Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 37

Ling Yu never expected Gu Qing to be such a coward.

She waited until Li Juan was escorted away, but when she was just a step behind, Gu Qing’s office was already empty.

Ling Yu stood at the office door, blocked by the secretary.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ling, Lawyer Gu had to go out for something.”

Ling Yu looked over the secretary’s shoulder with a half-smile, glancing at Gu Qing’s empty office.

“When will she be back?”

The secretary forced a professional smile. As if she had been briefed in advance, she blurted out without thinking, “She won’t be back.”

Her words were too fast and too absolute. Even the secretary herself felt it was inappropriate. A hint of embarrassment showed on her face, and she paused, adding, “Lawyer Gu will not be returning to the firm all day today.”

Ling Yu gave a lazy “oh”: “Is she hiding from me? … Please tell her that she should take back that old coat of hers. I’ll be waiting outside her house tonight…”

Ling Yu’s lips curled up. She thanked the secretary in a voice that was as amiable as possible.

The secretary stood at the door, her face pale and worried.

Thinking about Gu Qing’s cold blue eyes, she felt a chill inexplicably run down her spine and subconsciously drew her neck back.

Gu Qing didn’t return to the office until after working hours.

The secretary was waiting outside the office and relayed Ling Yu’s words from that morning, word for word.

Gu Qing frowned, thinking of all of Ling Yu’s past relentless and persistent actions.

She gave the secretary a sharp glance and dismissed her with a few casual words.

“L-Lawyer Gu, are you working overtime tonight?” The secretary, oblivious to the situation, asked.

Gu Qing paused. She gave a disagreeable “mm.”

Then she pulled a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth.

She suddenly glanced at the secretary: “Do you want to stay too?”

Gu Qing’s light glance sent goosebumps all over the secretary’s skin.

She quickly shook her head and ran away in a flash.

Gu Qing stared at the empty hallway and took a deep drag of nicotine.

The milky white smoke ring completely enveloped her face. She stood still for a long time.

She hadn’t realized it while she was busy with the Jiang family a while ago, but now that the investigation into Jiang Shi Jewelry’s value-added tax was almost complete.

Gu Qing had very complete evidence. Even if she couldn’t prove that Jiang Boquan was involved in drug trafficking, charging him with financial fraud, tax evasion, and other crimes was certainly an option.

But the key was that the evidence she had needed to be accepted by someone, not intercepted halfway.

That was the reason for her current compromise. The exposure of Jiang Boquan and Jiang Wei’s crimes had to be grand and sensational.

The only time she could achieve that effect was on the day of Jiang Wei’s second trial.

Gu Qing closed the office door, took out her work phone, and made several calls. She organized everything for the next few days.

She started to feel idle again. Recently, to suppress the unwarranted, useless emotions in her heart.

Gu Qing had even read through all the case files that had piled up at the firm over the past few years. After much thought, she realized she truly had little to do.

Gu Qing leaned back in her office chair and reached for the cigarette box on the coffee table.

But unfortunately. The box was empty.

The ashtray in front of her was now filled with a forest of cigarette butts.

Gu Qing threw away the cigarette box and unconsciously sniffed the scent of nicotine on her body.

If Ling Yu were to get close to her, the latter would probably drop her eyes and openly show her disgust on her face.

Gu Qing clicked her tongue. This woman, who was insincere, had unclear motives, a criminal record, and had inexplicably become Fang Jia’s little darling.

And yet, she had the audacity to force her to be homeless and smoke like a chimney.

Gu Qing found it amusing. As if poisoned, the image of Ling Yu’s foxy eyes, which were a mix of innocence and allure, flashed in her mind again. Gu Qing shot up from the swivel chair. She smoothed the ends of her long, curly hair, which was covered in ash.

She walked around the office restlessly. Just then, her phone suddenly rang.

There were two phones on the mahogany desk.

The one on the left was for work, and the white one on the right was Gu Qing’s private phone, which she didn’t share with the outside world.

This phone usually didn’t ring, but lately, the frequency had increased exponentially.

Gu Qing stood still, not even having the desire to move a finger.

However, after ringing for dozens of seconds, the phone stubbornly played its melodious tune again.

The night was completely dark. Yuncheng was famous for its snow, and it was snowing again.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, pedestrians on the street hunched over, their ears red from the cold.

It was very cold outside. Ling Yu was probably squatting outside her house. Her villa was in the West Mountain area, which was remote and didn’t even have a place to shelter from the snow.

Gu Qing paused for a second. Frowning, she reluctantly walked back to the desk.

She picked up the phone. Without even looking at the screen, she answered the call directly.

She was cold in tone but honest in her actions: “Are you done yet? Go home. Stop pestering me.”

Fang Jia was drinking at a bar. The surrounding noise was loud. She was yelled at by Gu Qing, who didn’t give her any face.

A tiny crack appeared on Aunt Fang’s well-maintained face.

“Are you on fire?” Fang Jia smiled slightly: “Who is it that’s making you so angry?”

Gu Qing pulled the phone away. Her face was stiff.

She was silent for a long time.

She felt the absurdity of realizing that she was the fool.

She maintained a straight face and, with excellent mental fortitude, changed the subject: “What’s wrong?”

“Come out for a drink.” Fang Jia’s tone held a hint of gentle probing: “To be honest, I want to talk to you about my little thing.”

Gu Qing gave an absurd chuckle, but she didn’t say anything, giving Fang Jia plenty of time to talk.

The ancient spirit in Fang Jia took over. Her subsequent words were all about asserting her dominance.

Gu Qing understood everything. She wasn’t that bored to talk to Fang Jia about her “little thing.”

Gu Qing gave a soft click of her tongue: “Doesn’t she have a name? Calling her ‘thing’ makes me think you have some screws loose.”

Fang Jia wasn’t angry about Gu Qing’s jab. She continued her attempts to invite her: “Are you coming? I don’t think you have anything to do today. And I’m not in a good mood lately.”

Gu Qing hadn’t intended to go, but she had finished all her cigarettes in the office, had nothing to do, and would run into Ling Yu if she went home.

This was the first time in her life she felt so cornered. To avoid one woman, she had to go drinking to drown her sorrows.

Gu Qing felt it was absurd. Rationally, she didn’t want to go, but her mouth made the decision for her first.

“Address.”

Fang Jia was shamelessly provocative. She invited Gu Qing to the most high-end nightclub in Yuncheng.

The nightclub had a very elegant name: “Qing Tian” (Sunny Day).

Gu Qing, wearing a lake-blue cashmere coat with an open collar, breathed out a cold puff of air and walked into the nightclub from the outside.

The heating in the nightclub was strong. Under the dim lights, a DJ was playing music.

The bartender was laughing with the customers, layering colorful drinks in transparent glasses.

Men and women danced freely on the dance floor. The urban professionals seemed to release all their daily fatigue here.

Fang Jia was nestled in a booth in the corner and waved to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing coldly refused the short-haired woman who was trying to flirt with her and walked toward Fang Jia.

Fang Jia also looked like she wasn’t in a good mood today.

She was getting on in age, and the table in front of her was covered with bottles of alcohol.

Gu Qing raised her eyebrows, took off her coat, and asked, “Drowning your sorrows?”

Upon hearing this, Fang Jia nodded. She elegantly blew a smoke ring toward Gu Qing. Her eyes were filled with the mature allure of a woman who had seen life.

Gu Qing lightly kicked Fang Jia’s calf: “Don’t waste my time. You won’t get anywhere with me.”

Exposed for her provocative probing, Fang Jia wasn’t embarrassed. She laughed and cursed: “Didn’t I tell you, Xiao Qing, with your looks, you’re naturally a favorite in the lesbian circle.”

“So what?” Gu Qing sat down opposite Fang Jia, clearly uninterested in the topic. She asked casually, “You’re in a bad mood today.”

Fang Jia didn’t notice that Gu Qing had changed the subject. She undid a button on her qipao and stared at Gu Qing.

“A little,” she admitted.

Fang Jia smiled, stood up, and poured Gu Qing half a glass of wine into an empty cup.

The pale yellow liquid was fragrant. Just as Gu Qing was about to reach for it, Fang Jia suddenly pulled it back. She smiled brightly and met Gu Qing’s eyes without blinking: “Drinking it straight isn’t exciting enough. Let’s add something else tonight.”

The air felt thick with a sense of unspoken tension.

Gu Qing retracted her hand and tapped the table instead. She said slowly, “I can drink, but give me a reason to.”

Fang Jia was irritated by Gu Qing’s pretense. She poured three different kinds of alcohol into Gu Qing’s glass.

Gu Qing glanced at the bottles standing like a forest on the table. She understood everything.

Fang Jia was trying to get her drunk.

In fact, Fang Jia had been planning this for a few days. Anyone who found out that the person they were interested in liked Gu Qing, and that Gu Qing had rejected her over and over again.

Fang Jia’s face looked unhealthy.

Fang Jia knew Ling Yu’s personality best. She had a physical aversion to men but not to women.

She was a natural lesbian.

Fang Jia knew this well. That’s why, all these years, when Ling Yu was hanging out in the dating scene, Fang Jia wasn’t worried. She thought, She won’t run away. She’s mine eventually.

But who knew that in the two months Ling Yu was in Yuncheng, the beautiful, pure girl was conquered by Gu Qing.

And the crucial point was, Ling Yu wasn’t the aggressor.

Ling Yu was the one who was interested.

Thinking about this frustrating fact, Fang Jia felt a terrible pressure in her chest.

Every social circle had rules: you don’t mess with a friend’s partner.

Gu Qing should have known better. There was a rule of first come, first served in this world.

Even though she was furious internally, Fang Jia didn’t show it.

She just glared at Gu Qing and laughed sarcastically: “There’s no reason among sisters. I just feel like we should have a drink. You wouldn’t deny your sister this favor, would you, Xiao Qing?”

Gu Qing didn’t say yes or no. She gave a half-smile, as if suggesting that the favor didn’t need to be granted.

Fang Jia’s hand was suspended in the air. After a moment’s pause, she pulled it back.

Having been close friends, they knew each other’s tempers.

Gu Qing’s attitude meant she wasn’t going to drink.

Fang Jia looked at her. She challenged her with a fake smile: “I heard you threw your dirty clothes at Yuyu and told her to wash them…”

Fang Jia stood up while speaking, leaning on Gu Qing’s desk with one hand, asserting her possessiveness: “I told you, didn’t I, Sister? Ling Yu is mine.”

Mine?

Half of Gu Qing’s face was hidden in the shadows. The faint light above her head sliced her into two halves: one half was her delicate features, and the other was a seductive, ghostly smile.

She lifted her eyelids slightly and scanned Fang Jia.

“Did she sleep with you?”

Fang Jia was startled and said with great frustration: “It’s none of your business whether we slept together or not. But that doesn’t stop me from finding out that you’ve been bullying her lately.”

Gu Qing said, “Oh,” and reached for a bottle of vodka, pouring it into an empty glass.

She said meaningfully, “So, you’re retaliating on behalf of the younger one?”

Fang Jia’s eyes narrowed.

In the next second, Gu Qing said coolly with her usual detached voice: “Ling Yu is quite the magnet for trouble. So… why wouldn’t I bully her?”

Fang Jia’s hands were shaking with anger. She vowed internally that this friendship was over.

“I don’t have any other intention. I know you don’t like her, but someone I care about was bullied. I need to get back at the bully.”

Fang Jia glared fiercely at the composed Gu Qing: “Just use the alcohol on the table as an apology. If you drink it tonight, we’re still sisters. If you don’t…”

Fang Jia couldn’t finish her sentence. After all, Ling Yu liked Gu Qing. Gu Qing hadn’t forced Ling Yu to like her.

She had investigated thoroughly and knew that Gu Qing had been rejecting her all along.

Her attempt to force Gu Qing to drink this “apology drink” was merely to vent her own outrage.

Why did Ling Yu like Gu Qing? What was she lacking compared to Gu Qing?

So, in this subtle outrage, Fang Jia completely exposed her lack of composure, but she couldn’t bring herself to say that they wouldn’t be friends anymore.

After all, Gu Qing had helped the Fang corporation out of its crisis years ago.

Gu Qing, with her outstanding abilities, was already a highly sought-after legal consultant for major corporations.

Many of the cases she had handled had a strong connection to Fang Jia’s social circle.

Based on this alone, Fang Jia couldn’t break up with Gu Qing over Ling Yu.

However, having made such a strong statement and then taking it back would make her look bad.

Fang Jia’s face was etched with shame.

“Drink this one.” Gu Qing’s voice was flat. She expressionlessly pushed the glass of 80-proof vodka toward Fang Jia.

“It’s not hard to get drunk, is it? This will do the trick faster.”

The fine lines on Fang Jia’s face were about to crack. Gu Qing was openly challenging her.

Ten glasses of high-proof vodka would send both of them to the hospital.

Fang Jia cursed Gu Qing in her mind. At this point, they were no longer fighting over a drink; it was a serious fight over a “partner.”

Fang Jia recklessly grabbed the glass and clinked it against Gu Qing’s wine glass.

But who knew? After drinking one glass of high-proof vodka, all her aggression vanished. Fang Jia began to unbutton the knot on her qipao.

She slumped over the table, not useless, but completely drunk.

“Gu Qing, you listen to me. Ling Yu is mine.”

Gu Qing glanced at her and threw out two words: “Wake up.”

“You think Yuyu really likes you? I’ll tell you, she’s a player in Jiangcheng.”

“Li Jun, Jiang Song, Jiang Wei…” Fang Jia counted on her fingers, listing a string of names.

Her cheeks were flushed. She puffed out a cloud of smoke and said: “These men are all Yuyu’s ex-boyfriends…”

“She’s young and likes to play. Pursuing you is just a passing fancy.”

“We are all the fish in Yuyu’s pond… fish… bah, I’m not a fish.”

Gu Qing lit a cigarette for herself. Holding the cigarette, she thought about the past, her voice blurry: “So that’s it!”

Under the glass lamp, Gu Qing’s eyes were dark. The light reflected off them, creating a flickering, fleeting glow.

After a long silence, she lifted her eyes and looked at the completely drunk Fang Jia. She said sarcastically, “That’s good. At least next time I tell her to get lost, I can do it without any guilt.”