The Green Tea Supporting Girl Is Still Playing Her Role Today (GL) - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Xie Zhifei was stunned for three seconds, suddenly recalling that she had said something similar before. Looking at the scene before her, she realized Wen Pinghan was merely brushing off Gu Zhizhang’s kindness.

Gu Zhizhang, naturally, wasn’t so easily fooled.

If Wen Pinghan truly liked women, why didn’t she say so when he first expressed his feelings?

So, she was just messing with him now. But for a woman to reject him repeatedly, even using an excuse like liking women, it was still somewhat hurtful.

He forced a smile. “Stop joking. That’s not funny.”

Wen Pinghan pursed her lips in displeasure, ignored him, and lowered her head to continue eating.

Gu Zhizhang’s heart felt like it was shattering. Since he entered the scene, he had attracted plenty of attention, as usual. Now, he didn’t want everyone to notice he had hit a wall, so he shifted their focus, turning to chat with Xie Zhifei. “How’s Uncle Xie doing?”

“He’s doing great. Just upset about that failed blind date last time. Didn’t talk to me for a week,” Xie Zhifei said.

“The one with Li Hongyan?” Gu Zhizhang asked. “How’s it going with you and Li Hongyan?”

“Pretty good. We chat often. He’s really helpful, answers a lot of my questions,” Xie Zhifei replied.

“What kind of questions?”

“Work stuff.”

Seeing she didn’t want to elaborate, Gu Zhizhang felt that familiar sense of defeat again.

Maybe it was his imagination, but over the past few months, Xie Zhifei seemed less attached to him. She still called him “Brother Gu” warmly, but her smile was somehow different from before. She even turned down his suggestions, not to mention going on blind dates and hitting it off with the guy.

On one hand, he was happy that Xie Zhifei seemed to be growing up after joining the company, no longer as aimless as before. On the other hand, he felt a subtle sense of loss, as if he could already sense a future where Xie Zhifei would drift away because of someone else, her eyes no longer holding his reflection.

“Sister, try this.” Xie Zhifei picked up a piece of blueberry cake and offered it to Wen Pinghan. “It’s sweet and tangy, really good!”

“Okay.” Wen Pinghan ate it and gave a thumbs-up.

“See? I told you it’s delicious!” Xie Zhifei grinned at her.

That smile—Gu Zhizhang stared at the genuine, heartfelt smile on her face, free of any pretense or performance…

Wait, performance?

Could it be that Ah Fei was just putting on an act with him?

“Ah Fei.”

“Hm?” Xie Zhifei turned to him, her smile still lingering. “What’s up, Brother Gu?”

Seeing her smile now, Gu Zhizhang finally felt at ease and smiled lightly. “Nothing, just saying, if you have any questions you don’t understand, you can ask me too.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Why are you all hiding here?” Zhao Xiaojing, the moment she had a break, spotted the three of them standing there and immediately sensed drama. She hurried over to join the fun, noticing Wen Pinghan looked especially stunning today—probably enough to steal Gu Zhizhang’s soul.

“It’s your first time here, and you don’t know many people. Want me to introduce you to some friends?” Zhao Xiaojing said to Wen Pinghan.

Wen Pinghan was thrilled. She had been wondering how to meet people in such a crowd, and having Zhao Xiaojing personally introduce her was perfect.

“I’m heading over,” Wen Pinghan said to Xie Zhifei, then eagerly followed Zhao Xiaojing to socialize.

A few steps in, Zhao Xiaojing turned back and winked at Xie Zhifei.

Xie Zhifei: “…”

She knew Zhao Xiaojing was just finding an excuse to take Wen Pinghan away, creating a moment for her and Gu Zhizhang. Xie didn’t stop her only because she saw Wen Pinghan’s enthusiasm for networking and didn’t want to waste her chance.

“Why doesn’t she just come socialize with me? How many of those people are real elites? Doesn’t she know they’re all here at this banquet hoping to climb the social ladder?” Gu Zhizhang watched Wen Pinghan mingle with minor players, putting on a polite smile, and felt a headache coming on. “I can’t stand seeing her lower herself like this.”

“Lower herself? She’s doing it for her career and future. Who are you to judge her? Oh right, you’re from a high-born family, with everyone rushing to flatter you. How could you understand the struggles of others trying to survive?” Xie Zhifei felt deflated, set down her glass, and walked away.

Gu Zhizhang stood there, stunned, staring at Xie Zhifei’s retreating figure—Ah Fei… was mad at him?

By the time he snapped out of it, he was already chasing after her to explain. “That’s not what I meant. I just want her to do well, without having to please others like that.”

“Whether she’s doing well is her choice. Outsiders like us don’t get to measure her worth by our standards. If she were the type to coast along, she’d have agreed to be your girlfriend ages ago,” Xie Zhifei said angrily.

Gu Zhizhang paused. “You’re right. I said the wrong thing.”

Xie Zhifei didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Just then, she saw Li Hongyan approaching and immediately went to greet him. “Brother Li, you’re here too?”

“Yeah, what a coincidence. I’m not late, am I?”

“Nope.”

Gu Zhizhang stopped in his tracks—Brother Li? She’s already calling him Brother Li?

“Mr. Gu, the gift has been delivered,” Fang Ningshu said quietly as she approached. “Mr. Zhao and the others are upstairs.”

“Good, I’ll head up soon.”

Fang Ningshu waited a moment, noticing he hadn’t moved. Following his gaze, she saw Xie Zhifei and Li Hongyan heading to a corner and looked at Gu Zhizhang curiously. “Mr. Gu?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.” Gu Zhizhang turned and went upstairs to meet the real connections.

After introducing Wen Pinghan to her friends, Zhao Xiaojing was about to head back when she spotted Li Feng entering through the main door. Startled, she hid behind Wen Pinghan, muttering, “Who invited him?”

Wen Pinghan whispered, “What’s with you…?”

“Shh, think of a way to get rid of Li Feng,” Zhao Xiaojing instructed before sneaking off.

Wen Pinghan looked up to find Li Feng already in front of her, asking, “Where’s Zhao Xiaojing?”

“She’s attending to other guests. Just arrived, Mr. Li?”

“Yeah.”

“Then head inside and wait. Ms. Xie and the others are there too.”

“Is Gu Zhizhang here?”

“He’s here.”

“Hm.” Li Feng turned and walked toward the living room, soon spotting Xie Zhifei and Li Hongyan. He approached and asked, “What are you two talking about?”

Li Hongyan replied, “We’re discussing whether, if there’s no today, tomorrow could become yesterday.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Li Feng couldn’t join the conversation. He was already stressed about his fleeting love life and had no time for such topics. So, he asked where Gu Zhizhang was.

“Don’t know,” Xie Zhifei said.

“You don’t know where he is?” Li Feng asked curiously.

“Is that surprising? His legs aren’t attached to mine.”

Wen Pinghan smiled, and Li Hongyan chuckled too, saying, “He went upstairs.”

Li Feng nodded and strode upstairs.

At that moment, Zhao Xiaojing emerged from hiding, anxiously saying, “Oh no, if he goes up and sees my parents, spilling nonsense, what then?”

“Scared of crashing now?” Xie Zhifei laughed.

“No choice—there are like a dozen of my ex-boyfriends out in the yard.”

The three: “…”

“Stop eating popcorn and help me figure out how to get rid of Li Feng!”

Li Hongyan: “Get him drunk?”

Xie Zhifei: “Knock him out?”

Wen Pinghan: “Seduce him?”

“Can you guys be serious?” Zhao Xiaojing snapped, then eyed Wen Pinghan for a moment. “Your idea might work. Go on, seduce him.”

“…I was joking,” Wen Pinghan said.

“No worries, that guy’s easy to hook. A flick of your finger, and he’s yours. Go for it—I believe in your charm,” Zhao Xiaojing urged.

“No way.” Xie Zhifei cut her off. “Don’t make her do that.”

“Then come up with a better idea,” Zhao Xiaojing said impatiently.

Xie Zhifei: “It’s simple. He’s set on sticking with you today. Even if we distract him temporarily, he’ll come back. So, the best solution is—”

Wen Pinghan: “You leave.”

The two high-fived.

“Are you guys crazy? It’s my birthday party. What does it look like if I leave?” Zhao Xiaojing said, shocked.

“No one will care,” Xie Zhifei said. “Or you can stay here and wait for Li Feng, the ticking bomb, to explode.”

“…” Zhao Xiaojing’s eyes darted around. “I’ve got an idea.”

“What?”

Zhao Xiaojing lifted her skirt and headed upstairs.

The three watched as she yanked Li Feng out of the study, dragged him to her bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

The three: “…”

Xie Zhifei gave a thumbs-up. “Looks like she went with Sister’s plan after all.”

Wen Pinghan laughed. “Just giving her an out.”

Soon, Li Hongyan was called away by others, leaving the two whispering.

“How’s the networking going?”

“A few people seem promising, and their businesses align with ours. I’ve added their contacts,” Wen Pinghan said.

“Not going to chat with them more?”

“Too much is as bad as too little. They have other things to do, and lingering too long can leave a bad impression. Networking needs balance.”

“Wow, you’ve got it all figured out. Who taught you?”

“My old boss, before they left.”

“Not bad. Want your current boss to teach you another trick?” Xie Zhifei asked.

“Sure, what is it?” Wen Pinghan said eagerly.

Xie Zhifei beckoned her closer.

Wen Pinghan leaned in, feeling Xie’s breath on her neck.

“You could try clinging to the boss’s leg and flattering them.”

“…” Wen Pinghan glanced sideways. “So, how exactly do I cling to the boss’s leg?”

“Just make the boss happy,” Xie Zhifei said with a sly smile.

“Didn’t expect you to like flattery too.”

“Depends on who’s doing it. If it’s someone like Sister, of course I’d love it.” Xie Zhifei raised an eyebrow and grinned.

At that moment, on the second-floor hallway, Fang Ningshu stepped out of the study and caught sight of the two in the corner below. Her gaze froze, darting toward them.

From her angle, it looked like Xie Zhifei was kissing Wen Pinghan’s neck, with Wen Pinghan smiling.

?!!

What was going on? Her two love rivals were sneaking around behind her back?!