Gu Zhaoping raised her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, for once feeling a rare sense of helplessness.
She really did seem to have a vibrant social life.
It was time to seek breakthroughs in other areas.
The company Yuanqi Technology , where Gu Zhaoye served as CEO, was a core technology subsidiary under the Gu family’s corporate empire.
It specialized in artificial intelligence a field with immense growth potential and strong policy support.
Gu Zhaoping had previously made investments in this sector.
However, with too many management and decision-making responsibilities on her plate, she had yet to achieve anything substantial in this domain.
Now, she felt a strong urge to rectify that regret.
Even better after researching the available information, she realized that AI in this world was not as advanced as in her previous one.
If she dared to enter the market now, the potential was massive .
Yet, after scanning everything neither the Gu family nor Gu Zhaoye seemed to have any such ambitions.
No one had caught on to this coming wave.
This so-called prestigious “Yuanqi Technology” seemed to offer only one advantage for Gu Zhaoye
The title of “a rising star in the business world.”
But where exactly was the rising star ?
What had he actually done?
Gu Zhaoping searched extensively but found no tangible achievements credited to him.
It left her puzzled.
When she searched his name
All that came up were gossip articles from entertainment tabloids.
Stories of his love affairs
And the mystery surrounding his prestigious family background.
None of which interested her.
Expressionless, she continued scrolling habitually analyzing yet another weak business competitor.
She skimmed past the name
“Ruan Nian”
Already understood.
Not interesting.
Then, she spotted another scandal .
This one involving a rookie actress named Liang Zhiwei .
Some claimed she resembled Ruan Nian in certain angles.
Yet the moment anyone called her a “Ruan Nian knockoff,” they were immediately attacked online.
She was supposedly the stand-in Gu Zhaoye had found when he couldn’t have Ruan Nian.
With that, Gu Zhaoping downgraded her assessment of Gu Zhaoye’s capabilities once more.
Then, she saw that his most widely circulated moment was
A photograph of him standing on a yacht, smoking a cigarette.
The article raved about his “deep, unreadable gaze,” his “high-bridged nose,” and his “sharp, thin lips.”
The tailored suit barely stirred in the breeze.
The burning ember of his cigarette flickered against the dusk, the swirling smoke shrouding him in an air of mystery and nobility.
“Who,” the article pondered, “could ever be loved by such a man?”
…
Gu Zhaoping pressed her fingers against her temple.
This is…incredible.
She had a talent for recognizing her opponents’ strengths.
Yet, even she
could not find a single advantage in him.
Meanwhile, the furious Gu Zhaoye, after hanging up on Shen Yifeng and slamming his phone down, finally glanced at the device after it had been ringing for an hour straight.
Who dared to call him while he was enraged?
So insensitive
They were about to be crushed under his sheer low-pressure aura .
Did they not realize how long he had been ignoring the calls?
Did they not sense the storm brewing?
He picked up.
It was his assistant.
Gu Zhaoye answered but said nothing
Letting the silence speak for itself.
His presence alone filled the air with tension.
At the same time, he casually lifted a glass cup , his long fingers playing with it
Even drinking water somehow turned into an oil painting-worthy masterpiece.
“ President Gu! President Gu, something terrible has happened! ”
His assistant was on the verge of collapse.
After an hour of desperate calls, the line had finally connected.
To be assigned an urgent task only to be unable to reach the boss?
A nightmare.
“ Miss Gu has come to work at the company!! ”
“ Pfft !! ”
Water sprayed from Gu Zhaoye’s mouth.
The documents on his desk were instantly soaked.
He jumped to his feet in rage.
“ Why are you only reporting this to me now?! What the hell is she doing at the company?! ”
The assistant was silently cursing his boss a thousand times over.
But he could only stammer out,
“I’ve been calling you for an hour! You weren’t picking up! She already clocked in !”
Gu Zhaoye froze.
How was he supposed to know that today was the day she’d show up?!
He wasn’t even at the office!
It took him a long moment to recover, seething with frustration.
She must have figured out that he was planning to punish her
So she deliberately showed up today to play the obedient act .
Damn it.
When did Gu Zhaoping become smart?
Gu Zhaoye took a deep breath.
Fine.
If she wanted to play games
Then he had ways to deal with her.
“There’s a quarterly financial summary meeting this afternoon. Since she’s at the company, she must attend. Tell her she’s expected to give a speech .”
As the “Honorary Financial Advisor,” she would now be forced to sit in a critical investment meeting .
Several major investors would be present this meeting was pivotal for securing the next round of funding.
If he successfully secured the financing, he could prove to his grandfather that he was far more capable than Gu Kaichang and Gu Yingjie.
Among their generation of Gu family men
He was the one who had gone the farthest, achieved the most.
Since she wanted to play along
Then let her come.
He would make sure she learned that simply showing up wasn’t enough.
That she was nothing but an unworthy placeholder , occupying a meaningless position .
That she was an embarrassment in an important business setting.
And that
Grandfather would never tolerate.
Only he could lead Yuanqi Technology to greater heights
And, ultimately
Steer the Gu family’s future.
His voice was calm as he issued the order.
Then, something flickered in his mind
A memory of what Grandfather had said last night.
Something he had tried to ignore.
Something that had lingered
Unspoken doubts.
Unsettling discontent .
Gu Zhaoping plays chess?
Grandfather seems to genuinely favor her.
It must be chess.
International chess.
But why?
How could she be good at something that Grandfather values?
Could she actually…be skilled?
Yesterday, he had wanted to ask
But he hadn’t .
There hadn’t been an opportunity.
And he refused to ask.
He wouldn’t give her that satisfaction .
He would rather believe it was a misunderstanding than actively investigate her hidden abilities .
Analyzing someone he despised discovering what made them good
Disgusted him.
He would rather deny it.
Ignore it.
Pretend it didn’t exist .
After all
It wasn’t like it would affect him.
Not like it was anything important .
The assistant received the task but was left completely stunned.
They were really going to have Miss Gu speak at a major meeting with investors present?
Wouldn’t the investors think their company was unprofessional?
But after considering the boss’s ability to control the situation, he relaxed a bit.
He probably planned to let Gu Zhaoping embarrass herself first, then step in to stabilize things.
After all, their company was not just any ordinary firm.
With Gu Zhaoye backed by the Gu family, even seasoned businesspeople would show some courtesy when dealing with him.
A minor hiccup in a meeting like this wouldn’t cause any real problems.
And no investor in their right mind would pass up an opportunity to work with the Gu family heir just because of a little mishap.
That would be downright stupid .
With that reassurance, the assistant finally relaxed a bit and went to inform Gu Zhaoping.
At the same time, Zhao, Gu Zhaoping’s personal assistant, had just come up from the parking garage.
Seeing the executive assistant about to knock on the door, she asked,
“Do you have business with Miss Gu?”
The executive assistant quickly regained his professional demeanor.
He said,
“Oh, President Gu has instructed that Miss Gu must attend this afternoon’s Quarterly Financial Summary Meeting and deliver a speech. Tell her to prepare.”
He held a freshly printed document still warm from the printer and casually tossed it into Zhao’s hands.
Zhao was shocked , her eyes widening.
Wait what ?!
She needed to attend the meeting and give a speech ?!
It would already be a miracle if she didn’t fall asleep during the meeting.
And now they expected her to speak ?
Did they think this was some kind of student council election ?!
“Wait a minute ”
She wanted to clarify things for Miss Gu, but the executive assistant bolted like he was fleeing a plague.
His pace quickened as he disappeared down the hallway.
Zhao was devastated .
She could practically feel thunderclouds forming above her head.
With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” came the calm response.
Bracing herself like a soldier heading into battle , Zhao closed her eyes and reported:
“Miss Gu, President Gu has sent this document. You are required to attend this afternoon’s meeting and deliver a speech…”
Her heart was racing , fearing an immediate explosion of rage .
Or worse what if Miss Gu asked her to go demand an explanation from President Gu?
She might as well just check into the hospital now .
But
To her surprise
Gu Zhaoping paused .
Then, instead of getting angry
She simply raised her hand in a gesture for Zhao to hand over the file.
That hand long, elegant, and exuding an undeniable authority .
Zhao was momentarily stunned .
Somehow, in that moment, she panicked and quickly handed over the document.
Without a word, Gu Zhaoping lowered her gaze and began reading.
The motion was natural as if she had done this countless times before .
She didn’t ask why .
She didn’t question any other instructions .
She didn’t get angry or rattled .
It was as if being expected to speak at an investment meeting was the most normal thing in the world .
As her eyes skimmed the financial report, Zhao watched nervously .
Gu Zhaoping hesitated for a second.
Then another second.
Finally, she fell silent .
She couldn’t help but think
They just…handed this to me?
Where was the difficulty ?
Where was the challenge ?
What about corporate confidentiality ?
Is Gu Zhaoye…completely brain-dead?
She didn’t dare dwell on that thought too long
Lest she start genuinely worrying about his health .
Flipping through the pages, she continued reviewing the report.
Gu Zhaoping had exceptional sensitivity to numbers.
It wasn’t just instinct or experience
She had an innate gift for analyzing data.
A complete data junkie .
Finding a speech topic for this meeting was easy a few read-throughs, and she could map out the key points.
At first, she remained calm thinking that Gu Zhaoye had simply given her a chance to make an impression.
She was surprised by his generosity.
…
But then
She realized something else.
The real surprise
Was just beginning .
Halfway through the report
Her hand froze .
For a brief second , she thought she had misread it.
How could it be this easy to spot such a massive issue?
She had effortlessly found a critical loophole
One that could be weaponized in a corporate battle.
And the best part ?
The idiot had handed it to her on a silver platter .
This confusion
This ridiculous absurdity
Made her furrow her brows and let out a small, amused chuckle .
She even shook her head at the sheer stupidity of it.
Zhao, watching carefully, was terrified .
What does that expression mean?
Is she angry?
Then, Gu Zhaoping calmly placed the report down .
“Call the head of the Finance Department . There is an error in this report. I need to determine whether it was a technical miscalculation in the reporting process Or if there is a discrepancy in the accounts themselves .”
She took a sip from her insulated tea cup , catching Zhao’s shocked expression.
Raising an eyebrow, she asked,
“Is there a problem?”
Zhao snapped back to reality .
“No, no problem at all!”
But inside
She was panicking .
This is bad!
This is so, so bad!
Miss Gu was actually going to question the financials ?!
The Finance Department was full of seasoned professionals .
Miss Gu had no business questioning their work!
Does she really plan to challenge President Gu directly?!
Does she even understand what she’s getting into?!
Zhao felt doomed
But still went to make the call.
Sure enough
The Finance Department was outraged .
They felt personally insulted .
“She found an issue? Miss Gu ?”
“She says there’s a major error in our financial reports?”
The Finance Director actually laughed in disbelief .
“What is it, the page numbers aren’t aligned ?!”