Message #194: Problems have arisen in the cooperation between Gu and Fu.
Gu Mingxia was surprised by Qianye's serious expression. She blinked her big eyes and looked at her blankly.
"Is this all you studied abroad all these years?"
“Women’s independence has always been advocated abroad. Actually, Mingxia, based on my observation, you were indeed very strong and independent at the beginning, but recently, your emotions have been mostly controlled by President Xiao. I don’t think this is a good thing. When a woman is controlled by a man, she loses her independent personality and initiative.”
Yes, her mood has indeed been preoccupied with Xiao Yan lately. Gu Mingxia herself felt that it wasn't a good thing, but she hadn't paid much attention to it. Now that Qianye had said this, her brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.
Just as Qianye said, if she cared too much about Xiao Yan, she would only lose her independent personality and the initiative in her relationship.
"Chiba, thank you for reminding me."
"Two people in love are completely independent individuals. These two independent individuals should complement each other and create a sense of mutual brilliance, rather than one unconditionally obeying the other."
Chiba's reminder was just right, and Gu Mingxia felt that a mystery that had been troubling her had suddenly become much clearer. She smiled gratefully.
"I've never asked before, but you've been by Xiao Yan's side for quite a few years now, haven't you?"
“It’s been five years, and I’ve been working for Mr. Xiao.”
Chiba was a very good driver, and soon they drove out of the crowded main city and onto a quiet suburban road. Gu Mingxia leaned back in her seat. She had been by Xiao Yan's side for five years, which meant she must know a lot about him. Gu Mingxia wanted to ask him about Xiao Yan, but in the end she didn't ask anything.
"It has indeed been quite a while."
"Don't let Mr. Xiao's cold demeanor fool you; he treats his employees very well. It's always better to work with someone you know than someone you don't.
The car made a turn and entered a heavily monitored villa area. After it came to a stop, Gu Mingxia got out of the car, while Qianye drove it to the garage.
"Why did you go out alone? Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest?"
"Fu Heng invited me out to dinner, so I asked Qianye to drive me there."
Gu Mingxia changed her shoes and sat on the sofa in the living room, while Xiao Yan sat nervously beside her.
Seeing his worried expression, Gu Mingxia smiled faintly and reached out to pinch his cheek.
"I'm an adult, I can take care of myself. Please don't treat me like a child, okay?"
"But haven't you been feeling unwell lately? What if you faint when I'm not around?"
Xiao Yan remained anxiously watching Gu Mingxia. A Xin and Cai Feng were still in Xiangcheng, and Gu Mingxia was in a very weak state. What if she went out alone and ran into Cai Feng and the others?
"Xiao Yan, you should believe that I am capable of taking care of myself. I don't want you to interfere too much in my life. That would make me feel too tired and without any freedom."
As soon as Gu Mingxia finished speaking, Xiao Yan's expression froze. She said that he had interfered too much with her freedom, which made him feel particularly uncomfortable.
"Do you... find being with me tiring?"
Was she regretting being with him? Or did she actually want to be with Fu Heng? Xiao Yan looked at her uneasily, and Gu Mingxia knew that Xiao Yan had misunderstood her when she saw the hurt look in his eyes. She smiled and took his hand.
"Fuheng thought we were already engaged, and he asked me out to give him a gift and congratulate us. Xiaoyan'er, you've always been the only one in my heart, but I hope our relationship is one of equality, not one where you're always worrying about me and restricting me. That makes me feel very tired. On the contrary, I've reflected on my past behavior. I was too domineering towards you before. How about we try a completely new way of getting along from now on?"
"Okay, as long as you're happy."
“Xiao Yan, that’s not how it is. You should have your own ideas, instead of just saying, ‘As long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters.’”
Gu Mingxia released Xiao Yan's hand and sat down on the sofa helplessly, staring intently at Xiao Yan. Qianye's words were indeed correct; two people in a relationship should be equals. In the past, Xiao Yan had always been the one to go along with her, but now she didn't want to continue like that.
She longed for an equal romantic relationship, but Xiao Yan had clearly misunderstood. Gu Mingxia sighed softly.
"Little Swallow, I hope we have an equal relationship, not one where you go along with me or I go along with you."
"Xiaxia, I understand what you mean. But you also need to understand that every couple has their own way of getting along. You may feel that I always go along with you, but you should know that those are all minor issues. When it really comes down to it, I will stick to what I believe in."
Xiao Yan grasped Gu Mingxia's hands with a serious expression, his eyes shining with sincerity; his words were clearly from the bottom of his heart. Gu Mingxia's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
"But this kind of relationship is not equal. Don't you find it hard to accept?"
Gu Mingxia's words brought a relieved smile to Xiao Yan's face, and he patted Gu Mingxia's hand on the back.
"Fool, what is fair or unfair in this world? There is even less such a thing as fairness in relationships."
Seeing Gu Mingxia's puzzled expression, Xiao Yan put his arm around her shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone.
"In a relationship, one person will always give more. It's not like buying fruit where you pay 100 yuan and the other person gives you 100 yuan worth of fruit without fail. You can't control your feelings, and it's impossible for two people to give the same amount. I'm willing to give more for you, just like you're willing to trust me and choose to be with me again after I left you for seven years. Xiaxia, I'm doing it all willingly. For both of us, this is the most comfortable way to be together."
"But I..."
"Xiaxia, promise me you won't overthink things. Let relationships happen naturally, okay? The more you think about it, the more unhappy people will be."
Xiao Yan interrupted Gu Mingxia before she could speak. Gu Mingxia thought for a moment, then smiled faintly at him.
"Okay, I'm a little tired, I'm going back to my room to rest."
"Go ahead, I'll call you again for dinner."
At the Fu family villa, Fu Heng saw his four brothers sitting on the sofa as soon as he entered the living room. Before he could speak, the four brothers pulled him into the study.
"Third brother, have you heard? Gu Mingxia is already engaged to Xiao Yan."
"Yes, did you go and ask her what happened? How could she do this? You risked your life to save her, and now she's gotten engaged to another man without a word. This is just too much!"
"Third brother, should we go and find out for you? She's really gone too far."
The four brothers talked back and forth until Fu Heng's ears were practically ringing before he finally understood that they were there to stand up for him.
"There was no engagement. Xiao Yan just proposed to Mingxia, and she accepted."
"What's the difference between this and an engagement? Third Brother, if it weren't for you in South Africa, Xiao Yan and Gu Mingxia would have been dead long ago. Not only does Xiao Yan not think about repaying your kindness, but he also steals his benefactor's woman. It's really too much."
"Alright, don't get so excited. I just had lunch with Mingxia at noon and even gave her a watch as a blessing."
"Third Brother, are you overreacting?! You actually gave a gift to your love rival?"
Fu Ya looked at Fu Heng incredulously, as if he were looking at a monster. Fu Heng reached out and hit him on the head.
"Relationships should develop naturally; what you force isn't love. As long as Mingxia is happy, I respect her choice! Besides, when I went to South Africa to save her, I didn't expect anything in return."
Fu Heng sat on the sofa, his smile elegant yet gentle. He casually poured himself a glass of water and took a sip.
"The beauty of love lies in its ability to make people willingly give to each other. When you all meet that person, you will understand everything I am doing today."
The four brothers remained silent for a long while before Fu Feng finally spoke.
“It seems that Cai Feng has been making some moves recently. If I’m not mistaken, he and A Xin have joined forces with some people in the Gu family’s old mansion to try to take over the Gu family’s business.”
"His appetite is truly enormous! Do you think he can swallow up the Gu family's assets?"
"Ah Xin... is she really a member of the Gu family? To actually team up with outsiders to take over their own family's business, that's quite bizarre!"
Fu Bo shook his head. Given the Fu family's tradition of harmony and prosperity, none of them could understand why someone would want to hand over their family's assets to someone else.
“She has a grudge against the Gu family, especially against Gu Mingxia. So it’s not surprising that she would do this.”
Fu Feng was well aware of these things, and his answer made Fu Bo suddenly understand, but he quickly looked puzzled.
"Even if there's a deep-seated grudge, it's still her home. What good would it do her to destroy her home?"
"Everyone has different ideas. You can't understand other people's ideas, and don't expect others to agree with your principles."
Fu Heng held the glass, frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly his eyes turned cold and his expression became unusually serious.
“Cai Feng is a member of our Fu family. No matter what, we must find a way to get rid of him. He will always be a stain on the Fu family.”
“Okay, I’ll handle this. However, it seems that the cooperation between the Fu family and the Gu family has run into some problems recently, and several major business deals have to be terminated.”
Did you ask why?
"I asked around, and the managers all said it was the order from above. Over the years, Gu Huaikun and we have had a very pleasant working relationship. We really don't know what the reason is this time."
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