Wherever he went, people stood, clapped, and bowed with kind smiles.
When he entered a meeting room, everyone, seated or not, would stand and nod to him.
Everyone smiled at him.
But now, in this entire world, it seemed everyone else had faded away, leaving only him and Gu Zhaoping.
Suddenly, something stirred in his mind, as if he recalled something.
Long ago, he remembered Gu Zhaoping as ambitious, domineering, and strong.
But at some point, her image had shifted to that of an idle, useless playgirl.
This shift in perception felt almost forced upon him.
This unease made him extremely panicked, as if the world was being manipulated by someone, giving him a profoundly unreal feeling.
Those things with Ruan Nian—why had he suddenly, uncontrollably invested in her movie?
And he’d liked Liang Zhiwei before, so why had things turned out that way?
These confused and terrified guesses raced through his mind.
Looking at Gu Zhaoping, he had a premonition that his world was about to shatter.
The final few votes lingered, no hands raised, and the scene froze in a stalemate.
Gu Zhaoye coughed dryly, his lips finally reacting.
He blurted out,
“The shareholders who were going to vote have voted. No one’s adding votes now. It’s not over two-thirds. Are you just going to drag this out until time runs out and we have to end? Gu Zhaoping, what are you trying to do? Without two-thirds, you can’t oust me!”
Gu Zhaoping merely raised a hand, pressing her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
Then, she looked down at her phone on the table, picked it up, showed it to Gu Zhaoye, and waved it to the shareholders, saying,
“The last shareholder is calling.”
The last shareholder?
Who else was there?
Gu Zhaoye’s mind froze.
Then he saw the name on the screen.
Gu Zhaosi, his younger brother.
The one he’d once been closest to.
They hadn’t seen each other in years.
When he’d run into him at the snowy mountain, he thought he’d be on his side, but now…
The call connected.
Gu Zhaoping didn’t greet him but put it on speaker, placing the phone on the table and linking it to the meeting’s big screen.
The meeting hall fell silent, all eyes on the three-character name flashing on the screen.
Then, a familiar voice came through: “Sis, I’m voting too. I vote to oust him!”
Gu Zhaoye’s pupils trembled!
He had betrayed him so decisively, standing with Gu Zhaoping!
Yes, among all the others, there was one person everyone had overlooked because he’d been gone so long—
Gu Zhaosi, who held 3% of the shares.
With Gu Zhaosi’s 3% shares, the votes…just crossed the two-thirds threshold.
Gu Zhaosi, watching from the other side, wiped his sweat in relief.
Good thing he showed up in time, or Gu Zhaoye might’ve gotten away with it!
Gu Zhaoye sat in his chair, staring at the familiar face projected on the big screen, unable to move.
He still couldn’t believe it, but Gu Zhaoping merely gestured toward the screen on the table and turned to look at him.
“68%.”
Gu Zhaoping’s tone was calm.
“The remaining shareholders don’t need to vote.”
It was over.
She didn’t need anyone else’s opinion.
“Gu Zhaoye, congratulations. You’ve been ousted.”
Her gaze cut across the conference table, landing on Gu Zhaoye.
His lips parted slightly, as if he’d fallen into an abyss.
His entire body went cold.
“Effective immediately, the Gu family will file a lawsuit against Gu Zhaoye in its name. Everyone must bear the consequences of their mistakes.”
She turned to the meeting room and said flatly,
“Meeting adjourned.”
This was her first time chairing a meeting, starting simply, ending simply, yet no one dared disobey her.
Perhaps her presence was too commanding.
The meeting’s agenda was unprecedentedly significant.
Gu Zhaoye had never experienced such a moment of glory—or defeat.
The meeting room doors opened, the screen’s projection ended, and Gu Zhaosi’s face vanished from his sight.
Gu Zhaoping’s task was done.
She nodded to her grandfather and turned to leave.
She had a press conference to prepare for.
In Gu Zhaoye’s gaze, she walked farther and farther, disappearing through the door, turning away.
In the meeting room, none of the shareholders or Gu family members moved to follow her.
Only the old man stood up afterward.
Gu Zhaoye heard him let out a heavy sigh behind him before slowly walking out.
Gu Zhaoye sat still, his gaze shifting to the side where his parents sat.
They hadn’t participated in the vote just now.
But whether they voted or not made no difference.
They averted their eyes, no longer looking at him.
Finally, Madam Hua stood, gripping the armrest of her chair.
Her chair scraped back a step, and she left her seat, walking out.
President Gu lingered a moment longer before standing too.
And so, not one of his family members stood by him or spoke a word in his defense.
He sat in his chair, his body ice-cold.
Gu Zhaoye’s life as a CEO ended here.
A domineering CEO story concluded.
Liang Zhiwei returned to the company, still in a daze.
Her boss had called her to the office, and she felt uneasy, unsure what it was about.
She wasn’t exactly a high-potential artist, so why was the boss of this big new company paying her so much attention?
Her previous boss had never been this invested.
When she knocked and entered the office, she saw the boss wasn’t alone.
She glanced briefly, then politely looked away, reminding herself not to stare.
But then she realized something, whipped her head back, and nearly froze in shock.
Sister Li?!
Though the boss had mentioned Sister Li joining their company, seeing her in person still sparked instinctive fear!
After all, she thought Sister Li’s joining was tied to resentment over Ruan Nian’s dismissal.
Having dealt with Sister Li for years, she felt Sister Li must have a grudge against her.
Her heart raced in panic, but then Sister Li smiled at her.
Standing up, she was remarkably polite, even seeming a bit guilty, her gaze not quite meeting Liang Zhiwei’s, almost evasive.
“Um, Miss Liang.”
Sister Li, always poised and socially adept, showed a rare hint of guilt, unable to meet Liang Zhiwei’s eyes.
After her initial shock, Liang Zhiwei slowly realized Sister Li’s tone wasn’t the aggressive one from before.
As she processed this, the boss watched them with a smile, seemingly pleased.
“Zhiwei, why are you standing there? Say hi to Sister Li.”
The boss grinned.
“Thanks to you, Sister Li wouldn’t have joined our company.”
Liang Zhiwei gave an awkward smile.
“It’s not my doing. It’s because Ruan Nian dug her own grave.”
Sister Li interjected, her voice unusually firm.
“No, it’s because of you.”
Liang Zhiwei blinked, startled.
Sister Li’s expression grew resolute, her eyes fixed on her.
“Miss Liang, you might think I’m just making excuses after the fact, but I genuinely feel like I should’ve been your agent from the start. It’s a strange feeling. I hope you don’t think I’m just making up reasons.”
“Everything about you feels familiar to me. Taking over your work has been seamless.”
Sister Li paused, her tone growing even firmer.
She extended her hand for a handshake.
“Enough said, Miss Liang…I’m very happy to meet you.”
Liang Zhiwei hesitated, still feeling a latent fear of Sister Li, but since she was now on her side and so polite, she calmed herself.
Sister Li had spearheaded the effort to quell the recent backlash and even escalated Gu Zhaoye’s issues.
Liang Zhiwei steadied herself, extended her hand, and shook Sister Li’s, officially colleagues.
“You’re too kind, Sister Li.”
But the moment she grasped Sister Li’s hand, Sister Li’s hand trembled slightly, gripping a bit tighter.
Some overwhelming emotion surged in her heart, even bringing tears to her eyes.
Why?
It felt so familiar.
No matter why.
She swore to herself she’d help Liang Zhiwei reach the position she believed she was destined for.
“Aurora Green Energy Group has sent people to discuss cooperation. We’re going now,”
Sister Li said suddenly, full of righteous determination.
Liang Zhiwei froze.
Huh??
Was what President Hou mentioned before actually coming true?
Liang Zhiwei was dumbfounded.
No way—kicking Gu Zhaoye out, and my life’s suddenly this awesome?!
Recently, the controversies surrounding Gu Zhaoye and Liang Zhiwei had been endless, stirring up a storm.
Just when netizens were debating most heatedly, the Gu family finally issued a statement, announcing an upcoming press conference to reveal the handling results.
This caused another uproar.
[What could the result be? Gu Zhaoye’s been the heir for years. Could the Gu family really not find a way to cover for him? Ha, a group as big as the Gu family—would they abandon an heir they’ve groomed for so long?]
[He’s still Yuanming Tech’s CEO. Even if the Gu family punishes him, he’s still a CEO, right? Once the heat dies down, he’ll go back to acting like a tyrant, treating lives like nothing.]
[This world’s too kind to men. Why can he do something like this and still possibly be forgiven?]
[Didn’t he show remorse? And Liang Zhiwei didn’t actually get hurt, so why’s the whole internet attacking him? Isn’t this cyberbullying? Just because he’s rich and powerful, people should hate him? That’s just class envy, isn’t it?]
[Laughable. There are still people defending him? Does he still have fans? Wanna get left on a snowy mountain to die too?]
[Haven’t you all noticed? The company he controls was inherited from the Gu family. It’s like he never had any competitors, didn’t even need to compete to take the top spot. Everyone calls him a business genius, but has anyone actually heard of his successful cases?]
[Now that you mention it…in our industry, we’ve never heard of any either. That’s weird.]
At this moment, the most panicked person was Ruan Nian.
As someone within this book’s world, she knew better than anyone that all this was because Gu Zhaoye was the male lead of this story, the true domineering CEO.
As the male lead of a domineering CEO novel, he didn’t need successful cases.
He just needed a prestigious background, a breathtaking appearance, and enough devotion to her to let readers project themselves, imagining a perfect man sent by the heavens to change their fate.
Relying on herself was too exhausting.
It was easier to dream of marrying into wealth, sacrificing her youth, beauty, body, and emotions, betting her life on someone else’s hands.
Since her initial goal was to rely on others, over time, Ruan Nian even grew reluctant to strategize to win Gu Zhaoye’s heart herself.
She wanted to escape, to achieve results in an easier way.
She began trading with the system.
At first, she exchanged her abundant health points for beauty points.
The health she lost was quickly offset by the wealth and abilities she gained through her enhanced beauty.
Over time, she grew bolder, shuffling various attributes back and forth.