Chapter Thirty-Seven: Drop by My Office When You Have Time

Xue Tian'ai stared in utter shock at the two women behind him, feeling as if a storm had swept through his mind. Both women were exceptionally beautiful.

The woman who had tapped Xue Tian'ai's shoulder wore her lustrous black hair loosely over her shoulders, her slanted bangs skimming just above her eyes. Her long lashes fluttered, and her dewy eyes now brimmed with astonishment and fury. A delicate nose, a soft pink face, and moist lips that seemed almost biteable—all of it framed by a form-fitting, jet-black business suit that perfectly accentuated her flawless figure.

The other woman was dressed in a light gray business outfit, paired with nude stockings, her S-shaped silhouette evident at a single glance. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing a flawless oval face as smooth as jade. Beneath her elegant brows, her eyes shone bright, though at that moment they held a hint of perplexity. Her tender cherry lips were a vivid, inviting red, adding to her allure.

Rumor had it that within Menghua Group, there were three renowned beauties—three women celebrated for their looks and poise. One was the ice-cold CEO Qin Mengxue; the other two, while perhaps a shade less dazzling by comparison, were nonetheless of such beauty as to bring trouble upon men. These two were the managers of the Group’s Foreign Affairs and Investment departments—Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi. Among all of Menghua Group's women, only these two fit the images before Xue Tian'ai.

Both Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi had been handpicked and promoted by Qin Mengxue. Owing to the nature of their work, the two often collaborated and thus were on very friendly terms—at least outwardly. Yet, the office gossip had it that their camaraderie was only skin-deep, that their relationship was not altogether harmonious. In a sense, the rumors were both true and false: the connection between Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi could only be described as delicate. There was genuine friendship, but also an undercurrent of rivalry. Both were proud, both had been raised to prominence by Qin Mengxue, and the overlap in their roles meant inevitable comparison—much like the dynamic between Qin Mengxue and Ye Hairuo.

At their core, both Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi believed themselves superior to the other, so neither would ever submit. Yet in public, their relationship remained amicable.

Had it been any other day, had two such beauties tapped Xue Tian'ai's shoulder and invited him to share a meal, he would have happily accepted. But now, faced with these two women, he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

He had met both women before—indeed, to be more precise, he had shared moments of awkward physical intimacy with each of them! The woman who tapped his shoulder was the pure-looking girl in the dress whom, just yesterday, he had accidentally groped on the bus and called "wife" on the subway. The woman standing beside her made his headache even worse—she was the one who, after being drugged and drinking too much, had seduced him that night!

Xue Tian'ai felt as if fate itself was toying with him—or that Beiyang City was but a tiny village, for what were the odds of all this happening?

The only small comfort was that the woman in the gray suit—the one who had actually slept with him—looked confused and dazed, not furious like the woman who had tapped his shoulder. Xue Tian'ai could only hope that, since she’d been drunk and drugged that night, she remembered nothing of him. That would be one less problem to worry about.

“It’s you?” Su Jiaqi glared at the sweating man before her, her voice trembling with rage. Even she hadn’t expected to run into the man who had humiliated her so thoroughly just the day before. Not only had he groped her, he had called her his wife—events that, in her twenty-three years, were the most humiliating she had ever endured, all courtesy of the man now facing her.

“No, you’re mistaken. I don’t know you!” Xue Tian'ai hurriedly turned his head, trying his best to deny it.

“I would recognize your ugly mug even if you turned to ashes!” Su Jiaqi shot back fiercely.

“Hey, calling my handsome face ‘ugly’—doesn’t your conscience hurt? Don’t you feel any remorse?” Xue Tian'ai retorted, annoyed, not forgetting to add, “And besides, who are you anyway? I don’t know you!”

Su Jiaqi was now entirely certain—this was the man from yesterday. That arrogant attitude left no room for doubt. Her cheeks, flushed with anger, puffed up, her small fist clenched tightly, and her soft lips pressed together as though she were a volcano about to erupt.

Gan Bingning stood by, watching the two in confusion, unable to make sense of the situation. Yet her bright eyes never left Xue Tian'ai—he gave her an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as if he were the very man who had taken her virginity that night.

“Pervert, creep, stalker, plastic face!” Su Jiaqi suddenly spat out.

“Come on, I told you—it was just a misunderstanding! Just because you bought me a bus ticket doesn’t mean you can slander me like this! And for the record, my looks are all natural!” Xue Tian'ai, stung by her insults, fired back, not noticing Gan Bingning’s searching gaze. All he wanted now was to argue with the unreasonable Su Jiaqi. He’d glanced at the name badges on Su Jiaqi and Gan Bingning’s chests and realized that the one who had helped him with the bus ticket was the Investment Department Manager, Su Jiaqi, and the one who had seduced him after getting drunk was the Foreign Affairs Department Manager, Gan Bingning.

The realization left Xue Tian'ai with a sinking feeling; never had he imagined that the two women he’d tangled with were both senior executives at Qin Mengxue’s company.

“So it really was you!” Su Jiaqi’s face darkened to a bruised purple, on the verge of exploding.

“No, you’re still mistaken! I was just talking to the air!” Xue Tian'ai decided to brazen it out, feigning nonchalance as he turned back to his breakfast.

Just as Su Jiaqi was about to erupt, a sudden idea flashed across her mind. Her expression and tone shifted back to normal. “Perhaps I really did mistake you for someone else. Sorry for disturbing your meal, sir.”

Xue Tian'ai froze at her words but didn’t look back, mumbling a reply through a mouthful of braised pork.

The next moment, though, he sensed a wave of heat surging toward him. Every cell in his body tensed, and without hesitation, he leapt to his feet.

As he stood, a sharp cry rang out.

Su Jiaqi, holding a bowl of millet porridge, had been about to pour it over Xue Tian'ai’s head for revenge. But his sudden movement caused the bowl to tip and its contents to spill—all over Su Jiaqi’s face.

A wail of pain followed. Xue Tian'ai glanced back and could not help but laugh and cry at the sight: Su Jiaqi’s face was covered in porridge, her light makeup smeared, her entire body splattered. The beautiful, pure woman was now a sticky, almost risqué mess.

“Bastard!” Su Jiaqi’s cheeks burned red as she glared at Xue Tian'ai, teeth grinding with anger.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean it. I’ll pay for your clothes—heck, I’ll even help you change if you want!” Xue Tian'ai pleaded earnestly.

“You shameless brute!” Su Jiaqi had already sworn to herself that, should she ever run into Xue Tian'ai again, she would make him pay for the indignities he’d caused her on the bus and subway. But his thick-skinned defiance left her with no satisfaction in their argument.

She had planned to pretend to spill porridge on him by accident, to avenge herself for his previous offenses. Who could have predicted that Xue Tian'ai would suddenly stand up, causing her scheme to backfire so spectacularly?

Seeing Su Jiaqi’s disheveled state, Xue Tian'ai struggled to stifle his laughter. Serves you right for trying to outsmart me—now you’ve tasted the bitter fruit.

He arched his brows at Su Jiaqi, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

Su Jiaqi’s anger only flared hotter at the sight. Had he done this on purpose?

“You’re a Menghua Group employee, aren’t you? New here?” Su Jiaqi pressed on, knowing that only employees could eat in the company cafeteria, and she had never seen him before.

“Yes! Today’s my first day.”

“Which department? What’s your name?” Su Jiaqi demanded, determined to make his work life miserable since she couldn’t get the upper hand here.

“I don’t have a department, actually. My name is Xue Tian'ai,” he replied truthfully, knowing it was pointless to lie. After all, Su Jiaqi was a deputy manager with significant authority.

“Are you messing with me? How can an employee not have a department?” Su Jiaqi stared at him, her eyes nearly spitting fire.

“I really don’t have a department!” Xue Tian'ai insisted.

“If you don’t answer me honestly, I’ll have you fired!”

“Go ahead, try it! I don’t believe you can fire me. This is my wife’s company—you think I can be fired?”

“Fine, just you wait! I’ll find out which department you’re in and get you sacked! A man who can’t even own up to his actions—what kind of man are you?”

“Come on, I’ve helped you twice and apologized, but you won’t let it go. You’re so pretty but act like a shrew. What have I ever done to you?”

“A shrew?” Su Jiaqi stared at him in disbelief. Had anyone ever dared insult her like this?

Others in the cafeteria, hearing Xue Tian'ai’s words, were stunned and began silently mourning for him. Was he trying to get himself killed, talking to Su Jiaqi like that?

Su Jiaqi glared at Xue Tian'ai, while he stared back, unyielding. Tension crackled between them.

“All right, Jiaqi, go change your clothes or you’ll be late,” Gan Bingning finally spoke up after remaining silent till now.

“Hmph… Just you wait!” Su Jiaqi shot Xue Tian'ai a murderous look before storming off.

As she left, Xue Tian'ai let out a sigh of relief. At last, he’d rid himself of that woman—at least for now. She was simply too much to handle. Thankfully, Gan Bingning didn’t seem to have recognized him.

Content, he sat back down to finish his breakfast, but Gan Bingning quietly approached. A delicate fragrance wafted over as she leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Your name’s Xue Tian'ai, right? Stop by my office later—I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

At those words, Xue Tian'ai’s chopsticks clattered to the floor in shock.