Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Do I Know Who You Are?
"Yao Xue, you’re not at work yet, right... It’s nothing, I just saw your general manager having a meal with a woman... I suppose, I’m not sure... Why would I have a problem, don’t do anything rash... Take it easy, it might be nothing... Alright, I won’t keep you, I need to finish breakfast and head to work too, bye."
Hanging up the phone, Nie Rong’s lips curled into a smug smile.
Some words don’t need to be too explicit, a subtle hint can have unexpected effects.
Next, she should just wait and watch how the drama unfolds.
She doesn’t have to lift a finger, someone else will naturally handle it for her.
How nice.
Gu Yan arrived at the company, greeted Wang Qi, then picked up her sheet music intending to practice in the music room.
To reach the music room, she had to pass by the modeling group, and was bumped by someone from behind, scattering her sheet music to the floor. The person walked right over, stepping on her sheet music, leaving a noticeable high-heel imprint.
Gu Yan immediately furrowed her brows.
The person, after stepping across, feigned an exaggerated surprise, "Oh dear, sorry, I was in a hurry to work and didn’t see you there. I stepped on your sheet music too."
While she apologized, there wasn’t a trace of remorse in her eyes or on her face.
Gu Yan raised her eyes coldly and looked at her. Tall figure, wearing exquisite makeup, it was the same person who bumped into her in the employee cafeteria yesterday.
Who did she offend, for this person to keep targeting her?
With just one glance, she bent down to pick up the sheet music on the floor, intending to walk past her.
"Hey, why are you ignoring people?" The person turned and grabbed her arm, pulling her with force. Caught off guard, Gu Yan was tugged forward.
The person immediately released her, and Gu Yan staggered a few steps before regaining her balance, took a deep breath, and looked at her coldly. "Is there someone here?"
She initially didn’t want to cause trouble and was patiently enduring it, but since the other party was deliberately targeting her, swallowing her pride to avoid confrontation, hoping to let it slide, but she wouldn’t let it go. What was she supposed to do, let herself be bullied?
Gu Yan has always believed in avenging wrongs. Holding back once or twice is fine, but this constant provocation has to stop.
Yao Xue, who was originally hiding her smugness, turned furious at her words, "What did you say! How dare you say I’m not human!"
"Excuse me, miss, do I know who you are? Which ear did you hear me say that?" Gu Yan calmly countered.
"You!" Yao Xue couldn’t find a flaw in her simple reply. She hadn’t mentioned her name nor knew her, but it was obvious she was talking about her!
"You with the surname Gu, don’t think just because someone is backing you, you can insult people at will and get away with it!" Yao Xue shouted in anger, raising her voice, drawing attention from those nearby.
Gu Yan was already a topic of interest in the entertainment department. With people realizing the incident’s main character was Gu Yan, they were even more intrigued, ears pricking up for gossip.
However, Gu Yan was speechless at Yao Xue’s words.
Saying she ruled with an iron fist, how did that phrase apply to her?
During her time here, it was them pointing fingers behind her back, saying all sorts, and she pretended not to hear, ignoring it.
She endured with a good temper, but saying one thing led to accusations of ruling with an iron fist. Was there no justice in the world!
Could she have a little human rights!
They were allowed to gossip about her and target her, but she couldn’t occasionally stand up for herself?
What sort of logic was that!
Gu Yan internally complained, feeling very wronged.
"Miss, it was you who bumped into me, and stepped on my sheet music. I didn’t say anything and just wanted to leave quietly. Why won’t you let me? Do you want me to thank you with a smile for bumping into me and stepping on my sheet music?"
No matter how you looked at it, Gu Yan wasn’t in the wrong. The other party was aggressive and relentless, only a fool would stand here and let her hurl baseless accusations.
If the tiger doesn’t show its might, they really think she’s Hello Kitty!
"Didn’t I just bump into you? Didn’t you hear me apologize? Are your ears not working?"
In Gu Yan’s eyes now, Yao Xue seemed like an unrefined shrew.
Just like the women outside her hometown who often gathered, arguing at the slightest disagreement.
So even people in big companies in the city could be like this too.
"Did I say you didn’t apologize? I just said you wouldn’t let me leave."
By not saying anything and walking away, she showed she wasn’t bothered by being bumped. But the person who bumped her still blocked her way, what was the intention here?
These seasoned people in the company and society naturally understood.
It was clear Yao Xue was deliberately giving Gu Yan trouble. Gu Yan ignored it, which made her feel unsatisfied, refusing to let her leave easily. But she didn’t expect Gu Yan wasn’t someone easy to push around, leaving her in an embarrassing situation now.
People internally scoffed.
Though they weren’t fond of Gu Yan either, they at least only gossiped behind her back. Who would be foolish enough to confront her directly?
After all, she was brought into the company by You Shuyang. If she got upset and complained to You Shuyang, their jobs might not be secure.
Yao Xue is actually quite astute. In her rage, she became a bit more rational, immediately crossing her arms with a mocking look on her face, "Did I stop you? Who saw it? Where you go is none of my business. Whether you leave or not is up to you."
Ah... Gu Yan was waiting for this exact line.
"In that case, I’ll get on with my work. Goodbye."
With a good-natured smile, Gu Yan waved her hand at Yao Xue and confidently walked past her.
Yao Xue originally thought saying this would embarrass Gu Yan, as they were the only two there, and no one else was aware of the situation. It was her loud voice that attracted people to watch, so there was no one who saw or knew what happened previously. Saying she didn’t stop her meant she was contradicting her earlier words.
However, Gu Yan didn’t feel anger or embarrassment at all. Instead, she followed Yao Xue’s words casually and left leisurely.
This was a blatant slap in the face!
Yao Xue was furious, but with so many people watching and Gu Yan already gone, she had no outlet for her frustration.
The main character had left, so the crowd dispersed, each returning to their work.
Gu Yan went straight to the piano room, choosing the same stall as yesterday.
Having just pissed off someone who intentionally picked on her, she was in a pretty good mood.
But seeing the heel marks on the clean sheet music left her frustrated.
She treasured this sheet music so much, always handling it with care, afraid of even the slightest damage or crease.
The woman brazenly stepped on it, leaving a stain that couldn’t be cleaned, and now it even had wrinkles!
Cursed woman!
Gu Yan was fuming.
Annoyed, she scratched her head but still carefully placed the sheet music on the stand.
At this moment, she was extremely glad she wasn’t as overly picky as Tang Yuxiu, or else she wouldn’t bear looking at such sheet music.
Gu Yan took a few deep breaths and continued practicing the coordination and flexibility of her left hand.
When not pressing the keys, the fingers of her left hand felt flexible and able to move freely, but as soon as they touched the piano, it was like they were completely restrained.
The notes pressed sounded stiff and lacked good acoustics.
The jumps on the piano keys were slow and rigid, making Gu Yan sigh.
Luckily, the piano room was soundproof, and each stall was isolated. The sound couldn’t be heard from the doorway, otherwise, if people heard her level, they would surely criticize her, and she’d feel embarrassed.
Gu Yan had no intention of giving up, persistently practicing over and over again. She didn’t demand perfection in one day, at least feeling more in control today than yesterday.
Progressing little by little every day, she knew someday she’d completely master the skill and her fingers would glide smoothly over the piano keys.
Time always flew by with practice. When Wang Qi came to find her for lunch, she hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
"Practicing the piano like crazy, didn’t even feel the time passing by."
"That’s just how it is. When you’re focused on something, you don’t pay attention to the time."
Wang Qi smiled, "So, how’s the practice going?"
Gu Yan shook her head, "Not great. My left hand can move just fine normally, but once I touch the piano, it stiffens and I can’t control it freely."
"Don’t overthink it. Don’t deliberately think you’re playing with only one left hand. Imagine both hands are on the keys. Coordinating with two hands is way easier than battling with just one."
Hearing Wang Qi’s words, Gu Yan’s eyes lit up, "Sounds like a good idea. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
"You never asked, and I didn’t know about your situation."
Gu Yan smiled sheepishly, "I’ll try that this afternoon. If I overcome it, I’ll treat you to dinner immediately!"
"Alright, I’m looking forward to that meal. But don’t rush it. Take your time with practicing the piano for better results."
"I know, I’ll remember your advice and won’t rush through it." Besides, given her level, she couldn’t rush even if she wanted to.
She had the theoretical knowledge, but practically no hands-on experience. Her basic skills were lacking, so she could only practice diligently to make up for lost time compared to others.
"Alright, you go ahead and sit down. What do you want to eat?"
"I’m not picky. Something light will do."
Wang Qi nodded, "I’ll see what they have then."
"Okay."
After Wang Qi left, Gu Yan followed the same route as yesterday to find a spot by the window, noticing that the person who bumped her in the morning and the one who took her place yesterday were sitting a few tables apart having lunch.
Suddenly, things became clear to her. So those two were in cahoots.
One bumped into her, and the other took her spot; it was all deliberately planned.
Gu Yan didn’t quite understand what she had done to offend them.