Gu Zhaoye still couldn’t figure it out.
It suddenly occurred to him—had the old man already departed?
But…was that normal?
This summit was a major event for the entire Gu family.
Even if they didn’t announce it publicly and with great fanfare, they should at least have had a meal together to send the old man off.
Besides, there’s no way the old man would have gone alone.
He’d stepped down a long time ago.
Now was the time to promote the younger generation of the Gu family.
In such an important setting, wouldn’t he at least bring one of them along to make an appearance?
It didn’t make sense.
He frowned and asked,
“Did Grandpa not leave any message?”
Gu Zhaoye had to admit—at this point, a small wave of anxiety had begun to creep into his heart.
He had always believed that attending this summit was simply following the family’s arrangement, and in some ways, it was more of a burden to him.
He had to obey his grandfather and perform well, socializing with various elders and powerful figures.
Gu Zhaoye had always been a lone wolf in the business world—he was used to making others yield, never the other way around.
Now, having to present himself, seek investors—it was already difficult.
So when he failed to attract funding last time, his first reaction was to storm off angrily, shutting himself away, instead of immediately seeking out the problem or clarifying the misunderstanding with President Hou.
What a joke—he was a domineering CEO!
How could a CEO do such a thing?
But now, with the old man disappearing without a trace or even leaving any instructions, a thread of panic finally took root in his heart.
Still, he didn’t want to believe the faint suspicion in his mind was actually true.
Was the old man really not planning to take him?
Was he really going to miss this opportunity?
An uneasy restlessness began to stir inside Gu Zhaoye.
He had already missed out on President Hou’s investment—where would the next opportunity come from?
How was Yuanqi Tech going to continue?
If things kept going like this, would he ever gain the full approval of the family to take over the Gu empire?
Since birth, he’d always told himself—and firmly believed—that he was the most qualified, smartest grandson in the Gu family.
A born genius—though he didn’t really know where that reputation came from.
It had just always been said.
Everyone in the business world treated him with a kind of reverent respect.
But recently, for reasons he couldn’t explain, a subtle sense of doubt and uncertainty had crept in, as if his position were being vaguely threatened.
Where was this threat coming from?
Gu Zhaoye hadn’t figured it out yet.
He frowned at the security guard, waiting for an answer.
But the guard just shook his head and said:
“No, sir. The old master didn’t leave any message.”
Gu Zhaoye stood in place with a grim expression for a long time, still unable to make sense of it.
Just as he was about to leave with a cold face, the security guard suddenly received a call.
He responded with a few surprised
“Ah, ah”s, clearly receiving instructions.
He turned back and called out,
“Young master! Second young master!”
Gu Zhaoye stopped in his tracks.
He knew it.
The old man must have left some instructions—he was probably just angry earlier.
His leather shoes paused lightly on the ground, his head tilted slightly, waiting to hear the message from the security guard.
Was he being asked to take a plane to Los Angeles to meet the old man?
Or to receive a scolding?
He was familiar with how these things went.
He stood there calmly—but the next thing he heard was:
“The old master says for the next episode of Four Seasons of the Elite Families, it’s the second young master who should participate! Also, don’t forget to complete the eldest young lady’s tasks properly—don’t embarrass her!”
The security guard hung up the call and relayed this cheerfully to Gu Zhaoye.
In an instant—
The confident, calm expression on Gu Zhaoye’s face disappeared without a trace.
“What?”
Let him join that show?
Did they think he was free?!
He had serious business to attend to!
He wasn’t some idle loafer like Gu Zhaoping!
And what did they mean by “don’t embarrass the eldest young lady by failing her tasks”?
Was he supposed to take orders from Gu Zhaoping now?
It was utterly absurd.
He had never heard such instructions before.
In disbelief, he rushed forward and snatched the communicator from the guard to confirm.
But the call had already been cut.
The guard blinked, then quickly took the device back and said,
“Second young master, the old master’s plane has already taken off. You can’t reach him now. I’m just passing on his words, and look—there’s even a recording.”
He pressed a button, and the old man’s voice replayed clearly in the earpiece, repeating the exact same message as before.
Gu Zhaoye’s face turned visibly darker as he listened.
What did that mean?
If he was going to the show…what about Gu Zhaoping?
Would they have to work together?
Was the old man trying to get them both on the show at the same time—like those famous siblings Li Xunwen and Li Xunxi, to stir up some kind of “sibling bonding” narrative?
Just the thought made his skin crawl!
At that moment, Gu Zhaoye sharply drew in a breath and instinctively raised a hand to his still-sore face.
If he had to see Gu Zhaoping again, he wasn’t sure he could suppress the fury in his chest.
What a disaster.
He took several deep breaths and finally forced himself to calm down.
So Grandpa wanted him and Gu Zhaoping to appear on the show together, huh?
Fine.
He’d do it—just once.
He missed the first episode and wasn’t familiar with the rules, which led to a slight setback.
But next time, he’d be there from the start—he didn’t believe he could lose again.
Since the old man had given such orders, he might as well go once and pacify him.
The summit could wait.
There would always be more opportunities in the future—it wasn’t like missing this one would erase him from the business world.
As long as the old man kept mingling with the big players, he’d definitely promote him again when the chance came.
What family doesn’t cultivate its successors?
He promptly messaged Ruan Nian: “What’s the theme for the next episode?”
Ruan Nian replied in a daze,
“Extreme sports.”
Then she quickly followed up: “Zhaoye, are you joining the next episode too?”
Gu Zhaoye gave a calm
“Mm.”
Ruan Nian immediately lit up with excitement.
So he wasn’t leaving!
Extreme sports—it was a good choice.
Gu Zhaoping wasn’t skilled at that sort of thing, and didn’t seem interested either.
Although recently Gu Zhaoping seemed to be secretly training in martial arts and had become quite formidable when fighting…
Still, just like the siblings Li Xunwen and Li Xunxi, he held a simple and blind confidence:
If someone’s never been interested in something, they couldn’t possibly master it in a short time.
Suppressing the strange irritation and unease in his heart, Gu Zhaoye finally turned and left the sanatorium.
Meanwhile, on the old master’s private jet—
“Old Qi, old Qi, bet you didn’t expect this—I brought Zhaoping along too.”
The old master laughed heartily, seated before a game of chess, as sweat formed on Master Qi’s brow across from him.
He glanced at Gu Zhaoping sitting beside him.
Her hands rested calmly on her knees, her expression serene, even with a hint of relaxed gentleness in her smile.
Master Qi’s cheeks kept twitching, and Old Master Gu felt absolutely delighted in his heart.
The elite circle in Haishi (Sea City) was small, and he knew that Master Qi was quite popular among them.
Many children from prominent families would seek him out if they wanted to learn chess from a young age.
There was even a boy from the Li family who was said to be Qi’s disciple.
Apparently, he had some talent — at least better than Old Master Gu’s own grandsons.
When he heard this before, he had felt envious, wishing that child were his own.
After all, none of his grandsons had shown any special aptitude.
But now, he felt no envy at all.
Watching Master Qi scratching his head and ears in frustration, he couldn’t hide the joy on his face, his expression brimming with smugness and mockery.
After another round of chess, Master Qi seemed reluctant to continue.
Looking at the chess pieces, his hand trembled slightly before he said to Gu Zhaoping,
“Shall we take a break?”
Gu Zhaoping nodded with a smile.
“As you wish, Master Qi.”
Master Qi shivered slightly.
That title…was far too flattering now.
He wiped his sweat and went to rest in the next cabin.
Old Master Gu followed him over.
Master Qi glanced at him with a face full of bitterness and a trace of grievance, saying,
“Happy now, aren’t you?”
Old Master Gu turned his head away with a composed look.
“Oh, by the way, are you not bringing Gu Zhaoye or your other grandsons to the summit this time? Only Zhaoping?”
When Old Master Gu heard this, he looked back.
Across the cabin, Gu Zhaoping sat calmly by the chair they had just used, pouring tea slowly and deliberately — not rushed at all, already carrying the demeanor of a capable leader.
“Don’t you think Zhaoping is quite reliable?”
Old Master Gu asked Master Qi, without even turning his head.
After watching her for a while, Master Qi resignedly nodded.
“Indeed, very reliable.”
During the trip, Master Qi had spent time with Gu Zhaoping and had to admit — she was socially adept and didn’t have any obvious flaws.
“Do you know she was the one who pointed out the financing problem in Gu Zhaoye’s failed deal?”
Old Master Gu lowered his voice, glancing at Gu Zhaoping and murmuring,
“It just goes to show how dangerous stereotypes can be. We used to think of Zhaoping as a spoiled rebel who couldn’t do anything right, so we didn’t pay her much attention. But lately, I’ve discovered that she actually has many strengths. Everything she does, she excels at.”
Master Qi was stunned.
“She’s that capable?”
“And no objections from your family about her stepping up?” he asked.
“What objections could they possibly have?”
Old Master Gu’s reverie broke, his tone turning disdainful and disappointed.
“A bunch of good-for-nothings, none of them are as smart as their sister.”
He used to get angry talking to Gu Zhaoye and Gu Kaichang.
They never seemed to understand what he was saying, and tasks he gave them were rarely completed properly.
But Gu Zhaoping was different.
She could understand three things from one instruction.
If you explained something halfway, she could finish it completely and flawlessly.
Now he understood how a teacher must feel seeing a gifted student.
This summit was also a test — a chance to observe whether Zhaoping was truly as good as she seemed and what other talents she might have.
“It’s rare to see someone bring a female heir to such events. Isn’t that a bit bold? Do you think Zhaoping might face trouble during social interactions?”
Master Qi asked, with no ill intent, just a natural concern.
After all, in this world of powerful families and corporate empires, the ones in control were typically men.
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