To be honest, even Little Zhao, the assistant, had the same thought.
But as the young mistress's assistant, even if she felt uncertain herself, she couldn’t afford to let the young mistress lose face in front of outsiders.
"What do you mean by this? Our young mistress is the honorary financial consultant of Yuanqi Technology, appointed by Old Mr. Gu himself. She holds dual degrees in business and law—not just anyone can graduate from two prestigious schools, you know."
Little Zhao was blatantly lying through her teeth. Of course, she knew exactly how the young mistress had completed her assignments and theses.
Still, she suppressed her guilt and calmly showcased the skills that had earned her position by the young mistress’s side:
"Old Mr. Gu placed the young mistress in this role precisely to elevate the team, to push the finance department to greater heights. Talent should never be overlooked, even among family."
"All these years, the young mistress has allowed everyone to develop freely without raising a single issue, and indeed, no financial errors have occurred—that alone speaks to her competence."
"Now that she’s finally identified a problem, it means her advanced expertise has found its purpose. She’s seeing things from a higher perspective. Shouldn’t we all humbly accept her guidance?"
What kind of nonsense was this? The finance department was fuming.
The fact that they hadn’t made mistakes had nothing to do with Gu Zhaoping!
This was also due to Gu Zhaoye’s attitude. As the Gu family’s young mistress, even if Gu Zhaoping were just a figurehead in the company, plenty of people would still flock to her.
But because of Gu Zhaoye’s dismissive and disdainful behavior, combined with years of negative media portrayal, every employee at Yuanqi Technology had unanimously branded Gu Zhaoping as nothing but a troublemaker.
And recently, she had even assaulted the kind-hearted Ruan Nian—her reputation was downright notorious.
Now she was here, meddling in company affairs. Wasn’t she just trying to assert herself? Or maybe she knew she’d messed up and was scrambling to prove her worth to the Gu family elders?
Even if they thought so, they couldn’t say it out loud.
The finance manager finally suppressed her anger, reminding herself that today’s critical afternoon meeting couldn’t afford any disruptions caused by this young mistress.
She deflected diplomatically: "Well, while the young mistress is indeed the honorary financial consultant, she’s been detached from actual operations for so long. If she wants to inspect specific details, she’ll need approval from President Gu."
"We’ve received no instructions from President Gu about any revisions. Perhaps the young mistress heard something from him? If so, we’d appreciate it if their directives could be aligned."
Little Zhao’s smile vanished.
Gu Zhaoping waited until noon, checked her watch, and still hadn’t seen Little Zhao return. Meanwhile, the director of Seasons of the Elite had already messaged her, saying he was nearby.
She prodded Little Zhao: [Is there a problem with the communication?]
Little Zhao, parched from her heated exchange with the finance department, glanced at her phone and stiffened. "The young mistress is waiting. Regardless of whether there’s an issue, we must give her an answer today. Manager Li, come with me—you can explain it to her yourself."
"Whether there’s a mistake or not, the young mistress deserves an explanation."
The manager nearly rolled her eyes.
Suppressing her contempt, she said, "If there’s an issue, the young mistress can bring it up at this afternoon’s quarterly financial review meeting. All the senior executives will be there, and we’ll address it properly."
"I’m swamped with work right now, so I won’t be able to accompany the young mistress."
The sarcasm in her tone made Little Zhao’s face darken.
In the end, she had no choice but to swallow her frustration and return to Gu Zhaoping’s office.
"Young mistress, Finance said—"
She blurted this out the moment she stepped inside, only to freeze at the sight of Gu Zhaoping.
…Was this the same young mistress? Why did she seem… different?
Gu Zhaoping sat at her desk, writing a few lines in a leather-bound notebook. Even from a distance, her strokes were sharp, bold, and strikingly elegant.
She didn’t look up immediately. Only after finishing her writing did she finally lift her gaze, set down her pen, and say, "Speak."
Her tone was cool, carrying a natural air of command that brooked no refusal.
Such authoritative directives could easily come off as grating if the speaker lacked credibility.
But today, Gu Zhaoping wore it effortlessly, making Little Zhao instinctively comply without hesitation: "Finance said the report has already been audited and there’s no issue…"
Gu Zhaoping asked calmly, "Where are the finance department representatives?"
Faced with this version of her, Little Zhao actually felt a flicker of fear…
"She said… if there’s a problem, the young mistress can raise it at this afternoon’s meeting. Everyone will be listening, and if there’s truly an error, they’ll correct it then…"
Gu Zhaoping checked the time. If that was the case, she saw no reason to offer them any forewarning.
She was no saint. If this mistake existed, they ought to have the courage to face the consequences.
Little Zhao braced herself for an outburst, but Gu Zhaoping simply nodded and stood. "Fine."
"I have someone to meet. Find me this afternoon."
Little Zhao could only stare dumbfounded as she walked out.
Wait—the young mistress wasn’t throwing a tantrum?
Then why had she questioned the financial report? Wasn’t this about asserting authority?
As Gu Zhaoping passed the finance department on her way out, the staff inside shrank back, expecting her to storm in.
But she strode down the hallway without so much as a glance in their direction.
…?
They exchanged puzzled murmurs.
"What’s the young mistress up to?"
"Who cares, as long as she doesn’t cause trouble for us," the manager muttered under her breath. "This afternoon’s meeting is crucial. Let’s hope she doesn’t stir anything up."
"Her coming to work is worse than her not showing up at all."
Zheng Anling, the assistant director of Seasons of the Elite, clutched her phone nervously as she waited for Gu Zhaoping’s arrival.
She’d seen plenty of unflattering reports about Gu Zhaoping online and had formed certain expectations.
But after waiting for what felt like ages, no one entered the private dining room.
Zheng Anling craned her neck, finally spotting a woman approaching.
Tall, slender, dressed in understated yet sophisticated elegance—she looked every bit the high-powered executive. Zheng Anling even caught herself admiring this mysterious woman, her eyes lighting up with curiosity—until the woman pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
Zheng Anling blinked, stunned.
"You are…?"
"Gu Zhaoping." The woman across from her lifted her gaze, reclining effortlessly against the chair. Her posture was relaxed yet commanding as she picked up the thick menu. A waiter quietly lit the coarse salt on the plate before her.
Zheng Anling nearly slumped in her seat.
This was the infamous young mistress, Gu Zhaoping?!
Holy hell, she was the epitome of a perfect CEO—cool, composed, and decisive!
Zheng Anling scrambled to open her interview notes, but before she could ask a single question, Gu Zhaoping had already taken control of the conversation:
"Does your show follow participants around the clock, or is filming scheduled around specific tasks? Or are there fixed recording times?"
Zheng Anling hurriedly replied, "It's assigned based on recording tasks! You'll only be filmed when it's your turn, so no worries! We'll coordinate everything in advance and generally won't add last-minute shooting tasks."
Gu Zhaoping nodded. "What are the shooting themes?"
"There are guest meet-and-greets, team meals, shopping, yacht outings, sports, daily vlogs, extreme sports, and so on. Here, take a look at the schedule."
Zheng Anling hastily handed over the document, unconsciously slipping into the tone and posture of reporting to a superior. It wasn’t until she sat back down that it hit her—damn, Miss Gu’s aura is overpowering!
"Guests?" Gu Zhaoping flipped a page.
"Your... your younger brother, Gu Zhaoye, is representing the Gu family. There’s also another prominent family, the Lis, as the main guest representatives. The celebrity guests include... uh, Liang Zhiwei, Li Fan, Su Yubai, Luo Gaoyuan, and others, plus..."
Gu Zhaoping didn’t recognize any of them, though Liang Zhiwei sounded vaguely familiar—probably that stand-in Gu Zhaoye used.
She turned another page and asked, "What about Ruan Nian?"
Zheng Anling’s heart skipped a beat!
Was she planning to settle scores with Ruan Nian on the show? Or was this a dealbreaker—if Ruan Nian attended, she wouldn’t?
Carefully, she replied, "Ruan Nian’s side said they might not come because... the terms weren’t suitable."
Good. With Ruan Nian absent, the chances of Gu Zhaoye losing his temper would be slightly lower, minimizing damage to the Gu family’s image.
Gu Zhaoping understood perfectly—this show was meant to promote the Gu family’s reputation.
Even Grandpa took it seriously, so she had to nail it. She’d already marked it as a crucial step in her career path.
After a brief pause, she decided these activities were manageable. Thankfully, none fell outside her skillset.
She picked up another document beside Zheng Anling—the contract. After skimming it, she signed with effortless strokes.
Zheng Anling was stunned.
The food hadn’t even arrived yet...
And she just... signed?
The rest of the meal passed in a daze for Zheng Anling.
Across from her, Miss Gu—she only dared steal glances when looking up—had such an imposing presence that even her dining etiquette seemed impeccably refined, making others unconsciously mirror her movements.
As if that was the only proper way to behave.
Near the end, Gu Zhaoping tilted her head slightly and murmured something to her assistant.
Though Zheng Anling didn’t catch the words, she saw the lips form: "Charge it."
Damn.
So cool.
Zheng Anling was awestruck.
Sis, I wanna be your underling!
As Gu Zhaoping prepared to leave for the office, Zheng Anling mustered the courage to make a bold, spur-of-the-moment request: "Sis—er, Miss Gu, would it be possible for me to follow and film you this afternoon?"
"Wait, no—is that too presumptuous? I just thought it’d be good to get some advance footage for guest introductions. If you’re not comfortable..."
"Fine." Gu Zhaoping considered briefly. The afternoon meeting was important—a symbolic debut for her. Having it documented wouldn’t hurt.
Zheng Anling nearly teared up with gratitude.
Who said Miss Gu was temperamental and hard to approach? What nonsense!
Miss Gu was literally the easiest person to work with in the entire world!
In a rush, Zheng Anling—who hadn’t brought a proper camera—fixed a gimbal to her chest and followed Gu Zhaoping back to the company, bag in hand.
On their way out, passing through the lounge area, Zheng Anling’s sharp ears caught a conversation:
"Miss Gu’s something else, huh? Skips work for three years, then waltzes back in just to nitpick. Let’s be real—her degree’s a joke. Acting like she knows finance better than us professionals?"
"I swear the manager wanted to slam the report on her desk. Just didn’t dare."
"God, I hate bosses like that. You know they’re just nepo babies with zero skills, but you still have to kiss up. Wonder what circus she’ll pull at the meeting later."
"Everyone knows the Gu heirs are the brothers—Gu Zhaoye and the others. This madwoman’s gonna ruin the family name sooner or later."
Zheng Anling’s heart nearly stopped. Of all the restaurants, why did they pick one where employees were badmouthing Miss Gu?!
She wanted to bang her head against the wall, terrified of how Gu Zhaoping would react.
But Gu Zhaoping walked past them as if she hadn’t heard a thing, pausing ahead to wait for the elevator.
The entire space fell dead silent.
A suffocating, eerie quiet.
The two gossiping employees turned pale, sweat beading on their foreheads, unable to speak.
When the elevator doors opened, they froze, too scared to move. Gu Zhaoping glanced sideways, her gaze sweeping over them indifferently.
The pair looked ready to dive into a sewer.
Zheng Anling stayed mute as a statue, stiffly trailing Gu Zhaoping back to the office.
That afternoon’s meeting was critical—Gu Zhaoye intended to showcase Yuanqi Tech’s performance under his leadership, boosting transparency ahead of a future IPO. Some authorized media were allowed to observe parts of it.
Thanks to Miss Gu, Zheng Anling secured special permission and timidly took a seat in the media corner.
Gu Zhaoye lounged below, propping his head up. His eyes flicked to Gu Zhaoping, brows furrowing sharply.
After the quarterly performance review and future outlook, even Gu Zhaoye seemed bored—it was all predictable, nothing noteworthy.
"So, is everyone satisfied with Yuanqi Tech’s progress under my leadership?"
Investors nodded enthusiastically, murmuring among themselves.
"Next, we’ll hear from honorary financial advisor Gu Zhaoping," the host announced.
The room went still.
Many exchanged confused glances. Even external investors looked baffled.
"Gu Zhaoping? She holds a key position at Yuanqi Tech?"
"Her turn to speak?"
Gu Zhaoye finally smirked, lifting his gaze.
The sharp click of heels echoed as a woman stood, striding past the crowd to the front.
But contrary to expectations—
Once again, her appearance left everyone stunned.
Huh? Miss Gu actually dressed formally for this speech?
Gu Zhaoye’s smile dimmed slightly.
"Since CEO Gu has invited me to speak at this meeting, I’ll oblige." Gu Zhaoping’s tone was cool as she lifted a document, scanning the room. Those her eyes landed on instinctively straightened in their seats.
Two individuals in particular squirmed like they were sitting on needles.
"This quarter saw a significant increase in R&D investment, yet the corresponding technological output and market response showed no proportional improvement. The input-output ratio is severely unbalanced."
"Moreover, examining the expense details, certain expenditures don’t align with the R&D scope. The accounts are disordered."
She glanced down and read out two employee ID numbers.
"Who’s responsible?"
A beat of silence—then uproar.
Two faces turned instantly green.
What did she just say??
