The old man tried to speak but kept getting interrupted, staring speechlessly at these uninvited old geezers fawning over him.
Heh, they all came because they heard about our Zhaoping, didn’t they?
Look at them, really…
The old man held his glass, saying nothing, quietly watching Zhaoping chat with others.
What could be more satisfying in his later years than watching an outstanding junior steal the spotlight?
Finally, his gaze shifted to Ni Tiansong on the side.
Well, who would’ve thought?
He’d said before he wasn’t interested in meeting, but behind the scenes, he was so proactive, already getting to know Zhaoping and even being invited by her to watch her speech at the summit.
This suggested their relationship had great potential.
He sipped his drink with a smile, but then someone hurriedly approached, whispering in his ear, “Old man, someone from the Laroche family is here, too.”
The old man froze for a moment, about to say to let them in, then jolted again, suddenly realizing his hand was trembling.
It hit him—had he made a small mistake, or caused a little trouble?
Oh no!
Blame his old age.
When he introduced Ni Tiansong, he forgot—the young master of the Laroche family had been quite close to Zhaoping lately!
Wasn’t it him who invited Zhaoping to that party in front of everyone?
And the trip to the snowy mountain seemed to have been arranged by the Laroche family too, probably by this young master, right?
Old Man Gu held his teacup still, the flesh on his face trembling, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
Oh no, how could he have forgotten about this?
He looked at Zhaoping again.
Oh, this kid, you’re too filial!
You really don’t refuse anyone I introduce!
With that young man around, why was Ni Tiansong here too?
The old man already sensed a deep embarrassment brewing.
Oh no, oh no, if it were just one of them here, he could still find it pleasing to watch these young folks fawn over his granddaughter.
But two at the same time?
That was too much!
But they were already here.
The others had been let in—could he really send someone back now?
The old man’s cup trembled in his hand for a long moment before he made up his mind, shakily saying,
“Let them in.”
Then he downed his drink in one gulp.
Zhaoping, dear granddaughter, it’s up to you now.
If you can’t sweep your own house, how can you sweep the world?
As my granddaughter, you’ve handled such big matters—you should be able to deal with this backyard fire, too.
The old man turned and left decisively.
It wasn’t just Valentin de Laroche who arrived.
When the butler opened the door, he noticed the young master’s face was slightly grim, an expression never seen before on his usually sunny disposition.
The butler froze, then saw another man following Valentin.
He was taller, sturdier, with darker hair—more brown than Valentin’s dazzling platinum blonde—and a calmer demeanor.
Though he walked behind Valentin, his manner suggested he was the one in charge.
The butler was stunned, and the old man, hiding nearby while pretending to chat, trying to avoid this scene, suddenly fumbled his words.
Unable to resist, he cast his gaze over.
He was surprised but mostly curious, staring blankly at the two men who entered.
If you had to compare who was more handsome, different people might give different answers.
Valentin’s looks were stylishly sharp, almost like a movie star, radiating a bold, eye-catching charm.
But the man beside him—could you say he was less?
No, absolutely not.
A few more glances, and you’d be drawn into his captivating features, sinking deeper, exuding an even greater sense of calm superiority than Valentin.
The old man admired them for a moment, then suddenly realized—this age, this appearance—he thought it must be that member of the Laroche family…
The man had already locked eyes with him in the crowd, striding over and greeting him with a bow.
“Mr. Gu, hello.”
The old man froze, nearly spilling his drink.
He quickly handed the cup to someone nearby, then extended his hand for a shake.
“I’m Theodore.”
Theodore stood beside him.
Even though the old man had been tall in his youth, age had taken its toll, and Theodore towered over him.
He turned to look at Gu Zhaoping, who was chatting with others in the crowd, a slight smile on his lips, as if sharing the same pride.
“I’m a friend of Miss Gu. I came uninvited to the celebration banquet today. You must be very proud of her, too.”
The old man had been wondering if Zhaoping and that young master had already reached the stage of meeting the family—had he even brought his brother?
But now, he reacted, slowly taking in Theodore’s striking jawline.
When he turned back, his gaze grew unusually heavy.
His hand, still gripping Theodore’s, trembled slightly.
…A third one.
Are you all playing with this old man?
After glancing around, Valentin’s first move was to approach Gu Zhaoping.
He greeted her immediately.
“Miss Gu, sorry, I heard a lot of people were coming to the celebration banquet, and I couldn’t resist either. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Gu Zhaoping looked at him, unbothered.
“Of course, you’re welcome.”
Seeing the crowd around them disperse, leaving no one to overhear, he lowered his voice slightly and said quickly,
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know my brother went to see you privately. If he offended you, I apologize on his behalf. If there’s a chance, I’ll make him apologize to you himself. I hope it didn’t affect you.”
“No worries.”
Gu Zhaoping’s tone was magnanimous.
Not to mention she’d gotten the terms she wanted from Theodore, even if it were just an ordinary, overbearing parent confronting her about their child’s marriage, she wouldn’t find it troublesome. It was all easily resolved.
“You don’t need to worry. The outcome was what I wanted.”
Valentin paused, the breath he let out not quite relieving him.
What kind of outcome was it that Miss Gu wanted?
He glanced back at where Theodore had been standing, but Theodore wasn’t there.
He froze, searching the room, and finally spotted him in a corner.
Theodore was standing beside an old man, shaking hands, speaking calmly.
Valentin, of course, recognized Old Man Gu immediately.
His heart sank.
When they heard Ni Tiansong mention that the Gu family was holding this celebration banquet, Theodore had decided on the spot to come along.
Valentin didn’t have the thick skin to just show up, but he didn’t give up immediately either.
When he saw Theodore stride forward, he hesitated for only a moment before following.
His heart was filled with an odd sense of crisis, still unsure what Theodore had discussed with Miss Gu that day.
Valentin pursed his lips slightly, his sea-blue eyes lowering for a moment.
Then he looked up, gazing at Gu Zhaoping with determination.
“Miss Gu, no matter what others have promised you, I hope you’ll believe me—I can offer the same, and even more.”
More sincerity, from the heart.
“I’m touched to hear you say that.”
Gu Zhaoping smiled and shook his hand.
“If I need anything, I won’t hold back.”
Perhaps because their conversation went on too long, someone watching from afar started to feel something was off.
He was a family friend of the Gus, someone who’d attended the tea party before and had said to Shen Yifeng,
“Miss Gu is a phoenix among people.”
He hadn’t been involved in the younger generation’s social circles or heard the recent rumors.
So seeing these two chatting and laughing, he felt a bit puzzled.
As an elder who knew both the Gu family and the Shen family, and knowing about their engagement, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility as a bridge between them.
Glancing around, he noticed Shen Yifeng wasn’t at such an important event.
After a moment’s thought, he stepped into a corner and called Shen Yifeng.
“…Yifeng, do you know which banquet hall it’s in? Why haven’t you shown up?”
He never imagined that the Gu family, grandfather and granddaughter, hadn’t even thought to invite Shen Yifeng.
His tone was perfectly natural as he asked.
Shen Yifeng was taken aback, unsure why his tone was so casual, as if it were a given.
He thought for a moment—could it be that during a lapse at the summit or the snowy mountain trip, someone had arranged this event, and he’d missed it?
Shen Yifeng paused, suppressing the mess of emotions from recent days, and said politely,
“You’re already there, right? Sorry, I didn’t know the location. Could you please tell me? I’ll head over right away.”
His tone was calm, as if he’d returned to his usual composed, dependable self.
The man was stunned.
Shen Yifeng didn’t even know?
How could he be so careless about Miss Gu’s affairs?
Feeling a bit helpless, he gave him the location.
Shen Yifeng took a deep breath, got in the car, and headed over.
He had to focus on business and not let himself be distracted anymore.
After getting out of the car, he saw entrepreneurs from the summit milling about, which only added to his irritation.
He’d somehow missed notifications earlier.
To think he hadn’t been informed about such an event, yet he’d been dragged to some so-called “young people’s party” where his engagement to Gu Zhaoping was publicly called off, humiliating him in front of everyone.
He was here to do serious work.
Shen Yifeng took a deep breath and strode inside.
But after a few steps, he suddenly realized something.
Since this was such an occasion, would Gu Zhaoping be here too?
And if Gu Zhaoping was here, would that Valentin be here as well?
In the split second of that thought, he looked up—and there they were.
Sure enough, the two of them were standing in the center of the banquet hall, talking.
He stiffened slightly.
Hearing footsteps, people gradually turned around.
The entrepreneur who’d urged him to come quickly approached with a smile.
“Finally here, you rascal.”
He muttered to himself that Shen Yifeng was really slacking.
With Miss Gu being so popular and in demand, how could he be so slow?
To show up this late, so relaxed—by the time someone else swoops in, he wouldn’t even know why he lost.
Shen Yifeng froze, still processing, when he was suddenly pulled forward, right in front of Gu Zhaoping and Valentin.
His pupils contracted as he heard the man chuckle and introduce,
“Zhaoping, look at this guy. He only just found out to come!”
“You two were supposedly engaged for over a decade, must have a great relationship, right? Haha, but even with a good relationship, you can’t be late to an event like this. Isn’t he just taking it for granted?”
The elder laughed, trying to smooth over the awkwardness with humor.
But in that instant, the atmosphere froze, inch by inch, locking Shen Yifeng’s expression in place.
What was he doing?
Gu Zhaoping looked up.
Her gaze landed on him.
Shen Yifeng saw it—confusion, laced with disdain, sharp enough to plunge him into icy depths in an instant.
“Sorry, Uncle.”
Gu Zhaoping first addressed the man beside her politely.
But her demeanor was proud.
A candid, commanding pride.
It was she who held the power to choose, and she had made her judgment, deeming him unworthy, publicly declaring Shen Yifeng’s fate.
Then, under Shen Yifeng’s trembling, taut gaze, she said,
“I decided to end our engagement long ago.”
“Now, I’m formally announcing it to everyone.”
Gu Zhaoping raised her glass.