Gu Zhaoping paused for a moment, looking at him somewhat speechless.
She had indeed experienced flattery from many people, but this time, the person doing it caught her slightly off guard.
Theodore was a proud man, but even the proudest always followed her rules in her presence.
Gu Zhaoping was genuinely touched; she did love hearing these words.
Her brows relaxed slightly, a faint smile creeping into her eyes.
She said to him,
“Thank you.”
Then her gaze shifted to the cake, and she seemed to gesture for him to come closer with a slight tilt of her head: “Bring it over a bit.”
The gesture felt somewhat intimate.
Theodore froze for a second, then obediently moved the cake closer to the camera.
He saw Gu Zhaoping on the other side lean down, getting closer to the cake, and then she made a motion as if blowing out candles.
“Phew,” she exhaled.
“Happy birthday,” she said to herself.
With that breath, the screen in front of him went dark in an instant.
Theodore blinked, stunned, unable to react in time.
Only then did he realize Gu Zhaoping had used this moment to abruptly end the video call.
When he came to his senses, Theodore couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
Such a busy person, giving him such a brief meeting indeed.
As Gu Zhaoye faced punishment from the Gu family and Gu Zhaoping took over as CEO, the public opinion surrounding Yuanqi Technology gradually calmed down.
People no longer harbored as much resentment toward the company, their attention slowly shifting elsewhere.
Of course, as a central figure in this saga, Gu Zhaoping continued to dominate online discussions long afterward.
With a character like her, how could there ever be a lack of topics?
Not only was she skilled in judo, able to toss a professional coach around effortlessly, but she also delivered a commanding speech at a world-class summit.
Even more astonishing, she broke a world record in international chess!
Especially after the news broke that she had saved Liang Zhiwei, her popularity surpassed that of many top celebrities.
To put it bluntly, in today’s online and offline world, if there was one person who could instantly spark discussion among people of all ages—grandparents in their seventies and eighties, down to kindergarten kids—
Gu Zhaoping was undoubtedly that person!
But what people were most curious about now was how Gu Zhaoping would clean up the mess at Yuanqi Technology, turning around the losses caused by Gu Zhaoye.
Liang Zhiwei received her call while shooting a commercial.
Having just finished a take, Liang Zhiwei saw the caller ID, hopped over a pile of props, and rushed to the side to answer, her voice brimming with excitement: “President Gu, why are you calling me? Is there something you need to tell me?”
Liang Zhiwei, out of deep respect, refrained from calling her “Big Sis Gu” anymore.
Though Gu Zhaoping’s attitude toward her remained as kind as ever, Liang Zhiwei believed this was a critical time for Gu Zhaoping to establish her authority and image.
“President Gu” carried more weight than “Big Sis Gu.”
She didn’t want to undermine her gravitas.
“Has the ad Director Hou arranged for you started shooting?”
At the mention of this, Liang Zhiwei wanted to kowtow to her in gratitude.
This woman was truly her financial savior!
She quickly replied,
“Yes, yes, President Shen arranged for me to be the spokesperson for their new product line. It’s about to be announced!”
Gu Zhaoping knew her current agent was Sister Li and casually asked,
“When you have time, ask Sister Li to contact me. I have something to discuss with her.”
When Sister Li received this message and went to meet Gu Zhaoping, she was still a bit dazed.
Her heart was uneasy.
In the past, representing Ruan Nian, she had clashed with Gu Zhaoping for so long.
Seeing Gu Zhaoping’s recent transformation, Sister Li felt both unfamiliarity and fear, hesitant to interact with her.
But she had no choice but to go, bracing herself.
When she saw Gu Zhaoping again, Sister Li felt a surreal sense of change.
In such a short time, Gu Zhaoping had transformed completely.
Gone were the trendy outfits and meticulous styling, replaced by a calm, grounded aura.
Just sitting there plainly, looking at her, she inspired a sense of awe in Sister Li.
“P-President Gu, hello,”
Sister Li said, not daring to call her “Miss Gu” anymore, feeling the title lacked respect.
Gu Zhaoping didn’t seem to hold past grudges, nodding for her to sit.
She picked up a cup of tea and said,
“I asked you here to learn more about Ruan Nian.”
Sister Li tensed up: “What does President Gu want to know? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“When did you start managing Ruan Nian as her agent? Were there any strange signs at the time? For example, did you suddenly find her incredibly charming, feeling compelled to devote everything to her?”
Sister Li froze.
As she recalled the journey, a chill ran down her spine, her back growing cold.
She looked at Gu Zhaoping in disbelief.
By the end of their conversation, Sister Li was drained, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.
Leaving the office, she was still shaken, too scared to even glance back.
Too eerie!
Ruan Nian was indeed too eerie.
The more Gu Zhaoping asked, the more Sister Li felt something was deeply wrong.
She remembered she hadn’t initially planned to be Ruan Nian’s agent, but after meeting her, for some inexplicable reason, she felt drawn to her, convinced they should work together.
After that, she had loyally taken the fall for Ruan Nian for years, giving her all.
For the first time, Sister Li wondered if there was something mysterious in the entertainment industry she didn’t know about.
It had been a long time since Gu Zhaoping had seen Ruan Nian, who seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Online, the backlash against Ruan Nian was only slightly less intense than that against Gu Zhaoye.
For someone with her former reputation and popularity, this was an astonishing reversal.
Yet Ruan Nian herself had gone completely silent, nowhere to be found.
Gu Zhaoping knew Ruan Nian was the female protagonist of this world, her life destined to revolve around Gu Zhaoye in a tangled, dramatic chase.
Let them play their roles as the main characters in their love story, but if they interfered with Gu Zhaoping’s own plans to seize power, they’d have to step aside.
Being protagonists didn’t mean they were the center of every narrative, only their own romance.
Even so, Gu Zhaoping remained cautious about Ruan Nian, sensing this matter wouldn’t end so simply.
The system that had brought her to this world hadn’t reappeared, which kept her on alert.
Yuanqiu Technology hadn’t faced any major issues for now, but outside, expectations were mounting for how she would turn the company around.
Some were growing impatient.
Why hadn’t Gu Zhaoping made any big moves after taking over for so long?
They were all waiting to see how Yuanqi Technology would stage its comeback.
Gu Zhaoping returned to the Gu family calmly.
Today was Gu Zhaosi’s homecoming from abroad, a rare occasion for the Gu family to reunite, so they called the busy Gu Zhaoping back as well.
When Gu Zhaosi saw her, his eyes lit up like a big dog spotting a toy, and he immediately pounced: “Sis, sis, I’m planning to stay and develop my career here!”
Gu Zhaoping merely nodded: “Work hard.”
Gu Zhaosi froze mid-air.
Just like that, his sister brushed past him, heading behind him without so much as a second glance.
Gu Zhaosi almost started sulking, tempted to draw circles on the floor in gloom.
The old patriarch hadn’t been at the sanatorium lately, instead staying at the family estate to handle the recent string of issues plaguing the Gu family.
The winter solstice was a significant day, so all notable Gu family members were called back to the estate for a meal together.
Gu Zhaoping arrived relatively early, with only a few younger relatives present.
Gu Yingjie had been sitting quietly on the sofa, but the moment he saw Gu Zhaoping, he jolted upright as if shocked by electricity.
The more distant cousins nearby, puzzled by his reaction, stood up too when they spotted Gu Zhaoping.
A woman in a long coat that reached her knees strode in, the sound of her shoes clicking against the floor sending a tense shiver up everyone’s spines.
Gu Zhaoping!
They had witnessed her prowess at the shareholders’ meeting, and now, instinctively, they all stood, none daring to remain seated on that sofa.
Only then did they understand Gu Yingjie’s panicked reaction.
Gu Zhaoping sat down casually, glanced at them, one hand resting lightly on the armrest, and asked in a relaxed tone,
“Why aren’t you sitting?”
The others exchanged awkward glances, inwardly grumbling: Why aren’t we sitting?
Do we not want to sit?
It’s because you’re here!
One of them forced a laugh and said,
“No, Big Cousin, we’re fine standing.”
“Yeah, I ate too much earlier,” another added.
Gu Zhaoping nodded, not pressing further, and turned to a vaguely familiar younger cousin.
She hadn’t spoken to her since arriving, but the girl seemed kind, and Gu Zhaoping recalled some details about her from reviewing family information.
Since she was nearby, she casually asked,
“How’s school going lately?”
The cousin froze, hardly believing Gu Zhaoping was addressing her first.
They weren’t close, not now or ever.
Glancing around, she saw everyone staring at her nervously while pretending not to.
Stammering, she replied,
“Uh, Big Cousin, my studies are going pretty well.”
“Good. It’s the time to focus on your studies,”
Gu Zhaoping said with a nod, leaving it at that.
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