C5 It Was Not Me Who Was Embarrassed!

She pursed her lips and downed the last sip of her coffee. "Well, I lost the bet with him, didn't I? I always keep my word—three years it is!" With that, she stood up and walked out of the café with a flourish.

Upon arriving at the Dark Night Royal Palace, Wen Mian noticed the staff gathered around the front desk, engrossed in something and chatting animatedly. Standing in the grand lobby, the opulent lighting highlighted her poised demeanor.

She cleared her throat, and the sound echoed through the vast space. "Why are you all standing around instead of working?" Her voice made everyone turn, their faces showing a mix of apprehension and an expression Wen Mian couldn't quite decipher.

As the crowd dispersed, Wen Mian approached the front desk, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floor. "Hand it over!" she demanded coldly as Gu, the receptionist, was about to stash something in the drawer.

With a reluctant expression, Gu handed over his phone to Wen Mian. On the screen was a video featuring her and Gao Ziqi. She hadn't expected the fiasco from yesterday's engagement party to have made its way online.

Wen Mian watched herself in the video with a cool expression, squinting slightly before nodding with mock seriousness. "Hmm, I do look pretty good on camera."

After saying this, she turned off the video and handed the phone back to Gu, feigning annoyance. "Three o'clock is when you're supposed to be organizing files, and we open for business at five. If I catch you playing on your phone during work hours again, don't blame me for docking your pay!"

Gu quickly nodded as he took the phone, but couldn't help asking, "Ms. Mian, this whole thing has blown up online. Aren't you upset?"

Realizing the question might have been inappropriate, he awkwardly closed his mouth.

"Manager, here are today's liquor delivery receipts for you to sign," a male server said, approaching Wen Mian and handing her the documents.

Without looking up, Wen Mian took the receipts, glanced over them briefly, and signed her name. "It's not me who's embarrassed by this whole thing, so why should I be upset?"

After handing the receipts back to the server, Wen Mian pulled out the ledger from the front desk to start balancing the books.

Gu was about to say something else when Wen Mian looked up, pointing her index finger at his nose. "Less gossip, more work."

She understood all too well how quickly rumors could spread. Even though the fiasco at yesterday's engagement party wasn't her fault, her involvement had inevitably put her in the spotlight.

But so what? A thousand people will have a thousand opinions. She didn't expect to silence everyone; she just hoped those close to her would understand her.

Before she knew it, it was already five o'clock. Wen Mian stood at the front desk, glanced at her watch, and said to the server, "Open for business."

At the top floor of the CBD building, Yih Qianbo was seated, watching a video on his computer, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Interesting..."

His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, creating a rhythmic sound. The video abruptly stopped as a knock came at the door. Yih Qianbo squinted slightly, "Come in."

Lu Yuan opened the door and walked into the office, circling behind Yih Qianbo to hand him a stack of documents. "Boss, all the information on that woman is here," Lu Yuan said, his eyes drifting to the paused video on Yih Qianbo's screen.

"Didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of video, Boss. It's gone viral today, with millions of views already. The woman in it has really made a name for herself. I have to admit, I'm impressed by what she said. It was pretty bold," Lu Yuan remarked with a hint of admiration in his voice.

Yih Qianbo smiled faintly and closed the video. "It is quite intriguing."

Lu Yuan nodded like a little chick pecking at grains, then suddenly seemed to remember something and frowned, "When I watched this video today, I thought that woman looked really familiar. Strange, where have I seen her before?"

Hearing his words, Yi Qianbo couldn't help but lower his eyes and chuckle softly, recalling the events with that woman at the hotel last night. In the video, she acted so experienced, treating him like a gigolo, but in bed, she was anything but fierce, more like a shy kitten, completely clueless about intimacy.

Lu Yuan shivered slightly, seeing his usually composed boss show such a sly smile. Clearing his throat, he said, "By the way, Boss, is the meeting with Mr. He still at the Tianxiang Pavilion?"

Yi Qianbo closed his notebook, stood up, and adjusted his tie, "We're going to the Dark Night Palace."

Before Lu Yuan could react, Yi Qianbo had already walked out of the office. The Dark Night Palace? The largest nightclub in the city? Their boss usually avoided such places, only going to Endless Night yesterday because a client insisted.

Could it be that he got a taste for being mistaken as a gigolo? With that thought, Lu Yuan smirked and quickly followed him.

At the moment, Mian was standing at the front desk, organizing yesterday's ledgers. Suddenly, she felt a jab on her arm. Wincing, she looked up to see a face that made her stomach turn.

"Mian, I was wrong about yesterday. I messed up. Please forgive me this time. It was really that other woman who came on to me first. I never intended to get involved with her."

Ziqi stood at the front desk, looking at her with what seemed like genuine sincerity, his voice trembling slightly as if he truly meant it.

She exhaled and handed the ledger to Gu at the front desk. "This is yesterday's ledger. Just give it to Director Mo when he arrives."

With that, she continued tidying up, ignoring Ziqi.

Seeing that Mian had no intention of acknowledging him, Ziqi placed a cake he had bought on the desk.

"Mian, I really messed up. Please forgive me. This is your favorite Napoleon cake. If you can forgive me, please accept it."

Mian looked up, pressed her lips together, and glanced at the fancy Napoleon cake with a cold smirk. "Sorry, sir, we don't seem to know each other that well. I can't accept such an expensive cake. You should take it back."

She emphasized the word "valuable." Wen Mian and Ziqi had been together for a year, and even though Ziqi knew she loved Napoleon cake, he never once bought it for her. Calling him a penny-pincher would be an understatement. Now, after she slapped him, he tries to win her over with this cake? People can be so shameless.

​