When he started feeling that something was off with his body, Gu You immediately thought of Xu Bi Ying.

It was Xu Bi Ying who poured him a cup of water and had tried to persuade him in a soft voice to stay longer. Gu You had known her for many years now. Even though the two of them didn't end up as a couple, they were still childhood sweethearts. He had never been able to harden his heart towards her, finally resulting in today's calamity.

Xu Bi Ying sat on the sofa sniffling and sobbing, continuously apologizing and saying that she was the one in the wrong.

The heater was turned up a bit high in the room, so it wasn't long before one's throat felt dry. Gu You drank half a cup of warm water, and then checked the time again, deciding to wait a little longer before going. Close to his ear, he heard Xu Bi Ying delicately and lovably saying “You-gege”. Without noticing, she had sat closer and closer to him. He didn't know whether it was by accident or on purpose, but her collar was wide open, revealing her soft and tender white skin.

The look of hurt in Xu Bi Ying's pair of weak and teary eyes made you subconsciously want to protect her.

A burst of flame seemed to erupt from his chest.

Xu Bi Ying's hand landed on his knee. Gu You instantly felt a bit twitchy, because in his mind suddenly appeared a different pair of eyes which made him feel an unbearable sense of shame. He suddenly stood up. Without even retrieving his suit jacket, he said in a voice that was colder than usual, “I'm leaving first.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Sorry, I have something…”

“You can't leave!”

From behind, Xu Bi Ying tried to hug him, but was ruthlessly pushed away by Gu You. He used quite a lot of strength. Because she wasn't expecting it, she fell backwards and her b.u.t.t plunked onto the floor. She froze, a bit dumbfounded by the fall. With wide steps, Gu You strode out the door and closed it behind him with a slam.

Xu Bi Ying cursed inwardly. She immediately rushed out wanting to chase after Gu You, but when she got there, Gu You was already driving away in his car.

Xu Bi Ying turned pale with fright.

The first thing that came to her mind wasn't that Gu You might embarra.s.s himself. Her first thought was to worry that some other woman might take advantage of her absence to conveniently pick up a prize.

Gu You drove in a rush to the hotel. The annual gala was taking place at a hotel that was only a ten-minute drive away, so if he rushed right now, he could still make it.

It was a bit stuffy in the cramped car. Gu You lowered the window to let the cold wind blow against his face and help calm down the restlessness in his blood. His heartbeat thundered in his chest loud enough to burst, give him an uneasy premonition.

Once he arrived at the hotel, the feeling of uneasiness reached its peak.

Facing huge difficulties, Gu You ducked into a restroom. He splashed cold water against his face in an attempt to calm himself down.

His whole body felt hot and parched, and it was hard to endure. The obvious reaction in a certain place made Gu You realize that he had been drugged. As for who had done this to him, his heart immediately settled on a candidate—who was also the person that Gu You least wanted to believe could do this to him.

He never could have predicted that Xu Bi Ying would actually do something so despicable!

Gu You didn't have any way of knowing where she got the drugs or when she got the idea to do this. Right now, he could barely look after himself. At any moment now he could be seen by others, but Gu You wasn't reconciled to letting go of today's opportunity to present himself to the public.

Why did he always. .h.i.t a b.u.mp in the road at the most crucial point?

Gu You fought with all his strength to resist his own desires. He hated that he couldn't take a cold shower right now. It was right at that time when he was in the worst predicament that the person he least wanted to see him like this, appeared in front of him.

It was Ruan Jiu Jiu.

Ruan Jiu Jiu instructed Gu You not to run around w.i.l.l.y nilly and let him first hide in the restroom. She ran back to the great hall on the second floor. Tu Nan was already standing on the stage, preparing to soon go up and begin his speech.

Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…c.r.a.p!”

She needed to hurry things up!

Taking advantage of the fact that no one noticed her, Ruan Jiu Jiu called over a server, who was a young man. She pulled him to the side. Blus.h.i.+ng up to his ears, he stammered as he asked what was the matter. Ruan Jiu Jiu solemnly asked, “Do you guys have ice cubes?”

“Yes, yes, we do.” The server still thought that she wanted to drink an iced beverage. “Miss, I'll immediately fetch some for you.”

“Good, get me an entire bucket!”

“A bucket of ice???” The server was frightened by Ruan Jiu Jiu's words and was dumbfounded.

Ruan Jiu Jiu pleaded with her palms together and softly said, “Please, please, I urgently need it for something.”

“Uh, are the ice cubes we use to keep things cold okay?”

“Yes, they're fine! Sorry but can you hurry it up, thanks!”

She didn't know where the female lead had run off to, yet an aphrodisiac plot scenario had suddenly developed. Ruan Jiu Jiu felt there was a mishap. And at such a critical moment, it clearly wasn't a good time to resolve it with s.e.x. For Gu You, tonight's public reveal was extremely important. He definitely wouldn't want to miss it, after all, Gu You was someone who was very devoted to his work.

So Ruan Jiu Jiu could only use the second kind of medicine.

The young server was extremely quick on his feet. It wasn't long before he reappeared with a bucket of ice. Ruan Jiu Jiu exerted all her strength to take it from him.

“Miss, do you need my help?” He felt a bit bothered.

“Sorry to inconvenience you, but can you find me a suit? Does the hotel have extras? For a man around 1.8 meters tall, the size shouldn't be too small. Oh and, can you also get a towel?”

The clock was ticking, there wasn't time to get a room. Ruan Jiu Jiu could only wrong Gu You a bit and make him put up with the restroom.

When Gu You watched Ruan Jiu Jiu carry a bucket of ice, as well as an empty bucket over, he couldn't help but freeze in shock.

Ruan Jiu Jiu's expression looked profound. “Have you heard of the ice bucket challenge?”

Gu You entered the restroom. Considering the need for safety, Ruan Jiu Jiu thickened her face and blocked the entrance to the men's restroom.

At this time, there were very few people who came to the restroom to relieve themselves. Ruan Jiu Jiu stood guard outside for a bit, and when she heard the sound of water falling with a loud splash, gradually relaxed.

It was at this time that a man came down the corridor. Shockingly, it was an employee of the company. When he b.u.mped into Ruan Jiu Jiu by accident, he first felt amazed, and then with an awkward expression on his faced pointed towards the men's restroom. “Uhh…”

Ruan Jiu Jiu asked with a sincere look on her face, “Is it urgent?”

“Not that urgent…”

“This men's restroom is broken, go to the other one.”

The two people stood there staring at each other. The atmosphere immediately grew unbearably awkward.

The other scratched his head, too afraid to ask Ruan Jiu Jiu how she knew the restroom was broken. In the end he could only embarra.s.singly say, “Then I'll go check out the other restroom.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu's expression was as sincere as ever. “Have a good time.”

She watched as the other walked away before wiping the cold sweat off her brow. Ruan Jiu Jiu deeply felt that today was that day that she lost all her face. Perhaps by tomorrow, the entire company would be filled with rumors about why Ruan Jiu Jiu stood guard in front of the men's restroom without budging.

Gu You would never forget this night for the rest of his life.

Again and again, he felt a bone-piercing coldness. He was so cold that his muscles tensed rigidly and his face was white as a sheet, but he still gritted his teeth and endured it until it was over. As he clenched his jaw, he poured ice water over himself. His head was filled with thoughts of the future and the past. He thought of many different things.

From childhood, his parents had instructed him to take responsibility for others. But from this moment forth, he could never again a.s.sume the responsibility of being an older brother. The last shred of warmth that he had left for Xu Bi Ying was gone, washed away by the freezing water that drenched his heart into ice and chilled his head until it felt numb.

Until finally, he could no longer feel any kind of hot and parched sensation.

With a wooden face, he wiped his body dry and changed into a black suit. The shoulders were a bit too narrow, but the size was still suitable.

Gu You carried the bucket and came out. His expression had recovered its usual calm and gentle look. But his damp hair and pale, tense skin exposed his prior predicament.

Ruan Jiu Jiu said, “Just leave the bucket here, someone will come put it away later. Tidy your appearance up here. I'll leave first to avoid drawing suspicion.”

“Jiu Jiu!”

Ruan Jiu Jiu looked back with a puzzled look on her face. “Hmm?”

He took back his outstretched hand, and with his lips drawn into a straight line, stared at that beautiful face. Through self-control, he pressed down his emotions. With a tone and expression that was perfectly proper, he expressed his grat.i.tude. “…Ruan Jiu Jiu, thank you. I will definitely remember the favor you did me today.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu was tickled by his serious appearance.

She slapped Gu You's shoulder and said with a smile, “Hey, there's no need to be so polite. Just put on a good appearance in a bit.”

Staring at her, Gu You also smiled.

He hummed in acknowledgement.

On the other side, Tu Nan stood on the stage. Not seeing either Ruan Jiu Jiu nor Gu You, he was anxious enough to burst into flames. With a meaningful look, he directed Jiao Fan and the others to search for them. In a while when they introduced the newcomers, if the two of them were both absent, how could they possibly explain things?

Just as he was thinking that, Ruan Jiu Jiu walked out from one side.

Jiao Fan let out a sigh of relief. He scurried over to Ruan Jiu Jiu and asked in a low voice, “Sister-in-law, what were you doing?”

Ruan Jiu Jiu neatened her hair and said, “I went to the restroom. Sorry, I got a slight stomachache from something I ate.”

“Then that's fine, hurry and prepare yourself!”

Ruan Jiu Jiu rushed over just in time. Standing in front of a sea of people, Tu Nan instantly spotted her. In a very natural manner, he s.h.i.+fted topics to the section where they grandly introduced the new talent. The first one to be mentioned was Ruan Jiu Jiu. Tu Nan stood back a step, and amidst everyone's chatter, Ruan Jiu Jiu walked up to the stage and stood in its center.

Tu Nan cleared his throat. “Previously, there were some who doubted Mrs. Ruan's abilities. Here, I want to make two things clear.

“First, our recruitment process is very fair. Ruan Jiu Jiu came to Jiacheng as the clear winner of the majority of votes in our contest. Everyone, make sure to record it in your minds. There was no improper conduct like stuffing people in.

The next point is also the most important point. In the development of our new game,

, Mrs. Ruan played a critical role in the creative direction. Many aspects of our game contain traces of her personal inspiration. We have been very pleasantly surprised by her work, and her contributions to this time's success cannot be overlooked. Now, please give her a round of applause!”

Tu Nan's words caused everyone to go into an uproar. No one had expected that Ruan Jiu Jiu made so many contributions to the core creative concepts.

They had been blind to look at her with contempt. One by one, they changed to view her with respect and admiration. The applause that had welcomed her at first was frivolous because they had been cheering for her appearance. Now, the majority of the crowd was genuinely clapping for her.

The applause died down and Ruan Jiu Jiu felt their energy was infectious, and became a little happy herself. She grabbed the microphone and her hand slightly trembled, betraying her emotions. However, from the surface she looked calm. She didn't even stammer when giving the introduction and thanks, and smoothly said her piece.

Tu Nan had originally thought of how he was going to save her from embarra.s.sment, and had planned out how he was going to help her out. But she was natural and unrestrained, making Tu Nan give a silent thumbs up.

Ruan Jiu Jiu bowed. When she was about to walk off stage, Tu Nan smiled and said, “Not bad.”

“I was nearly scared to death.” Ruan Jiu Jiu's stiff face nearly made Tu Nan laugh.

If it wasn't for the current setting, he would have long poked fun at this cute Sister-in-law.

Ruan Jiu Jiu walked off stage as Gu You, in a suit and leather shoes, walked in her direction. The two exchanged a smile. When they brushed past each other, Ruan Jiu Jiu quietly said, “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

When Gu You went onstage to introduce himself, Ruan Jiu Jiu already planned to slip out.

She gave Mr. Meng a heads up and then quietly retrieved her coat. On the way, she also asked the well-tempered waiter from before to pack up a few containers of food for her to take home. Ruan Jiu Jiu thought, it was the annual gala. The real boss should also get to eat some of the food, and not just sit at home all by himself.

In the roar of the crowd, n.o.body discovered that she had disappeared without a trace.

The door opened.

There was only a small light on in the living room. It was dim and lonesome. Cheng Jun was sitting on the sofa with a hand propping the back of his neck up. It seemed like he was staring off into the distance. When he heard some noise, he turned his head and looked at Ruan Jiu Jiu in a bit of surprise.

He slowly asked, “Why'd you come back so early?”

Ruan Jiu Jiu shook the bag of weighty packed-up food and and smiled.

“I returned to start our annual gala. What do you say to that, boss?”

He was a bit scared for a moment. His voice was as languid as ever, but it carried a trace of warmth. “Okay.”

Author's Note: The next day.

Ruan Jiu Jiu who was standing on the scales: I'm so dumb. Really.