Mr. Gu's Palm Sweet Wife

Su Xiaotang was convinced she’d left the house without checking the almanac.

When the alarm blared that morning, she thought it was a hallucination and slapped at it so hard her phone nearly flew into the toilet. By the time she shot out of bed—hair like a bird’s nest—she realized the interview started in forty minutes.

“Oh no, oh no…” She scrambled into a dress, not noticing her socks were inside-out, grabbed the résumé she’d prepared the night before, and bolted down the stairs.

Every shared bike by the gate seemed to be broken. She stamped her foot in frustration, finally hailed a taxi, and had barely said “Shengshi Group” when the driver whistled. “Interview there, huh? That’s the city’s top dog—land that job and you’re set for life.”

Su Xiaotang nodded, tugging at her skirt, palms slick with sweat. She’d had her eye on Shengshi’s executive-assistant opening since graduation; she’d barely scraped through the written test—if she was late for the interview, this job would be gone forever.

The taxi crawled to a standstill one block from Shengshi Tower. She paid, kicked off her flats, and sprinted in heels under an August sun that felt like a furnace. At the revolving door she bent to slip on her shoes, saw no one in front of her—

THUD.

She collided with what felt like a wall of muscle. Résumés scattered; the lidless iced Americano she’d been clutching splashed across an obviously expensive suit trouser leg.

“I’m so sorry!” she gasped, dropping to gather the pages. When she looked up, she met eyes so dark they seemed bottomless.

The man was tall, immaculate in a tailored black suit, tie knotted with precision. Sunlight through the glass etched the sharp line of his jaw and the thin press of his lips. An aura of “do not approach” radiated from him; his stare was like an iced-over lake.

“I—I really didn’t mean to…” She fumbled for tissues, only producing half a pack and a dying lipstick.

The man didn’t speak; he merely glanced at the coffee stain, brows creasing a fraction.

A black-suited assistant hurried over, anxious. “President Gu, are you all right?”

President Gu?

Su Xiaotang’s mind blanked. The president of Shengshi was named Gu Yanchen—legendary for turning thirty and already dominating the industry, infamous for a temper as sharp as his business tactics.

She’d just drenched her future boss.

She thrust the tissues forward, voice a squeak. “President Gu, please—use these…”

Gu Yanchen didn’t take them. His gaze dropped to the photo on the topmost résumé—her own face grinning like an idiot.

“Interview at Shengshi?” His voice was low, cool.

She nodded furiously, cheeks scarlet. “Yes—executive-assistant position… nine o’clock start.”

He glanced at his watch—8:59—then walked into the building without another word. The assistant followed, shooting Su Xiaotang a “good luck, you’ll need it” look.

She knelt among her résumés, near tears.

Job lost, boss offended—today was definitely cursed.

She gathered the papers, dusted them off, and was about to stand when the assistant reappeared.

“Miss Su?” He held her résumé. “President Gu asked me to bring you upstairs. Interview proceeds as scheduled.”

Su Xiaotang blinked. “Huh?”

“Let’s go—he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

In the elevator she sneaked glances at the assistant. “Um… thank you. May I ask…?”

“Lin Zhou, President Gu’s special assistant.”

“Lin-zhu-li, is President Gu… angry?”

Lin Zhou’s mouth twitched. “You’ll learn his temperament soon enough.”

The elevator opened onto the thirty-eighth floor. Lin Zhou left her at a conference-room door. “They’re waiting inside.”

Three stern interviewers sat opposite. The moment she sat, the bespectacled woman in the middle said, “We saw your written-test score—excellent. Regarding the incident downstairs…” Su Xiaotang’s heart leapt. “President Gu stressed that personal accidents mustn’t affect fairness. Let’s begin.”

She answered as smoothly as her nerves allowed. When it ended, the woman said, “We’ll call this afternoon. Keep your phone on.”

Outside the room, Lin Zhou was waiting—beside Gu Yanchen, now in a fresh suit. Su Xiaotang tried to slip past.

“Miss Su,” Lin Zhou called. She approached cautiously. “President Gu says: next time, watch where you’re walking.”

She bobbed her head. “I will—thank you, President Gu.”

Gu Yanchen lifted his gaze, studied her for two silent seconds, then stepped into the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Su Xiaotang sagged against the wall. The interview had been a roller-coaster.

At 3:00 p.m. her phone rang—Shengshi Group.

“Congratulations, Miss Su. Please report tomorrow at nine for onboarding.”

She jumped in circles around her room. She was in! Then she pictured Gu Yanchen’s icy face and swallowed.

He’s the big boss—he’ll be too busy to notice me, right?

She hugged that comforting thought and started imagining her new office life, unaware that some beginnings, once set in motion, can’t be dodged.