“All right, all right, calm down. People like that will get what they deserve. Getting angry will only hurt yourself. But speaking of which, you can’t be the only one who got cheated, right? Why not join forces and sue that guy? If things blow up, the courts should take the case, shouldn’t they?”
Gu Chen immediately tried to soothe her, truly feeling her pain.
He was just curious—normally, if enough people came forward, even if the guy had found a legal loophole, he couldn’t have kept his company running smoothly all this time without repercussions.
“It’s useless.”
“I tried before. In the end, almost no one dared to go along with it. That bastard has connections and power, and he knows the personal info of all of us. It would be easy for him to stir up trouble if he wanted. Everyone’s scared. Last time, I barely managed to convince a few sisters who’d been victimized to report him, but somehow the news leaked, and they all backed out at the last minute. Later I found out it was because that surnamed Guo guy had sent them threats and even offered to waive their penalties for breaking the contract. So they all betrayed me. Sigh.”
Long Fei’s voice started to crack again as she said this.
Most people chose to swallow their losses out of fear—only a handful dared to resist.
And even those few were quickly dealt with in various ways.
Up until now, besides her stubborn self who still hadn’t given in, everyone else had elected to stay quiet.
“Honestly, they weren’t even supposed to pay penalties, and he made it seem like an act of kindness. That guy really does have some skill.”
Gu Chen shook his head.
Though he felt pitiful, there was nothing he could do.
After all, heroes are often lonely.
No one wants to stick their neck out.
Plus, with Boss Guo’s brainwashing company culture, it was no wonder he was still thriving.
To bring him down, they really had to get solid evidence of his illegal activities.
Any other approach would be tough.
Now the situation was stuck in a dead loop, which frustrated Gu Chen even more.
After another exchange or two, they hung up.
By now, he didn’t even feel like listening to the sounds coming from the bathroom.
He ran his fingers through his hair, his mind spinning.
“What do I do…”
Almost half an hour later, the water finally stopped.
Then came the sound of a hairdryer.
Girls really take a while to shower and wash their hair.
All that normally takes at least two hours.
“Hey? That’s it!”
He glanced toward the bathroom, and an idea struck him.
He finally had a plan!
Earlier, his dad had mentioned that Boss Guo kept asking for Ai Wei’s contact info—obviously interested in her.
He wanted to recruit her as a streamer for his company.
Nearly two meters tall, top-tier looks, a sexy figure, plus the exotic appeal of blond hair and blue eyes—if handled properly, she could definitely draw a lot of viewers.
To find evidence of that guy’s crimes, he first needed to infiltrate from within.
Ai Wei was perfect for it.
Since she was new in town, he’d be less guarded.
He couldn’t guarantee success, but there was definitely a chance.
The only question was whether she’d be willing to help.
And honestly, this was a dangerous mission.
Click.
Another twenty minutes or so passed before the bathroom door finally opened.
A wave of hot air rolled out, followed by that tall figure.
“All done with your shower?”
Gu Chen snapped back to reality, stood up, and greeted her.
The moment he focused his eyes, he froze.
“Holy crap!”
She had changed into the women’s clothes his dad had bought for him after her shower.
But because of the height difference, the effect was completely different.
She was wearing a short-sleeved off-shoulder T-shirt.
Due to her height, it clung tightly to her body, making the curve of her chest extremely prominent—as if a little more force would rip it.
Her waist was also exposed, slender and showing faint abs—further proof that she was an athlete.
Gu Chen’s gaze traveled downward.
A pink miniskirt.
If he wore it, it would reach about mid-thigh.
But on Ai Wei, it was much shorter—just barely covering her hips.
It felt like one slight movement would cause a wardrobe malfunction.
Gu Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
The whole outfit almost looked like something you’d wear on stage.
“Man, what kind of women’s clothes did Dad buy!”
“What’s wrong? Worried I’ll break the clothes?”
Ai Wei also felt the outfit wasn’t a great fit, but she had no other choice.
“No, it’s fine.”
Gu Chen shook his head.
He hadn’t planned on wearing it anyway.
Even if it didn’t fit perfectly, at least it covered her body—which was better than coming out wrapped in a towel.
To ease the awkwardness, he started teaching her how to use the washing machine.
The weather this week was that late-summer heat wave—almost as hot as the dog days.
After washing, they’d hang it outside.
By tomorrow morning, it should be dry enough to wear.
Once everything was set, Ai Wei expressed her thanks.
“Thank you. I appreciate your trouble.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do.”
Gu Chen figured it was about time, so he brought up his request:
“Um… there’s something I’d like to ask you for help with. Is that okay?”
“Of course, go ahead. As long as I can do it.”
Ai Wei agreed without a second thought.
He had saved her from the brink of starvation and even offered her shelter.
The debt of gratitude was huge—how could she refuse?
“Well, it’s like this. My family’s run into some trouble recently. The company I took you to earlier does live streaming…”
Then Gu Chen briefly explained the whole situation.
He planned to use the excuse of introducing her for a second visit, then have Ai Wei join the company and find evidence of Boss Guo’s illegal activities.
That way, they could solve the problem.
“Oh my god, he evaded taxes and didn’t get arrested?”
Ai Wei covered her mouth with her small hand.
“Well, around here, tax evasion doesn’t always lead to jail time. Usually it’s just a fine. It’s different from your country. But it’s still shady, so we need to expose it.”
Gu Chen paused to explain.
He’d heard that in some countries, even gambling, prostitution, or drugs might not land you in jail, but if you dared to evade taxes, the authorities would investigate you immediately.
“So you want me to pretend to join the company and get the evidence, right?”
Ai Wei nodded, grasping the gist.
“Yeah. That’s the only plan I have for now.”
Gu Chen nodded but added:
“But it’s okay if you’re uncomfortable. You can refuse. I’m not forcing you.”
“No problem. I thought it was something big. It’s just gathering intel, right? Back home, I used to help my dad collect information on rival businesses. It’s not hard.”
To his surprise, Ai Wei agreed without hesitation, looking quite relaxed.
From the sound of it, she was even a pro at this!
Gu Chen’s mouth twitched.
He’d only been testing the waters, but he ended up with a surprise.
“No way, did I actually hire a spy?”
Still, he had to admit—with Ai Wei’s looks, it was really hard for any straight man to ignore her.
With that settled, Gu Chen felt much more at ease.
They had a deal.
It might sound cliché, but if a plan had survived through the ages, there had to be a reason.