Chapter 4

Xiao An carefully closed the door.
“Miss…” she whispered. “I just saw Second Miss coming out of your room. You… nothing happened between you two, did it?”

In the dim light, she saw her young miss sitting cross-legged on the bed, her face slightly flushed and the hem of her dress somewhat disheveled.
Oh no. Miss was so angry that even her face had turned red… The two of them could not have gotten into a fight just now, could they?

“Nothing happened,” Gu Nianxi replied sullenly. “She was just… applying medicine…”

Xiao An’s expression changed drastically. “You’re injured, Miss?”

“It’s only a minor injury. Don’t worry about it.”
Gu Nianxi felt somewhat troubled.
Everything that had happened today had completely changed her impression of Bai Jin.

She had always believed that Bai Jin had no heart.
She was the kind of person who would never stop for anyone, forever marching toward her goal.

In her previous life, Gu Nianxi had done so many terrible things to her. If even one of them had been done to Gu Nianxi, she would have resented that person for the rest of her life.
Yet Bai Jin had always remained indifferent, as though nothing Gu Nianxi did was worth taking to heart—just as a person would never pay attention to what an ant beneath their feet was doing.

That indifference had pierced Gu Nianxi’s heart countless times, driving her into a frenzy. She had wanted to tear away that calm expression and force its owner to recognize exactly whose love and attention, wealth and status she had taken away.

But today, Gu Nianxi had suddenly discovered that Bai Jin… actually seemed rather easy to get along with.
She carefully searched through her memories. During the month since Bai Jin returned to the Gu family, Gu Nianxi’s misdeeds had included, but were not limited to: deliberately giving the tailor Bai Jin’s incorrect measurements so that she could only wear Gu Nianxi’s old clothes;
begging Gu Hongzhuo and Jiang Man not to reveal Bai Jin’s identity as the Gu family’s daughter yet, then having her lackeys spread rumors that Bai Jin was an illegitimate daughter;
knowing that Bai Jin was lactose intolerant, yet deliberately instructing the household cook to make dairy-based breakfasts so that Bai Jin could only eat Gu Nianxi’s leftover dairy-free bread rolls;
pretending to be an affectionate sister in public, only to grab Bai Jin by the collar and threaten her in private;
and deliberately abandoning Bai Jin at the party.

Although only a month had passed, the list went on and on. Gu Nianxi felt that after everything she had done, Bai Jin’s decision not to retaliate was already generous. Improving their relationship should have been nothing more than a fantasy.
Yet today, Gu Nianxi had only shown the slightest intention of defending her, and Bai Jin had actually come to her room of her own accord to apply medicine for her…

Her behavior had even given Gu Nianxi the illusion that Bai Jin stolen content was trying to please her.
The thought made her shudder—please her? That Bai Jin?
It was too absurd.

“Xiao An, what do you think of Bai Jin?” she asked.

“She’s a bad person who came to take part of the family fortune away from you.”

Gu Nianxi was momentarily rendered speechless by her simplistic reasoning. “That’s not what I mean. Setting her identity aside, what do you think of her as a person?”

“Hmm…” Xiao An thought carefully. “She’s quiet.”

“If I wanted to get along with her, do you think she would accept me?”

Had Miss finally come around?
Xiao An nodded. “Of course she would!”
How could anyone bear to reject Miss? Miss was so adorable… If anyone rejected her, the problem was definitely with them.

*

The next day.

Inside the spacious conference room, a manager from Hongsheng Company and two project representatives spread the proposals across the table for the two young ladies to choose from.

Gu Nianxi swept her gaze over the proposals, immediately skipping the ones whose names she could not remember and looking toward a project in the upper-left corner.
It was a resort project. The Gu Group had recently acquired the parcel of land. A large portion had already been allocated for development, and they planned to use the smaller remaining section to build a resort.
The Gu Group had handled similar projects before, and the proposal in front of them was already extremely comprehensive. It essentially promised substantial profits with minimal risk. The only drawback was its lengthy timeline—it would take at least six months and possibly as long as a year before the project could be completed.

Gu Nianxi knew that the project’s profits would far exceed its current projections. Bai Jin had ultimately transformed the resort into a branded film park developed in partnership [Read on BaiLianTales]with a commercial IP, earning an enormous fortune. That project had also become the foundation of Bai Jin’s business empire.

She listened impatiently to the manager’s introduction.
This was merely a formality. If she did not take it, Bai Jin would undoubtedly choose the resort project in the end.

As the manager droned on, Gu Nianxi’s mind began to wander from sheer boredom.
After a while, she noticed Bai Jin’s gaze resting upon her.

Gu Nianxi was accustomed to being watched. Whenever the Gu family’s only daughter appeared at any event in Jing City, she inevitably became the center of attention, especially when she possessed such dazzling beauty.
But that did not mean Gu Nianxi enjoyed being stared at.
People looked at her with admiration, longing, curiosity, or covetousness. Whatever the reason, their gazes always carried an invisible pressure that frequently left Gu Nianxi irritated.

But Bai Jin’s gaze was different from everyone else’s.
Like Bai Jin herself, her gaze was gentle, tranquil, and utterly nonthreatening, untainted by any unnecessary implications. Being immersed in such a gaze only made one feel relaxed.

Did she find the presentation boring too?
A mischievous impulse stirred within Gu Nianxi. She abruptly turned her head and caught Bai Jin’s gaze with perfect accuracy.

Bai Jin’s irises were very pale. Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and shone into her eyes, blending their light color into something with the rich texture of caramel. They reminded Gu Nianxi of an exquisite canelé she had once eaten during afternoon tea.

Bai Jin calmly met her gaze before looking away.

Gu Nianxi pursed her lips inwardly. How boring.

The manager’s lengthy explanation happened to end at that moment.
He cleared his throat. “Young ladies, you may consider which project you would like to select. If you have any questions about a particular project, you can ask your respective representatives directly. From now on, they will be managing the projects alongside you.”

He sighed inwardly. Neither of these privileged young ladies looked remotely promising. One had spent the presentation daydreaming, while the other had spent it staring at the one who was daydreaming.

The Eldest Miss was one thing, but even the Second Miss, whom Chairman Gu had specifically instructed him to look after, had not been paying attention. stolen content How was he supposed to explain this to Chairman Gu?

Gu Nianxi looked at Bai Jin. “You choose first.”

Bai Jin would undoubtedly choose that project. Gu Nianxi swept her gaze around the table and decided to select something at random once Bai Jin had finished.

Bai Jin lowered her eyes, glanced over the proposals on the table, and picked one up.
“I choose this one.”

Gu Nianxi froze.
Bai Jin had not selected the resort project.

Bai Jin put away the unremarkable project she had chosen, then picked up the resort proposal and handed it to Gu Nianxi.
“Sister, this project is quite good. You could give this one a try.”

Gu Nianxi accepted it instinctively.

The manager smiled. “Since both young ladies have made their selections, we can—”

“Wait.” Gu Nianxi stopped him. “Uncle, please take everyone outside and let us consider it on our own.”

The manager thought, What is there to consider? Second Miss has already left the best project for you…

But since Gu Nianxi had spoken, he could only lead the others out.
Only Gu Nianxi and Bai Jin remained in the empty conference room.

Bai Jin lowered her eyes, seemingly unsure of what Gu Nianxi wanted to say.
Gu Nianxi crossed her arms and remained silent for [bailiantales.com]a moment. “Why did you give this project to me?”

This was clearly the most important project at the beginning of Bai Jin’s business career.

Bai Jin was far too intelligent not to recognize the project’s value.
Yet she had simply handed it over…

Had she lost her mind, all because Gu Nianxi had shown her the slightest goodwill yesterday?

Gu Nianxi could not describe what she was feeling. Amid the chaos of her emotions, the only thing she could seize upon was her anger.

She attributed that anger to feeling insulted by Bai Jin. For someone as shrewd as Bai Jin to surrender the project to her, she either suspected that Gu Nianxi had sabotaged it or pitied her and was deliberately letting her have it. Neither possibility sat well with Gu Nianxi.

Bai Jin raised her head and looked at Gu Nianxi.
Gu Nianxi was angry again.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her fury made her entire presence vivid and radiant.

“Because Sister kept looking at this project earlier,” she replied unhurriedly.
“Hah, so you decided to give it to me?”
“No, I didn’t give it to you,” Bai Jin said. “It was supposed to be Sister’s in the first place.”

Gu Nianxi grabbed her by the collar.

Her fragrance rushed into Bai Jin’s nose, making her breath hitch.

“Bai Jin.” The young woman’s eyes were dark and bright, her words brimming with anger. “Stop putting on an act! You should know that you’re smarter than I am, that your mind works faster, and that you’re the Gu family’s biological daughter! You should be the one handling this project. You’re the one who can make the most of it!
“You know perfectly well that this is a good project, yet you still handed it to me. Are you stupid? Or do you think I need your charity? I don’t want it! Hmph, or do you think I’m trying to harm you? Even if I am, can’t you avoid whatever traps are hidden inside it yourself?”

Gu Nianxi spoke rapidly and harshly, but Bai Jin’s gaze bailiantales.com was completely fixed upon those red lips as they opened and closed.

Gu Nianxi was far too close.
Close enough for Bai Jin to see every delicate line upon those two lips, how vivid their color was, and how full and perfect their shape. She could not help wondering: if she kissed them and gently sucked on them, would their plump curves yield slightly between her teeth? Would their owner release a few broken, breathless moans at the same time?