Early morning, the sky was dimly lit.
Ge Mengshi turned over, and feeling a bit cold, slowly opened her eyes.
After a hangover, her head was pounding, and her mouth was filled with bitterness and thirst.
The first thing Ge Mengshi did upon waking was not to care about her situation, but to shiver all over and touch her face.
She hadn't removed her makeup all night!
No wonder her face felt so uncomfortable.
She naturally had oily skin, and her face felt like it was coated in a layer of oil.
"Oh no, I hope I don't get pimples."
A sudden panic gripped Ge Mengshi, and she scrambled to get up to go to the bathroom.
However, as soon as she stood up, Ge Mengshi suddenly realized that her surroundings didn't seem to be her home.
A sense of unease filled her, and Ge Mengshi began to turn her head, looking around.
When she saw a man wrapped in a quilt, sound asleep on the big bed.
Ge Mengshi's heart slowly sank, and her cold gaze gradually turned to anger.
"Was I 'corpse-picked'?"
Ge Mengshi, who owned a bar, naturally knew about 'corpse-picking', and had even heard of the endless one-night stands.
Her heart was filled with regret! She regretted drinking until she blacked out, and was also angry that the man in front of her had taken advantage of her vulnerability.
Ge Mengshi found a chair and sat down, first without waking the man on the bed, and began to recall carefully.
Last night, she seemed to have seen Dai Sheng, and also seemed to have seen a naked man, but had no other memories.
As Ge Mengshi rushed to the bathroom to wash up, she smelled the sour stench of vomit as soon as she entered.
Even without an immediate intuition, Ge Mengshi knew it was probably her own vomit.
No one would vomit all over someone else, at most on their pant legs or shoes, and certainly not on their chest, it's not like spitting up milk.
She checked that her clothes were intact, not like they had been taken off and then put back on, and only then did she slightly relax.
If an ordinary woman encountered this situation, she would probably have jumped up and kicked Chen Pingjiang to death, screaming and yelling.
But Ge Mengshi, after her initial panic, was able to calmly analyze and judge, gradually piecing together the true course of events.
Looking at the dirty coat and long pants thrown in the corner, Ge Mengshi's face reddened.
"I really shouldn't have drunk so much last night."
It was just that the bitterness in her heart had no one to confide in, which led her to drink more and more, and eventually lose consciousness.
This also made her vigilant, realizing she couldn't drink like this alone outside anymore.
Today she encountered an 'abnormal' man; if it had been another man, they would probably have long taken advantage of her while she was drunk.
If Chen Pingjiang knew he was regarded by Ge Mengshi as an 'abnormal' man, he would definitely grimace and argue his case.
He was not a gentleman, but genuinely uninterested in a woman who reeked of alcohol like a corpse and had vomited all over him.
Chen Pingjiang, opening his eyes groggily, saw Ge Mengshi standing by the bed and nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What's your height, what's your weight?"
Unlike her muddled, drunken appearance last night, the current Ge Mengshi was exceptionally clear-headed and calm, having once again donned her CEO's aloof demeanor.
"Huh?"
Chen Pingjiang didn't understand, wondering if she was doing a household registration check or calling the police by asking his height and weight so early in the morning.
Seeing Chen Pingjiang still in a daze, Ge Mengshi patiently explained,
"I saw the clothes in the bathroom that I vomited all over. I'm really sorry. I'm going to buy you a new set now, so I'm asking for your size."
She hadn't finished speaking yet; the current Ge Mengshi felt uncomfortable all over.
Even though she had showered, she felt the clothes she was wearing were utterly filthy, which was unbearable for her, given her slight obsession with cleanliness.
So she planned to buy a set of clothes, buying for Chen Pingjiang was merely an afterthought.
Chen Pingjiang checked the time; it was just 7 o'clock.
"It's so early, the malls aren't even open yet."
"I naturally have my ways,"
Ge Mengshi said coldly.
After getting Chen Pingjiang's size, Ge Mengshi didn't choose to go to the bar to get her car, as driving after a hangover would still be considered drunk driving, and the alcohol in her blood hadn't been fully diluted.
She took a taxi to the bustling downtown area, and Ge Mengshi went directly to Armani.
The sales associate, who had already received a call, walked over cordially upon seeing Ge Mengshi, saying,
"General Manager Ge, it's a pleasure to serve you."
As a regular customer of luxury brands, Ge Mengshi naturally had contact information for many sales associates.
And opening the store early for a major client like Ge Mengshi was a minor matter.
Ge Mengshi didn't know much about menswear, and merely symbolically chose two sets of casual suits that looked slightly younger and less formal.
After choosing her own clothes, she put them on immediately, swiped her card, and left.
Extremely efficient and decisive, not wasting a single minute.
Upon returning to the hotel, Chen Pingjiang was brushing his teeth shirtless.
Ge Mengshi's face reddened slightly upon seeing him, and she averted her gaze, saying,
"Put on your clothes quickly, they're on the bed."
Chen Pingjiang indicated that he had been very restrained, even wrapping a towel around his waist, unlike last night when he only wore boxer briefs.
"Whoa! The clothes you threw up on were Taobao items I bought online, only 200 yuan for a set, and you're directly giving me two Armani suits?"
Chen Pingjiang clicked his tongue. Truly a domineering CEO.
"A set is only about thirty thousand yuan, not expensive. I also want to thank you for taking care of me last night."
Chen Pingjiang waved his hand,
"No need, it was just for Dai Sheng's sake. Oh, they're probably still sleeping."
Chen Pingjiang, who walked out of the bathroom in a new set of clothes, made Ge Mengshi's eyes light up slightly.
This was the first time the two of them had looked directly at each other while sober and fully clothed.
Clothes make the man, just as a saddle makes the horse; Chen Pingjiang, in a luxurious casual suit, looked vibrant and strikingly handsome.
As for Ge Mengshi, who loved black, she chose a fitted long-sleeved, stand-collar dress suit, returning to her aloof persona, looking coldly stunning and exuding a slight sense of pressure.
"There's thirty thousand yuan in this card."
After a thought, Ge Mengshi took out a bank card from her Chanel clutch, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Chen Pingjiang.
"?"
Chen Pingjiang was puzzled.
"What does this mean?"
"The clothes are compensation for throwing up on you yesterday, and these thirty thousand yuan are to thank you for not taking advantage of me last night. You're a good person,"
Ge Mengshi said.
"Heh heh."
Chen Pingjiang smiled meaningfully, and suddenly had a feeling of being kept by a rich woman.
Is this feeling so great?
Damn it, I really don't want to work hard anymore.
It's too good!
"Since that's the case, I'll accept it. With this money, I won't have to work at the bubble tea shop anymore."
Playful Chen Pingjiang took the bank card and sniffed it at his nose, saying,
"Sister, if you have any needs in the future, you can call me anytime. Your money is too easy to earn."
This money, why not take it if it's free.
Having lived two lives, Chen Pingjiang finally experienced the pleasure of getting something for free.
Seeing Chen Pingjiang accept the bank card, Ge Mengshi nodded,
"Then I'm leaving."
There were no other lingering emotions; in Ge Mengshi's view, the two had nothing further in common.
Hearing the 'click' of the room door closing, Chen Pingjiang raised the bank card and said with a smile,
"This woman is quite interesting, full of stories."
Rational, calm, and a bit aloof was Chen Pingjiang's assessment of Ge Mengshi.
...
As soon as Ge Mengshi returned to Lanshan Villa District, she was stopped by her mother at the door,
"Where have you been? You didn't answer your calls? You didn't come back last night."
She appeared very calm,
"I went to my best friend's house for a gathering last night, drank too much, and just slept there."
Ge's mother nodded, then asked,
"How was the man? Are you satisfied?"
Ge Mengshi shook her head expressionlessly,
"Not great, Mom. Don't ask me to go on blind dates anymore."
"What's wrong?"
Ge's mother didn't expect her daughter to react so strongly, and asked curiously.
"He didn't like me; he felt I was too difficult to control."
"Ah, I should have known not to let you study so much back then."
"..."
Ge Mengshi couldn't be bothered to argue, her heart was already numb.
Now thirty-two years old, though she looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, her family was extremely anxious, constantly pushing her to marry and arranging blind dates.
The blind date market was cruel.
Ge Mengshi simply couldn't find anyone suitable.
Given her age and status, if she wanted to marry up, there were very few eligible men.
It wasn't that she couldn't accept marrying down, but the men she met would say,
"You're too smart; I feel like I can't control you."
Men were even more willing to find a twenty-year-old 'silly sweetie' rather than Ge Mengshi, who had first-rate looks, talent, temperament, and career.
In terms of material wealth, Ge Mengshi lacked nothing.
She pursued emotional resonance, spiritual connection, and emotional value more.
It was also difficult for her to accept a nouveau riche second-generation heir who lacked substance.
As an independent woman, Ge Mengshi sought value in the spiritual world, but at the same time needed to integrate with practical life.
She received her mother's urging to marry every day, but it only resulted in repeated disappointments.
After people see through certain things, they still have to go against their original intentions and compromise with their family's wishes.
The sense of contradiction and internal struggle made Ge Mengshi feel lost and dejected, which was why she went to the bar alone to drink away her sorrows.
"Listen to your mother, don't act impulsively. You're already thirty-two. If you marry next year and have a child the year after, you'll be thirty-five. After thirty-five, you'll be an elderly primipara, and there will be many unnecessary risks. Your father and I will help you look again. With your excellent conditions, how could you not find someone? If it really doesn't work out, we can lower our expectations a bit,"
Ge's mother chattered on, her face full of worry.
Ge Mengshi's family was not a so-called wealthy and influential family, but an ordinary middle-class family, with her father running a small business.
However, Ge Mengshi was ambitious and capable, excelling in her studies from childhood, graduating with a master's degree from London Business School, and starting from scratch after returning to China, currently serving as the COO of a listed company.
As normal parents, Ge's father and mother were most concerned about Ge Mengshi's marriage, so anxious that their hair was turning white.
Ge Mengshi listened to her mother's words, and her heart sank deeper and deeper, as if the world was dim and she couldn't find an exit.
Suddenly, Chen Pingjiang's words, "You can call me anytime," echoed in her ears, and Ge Mengshi, as if possessed, interrupted her mother, saying,
"I already have a boyfriend."
Ge's mother's mouth immediately dropped open wide enough to fit an egg,
"When did this happen? How come I don't know? How old is he, and what does he do?"
A barrage of questions fired at her like a machine gun.
Astute as Ge's mother was, she seemed to be asking questions, but was actually probing.
If Ge Mengshi could answer, then perhaps such a person truly existed; if she couldn't answer, it meant she made it up.
No one knows a daughter like her mother.
She knew Ge Mengshi's personality too well.
She didn't believe in her heart that Ge Mengshi would quietly find a boyfriend.
Ge Mengshi perhaps couldn't stand her mother's urging to marry, and even with a hint of defiance, regretted saying that sentence as soon as it left her mouth.
Facing her mother's questions, she couldn't answer a single one.
Ge's mother sneered,
"You're lying, aren't you?"
while wearing an expression that said, "I knew it."
"Alright, how about this, I'll bring him home someday, and you can ask him yourself."
Having said that, Ge Mengshi, still feigning calmness on the surface, left that remark and went upstairs to her room.
Leaving a surprised Ge's mother sitting blankly on the sofa.
Could it be, she really has a boyfriend?
The role of the new supporting female character is very important.
As a representative of new-age women pressured into marriage, she will also be the future chief steward of the protagonist's business.
(End of this chapter)
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