However, Coach Gao felt that these were not things he should be concerned about.
What family feuds?
He was just a jiu-jitsu coach.
Before leaving with his things, Coach Gao couldn’t help but stop and call out to Gu Zhaoping, saying,
“Client…when you have time, you can take a look at the trending topics.”
It always felt like the term “client” was more fitting for his position than calling her Miss Gu or some other title.
Gu Zhaoping was taken aback for a moment, wiping sweat with a towel.
“Thank you.”
In the past, Gu Zhaoping had a department specifically overseeing public opinion, and she also knew that platforms like Weibo played a significant role in the fermentation of public sentiment.
However, she usually didn’t go online and didn’t pay much attention to these things.
If we used a popular phrase nowadays, she just had no sense of the internet.
Or perhaps she could be considered an old-fashioned person.
This was because Gu Zhaoping preferred to live in her own real world and rarely accepted the opinions of others, nor was she influenced by them.
Unless it was necessary, she would accept other people’s opinions, but for her, that was market research.
She had a strong mental ability to survive without being connected to the rest of the world.
As for why Coach Gao wanted her to check out the trending topics?
Gu Zhaoping didn’t have much of an idea at the moment.
Was there some jiu-jitsu-related report she should be looking at?
Next time, he could just forward it to her.
After finishing a simple wash-up and settling everything, Gu Zhaoping finally found time to glance at the so-called trending topic.
Ruan Nian hospitalized?
Aside from this report, Gu Zhaoping couldn’t find anything related to her.
It seemed like Miss Gu had gone to catch her brother and injured someone, but unfortunately, she didn’t manage to hit Gu Zhaoye.
From Gu Zhaoye’s reaction when he returned to the old house that day, and what she knew about him, Gu Zhaoping thought Ruan Nian probably wasn’t seriously injured.
If the injury had been serious, then Gu Zhaoye would have definitely complained loudly when he came back that day.
As for why this was causing such a big stir on the trending topics, exaggerating the harm caused to her in exchange for more attention and concessions, it was only natural.
Especially for public figures, Gu Zhaoping wasn’t surprised at all.
She just hesitated for a moment, thinking that the timing of the news about Ruan Nian being hospitalized was unfortunate.
It was coming out just before the show was about to air, and it might not be good for the publicity later on.
But after all, she was the one who had hit someone, so when she went on the show, if the injury was really serious, she would be willing to bear the consequences.
An image of someone with responsibility was important to a company.
So many people had seen the conflict between Miss Gu and Ruan Nian.
She didn’t want to deny it by simply turning her head and wiping her mouth, but instead needed to take responsibility and handle the matter well.
A small matter, Gu Zhaoping quickly came to a conclusion on how to handle it.
In the next few days, she got up early every day to work out, went to work on time, and didn’t cause any unexpected issues.
Even the assistant, the driver, and others in the company gradually got used to her routine.
It looked like the young lady really was getting serious about working now!
They were nervous and confused, not knowing what kind of work the young lady would lead them to do now that the “old tiger” was no longer around.
But the last time Gu Zhaoping made the announcement, it was still so intriguing.
It shocked them and made them wonder: could it really be?
Did she have a plan?
Since Gu Zhaoye had been missing for a few days, no one raised any objections to Gu Zhaoping going to work.
Actually, there were some objections.
For example, Gu Zhaoping’s parents.
When they received a message from Gu Zhaoye saying that since Gu Zhaoping had been absent from the company for so long, her card would be suspended, and she would be penalized in her position…
They looked at each other, both knowing that Gu Zhaoye was planning revenge for the beating.
As parents, they wanted to mediate, but the siblings’ conflict had already become irreconcilable.
After all, Gu Zhaoye was the one who was beaten, and his reasons were hard to refute.
So, it would be better for Gu Zhaoping to rest for now and wait until things cooled down before lifting the suspension.
Anyway, she didn’t like going to work.
Who would have thought that the next day they received news that Gu Zhaoping went to the company!
She went to the company!
Not only did she go to the company, but she was also said to have spoken up at a meeting and made some serious suggestions!
Once the company was handed over to Gu Zhaoye, the rest of the Gu family rarely got involved.
Gu’s father, although the old Gu, had lived his life under the control of the old man and didn’t hold much real power.
He believed in his son’s abilities and never asked too many questions.
And after the humiliating failure of the financing, Gu Zhaoye definitely wouldn’t tell them.
Others also wouldn’t report it, so the couple remained unaware of the situation.
To make things worse, Gu’s father was out these days, and Mrs. Hua had been accompanying him, so they were both clueless and anxious.
Mrs. Hua advised Gu Zhaoping not to get too involved in the company’s matters.
She didn’t have the ability and would only cause more conflict with Gu Zhaoye.
But, after several days of hesitation, they didn’t dare to bring it up quickly for fear of offending her.
Until the day before the recording of the show, Mrs. Hua couldn’t help but worry that something might happen and went home early, stopping Gu Zhaoping.
“Zhaoping, what is it?”
In just a few days, she felt like her daughter had undergone a huge change, and the difference from before was really too big, making her almost unrecognizable.
Mrs. Hua was also a bit shocked by her daughter’s appearance, and she tried to speak but swallowed her words.
It wasn’t until she realized how much Gu Zhaoping had changed that she noticed she was no longer the same.
“Have you and Zhaoye been fighting a lot recently?”
She finally asked.
Once she started, it was much easier to continue,
“Zhaoye has been under a lot of pressure lately. That Gu Kaichang from the other family keeps fighting with him, trying to find faults. You, as Zhaoye’s sister, shouldn’t be holding him back at this time. That’s not good, right?”
“No matter what your conflict is, you should wait until the Gu family issue is resolved, then you can discuss how to deal with it privately. By then, Mom and Dad will definitely help you both fairly.”
After thinking for a while, Mrs. Hua couldn’t think of a more tactful way to say it, so she had to say it in a straightforward and earnest way.
She was afraid Gu Zhaoping wouldn’t understand if she didn’t explain it clearly.
Gu Zhaoping listened quietly and then raised her eyebrows, looking at Mrs. Hua with a slight surprise.
It was unexpected, almost as if she didn’t recognize the woman in front of her.
Mrs. Hua, who had found the main issue, was about to speak at length, but when she saw Gu Zhaoping staring at her, she was suddenly stopped and couldn’t continue.
What does this mean?
Why was she looking at her like that?
Did she think she was unwilling to admit defeat to Gu Zhaoye?
Mrs. Hua could only force a sigh and continue,
“Zhaoping, you are our first child, and you’re our daughter, so of course, we want to spoil you. But…you need to think about the whole family.”
“After all, this is a time of competition for power. Only if your brother becomes the heir of the Gu family will our status rise in the future.”
“This isn’t about you and your brother fighting. He’s supporting the entire family’s face, not that I’m blaming you. It’s just that I’m afraid you don’t understand the stakes here…”
Mrs. Hua kept speaking, but Gu Zhaoping suddenly let out a light laugh.
This laugh didn’t have any emotional inclination, nor did it carry any negative feelings.
But Mrs. Hua suddenly stopped talking, her face turning red.
It felt as though everything she had said had been mocked.
Of course, Gu Zhaoping wasn’t being impolite.
It was just how Mrs. Hua felt.
“These matters are for Gu Zhaoye, who failed the financing, to talk about,”
Gu Zhaoping said calmly.
She wasn’t angered by the words but rather seemed somewhat indulgent, as though she were dealing with a child who made an inappropriate joke.
Mrs. Hua had never felt this way before, even when facing Gu Zhaoping.
She felt a strong sense of contrast and embarrassment, suddenly realizing how much Gu Zhaoping had changed.
She hurriedly asked,
“What do you mean by that? What are you saying?”
“Didn’t Gu Zhaoye report to the family about the failure of the financing? The financial issues he caused?”
Gu Zhaoping glanced at her watch, realizing it was time for her to leave.
She decided to end it quickly.
“Gu Zhaoye must be in a bad mood lately. It’s also the peak of his competition with Gu Kaichang. If you have time, you should help him pay attention and make sure Gu Kaichang doesn’t find any more faults. Also, it would be best to get a result from this competition.”
“As for the financing failure, I’ve already reported it to Grandpa. After all, it was my suggestion to raise the issue, so I didn’t disappoint Gu Zhaoye’s expectations for me to speak at the meeting.”
Her tone was calm but full of sarcasm.
Mrs. Hua was shocked and couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
Her face turned pale!
She panicked, but Gu Zhaoping felt it was time to leave and started walking out.
Mrs. Hua hurried to catch up: “Zhaoping, tell me what happened. What issue did you raise? How did Zhaoye fail the financing?!”
“Mom, you should already know what Zhaoye reported to you about the situation.”
Gu Zhaoping quickened her pace, her tone slightly faster.
She was sharp and had overheard the assistant’s phone report when she went to the company earlier.
Gu Zhaoye had used her not going to the company as an excuse for revenge, saying he would suspend her card.
After going to the company, Gu Zhaoping had already contacted the bank.
She was eager to see how Gu Zhaoye would manage to suspend her card.
The old Miss Gu, even though she lived off the Gu family, still had assets, including a family trust fund. Without Gu Zhaoye, she would live just fine.
Gu Zhaoye’s threats seemed laughable to her.
Whether it was provocation or revenge, he had chosen such a superficial method, which did nothing to fundamentally undermine his opponent.
It didn’t even lower the opponent’s image in the eyes of the most important person, Grandpa.
Instead, he chose the most ridiculous thing suspending her card.
Did he think that was impressive?
“No, this can’t be! Zhaoye is so excellent; he’s never made a mistake before ”
“Mom, I want to ask you a question,”
Gu Zhaoping said calmly.
“If you and Dad both had inheritance rights to a company, who would you choose to manage it?”
Mrs. Hua didn’t know how to respond to such a sudden question, but Gu Zhaoping was too forceful for her to ignore.
She had no choice but to follow her lead: “O-Of course, it would be your dad. He’s good at managing the company. I’m indecisive, and as a woman, I tend to be soft-hearted and don’t like doing business dealings…”
Gu Zhaoping sighed lightly.
“I think I now understand why you trust Gu Zhaoye so much.”
“I don’t know who brainwashed you, making you choose to hand over power when it’s right in front of you. Didn’t you ever think that when you have power, you can set the rules of the game?”
Mrs. Hua was stunned, as though she didn’t understand what Gu Zhaoping was saying.
“Mom, do you know what the face of the Gu family is?”
Gu Zhaoping said gently, but her tone was so strong, something Mrs. Hua had never seen before.
“It is Grandpa’s favoritism between Gu Kaichang and me. It is the private language system I established with Grandpa.It’s him introducing me to his circle of friends, taking me into his social circle.”
“It is that, apart from traditional business skills, I have something that makes him proud in front of his old friends, something that makes Grandpa want to be proud of me.”
“It is in front of Grandpa that I earn face for the Gu family.”
Mrs. Hua was dumbfounded.
She had never expected to hear such words from Gu Zhaoping.
These words had a huge impact on her thinking.
“If you don’t understand, I suggest you ask Grandpa in detail about what I’ve been doing these days.”
Gu Zhaoping neither had the time nor the interest to repeat what she had done for Grandpa to these parents.
They just needed to ask Grandpa.
He would be more than happy to explain.
Time was indeed running out.
The minute hand moved again, and it finally reached the limit that Gu Zhaoping could tolerate.
She lowered her wrist, raised her head, and looked at Mrs. Hua.
“It’s not just him who can suppress the Gu family. It can be me too.”
“It’s not only when his position is higher that the Gu family’s status rises. When my position is higher, the same can happen.”
“I don’t think you are biased towards me. The real bias is giving me the right to speak.”
“I can go much farther than him.”
Gu Zhaoping smiled indifferently, brushed past her mother, and walked out of the old house.
Mrs. Hua stood there dazed.
A strange feeling surged in her heart, but she couldn’t explain why she felt this way.
When she finally understood what Gu Zhaoping had said, she suddenly shivered and quickly picked up the phone to call Grandpa.
“Grandpa, sorry to disturb you. By the way, I just want to ask what Zhaoping did when she came to see you that day? Was there anything inappropriate?”
At first, he seemed happy that she contacted him, but then he seemed surprised by her question.
“What are you thinking? What’s inappropriate? Zhaoping behaved very appropriately!”
“You have no idea how cool she was that day. She knocked Old Qi down! Don’t say our family, even the players I’ve competed with in the past can’t compare to her level, and she’s so young!”
“Are you secretly training Zhaoping and waiting for her to impress me? Haha, forget it, I won’t ask anymore. I know what you mean, it’s about hiding your strength.”
“But the Gu family’s reputation needs to be salvaged, and Zhaoping has been exposed. That’s great, let everyone see just how amazing my granddaughter is!”
…
His tone was full of pride.
Mrs. Hua couldn’t hear much of what Grandpa was saying next.
She felt like she was standing in water, the sound of bubbling water in her ears, in a daze.