Gu Zhaoye, however, remained oblivious to all of this.
Seeing his assistant’s reply, he turned off his phone screen, his eyes lowering with an almost reflexive disgust.
Of course, she hadn’t shown up again—this was practically a given.
Gu Zhaoye tossed his phone aside and picked up the landline to issue a directive:
"Contact Mom and Dad. If Gu Zhaoping goes home to complain, tell them she’s missed multiple important company meetings recently, causing significant disruptions. Today, she didn’t even show up by the end of attendance tracking—it’s downright unacceptable."
"That high-society reality show is about to start filming. If she keeps acting out like this, the fallout won’t just stay within the company."
"Freeze Gu Zhaoping’s cards as punishment. Make her stay at home for a while and cool off!"
Gu Zhaoye spoke with disinterest, though his teeth clenched at the mention of Gu Zhaoping’s name, tugging at the wound on his face. The memory of last night sent a surge of anger through his chest, leaving him breathless.
Gu Zhaoping!
The thought that she had dared to hit him filled him with an incredulous rage.
Though Gu Zhaoping was his biological older sister, he had never liked her—in fact, he outright resented her.
She was a failure, lacking the patience to excel in any field. Despite having access to the best education, she never bothered to expand her horizons. She had every opportunity to succeed but never committed to anything.
All these years, the only thing she’d mastered was playing around with male models, memorizing the names of every top escort in nearby cities.
She was reckless and clueless, her extra years of age wasted on a brain that never matured.
Shen Yifeng’s dislike for her was, in Gu Zhaoye’s eyes, completely justified.
Men raised under elite education might indulge in beauty and charm, but what they truly admired were women who lived for themselves.
Especially when it came to their wives—the ones who represented the face of their prestigious families.
Even though Gu Zhaoping came from a good background as the eldest daughter of the Gu family, her personality made her utterly unsuitable, an embarrassment to Shen Yifeng.
Gu Zhaoye didn’t like Shen Yifeng either, but he figured their upbringings were similar—both heirs to top-tier wealthy families, their tastes in women probably aligned.
Especially since Shen Yifeng was more academically inclined. Gu Zhaoye could easily imagine the kind of wife he’d prefer.
Background aside, she’d need brains, tact, and high emotional intelligence.
Best if she shared his interests—and, most importantly, didn’t get jealous over nothing or nitpick his social life, demanding explanations for every little thing.
A bad wife could ruin a man’s career and family life. No matter how talented a man was, he couldn’t thrive without support—or with constant drama at home.
There would be so many public events requiring his wife’s presence, so much media scrutiny. The slightest misstep would invite widespread ridicule.
Gu Zhaoping was far from a good fiancée, and Gu Zhaoye could already foresee how despised she’d be after marriage.
Empty-headed, talentless, indulgent, impulsive, and prone to trouble—even unfaithful in her pursuits.
She’d probably end up living at the Gu family estate half the time, running back to their parents in tears whenever she fought with Shen Yifeng, begging them to take her side.
So if Shen Yifeng dumped her—or found someone else to handle social matters for him—Gu Zhaoye would completely understand. She should’ve been cut loose long ago.
Otherwise, she’d keep deluding herself into thinking she was actually likable.
After giving his orders, Gu Zhaoye called Shen Yifeng.
This brother-in-law had always disliked dealing with him, so the call caught Shen Yifeng off guard.
After a pause, Shen Yifeng assumed it must be about Gu Zhaoping—either an explanation for her recent odd behavior or another stunt she’d pulled to force his attention.
Anticipating this, Shen Yifeng sighed and answered, "Zhaoye, what is it?"
"It’s about Gu Zhaoping."
Just as expected. The cold, clipped tone told Shen Yifeng everything.
This mess had finally reached this point. The exhaustion he’d suppressed under Gu Zhaoping’s recent indifference resurfaced, and the thought of calling off the engagement circled his throat once more.
He considered for a moment, weighing the most dignified timing for both families.
"Do you know what Gu Zhaoping did yesterday?" Gu Zhaoye let out a scornful laugh, dripping with disgust.
Had she thrown a tantrum at the Gu residence? Or gone on a hunger strike to prove a point?
Shen Yifeng just felt drained—utterly drained.
"I don’t care what sh—"
"She beat me up—twice!" Gu Zhaoye blurted out at the same time, too agitated to hear Shen Yifeng. "Twice!"
Shen Yifeng froze, speechless.
"You know how she did it? She walked up and punched me in the face without a word! My face! And then she had the nerve to say it was because I called her by her name instead of ‘sister’!"
"Call her ‘sister’? Since when have I ever called her that? Does Gu Zhaoping even deserve it?"
"The only thing she has over me is two extra years of age. Beyond that, what right does she have to act like my sister?"
Gu Zhaoye’s voice shook with anger. Only then did Shen Yifeng realize he’d listened without interrupting.
He blinked before replying, masking his earlier reaction:
"...She hit you?"
Clearly, neither of them could believe it.
As Gu Kaichang had said, Gu Zhaoping had always been the one chasing after their approval. The Gu family and Shen Yifeng were the ones who disliked her—never the other way around.
Buried in Gu Zhaoye’s fury was something he hadn’t even noticed himself, let alone voiced: He had always looked down on Gu Zhaoping. How dare she turn the tables and look down on him?
He had always positioned himself—along with his brothers and future brother-in-law Shen Yifeng—as the ones judging Gu Zhaoping.
The moment she started judging him back, he couldn’t take it.
"She hit me—more than once! Do you have any idea how much of a shrew she acted like last night?"
"And then she had the audacity to say she did it for my own good! Her? She claimed she was teaching me a lesson for Grandpa’s sake!"
At this point, Gu Zhaoye realized he’d lost control, making it seem like Gu Zhaoping had gotten under his skin.
He forced himself to rein it in, gripping the phone with a final, venomous demand: "Shen Yifeng, control your fiancée."
Of course, Gu Zhaoye didn’t actually expect Shen Yifeng to discipline Gu Zhaoping. He just wanted Shen Yifeng to know how badly she’d behaved—to twist the knife in the one place she cared about most.
The call ended abruptly, leaving Shen Yifeng more unsettled than ever.
His thoughts were in disarray.
Gu Zhaoping had indeed lost it—but this was the first time she’d done so in a way he never anticipated, never imagined she’d dare.
Her slapping Ruan Nian was one thing, but how did she have the nerve to attack her own brother, already the family heir?
She’d always been impulsive and dim, but now she was invoking their grandfather’s name to justify her actions?
Shen Yifeng couldn’t quite describe the odd feeling creeping over him.
He was starting to realize he no longer understood Gu Zhaoping.
This kind of "unexpected lack of understanding" made him feel an even more indescribable strangeness.
...
If given the chance to provoke her, Gu Zhaoping could take on many people.
Of course, this was only because they were unaware of Gu Zhaoping’s formidable reputation.
She was no heir who had secured her position through peaceful means. As the eldest daughter of a wealthy family, ruthlessness was one of her strengths.
In the office, the assistant nearly dropped his phone in shock the moment he saw her arrive.
The surrounding employees turned to look, some even greeting her in surprise.
The assistant had no mind left for trivial matters like attendance—he immediately rushed to intercept Gu Zhaoping.
Holy shit, she actually came? Who told her to come to work?
But he was a step too late. The elevator had already gone up, and since no one dared to compete with her for space, it ascended swiftly without stopping for anyone else.
The assistant frantically hammered the elevator button, but the building was tall, and Gu Zhaoping was headed to the 40th floor. High-rise elevators weren’t easy to catch.
Others watched as the assistant slapped the elevator controls while desperately making calls, repeatedly pressing the phone to his ear. But the other end seemed unanswered, and his expression grew increasingly despairing.
Seriously, who could’ve guessed that after beating up Gu Kaichang yesterday, Gu Zhaoping would casually stroll into work today?!
Did she foresee that Gu Kaichang would come after her today?
The thought that Gu Kaichang might have already frozen her bank accounts and informed Old Master Gu and Madam Hua made the assistant even more despondent.
How did things escalate like this? Gu Zhaoping was definitely going to raise hell!
He should’ve just made up a different excuse!
Why did he have to say she didn’t come to work today?!
Gu Zhaoping arrived at her office, her steps steady, ignoring the stunned looks from everyone along the way.
Blocking out external noise and gazes was a useful skill—one that Gu Zhaoping happened to excel at.
Her official title was Honorary Financial Advisor, and she knew it was just a placeholder role.
Whoever came up with this position must’ve racked their brains—it sounded important yet was utterly meaningless.
But it didn’t matter. As long as she was in the workplace, she would redefine the rules.
Gu Zhaoping tossed her bag aside and sat down in her office. She turned on her computer and found the desktop adorned with only a game of Spider Solitaire and one of Landlords.
Her gaze lingered before shifting to the sparse icons, settling on a rare folder to see what files were inside.
This folder was like a nesting doll—layer upon layer, with plenty of decoys.
Opening it revealed nothing. Another embedded folder had to be accessed to find the next one.
What could be so important?
Had Miss Gu planned this all along?
Gu Zhaoping’s brow arched slightly. The workaholic in her sensed something unusual, and a flicker of excitement stirred.
After peeling back over a dozen layers, she finally reached the last encrypted folder.
Gu Zhaoping pulled out her ID card, tried once without success, and then directly asked Fang Yining, the person she was currently most familiar with:
[Tell me my fiancé’s birthday.]
Fang Yining: [?]
What did this mean—fiancé? Had Gu Zhaoping and Shen Yifeng had a fight, turning her into some poetic soul?
And how could she not know Shen Yifeng’s birthday?
Despite her muttering, Fang Yining dutifully sent the information over.
Gu Zhaoping tried it, and the folder opened.
Her expression didn’t change. Miss Gu, lucky for you, I know you well.
Just as the ghost of a smile touched her lips, she saw the files unpack into a dense collection of videos and photos.
...
West City / Gilded Club / 188cm / Black Stockings.JPEG
South City / Popped Champagne Towers / 182cm / 05.JPEG
Seaside City / Sweet Talker / 183cm / Knows How to Move.MP4
...
Gu Zhaoping: "..."
Well, Miss Gu, maybe I don’t know you that well after all.
