Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 64
Husband
Gu Jiahe knew in his heart that the last time Li Guoyi was admitted to the ICU, in the end, Li Zhao still spent a lot of money.
He saw Li Zhao transfer a large sum of money to Song Ling, and he knew that such a huge amount required him to work on many cases and save up for a long time.
Li Zhao’s life was not absolutely affluent. After Song Ling grew older, they deliberately reduced the size of their business, but the household expenses increased even more. Medical bills, insurance, house maintenance—every aspect required money.
But adults maintained a sense of caution.
Song Ling wouldn’t mention the small financial gaps to Li Zhao, and Li Zhao never told Song Ling about the difficulties of making money overnight in North City.
Gu Jiahe knew all these things, and he didn’t have the position to bring them up.
Is money a good thing?
Gu Jiahe often thought so.
For the former Gu Jiahe, money was a tool to solve life’s difficulties.
But for him now, money was no longer just paper currency. It paved the way for more possibilities in his life.
He often hoped that he wouldn’t be so pragmatic, and wouldn’t care about the gains and losses of money, but later he found out that he really couldn’t do it.
Every joy in his life was closely related to money.
Before, it was a bowl of red bean ice; now, it was a small house in the sun.
Rather than saying he yearned for that money, it was more accurate to say he yearned for the freedom and a little happiness that he couldn’t obtain.
Early Wednesday morning, Gu Jiahe put on a new suit.
The deep blue suit and trousers made him look more spirited.
When Li Zhao came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush, Gu Jiahe happened to be tying his tie in front of the mirror.
“Wow, looking good, young man.” Li Zhao rested his chin on Gu Jiahe’s shoulder.
Gu Jiahe quickly dodged, “Don’t crease my suit.”
Seeing his serious expression, Li Zhao reached over and adjusted his tie.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Jiahe nearly stumbled when Li Zhao suddenly tugged at it.
“Your tie is not done properly,” Li Zhao untied his tie knot.
Li Zhao usually wore formal attire more often, so tying a tie was as simple to him as breathing.
With his slender fingers, Li Zhao formed a knot, pulled the end out from inside, and then tightened it carefully. A beautiful triangular knot was made.
“Good luck, my partner,” Li Zhao smiled and pinched his cheek.
He leaned against Gu Jiahe’s arm and looked at his appearance through the mirror.
“Feels like something’s missing,” Li Zhao touched his chin.
“What’s missing?Aren’t I dressed properly?” Gu Jiahe was puzzled.
“A harness,” Li Zhao said seriously.
“What’s that?” Gu Jiahe had never heard of it.
“Search it up, you’ll know.”
Gu Jiahe opened his phone and searched for it.
Three seconds later, he suddenly looked up from the screen, “Li Zhao, you’re such a weirdo.”
Li Zhao didn’t mind, “Is that weird? I haven’t even mentioned garter stockings yet…”
“Enough! What kind of junk is always in your head!” Gu Jiahe said.
Half a minute later, Gu Jiahe put on his shoes and escaped like a fugitive, pushing open the door, “I’m off to work!”
The review was scheduled for ten o’clock that morning.
Oddly enough, Wu Mou hadn’t shown up for work all day. Gu Jiahe looked back at his office a few times, but it was empty.
He read his draft on the screen several times, still feeling a bit unsure.
Actually, he understood in his heart that this so-called review was probably just going through the motions.
The ones who could truly fight for the final spot probably had already been singled out when the department heads recommended them.
He was just headstrong, refusing to give up until he hit a wall, and trying his luck in a small probability event.
The review began on time, but Wu Mou’s seat was still empty.
Before long, the CFO started the meeting without waiting for Wu Mou to arrive.
Gu Jiahe looked around the large conference room. There were many people who had signed up.
Not to mention the large departments like the Marketing Center and the R&D Center, there were five or six people from just the functional departments.
He glanced at the agenda again, and because he had signed up too late, he was placed last on the list.
He sat in the back and waited for a long time, until his throat was dry, before the review was only halfway through.
His phone in his pants pocket suddenly vibrated.
He checked it and saw a message from Li Zhao.
Li Zhao sent a photo, which was a messy desk. Underneath were the words: “Workspace for the new project, unbelievable.”
Gu Jiahe couldn’t help but curl his lips.
That day, Li Zhao officially went to the Internet company to work on-site. Li Zhao had complained to him before that this company was too chaotic, and the office building was extremely remote.
He quickly replied with a few words: “Take care, Lawyer Li.”
Before he could even lock his phone, there was suddenly a heated dispute on stage.
“Do you think this can be counted as your personal achievement? Every colleague in the Research and Development Center has contributed to this project. Is it appropriate to attribute it solely to you?”
Gu Jiahe looked up and realized that a manager from the Research and Development Center was being interrogated by the director of the Product Center.
He rubbed his temples. This was how it was in big companies. Despite the calm surface, everyone had their own hidden agendas. For the sake of blatant interests, they could bare their fangs without regard for colleague camaraderie.
Gu Jiahe felt a tightening in his chest after hearing this. Even a strong department like the Research and Development Center could face such challenges. He didn’t know what challenges he would face.
As people took turns speaking, the sunlight outside gradually rose, shining through the glass windows behind him onto the back of Gu Jiahe’s head.
He closed his eyes gently and took a deep breath.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes. Suddenly, the words “harness” popped into his mind.
The content of his performance review that had been swirling in his mind vanished instantly.
Help! He shouldn’t have chatted with Li Zhao before leaving the house!
Finally, at a quarter past twelve, the review came to an end.
The finance director announced Gu Jiahe’s name.
Gu Jiahe patted his chest and walked to the front of the meeting room.
The judges below looked tired, as if the long meeting had dulled their senses.
Gu Jiahe tried the microphone several times after going up, and they slowly raised their heads.
He opened his performance review materials and projected them onto the screen. Unlike others who started with a lot of official jargon, he summarized his work in numerical form since joining the company, with each slide being concise and to the point.
Legal affairs were often in a covert position within the company, and most business departments couldn’t understand their work value.
As Gu Jiahe’s presentation reached the last slide, no one in the audience had asked any questions. He felt a bit nervous and uncertain.
However, the finance director raised his hand to ask, “Xiao Gu, I know you’ve done a lot for the company over the years, but how do you convince everyone that your work has greater value compared to other departments?”
Gu Jiahe organized his thoughts and looked down at the audience. “I understand that the value of legal work is difficult to measure with specific data. However, I’ve been leading the construction of the company’s overall compliance management system. Only when this red line of compliance is upheld can the output of other business departments be guaranteed.”
“For example, last year, we faced an intellectual property infringement incident, and as a result, we built an entire intellectual property risk prevention system for the company.”
“Although this part of the work may seem cumbersome and meaningless, in my opinion, it’s all about saving costs for the company’s research and development and avoiding unnecessary lawsuits. If a dispute escalates to litigation, the company could lose from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions, and also bear more public relations risks.”
After this speech, there was silence in the audience.
Gu Jiahe’s heart was beating fast. When he stepped down from the stage, his head felt a bit dizzy.
The finance director didn’t announce any results in the end. The specific results of the review would have to wait for email notifications in a few weeks.
Work didn’t allow Gu Jiahe to dwell on these matters any longer. He had another department meeting in the afternoon.
After a busy day, when he looked at the time, it was almost eight o’clock in the evening. Only one lamp was still on in the entire office floor.
He straightened his back, rubbed his shoulders, and picked up his phone, only to find two new unread messages.
They were from Li Zhao.
The first one read: “Are you off work?”
The second one said: “I’m waiting for you downstairs.”
Gu Jiahe’s head buzzed immediately.
Oh no. He forgot that he was supposed to pick up Li Zhao from the suburbs today.
Gu Jiahe was in a rush this morning, so he drove to the office. Li Zhao went to the new company’s office, which had no subway or bus service. They had agreed that Gu Jiahe would pick him up after work.
After a tense day, he forgot about it.
Gu Jiahe quickly replied: “On my way, be there in a minute.”
After sending the message, he grabbed his car keys and rushed to the underground parking lot.
He stepped on the gas pedal all the way, and finally arrived at the remote office building half an hour later.
However, as he got out of the car, he realized that Li Zhao was nowhere to be seen on the roadside.
Gu Jiahe sent him a WeChat message: “Where are you? I’m downstairs.”
Half a minute later, Li Zhao replied: “I forgot to bring my laptop bag. I’ll be back in a moment. Wait for me for five minutes.”
Gu Jiahe locked his phone screen and leaned against the car door, feeling bored.
The summer night breeze was somewhat cool, and Gu Jiahe, wearing a white shirt, felt unusually comfortable. After a tense day, his nerves finally relaxed a bit.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone calling him from not far away, “Mr. Gu?”
Turning his head, Gu Jiahe realized it was actually Qun Ge, Li Zhao’s senior research colleague.
“Oh, Mr. Qun, what a coincidence,” Gu Jiahe politely nodded to him.
Qun Ge walked straight over, wearing a smile with social implications on his face.
After a moment, Qun Ge stood in front of him and asked, “Mr. Gu, are you here for something?”
Gu Jiahe smiled, “I’m here to pick up Li Zhao, he’s stationed here.”
Qun Ge nodded, “Oh, I see.”
Seeing Qun Ge carrying a briefcase, Gu Jiahe asked, “Mr. Qun, are you here on business?”
Qun Ge replied, “Yes, I’m here to discuss some business. A company here approached us for cooperation. Normally, I wouldn’t need to come out for such a small deal involving only tens of thousands in agency fees, but the negotiations weren’t going well with the lower-level staff, so they asked me to come.”
Gu Jiahe glanced at him, feeling a familiar sensation.
Suddenly, he felt a spark ignite within him and spoke up, “Is that so? Our company is also planning to engage legal consultants. We’ll be tendering in the second half of the year. If your firm is interested, you can participate in the bidding.”
Qun Ge was taken aback, not expecting Gu Jiahe to turn the tables on him like this.
He awkwardly chuckled, “Haha, really? Alright then. Mr. Gu, could you give me your business card? I’ll contact you in advance.”
Gu Jiahe pretended to search his trouser pocket and after a while raised his head, “Oh, that’s unfortunate. I’ve run out of business cards today. Besides, for bidding and tendering, it’s better to follow the proper procedures. We focus on compliance and dare not take any risks.”
Feeling uninterested, Qun Ge raised his eyebrows, “Alright, I won’t disturb you then. I’ll head back first.”
With a smile on his face, Gu Jiahe waved to him, “Sure, have a lovely evening.”
Just as Qun Ge left, Li Zhao rushed out from the nearby office building.
Leaning against the car door, Gu Jiahe was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by him.
Looking over, Li Zhao saw Gu Jiahe smiling and asked, “What’s up? Why are you so happy today? Did your job review go well?”
Gu Jiahe shook his head, “Nope, just ran into an old acquaintance and chatted for a bit.”
Li Zhao got into the passenger seat, still wondering how Gu Jiahe could have an acquaintance in such a remote place.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiahe had already stepped on the accelerator and sped off. Clearly, he was in a good mood.
The day Gu Jiahe received the review results email was scorching hot.
This summer seemed particularly intense. Just at the beginning of June, the temperature soared to 38 degrees.
Looking at the email subject, Gu Jiahe didn’t dare to open it and held out until the end of the workday.
He carried his laptop bag and went home.
Li Zhao finished work early that day.
When Gu Jiahe got home, he was already sitting in the living room.
Seeing Gu Jiahe rushing in, Li Zhao asked, “Why did you bring your laptop back? More overtime?”
Gu Jiahe shook his head, “The review results are out, but I haven’t checked them yet.”
Li Zhao chuckled, “Are you scared to look?”
Without replying, Gu Jiahe opened his laptop and checked his email.
After a deep breath, he clicked on the unread email.
Li Zhao stood behind him, watching as the email window popped up.
Gu Jiahe covered the screen with his hand, stood up, and turned to Li Zhao, saying, “Can you look for me?”
Li Zhao took the mouse from his hand and sat in his place, “Sure.”
Gu Jiahe covered his eyes but couldn’t help glancing at Li Zhao’s reaction from the corner of his eye, “How is it?”
Li Zhao remained silent for five seconds.
Gu Jiahe started to feel anxious, lowered his hands, and bent down, “Is it good? Is it good?”
Li Zhao sighed, glanced at him, and then pointed at the screen, “See for yourself.”
The names of the selected personnel were arranged alphabetically.
Li Zhao gently scrolled down with the mouse, and Gu Jiahe’s name was on the eighth line.
Gu Jiahe took a deep breath and focused.
G, G, G
Li Zhao softly read the third name on the eighth line, “Gu Jiahe.”
“Ah ah ah ah ah——” Gu Jiahe couldn’t help but jump up.
He hugged Li Zhao’s head and kissed his cheek twice, “Ge, you’re really bringing me luck!”
Li Zhao was amused by his words, and after laughing for several seconds, he turned to look at him, “Shall we celebrate tonight husband?”