Chapter Thirty-Nine: Are You Free Tonight?

Just as Su Jiaqi and Qin Mengxue were fervently belittling Xue Tian'ai, the latter herself was not having an easy time either.

Xue Tian'ai was now seated on the sofa in Gan Bingning's office, her face slick with cold sweat, inwardly cursing those thugs from the other night who claimed to be under Boss Fu. What kind of drug had they slipped that woman? Even after drinking so much and taking an aphrodisiac, she could still recognize me...

Xue Tian'ai no longer thought that landing a job at such a dazzling company was in any way a blessing. This was nothing like the so-called lucky encounters people dreamed of—it was clearly a living hell!

Yet, deep inside, Xue Tian'ai still held onto a sliver of hope. Looking at Gan Bingning, who was watching her with a half-smile, she ventured, "Um, Director Gan, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What do you think?" Gan Bingning's smile was all on the surface; her eyes were sharp as they pinned Xue Tian'ai in place.

"I just joined the company, I really don't know anything yet. I don't even know what to say," Xue Tian'ai persisted, her expression the picture of innocence.

Gan Bingning paused, slightly thrown by Xue Tian'ai's demeanor. Could she really have picked the wrong person?

"Oh? Shouldn't you explain what happened the night before last? Or have you forgotten?" Gan Bingning never looked away, watching Xue Tian'ai's eyes for the slightest flicker of guilt.

At those words, Xue Tian'ai's eyes wavered, but she quickly steadied herself again. "The night before last? What happened then?"

It was only a fleeting shift, but Gan Bingning caught it. "Xue Tian'ai, I have to say, you're quite the actor, but your eyes just betrayed you! You are definitely that bastard!"

"No, no, Director Gan, you must be mistaken. That definitely wasn't me!"

"And who exactly wasn't you?"

"The person in the bar the night before last wasn't—" Xue Tian'ai stopped abruptly, realizing too late what she was about to say, and clapped a hand over her mouth.

But it was already too late. Without even noticing, Xue Tian'ai had fallen straight into Gan Bingning's verbal trap.

Eyes darting nervously, Xue Tian'ai stammered, "That was just a slip of the tongue, really. I don't know anything..." If she'd known, that night, who she was tangling with—the head of her wife's company's PR department—she would have run for her life.

And Xue Tian'ai was certain: if Qin Mengxue ever found out, she’d never let her off the hook.

A wild idea even flashed through Xue Tian'ai's mind: maybe she should just knock Gan Bingning unconscious, hope she'd forget everything, and be done with it. But that absurd and wicked thought was quickly banished.

"Alright, I admit it, I was that man," Xue Tian'ai said at last, bracing herself. After all, her intentions had been good at the time!

"You bastard! Shouldn't you have something to say for yourself?" Gan Bingning gritted her teeth, her suspicions now fully confirmed—this man in casual sportswear before her was the one who had taken advantage of her!

"Say what..." Xue Tian'ai paused. What was there to say? Deciding to put her glib tongue to use, she continued, "That night, I was just a lone hero, standing up for justice. If the beautiful Director Gan wants to thank me, there's really no need! Fighting evil is my mission—my destiny. I am Batman! I—"

"Stop! That's your excuse for forcing yourself on me?" Gan Bingning couldn't take it anymore and cut her off, her clear eyes now tinged with red. This scoundrel wanted her to thank him? After everything, he had the nerve to ask for gratitude?

"That wasn't me forcing you... you were the one who pushed me down!" Xue Tian'ai hurried to correct her. "I even told you I was married, but you wouldn't listen. On top of that, you, um, grabbed my... and you didn't stop there, you pushed me all the way to—"

"Bastard! Why didn't you fight back?" Gan Bingning's cheeks flushed at the memory. Though her recollection was hazy, she remembered enough: Xue Tian'ai had saved her from those three thugs after she’d been drugged, and then, under the influence, she had been the one to pounce on him.

"I did resist, but you were so strong! So... relentless!" Xue Tian'ai looked at her with aggrieved innocence.

"How could you not resist? You took down those three thugs in a heartbeat!" Gan Bingning retorted.

Xue Tian'ai froze. She remembered that? What kind of garbage had those thugs been peddling? If she remembered the fight, did she remember what happened afterward, too?

"If you remember all that, why blame me? You were the one who pushed me down. Besides, you're so beautiful—a woman drinking alone in a bar at midnight is bound to attract attention!" Xue Tian'ai decided to stand her ground. What was with these women? That morning, Su Jiaqi was the same—he’d helped her twice, and she was still out for revenge.

Gan Bingning's blush deepened. What Xue Tian'ai said was true: if it hadn't been for him, those three thugs would have had their way with her. Faced with that, she would rather have Xue Tian'ai be the one. And besides, he was undeniably handsome.

"I was just in a bad mood that night. Did you think I wanted that to happen? It was my first time! And what was the meaning of leaving all that cash for me?" Gan Bingning, her cheeks burning, pulled a wad of dollars from her Hermès bag and slapped it on the desk. "What did you take me for? Some kind of escort? An overseas call girl?"

Her face crimson, the memories from that night grew clearer, filling her both with embarrassment and anger as she glared at Xue Tian'ai.

"That was an accident, honestly! It wasn't intentional—I just... did it out of habit, that's all. And about the dollars... I just came back from abroad and didn't have any local currency on me..."

"So you ended up insulting me with money?"

"Well... I..." Xue Tian'ai was at a loss for words. If he'd known Gan Bingning was the PR director at Menghua Group, he wouldn’t have left any money—he might even have asked her for some, considering what happened. That night, his card had been frozen because of the presidential suite, leaving him penniless and forced to sponge off others.

"Forget it... In the end, it was my fault. Are you free tonight?" Gan Bingning sighed, her cheeks still flushed.

"..." Xue Tian'ai looked up, stunned. What was this? Was this woman really asking if he was free tonight? Did she want a repeat because she was still unsatisfied now that she’d lost her virginity?

"Look, I’m not that kind of man... Even though you’re beautiful, you can’t just throw yourself at me again—I need time to prepare. I’m still a pure, innocent guy!" Xue Tian'ai protested, feigning bashfulness.

Gan Bingning was so infuriated she could barely see straight. Sure, this guy was handsome, but his shamelessness was on another level! Innocent? After what happened that night, he still claimed innocence? But thinking back, her face grew even hotter.

"Don’t get any strange ideas. I just want to thank you for saving me—invite you to dinner, that’s all."

Xue Tian'ai was taken aback. That was it? She just wanted to buy him dinner? He’d gotten all worked up for nothing—it seemed he’d been overthinking.

"You really just want to have dinner?" he asked warily.

"What else?" Gan Bingning raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, you scared me! I thought you called me here to torture me, give me the full ten cruel punishments, chop me into pieces! Turns out it’s just dinner. If you’d said so earlier, I would’ve admitted it was me right away," Xue Tian'ai said, patting his chest in relief.

"Hmph, so your first impression of me is that I’m a she-devil?" Gan Bingning snorted, not entirely pleased.

"No, no, my first impression was that you were beautiful, alluring, and had a great figure!" Relaxed now, Xue Tian'ai let his eyes roam over her.

Even though he’d already been intimately acquainted with her body, he had to admit Gan Bingning’s figure was truly exceptional.

Feeling his gaze, Gan Bingning’s shame and anger surged. Give this man an inch, and he’d take a mile! She grabbed the laptop from her desk and hurled it at him. "You bastard! Can’t you keep your mouth shut?"

As the laptop flew straight at him, Xue Tian'ai was momentarily stunned. Qin Mengxue had thrown a laptop at him before, and now Gan Bingning too. What was it with these women and their fondness for hurling laptops? Did they have money to burn?

Still, he caught it deftly and quipped, "Trying to kill me? Do I have to file a workplace injury report on my first day?"

Realizing she might have overreacted, Gan Bingning apologized, "Sorry about that!"

"You’d better buy me a great dinner tonight! I’m very particular about food," Xue Tian'ai said, carefully placing the laptop back on her desk.

For some reason, Gan Bingning felt a strange thrill—is he tacitly agreeing to dinner?

"Don’t worry, I know Beiyang like the back of my hand. I’ll take you somewhere good! But it’s almost time for work. You should get back. Meet me in the parking lot tonight—my car’s a white Mercedes AMG, easy to spot. I’m the only one in the company who drives one."

"Well, I’ll look forward to it—without getting my hopes up," Xue Tian'ai said, turning to leave and go find Qin Mengxue upstairs.

"By the way, which department are you in? You can tell me that, can’t you?"

"Xue Tian'ai, assistant to the president. No department," he replied, turning back to flash her a gentle smile.