Xu Mingzhen didn’t look pleased.
The condition for Gu Nianqing stepping in to help Xu Yingjia out of the situation was that he would give up all his shares in Qimeng and transfer them to her.
It wasn’t that he cared much about the shares of a subsidiary. What bothered him was Gu Nianqing’s strictly businesslike attitude—treating everything as a transaction.
It irritated him.
And unsettled him.
Not to mention, less than ten minutes after he signed the agreement and sent it over, his secretary reported that Qimeng had already submitted the paperwork to process the ownership transfer.
She couldn’t wait at all.
It reminded him far too much of her mother—how, right after securing his promise to acknowledge Gu Yongkang as part of the family, she immediately tried to poison Xu Yingjia with rat poison.
Thinking of that woman—whom he once tried so hard to protect, only to see her true, vicious nature when money was involved—and of his prematurely deceased son, Xu Mingzhen’s mood darkened even further.
That birthday banquet, which had utterly humiliated him in public, had ended with Gu Yongkang’s death and Gu Sheng being sentenced to fifteen years in prison for intentional injury resulting in death and disability.
At the time, Xu Yingjia had been running a persistent high fever and had little appetite. She couldn’t attend her father’s birthday celebration and threw a long tantrum before finally agreeing to eat a small amount of the medicinal stew at the nanny’s urging.
Fortunately, she only consumed a little—and was immediately forced to vomit by Zhou Ya and the family doctor when they arrived—so her life was spared.
Still, the ordeal left her traumatized. Her fever kept recurring, and after recovering from the illness, she was never quite the same—her mind dulled, her reactions slower.
Xu Mingzhen’s scandal had nearly destroyed his family. Zhou Ya’s parents beat him mercilessly and took Xu Yingjia away to the south for treatment.
Everyone suffered heavy losses.
Except for one person, who emerged as the biggest winner.
Looking at the now even more stunning Gu Nianqing, Xu Mingzhen felt a storm of thoughts rising in his chest.
After that incident, the Zhou family didn’t blame Gu Nianqing. In fact, because she had exposed Gu Sheng’s attempt to harm Xu Yingjia and didn’t delay the rescue, Zhou Ya took the initiative to officially acknowledge her.
From then on, the illegitimate child who once had no place in the light became the Xu family’s second princess.
Perhaps because she had witnessed his most disgraceful moment—and because he later learned what happened in the kitchen—Xu Mingzhen had always kept an emotional distance from her.
He had no proof, and the idea itself sounded absurd—but a five-year-old girl managing to turn such a terrible hand into a shocking comeback was enough to make anyone wary.
On the other hand, Zhou Ya valued Gu Nianqing greatly.
She gave her the exact same material treatment as Xu Yingjia. Though her attitude remained neutral—not particularly warm, but never harsh—she had only one expectation:
Gu Nianqing would act as Xu Yingjia’s shield.
—to filter out the malice of the world for her.
Just like at the airport today.
If Xu Yingjia had faced Shen Yu’s humiliation alone, within hours the headlines would have exploded with news of the Xu family’s daughter kneeling publicly to apologize to the young tycoon’s beloved.
But with Gu Nianqing stepping in, the trending topics had changed to:
“The Simp Awakens! Xu Heiress Demands Young Master Shen Kneel”
“What Kind of Beauty Is Worth 38 Billion?”
“Sisterhood at Its Finest—Standing Up for Each Other”
Even the stocks of several Xu Group companies had started to surge.
Inside the Xu residence living room
Madam Xu, Zhou Ya, reclined on a soft suede sofa, her flawless hands extended as a visiting manicurist worked on her nails.
A handsome personal assistant sat beside her, holding a tablet and scrolling through the news for her.
Watching the trending topics skyrocket in popularity, Zhou Ya showed clear satisfaction.
She didn’t show the slightest displeasure over Gu Nianqing taking advantage of the situation to demand a hefty price.
After all, the one paying the price was Xu Mingzhen—what did that have to do with her?
Besides, Gu Nianqing had already transferred 5% of the shares she received back to her.
“Looks like you’re in a good mood, Madam,” Gu Nianqing said from across the room, holding a teacup with a blissful expression.
If nothing else, the Xu family had truly exceptional tea.
Having grown up influenced by Zhou Ya, who came from the south, Gu Nianqing had little interest in coffee or alcohol. Instead, she had developed a deep appreciation for tea.
Most of what she could find abroad was black tea—rich in aroma but lacking that lingering aftertaste she loved. She had been craving Zhou Ya’s private collection for a long time.
Zhou Ya acted as if she hadn’t heard her and gestured for the assistant to keep scrolling.
After a while, she smiled faintly.
“These new trending topics today have pushed that Qin family scandal down… If I remember correctly, it had been trending for half a month?”
The assistant’s smooth, velvety voice replied, “Madam has an excellent memory.”
Gu Nianqing nearly choked on her tea.
Only then did Zhou Ya look at her, offering a polite smile.
“You’ve worked hard today. Later, have A-Ming pack a couple of tea cakes for you to take home.”
“Wow, I’ve already been paid, but thank you anyway, Madam,” Gu Nianqing replied with a cheerful grin.
She didn’t have a room in the Xu house.
Not long after she went abroad six years ago, Zhou Ya had someone inform her that the mansion was undergoing renovations—smaller rooms were being merged into larger ones.
Her old room had been one of them.
Gu Nianqing didn’t care. To her, this place had never truly been home.
At the top of the stairs, Xu Yingjia—now changed into comfortable clothes—stood there, looking a little downcast.
“Qingqing… you’re not staying here tonight?”
Gu Nianqing smiled.
“No, Xia Xia already booked a hotel. It’s much closer to the office—more convenient that way.”
“Then at least stay for dinner before you leave.”
Xu Mingzhen came down from the second floor and said it calmly.
His gaze swept over A-Ming, his brows knitting slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.
Over the years, Zhou Ya had openly kept more than a few handsome young companions—no fewer than ten. Xu Mingzhen could never truly accept it, but Zhou Ya’s blunt remark—“Don’t worry, they won’t poison Jia Jia for the sake of their own child”—always left him speechless.
A-Ming, sensing the tension, tactfully stood up and moved a little farther away from Zhou Ya.
Unable to vent his frustration, Xu Mingzhen turned his attention to Gu Nianqing instead.
“Qingqing, I know you were helping Jia Jia, but acting on impulse doesn’t solve anything. It’ll only damage the relationship between our two families.”
Gu Nianqing paused, a hint of wariness appearing on her face.
“I’ve already completed the share transfer for Qimeng as agreed. Are you trying to back out now? That wouldn’t be very honorable.”
Xu Mingzhen choked on his words.
Zhou Ya let out a soft laugh.
“If Shen Yu cared about maintaining relations between the families, would he have humiliated Jia Jia like that?”
She cast Xu Mingzhen a sideways glance, her expression faintly amused.
“Shen Pei called you just now, didn’t he? Asking you to plead for that brat?”
Xu Mingzhen clenched his jaw. “It’s just a quarrel between young people. There’s no need to be so aggressive.”
He looked at Gu Nianqing, his tone firm and unquestionable.
“The Shen family will have A-Yu come and apologize to Jia Jia. That’s the end of it. Withdraw that lawsuit of yours immediately, and renew the contract between Qimeng and Feixian.”
Gu Nianqing ignored him entirely, staring at the phone Xu Xiaxia had handed back to her earlier.
Her assistant’s anxious voice seemed to echo in her ears:
“President Gu, please just reply… There are already 99+ messages. Even I’m getting scared looking at it…”
Xu Xiaxia, that sly fox, had tossed her the hot potato and run.
Gu Nianqing opened the call log—and sucked in a sharp breath.
Forget Xu Xiaxia—even she felt a little intimidated.
At this rate, once she finished dealing with Shen Yu, she’d be the one getting dealt with next.
Would he dismantle her piece by piece?
Well…
That was actually… kind of exciting.
“Did you hear what I said?!” Xu Mingzhen snapped, clearly displeased after being ignored.
A faint blush spread across Gu Nianqing’s cheeks as she turned to Zhou Ya.
“Madam, I need to return a call. I missed it earlier and it’s been quite a while.”
Xu Mingzhen: …
Zhou Ya raised a brow in surprise. “Are you dating someone?”
“Not at all.”
Gu Nianqing stood up, phone in hand, smiling as she shook her head.
“Dating is too time-consuming. I don’t have the time for that.”
After leaving the mansion, Gu Nianqing slipped into a nearby pavilion she knew well, using the lush trumpet vine overhead to shield herself from the blazing sun.
She opened WeChat and looked at the flood of voice call requests, biting her lip.
She hit “call back.” After only a few rings, the call connected.
A faint, steady breathing came through her Bluetooth earpiece.
It sent an inexplicable shiver down her spine.
Maybe the sound quality was too good—because that breathing made her feel like she was back in his arms again.
Her body instinctively began to crave that overwhelming, intoxicating pleasure.
Her legs weakened slightly, and she quickly steadied herself against a stone pillar.
“Old Qin?”
She called out tentatively.
The breathing on the other end grew slightly uneven.
Her heart softened.
“I had something to take care of back home,” she said gently. “Why are you up so early? Isn’t it only a little past six over there?”
“Gu. Nian. Qing.”
Something in her words had clearly struck a nerve. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of a brewing storm.
“I’m here~” she coaxed softly, trying to soothe him.
But it clearly didn’t work.
The man spoke slowly, each word laced with restrained fury:
“Do you even understand… that we’re on our honeymoon?!”