Chapter 215: An Outrageous Demand
Su Tao was just about to leave when Xuedao, who had been napping, twitched its nose, instantly sprang up, and dashed to the door, barking madly.
It had obviously caught Gu Mingchi’s scent and was convinced that an intruder had come to their home.
White Sesame, who had been rolling around and acting cute for Su Tao, was startled by the barking. With a frightened meow, it swiftly climbed up Su Tao’s pants and leaped into her arms, burying its head for comfort.
Su Tao quickly stroked it a couple of times before turning to soothe Xuedao. Whether or not the dog could understand her, she still tried:
“Good Xuedao, Gu Mingchi isn’t an enemy today. Calm down…”
It took a long time to get Xuedao to quiet down, but it was still pacing nervously around the house, baring its teeth.
Seizing the moment while Xuedao was distracted, Su Tao set White Sesame down and opened the door. But just as she cracked it open, Xuedao noticed. In the next second, like an arrow released from a bowstring, it shot out.
Su Tao panicked and chased after it, shouting as she ran.
By the time she reached the front gate, she could only watch as Xuedao lunged at the tall man in sunglasses.
Gu Mingchi had been waiting outside impatiently. It was hot, and he had planned to step inside to wait—and maybe check out the rumored transparent shield.
But the moment he took his first step in, he heard furious barking.
Looking up, all he saw was a black dog’s head filling his vision.
His eyelid twitched, and he immediately crouched down.
Xuedao soared over his head and tackled Meng Xiaobo behind him, sending both crashing to the ground.
Meng Xiaobo yelped, clearly taking the brunt of the fall.
Xuedao, being an older dog, wobbled as it got back on its feet.
But the moment it saw Gu Mingchi, it seemed to regain all its energy and prepared to pounce again.
Just then, Su Tao’s sharp voice rang out: “Xuedao!!”
Gu Mingchi bolted, sprinting behind Su Tao for cover.
Xuedao, still baring its teeth, wanted to continue the chase.
Su Tao shot it a glare.
Xuedao snapped its mouth shut. Then it sneaked another look at Gu Mingchi, bared its teeth again—only to get another glare from Su Tao. This back-and-forth continued until the dog was practically fuming, snorting furiously as if about to pass out.
Su Tao clipped a safety leash onto Xuedao and pinched its snout.
“Cool down. Are you listening to me? Keep this up, and I’ll ignore you. Only White Sesame will be allowed to sleep on my bed from now on.”
Xuedao snorted twice, then let out a pitiful whimper and slowly lay down, ears twitching.
Su Tao knew this was its way of asking for comfort.
So she crouched down, stroked its fur, and murmured some soothing words.
After a good ten minutes, Xuedao finally calmed down.
But every time it saw Gu Mingchi, it still couldn’t help but huff, barely suppressing its urge to attack.
Left with no choice, Su Tao called Meng Qian to take Xuedao away.
Gu Mingchi adjusted his clothes and muttered with disdain, “Stupid dog.”
Su Tao shot him a glare. “Don’t insult my dog.”
Gu Mingchi suddenly felt like he ranked lower than a dog. His face immediately darkened, and he shoved a wedding gift box into Su Tao’s arms before turning away, ignoring her.
Huisu, who had come with him, gave Su Tao an awkward smile, his expression saying, “Our boss has a bad temper, please don’t mind him.”
Su Tao sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with a petty man. “Forget it, come with me. Let’s go to the lounge first.”
Huisu eagerly followed, curiously looking around.
He had heard that Taoyang had a great living environment, but seeing it in person—it was amazing. The buildings were new and orderly, there was even a small fountain! No wonder the boss had sent the old man here so early to enjoy life.
Gu Mingchi, still in his sunglasses, didn’t move.
Su Tao, now somewhat familiar with his temperament, called out, “Master Gu, would you kindly grace us with your presence?”
Gu Mingchi let out a soft hmm, then stepped forward as if it was only natural.
Huisu & Su Tao: “…”
This was actually Su Tao’s second time meeting Gu Mingchi.
The first time had been at the old station when she was looking for her cat. He had worn a hat and mask, pretending to be a stranger.
This time, although not as wrapped up, he still hid behind sunglasses, covering half his face.
Remembering his ability to kill with just a glance, Su Tao could understand why.
By the time she finished her thoughts, they had already reached the ground floor of the Taoli Building.
The office employees greeted Su Tao as they passed.
Since it was the weekend, Gan Hongyu and Feng An were also around. They waved and called out:
“Boss Su, do you have time today? Our website is mostly finished, and we’d like to show you.”
Su Tao was pleased. “Sure, let’s meet in the third-floor conference room at 8.”
Huisu curiously peeked into the office space.
Everyone had their own workstation, and there was even a lounge with water dispensers. He was beyond envious.
Gu Mingchi glanced at him and asked blandly, “Do you like it?”
Huisu immediately straightened. “I still prefer our East District—it feels like home.”
Gu Mingchi snorted dismissively through his nose, apparently satisfied with that answer.
Behind his back, Su Tao rolled her eyes, then led them to the elevator, heading straight for the second-floor conference room.
Zhuang Wan, knowing Gu Mingchi was coming, had already prepared water and snacks.
After setting them down, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at him.
But even though his sunglasses hid his eyes, she still felt an inexplicable chill and quickly turned to leave.
Gu Mingchi watched her go and asked Su Tao, “Zhuang Wan? Zhong Gaoyi’s new wife?”
“Yeah. You planning to cause her trouble?”
Gu Mingchi looked annoyed. “I wouldn’t stoop to targeting a woman. Do I really seem that petty to you?”
Su Tao immediately admitted her mistake. “That was my bad.”
Then she promptly followed up, “But are you planning to go after Zhong Gaoyi?”
To be honest, she found it hard to believe that someone as petty as Gu Mingchi would simply let Zhong Gaoyi off the hook for defecting to her side.
Gu Mingchi’s expression darkened. “Aren’t you here to sell me supplies? Hand over the price list.”
Su Tao gave him one.
Without hesitation, Gu Mingchi picked a huge amount of goods and handed the list back.
“I want all of this for free. In exchange, I’ll drop the matter with Zhong Gaoyi’s betrayal.”
Su Tao glanced at the total and nearly choked.
“You’re seriously asking for all this for free?! This adds up to over 400,000! Why don’t you just rob me instead?!”
Gu Mingchi remained unfazed.
“If it were anyone else, I would rob them. 400,000 to buy out a healer-type ability user—is that a loss for you or for me?”
Su Tao took a deep breath.
He had a point. Money could always be earned, but healer-type ability users were rare and invaluable.
But the thought of giving away this much in supplies for free still made her heart ache.
“Waiving the full amount is too much. I’ll give you a 50% discount.”
Gu Mingchi narrowed his eyes.
“You’re testing my limits. Even at half price, that’s still 200,000. Are you seriously that short on money?”
Broke Su Tao: “…If you think 200,000 is nothing, then just pay the full 400,000.”
Gu Mingchi, seeing her reaction, made up his mind to make her suffer.
“It’s full exemption or nothing. If not, I won’t let the Zhong Gaoyi issue slide.”
