"Third Brother, what's going on with that development project?" After breakfast, Liang Feifan left first, and Li Weiran pulled Chen Yubai aside to ask.
"It's alright, everything is normal. Several companies are very powerful, with Weber and Yaolin at the forefront, so the competition is fierce," Chen Yubai told the truth.
Qin Song grasped the key point in his words, "Wei Bo? What happened to Gu Mingzhu again?"
Rong Yan twirled his phone in his hand, leaning casually against the table. "What can Gu Mingzhu do? Now that I, her brother-in-law whom she's coveted for so many years, have taken over, won't she be even more eager to curry favor with me?"
Qin Song noticed the smile in Chen Yubai's eyes and felt that things weren't so simple. "Why do I feel like things aren't so simple? Third Brother is willing to be transferred to another post to get rid of her. I'm afraid Gu Mingzhu has caused some trouble again?"
Chen Yubai grabbed his briefcase and walked out. "Gu Mingzhu didn't cause any trouble. I volunteered to go south because—I felt their vice president would bring me a lot of trouble."
Li Weiran was surprised. He and Gu Mingzhu had always been close, but he had never heard of Web International English having a vice president. "Vice president? Who is that?" Could there be someone that Chen Yubai would find "troublesome"?
"Gu Yan took office a few days ago and is still getting used to her new environment. The day after tomorrow, Web International English will hold a welcome party for her to announce it to the world." Chen Yubai glanced at Rong Yan, who was walking out while texting, raised his voice, and spoke in a gentle tone and clearly.
Bang!
Upon hearing Gu Yan's name, Rong Yan stumbled, his head, which he always prided himself on as being both handsome and intelligent, slamming solidly against the door.
Chen Yubai feigned a loud exclamation, "Second Brother, are you blind? Doesn't it hurt?"
Rong Yan covered his forehead, his peach blossom eyes brimming with tears, "You're so cruel, mistress."
Chen Yubai laughed happily. He had originally intended to pass the task to Li Weiran today. His Sangsang and Gu Yan were now close friends, and he could keep his boss in check when he went crazy. But—you little brat, how dare you talk nonsense about my wife?!
Li Weiran and Qin Song gave each other a high five, then walked side by side to the grieving Rong Yan. With solemn expressions, they bowed three times, saying, "Second Brother, may you... rest in peace!" Their voices were full of emotion.
Ji Nan collapsed onto the sofa and burst into laughter.
Rong Yan wailed repeatedly, "I can't live like this anymore!"
sailing together
At the grand entrance of the Fei Entertainment Building, floral tributes lined both sides of the red carpet—"Warmest congratulations to Ms. Gu Yan on her appointment as Vice President of Web International Real Estate!"
Gu Yan got out of the car and saw her name appear in such a shocking way, causing her lips to twitch involuntarily.
Did Liang Feifan see it? She thought dejectedly, "He must have seen it; this is his territory. How embarrassing." She told her sister not to choose this place, but her sister said that only a high-class venue could show how much Wei Bo valued her appointment.
Gu Mingzhu booked the entire three floors. The party was held in the form of a buffet, with a full range of Western desserts and Chinese delicacies on the long tables, and all kinds of drinks for guests to choose from.
Gu Yan wore a smoky gray, form-fitting dress with a deep V-neck that extended to just above her navel. A long string of tiny, shimmering pearls connected the two sheer panels of fabric at the chest, revealing glimpses of skin through the dense pearl slits. The back was also revealing, and the long train trailed on the ground, making her look both elegant and sexy. Gu Mingzhu had personally done her makeup, giving her delicate, understated beauty, with specially drawn charcoal-black eyebrows and pink, glossy lips. Gu Yan appeared less casual than usual, but possessed a unique allure.
Wearing a simple white dress, Gu Mingzhu led her to the door to personally welcome the guests. Gu Yan shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each stranger, praising and smiling, and exchanging business cards. She felt increasingly breathless, and when a tall, blue-eyed foreigner suddenly pulled her into his arms and patted her back hard, she almost fainted.
"Hey!" Gu Mingzhu patted the foreigner on the shoulder. "Old Bai, our vice president is a traditional Chinese woman. You're going to scare her!"
Upon hearing this, the foreign man named Lao Bai laughed, released Gu Yan, and opened his arms to Gu Mingzhu, saying in broken Chinese, "It's been a long time!"
Gu Mingzhu giggled and dodged him, and the two exchanged pleasantries warmly.
"How pitiful..."
Gu Yan quietly turned her back and patted her chest, which felt stuffy. Suddenly, she heard a clear, cold female voice. When she turned around, she saw that it was Qin Sang and Li Weiran who had arrived.
"Sang Sang—" Gu Yan seemed to meet an old friend in a foreign land. She grabbed Qin Sang's hand, frowned, and called out in a low, gentle voice.
“Mingzhu said you needed support, so I brought Sangsang over to back you up,” Li Weiran replied with a smile, hugging Qin Sang. Yesterday, he received an invitation from Wei Bo, and below the main text, there was a line of elegant willow-style calligraphy that read: Bring Qin Sang.
Who says Gu Mingzhu only knows how to make the most of things? In fact, once she lets down her guard, she is also a considerate older sister.
Gu Yan cast a grateful glance at Gu Mingzhu, but Gu Mingzhu gave her a cold look.
Gu Yan snapped out of her daze, then immediately put on a charming smile and began to interact with the guests.
Ji Nan also arrived, dressed in a black dress, and appeared arm in arm with Rong Yan.
Gu Yan felt a little warmer. Having familiar faces around always made her feel more at ease. She'd been anxious since yesterday, wondering what to do, how to smile, what topics to discuss, and what to say during her speech. She never liked attending such occasions, but today she was the star, and she needed to behave appropriately and ensure everyone was happy. When she told Gu Mingzhu about her worries, Gu Mingzhu scoffed, "You've been with Liang Feifan for so many years, what kind of big occasions haven't you seen? How come you're still so spineless?"
Gu Yan remained silent.
Why would she need to go to such lengths for those big events? She only needs to furrow her brow, and Liang Feifan won't even care about the grandest occasions.
The guests gradually arrived, but Gu Mingzhu still wouldn't let them go, saying they had to wait a little longer. Gu Yan, holding the wine glass brought by the waiter, leaned against a pillar, slightly lost in thought and slacking off.
"President Liang, it's an honor to have you here!" Gu Mingzhu's clear voice rang out from the doorway.
"Not at all, President Gu has honored me with hosting such a grand banquet at 'Fei', so I had to come and say hello."
The familiar, deep voice reached Gu Yan's ears in a winding, meandering manner. She froze behind the pillar, motionless.
She saw his name on the guest list and knew he would come, but when he actually did, she didn't want to see him. She was conflicted. She was so tired and disheveled, and didn't want him to see it, yet she also seemed to want him to see her exhaustion, to see his disheveled state, and to hope… to hope that he would hold her in his arms like countless times before.
"Miss Yan, Miss Gu says she would like you to come and attend to the guests." The waiter was from "Fei" and still addressed Gu Yan as "Miss Yan," which made Gu Yan's nose tingle with emotion.
Gu Yan tossed her hair, took a deep breath, and turned to leave. By the time she reached the door, a radiant smile graced her face.
"Xiao Yan, President Liang is here." Gu Mingzhu warmly took her hand.
Liang Feifan was dressed in a black suit today, with a white shirt and a burgundy tie, looking exceptionally handsome. He extended his hand to Gu Yan: "Ms. Gu, congratulations."
Gu Yan secretly pinched her leg with her left hand, which was holding up her skirt, forcing herself to smile even more brightly. "Thank you."
The two held hands gently, then let go.
"Miss Gu, congratulations." A beautiful woman standing next to Liang Feifan stepped forward and extended her hand to Gu Yan with a smile.
"This is Chen Yunzhi, the public relations manager of Liang's Group, a great beauty. You'll be dealing with her often in the future, so let's get to know each other," Gu Mingzhu introduced Gu Yan.
"Thank you for coming. I'm Gu Yan." Gu Yan shook hands with her listlessly, giving a mechanical, perfunctory reply.
After shaking hands with her, Chen Yunzhi stepped back and actually took Liang Feifan's arm. Liang Feifan looked down at her and smiled slightly, nodded to Gu Mingzhu and Gu Yan, and then they entered the venue together.
Gu Yan pinched harder with her left hand.
"Let's go," Gu Mingzhu said to Gu Yan after considering the matter for a long time with a complicated expression.
Gu Yan nodded and followed her inside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet for a moment. Now, let's welcome Ms. Gu Mingzhu, President of Weber Real Estate!" The host smiled and gestured to the audience, and a spotlight immediately shone on Gu Mingzhu in the crowd, followed by thunderous applause.
Gu Mingzhu walked onto the stage with a smile, took the microphone, and said, "Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for taking the time to come. Today, I have two things to announce. First of all, my father, Mr. Gu Boyun, has unfortunately contracted a very serious illness, just as many people have been saying."
The entire room fell silent instantly. Li Weiran and Rong Yan exchanged a surprised glance. Ji Nan tugged at Rong Yan's sleeve and whispered, "What is Gu Mingzhu going to do? If she makes this announcement, won't Web International English's stock plummet tomorrow?"
Rong Yan shook his head. "Not necessarily. It's a matter of life and death. We'll see how she handles things next." As he said this, he gave Liang Feifan a meaningful look. No wonder Gu Mingzhu was making such a big fuss. It seemed that she was determined to send someone away tonight.
“Everyone has their own destiny, and all I can say is that it's regrettable, but ultimately we can't control birth, aging, sickness, and death.” Gu Mingzhu sighed, then her tone shifted, “However, we will not give up hope until the very last moment. I'm glad that I'm not fighting alone in this regard. Now, I'd like to announce the second thing—my sister, Miss Gu Yan, has decided to return and fight alongside me during this turbulent time for the Gu family! I must say, I'm very proud of her—”
Gu Mingzhu looked at Gu Yan with such gentleness that everyone was moved by their deep sisterly bond.
Gu Yan was embarrassed. She knew she was going to give a speech tonight, but she didn't know she would be doing it in such a sentimental and cheesy way.
"Hello everyone," Gu Yan said as she stepped onto the stage, composing herself. "I am Gu Yan."
The audience was staring at her intently, which made her extremely uncomfortable. When Gu Mingzhu saw that she didn't speak for a long time, she secretly reached out and pinched her waist.
Gu Yan winced in pain and panicked even more. Suddenly, she spotted Liang Feifan in the crowd. Chen Yunzhi was still clinging to his arm, the two of them pressed tightly together because of the crowd. He stood there, completely unaffected. In Gu Yan's eyes, he was just like everyone else around her, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
She felt so sad that she didn't want to talk, not a single word.
A murmur began to ripple through the crowd. Qin Sang looked around, beckoned a waiter, whispered a few words to him, and the waiter quickly walked onto the stage. He looked at the microphone switch, then squatted down and pretended to fidget with the power cord socket. Smiling, he said in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Sorry, the microphone socket was loose just now. It's working now."
Gu Mingzhu thanked her, took the microphone from Gu Yan's hand, said "hello" twice, and then handed it back to her, saying, "Gu Yan, that's enough." She said this with a double meaning.
Gu Yan pulled herself together, picked up the microphone, and said simply, "I am now the Vice President of Web International English. Please take good care of me."
Although Gu Mingzhu was not satisfied, she still smiled and led the applause.
"Have a good time, everyone!" she announced, signaling the start of the party.
"Ms. Gu, President Gu just said you went back to Web International English. So, where were you before?" At the gathering, Gu Mingzhu and Gu Yan stood side by side, greeting several reporters.
"Outside." Gu Yan said absentmindedly.
"Do you mean you live outside or you work outside?" the reporter asked carefully, holding a notebook.
"Yes, all of them." Gu Yan frowned, took a sip of red wine, but felt even more annoyed.
Where did you work before?
Gu Yan's eyebrows almost stood on end. What business is it of yours where I am tall?
She suppressed the urge to turn and walk away, and fell silent.
“My sister has been independent since she was young. After graduating, she found a job on her own and has worked for many companies. Look, that Miss Ji who washed her hands in the golden basin was one of her bosses back then!” Gu Mingzhu pulled Ji Nan, who was passing by, over as a shield.
Ji Nan smiled and nodded, "Hello."
Several reporters got excited. Ji Si retiring from crime was big news. Unfortunately, she never gave interviews, and because of her status, no paparazzi dared to follow her. Today, she seemed very amiable, and there was something to dig up!
"Miss Ji Nan, may I ask what your current condition is?"
"I heard you're getting married?"
Did you really go to South Korea a while ago?
Questions came one after another, but Ji Nan waved his hand and said, "I'm here today for Miss Gu Yan, so I'll only answer questions related to her."
The reporters laughed. "Are Miss Ji Nan and Miss Gu Yan good friends?"
Gu Yan nodded.
"Miss Gu Yan, during the years that Miss Ji Nan disguised herself as a man, did you know her true gender?" a female reporter began to ask gossip.
"Of course I know, otherwise she would have fallen in love with me long ago," Ji Nan said with a smile.
The atmosphere began to lighten, and Gu Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief. "Nonsense, my sister has always had someone she likes." She teased Ji Nan meaningfully.
Sure enough, the reporter became interested: "Does Ms. Gu Yan have a boyfriend? Do you live with him?"
Gu Yan subconsciously began to look for Liang Feifan's figure and saw him leaning against the window, his head down, close to Chen Yunzhi, talking to him in hushed tones.
Gu Mingzhu answered for her: "Of course she has a boyfriend, but neither of them is married. Don't be discouraged, there's still a chance."
Everyone burst into laughter, and camera flashes went off continuously.
balcony
It's time to pop the champagne.