Ch 146: A Great Beauty Arrived At The Reception Department
“Did you hear? A new person came to the Reception Department. They say she’s a stunning beauty, tall, and exceptionally pretty.”
“Whoa? That’s incredible! Aren’t they supposed to be recruiting right now? Someone joining now must be quite capable.”
“Shall we go take a look?”
Such conversations frequently occurred in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the extent that young people would deliberately pass by the Reception Department entrance to steal glances.
The Minister of the Reception Department frowned, feeling that their department was being treated like animals on display, and was somewhat angry.
At that moment, a woman approached her from behind. Her slightly arched eyebrows and every smile were full of charm.
“Sorry, Minister, I’ll handle this.”
The Minister nodded at her and retreated a few steps.
“Good morning, colleagues. My name is Jiang Yingqiu, and I’ve joined the Reception Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.”
Jiang Yingqiu smiled gently. “The Reception Department interacts with many departments. We’ll have a lot of time to get along in the future. For now, please return to your work, everyone. I’ll be right here; I’m not going anywhere.”
Having said that, Jiang Yingqiu gave a playful smile and bowed slightly to the others.
Jiang Yingqiu’s words were impeccable. The colleagues from other departments looked at each other in astonishment, then chuckled and left. The Reception Department Minister was also very satisfied with Jiang Yingqiu’s performance.
She got rid of the onlookers without causing shame to the Reception Department. She was a promising prospect. So, the Reception Department Minister asked a kind, old colleague to brief her on the specifics.
“Comrade Little Jiang is quite articulate and composed. She wasn’t shy despite being surrounded by so many people; she’s someone who can keep her cool.”
“Indeed, this girl is good.”
Hearing their conversation, they couldn’t help but whisper.
“Our department hasn’t had such a beautiful female colleague in a long time. Since she works in the Reception Department, her foreign languages must be excellent.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Could someone with poor foreign language skills even get into this department?”
Two other male colleagues turned their heads and curled their lips. They happened to see Gu Yuanzhou passing by, so they ran over and asked, “Counselor Gu, did you see the Reception Department…”
Before he could finish, he was covered the mouth by his colleague, who then gave a fawning smile to Gu Yuanzhou, “Counselor Gu, please ignore him; he’s not quite right in the head. Are you going to have lunch?”
Gu Yuanzhou glanced at them, nodded, and then left.
“Are you crazy? Asking Counselor Gu about that? He has a wife, you know?”
“So what? I just said it casually.”
“Haven’t you heard that Counselor Gu adores his wife? Are you tired of living? His wife was even on television last time; she’s very beautiful. Besides, Counselor Gu only cares about work; he doesn’t pay attention to these things.”
The man who was about to ask Gu Yuanzhou shrank his neck and glumly returned to his workstation.
After a while, Gu Yuanzhou arrived at the dining hall, chose his favorite stall, and began to queue.
At that moment, Jiang Yingqiu gracefully walked into the dining hall with her colleagues. As soon as she entered, her gaze was drawn to Gu Yuanzhou queuing in the distance.
Two years ago, Jiang Yingqiu was at home watching television. She wanted to find a show to pass the time, and unexpectedly, the news on CCTV was on, with Gu Yuanzhou being interviewed.
His upright posture, straight nose bridge, bright eyes, and unwavering demeanor captivated Jiang Yingqiu. From then on, she fell in love at first sight and began to pay attention to this man intentionally or unintentionally.
To this end, she used various methods to get a job in the Reception Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Xiaqiu? Yingqiu?”
A colleague beside her saw Jiang Yingqiu standing still and softly called her.
“Oh, Sister.”
Jiang Yingqiu finally came back to her senses from her reverie, and smiled apologetically at her colleague, “Sister, I think I saw a familiar person. I’ll go say hello. You go get your food first.”
Without waiting for her colleague to respond, she hurried towards Gu Yuanzhou.
“Hello, is that sweet and sour spareribs you’re getting? Is it delicious?”
A gentle female voice sounded behind Gu Yuanzhou. He received the tray from the dining hall aunt before turning around to look.
It was an unfamiliar face; it must be a new colleague.
Seeing him looking over, Jiang Yingqiu quickly introduced herself, “Counselor Gu, hello, I’m a new colleague in the Reception Department. My name is Jiang Yingqiu.”
Gu Yuanzhou nodded. “It depends on one’s taste.”
Then, he found a seat and sat down.
Jiang Yingqiu looked at Gu Yuanzhou’s back view, lightly biting her lower lip. She was somewhat disappointed. She knew she was beautiful and had attracted the attention of many male comrades.
But Gu Yuanzhou’s eyes did not show any amazement.
She picked a few dishes at random and followed him.
Jiang Yingqiu, with a thick skin, sat opposite Gu Yuanzhou. “Counselor Gu, I have a small appetite and can’t eat this much. May I share this sparerib with you? Don’t waste it. I just got this; I haven’t touched it yet.”
Having said that, she took out her chopsticks and prepared to put some sweet and sour spareribs into Gu Yuanzhou’s tray.
“Thank you, no need. I have enough in my tray.”
Gu Yuanzhou said coldly, stood up, and said while holding his tray, “Excuse me, someone needs me over there.”
He went directly to sit in a corner. Gu Yuanzhou’s cold attitude left Jiang Yingqiu embarrassed and stunned, her heart filled with discouragement.
How arrogant is this man? He doesn’t want to socialize at all. If it were an ordinary male comrade, seeing my efforts, they would have already gotten closer.
Jiang Yingqiu bit her lip, and the tips of her fingers holding the chopsticks turned slightly white.
On the other hand.
Gu Yuanyang had just left his workplace after work. At the gate, a woman in tattered clothes suddenly rushed out of an alley and grabbed Gu Yuanyang’s arm. She looked very excited, her eyes wide.
“Child, I finally found you! Heaven is just! Child, I am your mother, you can’t ignore us!”
The woman’s loud voice attracted everyone around, which made Gu Yuanyang feel very ashamed.
What kind of mental illness is this? Coming up and claiming kinship randomly. He didn’t want to be the subject of jokes, so he quickly pulled the woman to the side.
“Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Gu Yuanyang looked up and down at the dirty woman in front of him, speaking with a hint of disgust, “This is my workplace. Do you know how much trouble this will cause me?”
“I really am your mother!”
A gleam appeared in the woman’s eyes. She said softly, “I know you have a birthmark on your thigh. When you were born, the nurse told me when she brought you to me.”
Her words made Gu Yuanyang’s eyebrows jump. He did indeed have such a birthmark, but such a private location—how could this woman know?
Seeing that Gu Yuanyang’s expression softened slightly, the woman continued, “When you were born, your aunt’s wife came to us and said that the family she helped with housework had a baby boy and was willing to help us switch children. I am your mother, of course I wanted you to have a good life, and our family was poor at that time, so your father and I agreed.”
After pausing, the woman continued: “Now something happened at home; your father fell seriously ill, and he needs a large sum of money for treatment. I really have no other choice but to come to you.”
The woman explained to Gu Yuanyang, tears and snot running down her face.
“Look, all these years I haven’t looked for you. Now it’s really beyond my ability to handle it.”
The woman looked at Gu Yuanyang with tearful eyes, full of familial affection.
“You’re lying! How is this possible? Who taught you to make up such a story?”
The woman’s words left Gu Yuanyang speechless. His mind was in a mess. He took a few steps back, then quickly got into his car and drove off.
In his hurry, he almost fell.
Watching Gu Yuanyang’s back view, the woman’s sad expression instantly disappeared. She wiped away her tears, gave a cold laugh, and then left.
Gu Yuanyang returned home distraught; he couldn’t even enjoy his meal. Although he didn’t quite believe the crazy woman’s words, he was still uneasy. So, he privately hired someone to investigate his background.
Under the moon and stars, Gu Yuanyang sat in the courtyard looking at the sky, completely distraught. After a while, he left the courtyard, walked into the alley, and saw a man standing there.
Gu Yuanyang patted his face and walked over heavily.
The man lowered his voice and briefly recounted the investigation results.
After hearing this, Gu Yuanyang’s hands trembled. If the investigation results were true, it meant that the crazy woman might not have been lying.
Thinking of this, he immediately took out some money from his pocket.
“This money is for the investigation expenses. Keep this matter to yourself; don’t reveal a single word.”
“Don’t worry, I’m paid to keep quiet; my mouth is tight.”
The man took the money and left.
Gu Yuanyang irritably scratched his hair, returned to his room, and counted the money in his hand—only a little over a hundred yuan. Judging by the woman’s explanation, it would likely cost much more.
The money he saved over the years had all been spent. Zhou Xiaofei had borrowed the rest a while ago. He had only started working this year, and his salary hadn’t increased much. It seemed he would have to borrow money from someone.
The next morning, Gu Yuanyang went out looking listless. He had managed to borrow some money yesterday, hoping that the woman wouldn’t come again, but if she did, he could at least give her some money to shut her up.
Sure enough, after work, he saw the crazy woman again at the gate.
She was still wearing the same tattered clothes, standing at the gate and looking around constantly.
Gu Yuanyang’s heart sank. He gave the woman a wink, signaling her to follow him.
Entering the nearby alley, before the woman could speak, Gu Yuanyang got to the point.
“I know why you’re here. I can give you money; in return, you must promise me that you will never disturb my life again. Don’t you want me to have a good life? As long as you don’t appear in front of me, I can have a good life.”
Gu Yuanyang looked at the woman in front of him with a complex expression.
The thought that the woman before him was his biological mother made him furious. He had lived in the Gu family for so many years and had adapted to the Gu family’s lifestyle.
He couldn’t imagine how his parents would look at him if this matter came out.
He might be thrown out like Zhou Xiaofei, or he might be able to stay. But either way, it’s definitely not what he wants.