Fine, after all, she and Gu Zhaoye had known each other for so many years, and who else could she rely on besides him?
A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse.
Besides, Gu Zhaoye was at his lowest point now.
If she chose to stay by his side now, it would surely make his feelings for her even stronger, deeply touched.
Once Gu Zhaoye got through this, if she married him, even if he could no longer be the CEO, she would still be the young madam of an elite family, far better than struggling on her own like this.
She didn’t want to face the entertainment industry anymore; she just wanted to be a carefree elite wife.
As for his lawsuit, Ruan Nian never believed Gu Zhaoye would truly lose everything.
Could the Gu family really push him to a dead end?
Right now, it was just Gu Zhaoping seizing power, putting on a show for the public.
But she knew how much the Gu family’s parents doted on Gu Zhaoye.
Once the storm passed, they might quietly support the young couple.
Though this future was far from what she had once envisioned, she had no other choice, no better outcome in sight.
Ruan Nian took a deep breath, mentally preparing for her future, and with a mix of nervousness and despair, she called Gu Zhaoye.
But this time, Gu Zhaoye didn’t answer.
Ruan Nian’s heart sank for a moment, and she began to feel uneasy.
Even knowing he must be busy and overwhelmed, she couldn’t help but want to contact him quickly, fearing delays would bring more problems.
At this moment, he needed comfort the most, but despite making several calls and sending messages everywhere, the only one who answered was Gu Zhaoye’s assistant.
His voice was full of exhaustion, clearly fed up with Ruan Nian.
“Miss Ruan, please stop calling. I’m managing Mr. Gu’s phone now, and you won’t be able to reach him.”
Ruan Nian’s eyes widened.
Unable to reach him?
She had never considered this possibility.
Panicking, she asked,
“How could this be? What is Zhaoye doing? Tell him it’s me looking for him. Can’t you just help me contact him? He’ll be so touched if he knows it’s me.”
The assistant was at a loss for words at her foolishness, barely holding back an eye-roll.
“Miss Ruan, you don’t need to contact…the young master anymore.”
He finally remembered Gu Zhaoye was no longer “Mr. Gu” and corrected himself, his tone cold.
“The young master doesn’t need you. He can barely take care of himself now, so please don’t add to his troubles, alright? Oh, and by the way, the young master won’t contact you anymore. He’s decided to get engaged to Miss Fang.”
What?
Ruan Nian felt as if she’d been struck by a heavy blow, unable to believe it.
Gu Zhaoye was getting engaged to his fiancée?
How could this be?
He never even liked that fiancée!
But Ruan Nian had indeed forgotten and never truly seen the nature of these elite men.
At this critical moment, the one who could save Gu Zhaoye wasn’t just anyone, not some celebrity beauty he liked.
It was the young lady from the Fang family, another powerful clan like the Gu family.
When it came to real decisions of interest, so-called love was the first thing he abandoned.
With his career in ruins, he was now desperate to sell his marriage for a good price.
He forgot how unwilling he had been before.
He believed that as long as he was willing to lower himself, someone would take him in.
With his status in the Gu family hanging by a thread, to maintain his position in the family’s eyes, he had to offer value elsewhere.
So, at this moment, he immediately thought of Fang Yining, who had been waiting for him all along.
Though Fang Yining had scolded him last time, Gu Zhaoye couldn’t care less about that now.
He remembered she had once wanted to call off the engagement, but the Fang family’s parents were reluctant.
They liked him far more than they did their own daughter, Fang Yining.
As long as he went to the Fang parents and said he wanted to marry Fang Yining, that this incident had made him turn over a new leaf, they might once again see him as their son-in-law.
The Fang family was the last umbrella he could think of.
As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son.
The Fang parents had always liked him.
Even when he and Fang Yining had disputes, they often took his side and scolded her.
They also expected Fang Yining to be a good wife, to support Gu Zhaoye, manage the household, and be his virtuous partner, strengthening the ties between the two families.
But Gu Zhaoye had never really liked the Fang family.
Now, going back to them, the Fang parents might be disappointed in him, but a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold, isn’t he?
He had turned back, hadn’t he?
And after this ordeal, he would never let the Fang family or Fang Yining down again.
Wasn’t that what the Fang family wanted?
With this determination, Gu Zhaoye, for the first time, set aside his pride and contacted the Fang family.
This time, the Fang family wasn’t as warm as before.
After a long wait, someone finally came to see him—the Fang family’s butler, who said slowly,
“Oh, Young Master Gu, what a rare visit to our place.”
Having to ask for help, Gu Zhaoye didn’t put on his usual airs and endured the butler’s mocking tone.
He knew it was normal for the Fang family to be upset, given how his affairs with Ruan Nian and Liang Zhiwei had publicly humiliated them.
He needed to show sincerity now.
Gu Zhaoye lowered his voice and said humbly,
“I’m sorry. Please ask Uncle and Aunt Fang to meet me. I have something important to tell them and to apologize for. I was a jerk before. Please pass this message to them.”
Before the lawsuit process moved forward, he had to resolve this matter urgently.
The butler’s mouth twitched.
Though he had been mentally prepared, having heard from the young lady that Gu Zhaoye would definitely come begging, his shamelessness still left the butler dumbfounded.
How could someone be so utterly shameless?
He had previously dismissed their young lady, ignored her, and repeatedly cheated, publicly humiliating her.
Now that he was in trouble, he suddenly remembered her?
Though he wanted to spit in his face, the young lady had come prepared.
The butler gave a fake smile, as if moved by his change of heart, and said,
“Young Master Gu, it’s good that you’ve come around. Alright, I’ll go inform the master and madam. Please wait.”
Gu Zhaoye was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed!
This attitude showed some leniency; the Fang family could forgive him, and now he felt a bit more hope in his heart.
He waited anxiously for what felt like forever, nearly fainting from nerves but not daring to move, showing his sincerity.
Finally, the butler came out and invited him in, and Gu Zhaoye could hardly keep his eyes open.
As he walked in, he saw not only the Fang parents but also Fang Yining, sitting on the sofa, looking at him with what seemed like a relatively polite demeanor.
“Zhaoye, you still know to show up now?”
Mrs. Fang looked at him with a reproachful expression.
She had always been very satisfied with this son-in-law, but with the recent scandal, she was furious—it was too outrageous.
Seeing Gu Zhaoye, she began to speak with a sarcastic tone.
Fang Yining quietly clenched her teeth.
Even after such a mess, her parents didn’t harbor strong hatred or disgust toward Gu Zhaoye.
What they cared about most was that he hadn’t valued their engagement before, failing to reciprocate their affection.
Fang Yining had always been puzzled: why did her parents, as her own family, seem to love Gu Zhaoye more than her, raising her from childhood as his fiancée?
It was as if the moment they gained a son-in-law, they no longer needed her as a daughter and instead became his parents.
The moment her parents decided to marry her off, she felt she had lost them.
Even now, with all this happening, they were still hesitating about canceling the engagement.
Hesitating about what?
Fang Yining couldn’t stand it anymore.
This time, she would take matters into her own hands.
If anyone tried to stop her, she’d slap them all in the face.
Gu Zhaoye began speaking: “I’m sorry, Uncle, Aunt, I was young and reckless before. After this huge incident, I realized Ruan Nian was nothing but…I misjudged people, was too naive, and got deceived by her, neglecting Yining. Recently, I’ve been reflecting deeply and realized how good Yining was to me before. The more I think about it, the more I realize what a jerk I was. I came here today for no other reason than to apologize to Uncle, Aunt, and Yining. I’m sorry.”
Fang Yining nearly burst out laughing.
The man who once acted so superior was now groveling and apologizing.
It seemed that when the stakes were high enough, anyone would bow their head.
Men like Gu Zhaoye were just opportunistic creatures.
This explanation struck a chord with the Fang parents.
They felt that while their son-in-law was at fault, the blame was far greater on that little vixen, Ruan Nian.
Seeing him lower his head, they hesitated slightly, thinking he might genuinely regret his actions.
The couple exchanged a glance, and their tone softened a bit: “You’ve been too outrageous these years. If we forgave you just because of a few words, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to Yining?”
“You need to apologize properly to Yining.”
Gu Zhaoye turned to Fang Yining and, almost without hesitation, was about to kneel before her, startling the Fang parents!
They hurriedly reached out to stop him: “Oh, child, an apology is enough, what are you doing?”
Gu Zhaoye’s face was full of sincerity: “I wronged her before, but I’ve realized my mistakes. From now on, I’ll take full responsibility for Yining and never make her angry again. I know I was a jerk. If Uncle and Aunt are still willing to accept me, I don’t know what to say, but I promise to be a devoted son to you and never let you down again.”
Fang Yining’s brow twitched.
She looked at Gu Zhaoye coldly as he knelt without hesitation, her hand itching to slap him.
Shameless, truly shameless!
But what enraged her more was that her parents, after such a brief apology, were already showing signs of wavering and forgiveness.
Now, if she wanted to end this engagement and profit from it, she could only rely on herself.
No, there was also Zhaoping—
Zhaoping would support her from behind and help her.
The Fang parents turned to Fang Yining, their eyes hesitant, as if seeking her opinion.
Fang Yining was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking: “Are you saying you want to continue this engagement?”
Gu Zhaoye froze, not expecting her to bring it up so quickly, and hurriedly said: “I know I was a jerk. I didn’t think about that; I just wanted to apologize to you…”
“I agree. I have no objections. It’s good that you’ve turned over a new leaf.”
Fang Yining said this, though her tone sounded slightly off, but in his shock, Gu Zhaoye didn’t think too deeply about it.
He stood up in wild joy: “Yining, you’re still willing to accept me?”
Fang Yining gave a fake smile and nodded at him.
Of course, I’m willing to accept you.
If I don’t, how can I make you fall even harder?