Chapter 241 – Report to the CEO: Madam Has Run Away Again – Useless Teammate (04)
Gu Yan looked up, and his haggard appearance startled both Zhao Lou and Sha Yao.
‘The boss must’ve had an amazing night! Some top-tier hookup, perhaps?’ — That was Zhao Lou’s thought.
‘Big pig hoof really lives up to his name. Kicks someone out with one foot, then chases after some spicy girl with the other. Just look at him—he’s clearly worn out from overindulgence.’ — That was Sha Yao’s thought.
After seeing Gu Yan in person, Sha Yao felt even more heartache for Bai Tang.
What a poor choice of a man.
Three years of youth wasted on the wrong person—but at least it ended in time. Time would eventually heal the pain.
Gu Yan waved his hand and said to Zhao Lou, “You take care of it.”
“Alright.” Zhao Lou left with Sha Yao and explained the current progress and challenges of the project to her, hoping she could quickly get up to speed and keep pace with the team.
Elsewhere, at home—
Xiao A hesitated about whether to show Gu Yan’s video to Bai Tang. But remembering Qiu’er’s warning, he decided to hold off for now. Let the male lead suffer a bit—it might be good for him.
Sitting idle often leads to overthinking, so to distract Bai Tang, Xiao A asked about the relationship between Ling Xue and Sha Yao.
Bai Tang answered truthfully. Xiao A shook his head. “It’s normal for people to resemble each other. That alone doesn’t prove Sha Yao is Ling Xue.”
Bai Tang said, “I can feel it—she is Ling Xue. Her habits, her way of speaking, and how kind she is to me.”
Xiao A fell silent. He had never met the heroine named Tian Lingxue, so he couldn’t judge whether they were the same person. Unless Qiu’er were here—his system might be able to identify her.
“Whether she’s Ling Xue or Sha Yao, since she’s good to you, how about we do something for her in return?” Xiao A suggested.
Bai Tang thought for a moment. “Ling Xue loved the pastries I made. She’s at work now and must be busy, so tonight… I’ll cook dinner.”
Xiao A and Bai Tang were discussing how to combine vegetables for better nutrition, which helped distract Bai Tang from thinking about Gu Yan for the time being.
In fact, Bai Tang was intentionally looking for something to do—if he kept letting his mind wander, he felt like he’d go crazy.
That evening, Sha Yao rushed home from work. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a wave of delicious aroma.
Bai Tang carried out the last dish from the kitchen. “You’re back—dinner’s ready.”
The dishes on the table were colorful, fragrant, and beautifully presented—just the sight of them made Sha Yao’s mouth water.
“Tang Tang, you’re amazing.” Sha Yao washed her hands and sat down. “I’m in for a real treat tonight.”
She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite. The taste was so delicious it felt like her tongue might melt along with it.
“If you like it, eat more. I’ll cook for you again tomorrow,” Bai Tang said with a smile, scooping rice into her bowl.
“Seriously, Tang Tang, you’re so domestic and thoughtful. Gu Yan really lost a treasure.”
At that, Bai Tang was reminded: in this lifetime, Ling Xue was the female lead—and she was paired with Gu Yan.
The thought made his heart ache again, and even the food lost its flavor.
“How… is he?” Bai Tang asked gloomily.
Sha Yao, chewing her food, replied, “I saw him today—unkempt beard, messy hair, looked like a complete madman.”
Her description startled Bai Tang. He quietly asked Xiao A, “Is what Ling Xue said true?”
Xiao A realized he couldn’t hide it anymore and showed Bai Tang a current photo of Gu Yan. Seeing the once regal male lead in such a disheveled state, Bai Tang’s heart began to ache again.
“What happened to him?” Bai Tang asked.
“He just didn’t sleep for a night,” Xiao A replied. He didn’t want the male lead to be forgiven so easily—after all, when he was suffering, the host suffered too. The host even cried in his sleep.
What Xiao A said was indeed true—Gu Yan hadn’t slept the entire night. He just didn’t mention all the details.
A few days later, Sha Yao called home to say she had to work overtime at the office that night and wouldn’t be back early. She told Bai Tang to make sure he ate properly on his own.
Bai Tang readily agreed, but still went ahead and prepared dinner for two.
These past few days, he had been asking Xiao A to show him photos of Gu Yan every day. Seeing him look more and more haggard, Bai Tang just couldn’t stop worrying.
He wanted to go see him in person—just a glimpse from afar or from the shadows would be enough.
Now, the chance had finally come. After hearing that Sha Yao wouldn’t be coming home for dinner, he decided to use the opportunity of “delivering food” to her as an excuse to see if he might catch sight of Gu Yan.
If he could see him, that would be great. If not… then so be it.
Xiao A had no idea what Bai Tang was really thinking. He just assumed his host had a deep sibling bond with the female lead and even updated the dinner menu for Bai Tang.
Soon, dinner was ready.
Bai Tang carefully packed the food into a lunchbox and placed it in a delicate little carrying bag.
Once everything was set, Xiao A thoughtfully guided him to the Gu Corporation building using navigation.
By 8 p.m., most employees at Gu Corporation had already gone home. The receptionist was just about to leave when she saw a stunningly beautiful young man walk in.
She put on her professional smile. “Hello, may I ask who you’re here to see?”
As the boy walked closer, the smile on the receptionist’s face almost faltered.
What a beautiful young man—fair, diamond-shaped face, moist almond-shaped eyes, looking both innocent and bewildered. His light pink lips were gently pressed together, and then he spoke in a soft, sweet, milky voice: “Hello, I’m looking for Sha Yao.”
The receptionist was stunned for a couple of seconds before replying, “Alright, one moment please.”
She dialed the internal line to the 35th floor. The one who picked up was Mei Li.
“Hello, who’s calling?” Mei Li asked.
The receptionist replied, “There’s a young…” Then she realized—she hadn’t asked for the visitor’s name.
“Hello, may I ask how I should address you?”
“My name is Bai Tang,” Bai Tang replied with a smile.
“There’s a Mr. Bai Tang here to see Sha Yao,” the receptionist said into the phone.
Meili glanced at Sha Yao, who was going over data with Zhao Lou, and shouted, “Yao Yao, someone’s here for you!” As she spoke, she pressed the speaker button on the phone.
“Yao Yao, are you hungry? I brought you dinner,” the boy’s soft and sweet voice came through the speaker.
“Then come on up,” Sha Yao replied.
After she hung up, everyone around her immediately crowded over, asking:
“Yao Yao, was that your boyfriend just now?”
“No wonder Yao Yao doesn’t like me—she likes the puppy-boy type!”
Everyone chimed in one after another, leaving Sha Yao both amused and exasperated. “That’s my younger cousin.”
“A cousin, huh? I wonder what Yao Yao’s cousin looks like. He sounded really cute,” Meili said.
Wu Yi laughed, “Well, we’ll know once he comes up.”
Bai Tang had piqued everyone’s curiosity. They all, without needing to say a word, put down their work and turned to watch the door.
When the young man in casual clothes appeared, every woman present—except for Sha Yao—stood up involuntarily.
“Hello, I’m here to see Sha Yao~” Bai Tang said, holding the lunchbox with a shy smile.
“You must be Bai Tang, Yao Yao’s cousin. Let’s just call you Tang Tang,” Meili said, welcoming him in.
“By the way, why don’t you and Yao Yao share the same last name?” asked Siyuan, one of the guys on the team. He had a bit of a crush on Sha Yao and didn’t want this to be one of those “not related by blood but call each other siblings and end up together” situations.
Bai Tang was innocent by nature, and Sha Yao was worried he might blurt out that he was Gu Yan’s ex-fiancé, which would only invite more gossip and hurt him further.
So she quickly cut in, “He’s my cousin. Got a problem with that?”
“N-No, not at all. I just thought you two didn’t look very alike, so I was just curious,” Siyuan replied.
“Alright, alright—this is Tang Tang’s first time visiting, and you’re already arguing in front of him. What if you scare him off and he never wants to come back?” Meili shot a glare at Siyuan.
Bai Tang gave off the vibe of the sweet boy next door. His adorable, delicate features and clean, gentle aura completely captivated the three women present.
What if I just pinch his cheeks a little…?
Cough, cough. Stay calm. Don’t scare the poor thing.
Meili and Wu Yi exchanged a knowing glance.
“Y-Your food delivery…” The delivery guy stood at the door, holding several boxes of takeout.
“The food’s here, let’s eat first,” Zhao Lou said, taking the bags and unwrapping the plastic to hand out the meals.
“I’ve got a lovingly prepared dinner. Who needs takeout?” Sha Yao said confidently, trusting completely in Bai Tang’s cooking. She believed that as soon as she opened the lunchbox he brought, everyone else’s takeout would lose all appeal.
Sure enough, once Sha Yao opened the lunchbox, a mouthwatering aroma filled the air. Everyone turned to look. Braised pork, garlic stir-fried greens, sweet and sour ribs, and lotus root soup—simple dishes, but beautifully presented and incredibly fragrant.
Meili and Wu Yi raised their chopsticks. “Hey, girl, let us have a bite too!”
They were women, after all—zero guilt about stealing from Sha Yao’s plate.
Seeing that Bai Tang had packed a generous portion, Sha Yao generously said, “Sure, I’ll let you have a little.”
Meili and Wu Yi dove in without hesitation.
“So good~”
“Mmm, delicious. Seriously delicious.”
It was their first time tasting Bai Tang’s cooking, and both were full of praise.
The two remaining guys didn’t dare fight for a bite, so they could only sit there with longing in their eyes, watching the three women happily share the meal. Then they looked back at their own takeout…
Why did it suddenly look like pig slop?
Bai Tang knew that Sha Yao worked under Gu Yan. Now that he was in the office but didn’t see him, he felt a little disappointed.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Bai Tang said.
“Oh, right—our restroom on this floor is broken. You’ll have to use the one on a lower floor,” Zhao Lou reminded him.
“Okay, thank you.”
Just after Bai Tang left the office, the door to the innermost conference room opened.
Gu Yan walked out, looking worn and defeated, but his eyes were startlingly bright. “Who was just talking?”
He thought he’d heard that voice—he couldn’t have mistaken it. It was him.
“Who was here?!”
Zhao Lou was startled by Gu Yan’s reaction and pointed to the food on the table. “The delivery guy just dropped off our lunch.”
“And Yao Yao’s cousin came by too,” Wu Yi added. “Boss, you didn’t see him, but I swear, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe there could be such a cute boy in the world—mmph mmph…” Her mouth was abruptly covered by Sha Yao.
“You’re drooling into the food,” Sha Yao said, giving herself an excuse for her action.
“Where is he?”
“Who, Boss? Tang Tang? He went to the restroom,” Meili replied, swallowing a bite of braised pork.
No fear of godlike opponents, only fear of pig-like teammates. How did she end up in a team full of pigs?
Tang Tang… Right, his fiancé’s name was Bai Tang.
Gu Yan had his answer and strode out quickly with long, purposeful steps.
Sha Yao looked like she was suffering from constipation, while Meili and Wu Yi still didn’t get what was going on.
“Yao Yao, you don’t look so good. Are you feeling unwell?” they asked.
“No… I’m fine,” Sha Yao answered through gritted teeth.
What else could she do with teammates like this? Just smile.
Author’s Note:
Sha Yao (Ling Xue): I’m so mad… and I still have to smile.
Bai Tang: Ah Yan~
Gu Yan: Tang Tang, I’m coming.