Gu Zhaoping's tone was too calm and matter-of-fact, as if she had been planning this for a long time and now only needed to implement it.
President Hou was also taken aback for a moment; he hadn't even kept up with Gu Zhaoping's train of thought... Yuanqi Technology was still in Gu Zhaoye's hands. Previously, he had intended to invest in Yuanqi Tech, so he naturally understood their situation well.
He was stunned for a moment, pondered briefly, and then asked, "Are you confident?"
Spring Day
"If I were facing anyone else, gaining that confidence might require much longer preparation from me," Gu Zhaoping said appropriately. "But if it's my younger brother, then it won't be so troublesome. I'm quite at ease."
President Hou: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he almost laughed out loud!
That statement was too scathing, yet upon reflection, it was indeed true. Gu Zhaoye was even more unreliable than he had imagined.
Against Gu Zhaoping, he stood zero chance of winning.
"Then we'll wait and see Miss Gu shine brilliantly."
"No, there are many people waiting to see Miss Gu shine brilliantly."
He smiled and shook hands with Gu Zhaoping in farewell.
It was getting late, and Grandpa, being old, couldn't hold out much longer. Seeing that all the guests had been seen off, he was about to turn and go back inside.
Just then, his personal assistant, who had been waiting nearby for a long time, finally couldn't hold back and hurriedly stepped forward, saying to Grandpa, "Something's happened back home, something major!"
Grandpa's originally somewhat drowsy and bleary eyes snapped open, as if a thunderclap had sounded in his ears. He widened his eyes, staring at him, all sorts of ominous premonitions flooding his heart:
"What is it? Could it be that Gu Zhaoye boy has caused some problem again?"
He didn't even realize that before, upon hearing such news, his first thought would have been about what trouble Gu Zhaoping had caused. Now, his first thought was Gu Zhaoye.
It hadn't been that long, yet his impression of the two had completely reversed.
The assistant's face turned pale, not even addressing him as 'Young Master' anymore: "Gu Zhaoye was photographed appearing at the conference just now, it was broadcast globally, and it's already blown up online!!"
It really was him!
Grandpa's eyes rolled back, and he almost needed to pinch the philtrum above his lip to stay conscious. This was his worst fear. He had originally thought that although this conference was important within the industry, the general public wouldn't pay it much mind. But why was it blowing up online?
An even more ominous feeling surged in his heart: "Could it possibly be related to that female celebrity again..."
"That's the most terrifying part! It turns out that previously, when Gu Zhaoye was participating in that show, on the snowy mountain, because he was interacting with Ruan Nian, he ignored someone else's distress signal, leaving that person trapped on the mountain!"
"...Grandpa! Grandpa!"
The assistant was startled and, along with the nanny nearby, rushed forward to support Grandpa's body, which was about to collapse.
Grandpa truly felt his mind go blank the moment he heard it. Supported by the crowd around him, he could barely stand, asking in disbelief with wide eyes, "What? What person? Who did he leave on the mountain?! Is that person hurt now? Were they rescued?"
"They were rescued, they were rescued!" The assistant was also truly afraid Grandpa's heart might give out from the shock. His face was full of difficulty, but this had to be said, so he steeled himself and continued, "Grandpa, please brace yourself; what comes next might be a bit more shocking!"
What could be even bigger than this?!
If conditions allowed, Grandpa Gu really wanted to faint on the spot. But that fool Gu Zhaoye had made a mistake of unknown magnitude waiting for him to resolve. He took a deep breath, suppressing the blood that was about to gush forth, and asked, forcing down his anger, "What else is there!"
Assistant: "That person was rescued by the eldest young lady!"
"Oh, oh, thank goodness, thank goodness for Zhaoping. I knew Zhaoping was reliable..." His breath immediately relaxed, but before he could finish, Grandpa's eyes widened again. "What? When did this happen? Hasn't Zhaoping been by my side these past few days? How could she go to the snowy mountain..."
Suddenly, Grandpa remembered. Oh, right! A while ago, that young master invited Zhaoping skiing, didn't he? She even came back with that rascal Gu Zhaosi in tow!
Grandpa was stunned. No way, in just a day's outing, Zhaoping, you secretly went and rescued someone?
And you didn't say a word about it after coming back? In the blink of an eye, you saved the Gu family from disaster??
Grandpa knew all too well! If the person hadn't been rescued, then what awaited the Gu family would have been a massive storm of criticism, all because of that fool Gu Zhaoye!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, practically spitting blood, and he roared, "Call Gu Zhaoye and tell him to get over here immediately!"
The assistant, supporting him, said, "Gu Zhaoye has already returned to the country!"
"He's back in the country? Can he handle this matter back there??"
"That's just it, he can't! Right now, a crowd has already gathered outside Yuanqi Technology. Some are even throwing things and vegetables at the windows. Business is severely affected, many orders have been canceled, and even..."
The assistant's face was full of distress; it was hard for him to even say it: "What are we going to do about our family's stock price when the market opens tomorrow?"
Grandpa closed his eyes. He didn't dare open them, hoping it was all an illusion.
Fortunately, having managed the Gu family for a lifetime, such a storm was, in the eyes of the old man, not yet the greatest difficulty he had faced.
His biggest feeling right now was the urge to drag Gu Zhaoye back, place him in front of Gu Zhaoping, and have Gu Zhaoping try that technique again... the armbar!
Then pin him to the ground and slap him a good eighty or a hundred times!
Idiot!
You've practically ruined the family!
Grandpa took several deep breaths, quickly turned to look for Zhaoping: "Then where is Zhaoping? We need to discuss what to do immediately?!"
Gu Zhaoping had just finished seeing off the guests and turned back. Coming downstairs, she heard her name being called and went over, saying, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"
Seeing her arrive just as she was mentioned, Grandpa instantly felt as if he had seen a savior.
He was old, his energy wasn't what it used to be. He knew that if he had to handle this matter himself, it would probably cost him half his life. He still wanted to live a long life!
So, he could only look at Zhaoping with a somewhat awkward and troubled, yet utterly trusting and reliant expression, holding her hand and saying:
"Do you know about the good deed that fool Gu Zhaoye has done? Zhaoping, this time our Gu family may have to rely on you."
"Grandpa, I know, I just heard about it too." Gu Zhaoping held his hands, her tone very steady, not panicked at all, which made Grandpa unconsciously feel his heart settling down as he listened. "This problem is serious, but if we, grandfather and granddaughter, work together with one heart, we can definitely overcome this difficulty."
She directly excluded everyone else from her statement, but Grandpa had no spare attention to notice that now. He nodded vigorously, feeling a bit more assured in his heart. He said, "Just a couple of years ago, a scandal involving a young master from another family caused their stock price to drop nearly 10% in just a week, wiping out billions in market value. Our Gu family is now facing a major crisis too; we must resolve this issue as quickly and as early as possible."
Grandpa didn't say anything else, nor did he apologize for the mess Gu Zhaoye had made that Gu Zhaoping now had to clean up. Gu Zhaoping didn't bring it up either, because they both understood in their hearts.
Once this matter was resolved by Gu Zhaoping, the kind of overturning of positions within the family that would follow was something they both tacitly acknowledged and could imagine.
That would be their thanks and apology to her.
Now, as the potential heir of the Gu family, Gu Zhaoping was stepping in to handle this public opinion crisis for the family. Whether seen as a test for her or expectations placed upon her, the ultimate result would allow her to trample Gu Zhaoye even deeper into the ground.
Gu Zhaoping comfortingly held Grandpa's hand. Her solution was straightforward and came out immediately, showing no tendency whatsoever to whitewash Gu Zhaoye's actions. Instead, she said, "The Gu family's image is crucial. Right now, we need to promptly replace him with someone with a more positive image to represent the Gu family."
Grandpa paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, yes."
"We must return to China immediately to convene a shareholders' meeting and initiate an internal investigation procedure. We have to give the public an explanation first. Gu Zhaoye must also come forward to apologize; he absolutely cannot hide behind others. The apology needs to be more sincere, and compensation for the victims must be increased." She continued.
"Exactly, the attitude must be correct." Grandpa immediately made the decision. He was now filled with fearful regret, wishing he could instantly teleport to Gu Zhaoye's side, force him down to kowtow to everyone, and then beat him half to death with his cane.
At this moment, he suddenly looked at Gu Zhaoping again and began to regretfully think that his age was just a bit too advanced. If he were younger, wouldn't it be great to learn some of Zhaoping's moves?
Learn some of that... what was it... jiu-jitsu of hers!
Then he could personally beat up Gu Zhaoye, see if he wouldn't beat him half-crippled! So badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him!
"Grandpa, please rest assured. This situation will definitely turn from bad to good." Having received Grandpa's immediate agreement to convene the shareholders' meeting, Gu Zhaoping's tone became even more calm and composed.
The content of her words still seemed concerned about the Gu family's crisis, but her intonation was extremely steady, truly devoid of panic, which helped Grandpa's own heart grow calm as well.
It was at a time like this that Grandpa realized how fortunate it was to have a reliable, capable, and more competent descendant than all the others. His heart, which had been pounding wildly just moments ago, had gradually settled down in a short time.
"By the way, Grandpa, I also discovered something. It's a problem I detected earlier when I was a financial consultant at Yuanqi Tech." Gu Zhaoping finally brought it up now. "Their accounts are a mess, and it's not just about that one incident. After that serious accident caused them to lose the investment from Aurora Green Energy Group, they didn't learn their lesson."
"I've been re-examining their accounts recently and found an even bigger problem."
Grandpa was taken aback, thinking to himself that Zhaoping had been quietly checking for problems all this time without a word.
He was completely drawn in by her words and asked, "What problem?"
"Yuanqi Tech may be involved in misappropriation and concealing debts. After I figured out the company's profits, I noticed something was off. However, I can't get my hands on more specific contracts and financial data to analyze the cash flow, but there's a rather significant discrepancy here."
Grandpa's heart sank upon hearing this. Could Gu Zhaoye really be that thoroughly corrupt?
But remembering that even the last problem was discovered by Zhaoping for him, it was quite possible this new issue was real as well.
This was truly adding fuel to the fire, appearing right at such a critical and urgent time.
Grandpa pondered for a long while and suddenly thought of something.
He abruptly looked up at Gu Zhaoping's face, so earnest as she analyzed the pros and cons for him, and it suddenly struck him.
Wait, what if... after convening the shareholders' meeting... he chose to remove Gu Zhaoye?
Grandpa's heart gave a sudden leap.
Although he had thought many times over these days about letting Zhaoping play a bigger role than Gu Zhaoye, such an overt replacement was the first time it had appeared so clearly in his mind.
He hadn't thought about making the decision this quickly, but now that he considered it, it seemed really feasible.
That person was saved by Zhaoping. Zhaoping now has the reputation from her speech and breaking the record, her public image is at its peak. If she steps in to replace Gu Zhaoye in managing Yuanqi Tech, perhaps the company wouldn't be hit as hard, and the Gu family's stock price...
Moreover, Yuanqi Tech already has that mess of accounts. If someone else were hastily brought in to take over, they might handle it even worse than Gu Zhaoye. But who is most familiar with Yuanqi Tech and who he trusts enough... that would only be Zhaoping.
Grandpa paused. He seriously contemplated this idea for a long time. In the end, no one knew what resolve he had settled on. He just said, "Return to China. We must return to China immediately and convene the shareholders' meeting."
Gu Zhaoping also nodded and said, "Alright."
Gu Zhaosi had only just enjoyed a couple of days at the manor and was still lost in its pleasures.
He had even found an excuse not to attend the evening celebration banquet—he hated this kind of socializing, and besides, it was his sister's show anyway; he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of uncles and aunts.
Finally, after the celebration banquet ended, he was just about to boast to Gu Zhaoping about his achievement today in forcing Li Xunwen to handwrite a letter of apology, when he saw his sister and Grandpa hurriedly walking in.
He had just excitedly called out "Sis!" when the two of them swept past him like the wind, leaving Gu Zhaosi standing alone in place, stunned.
Wait, what's going on?
He hadn't been stunned for long when he saw their assistants starting to pack luggage, and people everywhere began bustling about, the sounds of clattering filling the air.
Only Gu Zhaosi was standing right in the middle, particularly in the way. After someone called out "Excuse me," he quickly sidestepped to the side.
Finally, he stared blankly at Gu Zhaoping as she passed by, as if clutching at a lifeline, and said, "Sis, what's going on? Are you heading back to China right after the celebration party?"
"Something major has happened at home. We need to return to China immediately to deal with it."
Gu Zhaosi was stunned for a moment. What major event? Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. Could it be that the Gu family had run into some kind of trouble? If the Gu family really was in trouble, then he'd have to go back too.
After all, he still held 3% of the shares.
"Sis, sis, sis, since you're going back, is there anything I can do to help? Do you need me for anything?"
Gu Zhaoping finally looked up at him, but only raised her hand and patted his shoulder a couple of times.
Her tone was casual.
"If the sky falls, your sister is here to hold it up."
"You younger ones should focus on your studies, develop your own hobbies, and avoid embarrassing the Gu family. The responsibilities will be handled by those who are meant to handle them."
"I'm not yet at the point where I need to push duties onto little boys."
Her pats made his shoulder jolt, and he was instantly bewildered. Something felt off, vaguely different from things he'd heard before, but he couldn't quite figure it out.
He stared dumbly at his sister's retreating back as she strode away, suddenly feeling as if he'd been dazzled by her.
Good heavens, she was so dazzling. Was this really his sister?
This incredibly cool, stylish, and responsible woman, brimming with feminine charm, was actually his sister?
Since ancient times, there have been debates about succession based on virtue versus seniority. Gu Zhaoping possessed both virtue and seniority. He truly couldn't see how she could lose.
How could she possibly lose?!
Wait a minute, but did his sister's final words mean she was telling him to focus on writing his thesis?
Gu Zhaosi's face turned pale again.
Oh no, time's almost up!
Just as Grandpa Gu's private jet was soaring through the high skies, heading towards China.
Gu Zhaoye had already landed swiftly. He strode out, his face ashen as he answered the phone: "They're giving up on the cooperation just like that, leaving no room at all?"
The further he walked, the worse the news reported from the other end became. Gu Zhaoye listened, barely able to resist the urge to throw his phone, but with many people still around, he managed to restrain himself.
The last time he faced a situation like this was when Gu Zhaoping ruined the investment from Aurora Green Energy Group. But the problem he faced now was even bigger, more terrifying than the last.
While on the snow-capped mountains, Gu Zhaoye never imagined that a momentary lapse in focus could lead to such severe consequences.
Even when he confronted Liang Zhiwei, saying he had nothing to explain, he never imagined this matter had a follow-up, that it wasn't as simple as he thought, merely an emotional entanglement between the three of them.
Liang Zhiwei was also a person.
Apart from her identity as his lover and the so-called stand-in for Ruan Nian, her more important identity was that of a living, breathing human being.
Her life and safety carried significant weight. Even the previous harassment and smearing they subjected Liang Zhiwei to was, to them, just part of the chase between a domineering CEO and his white moonlight, a play in their game, a minor punishment for the so-called green tea supporting character.
But unfortunately, outside the worldview of a domineering CEO novel, this is a world where personal safety and legal boundaries are protected.
Any one of those deranged actions common in domineering CEO novels, once exposed to the public, would provoke a fierce backlash.
Just as Gu Zhaoye was overwhelmed, the vice president suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, that's strange. At a time like this, there's actually a group extending an olive branch to us?"
He looked incredulously. It was a world-renowned energy conglomerate.
The vice president's eyebrow twitched. If they had intentions to cooperate, the benefits could potentially surpass even those from the previous Aurora Green Energy Group.
Why now, of all times?
Gu Zhaoye was also taken aback for a moment, then said, "Have them contact me."
Because many partners were about to terminate their cooperation, if that happened, their Yuanqi Technology would face massive breach of contract penalties. Since it was due to their own public relations management issues, they were now in a state of utter chaos.
Whatever cooperation was available, whoever could take on this mess, he needed to grab it immediately.
After he got in touch with the other party, they indeed asked him a question he hadn't anticipated.
What development direction?
Gu Zhaoye was confused for a second, but then he thought about Yuanqi Technology's numerous new technologies developed each year, all applying for patents. They had probably heard about one of them and were interested.
After the two talked in circles for a long time, the other party finally asked an enigmatic question: "President Gu, you're the one calling the shots at Yuanqi Technology now, right? Oh, and Grandpa Gu still values you highly, doesn't he?"
Gu Zhaoye felt irritated hearing this; it touched on exactly what he least wanted to hear. He kept his composure and said, "Yes, of course I am."
"Good, then we are reassured. We will send someone to fly to your location soon to discuss this matter in detail with you."
The other party spoke very frankly, which even made Gu Zhaoye pause. He still couldn't quite believe it and asked, "Are you sure you want to proceed now? Aren't you concerned about the current public sentiment issues?"
The other party wasn't fully aware of any public sentiment issues yet and inquired about them. After hearing, they were also momentarily taken aback.
President Lin and the major shareholder exchanged a glance, thinking this made it even better. This was Gu Zhaoye's low point. By showing a bit of support now, they could gain a greater advantage in the subsequent cooperation.
This Gu Zhaoye seemed much easier to fool than that Gu Zhaoping.
Once they chatted more with Gu Zhaoye, extracted more specific plans and trade secrets, if the public sentiment issue still wasn't under control by then, they could simply backstab Gu Zhaoye, citing public opinion problems to terminate the cooperation, and even ride a wave of publicity from it.
If the public sentiment issue was resolved by then, that would be perfect for everyone. Taking a step back, even if the public opinion issue remained unresolved and they didn't want to terminate cooperation with Gu Zhaoye, what they were really after was Yuanqi Technology's technology.
When they launched their new products later, who would know what connection they had with Yuanqi Technology?
President Lin said with a smile, "The edge of a sword is honed through grinding; heroes emerge from hardship. Times like these truly test a leader's adaptability. We believe someone of your caliber, President Gu, a true dragon among men, will resolve this quickly. Our group has the utmost trust in you!"
"President Gu is much more straightforward than your sister. We love working with people like this. If President Gu ever has any needs, you must tell us; we are at your service."
Gu Zhaoye was stunned.
It all felt so surreal. Right at his moment of greatest need, a representative from a major conglomerate suddenly appeared, offering their support and promising to provide every assistance if he encountered any problems?
Moreover, according to what they said, their company alone could cover most of the losses from the previous failed partnerships.
If things really developed this way, he'd start to suspect he had some kind of protagonist's halo.
But then again, his life had always been smooth and fortunate, as if scripted by heaven.
After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind: "Alright, then I invite President Lin to come to our country when you have time. We need to discuss this cooperation properly. Everyone at Yuanqi Technology will welcome you with open arms."
Turning to his vice president, he said, "This issue is about to be resolved. Don't worry too much. Just proceed with the public relations as usual."
The vice president was taken aback.
Huh? Resolved?
Had that party wanting to discuss cooperation already confirmed their intent? That quickly?
No way. This really is like a pillow arriving just as you're feeling sleepy.
Although he found it hard to believe, he still nodded obediently through gritted teeth: "Yes, President Gu."
Gu Zhaoye let out a sigh of relief. Heaven still favored him.
