Meng Shutang went straight to the studio first thing. She printed the revised proposal and told Ruan An to deliver it to Gu Yunci when she had time.
Ruan An didn't waste a second—she finished her current task and headed straight to the Gu Group building.
When she reached the CEO's office on the 28th floor, she didn't knock three times like she usually did. She knocked once, and the second she heard a response from inside, she shoved the door open, her tone sharp and cold.
"Mr. Gu. Our CEO Meng sent me to deliver this."
The girl was usually a bright, bubbly ball of sunshine, but today she was all sharp edges, radiating don't-talk-to-me energy.
Gu Yunci was bent over his desk, signing documents. He glanced up, noticing her foul mood. "Leave it there."
Ruan An said nothing. She bent down and set the file on the far edge of his desk, as far from him as she could get. Then she stared down at her shoes, jaw tight.
Gu Yunci saw she hadn't left out of the corner of his eye. "Is there something else?"
"You need to look it over," Ruan An said. "Tell me if we need to talk to your legal team. I don't want you saying Starlight is cutting corners or taking advantage of Gu Group the second I leave."
Qin Zheng frowned at her huffy, snappish tone. "Miss Ruan, has Gu Group done something to offend you? Why the attitude?"
Ruan An shot back, "Qin Zheng, don't act like I'm not here for work. You're the one nitpicking my attitude, not the work."
Her tone sharpened. "Oh, and speaking of attitude? You were real polite yesterday when you shoved that huge bouquet of champagne roses at me, saying they were for our CEO Meng. Turns out you sent them to the wrong person! You're the assistant to the CEO of a massive corporation, and you mess up something that simple? You should be ashamed! Unlike you, I only care about work when I'm on the clock. Attitude is the last thing I worry about."
Qin Zheng's face went cold, but he had no comeback.
Gu Yunci cut in, defusing the tension. He closed the file, stood up, and handed it back to Ruan An. "Go tell Miss Meng the proposal is perfect. No need to involve legal."
Ruan An broke into a bright grin, taking the file. "Thank you, Mr. Gu! You're the best."
She shot Qin Zheng a scathing look. "Unlike some people who can't even deliver flowers to the right person."
With that, she skipped out of the office.
In the office, Qin Zheng stood there dumbfounded, looking hurt and wrongfooted, like a kicked puppy. Gu Yunci's brows relaxed, a faint, amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He shot Qin Zheng a look, half exasperated, half teasing.
The people Meng Shutang trained were certainly something else.
But then the image of Meng Shutang's face, and the ancient pearl necklace around her neck, flashed through his mind. His smile vanished instantly. He sat down and went back to his work, his focus sharp and unyielding.
Ruan An headed back to the studio. "Sister Tangtang, I delivered the proposal. Mr. Gu loved it, even said he was sorry I made the trip for nothing. But Qin Zheng? Total idiot. Wastes that pretty face of his."
Meng Shutang could picture exactly what had gone down in Gu Yunci's office. She smiled, saying nothing.
At noon, Meng Shutang went to a private kitchen in the nearby mall for lunch. Ruan An was busy, so she went alone.
Of course, the second she walked in, she saw Bai Cixian.
Meng Shutang turned to leave on instinct.
"Miss Meng! What a nice surprise. Come eat with me!" Bai Cixian stood up, inviting her over.
Meng Shutang knew this confrontation was coming. She hesitated for a split second, then walked over and sat down across from her, back straight and unflinching.
Bai Cixian handed her a pair of chopsticks, her voice sweet. "I just came from Yunci's office. He said the revised proposal is amazing, especially the clever addition of the chrysanthemum exhibition. Brilliant work."
Meng Shutang smiled faintly, not even lifting her eyes. "Of course it is. I pulled two all-nighters to revise it. Mr. Gu has good taste—he's praising the person who actually did the work."
Bai Cixian's smile faltered. "I've noticed you leave work really early these days. Your studio lights are off by the time I head downstairs. Did you revise the proposal at home?"
Meng Shutang nodded. "That's right. In the attic on the third floor."
Bai Cixian smiled behind her teacup, her fingers brushing the delicate porcelain. A waitress came over to take their order. They each grabbed a menu, and Bai Cixian glanced at Meng Shutang over the top of hers, her voice sweet with malice.
"You know, Yunci brought me here first. Their sizzling tofu is incredible. I bet you've never tried it, right? After all, Yunci said he's never brought anyone else here but me."
Once, Meng Shutang's chest would have ached at the words. But now, she smiled, her tone icy. "He never brought me here because the sizzling tofu has chili, and I don't eat spicy food. But honestly, Miss Bai, if you're memorizing every single place he takes you? That just means he hasn't taken you to nearly enough. Unlike me—I have so many memories with him, I can't even keep count anymore."
The waitress had seen it all, and she instantly recognized what was happening—a mistress trying to one-up the wife. She stared at Bai Cixian, openly amused.
Bai Cixian's face went white with humiliation. She quickly ordered a few dishes and handed the menu back to the waitress, eager to change the subject.
"Let's drop it."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, deliberately flashing the bracelet on her wrist.
Meng Shutang expected it to be the expensive one Gu Yunci had bought her at the cultural town mall. She glanced over casually—and froze.
The bracelet wasn't fancy at all. It was a simple, vintage piece, with a small, worn silver camellia charm hanging from it.
She'd seen an identical one before. It had belonged to her father, Meng Zhibang.
The camellia petal had a chip in it—and the chip on Bai Cixian's charm was in the exact same spot.
She'd asked her father about it once, when she was little. He'd said a friend had given it to him when he was young. She'd teased him, "Is it a love token?"
He'd said nothing. She'd laughed and jumped up, "I'm gonna tell Mom!" He'd grabbed her, panicking. She'd hugged him, giggling. "I'm kidding! I won't tell Mom. But you need to hide it better, so she doesn't see it."
She'd all but forgotten about it over the years. She never thought she'd see it again on Bai Cixian's wrist.
Could Bai Cixian be the daughter of her father's old lover? Was that why he'd ignored her and her mother all these years?
Meng Shutang couldn't breathe. She grabbed Bai Cixian's wrist, her voice sharp and desperate. "Tell me. Where did you get this bracelet?"
Bai Cixian didn't flinch at her outburst. She met Meng Shutang's blazing, furious gaze with her usual soft, innocent smile. "It's mine, of course."
"You're lying!" Meng Shutang stood up, her aura sharp and unyielding. "Tell me where you got it! Now!"
Bai Cixian shot to her feet too, and her hand landed in her teacup as she stumbled. She gasped in pain as the boiling water scalded her pale skin, her fingers turning bright red instantly.
She shoved Meng Shutang away hard. "I just remembered I have somewhere to be. Enjoy your meal alone."
With that, she grabbed her bag and ran out.
Meng Shutang stared at Bai Cixian's fleeing back, her eyes dark, her fingers clenched so tight her knuckles went white.
That was her father's bracelet. She'd know it anywhere.
She fumbled in her bag for her phone, ready to call Meng Zhibang and demand answers. But right then, her phone rang. It was Nurse Li from Jiangcheng Hospital.
"Miss Meng… it's your mother. She's dying."
With her mother on her deathbed and a family-shattering secret exposed, could she ever recover from this double blow?