By the time they realized they’d stepped aside, it was too late.
Amid their grim expressions, Gu Zhaoping turned to Young Master Zhou and said,
“I haven’t had a chance to face off with you. Such a pity. Next time?”
Young Master Zhou’s face was a picture of barely contained humiliation.
Who would dare compete with her again?
She had deliberately thrown a shot to lose to Yang Qi just to humiliate him.
Why had he challenged her in the first place?
Realizing someone was better than him in his area of expertise was a massive blow to his pride, especially for someone as arrogant as him who had rarely faced setbacks in his life.
Looking into Gu Zhaoping’s eyes, it was clear she had seen through their little schemes from the start.
She came here today just to toy with them!
Who would want to challenge her again?!
After she left, Ni Tiansong turned his gaze to Gu Zhaoye, who was trembling with rage.
He had already figured out that this group was likely friends of Gu Zhaoping’s younger brother, here to help him vent his frustrations against her.
The reason was simple: Gu Zhaoping had stolen the spotlight at the summit, and her incompetent brother had broken down over it.
He tilted his head and asked,
“Ni Tianjun, you usually hang out with him?”
What did that mean?
Gu Zhaoye, already barely containing his anger, was furious at this. He glared at the man and snapped,
“What’s it to you?”
Young Master Ni jumped, quickly scolding him,
“Gu Zhaoye, are you crazy? This is my cousin!”
“Cousin or not, who cares—”
Gu Zhaoye stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing who Ni Tianjun’s cousin was.
It was Ni Tiansong, the one who had been abroad for years, rarely returning, yet held the real power in the Ni family.
He hadn’t seen Ni Tiansong in so long that he didn’t recognize him at first.
Realizing who he was, and recalling his attitude toward Gu Zhaoping, Gu Zhaoye’s face changed.
Ni Tiansong?
Why was he so polite to Gu Zhaoping?
When did she get to know him?
Did Grandpa introduce her to the Ni family during the summit?
Gu Zhaoye’s face twisted further.
Well played, Gu Zhaoping.
You’ve seized every opportunity!
The panic in his heart grew stronger, especially as he saw Ni Tiansong frowning at him, an unprecedented unease gripping him.
He had always thought his network was far superior to Gu Zhaoping’s, but how could she know people who outranked his connections?
Why was Ni Tiansong so courteous to her, even helping her?
Was that why Ni Tianjun had switched sides—because of his cousin?
Gu Zhaoye’s mind was a mess.
Thinking about the shareholders’ meeting and seeing the way his so-called brothers were looking at him, he couldn’t stay any longer.
Gritting his teeth, he turned and left.
“Hey, Zhaoye!”
Yang Qi tried to call him back, but Young Master Zhou grabbed him.
“What are you doing? Getting caught up in their sibling fight as cannon fodder?”
Young Master Zhou whispered urgently.
“Didn’t you get enough of a slap in the face from that match with her?”
Yang Qi’s face alternated between pale and flushed.
He stayed silent.
This was too humiliating!
They were like clowns jumping around.
“Forget it, leave them alone for now. Wait for the outcome of this mess,”
Young Master Zhou said.
“Didn’t you hear Gu Zhaoping? The Gu family is holding a shareholders’ meeting. If Gu Zhaoye’s screw-up was so bad that even the board and shareholders can’t hold back from punishing him, are you going to get involved or not? If he asks you to help him fight the Gu family, will you?”
After being thoroughly humiliated, Young Master Zhou, having seen Gu Zhaoping’s tactics, was now clear-headed and analyzing the pros and cons for Yang Qi.
Yang Qi suddenly woke up.
Yeah, why was I so obsessed with helping Gu Zhaoye vent his anger?
This wasn’t even my problem.
Why was I acting like his lackey?
Had Gu Zhaoye ever thanked him for this?
They all came from similar backgrounds, so why had they instinctively treated Gu Zhaoye as the leader, calling him “Brother Ye” or “Master Gu”?
Now that he thought about it, Yang Qi found it odd.
Why had so many of them flocked around someone like Gu Zhaoye?
He hadn’t exactly achieved anything remarkable—just the president of Yuanqi Technology.
But who among them didn’t have a couple of companies under their name?
Who wasn’t an heir?
Why did it feel like Gu Zhaoye had some kind of protagonist aura that inexplicably drew people to him?
Even as friends, helping with small favors was one thing, but to go against the Gu family for him?
They were just the younger generation, still reliant on their families.
How could they openly challenge their elders?
Yang Qi felt like he’d been slapped awake.
Ni Tiansong finally withdrew his gaze and said calmly to his cousin,
“Let’s go back. You don’t need to handle my affairs in the country anymore.”
Young Master Ni had just sighed in relief at the first half, thinking the matter was over, but his face turned ashen at the second half.
Was he being cut off?
If his father found out he hadn’t hosted his cousin properly, he’d be in for a scolding!
And if his uncle’s side learned he’d offended Miss Gu, whom they wanted to collaborate with, his career would likely be over.
“Go send another apology to Miss Gu!”
“Cousin, cousin! I know I messed up, I really do! I’ve already apologized to Miss Gu—no, no, I’ll go apologize again right now!”
Seeing Ni Tiansong stride away, Ni Tianjun, throwing dignity aside, hurried after him, pleading.
He racked his brain for solutions.
Right, the last person who offended Miss Gu was…
Li Xunwen! If he followed Li Xunwen’s example and wrote a letter of apology praising Miss Gu, would that earn her forgiveness?
“Cousin! How about I write an apology letter to Miss Gu?!”
As the two Ni family members left one after the other, the remaining group had no face to stay.
Muttering about Gu Zhaoye’s lack of loyalty, they dispersed in frustration.
What a self-inflicted mess.
Utterly humiliating.
They never wanted to see Gu Zhaoping again.
This was perhaps the most agonizing night of Gu Zhaoye’s life.
Back home, he didn’t sleep.
Instead, he sat on the sofa in his sprawling apartment all night.
The projector in front of him displayed Yuanqi Technology’s achievements and financial reports from the years under his leadership.
There were also news articles about him: business prodigy, Gu family heir, heaven’s favored son, perfect man, diamond bachelor, the ideal son-in-law in every mother-in-law’s eyes.
And reports about him and Ruan Nian, their once-envied love story.
Of course, there were also recent gossip pieces about him and Liang Zhiwei.
Gu Zhaoye watched as his reputation slid from universal admiration and “nation’s husband” to what it was now.
His heart felt like it was being sliced apart, overwhelmed by unprecedented fear and a profound confusion about the future.
Why did it turn out like this?
His life used to be so bright, his future boundless.
He never imagined facing setbacks.
No matter what he did wrong, someone always forgave him, someone always had his back.
He’d never lacked money or power, let alone love.
As a man born into privilege, handsome, tall, with a commanding and cool demeanor, and highly educated, his life was smoother than most could ever dream.
These qualities ensured countless people loved him.
Especially women—they loved him so deeply, lifting him to the skies, showering him with unwavering affection, making him feel the world was free of obstacles.
A few years ago—no, even just months ago—he couldn’t have imagined being thwarted at every turn like this.
He used to think every woman in the world adored him, even his sister, who, despite causing trouble, always sought his approval.
But now, one woman after another slapped him in the face with ruthless precision.
They didn’t care about him—only themselves.
Even the Gu family’s shareholders’ meeting was set without notifying him.
He felt like a prisoner awaiting sentencing, sitting helplessly in his cell, waiting for judgment.
Unable to help himself, after sitting for a long time, he finally considered lowering his head to apologize to Liang Zhiwei.
At this point, his pride and persistence didn’t matter.
What mattered was gaining her forgiveness.
But as he started to call, he hesitated and stopped.
Liang Zhiwei had cursed him so harshly, and he had to admit she truly felt nothing for him.
There was even an unwilling but unavoidable thought: Liang Zhiwei might want him to suffer more, perhaps even face the harshest punishment at the shareholders’ meeting.
In the end, he held his phone in silence for a long time before cautiously drafting a text.
Whether she forgave him or not, he had to explain himself properly.
Maybe Liang Zhiwei would see it eventually.
As this thought took root, Gu Zhaoye felt something in his mind slowly peeling away, replaced by an even deeper sense of confusion and pain.
Looking at Liang Zhiwei’s profile, he suddenly wondered, Do I actually like her?
If he didn’t, his actions seemed inexplicable.
If it was just the humiliation of her insults, his pain shouldn’t feel this intense…
In that fleeting moment, it was as if a divine spark had ignited in Gu Zhaoye’s mind, a flash of clarity.
Yes!
There were moments, or perhaps a single moment, when he had genuinely, sincerely liked her.
He liked her sweet, gentle smile, the care she put into her cooking, her ability to make everything beautiful.
But at some point, that feeling was erased, and he could no longer feel it, only acting on instinct with her.
With this realization, Gu Zhaoye frantically edited the text, adding at the end: “I’m sorry, I’ve realized that over these years, I truly liked you.”
Whatever Liang Zhiwei thought of it, he had no regrets.
Gu Zhaoye closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh, and sent the message.
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