Chapter 16 A Clown

Chapter 16 A Clown

Having stayed up late last night and woken up early this morning, Gu Qingyin sat in a chair scrolling through videos of her two sons on her phone. Before long, she grew drowsy.

Huo Xingye noticed and suggested she take a nap in the lounge.

The lounge was connected to the office, spanning over a hundred square meters and fully equipped with everything one might need.

Groggy, Gu Qingyin collapsed onto the large bed, catching a faint whiff of tea fragrance in the air—calming and pleasant. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

She had no idea how much time had passed when a loud "bang" startled her awake.

Instinctively, she rolled over and sat up, her heart pounding as she looked toward the door.

Backlit by the light, two figures—one tall, one short—charged in aggressively.

As they drew closer, Gu Qingyin recognized them: Bai Jiali and... Liu Ergou.

Still groggy from sleep, Gu Qingyin was confused. When had these two met? And what were they doing here?

Liu Ergou was equally stunned when he saw who was in the room. Was Gu Qingyin really the one Bai Jiali claimed had cast a hex on their CEO? What a joke!

The two stared at each other, neither speaking for a moment.

Only the oblivious Bai Jiali seethed with jealousy, shouting, "Priest Liu! It's her! She's the one who cursed CEO Huo! Hurry and deal with this witch!"

The last sentence hit Gu Qingyin like a ton of bricks, snapping her fully awake. She then shot Bai Jiali a look of utter disbelief. "You think I cursed Huo Xingye? What gave you that idea?"

Liu Ergou snapped out of his daze. Bai Jiali's so-called CEO was Huo Xingye?!

Bai Jiali sneered contemptuously. "If you didn’t curse CEO Huo, why would he be so gentle with you? Why would he keep making exceptions for you? You must have used some disgusting trick to control him!"

Gu Qingyin decided it wasn’t worth responding. She looked at Bai Jiali as if she were crazy—there was no reasoning with crazy.

She got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "You brought this mess, you deal with it. Next time, at least do some research before taking a job. Too many slip-ups will ruin your reputation."

Liu Ergou turned red with shame. Getting tricked by a client in middle age was humiliating. He explained shamefacedly, "She claimed she and the CEO were deeply in love, on the verge of marriage, when suddenly he shifted all his attention to someone else."

"Doesn’t that sound suspicious? People don’t change that fast, so I thought it must be black magic." Liu Ergou grumbled indignantly. "Who knew she made it all up? This woman is completely delusional."

Bai Jiali’s eyes widened in shock. "You know each other?!" Now she was even more convinced. Both furious and triumphant, she yelled, "I knew you weren’t normal! I’ll save CEO Huo no matter what!"

Gu Qingyin, already in the bathroom, stuck her head back out and said earnestly, "Girl, I sincerely advise you to see a neurologist. The sooner, the better—there might still be hope."

By the time she cleaned up and emerged, Bai Jiali and Liu Ergou were still standing there.

Annoyed, Gu Qingyin asked, "Waiting for me to show you out?"

Liu Ergou fumed, "She won’t pay me!"

This genuinely shocked Gu Qingyin. Hiring a Celestial Master and refusing to pay the fee? That was begging for karma!

Bai Jiali snapped self-righteously, "You didn’t do anything! Why should I pay? That desperate for cash? Unless you throw Gu Qingyin out, forget it!"

Liu Ergou bit back his anger and tried to reason with her. "The rules of the arcane arts are clear—whether the problem is solved or not, the fee must be paid!"

Bai Jiali sneered contemptuously. "What bullshit rules. You and Gu Qingyin are obviously working together, trying to scam me and control CEO Huo. I’ll expose your scheme!"

Gu Qingyin sighed. You can't reason with someone hellbent on destruction.

The Celestial Master's work inherently goes against nature's order, and over time, the backlash they face grows heavier. Thus, a large portion of the Celestial Master's consultation fee must be donated to accumulate virtue for themselves.

If the fee isn't paid, the Celestial Master can still donate some money out of pocket, but the person who hired them will suffer serious consequences—ranging from financial loss to near-death, depending on the severity of the matter handled.

Most importantly, after this incident, the person will be shunned by the occult community. No one with real skills will ever deal with them again.

After all, no one wants to do an unrewarding task—it's not like they're masochists.

The ten million Gu Qingyin earned earlier was too large a sum to arrange the donations in installments, so she entrusted Xue Ning to distribute it gradually. By now, it should be almost done—she only kept a tenth for herself.

"What's all the noise about?" Huo Xingye stood at the private rest area door, his voice cold. "Who gave you permission to enter my private lounge?"

Everyone in the company knew Huo Xingye's lounge was off-limits. Only the cleaning lady was allowed in during designated times.

Bai Jiali naturally knew this too, which was why she had lost her mind upon hearing Gu Qingyin was sleeping inside, bursting through the door in a rage. Now, seeing Huo Xingye, she acted as if she had found some powerful backer, her eyes red as she began to accuse.

"Mr. Huo! Gu Qingyin sneaked into your lounge while you were in a meeting—who knows what she was plotting! I panicked and brought Priest Liu in with me." Bai Jiali's eyes were full of what seemed like sincere worry. "Mr. Huo, you... should really be careful."

"Careful of what?" Huo Xingye asked coldly.

Backlit, Bai Jiali couldn't see his expression, but his tone alone told her he was angry. Her heart leapt with joy as she hurriedly added, "Mr. Huo, I suspect Gu Qingyin has cursed you! I originally hired Priest Liu to help, but it turns out they're working together!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Huo! I'll definitely find someone more skilled than them!"

Gu Qingyin scoffed. What a fantasy. Forget skilled—even a novice Celestial Master apprentice wouldn't want anything to do with her.

Huo Xingye fell silent for two seconds before stepping further into the lounge. His gaze icy, he said in a low voice, "Secretary Bai, due to insufficient competence and failure to meet work expectations, has succumbed to work-related stress. She will resign, taking responsibility for her failures."

Bai Jiali's face twisted in disbelief. "Mr. Huo?!"

"Understood, Family Head."

Only then did Bai Jiali notice Xue Ning standing at the door, looking like he'd just come off a long trip.

Xue Ning smiled politely, though inwardly he was delighted. His all-night rush to catch the earliest flight back had been worth it—this drama was truly spectacular!

"See Miss Bai out."

Huo Xingye walked past Bai Jiali and approached Gu Qingyin, his voice noticeably gentler as he asked, "Did they wake you? Were you scared?"

Bai Jiali couldn't take it. She spun around with a wail, "Mr. Huo, please believe me! I only did this for your sake! Gu Qingyin has bad intentions—she'll ruin you!"

Gu Qingyin gave an exasperated eye-roll.

Huo Xingye gave Bai Jiali another look before scoffing coldly. "Ridiculous."

Bai Jiali tried to speak again, but security arrived, clamping a hand over her mouth and dragging her away.

"Since this trouble began with Huo Xingye, you can ask him for your consultation fee," Gu Qingyin said cheerfully to the aggrieved Liu Ergou. "Don't feel guilty—my son has plenty of money."

Liu Ergou hesitated, glancing at Huo Xingye before gritting his teeth. "Forget it. I can't take money from a junior. It wasn't much work anyway."

To his surprise, Huo Xingye insisted on paying. He thought to himself: He could owe anyone—just not Liu Ergou. There was no way he'd give the man an excuse to bother Gu Qingyin!