Li Junnan knew everything Fu Sijue said was right, but he still felt an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl couldn’t possibly understand anything.
Fu Sijue didn’t give Li Junnan much time to think and spoke again.
“Ranran said she’ll start my treatment tomorrow. I might need your help purchasing some supplies then.”
Seeing Fu Sijue’s determination, Li Junnan reluctantly replied.
“Sijue, I need to be involved in the entire process. Trusting Miss Gu is your decision, but the rest of us can’t feel at ease leaving you in the hands of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl. With my participation, everyone will feel more reassured.”
Afraid Fu Sijue might refuse, Li Junnan played his trump card.
“If you don’t agree, I’ll call the Old Master.”
Hearing this, Fu Sijue frowned deeply. The Old Master Li Junnan referred to was his grandfather. Remembering that old man, a dark glint flashed in Fu Sijue’s eyes before he looked at Li Junnan and responded.
“I need to discuss this with Ranran first. As for the Old Master, if you think my life is too easy here, feel free to tell him everything about my current situation.”
After speaking, Fu Sijue stood up and left the study.
Left behind, Li Junnan punched the sofa in frustration when he saw his tactic hadn’t worked on Fu Sijue.
Having grown up with Fu Sijue, he understood all too well the situation within the Fu family and what kind of trouble would arise if they learned about Fu Sijue’s current condition.
Fu Sijue had been staying in Nan City all these years precisely to distance himself from the center of power and escape that whirlpool.
This night was destined to be sleepless for many.
Meanwhile, in a standalone villa within an upscale residential area in downtown Nan City, lights blazed brightly.
The living room was in complete disarray. On the sofa sat a girl with a twisted, grim expression, surrounded by shattered glass and broken decorations.
Outside the villa, car headlights flashed, followed by approaching footsteps.
“What happened here? Why is everything such a mess?”
A vigorous voice sounded, followed by a soft, delicate one.
“Yao Yao, my dear daughter, what’s wrong? Who upset you?”
“Mommy, it’s all that Gu Ran’s fault! She’s gone too far! I went to see her with good intentions, but she wouldn’t even let me through the gates of Tan Palace. Do you know how cold it was on the mountainside today? I waited outside for over ten minutes, the wind gave me a headache, waaah…”
Having held it in all day, Gu Yao finally found an outlet for her frustration.
Previously, she could always enter Tan Palace unimpeded, but recently, she’d been stopped at the gate every time. All that talk about Gu Ran being sick was just an excuse—that wretched woman must have taken a fancy to Mr. Fu too!
The middle-aged woman holding Gu Yao was well-maintained, looking only in her thirties. Hearing her daughter’s complaints, she joined in the condemnation.
“That cheap girl really thinks living in Tan Palace will make her a phoenix! How could someone like her ever be worthy of Mr. Fu?”
“Husband, you need to think of something. She still holds thirty percent of Gu Corporation’s shares. If she really gets involved with that Mr. Fu, given his methods, will we ever get those shares back?”
The woman’s face was full of greed, mixed with anger.
Everything had been perfectly planned—bring that wretched girl back, complete the marriage alliance with the Han family, then join forces with Han Muze to seize the thirty percent shares, and finally find a way to get rid of the woman.
Everything was arranged so meticulously, yet this mysterious Mr. Fu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and unexpectedly took that wretched girl away, completely disrupting all their plans.
Fortunately, that Han family boy had a backup plan. He managed to make the wretched girl fall deeply for him at their first meeting, and even after being taken to Tan Palace, she continued to cause a fuss.
Gu Mingfei’s eyes were dark and gloomy, filled with calculation and greed. Hearing his daughter’s complaints and his wife’s angry curses, he remained remarkably calm.
“Yao Yao, tell me in detail—how did the people at Tan Palace respond these past few days?”
“How else would they respond? They said that country bumpkin was sick and needed rest. I bet that wretched girl is just captivated by the luxurious life at Tan Palace.”
“Are you sure? Then, has Han Muze not gone to see that wretched girl these past few days?”
Just listen to this family of three—Gu Ran didn’t even have a name in their mouths.
When Gu Yao heard her father mention Han Muze, her anger flared even more.
“Daddy, I just don’t understand—why do you insist on marrying that stupid country bumpkin to Brother Ze? Clearly, Brother Ze and I are the perfect match.”
“I told you, you’re shortsighted. Don’t forget why we brought her back in the first place.”
“Isn’t it just for the shares? Then why does it have to be a marriage alliance? I think if we just pretend to be nice to her, she’ll definitely hand over those shares.”
“Yao Yao, have you forgotten? There’s a clause in your uncle’s will stating that the thirty percent shares can only be transferred to that wretched girl after she gets married. Besides, the marriage alliance with the Han family was originally arranged for your uncle’s daughter. This is no secret among the wealthy circles of Nancheng.”
“Then why does it have to be Brother Ze? Can’t we just find someone else for her? It’s not like Brother Ze is the only one in the Han family.”
Gu Yao still looked displeased. She and Brother Ze had grown up together, and she had always dreamed of marrying him.
Seeing how narrow-minded his daughter was, Gu Mingfei couldn’t hide his frustration and scolded her sharply.
“I said you’re shortsighted, and you really are hopelessly foolish. Those are thirty percent of the shares—based on the group’s current market value, that’s over ten billion. If we marry her off to someone who isn’t on our side, do you think we’ll still get our hands on those shares? If it weren’t for the fact that Han Muze grew up with you and is deeply in love with you, I wouldn’t even trust the Han family. Or do you think Han Muze’s brothers are all on his side?”
When it came to the Han family, Gu Mingfei’s triangular eyes gleamed with shrewdness, and his gaze toward Gu Yao softened with affection.
“Yao Yao, how have things been between you and Young Master Han lately? Your mother and I have been overseas and haven’t paid enough attention to you.”
At the mention of Han Muze, Gu Yao’s face flushed with a girlish shyness, though there was a hint of disappointment in her expression.
“Dad, I haven’t seen Brother Ze for days either. It seems like he’s been busy with something—he hasn’t been in Nancheng lately.”
“Hey, has there been any progress on what I asked you to look into earlier? If Gu Corporation can establish connections with the major families in the capital, we won’t have to stay cooped up in this small Southern City forever.”
“Dad, don’t rush. Brother Ze said this matter can’t be hurried. Otherwise, why would the Han family be content with staying in this corner of Southern City?”
Gu Yao spoke with a guilty conscience. In truth, leveraging the Han family to connect with the aristocratic families in the capital was extremely difficult. The Han family weren’t fools, and besides, Han Muze wasn’t yet the head of the Han family—he still had two powerful competitors.
However, Gu Yao certainly didn’t dare say any of this out loud. She had worked hard to gain her father’s trust.
Hearing this, the faint glimmer of hope in Gu Mingfei’s eyes dimmed, and his face clearly showed displeasure.
“Yao Yao, you’re my only daughter. The entire Gu family will be handed over to you in the future. Everything I’m planning now is for your sake. You should put in some effort too. If you ask me, you should hurry up and make things official with Young Master Han. Even though your relationship can’t be public right now, men… they’re all creatures ruled by their lower halves.”
As soon as Gu Mingfei said this, the expressions of the two women present changed immediately. Madame Gu, Yu Mengjiao, who had been quiet until now, looked very dissatisfied.
“Sir, how can you ask Yao Yao to do such a thing? She’s not even eighteen yet.”
“She’ll be eighteen in just a few days, won’t she? I’m not saying she should go to Young Master Han right away.”
Gu Yao and Gu Ran were actually only about three months apart in age. Gu Mingfei had rushed back from abroad this time precisely for Gu Yao’s eighteenth birthday banquet.
Yu Mengjiao was still very unhappy. Although she also hoped her daughter would marry into the Han family, currently Han Muze was publicly engaged to Gu Ran. She didn’t want her daughter to be labeled as the third party who interfered in her cousin’s relationship.
“Sir, isn’t this a bit early? Yao Yao is about to take her college entrance exams. Shouldn’t we wait a bit longer?”
“Wait for what? Among young ladies from prominent families, how many don’t marry and have children early? Those kinds of families place great importance on bloodline inheritance. I’m doing this to secure a good future for our daughter. Here in Southern City, the Han family is the top family. If it weren’t for my late elder brother’s friendship with the Han family patriarch back in the day, do you think the Gu family would even catch the Han family’s eye?”
“Mom, I think Dad is right. Besides, Brother Ze and I are truly in love. Now everyone knows that Brother Ze’s fiancée was taken by that person from Tan Palace. Even if people find out about Brother Ze and me now, it’s that little bitch who wronged Brother Ze first.”
Speaking of this, Gu Yao thought of the master living in Tan Palace. In all her life, she had never seen such a handsome man.
He had an imposing presence, cold and noble. Although she didn’t know exactly what this Mr. Fu did, anyone who could live in such a grand place like Tan Palace must have an extraordinary status.
Thinking about how such a man could like a country girl who hadn’t even finished elementary school, Gu Yao felt inexplicably jealous.
Why did everything change when that country girl came back? Even her Brother Ze seemed to have grown much colder toward her after meeting that bitch.
No, the more Gu Yao thought about it, the more she felt a sense of crisis. She couldn’t let Brother Ze be snatched away by that bitch. So what if she was a bit prettier? How could a top-tier family like the Han family accept an uncultured vase?
As for the one living in Tan Palace, he was probably just temporarily fascinated. Maybe after a while, when he got tired of playing around, he would discard her good cousin.
“Dad, what exactly is the identity of that Mr. Fu from Tan Palace? Weren’t you investigating before?”
“I did. I only heard that he’s the lost grandson of the Yun family from Beicheng, probably the child of that Yun family’s eldest daughter who disappeared over twenty years ago.”
Hearing about the Yun family from Beicheng, Gu Yao’s eyes lit up.