“I had my reasons. I promise, if I ever want to protect your reputation again, I’ll talk to you first. I won’t act rashly, okay?”
But Gu Zhaoye remained silent for a long time.
Then he asked,
“About Liang Zhiwei—have you lied to me?”
Ruan Nian’s face turned pale in an instant.
What did he mean by that?
She had brought him on the show using the excuse that Liang Zhiwei might try to smear her.
Was he now implying she had fabricated that?
Was he really that protective of Liang Zhiwei?
“No, Zhaoye, I swear I didn’t lie. Everything I said is true…”
Gu Zhaoye thought back to the day’s events.
It had all started because Ruan Nian called him to back her up—and after arriving, he ran into Liang Zhiwei, lost control, and ended up trending online with Gu Zhaoping.
If this had all been a lie by Ruan Nian…then he had been a complete fool.
For the first time, he began to truly question whether all the times he had humiliated Liang Zhiwei in the past had been influenced by Ruan Nian’s exaggerations.
It was the first time he had ever doubted her like this—but the suspicion had already rooted itself in his heart and wouldn’t go away.
Since Ruan Nian didn’t say anything more, Gu Zhaoye gradually calmed down.
He didn’t ask further.
Just said coldly while staring ahead:
“After this mess, don’t ever call me out like that again.”
He was already grinding his teeth in frustration—scolded by Grandpa, embroiled in a scandal.
And worst of all?
Now, many people might start suspecting he had failed at raising funds, and question his capability.
Even if he knew it was just bad luck, would others?
Not to mention he had offended President Hou today.
As he drove, he suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore and slammed the steering wheel with his fist, startling Ruan Nian.
She thought he was lashing out at her.
“I’m sorry. I won’t ever ask you for help like this again,” she apologized bitterly.
Then asked tentatively,
“Do you…want me to go with you to explain things to Grandpa? To tell him you only did all this for me?”
Gu Zhaoye grew even more annoyed.
He didn’t even want to look at her.
How had he never realized how stupid Ruan Nian could be?
Grandpa was furious and demanding he reflect—would he really want to see Ruan Nian now?
All these years, even if he pampered her, he had never introduced her to his family.
Did she really think that after this incident, he’d take her to face Grandpa?
Suddenly, Gu Zhaoye froze.
He couldn’t believe he was thinking of Ruan Nian this way—seeing her as scheming.
That only made his mood worse.
Something felt wrong.
“Forget it, just stay out of it. I’ll go apologize to Grandpa tomorrow. He won’t be that mad when he sees me.”
Only then did Ruan Nian breathe a sigh of relief.
“Okay, once Grandpa sees you, he definitely won’t be angry anymore. Maybe he’s just mad from missing you.”
Gu Zhaoye only grunted, not interested in continuing the conversation.
The car turned, and Ruan Nian noticed the road looked increasingly familiar—he was dropping her off at her place.
She glanced at him and asked,
“Zhaoye…I’m not going to your place tonight?”
But this had never happened before.
Gu Zhaoye had always been the type who acted like every reunion was a honeymoon—whenever he hadn’t seen her for a while, he would cling to her as if they couldn’t be separated.
But this time, he had sent her home without hesitation?
Was he really that angry?
“Go on up.”
Ruan Nian looked at him with a bit of grievance, but in the end, she didn’t dare say anything more and simply got out of the car.
It wasn’t until she watched the luxurious car drive away that she suddenly remembered—she hadn’t told Sister Li she needed to fire her yet.
Ruan Nian shut her eyes tightly for a moment.
This was a problem she would have to face eventually.
No matter how hard it was to say, she had to say it.
She picked up her phone and called Sister Li.
“Nian Nian, I’ve already finished giving my statement. I’m out of the police station. Everything’s fine. Are things okay on your side? I haven’t had time to check the online rumors yet—maybe you can find someone else to help you handle that?”
Sister Li’s first instinct was to show concern for Ruan Nian.
The more Ruan Nian listened, the guiltier she felt.
The more kindly Sister Li spoke, the harder it was to bring herself to say what she had to say.
“This time it’s serious…sigh, Sister Li…the boss says you have to be fired. Can you accept that?”
Sister Li, still rambling with concern on the other end, suddenly went quiet—like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
After a moment of silence, she asked,
“The boss wants to fire me?”
She couldn’t believe it.
“Nian Nian, did you agree to it?”
“Of course I didn’t,”
Ruan Nian replied.
Sister Li finally let out a breath of relief, feeling touched.
But then Ruan Nian continued,
“But the boss is really firm on this. He says I have to fire you, or there’s no way to explain things to the public. I don’t have a choice. I can’t go against him. Just… find a chance to resign on your own, okay?”
“I don’t want things to get too ugly. Being fired is so embarrassing. We’ve worked together for so many years—this is the last bit of dignity I can give you.”
Ruan Nian kept talking on her end, but Sister Li felt like she couldn’t hear any of it anymore.
What did this mean?
How could this be?
Ruan Nian was the company’s pillar—their biggest earner, a golden goose.
If she had insisted, the boss wouldn’t have pushed this far.
Even though this incident was big, Ruan Nian didn’t even realize that—
Was she making Sister Li take the fall?
What did “don’t let it reach the point of being fired, just resign” mean?
Someone at Sister Li’s level, if she were formally dismissed, would be entitled to a hefty severance package!
And this incident wouldn’t really hurt her record.
Plus, everyone in the industry knew her reputation.
But if she resigned of her own accord, she would get nothing.
Suddenly, Sister Li realized: why was she even thinking about these things now?
Shouldn’t she be shocked at how heartless Ruan Nian was?
Sister Li stayed silent for a long while, then asked,
“Nian Nian, did you really not try to plead with the boss at all? You know we’ve worked together for years. Changing assistants suddenly will affect your work.”
Ruan Nian knew that too, of course.
But she didn’t want to argue with the boss anymore.
And only by firing Sister Li could she calm the fans and throw the blame onto someone else—she still needed to explain that gathering those fans hadn’t been her doing.
“Sister Li, I really understand—you’ve worked here for so many years. But don’t worry. I’ll keep doing well. I won’t let you down. I believe one day you’ll see me reach the top of the entertainment industry.”
Sister Li listened quietly.
She didn’t say a word, but her hands began to tremble.
Then gradually, they stopped trembling.
It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her—she was completely chilled.
Only now did she really understand:
Ruan Nian never planned to plead on her behalf.
Not even once.
For a moment, she seemed to wake up.
All these years of helping Ruan Nian—what was it for?
Was it really just so Ruan Nian could reach the top of the entertainment world?
Even now, Ruan Nian was still talking about fulfilling her “expectations.”
But was that really what Sister Li had hoped for?
Her mind felt like it had been plunged into icy water.
She was suddenly very calm.
She had treated Ruan Nian like her own daughter—maybe even better than most mothers.
But now it all felt meaningless.
Whether from Ruan Nian’s perspective or her own, none of it had any meaning anymore.
Because no one else would ever be willing to take the blame for Ruan Nian so unconditionally again.
Sister Li suddenly laughed.
“Alright, Nian Nian.”
“Then I’ll see you around. Don’t be too surprised if you run into me somewhere else.”
Ruan Nian frowned.
Although she did feel a bit reluctant to see Sister Li go, it had come to this.
So all she could say was,
“I won’t, Sister Li. I’ll work hard from now on. I’ll definitely make my career a success.”
After hanging up, Sister Li just chuckled to herself.
She pulled up her contacts and scrolled to a number she hadn’t used in a long time.
“Do the terms you offered to poach me a few years ago still stand?”
The person on the other end paused in surprise, then said,
“Of course.”
“What changed your mind? Back then I offered a really high salary, and you still stayed loyal to that stingy company.”
Sister Li didn’t answer.
But anyone familiar with the industry would recognize the person on the line—it was a senior executive at a top entertainment company, one that stood in direct opposition to Ruan Nian’s agency.
“Oh right, I heard you’re about to acquire a smaller company. Isn’t Liang Zhiwei signed with them?”
“Yeah. Why? Interested in Liang Zhiwei?”
“Nothing much. Just saying—looks like Liang Zhiwei and I will be colleagues soon,”
Sister Li replied casually.
“Oh, and I’m especially good at managing that type of artist.”
***
Next morning
Gu Zhaoye woke up restless and irritated.
So many things had been bothering him that he hadn’t slept well.
His eyes still had dark circles under them.
He quickly washed up and changed clothes, buttoning his coat as he headed downstairs to the car.
Today, he was going to visit his grandfather at the care facility.
But when he arrived at the gate, the security—who usually let him in right away—stopped him.
Instead, someone politely told him,
“I’m sorry, Second Young Master. Please go back. The old master isn’t here today.”
Gu Zhaoye was puzzled.
The old man didn’t have any plans lately, except for the upcoming summit in a few days.
But he wouldn’t have left this early, and he certainly would’ve informed the family.
Normally, he just stayed at this care facility—he wouldn’t go anywhere else.
The only possibility was that he’d gone out to play chess with some old friends.
“I have something important to discuss with Grandpa. Can you please inform him?”
Gu Zhaoye spoke with a lowered voice.
But the security guard’s expression didn’t change.
He still wore a flawless polite smile as he replied,
“I’m sorry, Second Young Master. The old master is no longer in the country. He’s probably on the plane right now, and we can’t reach him.”
Gu Zhaoye froze.
His expression shifted sharply.
“What? On a plane?”
He couldn’t believe it.
A sudden thought struck him, and he asked urgently: “Where is Grandpa going?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.