Shen Yifeng’s gaze reluctantly left the figure behind them.
After shaking hands and exchanging greetings, when he looked again, the familiar figure was gone, and scanning around found no sign of her.
He must have been mistaken.
Suppressing the uneasy feeling and subtle agitation in his heart, he returned to his seat to wait for the afternoon session.
The afternoon was for outstanding business leaders from various industries to give speeches, delving deeply into the summit’s theme.
If there was a good project, presenting it now would draw widespread attention.
His family’s group wasn’t strong in this area;
Shen Yifeng knew he was mainly here to listen and socialize, so he hadn’t invested much thought into it.
Still, that fleeting voice and vague figure he caught earlier cast a shadow in his heart, making him repeatedly recall it.
For the rest of the afternoon, he no longer focused on the podium like before, instead lowering his gaze to look at his clasped hands.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Was it her?
No, probably not.
Maybe just someone with a similar figure or voice.
There are too many lookalikes in the world.
How could he be sure?
Although Elder Gu came to the summit, Gu Zhaoping should still be filming that variety show and wouldn’t be here.
Maybe he was losing his mind.
Shen Yifeng realized he was developing a fixation.
This might become a tormenting inner demon.
He furrowed his brows, took several deep breaths.
Don’t spend too much energy on someone else’s changes.
No matter who Gu Zhaoping is or was, it’s none of your concern.
She’s just herself.
He repeated this to himself until he almost believed it.
“Regarding the development direction of new energy, our attending entrepreneurs have better ideas,” the forum host said with a smile, and the translation echoed through the hall.
Suddenly the microphone moved slightly, a sound sensitive enough to catch attention.
Then Shen Yifeng heard a voice.
“Our Gu Group has proposed a development direction this year.”
The woman on stage bowed her head slightly; the host was a bit shorter, so she initially leaned down to speak, then the microphone was adjusted higher and she straightened up, resting on the podium and quietly looking down.
In that fleeting moment—
Shen Yifeng’s eyes snapped up!
It takes only 3×10⁻⁸ seconds for light to form an image on the retina.
The distance between them was tiny, and before his brain fully registered it, his pupils shrank, then his heartbeat warned him not to show any unusual expression.
But in that moment, his hand immediately clenched the pen on the desk.
Someone nearby, who had been doodling, was startled and looked over at the young man who had been calm and attentive throughout the forum, wondering—
This guy wasn’t interested before, but now he’s so excited just because a talented businesswoman stepped up?
As the woman calmly and steadily explained her ideas, the low murmurs gradually quieted, as everyone seemed absorbed by the vision she painted.
She was young, dressed simply but elegantly in off-white formal wear, her hair neatly tied back, wearing no jewelry.
Her eyes were calm and bright, sleeves rolled to the elbow revealing lean arms with faint blue veins.
She leaned on the podium flipping through materials, no hair obscuring her face.
When she raised her head again, her voice was clear and powerful, spreading to every corner of the hall, mixing with the translation echoing off the walls.
Only then did murmurs arise again, as many people grew interested in her proposals.
Thus, they realized this woman was not only young and good-looking, but surprisingly impressive and captivating in her presentation.
In such a large setting, with leading companies, officials, and media from around the world, for someone under 30 to hold the room like that was remarkable.
Yet she did it effortlessly; no one ignored her, and all were drawn in to listen and reflect.
Even the man next to Shen Yifeng, who had been fiddling with his pen, listened with interest.
He looked around and, finding no one else paying attention, started talking to Shen Yifeng.
“What do you think of her?”
He asked, hoping for some unique insight from the most focused person here.
“Hello? Hello?”
He called twice before Shen Yifeng snapped back.
Embarrassed, Shen Yifeng asked,
“Did you hear what she just said? What do you think? Would you consider investing?”
But Shen Yifeng’s eyes seemed to just be coming back to him.
He quietly stared at the middle-aged man next to him, who felt a bit unnerved.
“Sorry, what did you say just now?”
“I mean, your thoughts on this lady…”
The man paused, glanced at her name tag on stage,
“Ms. Gu Zhaoping. Do you think her concept has potential?”
Shen Yifeng had been an attentive listener all his life—from classes to elders’ talks—never missing important information. It was his talent and skill.
But this was the first time, despite knowing it was important, that he involuntarily drifted away.
He hadn’t heard clearly.
In that brief yet endless moment, it felt like only one organ was fully engaged—his eyes fixed tightly on her, stunned and urgently searching for proof of why she was here, while his brain was confused.
His hearing was completely blank; he didn’t process what was said just now, nor what the man beside him was saying.
Only after a while did his focus narrow again.
Apologetically, he looked down at his clasped hands and said,
“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
The man beside him thought, What a strange person.
Is focusing on someone just a habit for him?
Shen Yifeng tried to look back at the stage, but dared not.
He quietly looked down at his clasped hands again.
Even if his gaze was unfocused, he could still feel his hands trembling slightly.
Why?
Why was he trembling?
More importantly, why was she here?
Why was Gu Zhaoping appearing at this summit, on this stage, representing the Gu family to present their ideas?
He had clearly thought that by now, he could completely forget about Gu Zhaoping.
So why did he see her again just like that?
Why was she so different from the image he had of her?
Why was she so strong, so confident, so bright, so calm and outstanding?
The emotions swept over him like a tide.
For the first time since that moment until now, Shen Yifeng realized what that painful feeling was.
He was regretting.
He was actually regretting.
After Gu Zhaoping finished speaking, she gripped the microphone and glanced over the audience.
Her gaze landed on the familiar seat —
Old Master Gu’s face.
He was listening with rapt attention, his face full of pride, even leading the applause for her.
He turned to speak to someone beside him, praising her with a few words.
Gu Zhaoping could read his lips: “My granddaughter, yes, my granddaughter.”
She smiled slightly, a quiet smile, diverting her gaze from Old Master Gu’s eyes, and calmly continued to look at the audience.
If you want a respectable identity, it’s best that you have done something respectable first — then others will naturally be eager to expose your relationship with them.
Her eyes seemed to scan a certain area of the audience, spotting a shadow somewhat familiar, but she didn’t pay much attention.
Her gaze simply swept below before continuing: “Next is the Q&A session. If anyone is interested in our project, you are welcome to ask questions, and I will answer any inquiries.”
Shen Yifeng noticed her gaze sweeping in this direction and felt his heart tighten, especially as Gu Zhaoping’s eyes seemed to pause for a moment.
He keenly caught the subtle hesitation.
He had expected her to meet his eyes, and his heart tensed for half a second, then slightly relaxed, wondering if at this moment he should hold her gaze for a few more seconds or look away.
But there was no need for him to think further.
Gu Zhaoping’s gaze casually scanned all the people below, as usual.
To her, all these elites and big shots gathered here were merely an audience.
Shen Yifeng’s heart suddenly relaxed sharply, unsure whether it was relief that her eyes did not linger on him, or a kind of unspeakable disappointment and disbelief.
But just then, through the crowd, a young and handsome man in the row next to him enthusiastically raised his hand.
“Ms. Gu, I have a question for you.”
Shen Yifeng abruptly looked up.