That evening, Zhao Yisen waited at the dining table for a long time, only to be met by Jiang Mingze, who was busy moving things.
Assistant Jiang mentioned that President Gu would be busy for the next few days and likely wouldn’t return to stay.
Zhao Yisen dejectedly stopped his hand as it reached for a third bowl of rice.
“…”
The assistant offered a professional “customer service” smile. “Tomorrow morning, someone will pick you up and take you to the company to sign a contract and discuss the ongoing matters regarding Lu Real Estate.”
Zhao Yisen nodded obediently; he understood the other party needed to confirm the hostage’s safety. After swallowing his last mouthful of rice, he instinctively licked his upper lip.
It was a small movement, yet incredibly alluring.
Jiang Mingze immediately lowered his head. Thinking of President Gu, who was still buried in work at the office, he marveled at how the President’s utilization of Young Master Yi was strictly professional and proper, never crossing a line.
After seeing Assistant Jiang off, the expression on Wang Baobao’s face remained a whirlwind of emotions.
The Young Master and President Gu had truly gotten married.
He suddenly felt conflicted. Although President Gu’s “house arrest” of the Young Master was just for show, actually refusing to give him food seemed a bit too heartless.
Feeling a faint sense of worry, Wang Baobao wanted to remind his master of something, but the youth had already bolted to the second floor and slammed the master bedroom door shut.
The next morning, under the servants’ care, Zhao Yisen changed into an overly formal suit.
Sitting in the back of the Rolls-Royce, he felt a bit strange. He was just a “hostage” did he really need such a grand entrance?
In less than half an hour, the luxury car pulled up to the entrance of the Gu Group headquarters. Several managers responsible for guiding the way broke into blooming smiles the moment they saw him.
“Young Master Yi, please, right this way!”
Doubtfully, Zhao Yisen was ushered into the elevator by the crowd. The elevator rose to the 17th floor. When the doors opened, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered an unobstructed view of the CBD.
Rounding a corner in the corridor, he was met by a luxuriously decorated conference room. A square table sat in the center, with several strangers scattered on both sides. Zhao Yisen only recognized Lu Ming.
These men looked exceptionally wealthy, but their complexions weren’t great; they seemed to harbor a faint hostility toward Zhao Yisen.
Zhao Yisen: ?
At the far end of the table, Jiang Mingze stood with his head lowered. Sitting before him was a man with a lean, sharp build; his black suit made his exposed wrists look even paler.
Gu Jia was looking down, flipping through the contract in his hands, his eyelashes lowered. The sight made Zhao Yisen’s heart skip a beat.
In the next moment, as if sensing something, Gu Jia suddenly looked up. His gaze crossed the room and landed precisely on him.
They had just met at the Civil Affairs Bureau yesterday, but at this moment, the atmosphere made them seem like complete strangers.
“…”
Zhao Yisen didn’t know whether to smile and say hello or pretend to look away casually. While he was hesitating, the man lowered his head again.
Letting out a breath, he decided to find a random seat. But before he could take a step, Lu Ming stood up from one side of the table and greeted him with a smile: “Xiao Sen, over here.”
Lu Ming pointed to the empty seat beside him.
“…”
Honestly, Zhao Yisen felt it didn’t matter where he sat, as he wasn’t exactly the star of this meeting. Just as he was about to move, a cold voice rang out from the head of the table.
“Yi Sen, sit here.”
Gu Jia tapped the table beside him with his fountain pen.
“…”
When the Big Boss speaks, Zhao Yisen doesn’t dare disobey. He gave Lu Ming an awkward smile and turned his steps. A flash of surprise crossed Lu Ming’s eyes, but he quickly covered it with a knowing smile, gesturing politely for him to go ahead.
“President Gu and Young Master Yi certainly have a wonderful relationship,” a middle-aged man sitting closest to the door remarked sarcastically.
“Qian Zheng,” the man toying with walnuts warned him in a deep voice. Seeing that Qian Zheng had fallen silent, he squinted at Gu Jia. “President Gu, shall we begin?”
Under the collective gaze of everyone in the room, Zhao Yisen sat down beside Gu Jia, feeling confused and somewhat out of place. Several sheets of A4 paper lay on the desk before him, looking like the contract between the Gu Group and Lu Real Estate.
Once everyone was present, Gu Jia gave a look, and Jiang Mingze stepped forward to preside over the meeting. “Hello, everyone. This meeting is to resolve the disputes regarding the Gu Group and Lu Real Estate…”
Zhao Yisen found it a bit boring. He didn’t dare make too many small movements next to Gu Jia, so he picked up the contract and began studying it as if it were the nutritional label on a snack bag.
The first half was fairly standard. However, when his gaze reached the second half, he felt the blood rush to his head; he suddenly felt as if he couldn’t recognize Chinese characters anymore.
Wait…
Zhao Yisen looked up, totally baffled. At the same time, Assistant Jiang’s voice echoed in the cavernous room.
“…A consensus has been reached to transfer 60% of the shares of Lu Real Estate to Mr. Yi Sen. Starting today, Mr. Yi Sen will become the actual manager of Lu Real Estate.”
“Mr. Lu Ming and Mr. Qian Zheng will each hold 20% of the shares and assist Mr. Yi Sen in the development of the villa complex.”
“That is all.”
Jiang Mingze adjusted his thick black frames and summarized: “If there are no objections, you may sign.”
After the signing, the follow-up work was left to Jiang Mingze. Before Zhao Yisen could even exit the room, he was blocked by two lawyers who solemnly insisted on explaining the terms of the share transfer to him.
Gu Jia shot him a chilly glance and walked away without looking back.
“…”
After being lectured by the lawyers on a mountain of jargon, Zhao Yisen slumped over the desk, gradually piecing things together.
In short, his “unlucky” father, in order to continue the villa project, had made a compromise with Gu Jia. They chose to make him the largest shareholder of Lu Real Estate.
By marrying him, Gu Jia could naturally gain indirect control of the company. However, in doing so, he Zhao Yisen also gained indirect access to shares of the Gu Group.
“…”
Zhao Yisen felt bitter. No wonder Gu Jia had been looking at him strangely on their wedding day; in hindsight, that was entirely the look one gives a corporate spy!
After the lawyers left, Lu Ming, who had been waiting outside for a long time, finally entered. Standing beside the dazed Zhao Yisen, he gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. “Let’s work hard together from now on.”
Zhao Yisen gave a weak smile. “Thanks.”
Then, like a magician, Lu Ming pulled a stack of documents from behind his back and said professionally: “These are the materials for the villa development project. Raw material supplies haven’t resumed yet, so Xiao Sen, you’ll need to put some pressure on the supplier.”
Zhao Yisen: “…”
Lu Ming picked up another stack from his feet. “And these are documents that need your signature. I’ve reviewed them all; there shouldn’t be any issues. Just sign them.”
In his heart, Zhao Yisen was crying thick tears. Luckily Lu Ming was there, or he might have “died” right here today.
As if hearing his thoughts, Lu Ming smiled and reached out to ruffle Zhao Yisen’s hair.
A figure that had just returned to the doorway paused. Seeing Lu Ming’s hand about to descend, the figure turned and vanished.
He didn’t see Zhao Yisen duck away, clutching his chest and saying with lingering fear: “No, no, no… I didn’t wash my hair today.”
After everyone left, Zhao Yisen asked Jiang Mingze to find him a place where he could carefully review the documents Lu Ming had given him.
Zhao Yisen had a good memory. He went through the files, made sure there were no major oversights, and signed them one by one. Afterward, he rubbed his aching neck and looked out the window.
The sky outside was completely dark. He stretched and sighed deeply.
He really didn’t want to do this. Can I just transfer the shares back to Lu Ming?
But he only dared to think it. Gu Jia seemed to have a huge problem with Lu Ming; if he actually transferred the shares, the Big Boss would likely “strangle” him.
Just then, there was a knock on the glass door.
Zhao Yisen turned to see Jiang Mingze peeking in. “Young Master Yi, President Gu is working late tonight. Should I have the driver take you home first?”
…So the Big Boss gets off work even later than he does.
Alright, Zhao Yisen felt a bit better.
The next day, news of the Yi family’s young master becoming the majority shareholder of Lu Real Estate hit the front pages of the business newspapers, drawing intense interest from the industry. The relationship between the Gu and Yi families became even more enigmatic to outsiders.
That evening, Gu Jia still hadn’t returned to the mansion. Zhao Yisen stepped out of the Rolls-Royce alone, sporting dark circles under his eyes. Looking up at the high office building, he felt the same gloom one feels on the first day of school.
Lu Real Estate was located in the Twin Towers right next to the Gu Group.
Because Zhao Yisen had been “airdropped” in so suddenly, there wasn’t a dedicated office for him yet. Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingze immediately led him to yesterday’s conference room.
“Young Master Yi, if you need anything, please let me know.”
“Thank you.”
Zhao Yisen gratefully watched Jiang Mingze leave. This office was spacious and clean, and it even had a dedicated shelf for fruit and snacks. Zhao Yisen sat in the office chair, intending to close his eyes for a moment, but before his seat was even warm, he was met by his first uninvited guest of the day.
When Qian Zheng entered, he saw the young master of the Yi family reclining in the chair. The sunlight from the windows outlined his stunning profile; he truly had a beautiful face.
The man snorted coldly to himself. He’s just an illegitimate son, after all.
Having all the money he’d invested benefit someone else left Qian Zheng with a deep sense of resentment.
“Young Master Yi, here are the financial reports for the villa project for the past six months.”
After a brief greeting, he spread a pile of documents across the desk. He didn’t offer a single word of explanation. The white pages were crowded with tiny numbers, enough to give anyone a headache.
“If there are no issues, just sign at the back.”
He spoke flippantly and, without waiting for the youth to reach out, took it upon himself to flip to the last page and place the pen on the table.
“…?”
Zhao Yisen reached for the pen.
Seeing this, Qian Zheng smiled smugly. He was certain this naive young man would sign just as blindly as he used his family’s credit cards. He wouldn’t realize that the data in this report was extremely complex and full of traps.
He was just waiting for Zhao Yisen to jump in.
Meanwhile, in the President’s office.
Gu Jia looked up from the Group’s annual financial report, his voice cold. “Qian Zheng went over there?”
“Yes,” Jiang Mingze bowed. “Mr. Qian brought the financial reports for the villa project for Young Master Yi to sign.”
Gauging Gu Jia’s mood, the assistant carefully reminded him: “If there’s an issue with the reports, once something goes wrong, all the responsibility will fall on Young Master Yi.”
After a long pause, Gu Jia stood up.
“…Let’s go see.”
The irritability that had been swirling in his chest since yesterday was forcibly suppressed. Gu Jia could not allow Lu Real Estate to slip from his control again.
Zhao Yisen’s office was at the end of the long corridor. Five minutes later, Gu Jia stood outside the glass door, his eyelashes lowered slightly.
On the small sofa, Qian Zheng was talking until his throat was dry. Zhao Yisen, however, had seeds, drinks, and water spread out before him. He was snacking while pointing at a tiny, obscure section of the report with a finger as white and smooth as jade.
“Yes, exactly this part. I didn’t quite catch that. Could you explain it one more time?”
The youth flashed a perfectly harmless smile.
“Don’t worry. The moment you’re done explaining, I’ll sign right away.”
Gu Jia: “…”