rest well, and adjust your mood."
"Don't worry about anything else, I'll arrange it for you!"
Ye Shuying immediately showed a touched expression upon hearing Gu Qingcheng's righteous promise.
She tightly held Gu Qingcheng's hand, her voice still thick with sobs and embarrassment.
"Qingcheng, thank you. Really, you are so good to me."
"But, I don't want to trouble you too much, I..."
The more sensible, strong, and unwilling she appeared to trouble her friend.
The more Gu Qingcheng felt sorry for her, the more she felt she had suffered a huge grievance, and the more she wanted to help her!