Chapter 51 Concealment

Yu Yuchu: ?

Adapting to the identity so quickly?
Calling her future boss, who was four years older than her, a younger sister?
How could that possibly work!

"No, no way!" Yu Yuchu waved her hands repeatedly, her already shy face flushing even deeper. "It's not about seniority; if people in the company heard this, it would be impossible to explain."

Gu Taotao nodded thoughtfully... "Well, then can I just directly say you are my cousin-in-law? Wouldn't that make sense?"

Yu Yuchu massaged her temples. She wasn't even a proper cousin-in-law yet. If word got out later, where would she put her old face?

She looked into Gu Taotao's clear eyes. Initially, she thought Gu Taotao was one of those hidden powerhouses in the company, a reliable senior who secretly pointed out paths for newcomers. So why did she now give off such a naive, airheaded vibe?

"Um... isn't Pei Jiayin a high-level executive in the company? I was just thinking that making it public wouldn't be good for either of our influences."

Gu Taotao raised an eyebrow. Just a high-level executive?
Such a vague description—thank goodness this girl didn't press further, otherwise her cousin would have had a lot of trouble on his hands.

The moment she looked up, she received another warning glare from the rearview mirror.
It felt as though if she slipped up and spilled a single word, she would be ruthlessly betrayed.

Gu Taotao couldn't help but shrink back slightly, the words on the tip of her tongue stuck in her throat.
With a flash of Pei Jiayin's expression in her mind, a sudden wave of enlightenment hit her, and her eyes lit up. "You've thought about this very well."

Pei Jiayin withdrew his gaze.
He didn't mind Gu Taotao interacting with Yu Yuchu. Being blood relatives for so many years, he knew Gu Taotao was merely quirky and eccentric, but her heart wasn't bad.
Besides... Pei Jiayin swept a sideways glance at Yu Yuchu's smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. Having a friend for her in the company was a good thing anyway.
And it would also help him look after Yu Yuchu—why not?

Having obtained her cousin's tacit approval, Gu Taotao felt as though she had been struck by a bolt of pure happiness. Wasn't this the legendary once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Though she didn't know why Pei Jiayin refused to tell Yu Yuchu his true identity, as long as she used this identity thing to blackmail Pei Jiayin...
Wouldn't she become the junior with the most secure backing in the entire family?

Still, Gu Taotao thought with a sly grin, she was suddenly very curious what expression Yu Yuchu would make the moment she discovered that Pei Jiayin was the big boss himself.
Right now, having managed to catch a weakness she could use against her cousin, she naturally had to make full use of it, especially since the person before her was such a prized treasure.
Get on good terms, and the benefits would be endless.

Her expression shifted from dim to bright, clearly transitioning from initial panic to composure, and the warmth in her eyes as she looked at Yu Yuchu grew a few degrees hotter.

How could Yu Yuchu know the little schemes brewing inside Gu Taotao's mind? Embarrassed, she asked, "Um, Sister Taotao, where do you live? Let Jiayin drop you off first?"

The otherworldly senior image Gu Taotao had been maintaining completely vanished.
"Don't worry, Chuchu, I've already sent the location to my cousin."

Knowing that if she continued to address Yu Yuchu as "cousin-in-law," the younger sister before her would definitely feel uncomfortable, Gu Taotao wisely stopped.

Yu Yuchu truly breathed a sigh of relief. If she kept calling her that, what would she do if it rolled off the tongue too naturally and she couldn't change it back? That would give her a splitting headache.

Gu Taotao lived not too far from Huasheng, undoubtedly taking her daily commute into consideration.
However, having cut off her financial ties with her family and lacking Pei Jiayin's deep financial resources, the place she rented naturally didn't match Pei Jiayin's living conditions.

"Should we add each other on WeChat first?" Gu Taotao took out her phone and brought up the QR code scanner.
Yu Yuchu nodded and obediently pulled up her own QR code.
She tapped on the friend request, only to discover that beneath Gu Taotao's request was yet another new one.

The note attached read:
[Hello, I am Huo Fuzhu. May I ask if you are Ms. Yu Yuchu?]

Yu Yuchu's heart gave a violent jolt.
Wasn't this the blind date candidate recommended by her mother?!
Oh no, she had completely thrown that to the back of her mind.
When had this request been sent? Hadn't she left the poor guy hanging for a long time?
No, the main point was: just moments after her mother introduced a blind date candidate, she had ended up with Pei Jiayin!

Yu Yuchu felt completely numb.
Realizing that he was the son of one of her mother's student's parents, Yu Yuchu ultimately accepted the request.
She at least had to explain things clearly to him.

At that moment, Yu Yuchu's phone suddenly vibrated, scaring her out of her wits.
She quickly checked the chat window; fortunately, it was just Gu Taotao sending her a greeting sticker.
Yu Yuchu let out a breath and sent a sticker back to Gu Taotao.

"We're here." Pei Jiayin brought the car to a smooth stop.
"Then I'll be heading off first, Cousin, Chuchu. Thank you both for the ride, and drive safely." Gu Taotao smiled from ear to ear, looking as happy as if she had just picked up money off the street.
"Alright, see you."
Yu Yuchu waved her hand from inside the car window.

The translucent streetlights cast a diagonal glow, allowing Gu Taotao to catch sight of her slightly flushed, shy face. Her fair skin tinged with pink, and her eyes like autumn pools seemed brimming with unspoken affection in the spring night, her smile slowly permeating her very bones like rippling spring water.
With a charming smile and captivating eyes,
Gu Taotao felt as though she had been struck right in the heart.

Shifting her gaze upward, she found her own cousin staring intently at the back of the girl's head, as if he wanted to pierce right through her.

No wonder her cousin fell so hard...
Gu Taotao chuckled softly and waved back at Yu Yuchu.

The car didn't linger. The moment the engine roared to life, it pulled away.

How petty.
Gu Taotao stood in place and rolled her eyes. Couldn't he bear to let her look for even one second longer?

After sending Gu Taotao off, the interior of the car lapsed into silence.
Yu Yuchu touched her burning cheeks, attempting to cool herself down with her hands.
"Are you nervous?"
An inquiring voice came from beside her.

"Not really." Just a little embarrassed.
Pei Jiayin chuckled softly, his clear, resonant voice gently tapping against Yu Yuchu's eardrums.
Feeling the temperature of her face, she realized it seemed to have gotten even hotter.

"We'll be seeing each other constantly from now on; you can't be shy every single time."
He was actually teasing her!

Yu Yuchu turned her head to look at Pei Jiayin.
His neat, crisp short hair fell just above his eyes. Beneath his deep eye sockets were glass-like pupils reflecting the shimmering, drifting light around him. With a face carved from jade and lips as if stained with cinnabar, his sharp facial contours shifted and transformed through the interwoven layers of changing light and shadow.
She felt as though she could actually witness the passage of time across his face.

Having not heard her exasperated retort for a while, Pei Jiayin cast a sideways glance at the person beside him.
With just a single look, Yu Yuchu felt as though a feather had lightly brushed across her face, or as if his hand was slowly stroking her skin.
She immediately whipped her head back around.

Another soft chuckle sounded by her ear.
"What is it? You don't even dare look at your own boyfriend? Look all you want."

Yu Yuchu felt her ears burning up as well.
Without answering Pei Jiayin's remark, she feigned intense busyness and rapidly swiped across her phone screen.