Chapter 88 : New Friendship

It's been two weeks since the successful contract signing with Gu Chenguang.

The days flew without a hitch and the photo shoot was lucrative too. The homepage website of Xiulan's company was full of Gu Chenguang's promotional photos. Because of that, the hits that the website was gaining were too incredible.

Gu Chenguang only became an A-list actress a few months ago yet she has so many fans and an effective endorser. As expected from Hongqi's celebrities, they are really on the top.

Xiulan did not expect that hiring a celebrity would be efficient and beneficial. If she knew about this, she could have done it before and risked a huge amount of money.

She was thankful that she got lucky enough to have a generous husband like Hongqi who had given her the chance without spending millions of Yuan. She will definitely repay him by being a nice and useful wife. How can she even repay him with luxuries when he's already so rich?

Though she believes that she already played her part as being useful and she haven't done anything wrong yet in this marriage or towards him. She was a bonafide person, she regards that she won't be that person who will mess up this marriage or the one who's problematic.

Add to her delight, she picked a celebrity like Gu Chenguang who was nice and very humble. Xiulan can easily talk to her with any topics too. Ever since the collaboration, Gu Chenguang sometimes visits Xiulan's office to bring some pastries or souvenirs. Of course, this added friendship points.

Xiulan woulds always happily chatted with her. They are both busy but having a nice chat for a few hours once a week won't hurt. Their friendship was immediately formed. It helped that due to their conversation about their alma mater and same interests.

Both of them have a good chemistry that if they continue being this friendly, they can reach the BFF status any time soon.

Apparently, Gu Chenguang have been planning this. She badly wanted to be BFFs [1] with Xiulan. They have the same wavelength and genuinely nice to each other. Nowadays, it is very rare to have real female friends. Especially they are in an environment where scheming people exists just to get what they want.

Gu Chenguang found salvation in Xiulan. She had been bullied by her female seniors in the company and former classmates both in junior high and college. She trusted a lot of people before but they all betrayed her because of petty reasons. The only females she can trust now are her mother and manager.

But those two women are mother figures. This time she wanted a sister figure or a real female friend. She can see that Xiulan could be that person. She does not expect for Xiulan to do or feel the same way. For her, it's fine if she's the only one who thinks like this. After all, she have been deprived of friendship for so long.

"Sister Xiulan, you should come to my next photo shoot! You are the CEO yet you don't have time to even check on your company's promotional events." Chenguang cutely insisted that she should come at least once.

"I'll try, Chenguang. I've gotten very busy lately so I'm not sure how I'll be able to visit you." Xiulan apologetically said. Her mother's family business got into some weird predicament lately and she must investigate what was happening.

Her schedule was already full of work and add her nightly routine with Hongqi was messing her morning. Xiulan really wanted to come to the photo shoots to see what was happening behind the scenes but Hongqi's libido didn't let her.

Their bodies were entangled every now and then that Xiulan was so tired for the past week. Due to the fatigue she's getting from the nightly sexy times, she had to come to the office by 10 or 11 AM.

She already told Hongqi to at least control himself, but whenever everything got so spicy he just can't help himself.

Chenguang sadly pouted for a moment but she changed her expression to a teasing fox. "Alright. I understand. Being a CEO of an IT company and having a hot husband will really make a woman busy."

"Oh come one, I know you are busy too .You are one of the trending celebrities this year." Xiulan quickly retorted and put the topic on her. For some reason, Xiulan becomes very awkward when she's talking to one of Hongqi's people and the topic was about him.

"Ugh! I love that I am blessed with so much projects and gigs but my schedule is so full that sleeping for 8 hours is the only rest I can have. I want to go on a vacation but very impossible right now. Big Boss will do everything to make his stars shine through ever flowing projects." Chenguang ranted for a while but eventually commended Hongqi's amazing efforts he does for his celebrities.

"I think that's incredibly nice. You should cherish all the blessings while it lasts. You will get that coveted rest once you've saved enough money and have your own business or investments." Xiulan warmly smiled at Chenguang.

"I know that, I am really thankful! But enough of me.  I am more curious. Aren't you already rich? As in super rich? Why are you still working so hard?" Chenguang curiously asked. Actually, it has been bugging her that Xiulan was such a workaholic woman. The Song family is rich, the Xing family is extremely rich and she's personally rich by her own efforts. How come this pretty wife of her boss was so reluctant to leave the hectic and busy life?

Aren't CEOs supposed to just chill? But Xiulan was still very hands-on in her business. Unlike other bratty rich women, they just spend their day partying and spending money.

"I just really like technology and since my business is about technology, I just gotta mix them both. It's a never ending study and everything is interesting when it comes to technology. Also, I wanted to see more women in the IT and CS community. It's not about competing with men. I just want more women to try working in tech. That's why I try to be that leader that will make them love technology." Xiulan admirably explained to Chenguang. While she was talking, there was a glint of inspiration in her eyes. She really wanted to create a peaceful community for tech women.

Chenguang nodded and gawked at Xiulan's wonderful explanation. She even clapped and gave a standing ovation. Her respect towards Xiulan is now unreal and had gone maximum level. "You sound like a Miss Universe contestant! Really incredible! My idol!"

Xiulan blushed at Chenguang's comment. "This rascal. Aren't you supposed to be attending a charity event? Hurry and go. You've been leeching off my British teas." Xiulan playfully scolded. She got really shy all of a sudden.

"AH! You're right. Thank you for reminding me. I need to go, sister." Chenguang hurriedly left Xiulan's office. She darted the hallway like she's being chased by something. It'll take two hours to get to the charity venue so she must quickly leave the place.

Xiulan grinned seeing the panicked expression on Chenguang's face. That rascal is so nosy but she doesn't mind at all. It feels like she got a little sister.

Xiulan put her attention back on her laptop and noticed that her Mystery Magic email address received a tons of auto generated notifications from a forum she was currently following. It was a forum that most hackers or tech savvies all over the world posts their random thoughts or inquiries.

"The Mao group is currently looking for new software developers that can rival Song Xiulan's company. It looks like the Mao CEO is furious of the promotional ads of Song Xiulan's company. She got a lot of new employees because of this." Someone posted in the forum.

"Pretty much she needs new employees since her company is growing. Mao group are just assholes." Another person commented.

"Mao group's salary is very good but their management is crap. Politics inside the company was also worse like the tech giant in city M. Song's company is the best for female programmers."

"Hello everyone, I got a chance to receive an invitation and sideline from Mao group. They were eager to pay me so much as long as I try to pirate the other developers inside Song's company. Currently, I'm in trouble since I got kicked out of Song's company because of my shady transactions. They managed to track everything in my email, both personal and work. Now, I lost my sideline with the Mao group because of this. Tracking a person's transaction, is that even legal?" a user named BunnyBao commented in the thread.

Xiulan remembered that she fired someone three days ago because that person had been checking malicious internet contents and kept on checking dark web using the company internet. She also managed to track that this person had been interacting with several companies, not only the Mao group, and exposing some sensitive data from her company that's why she mercilessly kicked her out.

"BunnyBao, they have all the rights to check on whatever you are doing as long as you are connected in their internet. Are you even a tech person? You should know a basic thing like this." a user named ThousandCodes ridiculed BunnyBao's inquiry.

"Their internet is super-fast unlike my home internet… I didn't know about this." BunnyBao stupidly commented.

"Idiot. Not only you are an idiot, you might even rot in prison because of your negligence. You should pray that they won't sue you. I can't believe we have someone like you in this elite forum." ThousandCodes berated BunnyCode continuously.

Xiulan was alarmed that Mao group have this kind of agenda against her and other companies have been sending their lackeys in her territory. She suddenly got nervous but at the same time thrilled. She somewhat felt proud that ter company is certainly in a level now that even rival companies are doing their best to sabotage her. 

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[1] BFFs  - Best Friends Forever