In this type of story, female leaders were almost unheard of.
Even when they existed, it was usually as matriarchs controlling the family through their sons — just like Ruan Nian had guessed about Gu Zhaoping’s intentions.
“No, not bold,”
Old Master Gu shook his head.
“Dazzling.”
Master Qi was taken aback.
He watched Old Master Gu turn and walk away with his cane, still not understanding why he held such high expectations for Gu Zhaoping.
But that wasn’t his business.
He scratched his head and thought — since he couldn’t even beat Gu Zhaoping at chess, he’d better not question anything else.
When the private plane landed in the city, the hosts welcomed them and arranged for their stay at a manor-style hotel.
Old Master Gu said,
“People from all over the world will be arriving in the next two days. Things will be busy, so for now, you should rest and prepare. In a couple of days, I’ll take you to meet some elders.”
Gu Zhaoping, knowing full well she’d need to show her true capabilities, gave a composed smile and replied,
“Alright, Grandpa.”
Old Master Gu looked at her a few more times.
His words had implied much — and it seemed Zhaoping understood.
This biennial summit was something Gu Zhaoping had researched thoroughly beforehand.
She even had a theory — not yet confirmed — and this gathering would be a chance to test it through real dialogue with major players in the global energy industry.
Though bold, she wasn’t reckless.
As she and her assistant Xiao Zhao dragged their suitcases toward their villa suite, Old Master Gu watched her go with a growing sense of satisfaction.
He was truly looking forward to seeing what kind of impression Zhaoping would make.
Meanwhile, Gu Kaichang was also looking forward to the event.
What kind of image could he leave in his grandfather’s mind?
In the world’s eyes?
He had arrived early in Los Angeles, trying to build connections, just to make a splash at the summit.
As the meeting approached, he grew restless, waiting for a call from his grandfather that never came.
Finally, unable to hold back, he called.
“Grandpa, when are you planning to arrive?”
“I’m already here,” the old man answered calmly.
Gu Kaichang was shocked — he hadn’t even been informed!
Maybe it was meant to be a surprise?
He quickly followed up,
“You’re already here? Where are you staying? I’ll come greet you properly. I can’t believe I didn’t ask in advance — letting you travel alone without any juniors to accompany you. I’m so sorry…”
“Sorry for what?”
Old Master Gu sounded puzzled.
On the other end, Gu Kaichang was still babbling, performing without anyone to play along.
“The organizers arranged everything. I don’t need you to welcome me.”
Gu Kaichang paused, then chuckled awkwardly,
“Yes, yes, the hosts are always thoughtful. You’ve got that classic business style, Grandpa. Us young folks go for flashy luxury, but that doesn’t match your refined taste.”
Old Master Gu didn’t know what nonsense Gu Kaichang was on about.
He was suddenly flattering him in a weirdly awkward way.
He couldn’t be bothered: “Alright, if you have something to say, say it. If not, hang up and go amuse yourself.”
The old man found himself strangely impatient.
Ever since spending more time with Gu Zhaoping, he’d lost tolerance for chatting with clueless brats like Kaichang.
Just a few more words and he’d get annoyed.
Gu Kaichang quickly interrupted before the line went dead.
“Wait, Grandpa — weren’t you going to say something?”
“I was? Oh, yes, actually I do have something to say.”
Gu Kaichang held his breath, listening intently.
But what he heard next was: “You’ve had your fun. Go hang out with your buddies and party if you want. Just don’t bother me.”
The old man said it lightly, but the shift was stark.
In the past, he would have scolded Gu Kaichang and ordered him to return home to do something productive.
But now?
He felt there was no point.
Whether Kaichang did “serious” work or not, it wouldn’t amount to much anyway.
In fact, the more power given to someone so lacking in sense, the more likely they were to mess things up.
It was better to keep such fools away from real decision-making.
For someone like Gu Kaichang, the greatest achievement would be to not cause trouble — and not hinder his smarter siblings who were really pushing the family forward.
“It’s a virtue to have self-awareness.”
After hanging up the call, Old Master Gu was surprised by how his mindset had changed, then quickly grew a little more at ease.
Something about this attitude felt oddly familiar—he realized it was exactly how he used to think about his granddaughter.
***
Gu Kaichang was stunned.
He hadn’t processed what just happened.
When he finally understood, he shouted in panic,
“Grandpa! Grandpa!”
“What about the summit in Los Angeles? Weren’t you planning to take me with you? I’ve been waiting here for ages!”
“Grandpa, you said you weren’t going to bring Gu Zhaoye—so doesn’t that mean you were planning to bring me? I’ve been waiting for you here!!”
But the phone had already hung up.
Old Master Gu hadn’t heard a word of his outburst.
Gu Kaichang stared blankly at his phone.
He was dressed to the nines in a custom-tailored suit, slicked to perfection, looking sharp and polished.
He had worked hard preparing for this appearance—been hitting the gym lately to improve his posture and figure.
Who would’ve thought his grandfather would hang up without a word?
Gu Kaichang panicked and quickly called again, but no matter how many times he dialed, he couldn’t get through.
Only then did he finally understand what “don’t disturb me” really meant—it was a literal do not disturb, like a physical phone block.
There would be no picking up today.
What about the summit?
What about all his preparation?
He had already bragged to his buddies and even talked to a potential business partner, planning to negotiate a deal there.
But now he couldn’t even attend—how was he supposed to proceed?
Gu Kaichang was completely dumbfounded.
After a long pause, he finally snapped out of it, stomping his feet in fury.
Was it Gu Zhaoye again?
Did that guy suck up to Grandpa behind his back and steal the opportunity?
Fuming, he contacted someone back home, shouting furiously,
“Gu Zhaoye! What did he do this time to butter up Grandpa? If I find out, I swear I’ll challenge him to a duel!”
Thinking of Gu Zhaoping only made him angrier.
He ground his teeth and muttered,
“That first branch of the family is really sly! First Gu Zhaoping hides her chess skills all these years, and now Gu Zhaoye’s pulling tricks too. Fine, they want to play this game with me, huh?!”
“And Gu Zhaoye’s in L.A. too, right? Then I need to find him and have a good talk. Hah, I don’t believe it—he’s been making scandals all over town for that little girlfriend of his, Grandpa’s been annoyed with him for ages. How did he still manage to win Grandpa over? What tricks did he pull…?”
On the other end of the call, the person paused, then cautiously replied,
“Young Master, the second young master of the first branch…he’s still in China?”
Gu Kaichang’s rant suddenly stopped.
His expression went blank.
“What? Gu Zhaoye is still in China? He didn’t come with Grandpa?”
He stood there, frozen.
Should he be happy…or even more confused?
Grandpa was already in Los Angeles—why was Gu Zhaoye still back home?
It’s not like he was that busy, or that important, that he’d have to arrive later than Grandpa, right?
So there was only one possibility: Gu Zhaoye didn’t come either.
Gu Kaichang’s not-so-brilliant mind went completely blank for a moment before the truth slowly dawned on him.
Wait a minute…
He immediately called his good buddy and longtime co-conspirator, Gu Yingjie, throwing brotherhood out the window: “You little punk! You secretly sucked up to Grandpa, didn’t you?! Get your butt over here and face me—I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”
Gu Yingjie was baffled.
He had just finished playing golf and hadn’t done anything wrong—suddenly, he was getting cursed out.
“Bro, what are you talking about? I didn’t do anything. I was just peacefully playing golf.”
That innocent-sounding tone only made Gu Kaichang angrier.
He roared,
“You’re playing golf with the energy industry elites in L.A., aren’t you? Trying to show off in front of me now?! Even I can’t keep up with you anymore! You’ve got the good connections now, sucking up to Grandpa—fine, let’s not even pretend we’re brothers anymore!”
“Bro! Bro! What are you saying?!”
Gu Yingjie was still holding his golf club, bewildered.
He glanced at his friends nearby, then stepped aside and lowered his voice, embarrassed,
“My friends are standing right here. You’re way too loud!”
“Your friends? So what if your friends are there?! Even if your dad was next to you, I’d still curse you out!”
Just then, Gu Kaichang suddenly paused.
Wait—if Gu Yingjie got brought here by Grandpa, and he’s even bringing friends along… does he really have that kind of pull?
At that moment, Gu Yingjie lost all patience.
“Bro, I’m literally playing golf near Haishi! I just found a course nearby to relax. What did I even do to deserve this?!”
“You’re not abroad? You’re not in L.A.?!”
“Of course not! If I were, how could I meet you so easily? Even if I rushed back now, it’d take at least an hour from Haishi!”
Now it was Gu Kaichang’s turn to freeze.
What?
Gu Yingjie is still in China too?
He stood there in a daze for a long while before his thoughts turned to their youngest brother, Gu Zhaosi, who was currently studying overseas.
He was about to throw a tantrum again—but Gu Zhaosi had long since blocked every single one of his family members.
He couldn’t reach him at all.
The more he thought about it, the angrier Gu Kaichang got.
Could it really be that the first branch of the family was this scheming?
Not only hiding Gu Zhaoping’s talent, now that Gu Zhaoye’s upset Grandpa, are they planning to send out Gu Zhaosi as a backup?
“Holy sh*t, did they arrange for Gu Zhaosi to study abroad just for this day?!”
Gu Kaichang was so furious he was practically fuming.
He mentally ran through every single male in the Gu family.
Cursed them all.
Tried to harass them all.
And yet—he never once thought of the actual person Grandpa brought with him.
***
Meanwhile, Gu Zhaosi suddenly sneezed twice.
He grabbed a tissue, annoyed, and wiped his nose.
His agent looked worried.
“You’re not catching a cold, are you? If you go skiing while sick, you could really mess up your body. Your voice is your most important asset.”
“I’m not sick. This temperature wouldn’t make me catch a cold. I’m perfectly healthy.”
Gu Zhaosi replied calmly.
He was the type of guy who’d strut along the West Coast in the middle of winter wearing ripped jeans and boxer briefs showing.
There was no way he’d bow to the cold.
Besides, he thought, this is prime ski season—gotta show off a little.