He cautiously continued,
“Sis, don’t tell me…at the closing ceremony, you’re going to give a speech on your own?”
Gu Zhaoping finally stopped, turning to look at Gu Zhaosi with a hint of amusement.
“What else would I be here for?”
Gu Zhaosi sucked in a sharp breath.
His expression immediately turned solemn.
Listen to his sister’s words!
So confident, so proud!
This was the confidence of absolute strength!
—Though he had no idea what kind of strength his sister actually possessed or what else she was capable of.
Gu Zhaosi, full of doubts and disbelief, followed her into the estate.
If he could stay in this estate for a couple of days, of course he would—way better than going back to his tiny apartment, right?
Still lost in thought, Gu Zhaosi climbed the stairs, when suddenly he heard the “tap tap” of a cane hitting the steps.
He looked up, startled—maybe too abruptly—and collided with an old man at the corner.
Gu Zhaosi: “!”
Both of them jumped in shock!
Gu Zhaosi stepped back half a step, while the old man’s eyes widened in disbelief, nearly falling backward.
Gu Zhaosi hurriedly reached out to catch him!
But his reaction was too slow, and he couldn’t make it in time.
Just then, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, Gu Zhaoping swiftly flipped over the railing from the upper staircase, landed on their level, and caught the old man!
What the—?!
Gu Zhaosi plastered himself against the wall, completely stunned by the scene!
What just happened?
Gu Zhaosi was on the stairs from the first to the second floor, Gu Zhaoping was on the stairs from the second to the third, and this old man was slowly walking across the second-floor landing, seemingly a bit disoriented.
The moment he collided with Gu Zhaosi, Gu Zhaoping vaulted over the railing from the upper level and caught him!
Gu Zhaosi was utterly dumbfounded, staring in shock!
No way, sis, you’re showing off your skills this fast?!
I knew you could ski, fight, and do jujitsu, but I didn’t know you could do parkour too?!
He whipped his head around to the old man, a chill running down his spine, and let out a broken scream: “…Grandpa!”
The old man was genuinely shaken too.
Held tightly by Gu Zhaoping, he hurriedly adjusted his glasses, looked at the person in front of him, and widened his eyes:
“Gu Zhaosi?”
It had been a long time since he’d seen this kid.
The old man could hardly believe it, but once he realized it was really his grandson, a mix of old and new grudges surged up.
Who was it that said his immediate family hadn’t died yet, so there was no need to return to the country?
The old man immediately reached out to twist Gu Zhaosi’s ear.
“Ow ow ow ow ow, Grandpa, you can’t get physical!”
Gu Zhaosi yelped in pain, quickly begging his sister for help!
Gu Zhaoping didn’t look at him, only saying lightly,
“Why hasn’t Grandpa rested yet? Did we wake you?”
The old man’s hand, still twisting Gu Zhaosi’s ear, paused.
He turned back, startled, and said,
“Oh, it’s Zhaoping! Good thing you were here, or Grandpa would’ve taken a big fall. At my age, I can’t handle…”
He rambled on for a while before getting to the point, pulling out his phone.
“I was supposed to rest, but you know your Uncle Qi is in town too, right? Didn’t we contact him to help you apply for that record? It’s been finalized, and it’ll be announced in the next couple of days. He’s here to meet a junior he’s very fond of, and he’s in the tea room right now.”
Gu Zhaoping nodded and said,
“I’ll go entertain Uncle Qi.”
Gu Zhaosi stared blankly as his sister left.
Wow, she’s too smooth.
After a day of intense activity—skiing, saving people, and taking a helicopter back—she’d just arrived at the estate and was already off to entertain guests?
Man, was his sister’s energy limitless?
He was exhausted like a dog, with no mood to deal with anyone!
His sister was truly a natural at socializing!
The old man nodded with satisfaction, watching Gu Zhaoping stride off.
Then he turned back, and in Gu Zhaosi’s slowly returning gaze, he fiercely twisted his ear again.
“You little punk, you actually dared to come back!”
“Ow ow ow ow ow, Grandpa, I didn’t come back, I didn’t! I’m still in LA, aren’t I?”
The old man froze, suddenly realizing he was the one who’d gone abroad, not Gu Zhaosi returning home.
He got even angrier: “You little brat, you still haven’t come back?!”
Gu Zhaosi wailed,
“No, wait, am I supposed to know to come back or not?!”
“Didn’t you say your immediate family hasn’t died yet? Huh? When are you going to return to the country? Do you have to wait until I’m in the grave?”
Gu Zhaosi, wincing in pain, pleaded,
“Grandpa, today I almost became your deceased immediate family! Spare me, please!”
The old man paused, then let go.
He asked suspiciously,
“What’s that about?”
After hearing about the day’s thrilling events and learning that Gu Zhaoping saved him, the old man looked just as shocked as Gu Zhaosi.
He slowly turned his head, glancing in the direction where Gu Zhaoping had disappeared.
“Zhaoping can do all that?”
Finally released, Gu Zhaosi rubbed his ear with lingering fear, knowing he shouldn’t have come back.
But he quickly said,
“Yeah, Grandpa, didn’t you know? My sister’s amazing at skiing. Oh, by the way, did you bring her here for the summit? You’re not bringing Gu Zhaoye or…Gu Kaichang?”
The old man snapped back to reality, snorting coldly,
“When have those two ever been reliable? If they were half as dependable as your sister, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”
Gu Zhaosi nodded in agreement.
Exactly—thinking about how those two didn’t gain any favor made him feel a bit better.
Fearing the old man would start scolding him again, he hurriedly said,
“Grandpa, Uncle Qi’s still waiting. Let’s head in.”
The old man, with a sour expression, let Gu Zhaosi support him as they walked toward the tea room.
Halfway there, the old man suddenly remembered something, shook off Gu Zhaosi’s hand, and said,
“I’m going to the bathroom. Why are you helping me back?”
Gu Zhaosi awkwardly let go, letting his grandpa go.
He then quietly slipped into the tea room.
Gu Zhaosi’s least favorite thing in the world was meeting guests or entertaining people.
Socializing, especially with elders and relatives, was pure torture.
Their family valued etiquette so much—every uncle and aunt had to be addressed respectfully, every action had to be flawless, every courtesy observed.
How could an ordinary person handle that?
Gu Zhaosi was already dreading it when he walked in and saw his sister sitting across from Master Qi, smiling and chatting effortlessly, completely at ease in such a setting.
…His sister was truly extraordinary!
Master Qi was deep in conversation when he noticed Gu Zhaosi, his gaze shifting over.
Gu Zhaosi froze, managing only a nervous smile and a nod before slinking to a corner to sit down.
Master Qi might’ve asked him a question or two, but he was so engrossed in talking with Gu Zhaoping that he merely nodded and dove back into their lively discussion.
Gu Zhaosi let out a huge sigh of relief, picking up a teacup from the table and taking a sip.
A voice nearby said,
“Would you like to try this tea?”
Gu Zhaosi nearly jumped out of his skin.
He turned to see a young man standing there.
It was the same tea master from last time.
Grandpa Gu was very pleased with his skills and always brought him along to entertain guests.
Gu Zhaosi took the tea he offered—it was brewed well.
But as he glanced up, why did it feel like this tea master kept lingering around his sister?
Was it his imagination?
Why did it seem like the guy had styled his eyebrows and hair?
His outfit was some kind of new Chinese style—loose, but you could see the lines of his muscles and fair skin as he moved.
And his sister’s tea wasn’t even finished, yet he’d refilled it three times already.
His sister, though, remained unfazed, calmly chatting with Master Qi.
Weird.
Why were so many guys hovering around his sister?
Gu Zhaosi looked suspicious.
At that moment, the old man finally returned.
Once seated, he got to the point,
“By the way, Zhaoping, your Uncle Qi is here to meet that junior he’s very fond of, right? You’re about the same age, so I thought it’d be a good chance for you two to meet and exchange ideas. He’s also a chess enthusiast, incredibly talented.”
Gu Zhaoping had no objections, nodding,
“I’ll follow your lead.”
The old man and Uncle Qi exchanged pleased smiles, looking at each other. But Gu Zhaosi suddenly froze.
Wait, something’s off.
Someone they describe like that…it couldn’t be…
“My junior is Ni Tiansong. He’s a great person with excellent character. Zhaoping, meet him a few times—you’ll definitely like him. I think you two would make great friends,”
Master Qi said with a smile, stroking his beard.
His words were polite, but everyone present could tell the implication was anything but subtle.
Gu Zhaosi was dumbfounded.
What’s that supposed to mean?
They’re trying to set his sister up with Ni Tiansong?!
The old man smiled too.
Ever since he learned Zhaoping planned to break off her engagement with Shen Yifeng, he’d had other ideas.
Zhaoping was still young—she shouldn’t be tied to just Shen Yifeng.
Shen Yifeng was indeed outstanding for his generation, and letting him go was a pity.
But there were others just as outstanding, if not more so.
The old man had been wanting to scout some quality young men for Zhaoping to spend time with, in case she took a liking to one of them.
Not that she had to rush into marriage, but life should be a balance of work and leisure.
Zhaoping couldn’t always be focused on her career—she needed to connect with young people too.
He knew Ni Tiansong and had met him before.
As someone Master Qi vouched for, he was absolutely reliable.
And after seeing Ni Tiansong’s recent photos, the old man was even more impressed.
Just earlier, he and Master Qi had been looking at his photos on their phones for quite a while, both agreeing he was strikingly handsome, perfectly fitting their traditional aesthetic—a classic Chinese heartthrob with a touch of elegance.
It’d be a shame if Zhaoping missed out on him.
The old man had made up his mind then and there, telling Master Qi to arrange an introduction when he had the chance.
Gu Zhaosi stared at his sister in shock.
Ni Tiansong and his sister, connecting?
Wasn’t Ni Tiansong that chess genius, super impressive, on a whole different level from them?
The elders all loved him.
What common interests could he and his sister possibly share?
Did she secretly love chess too?
Gu Zhaosi was first stunned, then thought, wait, how many guys is this now?
Sis, can you even keep up?
Ni Tiansong’s aloof, almost ethereal demeanor—
Gu Zhaosi couldn’t even picture him standing next to his sister.
My god, like a deity descending!
Meanwhile, Ni Tiansong received the news.
He paused.
“Uncle Qi, you want me to meet someone?”
He checked the time, then said apologetically,
“I’m sorry, Uncle Qi, but I promised Li Xunwen I’d help him with his match.”
The person sent by Master Qi quickly said,
“Oh, there’s no time conflict! We can meet first, then head to the match. No rush.”
After some back-and-forth, Ni Tiansong still politely declined,
“I have to keep my promise to someone. I’ll have to meet another day.”
Truth be told, he wasn’t that interested.
He knew Uncle Qi was likely trying to introduce him to some young lady.
But right now, he was far more interested in chess.
Compared to what felt like a matchmaking setup, he’d much rather sit down for a game with someone skilled.
Ni Tiansong sighed softly, hoping Uncle Qi wouldn’t try to set him up again.