Chapter 21

Two weeks later.

The news of Gu Xuchen’s discharge from the hospital made the headlines. In the footage, his eyes looked dim, yet many still managed to capture close-ups of him, turning them into trending topics online.

In less than a day, everything was wiped clean by Gu Corporation, leaving no trace of the “disgrace” of its leader for anyone to see.

“Hey, he’s out of the hospital. Do you want to come and see?”

My best friend called.

“No.”

I refused softly, “No, I’ve already cut all ties with him. There’s no need for any further contact.”

She sighed. “Are you really willing to let go? Let me tell you, there’s a woman at their company named Wang Xuan. She’s been running to your marital home every day…”

I stayed silent.

“And there’s something else.”

My friend couldn’t help but say, “Tan Bai betrayed the company. While Chen was in the hospital, he colluded with outsiders and caused the company to lose quite a few clients. Chen is really overwhelmed now.”

“What?”

My mind buzzed, and I blurted out in surprise:

“Tan Bai? Isn’t he Gu Xuchen’s personal assistant?”

“Personal assistant, my foot! He’s just an ungrateful traitor!”

My friend sighed and snorted, “He sold off the company’s internship spots and embezzled public funds. Now he’s even trying to turn the tables and blame others. I’m so angry I could explode! I wish I could wring his neck!”

It seemed to touch on a certain memory.

I remembered the first time I recognized Tan Bai. He shook his head at me, signaling not to reveal that we knew each other.

But…

Back then, I thought he was just afraid Gu Xuchen would get jealous!

For some reason,

I felt a bit confused, suddenly desperate for an answer:

“Did you find out whose spots he sold?”

My friend sighed, “They haven’t started investigating yet. They’re afraid if the old employees who got in through the back door find out, it’ll cause panic.”

Me: …

Who was Tan Bai colluding with?

I went through all of Gu Corporation’s competitors, narrowing it down again and again. When I finally landed on the name An Yu, I was completely stunned.

Unknowingly,

I realized that my copyrights might be lost. That was my entire collection of artwork from my youth.

I don’t understand the battles in the business world, but I know very well what kind of loss my own interests would suffer.

For three whole months,

There was no media coverage of the incident. Everything seemed to be undercurrents beneath the surface. But as soon as the time came, news quickly broke that Tan Bai had been imprisoned, and Wang Xuan and An Yu had been detained.

“That Wang Xuan begged my aunt every day, but it was useless~”

My friend was overjoyed. When the dishes arrived, she immediately set the plates for me. “Honey~”

I held my phone, worried about my publishing matters. No matter what I looked at, I couldn’t focus, so I casually swiped away the news.

“Honey.”

My friend slowly took out a document.

I was a bit confused. I opened it casually and, seeing the clear copyright documents, couldn’t help but look at her in astonishment. “Where did you get this?”

My friend replied, “Someone got it for you, not me. He was afraid you’d be upset, so he didn’t come.”

After she finished speaking,

She shrugged and glanced out the window.

Me: …

I pressed my lips together, thinking that I had already said my final goodbye to Gu Xuchen that day, and silently flipped through the documents.

But then,

When I reached the last page,

I found an offer letter, with a handwritten note from Tan Bai inside, apologizing to everyone he had let down.

In that moment,

I felt a little dazed. As I picked up the letter, a card slipped out.

[Ms. Ye, if you had joined Gu Corporation back then, you would have become the most outstanding designer in the company.]

Signed: Gu Xuchen.

It was formal, in Gu Xuchen’s handwriting.

Looking down at it, I seemed to see myself from years ago, clutching my phone and sobbing uncontrollably-wasn’t this the recognition I had been waiting for?

This was worth more than any designer handbag.

It was the value of my youth.