“Is that so? Did she decide this herself, or is it the entire Gu family’s decision?”
The shareholder asked.
Hearing this, Mr. Lin, still fuming, paused, realizing something.
Right, the Gu family wasn’t just Gu Zhaoping’s show!
And this project being pushed forward was clearly the Gu family’s intent.
Even if Gu Zhaoping was the star up front, the final decision on partnerships would still rest with the family’s decision-maker, wouldn’t it?
But seeing how much Old Man Gu valued Gu Zhaoping, Mr. Lin still had some doubts.
“She seems highly favored by Old Man Gu. Doesn’t that mean she speaks for the family?”
“Not necessarily. After you left, I kept digging into their situation,” the shareholder said.
“We want to work with her because we know the Gu family has Yuanqi Technology. Our R&D strengths complement each other, and integrating production could cut costs while sharing the Gu Group’s market channels. That’s why we need to secure this deal. But guess what?”
“What?”
The shareholder’s tone turned dismissive, his urgency to win over Gu Zhaoping fading after learning this.
“Did you know? Gu Zhaoping doesn’t own a single company, not even a nominal role at Yuanqi Technology. That’s her brother, Gu Zhaoye’s.”
Mr. Lin was stunned, sinking into thought.
So that’s how it was.
He’d heard of the Gu family’s Yuanqi Technology and assumed any deal would be with them.
Seeing Gu Zhaoping take center stage at such an important event, he thought she held a key role at Yuanqi Technology.
But now, she had no connection?
Mr. Lin was still uncertain.
“I saw her brother today, and Old Man Gu didn’t seem to favor him much. Even for this event’s speech, they chose Gu Zhaoping. So…”
“Something felt off, so I asked around. Many say the Gu family has always favored Gu Zhaoye as the heir, never mentioning Gu Zhaoping. They used to say she was unreliable. I suspect her speaking this time is tied to some family power struggle, but Yuanqi Technology’s shares haven’t shifted, and there’s no word of internal conflict. That means control still lies with Gu Zhaoye.”
“Gu Zhaoye is much easier to deal with, not as picky as Gu Zhaoping. Let’s seize this chance.”
The shareholder added,
“Even if we want to collaborate, it’s with a proper tech company. What could we even achieve by negotiating with Gu Zhaoping?”
Mr. Lin nodded thoughtfully, murmuring,
“So her vagueness on details today—was it because she doesn’t have any details? She’s just a temporary spokesperson?”
“Exactly, that’s what I think. While everyone’s busy chasing Gu Zhaoping, I plan to send someone to Yuanqi Technology to sound out Gu Zhaoye. They’re probably in the middle of a sibling rivalry. Let’s see if we can fish in troubled waters.”
The shareholder sounded confident.
He hadn’t yet seen the massive hit Yuanqi Technology was facing or how Gu Zhaoye’s reputation was about to plummet, yet he was brimming with assurance.
“You make the call, and I’m at ease,”
Mr. Lin said, finally letting go of his frustration.
He glanced back at the glittering banquet hall, snorted coldly, and left.
Keep circling her, then.
They’d pull the rug out from under her.
No more playing along.
He wasn’t keen on dealing with women anyway.
Better to talk to Gu Zhaoye and get the real picture.
As the banquet neared its end, lingering would be too shameless.
Valentin finally said goodbye to Gu Zhaoping.
But just as he started speaking, Theodore cut in.
“No rush.”
“Miss Gu, are your next steps still as you originally planned?”
Valentin frowned, puzzled, his sense of unease growing stronger.
What had they talked about last time?
He opened his mouth but hesitated, swallowing his words.
Theodore’s question was polite, and Gu Zhaoping’s expression remained calm.
“Exactly so.”
“Good. I have one more question, if you don’t mind answering,”
Theodore said.
“How does Miss Gu plan to collaborate with that battery energy group?”
He glanced at Mr. Hou, who was chatting with Old Man Gu.
Theodore had investigated and knew Gu Zhaoping held no companies or even a nominal title.
This made him a bit concerned—not quite concern, as Gu Zhaoping’s abilities were undeniable, and he admired her.
But he was curious if the next steps would be as thrilling as he imagined.
For her to go to such lengths with these ambitious plans and chat so enthusiastically with Mr. Hou, she must be aiming to take the lead in this collaboration and secure major benefits.
She couldn’t just be standing there with no title, merely fulfilling a family duty.
“Step one, of course, is to seize control,”
Gu Zhaoping said, raising an eyebrow as if surprised he’d ask something so obvious.
Calmly, matter-of-factly, she added,
“I don’t have a company under my name, so naturally, I’ll take it first.”
Theodore froze. Valentin’s striking eyelashes fluttered, and he stared as Gu Zhaoping said,
“Take care.”
Theodore stared intently at Gu Zhaoping’s retreating figure for a long time, his gaze locked onto her path.
Valentin could clearly sense it—this was admiration.
Unabashed, almost dangerous admiration.
Theodore’s voice softened slightly.
“Let’s go.”
Valentin clenched his fists, glanced back at him twice, and followed him out.
The two sat in the car, one after the other.
It was the first time Valentin had been in the same car as his brother Theodore.
The space felt cramped for them, an awkwardness spreading from faint to thick.
The driver and bodyguard sat silently in the front, not making a sound.
Theodore sat upright, his posture so imposing that Valentin felt there was no room to interject.
After a long silence, as the car slowly left the estate, Valentin finally said,
“Brother.”
“Do you know I’m pursuing her?”
How many people had to ask him this question?
Theodore opened his mouth, his interest lukewarm.
“I know.”
These people, including his naive, foolish brother, were overly simplistic, clinging to the purest notions of romance, assuming that whoever made the first move had some exclusive claim, and everyone else should step aside.
But where in the world did such logic exist?
Emotional morality unregulated by law, Theodore believed, was merely a self-imposed shackle on desire.
Only those trapped by others’ opinions cared about who came first or matters of propriety.
As it happened, he was free from such constraints.
Valentin’s lips gradually tightened.
He said nothing, but his spine straightened more and more, his gaze forward growing resolute.
Theodore sat relaxed, but when he noticed another car preparing to pull out ahead, he leaned forward slightly.
His black shirt creased with the movement, and he pointed to the side near the driver.
“Cut through.”
The well-trained driver hesitated.
Though experienced, he knew cutting through would inevitably cause a scrape with the other car.
It wasn’t a major risk, but it was still a collision.
He couldn’t fathom what the boss was up to, but he could only obey, lightly pressing the accelerator to speed forward.
Click.
Sure enough, the two cars brushed lightly, forcing the other to stop briefly.
Their car, without Theodore’s further instruction, sped off unhindered.
Valentin stared in shock as Theodore directed the driver, then leaned back comfortably, hands crossed, as if admiring his handiwork but also treating it as no big deal.
Looking back at the other car, Valentin thought it looked like the one…
Ni Tiansong had gotten into?
Ni Tiansong, sitting in the dark, jolted by the car’s movement, looked up toward the direction they’d gone.
The Laroche family…those two.
There would be time to settle this.
After the banquet ended, Mr. Hou stayed behind, walking out with Gu Zhaoping while continuing their conversation.
Only then did she take out her phone and glance at it, noticing countless messages and comments.
She paused, realizing that the events of the past few days had spread back home, nearly blowing up the internet.
Looking at the flood of praise for her and the curses aimed at Gu Zhaoye, Gu Zhaoping felt no stir, merely glancing at them before turning off her phone and slipping it back into her pocket, resuming her talk with Mr. Hou.
“So, what’s Miss Gu’s next step?”
“No need to wait long. The time is ripe,”
Gu Zhaoping said, a faint smile playing on her lips as if the shadows of those curses and questions about Gu Zhaoye still lingered in her mind.
“When I return, I’ll take Yuanqi Technology.”
The time had come.