CHAPTER 463: CHAPTER 463: STRONG RETALIATION

Gu Qixiao had already arrived downstairs at Ji Yu’s company by this time.

When he saw her standing together with Lin Zhao, his heart ached uncontrollably.

"Yu, I have some things I want to discuss with you. Can you ask him to leave for a moment? I know you might want to tell me I’m just a stand-in, but I’ve been aware of that for a long time."

As he said this, the bitter smile on his face seemed as though he could cry at any moment.

He was never one to cry easily, but encountering a situation like this, he found it difficult to keep his composure.

"If you have something to say, just say it now. I don’t want to waste any more time with you." Ji Yu was fully aware that his condition was awful, but she knew she had to be decisive and end this decisively to stop him from lingering any longer.

"Gu Qixiao, you are truly such an exasperating person." She looked at his expression with visible frustration, as if every one of his actions was utterly flawed.

He couldn’t stand seeing her look at him like that—it made his heart ache even more.

"I’m not trying to force you into anything. I just want closure. I know you might be hurting inside, but I want you to wait for me." He couldn’t accept ending their relationship just like this.

He couldn’t bear to see things come to this.

Ji Yu was slightly surprised when she heard this, not expecting him to ask her to wait.

"Gu Qixiao, sometimes waiting is the most meaningless thing. Besides, I don’t have the energy for anything else right now." She wasn’t so desperate as to feel she couldn’t live without a man.

"I know, but I’m afraid you’ll meet someone who moves your heart. That’s why I’m saying this in advance—so you can give me a promise." He knew how selfish this was, but he couldn’t help it.

"Gu Qixiao, do you even understand the meaning behind what you’re saying?" Ji Yu couldn’t help but let out a small laugh when she heard his words. She also realized that he must have been thinking about many things during this time.

"But I can promise you that, for the time being, I won’t be getting into another relationship. I know you might be unwilling to accept that, but this is only temporary."

She glanced at her phone and realized it was about time. She decided to explain things to him briefly.

"I have a meeting coming up, so I can’t have a detailed conversation with you today. Just know that I’ll agree to your request." She couldn’t bear to be overly cruel to him, so she decided to temporarily stabilize the situation.

Gu Qixiao felt immensely relieved to hear her answer.

"I know you’ve been kind to me. Don’t worry, I won’t get involved with any other women. I also understand that you’ve been through a lot recently."

Thinking back to their first meeting, Gu Qixiao remembered her shocked expression. He knew she was carrying a lot in her heart.

"Gu Qixiao, you really are an incorrigible madman. But everything you’ve said is true. I guess I must be just as crazy as you." Ji Yu sometimes questioned whether her actions were right or wrong.

But since the two of them loved each other, she refused to tolerate this kind of situation involving the person sleeping beside her.

"Gu Qixiao, I can’t bear to see you hurt, so this is the only thing I can do. I hope you don’t mind and that you can gradually let go."

With those words, Ji Yu turned and walked away.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but to avoid stirring up painful memories for him, she suppressed her thoughts for now.

"President Ji, are you really not going to sit down and talk things through with him?"

"There’s nothing left to talk about. We’ve said everything we needed to say. Right now, my focus is on figuring out our next steps." She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and threw herself back into work mode.

She knew there was no changing what had already happened, so she refused to let her emotions affect her work.

"President Ji, you really are such a peculiar woman. No matter what happens, you always make yourself seem so strong." Lin Zhao didn’t think it would hurt to show a little vulnerability once in a while.

"Stick to matters that concern you and leave the rest alone. The reason I’ve kept you around is because you’re perceptive. But now you’re crossing the line with comments like that." Ji Yu didn’t want someone like him by her side.

"I was just saying it casually. If President Ji doesn’t like it, I won’t mention it again in the future."

Knowing when to yield, Lin Zhao decisively gave up on pursuing the subject further after hearing her remark.

The two of them walked into the meeting room, which was already filled with people. Their sudden appearance together drew curious looks from the crowd.

It wasn’t that people found it odd for them to walk in together, but somehow, seeing such a familiar face here made their skin crawl.

"Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting. I ask that you all approach this matter rationally. My goal here is simply to lay everything out clearly."

Her main task today was to get Hu Jianyu’s brother out of the company as quickly as possible.

"President Ji, you’ve only just stepped into this role. Isn’t it a bit much to dismiss Qianqian from the company like this?"

A few senior executives, who clearly had some attachment to Hu Qianqian, couldn’t help but speak up on her behalf.

"Before this meeting, I provided you all with the documents. Did none of you read the contents? Given what they’ve done, do you really think I should allow them to stay?"

Ji Yu never acted without preparation, so meeting this kind of resistance, she decisively asked them to review the facts before speaking further.

"That’s not what we mean. Admittedly, their actions were wrong, but they’ve promised to make it up to you in the future."

Hu Qianqian, sensing a sliver of hope, nodded resolutely and assured them that she wouldn’t make similar mistakes again.

"Yu, I know you must be feeling miserable inside, but I realize now that I was wrong." She cried like a fragile flower, as if she were the victim in this situation.

"If you really understand your mistakes, then why not talk about the things your father has done?" Ji Yu smiled sweetly as she looked at her and spoke.