Chapter 44 Breaking Through Defenses "I want to find myself a marriage partner."...
Jiang Chuyu didn't understand why Li Sen would mention Gu Zeming. She carefully recalled the acquaintances around her and shook her head.
Gu Zeming is Gu Zeming; he's unlike anyone else.
But judging from Li Sen's tone, could it be that Gu Zeming is behind this again?
Jiang Chuyu knew that Gu Zeming wouldn't let her off easily, but she didn't expect Gu Zeming to have such a long reach, actually causing trouble in front of Li Sen.
Since he couldn't change her mind, he targeted the people around her. He's so wicked!
Jiang Chuyu cursed Gu Zeming in her heart, then said to Li Sen, "Don't worry, I did talk to him before, but now, between you and him, I will definitely choose you."
Li Sen studied her expression and asked softly, "Why?"
For Jiang Chuyu, Li Sen was the kind of person she would gradually fall in love with over time, and also the most suitable marriage partner in the conventional sense. If one day she wanted to get married, marrying Li Sen would definitely not lead to a bad life.
Jiang Chuyu thought that to herself, but said aloud, "You are more worthy than him."
After a long silence, Li Sen asked again, "Then are you willing to come with me?"
After going around in circles, it all comes down to this same issue.
Jiang Chuyu was stumped again.
She hesitated.
In just a few seconds, Li Sen already knew the answer.
He looked at her with a compassionate gaze, his tone tinged with guilt: "Do you remember when we first met? Actually, from the moment you stepped into the private room, everything that followed was planned... it was an exchange of interests."
"Your mother plans to use your marriage to pave the way for Lekai, and my approach to you is merely to secure a future for the Li family. As for the person manipulating all of this, he wants to use you to force his son to return home. Everything you've experienced, whether good or bad, stems from Gu Zeming's affection for you. In our hands, you've always been nothing more than a bargaining chip to control Gu Zeming, no different from a hostage."
"Enough!"
Jiang Chuyu looked at the man in front of her with red eyes.
She had no idea that someone who seemed so gentle and refined could be so ruthless.
She didn't want to hear anything more.
She thought she was a great actress, only to find that everyone around her was a film emperor or empress, and compared to them, she was at best a Golden Broom Award winner.
Jiang Chuyu broke through her defenses.
"I don't need you to tell me how ridiculous my life is." Her eyes drooped slightly, her heart felt a pang, and even her breath stung. "Go."
Go to your America.
Li Sen is gone.
He barely ate any of the dishes on the table.
By the time Jiang Chuyu came to her senses, the dishes had all gone cold.
Before leaving, Li Sen left her with one last sentence.
He said, "Chuyu, if you ever want to leave, you can come to me."
Jiang Chuyu returned home and took two days to recover before daring to tell Jiang Shan about the breakup. By then, Li Sen had already landed in the United States.
After Jiang Shan got off work, she drove directly to the apartment to find her.
"What happened? Did you have a fight?"
Jiang Shan sat on the sofa, her aura heavy.
Jiang Chuyu's throat tightened, and her voice became dry.
"We didn't argue, we just broke up."
"He suggested it?"
"Um."
Jiang Shan frowned, her gaze chillingly cold. Just then, her cell phone rang.
It was a call from Li Sen's parents.
Jiang Shan looked away and answered the phone.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Sen's mother apologized to them: "It's all Li Sen's fault. Chu Yu is a good girl, it's just that Li Sen isn't lucky enough to have her. I wish her to find a better person to spend her life with in the future..."
They're just polite words; it doesn't really matter whether you listen or not, but you can't hit someone who's smiling at you.
Jiang Shan sighed, "It's hard for us parents to understand our children's relationship problems. Since they've broken up, I can only respect their choice."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Shan glanced at Jiang Chuyu with a complicated expression, then quickly put on a smiling face. "What's the big deal? Out with the old, in with the new. My daughter is so outstanding, why would I be afraid she won't find someone better?"
She gently patted Jiang Chuyu's shoulder, "Don't worry, Mom will introduce you to an even better marriage partner later."
Jiang Chuyu finally breathed a sigh of relief and took the initiative to hug Jiang Shan, "Thank you, Mom."
"Silly child, why are you being so polite with your mother?" Jiang Shan hugged her back, her grip so tight that Jiang Chuyu could barely breathe.
"You should get some rest and digest your food."
After Jiang Shan left, Jiang Chuyu's life gradually returned to normal. She went to class, watched TV series, and ordered takeout. Occasionally, her classmates in the art studio would ask why Li Sen hadn't been coming to the studio lately, and she would just shrug and say that their paths had crossed.
The students all expressed their regret, gossiped a bit behind the scenes, and that was the end of it.
Heartbreak can motivate people to work harder. Jiang Chuyu devoted all her energy to learning to paint, keeping herself from thinking about those messy things.
However, one week later, she received a call from Jiang Shan as soon as she finished class.
"Little Taro, let's go out for dinner today. Mom will drive over to pick you up now."
Jiang Chuyu asked curiously, "Are Dad and Le Kai together too?"
Jiang Shan laughed: "We won't be bringing those two grown men, just the two of us, mother and daughter."
"Oh, okay."
Jiang Shan rarely asked her to have dinner alone, which Jiang Chuyu found strange, but she didn't say anything.
She obediently followed Jiang Shan to the restaurant they had booked.
While waiting for the food, Jiang Shan suddenly looked at her with a big smile and said, "Little Yu, Mom has found you a good blind date."
Jiang Chuyu almost choked on the water. "What?"
She thought Jiang Shan was just joking that day, but she didn't expect her to actually do it.
Jiang Shan: "You should have heard of him too, Qin Yao, the young master of the Qin family. He just came back from abroad. He's good-looking, but he's a bit of a playboy. But it doesn't matter, this kind of person is easy to handle."
Jiang Chuyu stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Who is Qin Yao? He's the most extravagant rich second-generation in Beijing's social circle, involved in everything from cigarettes and alcohol to women, cars, and gambling. To let her associate with someone like that would be tantamount to completely abandoning her.
Jiang Chuyu's lips were trembling, and she couldn't say a word.
Jiang Shan poured herself a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and continued, "His mother, Tang Xin, came to me personally. She's quite anxious for her son to settle down. She said Qin Yao is too playful and needs a good girl to keep him in check. She thinks you're the most suitable and wants you two to meet on Wednesday."
Jiang Chuyu felt her blood pressure rising. "Mom! I'm not a rope; I can't tie anyone down!"
Jiang Shan put down her cup and looked directly into Chu Yu's eyes: "Chu Yu, listen to your mother, feelings and love are unreliable things. Today's vows of eternal love may fall apart tomorrow. Only power and money can guarantee you a worry-free life!"
"There are so many rich people in Beijing's social circle, why?" Jiang Chuyu couldn't understand. "Even if I were to find a sugar daddy, shouldn't I at least find someone with a normal brain?"
"Don't put it so harshly." Jiang Shan frowned. "Mom just wants you to have a good future. Qin Yao is the legal heir of Boss Qin. If you marry him and have a son or daughter, their family business will be yours, right? Mom believes that you are smart enough to become a female CEO like me in the future."
“Mom,” Jiang Chuyu interrupted her, her voice trembling slightly, “was this your purpose when you married Dad?”
Jiang Shan's face instantly darkened, but returned to normal the next second: "Your father and I are a different matter. Don't change the subject, we're talking about you now."
"So you've never loved Dad?" Jiang Chuyu persisted in her questioning.
When she was first taken back to the Jiang family, she thought her luck had finally turned around and she had found a family that loved her. But when she returned home, she discovered that her biological parents were getting a divorce. How could a family that had never loved her love love a child they had taken in halfway through life? So from that day on, all she cared about was making money.
She tried her best to be a good daughter, thinking that even if the love was gone, she could still walk away with a sum of money. But now, hearing her mother say that she was being pushed into a pit of fire, she was still devastated.
What kind of place is the Qin family? Even a talented woman like Boss Qin's first wife would be driven mad by the shock of her own actions. For Jiang Chuyu to go there would be suicide.
She was saved from the brink of death and has struggled to live until now. What is the purpose of all this?
Jiang Chuyu was about to cry.
She gritted her teeth, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
Jiang Shan took a deep breath and continued to express her point of view: "Whether I love your dad or not is not important. What is important is that everything I do now is for your own good. You will understand someday."
What if I say I'm not going?
Jiang Shan smiled, a smile that sent a chill down Jiang Chuyu's spine: "You will go, Chuyu. You are my daughter, and I know you will make the right choice."
The mother and daughter stared at each other, and the air around them seemed to grow arrogant and domineering.
Jiang Chuyu stared at the roasted duck leg that the waiter brought over, and suddenly felt that she had no appetite at all.
“Okay,” she heard herself say, “I’ll go see him.”
She didn't want to get married or have children with anyone. Since they insisted on forcing her, she had no choice but to run away with the money before reaching the legal marriage age.
Jiang Shan nodded in satisfaction, picked up a roasted duck leg and put it in her bowl: "That's more like it. Mom will send you Qin Yao's photo and contact information later."
＊
On Tuesday evening, after get off work, Gu Zeming turned off his computer and rubbed his sore temples.
The office is mostly empty, with only a few bookworms still typing away on their keyboards, hoping to earn more money at the end of the year.
The phone on the table vibrated.
He picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and answered.
"Ze Ming, are you off work yet?" Old Master Qin's voice came through the receiver.
"Just finished." Gu Zeming said while packing his things on the phone.
"Come home for dinner tonight. Your Aunt Tang and Xiao Yao are back. Let the whole family get together."
Gu Zeming paused, a barely perceptible shadow crossing his eyes, but his voice remained gentle: "Okay, I'll drive there now."
"Be careful on the road, I'll be waiting for you to have dinner." Grandpa Qin hung up the phone happily.
Gu Zeming put down his phone and looked out the window expressionlessly.
As dusk fell, the city, with its towering buildings, gradually lit up with lights, creating a bustling scene.
He looked away, picked up his bag, and walked outside.
Driving through the congested evening rush hour, Gu Zeming's face remained expressionless, his deep eyes calm to the point of indifference.
The Qin residence is located in the most luxurious villa area in Beijing, surrounded by lush trees, offering a tranquil retreat amidst the bustling city.
Around eight o'clock, Gu Zeming parked the car.
The butler was already waiting at the door.
"Young Master is back. The old man has been talking about you for ages."
"Something came up at the company, that's why I'm late," Gu Zeming explained casually, following the butler into the Qin residence.
Exquisite tableware was already set on the long table in the restaurant, but only Qin Jiyuan, Old Master Qin, and Tang Xin were sitting there; Qin Yao was nowhere to be seen.
"Grandpa, Dad, Aunt Tang," Gu Zeming greeted politely and sat down in the empty seat next to Grandpa Qin.
"No matter how busy you are with work, you must eat on time," Grandpa Qin patted his arm and said with concern, "Look at you, you've lost weight again."
Qin Jiyuan glanced at Gu Zeming and asked casually, "How's the company doing lately?"
"Everything is normal, the new project is progressing smoothly," Gu Zeming replied, then turned to Tang Xin, "Where's Xiao Yao? Didn't he come back with us?"
He appeared too calm, as if there had never been any distance between him and them.
A hint of unease flashed across Tang Xin's face, then she chuckled awkwardly, "He just returned to the country, and some of his high school classmates insisted on throwing him a welcome-back party. It's a gathering of young people, and I couldn't very well stop them."
Qin Jiyuan frowned: "You just got back and you're already running off? Didn't we agree to have dinner together as a family?"
"The students meant well," Tang Xin said with a smile. "Xiao Yao didn't want to disappoint them, so he came back after dinner."
Gu Zeming listened casually and served himself a bowl of soup.
The old man was too lazy to wait for Qin Yao, so he told them to eat first.
The three of them ate with their heads down. Most of the time, it was Old Master Qin who spoke, while Gu Zeming occasionally answered a few questions, politely but distantly.
Tang Xin kept steer the conversation toward Qin Yao, saying how much he missed home while he was abroad and how much he looked forward to this reunion.
Gu Zeming ate his meal silently, as if none of this concerned him.
After a while, Tang Xin suddenly smiled and said, "Since you're so far away, Xiao Yao is also at the age where he should be dating. I'm thinking about whether we should settle him down soon."
Qin Jiyuan put down his chopsticks: "Judging from your tone, you've already chosen someone?"
“Yes, she’s the daughter of the Jiang family, the leading e-commerce company in Beijing. She’s good-looking and a graduate of a prestigious university, so she’s a good match for Xiao Yao.” Tang Xin’s tone was as if she were choosing a daughter-in-law, and her words were full of admiration for her son. “I’ve already arranged with Ms. Jiang to let the two of them meet tomorrow. If Xiao Yao likes her, then we’ll settle on her.”
Gu Zeming paused slightly with the spoon in his hand.
Qin Jiyuan gave him a meaningful look, then nodded to Tang Xin: "You can make the arrangements."
Gu Zeming glanced at him indifferently, his thoughts unknown.
After dinner, he chatted with Mr. Qin in the living room for a while until the old man got a little tired, then he took him back to his room to rest.
When Qin Jiyuan came out of the room, he was standing in the corridor.
"Come to the study for a moment, I have something to tell you." Qin Jiyuan said, then turned and walked into the study.
Gu Zeming followed.
Qin Jiyuan lit a cigar, sat down on the sofa, and gestured for him to close the door.
"It's your grandfather's birthday on Saturday, and I plan to officially reveal your identity that day," Qin Jiyuan said bluntly. "Everyone saw your negotiations with Baili Pharmaceuticals a few days ago, but you acted a bit emotionally afterwards."
Gu Zeming didn't utter a sound.
Qin Jiyuan then asked, "What are your thoughts on what your Aunt Tang said at the dinner table?"
Gu Zeming was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes, his voice devoid of emotion: "I want to find myself a marriage partner on my grandfather's birthday."
Qin Jiyuan sized him up for a moment, then smiled and said, "As long as the girl is willing, I have no objection."
Gu Zeming said calmly, "She will agree."
Qin Jiyuan took a puff of his cigarette and said, "That would be best."
The father and son discussed some business matters, and it was nearly 1 a.m. when they finished.
Gu Zeming came out of the study, feeling slightly tired.
He walked down the corridor toward his old bedroom, intending to go back to his room to rest, but heard several strange noises coming from the front hall.
"Young master, watch out for the steps..."
The butler helped the drunken Qin Yao up the steps.
"Old Chen, set...set an alarm..." Qin Yao mumbled incoherently, reeking of alcohol and barely able to stand. "Tomorrow at ten o'clock...no, twelve o'clock! Set my alarm for twelve o'clock...don't ruin my good time..."
The butler readily agreed and finally managed to help Qin Yao to the bedroom on the second floor, where he collapsed onto the bed.
To everyone's surprise, Qin Yao let out a burp as soon as his head hit the pillow, mumbling things like "beautiful lady" and "not enough fun yet."
The butler shook his head, took out Qin Yao's phone to set an alarm, and suddenly felt someone behind him. He turned around and was immediately startled.
Gu Zeming stood silently at the bedroom door, looking at them expressionlessly.
"Young Master, you're still awake?" The butler breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll do it." Gu Zeming walked to the bedside and held out his hand to the housekeeper. "Give me the phone, I'll set an alarm for him."
The housekeeper hesitated for a moment, but finally handed over the phone.
Gu Zeming took the phone, unlocked it, and opened the clock app. His finger paused on the screen for a moment, then he quickly set the alarm.
It wasn't noon, but midnight the following day.
Confirm and save.
He put the phone back on Qin Yao's bedside table, looked around, and his gaze fell on the door lock.
This type of lock can be locked from the outside with a key, preventing people inside from getting out.
"Where's the key?" Gu Zeming asked the butler.
The butler paused, then asked in confusion, "What key?"
"The key to this door."
The housekeeper glanced instinctively at the bedside table.
Gu Zeming opened the drawer, and sure enough, there was a set of spare keys inside.
He found the key to Qin Yao's room and walked towards the door.
"Young Master, this..." The butler hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Gu Zeming ignored him, walked out of the room, gently closed the door, and then locked it from the outside.
The butler hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty, "Young Master has to go out tomorrow..."
"Wait until he's sober, then figure something out himself." Gu Zeming said calmly, without any panic. "If anything happens, I'll take responsibility. You go and rest; this is none of your business."
The butler dared not say anything more, nodded, and went downstairs.
Gu Zeming stood there, listening to Qin Yao's snoring coming from the room, a slight smile playing on his lips as he murmured to himself.
Goodnight, little brother.
He walked to the bathroom at the end of the corridor, threw the key into the toilet, and pressed the flush button.
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