“You?” A board member sized her up, his gaze sweeping from her face down to her body, his contempt undisguised. “Miss Gu, how old are you this year? Twenty-three? Have you studied business management? Do you know what the annual revenue of the Gu Group is?”
“Exactly, a pampered young lady shouldn’t be causing trouble here. Go home and do whatever you’re supposed to do.”
“Gu Zeming too, his health isn’t good, yet he sends his sister here to stir things up.”
The laughter and mockery stabbed at her like knives, one cut after another, merciless.
Gu Ziyao stood there, her fingers digging into her palms, the pain keeping her alert.
She didn’t refute, didn’t explain, and didn’t let her eyes redden with grievance as she used to. She simply stood there, waiting for the laughter to subside.
“I don’t understand, but I can learn.” Her gaze swept over everyone present.
“But the Gu Group bears the Gu name. This is the foundation my grandfather built from nothing, something my Second Brother has been guarding with his life. Anyone who wants to take advantage of his illness to take his life will have to get past me first. Besides, I have my Second Brother’s authorization and consent. His exact words were: ‘The Gu family’s company can only be managed by someone from the Gu family.'”
The conference room fell silent again.
Not because they were convinced, but because they were stunned by this woman’s stubbornness.
After a moment of contemplation, a shareholder finally made the decision: “Fine, you’ll have a three-month probationary period. If performance declines by more than ten percent, you step down automatically.”
Three months.
Ten percent.
It was an obvious setup. For a completely inexperienced newcomer to stabilize a company already in decline within three months was nearly impossible.
But Gu Ziyao didn’t hesitate.
“Deal.”
When she walked out of the conference room, the air conditioning breeze in the hallway hit her face, and only then did she realize her back was soaked with cold sweat.
She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
From now on, she was no longer just the youngest daughter of the Gu family, no longer just Shen Junyan’s wife in name, no longer just Yaoyao who could act spoiled in front of her grandfather.
She was the acting general manager of the Gu Group.
A pampered young lady with no experience, whom no one believed in, who could be ousted at any moment.
Gu Ziyao began a life shuttling between two points—the hospital and the company.
During the day, she handled business at the company; at night, she went to the hospital to accompany Gu Zeming, sleeping three or four hours on the sofa in the ward before rushing back to the company before dawn.
She understood nothing.
She couldn’t read financial statements, couldn’t distinguish contract clauses, and even had to look up the most basic business terms one by one. During meetings, she didn’t understand half of the professional jargon the board members used, but she didn’t show it, just silently noted it down and secretly looked it up afterward.
She began poring over the professional books Gu Zeming had left behind every night, tackling them bit by bit.
Marketing, management, finance, law—everything she needed to know, she started learning from scratch.
During her first project meeting, she was publicly challenged by the project manager.
“General Manager Gu, you haven’t even calculated this project’s ROI clearly. What gives you the right to boss people around here?”
Gu Ziyao sat at the head of the conference table, facing over a dozen pairs of eyes. In those gazes were doubt, disdain, pity—everything but trust.
“Then calculate it for me,” she said calmly. “In front of everyone, calculate it from start to finish.”
The project manager was taken aback by her words but complied nonetheless. After listening, Gu Ziyao filled two whole pages of her notebook with notes.
After the meeting, she stayed alone in the office until the early hours of the morning, reading those two pages of notes over and over more than a dozen times, until every number and every formula was etched into her mind.
When she met the client for the first time, it was a middle-aged man in his fifties, surnamed Zhao, who ran a building materials business and held considerable influence locally.
Mr. Zhao looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on her face for a long time before he smiled—a greasy, unpleasant smile.
“Ms. Gu, I’ve long heard of you. I never expected the head of the Gu Group to be so young and beautiful.” He extended his hand and held hers for an uncomfortably long time before letting go. “As for the business, it’s easy to discuss. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight, and we can talk over the meal.”
Gu Ziyao knew exactly what that dinner implied.
But she went anyway.
During the meal, Mr. Zhao pressured her into drinking three glasses of baijiu and two glasses of red wine. Her tolerance for alcohol had never been good, and after just a few drinks, her face flushed, and her stomach churned violently.
“Ms. Gu, we’re very interested in signing this contract,” Mr. Zhao said, swirling his glass, his eyes never leaving her. “But your company’s quote is five percentage points higher than the others. Tell me, why should I choose you?”
“Our product quality—”
“Anyone can talk about product quality,” Mr. Zhao interrupted. “What matters is sincerity. Don’t you agree, Ms. Gu?”
When he said the word “sincerity,” his tone was so suggestive it made her sick.
Gu Ziyao picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp.
“Mr. Zhao, this glass is my sincerity. As for the contract, let’s proceed according to the rules.”
The smile on Mr. Zhao’s face stiffened for a moment before he recovered. “Ms. Gu, you’re truly straightforward. Fine, we’ll do it by the rules.”
That day, Gu Ziyao didn’t secure the contract.
When she walked out of the hotel, the night breeze brushed against her face, and the alcohol surged within her. She crouched by the roadside and vomited for a long time. Stomach acid burned her esophagus, tears and mucus streamed down her face—she was a complete mess.
She thought of Shen Junyan.
If he were here, would he help her? Would he shield her from the drinking? Would he make Mr. Zhao think twice about being so brazen?
Then she remembered the contract—the marriage contract, which clearly stated in black and white: Both parties shall not interfere in each other’s lives or work and shall not assume spousal obligations.
She smiled bitterly, wiped her mouth with a tissue, hailed a taxi, and went home.
She would never ask Shen Junyan for help.
Never.
This was her pride, and this was her loneliness.
Day by day, Gu Ziyao transformed bit by bit through her struggles.
She began learning how to read financial statements. Though it was still difficult, she could at least understand the income statement and cash flow statement. She started learning how to negotiate. Though she still felt nervous, she was no longer easily led by the nose. She began learning how to manage a team. Though she was still looked down upon by some, there were now people who recognized her efforts.
The attitudes of the board members also slowly shifted—from initial disdain to hesitant skepticism, and now to reluctant acknowledgment: this delicate young lady was truly fighting with everything she had.
Late one night, Gu Ziyao left the company. It was already one in the morning.
She walked along the empty street, the streetlights stretching her shadow long and thin. The early autumn night breeze carried a chill, tousling her hair and lifting the hem of her skirt.
She suddenly remembered her grandfather’s words—”If you ever feel wronged in the future, don’t bear it alone.”
Standing under the streetlight, she lifted her head and gazed at the dim yellow glow above. Silent tears streamed down her face.
She didn’t wipe them away, just stood there, letting the tears trace paths across her cheeks and drip onto her collar.
Then she took a deep breath, dried her tears, straightened her back, and continued walking forward.