The old man’s heart skipped a beat.
Though he had considered many times recently that Zhaoping should play a bigger role than Gu Zhaoye, such a blatant replacement had never crossed his mind until now.
He hadn’t planned to make such a decision so quickly, but now that he thought about it, it seemed entirely feasible.
The person was saved by Zhaoping, and with her recent speech and record-breaking achievements, her reputation was at its peak.
If she stepped in to take over Yuanqi Technology from Gu Zhaoye, the company might not suffer as much, and the Gu family’s stock price…
Besides, Yuanqi Technology already had a mess of accounts.
If someone else took over rashly, they might handle it worse than Gu Zhaoye.
But who knew Yuanqi Technology best and was trustworthy enough?
Only Zhaoping.
The old man paused, seriously contemplating this idea for a long time.
No one knew what resolve he had reached; he simply said,
“Return to the country. Hurry back and convene the shareholders’ meeting.”
Gu Zhaoping nodded and said,
“Alright.”
Gu Zhaosi had only been lounging at the estate for two days, still basking in the fun.
He had even found an excuse to skip the celebration banquet that evening— he hated those social events, and since it was his sister’s stage anyway, he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of uncles and aunties.
Finally, when the banquet was over, he was eager to brag to Gu Zhaoping about how he’d forced Li Xunwen to write an apology letter.
But then he saw his sister and the old man rushing in.
He excitedly called out “Sis!” only for the two to brush past him like a gust of wind, leaving Гу Zhaosi standing there, stunned.
Wait, what was going on?
Before he could process it, he saw their assistant grabbing luggage and starting to pack.
People were bustling around, the air filled with the clatter of activity.
Gu Zhaosi stood right in the middle, blocking the way, until someone called out,
“Please step aside,” prompting him to quickly move to the side.
Finally, watching Gu Zhaoping pass by, he grabbed at her like a lifeline and said,
“Sis, what’s happening? Is the banquet over, and you’re heading back to the country already?”
“There’s a major issue at home. We need to return immediately to deal with it.”
Gu Zhaosi blinked, stunned.
What major issue?
Suddenly, a chill ran through him— could something have gone wrong with the Gu family?
If the Gu family was in trouble, he’d have to go back too.
He still had his 3% stake, after all.
“Sis, Sis, Sis! You’re going back? Is there anything I can help with? Do you need me?”
Gu Zhaoping finally looked at him, patting his shoulder twice casually.
Her tone was nonchalant: “If the sky falls, your sister will hold it up.”
“You younger ones just focus on studying, pursuing your hobbies, and avoiding embarrassing the Gu family. The important stuff will be handled by someone.”
“I’m not at the point where I need to push responsibilities onto little boys.”
Gu Zhaosi’s shoulder jolted from her pat, and he was instantly dumbfounded, feeling something was off.
He vaguely recalled never hearing words like this before, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.
He stared blankly at his sister’s retreating figure, suddenly feeling like she’d just dazzled him.
Good heavens, she was so radiant—was this really his sister?
This cool, charismatic, responsible, and utterly captivating woman was his sister?
Since ancient times, there’s been the debate of merit versus seniority.
Gu Zhaoping was both meritorious and the eldest— how could she possibly lose?
What could she possibly lose at?!
Wait, but did her last words mean he should focus on writing his thesis?
Gu Zhaosi’s face turned pale.
Oh no, he was running out of time!
As the old man’s private plane soared through the skies, heading back to the country,
Gu Zhaoye had already landed.
He strode out, his face ashen, picking up a call: “They just canceled the partnership like that, without leaving any room?”
The further he walked, the worse the updates from the other side became.
Gu Zhaoye was so frustrated he wanted to smash his phone,
but with so many people around, he held back.
The last time he faced a situation like this, it was because Gu Zhaoping had sabotaged the Aurora Green Energy Group’s investment.
But this time, the problem was even bigger, far more terrifying.
Back on the snowy mountain,
Gu Zhaoye never imagined that a moment of distraction would lead to such severe consequences.
Even when he confronted Liang Zhiwei, saying he had nothing to explain, he never thought there’d be more to it.
It wasn’t just a simple love triangle between the three of them, as he’d assumed.
Liang Zhiwei was a person.
Beyond her role as his lover or the so-called stand-in for Ruan Nian, her most important identity was a living, breathing human being.
Her safety carried significant weight.
All the antics and smears they’d directed at Liang Zhiwei, to them, were just part of a chase between a domineering CEO and his ideal woman, a bit of playful drama, a small punishment for the so-called scheming side character.
But unfortunately, outside the worldview of a CEO romance novel,
this was a world where personal safety and legal boundaries were protected.
Any single act of recklessness from those novels, once exposed to the public, would provoke a fierce backlash.
While Gu Zhaoye was overwhelmed, the vice president suddenly exclaimed in shock,
“Wait, that’s strange—at a time like this, there’s actually a group reaching out to us with an olive branch?”
He looked in disbelief—it was a globally renowned energy group.
The vice president’s brow twitched.
If they were interested in a partnership, the benefits might even surpass those of the Aurora Green Energy Group.
Why now, of all times?
Gu Zhaoye paused, then said,
“Have them contact me.”
With many partners pulling out,
Yuanqi Technology faced massive penalties for breach of contract, all due to their own PR failures.
They were in dire straits.
No matter what partnership or who could take on this mess, he needed to seize the opportunity.
When he connected with the other party, they asked a question he hadn’t expected: “What’s your development direction?”
Gu Zhaoye was taken aback, but then he thought, with Yuanqi Technology developing so many new technologies and applying for patents each year, they must have heard about one of them and taken an interest.
The two talked in vague circles for a while, and finally, the other party asked cryptically,
“Mr. Gu, Yuanqi Technology is under your control, right? Oh, and the old man Gu still values you highly, doesn’t he?”
Gu Zhaoye’s heart churned with irritation— this question hit exactly where he least wanted to be prodded.
He steadied himself and said,
“Yes, of course I am.”
“Good, then we’re reassured. We’ll send someone to your side to discuss this in detail soon.”
The other party spoke so candidly that Gu Zhaoye was momentarily stunned.
Still skeptical, he asked,
“You’re sure you want to do this now?
Aren’t you worried about the current PR crisis?”
The other side wasn’t fully aware of the PR situation and asked for clarification, then paused in surprise.
Mr. Lin and the major shareholder exchanged a glance, thinking this was even better.
Now was Gu Zhaoye’s lowest point— a slight show of support could give them a significant advantage in negotiations.
This Gu Zhaoye seemed far easier to manipulate than Gu Zhaoping.
Once they chatted more with him and extracted some concrete plans or trade secrets, if the PR crisis wasn’t resolved by then, they could backstab Gu Zhaoye, citing the public backlash as a reason to pull out, and ride the wave of publicity in the process.
If the PR issue was resolved, it’d be a win-win.
Even if the crisis persisted and they didn’t want to cut ties with Gu Zhaoye, their goal was Yuanqi Technology’s tech all along.
When they launched their new product, who would know it was tied to Yuanqi Technology?
Mr. Lin said with a beaming smile,
“A sword’s edge is honed through adversity; heroes rise from hardship. Times like these test Mr. Gu’s adaptability. We believe a dragon among men like Mr. Gu will resolve this quickly. Our group has absolute confidence in you!”
“Mr. Gu is much more straightforward than your sister. We love working with people like you. If you need anything, just let us know—we’ll spare no effort.”
Gu Zhaoye was stunned by what he heard.
It all felt so surreal.
At his most desperate moment, a major group’s representative suddenly emerged to express support, offering full assistance if he faced any issues?
And according to them, their group alone could cover most of the losses from the previous partnerships.
If things really played out like this, he’d start to wonder if he had some kind of protagonist aura.
But then, he’d always been smooth and lucky, as if life’s script was written for him by the heavens.
After a moment’s thought, he made up his mind: “Alright, then please, Mr. Lin, come to our country when you have time. We’ll discuss this partnership thoroughly. Yuanqi Technology will roll out the red carpet for you.”
Turning to his vice president, he said,
“This issue is about to be resolved. Don’t worry too much—handle the PR as usual.”
The vice president blinked, stunned.
Huh?
Resolved?
Had that group just now already confirmed their intent to cooperate?
Just like that?
No way—this was like dozing off and having a pillow handed to you!
Though he could hardly believe it, he nodded hesitantly and agreed,
“Alright, Mr. Gu.”
Gu Zhaoye let out a sigh of relief.
The heavens were still on his side.