At that lowering of her head, Gu Zhaoye’s neck veins bulged with anger, as if he wanted to beat Gu Zhaoping senseless.
Of course, after their earlier confrontation, he already knew he couldn’t win. But unwilling to admit it, he could only tell himself not to quarrel with a woman.
Gu Zhaoping glanced at him coolly, as if seeing through his insincerity.
That look inexplicably sent a chill down Gu Zhaoye’s spine, and for a moment, he lost his usual bravado. His fierce gaze flickered briefly.
Realizing this, he grew even more furious—and worse, humiliated and incredulous.
How could Gu Zhaoping have such a commanding presence??
She could even suppress him??
Gu Zhaoping turned to look at Old Master Gu and, before Gu Zhaoye could continue complaining, said, “Yesterday, Fang Yining invited Gu Zhaoye out, but he took someone else’s call and went to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday, leaving Fang Yining out in the cold.”
Gu Zhaoye’s expression shifted; he hadn’t expected Gu Zhaoping to speak first.
The facts were as they were, but who told the story first, and how, shaped the entire picture. From their respective perspectives, the other seemed utterly guilty.
Seeing Old Master Gu’s expression change, Gu Zhaoye hastily cut in without thinking, “Don’t drag Ruan Nian into this! Do you think that clears your name? Who I date doesn’t affect the Gu Family’s reputation. It’s you who caused a scene by hitting someone in public—that’s what really damages the family’s honor!”
But Gu Zhaoping seemed not to hear him, calmly asking, “Are you the eldest grandson of the Gu Family’s main branch?”
Gu Zhaoye was caught off guard, his face darkening at her sudden elevation of status.
Though he was younger than Gu Kaichang and not the true eldest son, he was the firstborn of the main branch—nominally the eldest grandson—carrying different symbolic weight.
This distinction was the root of the ongoing dispute over who had the rightful claim to inherit the Gu Family.
Fortunately, his abilities were outstanding, and Gu Kaichang was not yet a strong rival; the other brothers he didn’t even take seriously.
“…Yes, I am. So what?”
“Eldest grandson of the main branch,” Gu Zhaoping repeated deliberately. Though it sounded like an acknowledgment of his status, Gu Zhaoye sensed a trace of contempt and a faint, composed sneer.
The tone was so subtle that all he could do was scowl, unable to pinpoint it.
He was about to retort when Gu Zhaoping put down her teacup and slowly stepped in front of him.
Before Gu Zhaoye could react, a sharp slap landed squarely on his face.
Being struck again, he felt no anger—only absurdity and disbelief. “Gu Zhaoping—”
“I am at fault. A grave fault,” Gu Zhaoping said calmly, raising her hand again.
“As the eldest daughter of the Gu Family, I failed to raise my brother properly. He flagrantly broke his engagement and shamelessly flaunted it, destroying the family’s arranged marriage for his own desires. That is one fault.”
Gu Zhaoye’s eyes widened. Amid the horror of Old Master Gu and Ms. Hua, she struck him again.
Gu Zhaoye managed to block the slap on his left cheek, but his right cheek was caught off guard and took the full force of the blow.
“Yesterday, the reason I came looking for you was to drag you back and make you apologize to Fang Yining. But instead, I only found Ruan Nian. She may not be exactly virtuous, but you’re even more to blame.”
“Forgetting to hit you—that’s two wrongs.”
Gu Zhaoping’s voice suddenly turned stern.
“I know Grandpa hates scandalous affairs more than anything and has stopped you many times from flaunting your affairs openly. As the eldest grandson of the main branch, you have no excuse for not understanding this, or even if you do, treating it as nothing!”
“How long do you plan to disgrace yourself in front of the second and third branches?”
Her loud voice echoed through the entire old mansion, leaving only silence behind. No one dared to move, some even held their breath, all frozen by Gu Zhaoping’s fury.
This—this wasn’t the first time Miss Zhaoping lost her temper, but it was the first time her anger was this terrifying!?
The second and third branches? She actually cared about the main branch’s weaknesses in front of the other branches?
Wait, what? She was trying to stop the second young master’s relationship with Ruan Nian because Grandpa hated scandalous affairs?
Gu Zhaoye’s face burned with pain and disbelief, unable to fully grasp the accusation.
What was going on? After Gu Zhaoping’s words, he suddenly felt like he was utterly unforgivable. And yet, Gu Zhaoping, who always stirred up trouble, was actually doing it for the sake of the Gu Family?
Someone like her—what right did she have?
Gu Zhaoye was furious and was about to retort when Old Master Gu spoke in a deep voice: “Alright, Zhaoye, stop making a fuss.”
He glanced at the symmetrical handprint on Gu Zhaoye’s face, and beneath it, faint bruising that even his poor eyesight could make out. Clearing his throat slightly, Old Master Gu said, “Your sister is doing this for your own good. Don’t argue with her.”
Gu Zhaoye: “...?”
What? What did he mean by not arguing with Gu Zhaoping? She was actually doing it for his own good?
Gu Zhaoye was so angry he felt like he could spit blood. “Grandpa?”
This was the first time Old Master Gu didn’t side with him but stood with Gu Zhaoping.
Old Master Gu averted his eyes, pretending not to see his expression, and gave Gu Zhaoping a mild “reprimand”: “Zhaoping, I know you mean well for your brother, but acting so impulsively isn’t right either. Siblings should settle things calmly.”
Gu Zhaoye thought Gu Zhaoping would stubbornly resist as usual, but to his surprise, she readily admitted her fault: “It’s my mistake, Grandpa.”
Old Master Gu felt relieved and was about to speak further when she added:
“From now on, I’ll catch it early and stop it early, to prevent my brother from making a bigger mess. A few slaps won’t hurt.”
Old Master Gu: “...”
Gu Zhaoping didn’t like hitting people either. She preferred more decisive methods to nip problems in the bud and cut them off at the root.
But since the timing wasn’t quite right yet, and since this brother of hers seemed to be asking for it, she might as well practice a bit—besides, she hadn’t had enough exercise today.
Sometimes, a straightforward scolding was also a pleasant form of exercise, releasing all kinds of beneficial hormones that helped relieve stress and improve work efficiency.
Old Master Gu was, of course, well aware that Gu Zhaoping’s habit of hiring male models outside wasn’t any better than Gu Zhaoye’s own antics, but that was beside the point.
Gu Zhaoping had just emphasized “the eldest grandson of the main branch” to highlight the sensitive nature of Gu Zhaoye’s current status.
Being the “eldest daughter” simply didn’t carry the same weight as being the “eldest grandson of the main branch.”
But that also meant that her occasional lapses weren’t as scandalous as Gu Zhaoye’s brazen involvement with a female celebrity.
They were traditional, after all. If they valued the second young master so highly, then they should also prioritize maintaining the stability of his engagement.
Gu Zhaoping’s scolding was only natural.
Moreover, Old Master Gu was currently in a phase of doting on Gu Zhaoping, eager to show off his granddaughter’s accomplishments at the chess association. Naturally, he turned a blind eye and showed a bit of favoritism.
Gu Zhaoye’s face darkened like iron, but since Grandpa had already made his stance clear, no matter how arrogant or rebellious he felt, he dared not contradict him.
He had to swallow this bitter pill himself, glaring at Gu Zhaoping with such intensity that he nearly bit through his own gums, almost drawing blood. “...Yes.”
Only after being held under Old Master Gu’s gaze for a long while did he grit his teeth and finally say, “I know I was wrong.”
Ms. Hua and Father Gu watched everything unfold, stunned into silence, unable to get a word in.
Gu Zhaoping had just beaten Gu Zhaoye soundly, and Old Master Gu had witnessed it all—and had even gently turned a blind eye!
Not only did he not bring up what happened yesterday, he even scolded Gu Zhaoye!
Then, as Gu Zhaoping calmly picked up her teacup, they involuntarily shivered, overwhelmed by a strange chill of unfamiliar fear.
...What on earth was going on with Gu Zhaoping?
Gu Zhaoye covered his face, swollen and bruised from the beating, looking so disheveled that he didn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye to his parents or Old Master Gu. Instead, he strode out briskly, glancing at Gu Zhaoping once with a flicker of emotion.
“I’m leaving.”
His tone was stiff and curt as he stormed out of the old mansion into the night. Staying any longer, he feared, would drive him insane from Gu Zhaoping’s relentless provocation.
Once in the car, his mood remained dark and oppressive.
The driver, however, hadn’t noticed and continued to treat him with usual care. “Mr. Gu, did the young lady give you a good scolding today?”
“I think the young lady really doesn’t know her place, daring to meddle in your affairs…”
“Shut up!”
Gu Zhaoye suddenly exploded, pounding his fist hard against the seat beside him.
The loud bang startled the driver so much he almost swerved the car into a flowerbed.
In the chaos, Gu Zhaoye’s already sore hand twisted painfully, causing his face to pale.
“Mr. Gu! Mr. Gu!” The driver quickly stopped the car and turned to check on him.
In the dim light, Gu Zhaoye’s fist had originally slammed into the ashtray, but since he’d been in a foul mood before getting in, he’d lit a cigarette and absentmindedly jammed it in there without fully extinguishing it. The burning ember suddenly seared his hand, making him jerk back sharply.
Then, the sudden sharp turn caused his hand to collide with a glass holding chilled liquor. The thin glass, designed to better appreciate the temperature of the drink, shattered easily, slicing his hand open and causing blood to gush out.
This wasn’t even the worst part—the worst was that there were actually wounds on his face!
In the end, the driver saw it. Gu Zhaoye closed his eyes in utter despair.
Gu Zhaoye, who was having an incredibly unlucky day, seriously wondered if his zodiac year hadn’t passed yet, or if it was only just beginning now.
He looked at the mess with disgust, finally closing his eyes and letting out a low, suppressed growl.
When he opened them again, he still couldn’t hold back the heavy, furious breaths. His pupils were pitch black in the night, flickering with a dim, dark light.
He said, “Gu Zhaoping—has she not been to the company for a long time?”
Gu Zhaoping held a nominal position in the Gu Family’s business—as an honorary financial advisor—so she wasn’t really required to show up at work. If she did, she might even cause trouble.
But the Gu family elders wanted to keep her tied down, to make sure she behaved herself, or at least was reachable during important meetings.
Of course, there were no performance requirements imposed on her by the staff. But now, with Gu Zhaoye temporarily in charge of the Gu Corporation, he was Gu Zhaoping’s direct superior.
If he wanted to manage her, he certainly could.
The driver blinked in surprise: “...Right, I think so?”
“Tomorrow, if she still doesn’t clock in, freeze her bank card and stop all credit card payments. I’ll handle the contacts.”
Gu Zhaoye pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed deeply as he thought about her weaknesses. If he didn’t vent this anger, then all these years of being the Gu family heir would have been for nothing.
“Oh, and also, tell Shen Yifeng to find out what Gu Zhaoping did today.”
Once her large expenditures were restricted, and Shen Yifeng confronted her, Gu Zhaoping would finally know how to cry.
After saying all this, the frustration and unease in Gu Zhaoye’s heart finally eased a little.
After Old Master Gu left, Ms. Hua and Father Gu were still trembling with fear. They wanted to say something to Gu Zhaoping but didn’t dare.
Gu Zhaoping summoned the butler to clean up the mess, her voice gentle: “Thank you for your hard work.”
The butler shook his head repeatedly, afraid to refuse, fearful of angering Miss Zhaoping.
An angry Miss Zhaoping was truly terrifying...
She merely nodded at her parents and then turned to return to her room.
“Zhaoping...” In the end, no one dared to call out her name.
Gu Zhaoping didn’t mind being feared, nor did she care if people thought her anger was frightening. Usually, she was calm and gentle, but when she got angry, it had to carry weight—heavy enough that no one dared to bear the cost of her wrath.
Only then would her voice be taken seriously, truly heard.
Back in her room, she received a message from the director’s friend of the show *“Seasons of the Elite.”*
She accepted the friend request and told them to meet over the weekend.
The other party hesitated for a while, then cautiously messaged:
“Miss Gu? If it’s about tomorrow, may I ask if you have time? It’s just that we don’t want to disrupt your plans, but the planning for *Seasons of the Elite* is quite complex. If we can start filming within the contract period, we need to coordinate all the guests’ opinions by Monday at the latest. Meeting you over the weekend might mean we won’t have enough time to prepare your materials. Could you please consider this?”
After sending the message, the assistant director felt anxious. This young lady never cared about excuses or reasons, and certainly wouldn’t be in the mood to listen patiently.
Knowing that the Gu Family had notified them to film Gu Zhaoping, she felt immense pressure, especially when it came to communication.
So when the director pushed her forward to handle the coordination, her stress nearly exploded.
This person was like a scholar meeting a soldier—no amount of reasoning seemed to get through.
But what she never expected was this:
The other side was silent for half a minute, as if carefully reading her message.
Then came the reply: "Okay."
"I have work tomorrow. We can talk in detail during lunch break nearby. You pick the place, and I’ll reimburse you."
The tone was calm, commanding, and just like that, it was over.
The Assistant Director was stunned.
This... was it really that easy?
She glanced back at her colleagues, who were all wearing worried expressions and struggling to please the big shots. Among them, the one with the most humble tone seemed to be Ruan Nian, who looked almost disbelieving that she had so quickly secured the toughest person to deal with.
No way, the status of Miss Gu is said to be even higher than those top celebrities. How could she be so easy to talk to?
And she even wanted her to handle the expenses??
Isn’t that supposed to be covered by the production team?
The Assistant Director was left dumbfounded, wondering why this was so different from the rumors.
As for her, she didn’t know it was because Gu Zhaoping wasn’t hard to deal with—she just preferred people who spoke logically, who could explain the cause, effect, reasons, and background in one clear sentence.
Such communication was efficient, and she happened to love boosting efficiency.
Gu Zhaoping went to bed on time, waiting for the next day to arrive.
It was her first time working at Gu Corporation, and she intended to observe every detail carefully.
