Chapter 33 - Innocence, Mistake, & Habit

The way Xiu spoke put Yi Gougou in a difficult position even more than she already was. Anyone could tell that Xiu wasn't insinuating anything solely based on suspicion. It was as if she had proof. Impossible! Yi Gougou denied this possibility and with newfound courage, she said, "Ms. Bai, you're wrongly accusing me. I am an honest employee. Of course, this was my first mistake."

"But Ms. Yi, I haven't accused you... Yet." Xiu spoke calmly as before.

It was as if Yi Gougou was losing her temper because of her guilty conscious while Xiu looked completely unfazed as she held her ground.

"Lu Jin, don't you have something to share with us?" Xiu turned to Lu Jin who looked worn out after his overnight trip to Qin City. However, with Xiu's calling, he was on alert mode.

"Manager Li, you should read this," Lu Jin passed a cellphone to Manager Li which clearly wasn't his own. As Xiu had instructed, he used his brain cunningly to confiscate Qiao Liang's phone last night who just happened to be Yi Gougou's desk mate.

Manager Li took the cellphone and read through the text messages that had been exchanged between Qiao Liang and Yi Gougou. She didn't look pleased with all that she read. If anything she felt disgusted to even look at Yi Gougou.

"Disgusting! Yi Gougou, how dare you take advantage of someone else? You used your colleague's innocence for your advantage and even take credit for it? Don't you feel ashamed at all?" Manager Li was fuming in rage. She couldn't believe that someone like Yi Gougou actually managed to pass their initial screening. "And still, here you are claiming that you didn't do anything? Do you have shame or not? You are such a disgrace!"

Turning to Xiu who looked bored she said, "Bai Xiu, you can deal with it in your own way." With a huff, she slapped the file in her hand at Yi Gougou's face and turned to her office not without saying, "Qiao Liang, in my office." As Qiao Liang still had some sympathy towards his 'beautiful' and 'gentle' desk mate, he was reluctant. "Now!" With Manager Li's sharp tone, he jolted and ran after her.

"Aye, it's a classic example of a beautiful face and a black heart."

"She's been using her glib tongue and coning that innocent looking boy."

"Haiz! Pretty girls definitely know how to use their charms."

"Since they don't have the brains they can only using their so-called charms."

"What charms? It's just their sweet-talking."

"Or perhaps, it's dirty talking. Who knows what she did to make him willing to cover for her."

Whispering, snickers, snide remarks started going around in the department and nobody bothered to lower their voices at all. Yi Gougou's eyes were red rather it was in embarrassment or anger, who knew? But no one paid heed to her 'feelings' either.

"Look at her pride. She is still standing right there."

"She should dig a hole and bury herself alive."

As the voices grew louder, Xiu was disturbed. Those words were poking right where she was hurt the most. Women are said to be gentle but we often forget that women are vicious as well. Especially, when it came to bringing another of their kind down. They would not back out at all.

And Xiu hated this attitude. She gave a warning glance around and everyone immediately sealed their lips.

"Bo Jiu!" Xiu called out.

"Present, Ma'am!" Bo Jiu answered as she raised her hand but realizing what she did, she gave a sheepish smile and rephrased her words, "I mean, I'm here."

Xiu rolled her eyes at Bo Jiu and said, "Call Si Yao from the Advertis.e.m.e.nt Department."

"Right away." Bo Jiu turned on her heels and ran to get her task done.

It took five minutes before Bo Jiu walked back trailing behind a stern-looking man. "Bai Xiu, you're looking for me?" The man called Si Yao asked.

"If my memory serves me right, we have an ad shoot today, right?" Xiu asked languidly making everyone anticipate her next move. Si Yao frowned but nodded in agreement. "Our department's Ms. Yi has quite a talent in fashion. She'll be following you to the set."

Yi Gougou looked at Xiu in surprise. Wasn't she fired? What was this pompous demotivator doing? Yi Gougou couldn't comprehend but she was indeed delighted. As long as she didn't lose her job. Not being able to finish the internship period in Spark International Group could impact her future. In the worst way possible.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Ms. Bai! For giving me another chance. I won't disappoint you at all." Yi Gougou tried to show her gratitude with a couple of tears trickling down her innocent-looking face.

"You'll be cursing me by the end of this day." Xiu murmured as she waved her off as if getting rid of a pest like her.

Still, with a frown on his face, Si Yao questioned, "Do you want me to deal with her?"

"Senior Yao, you don't have to bother with her. Her personality and arrogance will be enough for her to fall on her own." Xiu answered before sending him away. As for why Xiu sent her to the shooting set was unknown to everyone. Xiu could already guess that Yi Gougou was one of those thick-skinned people who won't resign even after all this humiliation before the whole department. And Xiu didn't have the rule of firing people.

No matter what, she had to push Yi Gougou to an edge where her only option would be resignation.

As Qiao Liang came out of Manager Li's office, he looked pale and down spirited. He went straight to Bai Xiu and gave a ninety-degree bow. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bai! It won't happen again." He looked guilty and scared.

Only a rustling sound of papers was heard while Xiu held a fountain pen between her pearly white teeth. "Mr. Qiao," she spoke in a very soft voice. "First time it's called innocence. The second time it becomes a mistake. Do you know what's it called the third time?" Qiao Liang looked back at her with furrowed brows. "Third time it's simply called a habit. And habits often turns into ignorance."

"Having talent is no big deal in this world. Almost every other person is a genius who hasn't been discovered yet. It's the attitude that matters. What matters is how you use that talent of yours." Xiu finally lifted her eyes to look at Qiao Liang who was standing with his head lowered. "I guess you didn't learn anything in school. This isn't a school homework that you can so kindly let your desk-mate copy."

With a snicker, she added, "But in your case, you're ready to give your limelight to a woman just because she was beautiful, and nice to you in person. Honestly, in my opinion, you weren't being played. You let her play you. And that makes you the second most foolish person I've ever met."

'Well, first being myself.' She didn't say the last words out. "This is the corporate world. You either become the hunter or the prey. Better choose wisely on which side you want to stand." With that she let him get back to work.

She didn't want to be mean to him or give a lecture like that. She wasn't compassionate or had so much free time on her hand. But she still did so. Only because Qiao Liang reminded her of her previous self.

In the entertainment industry, everyone tried to leech off of other's popularity and she had been used plenty of times for that purpose. But considering that she never liked having conflicts, she didn't try to push people away. She considered it to be a kind of help to let others shine who really deserved to.

But who knew that all those who used her once would not even bat an eye when she was in a difficult position. Everyone chose to turn their backs on her. She didn't want another person to chose her path of no return just because he also founded his wake-up call a little too late.

She didn't know how much of her words really got to Qiao Liang but it was worth a try. Whether he'd learn something or not, it'd be up to him. She had done her part of trying. That was as far as she was willing to go.