Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Turned Off the Light in Her Heart
These days, the stuff of Gu Group could clearly feel that President Gu and General Manager Shao were both in a good mood, which was very rare. As a famous playboy, Shao Boqing didn’t surprise people for being pleased and proud. However, President Gu was different. His expression was a barometer of the company’s atmosphere. Normally he was always serious and expressionless. Not long ago, he came to work every day with a gloomy face and shot fierce and cold looks at everyone. Everyone in the company didn’t even dare to breathe heavily for fear of making the boss mad with the slightest mistake. Junior employees would detour in advance if they saw him from afar. Recently, there was still no smile on his face, but everyone could tell that President Gu’s face was sunny and clear. Even the timid employees dared to look him in the eyes when they met the top decision-maker of the company in the corridor.

Zhou Ting knew that all the credit for this went to Du Xiaoxian. Because her boss’s face had been radiant since he and Du Xiaoxian kissed in the office that day.

“Fetch Boss Shao for me.” Gu Nianbin returned the signed document to her.

“Boss Shao doesn’t seem to be here,” Zhou Ting said, “I’ll call him.”

“Where did he go?”

Gu Nianbin raised his voice slightly, which would normally mean dissatisfaction. But Zhou Ting couldn’t see any change of expression on his face now and said, “I heard that he went to choose clothes for his wedding. After all, his big day is just around the corner.”

Gu Nianbin smiled as expected and said, “Finally, this day has actually come for him.”

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Zhou Ting flattered him, “Boss, you’re so pleased recently, your big day will be soon as well, right?”

“She’s still young,” Gu Nianbin said in a slightly emotional tone, “I still have to wait.”

Such a casual answer sounded like thunder in Zhou Ting’s ears. He was clearly talking about Du Xiaoxian! Was the boss really planning to marry her, a little maid? Zhou Ting wanted to say, “Boss, you could play and have all the fun you wanted to, but don’t be serious. You could just give her cars, houses and credit cards in the end like every other rich young master. Why would you lose yourself in this relationship?”

Although Zhou Ting liked Du Xiaoxian and wished all the best for her, she was rational after all. No matter how much the boss liked Du Xiaoxian, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to really marry her! Strong objections and hurtful judgments would weigh down on them from all sides. At that time, not to mention marrying Du Xiaoxian, it would be a question whether he could protect her or not. After watching so many Taiwanese soap operas, Zhou Ting knew every miserable bad ending for unmatched marriages in wealthy families. No matter what, she didn’t want Du Xiaoxian to be hurt, nor did she want her boss to suffer for this.

“Anything else?” Gu Nianbin asked when he saw her standing still.

“Oh, no, nothing.” Zhou Ting came back to her senses and left with the documents in her arms hurriedly.

Gu Nianbin saw every expression on Zhou Ting’s face, so he could guess what she was thinking easily. It would be a laughing stock for a rich young master to marry a little maid. What outsiders would think may be put aside first, he and Du Xiaoxian might not be able to receive their parents’ blessing in the first place. He frowned slightly. His father couldn’t take a single shock right now, so waiting was his only choice. He just felt sorry for Du Xiaoxian.

Thinking of his little girl, Gu Nianbin couldn’t help but smile again. Last night, that silly girl stayed in his room all night holding her pillow. He didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry when looking at her being shy yet brave. Right now, all he could do was kiss her in all kinds of ways until she fell asleep obediently. With a beauty in his arms, his self-control was getting weaker and weaker. He was really afraid that he would lose control one day. If that day really came… Gu Nianbin sighed, he seemed to be looking forward to it, yet also seemed to be afraid to put too much hope into that.

Shao Boqing’s engagement party was on Saturday night. They only arranged three tables for the guests because they didn’t invite any relative, but only friends. Du Xiaoxian didn’t know anybody else except Ling Yun and Shen Li. Gu Nianbin went to help welcome the guests, so she sat with Zhou Ting.

“Sister Zhou, look at Nina. She is different from usual,” Du Xiaoxian said as she looked at Nina who was greeting guests at the door.

Yes, she was different, very different. Zhou Ting noticed it the moment she came in and saw Nina. Today’s party was organized by Nina alone. She was not an incapable person, it was just that she always gave people the impression that all she had was her beauty. Today she was wearing a light red suit and a pair of black half-high heels, looking festive and capable. Her hair was put up meticulously. She smiled sweetly and acted generously. The old Nina who was flirty, sensual and appealing with foxy eyes had completely disappeared.

Zhou Ting was a little dazed. She seemed to see the way Nina looked when she first came to the company. At that time, Nina was young, charming and outgoing. Even the most ordinary office outfit, like a white shirt and a black skirt, looked very good on her. However, under the influence of the famous playboy Shao Boqing, a white-collar elite turned into an eye candy. Actually, Nina was very competent in work, but others always misunderstood her by paying attention to her makeup and clothes instead of her ability, as if Nina got the position of secretary of the General Manager just because of her beauty. Zhou Ting had heard people talking about Nina with a disdainful tone many times in the bathroom, “Nina and Boss Shao, who knows what the relationship between them is?”

Someone laughed, “Anyway, she is a beauty, or should I call her a slutty beauty?”

Then everyone burst into laughter.

Every time she heard this, Zhou Ting got so angry and had the urge to scold the gossipmongers. However, Nina didn’t care too much about it. She had heard the gossip herself, but she only smiled and waited for the gossipy people to leave before coming out to save them from being embarrassed. Zhou Ting was shocked hearing this and asked, “Don’t you feel embarrassed yourself?”

Nina said plausibly, “It should be them who was so uncultured as to gossip around me that should feel embarrassed. Why should I?”

Zhou Ting said, “Miss, they were saying that you had a shady intimate relationship with Boss Shao!”

“Yeah, that’s what they said. What does it have to do with me? Boss Shao and I are innocent. We are not what they said. I don’t care what others would say.”

Alright, then, there was no need for Zhou Ting to worry about her since Nina thought this way. Zhou Ting glanced at Nina at the door who was really doing a great job today. Was she trying to please the future Mrs. Shao? After all, with her previous clothes and style, the future Mrs. Shao would definitely treat her as a potential enemy! Perhaps some pillow talk could make Shao Boqing fire her!

Standing at the door, Nina looked around the hall. The banquet hall for the engagement party was actually not big, but it was brilliant and beautifully decorated. Nina personally took care of every decoration and arrangement here, including every details. She was not a perfectionist, but she wanted this party to be perfect to make it the most glorious moment in her entire career as a secretary.

Golden characters were printed on the red gauze screen at the door: The Engagement Party for Mr. Shao Boqing and Miss Fang Xueqing. The golden characters were shining brightly under the light of the crystal chandelier, noble and festive.

Nina looked at the two lines of smaller characters under the golden ones: Hundred Years of Happiness, Perfect Match Made in Heaven. Then she looked up at the bride and groom standing at the reception. The man was handsome and elegant, and the woman was beautiful and charming. They were indeed a perfect match made in heaven!

Fang Xueqing was very satisfied with the arrangement of the banquet hall, so she came to express her gratitude to Nina especially. Nina smiled faintly. “Miss Fang, you’re welcome. It’s just my job.”

Fang Xueqing smiled and said a few words of thanks before leaving. Nina also smiled when she saw Shao Boqing reaching out his hand to greet his fiancée from afar. Shao Boqing’s gentle look was enough to fascinate most of the Cinderellas in the world. But Nina was already used to it and had no feelings at all.

The engagement party was a great success, perfectly meeting Shao Boqing’s requirements of throwing a luxury meaningful party with low profile. Out of the blue, Young Master Shao gave Nina a toast and thanked her sincerely.

Nina was flattered by the boss’s serious gratitude. She raised her glass and gently clinked against Shao Boqing’s glass before gulping it all down in one go. Standing beside her, Zhou Ting reminded her, “Nina, take it easy. You have to take charge at the end of the party later.”

Nina laughed. “I can’t help it. I’m happy on the boss’s big day!”

Shao Boqing laughed loudly, patted Nina’s shoulder and walked towards another table with a glass of wine.

Nina’s alcohol tolerance became high completely because Shao Boqing had been taking her to various dinners these past few years. Therefore, she held no fear for drinking. After a round of toast, her face was slightly red, but her eyes were clear, and her footsteps were steady, which meant she was not drunk at all.

Zhou Ting had planned to stay and help Nina after the party. But Nina seemed to be very sober, and Shao Boqing had taken Gu Nianbin to drink in another place. Her boss also specifically instructed her to send Du Xiaoxian home before leaving. Therefore, Zhou Ting left Nina alone and escorted her boss’s darling home diligently.

After everyone was gone, Nina sat at the table alone, shaking a glass of red wine in her hand. People said that the more you drank, the more confused you became. But she felt that the more she drank, the soberer she became. Crystal chandeliers were turned off one by one, and the fire in her heart was also extinguished. The fire that had been burning for five years was now finally being extinguished on this late autumn night…

Nina finished all the wine in her glass and walked to the hotel’s front door with her small bag.

She took a taxi back to Gu Group. The security guard on night shift recognized her and let her in after hearing her say that she was here to fetch something important.

The voice control lights lit up one by one along with her footsteps, but it was useless. Turning on and off the lights was simple, all she had to do was to control the switch. But it would be very difficult to turn on and off her feelings. It took her five years, five whole years to finally turn off the light in her heart with great difficulty.

The corridor was terrifyingly quiet, and only the muffled sound of her footsteps could be heard, one after another, sounding like the beating of a drum in her ears. Her hand was clutching onto the purse tightly, in which there was something very important, her decision.

Pushing the door open, she turned the light on. The pitch-black room suddenly shone brightly, so much so that she squinted her eyes unaccustomedly. This was her office, in which she had been working for five years. She was so familiar with every table and chair that it felt like her home. It was not that she didn’t have feelings for it, but she had her dignity…She shook her head and pushed open the door of Shao Boqing’s office. She was no less familiar with this place than her own office. Shao Boqing often asked her loudly inside when he couldn’t find something. Then Nina would come in quickly and help him find whatever he was looking for. However, in the future, she could no longer help him.

She took out a white envelope from her purse, which contained her resignation letter, and placed it on Shao Boqing’s desk properly. After a moment of silence, she turned around and left resolutely. A fragile woman as she was, she could fall in love, and she could also let go. She did not want to be a slave of love, to wash her face with tears all day long and live a miserable life ever after.