Cross Lines

Chapter 18: Gossip

Emily Luo exchanged three night shifts for a day off before New Year's. Qiqi had warned her a month in advance to sing at the Yafu New Year's Eve party, threatening to cut ties if she didn’t show up.

The usual pattern of heated arguments followed by forgetting or pretending nothing happened continued between them. Emily Luo had often felt the urge to sever ties decisively, even considering traveling far away, but each attempt ended in failure.

The Yafu party was scheduled for the afternoon, starting at 3 PM and expected to last over four hours. After that, besides a dinner for senior management, there would be a large-scale gathering for everyone else. Hence, starting from lunchtime, the atmosphere at Yafu was filled with excitement, anticipation, and restlessness.

Dr. Luo, having worked a night shift before, slept until noon. After lunch, Qiqi's call came through. She quickly dressed in a simple evening gown and headed to the Feidun Grand Theatre in the city center.

At the entrance, many Yafu employees were gathering, and the security manager was shouting through a walkie-talkie. Representatives from the production factories, who had come by bus, were already lined up to enter.

Emily Luo parked her car, avoiding the crowd at the main entrance. She entered through a side door and took the elevator to the second floor. The makeup area was located here, and she walked through a bustling hallway to the independent makeup room Qiqi had mentioned.

Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door was abruptly pulled open by a brightly dressed man in sunglasses. Emily Luo startled and almost collided with someone behind her.

"Emily?"

The man removed his sunglasses, revealing a smiling face. This was Liang Gao, Qiqi’s cousin and Emily’s high school classmate. Since transferring to the city high school on his first day, Liang Gao had shown a keen interest in the already graceful Emily Luo. Despite her indifference, his interest had remained steadfast, though it hadn’t interfered with his dating life.

Dr. Luo, due to Qiqi’s influence, had kept a respectful distance from Liang Gao. She forced a smile and glanced inside the makeup room.

Liang Gao quickly stepped aside, "Looking for Qiqi? She was just complaining about you not arriving yet; she’s been waiting anxiously."

Emily Luo ignored him and walked inside. The room had three unfamiliar people preparing costumes and makeup. Liang Gao, who had initially intended to leave, turned back and called out to Qiqi in front of the mirror,

"Qiqi, look who’s here!"

Dr. Luo frowned slightly and moved to stand behind Qiqi. Through the mirror, she asked,

"Has it not started yet?"

Qiqi, with excitement in her eyes, turned around and took Emily Luo’s hand, "No rush. My performance is the finale, so it’s still a while away."

"Okay, what are you singing?"

Emily Luo asked quietly as Qiqi held her hand.

"‘Because of Love’."

Raising an eyebrow, Emily Luo asked, "Are you singing it by yourself?"

"With my brother," Qiqi said, glancing at Liang Gao, who was eyeing Emily Luo with admiration. Seeing his stiffened expression, she turned back to Emily.

"Got it."

"Emily, please sit down. I’ll get you something to drink. What would you like?"

Liang Gao remained enthusiastic, pointing to a small sofa against the wall. Emily Luo looked at him, then said to Qiqi,

"I’ll go to the audience seats. Many people are already in."

Qiqi was surprised, "Why? You don’t know anyone there. I saved you a seat in the first row. You can move there when I’m about to go on stage, or just stay with me backstage."

Emily Luo glanced at Liang Gao, "Watching the performance should be good too. It should be lively. If I get bored, I’ll come back."

"Oh..." Qiqi pouted, "If you want to go, go ahead. I’ll call the people at the venue."

Qiqi then made a call, giving instructions in a commanding tone. Emily Luo remained standing with her head down, ignoring Liang Gao’s awkward presence.

"All set. Just say you’re my friend, A-01-15, and they’ll show you to your seat. I’ll join you later after I’m done with makeup."

"Okay."

"Come back after the performance. I’ve hired a makeup artist from the Fulin side; we’ll go to the hotel directly afterward. Did you bring your evening gown?"

"Yes, I did. It’s here. I’ll head out now."

Emily Luo waved goodbye to Qiqi and left the makeup room, leaving Liang Gao behind, feeling slighted but unable to do anything about it.

Inside the main hall, nearly half of the seats were occupied. Security was checking tickets meticulously. Despite being just a company event, no one could enter without a ticket. Emily Luo was quickly escorted in by a security guard.

The Feidun Grand Theatre, a major city project, was newly built and well-equipped. The main hall had tiered seating, almost two thousand seats in total. Although it was impossible to fit all Yafu employees, only those from the headquarters and representatives from production factories were invited, with only outstanding employees attending from branch offices.

Emily Luo’s seat was on the left side of the first row. With reserved signs pinned to the backs of the chairs, hers read "VIP". Dr. Luo found it a bit exaggerated and shook her head before sitting down.

In less than five minutes, the row behind her filled with people, three young men from an unknown department who were gossiping loudly. Emily Luo, close enough to hear them clearly, listened in.

"Hey, what’s your department’s act?"

"Seems like a skit and a street dance. We have two acts."

"I heard three of the five top beauties from headquarters are performing tonight!"

"Five top beauties?"

"You don’t know? In the headquarters building, there used to be four big beauties: the front desk receptionist Su Ke, the top beauty; then the second boss’s secretary Kevin; design department’s deputy manager Maggie; and HR’s Lily. Adding this year’s new translator Lola, they make the five beauties!"

The young man spoke enthusiastically, detailing each beauty as if they were his relatives.

Emily Luo, initially annoyed by the noise, perked up at hearing Maggie’s name.

"That’s strange, aren’t the second boss and his sister also beauties? Why don’t they count?"

"They’re highborn ladies; it’s different from employees. Plus, married ones don’t count!"

"Oh—so who’s performing tonight?"

"Su Ke is definitely singing, as always. Lily’s assisting in their department’s magic act, essentially drawing attention. As for Maggie—"

Emily Luo held her breath, anxious not to miss anything.

"She’s on the program, but no one knows what her act is!"

"So mysterious?"

"Who knows? We’ll find out later."

"Let me know if any of the beauties come out."

"Sure!"

…

The conversation shifted to office gossip, and Emily Luo stopped paying attention. Maggie performing? What could it be? She was curious. Although not very close, after the recent events, Emily felt more relaxed around Maggie.

What had seemed like a tedious four hours now felt less boring with this new anticipation.

Once the theatre filled up, the annual party was about to start. Seymour Gao, dressed in a suit, took the stage to deliver his usual grand speech—recapping the year's achievements, looking forward to the future, and motivating the staff for the year ahead.

Despite the usual lack of excitement, the audience clapped enthusiastically out of respect for the big boss. After his speech, Seymour Gao sat in the center of the first row of the audience, marking the official start of the performance.

The so-called annual party was more of a variety show with little artistic value—just a chance for colleagues to gather and have fun. Given Yafu’s large scale, with many employees not knowing each other, the female employees, driven by a competitive desire to stand out, dressed in short skirts and stockings despite the freezing weather. Many were naturally attractive, and the scent in the air heightened the excitement of the male employees.

In this unfamiliar and expansive environment, Emily Luo felt a persistent sense of unease. It wasn’t stage fright; the Gao family treated her almost like a daughter, and Seymour Gao even greeted her with a smile. However, the mixed looks of curiosity, scrutiny, and desire from those around her made her uncomfortable. Normally, she would have retreated to Qiqi’s makeup room.

Yet today, she endured the discomfort and remained in the theatre for over three hours.