Chapter 14: The Restroom Revelation and Its Repercussions

Several minutes later, outside the accessible restroom of Chensi Group, Gu Jiachen listened with a helpless expression to the sound of toilet paper being pulled, sheet after sheet, from inside. He glanced down at his watch, then finally, unable to suppress his growing urgency, he knocked on the door and called out:

“What’s happening? Little Rabbit, are you… alright?”

“Mmm… no, I’m… I’m fine… it’s just…”

Zhou Ruoyu’s legs were covered in blood, and her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with fear. Tears streaked her cheeks, and her hands were stained crimson.

She could only pull out sheet after sheet of toilet paper, attempting to wipe it away. Yet, the blood seemed endless; no matter how Zhou Ruoyu tried to wipe it, or even staunch the flow, the bleeding simply wouldn’t stop.

Her mind completely froze in that moment. She began to fear she might bleed to death, and the panicked girl’s emotions instantly plummeted to their lowest.

She knew, logically, that these symptoms were likely just menstruation, yet the concept was entirely alien to her. Could a normal period truly involve this much blood? Or was it because… this was her body’s very first time?

The long-haired girl, in that moment, even doubted if this was even menstrual blood. Perhaps this body itself harbored some other illness. Was she… truly going to die?

At this thought, the distraught girl’s emotions spiraled beyond control. Her hands continued to frantically wipe away the blood, but the deluge of tears streaming down her face was no less intense than the flow below.

She began to sob uncontrollably, her breaths catching, and her consciousness growing increasingly faint. It was then that Gu Jiachen suddenly heard soft, muffled sobs.

He frowned sharply. He knocked on the door again, then called out urgently:

“What exactly is going on? Can’t you… handle it? Or did you forget your sanitary pads? Open the door, let someone in to check!”

“Wuu… help, help me… ah, no, you… you want to come in? Wuu… no, you can’t… I…”

Gu Jiachen was nearly driven mad with frustration, listening to the weak voice of his ‘little rabbit’ from inside. Inside, he felt both the normal concern of a human being and a surge of suspicion.

Unable to decipher whether this person was merely putting on an act or genuinely in distress, he could only yell back, growing increasingly agitated:

“Of course I’m not coming in! I’m a man, I don’t understand these things! I’m going to have the cleaning lady go in and help you check the situation!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruoyu finally lifted her head. With effort, she reached out and turned the deadbolt.

Then, the girl pulled down the doorknob… but the pain was too intense for her to fully open it. Gu Jiachen glanced at the turning doorknob, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

Immediately, he shot a meaningful look at the cleaning lady beside him. She nodded, then rushed straight inside.

Subsequently, gazing at a restroom filled with blood, the cleaning lady, who was already over fifty, gasped sharply. Then, she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness—!”

****

Zhou Ruoyu’s menstrual blood was, in all likelihood, not going to aid in the revival of the Mayan civilization. Under the meticulous guidance of the cleaning lady, the girl finally managed to stop the bleeding and learned how to use a sanitary pad.

Only then did the long-haired girl emerge from the restroom, her legs trembling.

Gazing at the pale-faced girl, Gu Jiachen sighed helplessly. He checked his watch again. Then, he gently put an arm around her shoulders.

Amidst the stunned gazes of the company employees who had gathered to watch, he spoke softly to Zhou Ruoyu:

“Let’s go. I’ll help you down to the car…”

Zhou Ruoyu’s already pale face instantly flushed crimson. Feeling the curious stares from the surrounding crowd, she was utterly mortified, convinced she had made an utter spectacle of herself.

She wished she could simply burrow into the ground. Gu Jiachen’s invitation at this moment was precisely what she needed.

The girl no longer had the capacity to worry about any potential dangers from her ‘enemy’s’ invitation; she only wanted to escape the scene immediately.

Thus, under Gu Jiachen’s steady support, the long-haired girl quickly shuffled away, somewhat unsteadily. Only the employees who had gathered during their lunch break remained, left behind.

Watching the two disappear, a buzz of discussion immediately erupted among them.

“Hey, what’s going on? Who’s that girl?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen CEO Gu so close to a woman. Could it be he’s not actually gay?”

“Oh my god, did you notice how that girl was dressed? Those clothes don’t fit at all… it looks like they’re all CEO Gu’s?!”

“Holy moly, a boyfriend shirt! This is huge, CEO Gu must really be in a relationship, right? Good, good, I hope he’s happier after dating and stops looking so stern all the time, sigh… what a waste of good looks!”

“Hey, do you think if CEO Gu is happy in his relationship, we’ll be able to slack off more often? Hehe~ After all, relationships take time~”

Listening to the excited chatter of her colleagues, only one person in the crowd was deeply unhappy, her face practically black with displeasure. She… was the HR woman who had deliberately made things difficult for Zhou Ruoyu during the interview.

Witnessing the intimate proximity between Gu Jiachen and Zhou Ruoyu, the HR woman was in a complete panic. After a long moment, she forced herself to shake her head, repeatedly reassuring herself internally: ‘It’s fine… I, I was just doing my job conscientiously.’

However, as she turned around, she unexpectedly ran into CEO Gu’s male assistant, Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin offered the HR woman a somewhat awkward smile. Then, he handed her a document and began:

“I apologize, Ms. Chen. CEO Gu personally stated that the company cannot employ overly harsh and critical interviewers. Therefore… you’ve been dismissed. Please pack your belongings and collect your severance pay from accounting later. I hope our paths cross again.”

“Dis… dismissed?!”

****

Sitting in the passenger seat of Gu Jiachen’s luxury car, Zhou Ruoyu nervously glanced at her lower body, terrified that if she couldn’t hold on, she would directly soil Gu Jiachen’s car.

Whether he lived or died was of no concern to her; in fact, if his car were to be stained with unlucky blood, that would be even better. However… Zhou Ruoyu wasn’t that impulsive.

She knew perfectly well that Gu Jiachen’s car was incredibly expensive, far beyond what she could afford even if she sold herself, let alone being able to pay for a single stained seat.

After a moment, Gu Jiachen looked at the nervous girl. He slowly extended his hand, offering her something.

Zhou Ruoyu paused, then timidly accepted it. Only then did she hear Gu Jiachen speak softly:

“Put this on. It’s a heat pack. It might help ease the pain a little… Do you still want the clothes you were wearing? I had the cleaning lady put them away. If you want them, I’ll have them washed and returned to you later.”

“Mmm… I… I’ll pass, I don’t want them…” Remembering her blood-stained trousers, Zhou Ruoyu quickly shook her head. She certainly wouldn’t dare wear them again. It wasn’t as if she had no other clothes at home.

Well… though, she didn’t possess a single piece of clothing that truly fit her. In fact, even now, Zhou Ruoyu was wearing Gu Jiachen’s clothes, which he had given her in an emergency.

After applying the heat pack, she did feel somewhat better. She timidly turned her head again. Only then did a crucial question surface in her mind, which she immediately asked with apprehension:

“You… where are you taking me?”