The Green Tea Supporting Girl Is Still Playing Her Role Today (GL) - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Xie Zhifei chewed a couple of bites of the strawberry, then suddenly rolled over to face away from Wen Pinghan, burying her face in a pillow without a word.

Wen Pinghan observed her for a moment, noticing her ears gradually turning red. Feeling amused, she deliberately asked with a smirk, “Want me to keep feeding you?”

“Yes!” Xie Zhifei thought, ‘I’ve already embarrassed myself, so what’s there to fear?’ Deciding to go all in and enjoy herself first, she flipped back over, opened her mouth wide, and waited to be fed.

“…” Wen Pinghan had clearly underestimated her shamelessness. After feeding her one more, she placed the bowl directly on her. “Hold it and eat yourself.”

“You’re not eating?” Xie Zhifei asked, clutching the bowl.

“I am.” Wen Pinghan sat beside her, turned on the TV, and picked a variety show. They watched while grabbing strawberries from the bowl.

Xie Zhifei got drawn into the show, sat up with the bowl, and watched alongside her. When they hit a funny part, both laughed until they were doubled over.

Wen Pinghan stared at the TV, reaching for a strawberry, but accidentally grabbed Xie Zhifei’s fingers instead. She turned her head, and their eyes met.

For a moment, neither spoke, gazing quietly at each other. Xie Zhifei grinned. “What, Sister, you want revenge by eating my hand?”

“What’s so tasty about your hand?” Wen Pinghan let go, deliberately picking up a strawberry and holding it in front of her. “Isn’t this much better?”

Before she finished speaking, Xie Zhifei bit the strawberry right out of her hand, looking satisfied. “Mm, Sister picks the sweet ones.”

Wen Pinghan’s lips twitched, but she laughed a couple of times, reaching for her own. She realized only one was left and pulled her hand back.

The next moment, Xie Zhifei fed the last strawberry to her mouth. “Here, don’t say your little sister doesn’t know how to return a favor.”

“You eat it,” Wen Pinghan said.

“Come on, no need to be polite with me.”

Xie Zhifei pinched her chin and stuffed the strawberry into her mouth. As it brushed her teeth, some of the red fruit got crushed into juice, smearing on her lips and Xie Zhifei’s fingertips.

Wen Pinghan licked her lips, half exasperated, half amused. “Are you childish or what?”

“How’s that childish?” Xie Zhifei chuckled, grabbing a tissue to wipe her hands, then taking another to wipe Wen Pinghan’s mouth. “If you’d just eaten obediently, it’d be fine.”

“Who knew you’d force it?”

The second half of the variety show got boring. Xie Zhifei leaned her head on Wen Pinghan’s shoulder, idly playing with her phone.

Wen Pinghan: “…”

Whenever she lowered her eyes, she could see Xie Zhifei’s phone screen. Was she really that unguarded around her?

But looking closer, it seemed there was no need for caution—she was just gossiping with her close friend.

Zhao Xiaojing: [Help, that Li Feng guy came back again. How charming am I, seriously!]

Xie Zhifei: [Haha.]

Zhao Xiaojing: [Stop laughing and help me figure out how to deal with him!]

Xie Zhifei: [Heh, what can I do?]

Zhao Xiaojing: [Are we sisters or not? Are you at home? I’m coming over to hide.]

Xie Zhifei: [Not home.]

Zhao Xiaojing: [Then where’d you run off to have fun without me?!]

Xie Zhifei: [Sister’s place.]

Zhao Xiaojing: [? Which sister?]

Xie Zhifei: [Wen Pinghan.]

Zhao Xiaojing: [??????]

Zhao Xiaojing: [You’re nuts! What are you doing at her place?!]

Xie Zhifei: [Eating noodles. By the way, she’s probably seeing this message.]

Zhao Xiaojing: [????? I’m freaking done!!]

At the same time, Wen Pinghan guiltily looked up at the ceiling.

“I should head back,” Xie Zhifei said, checking the time. It was almost eleven. She stood up lazily. “I’m off, Sister. Rest early.”

“Alright, be safe on the way.”

The next day, Wen Pinghan took the contract back to the Gu Corporation, signed it, and handed it to Fang Ningshu. They discussed some collaboration details, and soon it was lunchtime.

Fang Ningshu offered to take her out to eat, but Wen Pinghan said, “No need to trouble you. I can use the employee card you gave me. I quite like your cafeteria food.”

Qisheng had a cafeteria too, but eating there too often got old. Fang Ningshu, however, thought she was subtly shading Qisheng and smiled. “If Ms. Wen had joined the Gu Corporation earlier, you could’ve eaten at our cafeteria every day.”

“Eating the same thing every day gets boring,” Wen Pinghan said with a laugh. “You’ve got to mix it up with new flavors to keep it fresh.”

For some reason, Fang Ningshu had a moment of realization. Perhaps Gu Zhizhang, used to gourmet dishes, found Wen Pinghan’s simple charm intriguing?

“That makes sense,” Fang Ningshu agreed. “Let’s head to the cafeteria.”

“No need to guide me. I can go myself. You’re busy, Secretary Fang, so go handle your stuff.”

“Alright, I’ll have Xiao Wei take you then.” Fang Ningshu called over another assistant to escort her to the cafeteria.

After Wen Pinghan finished eating and left, Fang Ningshu asked the assistant, “Did she ask you about anyone or anything in the company?”

“She did!”

“As expected… Was it about President Gu?”

To her surprise, the assistant shook her head mysteriously. “She was asking about you, Secretary Fang.”

“?” Fang Ningshu was puzzled. “What did she ask about me?”

“She said you seem impressive. After asking about your daily work, she was deeply impressed, saying a capable woman like you is hard to match.”

“Really? She said that?”

“Yeah, didn’t seem fake.”

Fang Ningshu’s lips twitched, a subtle sense of pride rising in her heart.

The next few days at the company were calm. But on Friday, just before the end of the workday, Gu Zhizhang suddenly showed up at Qisheng, drawing the attention of many employees, some of whom started swooning.

He went straight to Xie Zhifei’s office, saying he wanted to discuss the collaboration project and preferably talk details with the person in charge.

Xie Zhifei silently rolled her eyes, thinking, ‘This guy’s chasing her with one trick after another, like a pig wearing a bra.’

“Don’t rush, Brother Gu. Have some tea first.” Xie Zhifei asked her secretary to pour him a cup, then said, “If there’s any detail, you can talk to me too.”

“Wen Pinghan’s the person in charge. Better to talk directly with her to save you the trouble of relaying,” Gu Zhizhang said with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll call her up.” Xie Zhifei instructed her secretary to fetch Wen Pinghan.

With just the two of them in the office, Gu Zhizhang quietly asked, “How’s your relationship with her now?”

“Pretty good. We’re good friends,” Xie Zhifei said.

“That’s great. Can you help me out later? I want to ask her to lunch tomorrow. If I ask her directly, she’ll probably turn me down again,” Gu Zhizhang said, sighing in frustration.

“No way. You’re Gu Zhizhang. What woman would turn you down?” Xie Zhifei flattered.

Gu Zhizhang shook his head with a wry smile. “She would, and she does, time after time.”

“Don’t lose heart, Brother Gu. You’ve got to stay strong. As the poem goes, ‘Before my bed, the moonlight glows, it seems like frost upon the floor. I raise my head and see the moon’—you’re Gu Zhizhang!” Xie Zhifei encouraged.

Gu Zhizhang shook his head, chuckling. “You’re such a sweet sister.”

“Of course.” Seeing Wen Pinghan at the door, Xie Zhifei whispered to Gu Zhizhang, “If you’re worried about being rejected, how about I come up with a way to make her agree?”

“Great.” Gu Zhizhang looked at her gratefully.

The next moment, Wen Pinghan walked in, and Xie Zhifei said to her, “Tomorrow, go have lunch with President Gu to discuss project details.”

“Hm?” Wen Pinghan froze, glancing at Gu Zhizhang in confusion.

Gu Zhizhang: “…” ‘What happened to the plan? Like she’d agree to that!’

“Yeah.” Xie Zhifei nodded at her.

“Okay,” Wen Pinghan agreed instantly.

Gu Zhizhang: ??? ‘That simple?!’

After setting the time and place for lunch with Wen Pinghan, he was still reeling. When she said she had to get back to work, he just nodded dazedly, then looked at Xie Zhifei with wild excitement. “You, her boss, are amazing. One order from you beats a thousand of my words.”

Xie Zhifei just smiled without a word.

On Saturday, Xie Zhifei woke to her alarm at ten, groggily washed up and changed, and waited until the time was about right before calling Fang Ningshu. “About what you mentioned last time, let’s talk in person.”

This was her first private contact with Fang Ningshu, so Fang Ningshu immediately thought it was about Wen Pinghan, which suited her perfectly. Noticing it was almost lunchtime, she suggested eating while talking.

“I heard there’s a good Western restaurant on South Street.”

“Sounds good. You decide, Ms. Xie.”

So they headed to the agreed-upon spot. When Xie Zhifei arrived, Fang Ningshu was already there.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

“No worries, different distances.” Fang Ningshu had dined with her and Gu Zhizhang before and remembered her tastes, having already ordered. She asked if there was anything else to add.

“No need, this is fine. You’re so sharp, Ms. Fang. Even my secretary hasn’t figured out my preferences yet,” Xie Zhifei said with a smile.

“Just a professional habit,” Fang Ningshu said, smiling back.

As they spoke, the waiter began serving the food. Fang Ningshu glanced out the window and saw a familiar car parked by the road. Gu Zhizhang got out, quickly opened the passenger door, and Wen Pinghan stepped out. They walked together to the restaurant across the street.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She knew nothing about this date. It seemed Gu Zhizhang never involved her in personal matters concerning Wen Pinghan, so no wonder they were sparking while she was just finding out.

“Ms. Xie, I think I see President Gu and Ms. Wen,” Fang Ningshu said.

“Where?”

Fang Ningshu tilted her chin. Xie Zhifei followed her gaze, then frowned. “Find a way to get Brother Gu out of there.”

Fang Ningshu had the same idea. “But if President Gu finds out…”

“You’re just calling him for work. What’s there to find out?” Xie Zhifei raised an eyebrow.

Fang Ningshu smiled knowingly. “Then I can’t keep you company for this meal, Ms. Xie.”

“No problem. We’ll sit down and eat slowly another time,” Xie Zhifei said.

Fang Ningshu nodded, got up, and called Gu Zhizhang.

Wen Pinghan had just sat down when Gu Zhizhang got a call. His face fell, and he decided to handle company matters first, apologizing guiltily to Wen Pinghan.

“It’s fine. Work comes first. Go handle it, President Gu,” Wen Pinghan said understandingly.

Shortly after Gu Zhizhang left, someone sat in the seat across from her.

“Ordered yet?”

Wen Pinghan, playing on her phone, didn’t look up. “Yup.”

Just then, the waiter came with the food, setting down a bowl of spicy chicken and pickled fish, both with noticeably less chili. The waiter said, “Mildly spicy chicken and pickled fish are served. Shall I bring the two ice creams after the meal?”

“Yeah.” Wen Pinghan put away her phone, picked up her chopsticks, and saw the person across from her grinning nonstop. “What are you laughing at? Eat already.”

“Just thinking about it makes me happy. Brother Gu picked a Sichuan restaurant to suit your taste, but you ordered mild dishes~ Were those for me?” Xie Zhifei chuckled, then asked, “Sister, if Brother Gu knew you were eating with me now, he wouldn’t be mad, right?”

Wen Pinghan: “…”