The Unintended Performance

Xiang Qing’s hand, gripping the collar of Gu Wei’s bathrobe, was genuinely exerting considerable force.

Riiip—

The silky fabric ripped, revealing a small tear that exposed a patch of Gu Wei’s dazzlingly fair skin and her delicate collarbone.

Yet, that was the extent of her daring.

This was a genuine silk bathrobe; who knew its exorbitant price? If she tore it and was made to pay, she’d surely have to declare bankruptcy on the spot.

Xiang Qing had initially believed her audacious tactic would sufficiently intimidate Gu Wei.

She was, however, gravely mistaken.

Her error was profound.

Far from being intimidated, a predatory glint, akin to a wolf’s, ignited in Gu Wei’s beautiful eyes.

It wasn’t fear, but rather excitement! Anticipation! A fervent, ‘Hurry up, I can’t wait!’ kind of elation.

‘Damn it!’

‘She’d gone too far! This madwoman actually enjoyed this!’

Alarms blared frantically in Xiang Qing’s mind, her survival instincts compelling her to instantly release her grip and spring a full step backward, establishing a safe distance of over three meters from Gu Wei.

“Cough, cough, um… CEO Gu,” Xiang Qing stammered, “I merely meant the collar seemed a bit tight, so I was trying to loosen it for you, help you breathe.”

A smile, awkward yet polite, plastered itself across Xiang Qing’s face as she attempted to salvage the situation.

Gu Wei languidly adjusted the now-torn bathrobe, the curve of her lips widening into an amused grin.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Her gaze, however, did not linger on Xiang Qing’s face; instead, it drifted leisurely towards the noticeably bulging pocket of Xiang Qing’s trousers.

“Your hand speed is quite impressive, isn’t it? While providing me with a ‘physical cool-down,’ you also managed to pilfer something?”

Xiang Qing’s heart lurched.

‘Damn it, she found out!’

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she longed to simply vanish into thin air.

“What pilfering! CEO Gu, your words are truly offensive!”

Xiang Qing protested vociferously, yet her body, with stark honesty, retrieved the ten thousand yuan from her pocket, clutching it with a visibly pained expression.

“I wasn’t worried you were hot, you see! Money gets hot in pockets too, doesn’t it? I was merely thinking of safekeeping it for you until you cooled down, then I’d return it!”

As the words left her lips, Xiang Qing herself felt an overwhelming urge to slap her own face.

‘It sounded utterly fake!’

Gu Wei found Xiang Qing’s combination of greed and stubbornness utterly delightful; her shoulders trembled with laughter.

“Alright, put it away.”

Gu Wei waved a dismissive hand, a cat-like pleasure of having caught a mouse dancing across her features. “It’s yours. Consider it your performance fee for attempting to strip me just now.”

“Though the performance did have a rather anticlimactic ending.”

‘It could be like this?’

Xiang Qing’s eyes lit up, her earlier embarrassment instantly dissipating like smoke.

She promptly tucked the ten thousand yuan back into her pocket, patting it twice for good measure to ensure it was securely nestled within.

“Thank you, CEO Gu! You’re incredibly generous! CEO Gu, you’re the best!”

Xiang Qing’s face instantly transformed into a fawning smile. “Next time you fancy a performance, just say the word! As long as the payment is right, I’ll even perform ‘Pulling Up a Weeping Willow by the Roots’ for you!”

Standing nearby, Shen Lanzhi had observed the entire exchange.

The gentle expression on her face was now barely holding.

‘Is being rich truly so remarkable?’

‘To buy loyalty with such vulgar displays of wealth!’

Yet, upon seeing Xiang Qing’s utterly money-grubbing demeanor, practically drooling over the cash, Shen Lanzhi was overcome by a profound sense of helplessness.

‘Alright, perhaps being rich truly is remarkable.’

‘Her poor little Qing, corrupted by mere money.’

‘It’s all that vulgar woman Gu Wei’s fault!’

“I’ve prepared breakfast for you. Let’s go eat first.”

Shen Lanzhi stepped forward, gently taking Xiang Qing’s hand and subtly guiding her away from the corrupting influence—or rather, the ‘money attack range’—of Gu Wei.

The trio proceeded to the dining room.

The long dining table was laden with an exquisite spread of both Chinese and Western breakfast dishes, clearly prepared with considerable effort.

Gu Wei settled casually into the head seat, while Xiang Qing instinctively sought a spot as far from her as possible.

Yet, just as she began to move, Gu Wei merely raised her chin, gesturing towards the seat directly opposite her.

“Sit there.”

Her tone was a command, brooking no refusal.

Xiang Qing pouted, then reluctantly took her seat.

Noticing this, Shen Lanzhi immediately sat down beside Xiang Qing, pressing close to her in a protective stance.

The entire meal was consumed amidst a palpable undercurrent of tension.

Xiang Qing buried her head in her food, oblivious to anything beyond her plate, her sole desire to finish eating quickly and make her escape.

She had just picked up a fried dough stick and taken a sip of soy milk when she suddenly felt something lightly brush against her calf.

‘Hmm?’

Xiang Qing paused, a murmur of ‘Are there mice in this mansion?’ echoing in her mind.

She paid it no mind, continuing to eat.

Yet, the sensation returned.

This time, it wasn’t merely a light brush; instead, it leisurely glided from her ankle all the way up to her calf, where a set of toes gently, yet distinctly, tickled her.

‘It’s a foot!’

‘It’s a damn person’s foot!’

Xiang Qing’s body instantly stiffened, the fried dough stick in her mouth suddenly losing all appeal.

She abruptly lifted her gaze to the person seated opposite her.

Gu Wei was elegantly slicing a fried egg with her knife and fork, her face utterly devoid of any extraneous expression.

Yet, Xiang Qing was absolutely certain that the mischievous foot under the table belonged to none other than Gu Wei!

‘This pervert! This lunatic! This lecher!’

‘She can’t even behave herself during a meal!’

Xiang Qing was so incensed her teeth ached, yearning to kick back in retaliation.

But she dared not.

She could only furiously convey with her eyes: ‘Control yourself!’

Gu Wei, however, seemed utterly oblivious to her silent plea, even offering an innocent smile, before her foot beneath the table escalated its mischief, directly intertwining itself around Xiang Qing’s calf.

The slick, slightly cool sensation sent shivers down Xiang Qing’s spine, raising every hair on her body.

She felt utterly paralyzed, like a frog ensnared by a snake.

‘No, this simply cannot continue!’

Xiang Qing took a deep breath, resolving to ignore her completely. ‘As long as I can’t see it, as long as I can’t feel it, it doesn’t exist!’

She grabbed her soy milk and gulped down a large mouthful, attempting to numb herself with food.

It was then that Gu Wei’s restless foot began to ascend, tracing a path up Xiang Qing’s calf until it finally settled in the sensitive hollow behind her knee.

There, with deliberate, rhythmic precision, a toe gently, repeatedly, hooked at the most sensitive, soft flesh.

“Pfft—”

The mouthful of soy milk and fried dough stick crumbs that Xiang Qing hadn’t yet managed to swallow erupted from her mouth in a perfect, parabolic spray.

A portion splattered across the table, while a small, distinct piece of fried dough stick crumb landed with pinpoint accuracy, squarely upon the exquisitely plated sunny-side-up egg on Gu Wei’s plate.

The entire dining room fell silent in an instant.

The air itself seemed to solidify.

Xiang Qing stood petrified, only two words echoing in her mind: ‘I’m doomed.’

Another vibrant, indelible stroke had just been added to her already extensive resume of social deaths.

‘Peeing her pants in front of her patron.’

‘Spraying food all over her patron’s dining table.’

‘What sin had Xiang Qing committed in this life to deserve such torment!’

Gu Wei, too, ceased her movements, her gaze fixed on the defiled fried egg on her plate, her beautiful brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Just as Xiang Qing braced herself for Gu Wei’s imminent outburst and her inevitable expulsion, Shen Lanzhi, who had been sitting beside her, stirred.

“Xiao Qing, what’s wrong? Did you choke, eating so quickly?”

Shen Lanzhi’s voice was as gentle as ever. As she spoke, she picked up a tissue and considerately dabbed Xiang Qing’s mouth.

Then, before either Xiang Qing or Gu Wei could fully react, Shen Lanzhi performed an action that sent a jolt, as if to her very skull, through Xiang Qing.

She extended her chopsticks and picked up another piece of fried dough stick crumb from the table.

It wasn’t the piece on Gu Wei’s plate, but rather the one that had landed near Xiang Qing’s hand, the closest one to her.

Then, with a perfectly natural motion, she placed the fried dough stick crumb into her own mouth.

Xiang Qing: “!!!”

‘Holy hell?!’

‘Holy holy holy hell?!’

‘She ate it! She actually ate something I spit out!’

Xiang Qing felt her entire worldview shatter from an unprecedented shock.

‘What kind of otherworldly maneuver was this?’

Shen Lanzhi, meanwhile, was calmly chewing, even offering Xiang Qing a gentle smile.

“No need to waste food, you know. It actually tastes quite good.”

Xiang Qing stood agape, utterly speechless.

She now harbored a grave suspicion that both women possessed some truly bizarre quirks!

‘This world is far too insane!’

Finally, Gu Wei, who had remained silent throughout, spoke.

She didn’t look at Shen Lanzhi, nor at the mess on her plate, but instead stared directly at the utterly bewildered Xiang Qing.

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable chill.

“Xiang Qing.”

“Huh?” Xiang Qing flinched, instinctively responding.

A dangerous, playful smile slowly curved at the corners of Gu Wei’s lips.

“Come here.”

She pointed to the ‘enhanced’ fried egg on her plate.

“Eat it.”