23 bodyguards

"Hey, Mom, I'm fine. I'm home now. You and Dad don't need to worry, I'm doing well..."

The atmosphere inside the car was broken by a cell phone ringing. Ye Zhenzhen snapped out of her daze, pulled her hand back, and took out her phone. She saw that it was a call from Gu's mother from across the ocean.

Since the airing of the show "Let's Go Traveling Together" featuring the two, Gu's parents have been paying close attention to online comments.

The two couldn't sit still after seeing the trending topic. Gu's mother called Ye Zhenzhen, reminding her to be careful when going out, and even wanted to return to China early.

Ye Zhenzhen finally managed to persuade him to stop, and just as she hung up the phone, Gu Tingshen's phone rang.

"Yes, don't worry, I've arranged everything..." He put on his Bluetooth headset and spoke on the phone while driving.

"Dad just called, he was worried about you." After a long pause, he hung up the phone and said to Ye Zhenzhen.

“Yes, Mom just called too. I told them not to worry, it was just an accident. They should just stay abroad and finish their business, there’s no need to rush back.” Ye Zhenzhen smiled, a little tired.

She received calls from Song Chengcheng, Zhao Nanqiao, and others, and only after reporting that she was safe did she relax and lean back in her chair.

"Thanks to you today, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable." Ye Zhenzhen was still shaken when she recalled what had just happened.

“If you want to develop your career in the entertainment industry, you’ll inevitably encounter situations like this. Dad said you used to be very resistant to him arranging bodyguards for you.” Gu Tingshen turned the steering wheel and drove onto a less busy road. He glanced at her expression out of the corner of his eye and continued, “But you’re currently very popular, so it’s safer to bring bodyguards when you go out to events.”

Ye Zhenzhen then realized that the "dad" he had mentioned earlier was Ye's father.

The old man didn't dare call her, but he couldn't help worrying, so he could only call Gu Tingshen instead.

Her thoughts were in turmoil for a moment; the father and daughter, who were too similar, could not get along well.

Just like her and her original father. They clearly care about each other, but they always end up arguing after just a few words. Her mother always says they have the same bad temper.

She recalled the face of Ye's father in the original owner's photo album, which resembled her own father's, and felt a pang of sadness.

If the original owner hadn't gone against Ye's father and had bodyguards with him, the car accident might not have happened.

"Okay, I'll ask Sister Chengcheng to hire a few bodyguards tomorrow." Ye Zhenzhen didn't resist much; she valued her life and had indeed been frightened today.

"The Gu family has a professional security company under its umbrella. Shall I go with you to take a look tomorrow?" Gu Tingshen suggested, seeing that she was not opposed to it.

The next day was the weekend, and Gu Sinan's piano teacher had something to do at home and took the day off.

Ye Zhenzhen simply took him along, and together with Gu Tingshen, went to the training base of Gu's Security Company in the north of the city.

The vast base not only has various simulation training and live-action drills, but also a dedicated live-fire shooting range.

Ye Zhenzhen watched several close-quarters combat and teamwork training sessions through the one-way glass and found that the trainees were both men and women, all of whom had strong muscles and were extremely capable.

Among them were two female team members who were petite among the group of strong men, but during combat training, they were agile and decisive, defeating several male team members in a row.

"They're so amazing! Nan Nan, look, those two aunties are so impressive!" Ye Zhenzhen exclaimed in admiration, while Gu Sinan, standing next to her, watched intently.

When they left the training base, they were followed by four bodyguards, two men and two women, who took turns in groups.

Among them are two female team members who were previously very skilled in combat sports, Zhang Ning and Zhao Lu.

Both of them had short, neat hair. Zhang Ning had slender eyebrows and a tall, upright figure; Zhao Lu had a round face and looked kind and gentle, but the instructor said that she was naturally strong and that ordinary male team members could not beat her.

There were two other bodyguards, one taller named Gao Yuan and the other shorter named Liu Haibo. Both were tall, muscular men with no particularly striking features; they would be easily lost in a crowd. However, they were highly professional.

Ye Zhenzhen felt safe as she led them outside.

"My previous training intensity was too low, and I didn't build any muscle. I also want to learn Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)." She was very envious of the two female bodyguards' muscles and kung fu skills.

"Do you really want to practice? I'll teach you when we get back tonight." Gu Tingshen raised an eyebrow, opened the car door for her, and waited for Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Sinan to get in before getting in himself and closing the door.

"Do you know Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)?" Ye Zhenzhen asked in surprise. Intrigued, she added, "Do you know shooting? I'd like to learn too."

"I know a little bit of everything," Gu Tingshen replied with a smile.

"That's a real all-around domineering CEO, he can do everything." Ye Zhenzhen exclaimed, looking at Gu Sinan who was full of admiration, "Nannan, isn't Daddy amazing? You should learn from Daddy, eat more, and exercise more."

Gu Sinan nodded vigorously.

Gao Yuan, who was driving in front, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth as he listened to President Gu's answer.

Mr. Gu is being too modest.

When he first arrived at the base after being discharged from the army, General Manager Gu came to inspect the place and wanted to find someone to practice with. The captain chose him.

He had originally intended to be lenient with his boss, in case he got hurt and lost his job.

As soon as they started playing, they realized they had been careless, and by the time they tried to adjust, they were already at a disadvantage.

Not only did they lose in the end, but it was also clear that President Gu was holding back and not playing at all.

That was a huge blow to him at the time.

When the group returned home, Uncle Li took four new bodyguards to settle them in. Gu Tingshen had to go to the company, while Ye Zhenzhen stayed home to keep Gu Sinan company.

She was very busy recently and had little time to see the children.

Black Panther was already quite robust, and his appetite has been steadily increasing since he came back. Now, at only 7 weeks old, he is already a size larger than other puppies his age when he goes for his vaccinations, and his left ear can even stand up occasionally.

Veterinarians praised its strong physique, as German Shepherds typically take 2-3 months to grow their ears upright.

Yan Feng's retired instructor comrade-in-arms, Wang Meng, came to Mantingfang today.

Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Sinan watched from the sidelines.

Black Panther was playing with his toy ball and was wary of Wang Meng's approach, holding the ball protectively in his arms. As Wang Meng drew closer, Black Panther did not show excessive aggression and calmly observed the stranger who had suddenly appeared.

He turned and walked toward Gu Tingshen and Ye Zhenzhen. He saw the black leopard stand up instantly, rush in front of them, stare intently at Wang Meng, lean forward slightly, and let out a low growl.

Although it sounded rather childish and not very intimidating, her small body stood firmly in front of them, fearless, warning them not to come any closer.

Wang Meng nodded secretly and then tested other items, such as concentration and possessiveness. The more he tested, the brighter his eyes became. Finally, he picked up the black panther and said to the two people beside him, "It has high nerve excitability, excellent concentration and activity level, and is naturally bold and protective of its owner. It is a good prospect for a guard dog!"

"Is there any way to restore its front leg?" Ye Zhenzhen was naturally pleased to hear Wang Meng praise the black leopard, but then she became concerned about its problematic leg.

Gu Sinan looked at Wang Meng with anticipation.

Wang Meng shook his head regretfully, "This is a congenital developmental defect that cannot be reversed. However, the little guy is very strong. With proper physical training, it will have almost no impact on him."

After training for an afternoon, Wang Meng taught the two some precautions for feeding and playing with them before leaving.

When he left, Ye Zhenzhen saw him off at the front door. When she returned, she felt a slight discomfort in her lower abdomen.

The original owner's menstrual cycle was always regular, and calculating the days, it should still be about a week before it started, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

Back home, she and Gu Sinan played with the black leopard in the yard. The interaction between the adorable child and the pet made her feel a little envious, and she wanted to pet it.

She took out her phone and snapped a lot of photos, finally choosing one of a black panther sniffing Gu Sinan's palm and sending it to Gu Tingshen.

Gu Tingshen's phone beeped with a special message notification. He opened WeChat and saw two small figures, one black and one white, sitting opposite each other on the green grass, their fuzzy silhouettes cast in the sunlight.

A gentle smile touched his lips; he could almost picture Ye Zhenzhen taking photos while muttering "So cute, so cute." He had discovered at the beach that even the most ordinary things in life could become scenery in her eyes.

The next morning, Ye Zhenzhen was still feeling unwell and, unusually, stayed in bed a little late, not leaving with Gu Tingshen.

When Gu Tingshen left, he asked her with concern if she was sick, and she firmly said no.

She's incredibly healthy right now!

Finally, Gao Yuan drove her to the company.

Ye Zhenzhen led Zhao Lu and Gao Yuan into the elevator. The two men, dressed in black suits, walked behind her with an imposing presence, looking every bit like bodyguards from a TV drama, except for a pair of sunglasses.

Song Chengcheng arranged for her assistant to take the two of them to meet with the company's original security personnel, and then followed Ye Zhenzhen to the floor where Fengming was located.

"President Ye, the samples of the bone pendant and ocean series that you asked us to make last time are ready, as well as some new designs using traditional techniques. Please take a look." Xu Lan, the design director, brought up a bunch of sparkly trinkets on a black velvet tray.

On the tray, in addition to the shapes from the sketches I had drawn earlier, there were some eye-catching designs.

On one side are modern designs, including seashell pendants with lifelike, solid gold shells and a perfectly round, pure pearl inside—delicate, small, and uniquely charming; there are aquamarine rings and bracelets, with platinum bands and bracelet bodies creating a water-ripple texture; and there's a gold whale, with a sapphire gemstone representing the spout of water...

On the other side are traditional styles, as well as innovative themes, such as colorful tropical fish made with cloisonné enamel, and traditional themes, such as crab claws holding gold coins, tortoise shells symbolizing wealth, dragon fish made with engraving, dragon head bracelets, and so on.

Ye Zhenzhen was overjoyed, finding each item so beautiful that she couldn't bear to part with them.

“Tonight is the broadcast time for the second episode of ‘Let’s Go on a Trip’, so how about we announce the launch of the official flagship store tonight? Director Zhang filmed a promotional video for the new products and released it before. Let’s ride the wave of traffic. What do you think?” Wang Debang suggested with a smile.

He has recently tasted the sweetness of new media promotion. After releasing a few promotional videos, the number of orders in each store has soared, and large items that were previously difficult to sell have become hot commodities!

He's more proactive than anyone else now, urging the publicity department to release videos every day. Seeing the rapidly increasing number of followers on his account gives him energy to work!

“That’s a great idea. Our inspiration came from the first season of ‘Travel’,” Ye Zhenzhen gave him a thumbs up. “What about Zhou Jin and Zhan Yan? Taoyao’s artists can do a joint promotion.”

Zhou Jin and Zhan Yan had just finished their lines class when their assistant, Xiao Tang, recorded a particularly emotional video for them. When they looked up, they saw Liu He walking over in high heels, looking delighted.

"Hurry up and get ready, come with me to the 8th floor, let's take some promotional photos of Fengming!" After looking the two up and down and finding no major problems, he simply pulled them away.

Once the plan was finalized, Fengming's publicity and design departments quickly got to work.

Ye Zhenzhen carefully examined the bone pendant, which had been fitted with a leather necklace, and was very satisfied. She then picked out the clownfish with cloisonné enamel from the samples and fitted it with a hanging cord.

"Please get me a box for this pearl and seashell set; I'm giving it away as a gift." Remembering the undeserved misfortune Zhao Nanqiao suffered because of her, Ye Zhenzhen decided to give her this set of jewelry as a present.

The designers whose samples were taken away had no complaints at all. The design drawings were still there, and the samples were not important. The key was that the boss could choose them, which was an affirmation of their work!

Gu Tingshen worked overtime today, had a quick dinner at the company, and got home very late.

But Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Sinan didn't go upstairs to sleep. Instead, they were in the living room on the first floor, watching TV while holding Hei Dou.

The TV is showing "Underwater World".

The two were so engrossed in watching that they didn't notice his return. It wasn't until the black panther swished its tail, stood up from the sofa, and let out a howl that it turned its head.

"Dad, look!" Gu Sinan greeted Gu Tingshen enthusiastically, showing him her wrist. "Mom gave me this clownfish!"

Gu Tingshen looked closely and saw a red string on the child's wrist, from which hung a gold clownfish, its glaze clear and its craftsmanship exquisite. He looked at Ye Zhenzhen and saw her smiling as she looked at them.

"It looks a lot like the one you encountered while snorkeling." He still remembered the clownfish that Gu Sinan kept thinking about while snorkeling in H City.

"Yes!" The child nodded in surprise, not expecting his father to remember what happened before. He took his hand and led him to the sofa. "There's a black panther too, and I even drew this bone!"

Black Panther seemed to understand, proudly raising his head to show off the glittering gold bone pendant around his neck.

Gu Tingshen looked at Gu Sinan, who was holding his little hand and was obviously excited. He did not refuse the child's rare closeness. After sitting down, he rubbed the black leopard's head and scratched its chin. The black leopard rubbed against him affectionately.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the scene of parent-child interaction in front of her, which was really pleasing to the eye and beautiful. She took out her phone and started taking pictures. As the shutter clicked, the two people and the dog looked up at her and were captured in the photo.