After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 12

As Geng Xiaoxiao descended the stairs, she passed Chen Ruhong’s office and noticed a figure sitting at the desk through the glass.

After a moment’s hesitation, Geng Xiaoxiao approached and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Chen Ruhong replied.

Geng Xiaoxiao opened the door and entered. As she turned to close it behind her, she didn’t notice Chen Ruhong’s gaze lingering on her dress.

“Sister Chen,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, settling into the chair opposite her, “I’ve decided to participate in the Echo testing.”

“Good. Let’s sign the confidentiality agreement first.”

Chen Ruhong composed herself, retrieved a contract from her drawer, and handed it over.

“Okay.”

Geng Xiaoxiao took the document, skimmed it briefly, and signed her name at the bottom.

Mo Yuan Technology was a large, reputable company; they wouldn’t stoop to exploiting employees over such minor details.

As Chen Ruhong watched her sign, she casually remarked, “Did you change your clothes? I don’t remember you wearing this this morning.”

“Yes,” Geng Xiaoxiao replied, her pen pausing mid-stroke. “I accidentally spilled something on my dress, so a friend brought me a change of clothes.”

“I see,” Chen Ruhong said with a smile. “How coincidental! President Ye has the same dress. I think this style is a bit mature for you.”

“Really?” Geng Xiaoxiao capped her pen and handed back the contract. “President Ye’s must be a designer original. I probably bought a knockoff.”

Chen Ruhong took the contract, glanced at it, and said, “Alright. Come to the studio tomorrow to record the audio. Lunch break’s here—let’s go eat.”

“Okay,” Geng Xiaoxiao replied, getting up to leave.

After turning a corner, Geng Xiaoxiao stopped and looked down at the linen dress she was wearing.

She knew Ye Ling kept a few spare outfits at the office for emergencies, but she never expected Ye Ling to give her one of her own clothes.

Ye Ling had always been fiercely protective of her belongings. Once, Xue Jiqing asked to borrow a pair of rarely used sunglasses and was flatly refused.

If Ye Ling wouldn’t even lend sunglasses, how much less would she lend clothes she had worn?

When Geng Xiaoxiao had texted Ye Ling for help, she had assumed Ye Ling would ask Meng Lianqiu to buy a new dress nearby.

Gently touching the hem of the dress, Geng Xiaoxiao remembered something and carefully lifted the skirt a little.

Finding no traces of iodine on the fabric, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

A faint smile curved her lips as she emerged from the corner.

“Xiaoxiao, I’ve finally found you!”

Xiao Miao suddenly appeared, hooking her arm through Geng Xiaoxiao’s. “Did you order takeout? I heard there’s a new chicken hot pot place downstairs. Want to try it?”

“I didn’t order anything. Wait for me while I go back to get my things.”

“Okay~~”

The chicken pot restaurant wasn’t far from the office, and its small space was packed thanks to the opening promotion offering free drinks.

Xiao Miao grumbled, “If I’d known, I would have come early to grab a table.”

“It’s okay,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, glancing up at the sky. “It’s quite cool today. We can wait a bit.”

“Alright then.”

Xiao Miao puffed out her cheeks and scanned Xiaoxiao’s outfit twice before reaching out to touch it.

Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat. She knew Xiao Miao had joined the company at the same time as her and shouldn’t have seen Ye Ling wearing this dress, but she couldn’t help feeling nervous.

She asked tentatively, “What’s up?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear this style before! So chic!” Xiao Miao seemed completely oblivious to anything amiss. “The fit is perfect. It feels like something my sister would love. Where did you get it? Do you have a link?”

Xiaoxiao’s heart settled back down. “I just picked it up at a store a couple of years ago,” she said casually. “I don’t even remember which one.”

“Alright,” Xiao Miao sighed dramatically, drawing out the word. Catching a glimpse of several people getting up, she quickly pulled Geng Xiaoxiao over. “Finally, we can sit down. Oh, Xiaoxiao, I saw you coming from Sister Chen’s earlier. Did you go see her?”

“Yeah,” Geng Xiaoxiao admitted, not wanting to hide anything. “Just providing some data. It didn’t seem like a big deal, so I signed the form.”

“Ah—why didn’t you take me? I’ll go see Sister Chen later too. I want to go with you!”

“Okay.”

A busy waiter brought over chilled drinks as an apology. Geng Xiaoxiao thanked him, took the drink, and twisted open the cap.

The fizzy bubbles slid down her throat, leaving a momentary uncomfortable tingling sensation.

Mo Yuan Technology was the leading smart technology company in China. Geng Xiaoxiao knew that the company had many unreleased innovations.

If she just provided the data, then… later, Ye Ling would figure out how to keep it from her Grandma.

One more day of delay is better than nothing.

After lunch, on her way back to the office, Geng Xiaoxiao received an unexpected phone call.

She gestured for Xiao Miao to go ahead and stepped to the innermost edge of the crosswalk to answer.

“Hello, Sister Jiqing.”

Xue Jiqing’s voice was hurried and anxious. “Xiaoxiao, I need your help! Are you free tonight?”

Geng Xiaoxiao mentally reviewed her work schedule for the day. “I can leave the office by 6:30 at the earliest, and I should be free after that.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Send me your company address. Gotta go…”

“Wait, Sister Jiqing,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, confused. “You haven’t even told me what’s going on.”

“Oh, didn’t I?”

Xue Jiqing paused briefly, then sighed. “It’s nothing too serious, really. You’ve heard of Su Yi from the Su Family, right?”

Geng Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered with recognition as she nodded. “Yes, I have.”

“Tonight’s her birthday party. My family’s forcing me to go—you know, the usual social obligations. Fine, I’ll go. I’m single anyway, might as well make some new friends.”

Geng Xiaoxiao mentally noted the “single” detail, planning to report it to Chen Qiao later.

“But I just saw Su Yi’s WeChat post and realized my ex-girlfriend from two relationships ago is going to be there! You know how messy our breakup was.”

Geng Xiaoxiao thought silently, Messy? That’s an understatement. Xue Jiqing’s last relationship ended largely because of me.

It was said that the remarkable woman had once declared that as long as she lived, Xue Jiqing would only be with her.

“I just need someone to accompany me there, someone who can play the part of a reformed playboy, deeply in love. Anything to make her give up.”

“Don’t worry, she’s all bark and no bite. Besides, it’s a friend’s birthday party—she won’t make a scene. Just show up with me, and we’ll slip away when the opportunity arises.”

“I could do that,” Geng Xiaoxiao said hesitantly, “but why me?”

Xue Jiqing smiled bitterly. “She’s investigated almost everyone close to me. After thinking it over, you’re the only one Ye Ling has kept completely hidden. She probably doesn’t even know you exist.”

Geng Xiaoxiao paused, then decided against recommending Chen Qiao. Chen Qiao’s feelings were too obvious; Xue Jiqing, a seasoned player in the game of love, might have already noticed. This phone call itself felt like a deliberate hint that Chen Qiao was a blazing inferno waiting to be ignited.

“I understand,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, pressing her lips together. “Should we tell Ye Ling about this?”

“Shh! If you don’t tell her, and I don’t tell her, Ye Ling will never know,” Xue Jiqing said dismissively. “It’s just a birthday party. President Ye, with her packed schedule, wouldn’t deign to attend such a trivial event.”

“Alright,” Geng Xiaoxiao agreed.

Xue Jiqing had always treated her like a younger sister, and Geng Xiaoxiao reciprocated by doing her best to help whenever she could.

At 6:40 PM, she stepped out of the elevator.

Sorry, Sister Jiqing, I was held up for a bit.

The manager had suddenly come by for a stroll just as she was about to leave, so she had to wait a little longer.

Xue Jiqing’s reply came quickly, but it was a bit odd.

Right—turn!

Geng Xiaoxiao stopped in front of the company entrance and instinctively looked to her right.

A bright red sports car was parked by the curb. A tall woman in a dark green tank top and camouflage cargo pants stood beside it, her long, wavy hair billowing in the wind, radiating an unrestrained confidence.

“Little Bamboo, over here!” Xue Jiqing called out, waving as she removed her sunglasses.

The scene drew countless gazes, and Geng Xiaoxiao even spotted familiar colleagues among the onlookers.

Before attracting more attention, she quickly covered her face and hurried over, sliding into the passenger seat.

“Sister Jiqing, let’s go.”

“As you wish.”

Xue Jiqing whistled, stomped on the accelerator, and sped away.

They couldn’t possibly attend the banquet dressed so casually. On the way, Xue Jiqing produced a loaf of bread from somewhere for Geng Xiaoxiao to snack on, then raised the car’s roof and raced to a private studio.

Two hours later, the sports car roared back to life, pulling up outside the banquet hotel.

Xue Jiqing stepped out of the driver’s seat, dressed in a white and gold tuxedo that made her look like a knight.

She waved to stop the hotel doorman from opening the car door, then personally walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and stepped back to give a gentlemanly bow.

“Come, my princess.”

Geng Xiaoxiao stared at her, beginning to suspect that the “ex-girlfriend” story was just a cover. Xue Jiqing probably just wanted to play around.

She forced a calm expression, trying to appear nonchalant as she took Xue Jiqing’s hand.

The doorman stood discreetly nearby, having long recognized Xue Jiqing’s identity. He was intensely curious about the “divine being” in the car who could command such respect from the Xue Family’s notorious troublemaker.

As the pale, low-heeled Mary Janes touched the ground, he subtly lifted his gaze, his eyes slowly traveling upward…

The ankle straps framed her slender calves, their asymmetrical design lending a playful, manga-like energy.

Higher up, the refreshing pale green dress, accented with soft lavender, was light and airy. The jellyfish-shaped skirt flared from the waist, its longer, uneven hem trailing behind her with each step.

The girl’s makeup was minimal, and her hair, likely short, was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, wisps escaping to frame her face.

Yet this very imperfection only enhanced her vitality, making her seem less like a guest at a formal banquet and more like a forest sprite who had wandered into the mortal realm.

The doorman was momentarily dazed. Another car pulled up immediately behind, and at the sound of the horn, he quickly stepped back.

“Clumsy idiot,” a woman in the back seat muttered as the window rolled down, glancing at him with what seemed like a roll of her eyes.

“A-Ling,” she turned to the person beside her, “let Xiao Meng park the car. This doorman doesn’t seem very reliable.”

The woman called “A-Ling” responded with a soft “Mm,” her voice like an icy spring—clear and coldly indifferent.

The doorman kept his eyes down, helping the eye-rolling woman open her door before hurrying around to the other side.

As he approached, the door swung open from within. A woman with long legs stepped out, leaving him with a glimpse of her profile.

Her features were strikingly vivid: a high, straight nose with even the slight hump perfectly sculpted. But what truly captivated attention was the small, vermilion mole beneath her peach-blossom eyes.

The doorman recognized her instantly, his eyelids twitching violently as he averted his gaze.

“A-Ling, we’re already late. Let’s hurry inside.”

The woman looped her arm through Ye Ling’s and took a step forward, but Ye Ling didn’t follow.

She stopped and turned back to find Ye Ling staring intently in a particular direction, lost in thought.

The hotel’s fountain was too tall; the woman stood on tiptoe, catching only a fleeting glimpse of pale green before it vanished.

“What is it? Did you see someone you know?”

Ye Ling shook her head. “I must have been mistaken. Let’s go.”

She couldn’t possibly be here.