"Why am I here?"
"What, a few days playing the big boss has made you forget the rules?"
"Why can’t I come to this company!"
Thinking about the reckless things Gu Qixiao had done, as mentioned by Feng Qinqin during dinner earlier, Mr. Gu was fuming.
Looking at his son right now, Mr. Gu found him annoying in every way, even wishing this son of his could simply crawl back into the womb of his mother, who passed away years ago, and be remade.
Though such thoughts were unrealistic, Mr. Gu’s anger wasn’t entirely unwarranted.
The Feng family, as a century-old establishment in the capital’s construction industry circle, represented a collaboration opportunity with the Gu family that was undeniably win-win.
Yet, Gu Qixiao had outright declared never to cooperate just because he disliked a few people, leaving Mr. Gu’s reputation in tatters!
What made it worse was that the Feng family’s daughter was friends with Ji Yu!
The more Mr. Gu thought about it, the angrier he grew, even wanting to slap some sense into Gu Qixiao.
But after all, the boy was his own son, and more than that, his son was the big boss.
Should he bring undue attention to himself by laying a hand on his son within the company, it would only be his own dignity at stake.
Weighing the pros and cons, Mr. Gu begrudgingly decided to settle for a verbal admonishment and demanded that Gu Qixiao apologize to the Feng family.
"Prepare a proper apology gift now. You’ll come with me to apologize to the Feng family later."
Hearing his father’s words, Gu Qixiao naturally understood what was on his mind.
But no way in hell!
Gu Qixiao refused to work with people whose personal lives were a mess, even if those people weren’t employees of the Feng family.
Since the Feng family allowed their daughter to associate with such individuals, they should accept the consequences.
"No way! Absolutely no way!"
Fully understanding his father’s temperament, Gu Qixiao adamantly refused while walking toward the door and pulling it open.
As long as the office door was open, whatever scolding came next from Mr. Gu wouldn’t be as unbearable.
But just as he reached the doorway, he didn’t expect Mr. Gu to suddenly stop yelling.
"You’re sure about not apologizing? Fine, but don’t regret it!"
Having delivered his warning and already vented some frustration on Gu Qixiao, Mr. Gu decided he could deal with the fallout another time and swiftly stormed out.
Initially assuming his father would continue squabbling for ages, Gu Qixiao watched him leave, then sat back down to focus on work.
Still, deep down, his impression of Ji Yu had further plummeted.
Meanwhile, Ji Yu, who was at the Feng family residence, had no knowledge of this. Even if she knew Gu Qixiao detested her more, she wouldn’t care.
The marriage was already headed for divorce; whether he hated her or not made no difference.
"President Gu, here are the materials related to Canning Group."
While silently cursing Ji Yu in his mind, Gu Qixiao reviewed the project contracts. At that moment, Assistant Li, who had been tasked earlier to investigate potential partner companies, handed over information on Canning Group.
Canning Group, unlike the Feng family’s enterprise, was a newly founded construction company that typically wouldn’t even catch Gu Qixiao’s attention.
Though Gu Qixiao had supported various start-up projects over the years, working with a "three-no company" like Canning Group was a first.
During his investigation, Assistant Li grew curious about this company as well.
For a construction company, the name "Canning Group" sounded particularly odd.
Coupled with the fact that it was a small family business, with its overall value assessment falling short of previous studios funded by Gu Qixiao, it seemed inconsequential.
But since the boss wanted information, there had to be a reason behind it.
Operating under that principle, Assistant Li handed over all the relevant documents to Gu Qixiao without saying a word.
When Gu Qixiao decided to meet with Canning Group’s representative, Assistant Li innocently assumed his boss had some new strategy in mind.
Little did he know, his boss was simply acting out of spite after his earlier argument with his father.
In Gu Qixiao’s mind, he didn’t believe there was any company capable of replacing the Feng family.
Although the Feng family was indeed a veteran in the construction industry, the Gu family was an empire. If necessary, he could build an entire construction industry chain from scratch.
It was precisely this mindset that led Gu Qixiao to choose Canning Group in his anger.
Ever since hearing that Gus Group had started to research and inquire about his company, Cai Xun had been eagerly waiting for news of active contact from them.
Finally, after rereading his treasured novels repeatedly and just finishing assembling a domino set, the anticipated call from Gus Group reached Canning Group and transferred through the internal line to Cai Xun’s office landline.
"Hello, may I speak with Cai Xun, the responsible party for Canning Group?"
Following orders from Gu Qixiao, Assistant Li immediately contacted Canning Group. Despite it being a small company, its meticulously arranged protocols left a good first impression.
The detailed procedures and formalities created an impression of reliability and professionalism.
Upon hearing Assistant Li’s voice from the receiver, Cai Xun responded without hesitation.
After a brief discussion and exchanging contact information, Cai Xun quickly gathered the workgroup that had been idly waiting for Gus Group to initiate contact.
"Zhao, Xiaoli, inform Planning Team 1 to pack up. Meet downstairs in five minutes; we’re headed to Gus Group."
"Understood, young Mr. Cai."
Not even waiting for his assistant secretary to finish replying, Cai Xun demonstrated urgency upon receiving Gus Group’s call.
While no one knew exactly what was going on, many employees were visibly startled when they overheard Gus Group’s name.
Gus Group was practically legendary in the capital, and a small company like theirs somehow had the chance to collaborate.
If the partnership truly materialized, the entire workforce would likely erupt in celebration and might even consider splurging on grand s to announce it to the world.
After all, it was Gus Group!
Though this was just wishful thinking, nobody had any clue about why Cai Xun was heading to Gus Group.
All they knew was that he quickly left with Planning Team 1, but which Gus Group office was he headed to?
Sorry, nobody knew.
"Hello, I’m the representative for ’Canning Group,’ here to see Mr. Li."
Calmly arriving at the reception desk, Cai Xun explained his purpose to the receptionist.
Who would have thought that upon hearing the name "Mr. Li," the receptionist froze in confusion and failed to react for quite a while?
If Assistant Li hadn’t anticipated the group’s arrival and made preparations to greet them downstairs, Cai Xun and his team might have struggled with accessing the building.
"Assistant Li, this is..."