Let's make a bet

The receptionist flinched in fright and stammered, "Manager Wang..."

The man in front of him was being so insulting that Ji Mingzhu gave a cold laugh, no longer inclined to spare his feelings.

The beautiful young man flashed an audacious smile. "You. What's your name?"

Wang Chuan laughed provocatively. "Wang Ke. Why, hoping to latch on to me? Sorry, this is a respectable company, not..."

Ji Mingzhu cut him off, his voice clear. "The Gu Corporation shouldn't have an employee who damages its image like this. I'll have my husband fire you."

Wang Chuan froze.

The young man's expression was utterly assured and cold, his beautiful eyes gleaming with chilling confidence. Despite his pretty face, his presence was surprisingly intimidating.

Wang Chuan instinctively stepped back, a little dazed. When he recovered, his embarrassment turned to anger. "Fire me?! So you really are some little thing who lives off men... Who the hell is your husband? What gives him the right to fire me?"

Ji Mingzhu smiled gently, his gaze sharp. "My husband's name is Gu Shang. Who the hell do you think he is?"

Everyone: "..."

Everyone: "?????"

The receptionist from earlier had the strongest reaction of all.

W-was this really Mr. Gu's spouse?!

Then why hadn't he said so earlier...?

Two sides warred in the receptionist's mind. One argued that if the young man wasn't Mr. Gu's wife, this was an outrageously bold lie to tell.

The other went... Huh?? Why was he nothing like what I'd imagined??

Wasn't he supposed to be some little thug whose status was worlds apart from Mr. Gu's? Wasn't he supposed to be crude and ill-mannered?

Who on earth would call this guy classless???

The receptionist was skeptical, but the young man carried himself with such ease and confidence that she wasn't sure anymore.

What if... what if he really was?

The receptionist inwardly groaned. Oh my god, if this little cutie really is Mr. Gu's spouse, won't I get fired along with that creep, Manager Wang?!

While everyone else was still bewildered, Wang Chuan was equally stunned. Who could have expected Ji Mingzhu to show his hand right away?

Just like someone from a backwater town. The moment he acquired some status, he had to flaunt it for everyone to see.

But he wasn't all that alarmed. He was a longtime employee, after all, and Mr. Gu disliked the wife he'd married for an alliance. Surely he wouldn't get angry over this.

He felt nothing but contempt and showed no sign of panic. "Plenty of people want to be Mr. Gu's partner. I haven't received any notice that his spouse was coming. For all I know, you're some nobody pretending to be him."

He hadn't attended Gu Shang's wedding banquet anyway, so he'd never seen Ji Mingzhu in person. He had every excuse to claim he was protecting the company's image by refusing entry to a suspicious individual.

The young man's brows knitted slightly.

He could simply ask Gu Shang to come down, but that would ruin the surprise. As for calling Uncle Chen over, in this heat, Ji Mingzhu didn't want him to endure the same dreadful ride he had, then rush over all dizzy to get him out of trouble.

Seeing the young man's expression darken slightly, Wang Chuan immediately smiled in triumph.

He was counting on the young man having no real authority, being nothing more than a pretty ornament whose family wouldn't help him. That was why he dared to make things difficult for him so brazenly. Wang Chuan believed none of the busy people in the Gu Family would come to this ornament's rescue, and the young man would struggle to obtain any solid proof.

Ji Mingzhu lifted his eyes slightly and said, looking a little troubled, "I don't quite understand why we have to prove something between husband and wife to an outsider. If you're really that curious, why don't we make a bet? If there's nothing wrong with my identity, you'll resign voluntarily and go earn a living at that Clubhouse you mentioned. How about it?"

Ji Mingzhu wasn't stupid. Although he didn't know what the Clubhouse was, the shock mingled with contempt and faintly gossipy looks around him told him it probably wasn't anywhere decent.

As he saw it, incompetent middle-aged men like this most enjoyed frequenting one of two places: gambling dens or brothels.

If it were a gambling den, the people working there would most likely be big, strong enforcers... so this Manager Wang was probably insulting him by calling him a male prostitute.

At the young man's words, everyone couldn't help laughing.

That was an image they could happily do without.

Ji Mingzhu smiled faintly. "Although you really are... well, rather ugly, Manager Wang, perhaps someone out there has unusual tastes and happens to prefer something a little more extreme?"

Wang Chuan froze. Then his thick-skinned face, which never seemed to change expression, flushed red with rage. "What did you say?! Who's making a bet with you? You foul-mouthed little bitch, get out of here right now!!!"

"And you've brought in god knows what! How am I supposed to know whether you've poisoned it? For Mr. Gu's safety, I'll just have to throw you out myself!"

As he spoke, the man seemed ready to come forward and lay hands on him.

Before Ji Mingzhu could mock him for being afraid to take the bet, a voice broke through the chaos-

"What are you doing?!"

Secretary Chen hurried over, anger on his face.

Fortunately, he'd happened to pass by and caught sight of this absurd scene.

Was this bastard tired of living? Did he know who he was insulting? That sweet voice that had suddenly spoken during the video conference... the boss's legendary spouse!

The documents Secretary Chen held were, in fact, the background information he'd gathered on Ji Mingzhu...

How could he possibly not know what Ji Mingzhu looked like?

When Mr. Gu had arrived at the office that morning with a thunderous expression, the first thing he'd done hadn't been to ask someone to make him coffee, issue work instructions, chase up the bidding process, or even rush into a meeting...

Instead, the very first thing he'd done was summon him and say, "Look into Ji Mingzhu's background. The sooner, the better. Give me a preliminary report first; you can take your time investigating the details. I want to see it this morning."

Mr. Gu's eyes had been dark and unreadable. Who knew what he was thinking?

But as his subordinate, Secretary Chen had naturally followed his instructions.

Who could have imagined that the moment he finished gathering the information, the man himself would appear at the Gu Group Headquarters...

Seeing the troubling scene, Secretary Chen immediately put on an icy expression and stepped forward.

Please. No matter how wildly the rumors outside flew...

From what he knew of Mr. Gu, he wouldn't spare even an extra glance for something he didn't care about, much less ask him to investigate in as much detail and as quickly as possible. At the very least, it meant that whatever Mr. Gu's feelings toward his wife-positive or negative-he certainly didn't regard him as a decorative ornament, as the rumors claimed.

How could he allow these petty underlings to bully his boss's spouse?

Secretary Chen stepped forward with a cold expression. Without listening to Wang Chuan's excuses, he gave him a thorough dressing-down, then told him to get lost.

After reprimanding the troublemaker, Secretary Chen swept a cold gaze over everyone else. "Manager Wang has gone back to work. What are the rest of you standing around for?"

Only then did everyone snap out of their daze and hastily return to their duties.

It was all that Manager Wang's fault for making them neglect their work. Honestly, if they lost this job, where else would they find a company with such good pay and benefits?

Only after cowing everyone did Secretary Chen respectfully lead the young man into the executives' private elevator, keeping the documents clutched tightly against his chest so the young man couldn't see them.

Secretary Chen respectfully apologized to him.

Ji Mingzhu smiled, not angry in the slightest. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

Used to it.

This young man, who looked so precious and lovely, had actually grown up surrounded by such malice.

And yet his eyes remained clear, without a trace of darkness.

Secretary Chen was momentarily stunned.

Ding- They had reached their floor.

Secretary Chen led the young man out of the elevator and guided him into a spacious, tidy private office.