Chapter 57
The news that Li Tingqin moved into Yiyuan with his partner after returning to China instantly attracted the attention of H City's social circles.
In the outside world's impression, Li Tingqin came to power at a young age and acted decisively, but he had not been close to women or men for many years. At the age of 28, there was no one around him. How come he suddenly had a partner? Was he secretly married for many years? Or was he married in a flash when the old house caught fire?
But considering that he renovated Yiyuan Garden, invited top designers and gardeners, and collected precious flowers, plants and trees, this partner named Gu must have been very important in his heart.
After listening to these rumors, Gu Zhongmao finally felt that this marriage was not in vain.
Why did he want to cooperate with the Li family secretly and conceal this news? In the past three months, the Li family has been doing things impartially and not giving any convenience to the in-laws. So, now is the time to put this matter out in the open.
However, it would be too cheap to say it directly, so it is better to reveal it unintentionally in some social occasions.
As soon as Li Hongying and Liang Qing returned to China, they received countless invitations to dinners, auctions, and charity events. Although they were not involved in the business world, they had always been celebrities in the social world. Li Hongying's paintings were sought after, and Liang Qing was dedicated to charity.
Tonight, the two were also preparing to attend a charity event. As usual, they liked to bring their youngest son with them. It just so happened that Li Jiashu was just starting out in the business world, so it would be a good opportunity for him to meet more people.
However, Li Jiashu, dressed in a suit and tie, watched Liang Qing doing her hair and makeup from behind, waved his hand and sighed, "Mom, I won't go, and you don't have to take me with you in the future. After all, I'm working two jobs now and have to work overtime every day. Sigh..."
Liang Qing put on the brooch while saying, "Are you implying something about your brother again?" The eldest son was precocious, the second daughter was independent, and when it came to the youngest son, they had time to take him around, so they wanted to raise him to be more lively and cheerful, but... it seemed that he was too lively...? There was nothing else, except that the youngest son was easily beaten every time he returned to the old house.
Liang Qing added: "However, your brother should take a good rest and stay at home with your sister-in-law. Now is the critical moment to pursue your sister-in-law, and you have to contribute, right Jiashu."
Li Jiashu: "..." So his contribution is to work overtime...
"Oh, okay." After failing to struggle, Li Jiashu said seriously, "Mom, I actually have something serious to tell you."
"The news of my brother and sister-in-law's marriage has spread, so there must be a lot of people asking about this matter recently. Mom, you must not reveal my sister-in-law's identity, background, and personal information..."
His brother was right. His sister-in-law had finally retired from a special institution. Her past identity must not be revealed from the Li family, so as to avoid being exploited by someone with ulterior motives and bringing danger to her.
Liang Qing was a little puzzled and asked, "Why? Last time, Xiao Chen's father brought his family to treat your father and me to a meal, but they behaved a little strangely."
Li Jiashu immediately said: "It must be strange! My sister-in-law is not Gu Zhongmao's biological daughter!"
"Ah?" Liang Qing felt like she had just eaten a big piece of melon. She knew that Xiao Chen's mother Qi Yajun was divorced from Gu Zhongmao, and Xiao Chen seemed to have lived with Qi Yajun since he was a child. Could it be... ?
Li Jiashu continued, "Mom, think about it. How could Gu Zhongmao's evil-minded family have a genetic mutation to give birth to a fairy-like figure like my sister-in-law? And my sister-in-law is not his biological daughter. He is trying to get close to you. He must have some ulterior motive."
Liang Qing nodded and said firmly, "Indeed." Gu Zhongmao's eyes were not right that day.
"Also, there is one thing you must know, Mom." Li Jiashu frowned and added, "My company was maliciously reported before, and some people even accused me and my brother of colluding with foreign forces."
"Now the boss of a certain company came to me and told me that this matter might have been misled by Gu Zhongmao's son Gu Heng. I don't know what their family is up to, so you have to be careful."
Is that so? Tingqin worked hard abroad, and the Gu family dared to slander him like this? Liang Qing sneered and said, "Mom knows, don't worry."
…
Tonight, there is a charity dinner hosted by a charitable foundation to support poor children in mountainous areas. Gu Zhongmao, who almost never attends charity dinners, attended this event for the first time.
The charity auction was arranged as usual at the beginning. The celebrities present were surprised to see Gu Zhongmao. This guy, should not be here to raise a sign tonight?
However, unexpectedly, not only did Gu Zhongmao bid continuously and spend tens of millions of dollars to buy many items such as paintings of auspicious dragons and phoenixes, pairs of porcelain, and joyful ornaments, he also kept smiling and had a rosy face, without showing any sign of pain at all.
Is this some kind of happy event that would make even the stingy person pluck out his feathers?
At this auction, Gu Zhongmao directly took the third highest amount to support charity. He neither stole the limelight from the important people at the dinner, but also attracted a wave of attention. It can be said that he had a good sense of propriety.
After the auction, there was a cocktail party for philanthropists to exchange ideas on philanthropy.
As expected, someone asked, "Mr. Gu, you look good. Is there any good news recently?"
Gu Zhongmao clinked his goblet with his, and said tactfully, "It's not a happy event, it's just that my son got married not long ago, and I want to buy him some good things that represent a couple."
The visitor was indeed surprised and asked, "Mr. Gu's son is getting married? Mr. Heng? Whose daughter is she? Why haven't I heard of it?" But he was doubtful in his heart. A man like Gu Zhongmao didn't even do this when his most beloved eldest son Gu Kang got married. How could he spend tens of millions just to buy wedding items for his son?
Gu Zhongmao said, "It's not Ah Heng, it's my second son. He's introverted, so few people have seen him. Mainly because he married a man, and I didn't mention it to the outside world, so you didn't know. However, you must have heard about his marriage. Isn't it the one that you've been talking about recently, the one that Mr. Li has a mistress in his golden house."
"Ah?" The visitor was stunned and felt confused. What did this all connect to?
Isn't Gu Heng the second son of the Gu family? Gu Zhongmao never mentioned that he has an introverted son?
And marrying President Li? Li Tingqin? How could Gu Zhongmao's son possibly be worthy of her?
Liang Qing was also not far away, chatting with someone about charity: "It is feasible to develop youth sports in mountainous areas. Children have been running in the mountains for a long time, and their physical fitness is also advantageous. We can discover many good seedlings..."
Liang Qing's friend Peng Yushu said: "In fact, the main difficulty lies in funding. The funds raised from this charity auction should still be used for more fundamental issues such as compulsory education. As for this aspect, we can also raise another sum of money as a special fund..."
However, due to recent rumors, many people were concerned about something else. Someone came over leisurely with a glass of wine and said, "Sister Qing, how come Tingqin got married so soon? We didn't hear anything at all... Did he suddenly fall in love? Did he get married without telling his family?"
Another lady also interjected: "Mrs. Li, you suddenly have a male daughter-in-law, isn't it a bit..."
Liang Qing glanced coldly at the person who called her Mrs. Li and said, "It's not a daughter-in-law. It's two young people who like each other and become partners. But in your mouth, it becomes my male daughter-in-law?"
Peng Yushu immediately pushed the man aside and said with a smile, "Sister Qing, it seems... you are very satisfied with this Mr. Gu?"
Liang Qing chuckled and said, "I am very satisfied with my son's partner, but they haven't had their wedding yet. Maybe their relationship hasn't reached that stage yet. In fact, this is also because Tingqin is marrying up. I am really worried that Tingqin is not good enough and is not worthy of her."
When the ladies present heard this, they all thought that Liang Qing had suddenly become arrogant. What kind of person was Li Tingqin? All the wives of the wealthy families back then were jealous that Liang Qing had given birth to such a good son. Now Li Tingqin was the real ruler of the Li family, and he could make things happen at will. It would be okay for him to talk to the wives behind his back, but if they met him in person, they would probably be scared.
Ms. Peng was really surprised and said, "Is there anyone in this world that you sincerely feel is not worthy of Tingqin? Which family is he from? You really make me curious."
Liang Qing sighed, "Alas, actually Xiao Gu's family hasn't agreed to this yet, so I won't say anything."
The Gu family still hasn't agreed to the marriage between Li Tingqin and Mr. Gu? No wonder there wasn't even a wedding... The people present were thoughtful. It seemed that Mr. Gu was not from an ordinary family.
Another lady asked in confusion: "Didn't I hear that President Li spent a huge amount of money to renovate Yi Garden? Hasn't he already moved in?" This made everyone think that President Li had a beautiful mistress hidden in his mansion.
Liang Qing still shook his head and said, "The environment of Yiyuan... is actually just average. If it wasn't for accommodating Tingqin, Xiao Gu probably wouldn't be willing to live there." After all, the environment around the villa is much better than Yiyuan. I wonder if Xiao Chen will be satisfied if he lives there.
The lady was surprised and asked, "Is Yiyuan still normal?"
Not to mention how large the area of the garden is, the pavilions and towers inside are all top-notch designs, and there are countless precious flowers and trees. Before, they had guessed that Mr. Li's partner was a person of taste, but Liang Qing thought that this was just average in other people's eyes? What kind of aristocratic family did this Mr. Gu come from? What kind of superior environment did he live in?
Li Tingqin almost never accompanied Liang Qing to dinner parties, and few people present had seen him. They could only hear about Li Tingqin's skills from business magazines or rumors. It was already difficult to imagine how powerful Li Tingqin was. So, if this Mr. Gu was a person comparable to him, how impressive would he be?
They sighed curiously: "Who is that Gu family..."
At this time, Gu Zhongmao saw Liang Qing and said with a little surprise: "My dear, I unexpectedly met you here?"
Everyone present was surprised. Mr. Gu also had the surname Gu. Could it be Gu Zhongmao's Gu family? It didn't look like it? Liang Qing had already aroused everyone's curiosity, but if that was the case, it would be too disappointing.
However, Liang Qing frowned and asked, "You are...?"
Gu Zhongmao felt something was not right, but since his son was already married, the Li family couldn't deny it, right? He continued, "Mrs. Li, why don't you recognize me? We had dinner together two days ago."
When Peng Yushu heard Gu Zhongmao call Liang Qingli Madam, she knew that Gu Zhongmao and Liang Qingli were not familiar with each other at all, so she said, "Sister Qing thinks that how can someone who is not even worthy of Tingqin be Gu Zhongmao's son?"
Liang Qing said coldly: "I really don't know you."
Peng Yushu explained: "Sister Qing is not involved in the business world, so she probably doesn't know this Mr. Gu."
"Oh, it's Mr. Gu." Liang Qing nodded and said unhappily, "Why does this guy randomly recognize relatives? As long as our little Gu has the surname Gu, he is his son?"
Gu Zhongmao was really shocked. He had never expected that Liang Qing could turn his back on him so confidently. He asked inexplicably, "Mrs. Li, my son Gu Chen is in your house. How can you lie?"
Everyone started to discuss in low voices after hearing this: "Huh? Gu Zhongmao has a son named Gu Chen? Why haven't I heard of him?"
"Probably not. He is very proud of his three sons at home. If there is another one who makes Sister Qing admire him, he would never have mentioned it."
"The Gu family has been going downhill in recent years. Could it be that they want to establish a relationship with the Li family? But this method is really too stupid. Just like he said, this lie can be easily exposed."
Liang Qing looked at him coldly. She was tall and healthy because of years of exercise. She looked very imposing and oppressive. She laughed and said firmly, "Are you sure this is your son?"
Gu Zhongmao narrowed his eyes and asked, "Mrs. Li, what do you mean?"
Seeing Liang Qing's unhesitating tone and expression, why did he feel that Liang Qing knew something? After all, people like Liang Qing should not disdain to lie. Now he said this so confidently, could it be...
In fact, when he divorced Qi Yajun, Qi Yajun immediately married into the Cheng family with her newborn child. He did have doubts, so he never mentioned his marriage with Qi Yajun to anyone over the years, and never mentioned that he had a child, Gu Chen.
Liang Qing pressed on, "Don't you know whether you have this child or not?"
Everyone looked at Gu Zhongmao's hesitant expression and thought so too. If he looked doubtful when asked whether he had the child, then it was definitely not the case.
Gu Zhongmao felt that today was absolutely ridiculous. Even his own son could be distorted and said not to be his. But this group of women with long hair and short knowledge in front of him actually believed Liang Qing's nonsense?
But he felt that it was impossible to reason with this group of women, and it would be disgraceful to continue making trouble, as if he was asking for trouble.
He said openly, "Mrs. Li, you are a woman, I won't argue with you. But the fact that our Gu family and the Li family are getting married is already here, and the matter of cooperation still has the final say from the person in charge in your family."
Liang Qing sneered and said, "Then we'll have to wait and see."
Although such an absurd incident occurred at tonight's dinner, the news about Li Tingqin's partner, Mr. Gu, spread. Who exactly is this Mr. Gu, who made Liang Qingzhi say that Mr. Li is not worthy of him, and made Gu Zhongmao go crazy and insist that this is his son?
Everyone is confused. Why are there suddenly so many powerful people with the surname Gu in this circle recently?
…
Li Tingqin was on vacation these days, so they moved to Yiyuan.
It just so happened that Li Tingqin had just renovated a fencing venue, and Gu Chen no longer practiced fencing in the morning, so the two of them fencing together could be considered a form of physical exercise.
After getting up early in the morning, Butler Li had already prepared all kinds of clothing and equipment, including the epee, foil, and sabre.
Gu Chen stroked the rows of sword handles with his fingertips and asked, "Which one is Mr. Li playing with?"
Li Tingqin raised his eyebrows and said, "It seems that Ah Chen likes it."
Gu Chen picked out a flower sword that suits him well.
They put on fencing uniforms, holding their face guards in one hand and swords in the other. Gu Chen looked at Li Tingqin and said with a smile, "There are really a lot of etiquette in fencing, but it's just a sport like you would learn."
During the opening ceremony, Gu Chen and Li Tingqin raised their swords at the same time, pointing them to the sky and then to each other. When they pointed at each other, the tips of their swords accidentally touched each other, making a clear sound, and their eyes followed the slender swords and met.
With the tip of the sword pointing to the ground, ending the ceremony, Li Tingqin said: "It suits you too." If Ah Chen's sword dance is like a graceful fairy, then after putting on the fencing suit, it is pure elegance.
After putting on the face shield, the two people's gazes, which had never been separated, became blurred under the face shield.
Li Tingqin felt that Gu Chen's leisurely temperament suddenly changed and became sharp in an instant. It was completely different from the perspective of simple appreciation when Gu Chen was filming the movie. Now that he was Gu Chen's opponent, he naturally felt the oppression from Gu Chen.
Is this the real Ah Chen? Li Tingqin felt an indescribable charm.
At this moment, no one knew what expression Ah Chen had hidden behind his mask.
Li Tingqin smiled and raised his hand to attack. Since he wanted to understand Ah Chen, he might as well start by becoming his opponent.
Gu Chen was also a little surprised at this time. He didn't expect that President Li was such a cultured, sensible and restrained person. His sword was so sharp, full of offense and temptation, and he could fight with him back and forth for a while.
Gu Chenhu's expression finally showed some relief. As expected, exercising is more fun when done with two people.
Assistant Chen hurried to Yi Garden in the morning and asked Butler Li, "Uncle Li, where are President Li and Mr. Gu?"
Butler Li said casually: "Oh, they are fencing."
Assistant Chen: “?” How can you say this so naturally?
"At this time..." He glanced at the watch. It was not yet 8 o'clock. "Oh, this time is normal. I will come to see Mr. Gu in the afternoon."
Butler Li said, "Why are you here this afternoon? They are fencing, just go over and wait."
Assistant Chen: “Ah?”
Butler Li seemed to finally realize something and said speechlessly, "Young man, what are you thinking about? They are really fencing! Go ahead, they are in the stadium over there!"
Assistant Chen: “…Okay.”
After the game, Li Tingqin took off his face guard and happened to see Gu Chen who had just taken off his face guard. He was slightly startled. At this time, Gu Chen's expression had not yet disappeared. He seemed to see the high-spirited Gu Chen hidden under his laziness.
Gu Chen took off his face guard and his eyes fell on Li Tingqin's face. It turned out that President Li was so powerful and aggressive at this time.
The two people's eyes met.
They threw their face guards and swords aside at the same time, and Li Tingqin pressed Gu Chen against the wall. However, Gu Chen thought the same thing, so he turned over and pressed him back.
A kiss, but one that was so passionate.
When Assistant Chen stepped into the venue, what he saw was——
Two people kissing passionately in fencing uniforms.
Moreover, there was no shyness in their actions, as if they were both ready to hold the other tightly in their arms.
You know what, it's quite nice to see Mr. Li and Mr. Gu, two men with such strong auras, kissing each other so passionately.
So, is this real fencing or fake fencing?
Assistant Chen took two steps back calmly: "..."
He should come back in the afternoon, at least this is right.
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