Chapter 416: Real Power
It may take less than a minute for the message to be sent.
I received his reply: [Yunqi Villa]
The positioning of a mountain villa.
【At 7pm, come to the Bihai private room. 】
Wang Yuanling's fingertips paused for a moment, and he typed a word: [OK.]
She arrived at the gate of the villa on time.
Dusk was creeping up from the valley, casting a gray-blue shadow on the magnificent "Yunqi Villa" before our eyes.
The huge antique gate tower stood silently in the dimming light, and the gold-plated words on the lintel appeared a little blurry.
There were a few luxury cars parked sparsely in the parking lot, which was a bit too empty, but it also revealed the privacy of the villa's location.
She turned off the engine and opened the car door. The mountain breeze, carrying an even cooler breeze, blew in her face, lifting the hem of her snow-white skirt.
The mountains are cooler at night than in the city.
She subconsciously tightened her light yellow cardigan, and her high heels made a clear and abrupt echo as they stepped on the smooth stone road.
A waiter trotted out of the lobby and bowed slightly to her: "Hello, President Ling, President Gu asked me to pick you up. Please follow me."
She paused, a little confused.
And sent someone out to pick her up?
"Okay, thank you for your help." She smiled gently at the waiter and suppressed her doubts.
The waiter stepped aside to lead the way: "You're welcome, please follow me."
The interior of the villa was deeper and more tortuous than she had imagined.
The corridors are winding, and the rockery is stacked with water.
The carefully manicured plants cast eerie shadows under the strategically placed spotlights.
Signs pointed to different areas, and she quickly found the sign for "Dining Area".
Walking in the direction indicated, the corridor is lined with tightly closed private room doors with uniform decorative styles, with brass house names nailed on them: Listening to the Waves, Watching the Waves, Watching the Moon... "Bi Hai".
Just arrived at the door.
From behind the closed door, a burst of laughter could be heard, mixed with the sound of cups clinking against each other and the vague sound of conversation.
There is more than just Gu Zhou inside.
Anyone else?
So he wasn't dining with her alone?
This doubt was answered when the waiter knocked on the door and opened it for her. She saw a huge round table with several truly "powerful" people sitting around it, whom she often saw on the covers of financial magazines or in news footage.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The faces that were chatting and laughing all turned towards the door, and their scrutinizing gazes fell on her as if they were real.
"Are you here?" Gu Zhou's voice was low, but it clearly penetrated the momentary silence, with an unquestionable sense of guidance and deliberate familiarity: "I've been waiting for you."
He stood up calmly from his seat, his usual laziness subsiding as he walked towards her, transforming into a warm concern: "It's cold in the mountains at night, why are you wearing so little?"
At this time, it would be more appropriate to introduce her to someone rather than showing concern for her without paying attention to others.
She didn't know what he was up to.
I could only suppress my emotions, curling the corners of my lips into a perfect arc, with a hint of just the right amount of apology: "Sorry, I'm late."
Gu Zhou's dark eyes passed over her face, which had turned slightly pale due to the cold: "It's okay, we just arrived too."
He then turned sideways and naturally brought her half a step forward, facing the scrutinizing or smiling eyes at the table.
The smile on his lips deepened, a gesture of control and ease. His voice, neither too loud nor too soft, echoed clearly in the suddenly quiet room: "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Wang Yuanling, CEO of Wang Group and my partner in the Health City project I'm planning to develop. Her vision and courage in development are beyond my reach."
His introduction not only pointed out her identity and importance, but also cleverly elevated her to an extremely high position.
As the words fell, the brief silence in the room was interrupted.
The man with the highest status at the main seat smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, the mysterious guest you mentioned is Mr. Ling from Wang's company. Mr. Ling, I have long heard of your great name. Now that I see you, I can see you are indeed young, promising, and have an extraordinary temperament."
As soon as the big shot spoke, the others followed suit.
"Yes, I was curious from the beginning. How powerful must she be to have secured this much-coveted piece of precious land? Seeing her today really astonishes me. She truly is as capable as any man." "Young people are truly formidable. Mr. Gu has a keen eye. With the two of you working together on this Health City project, the future is bright!"
For a moment.
The private room was filled with praise and flattery for her.
Wang Yuanling finally understood.
Gu Zhou arranged this game tonight specifically for her.
The people present at this table tonight are countless levels higher than Ma J.
Her heart was moved, and she smiled at everyone without being humble or arrogant: "Thank you for your kind words."
Gu Zhou's arms were loosely around her back, intimate yet gentlemanly: "Come, let me introduce you, this is..."
Following Gu Zhou's introduction, she shook hands and talked with every important figure.
Naturally blended into the atmosphere.
Wait till the last one is introduced.
Gu Zhou led her to a seat at the right time, right next to the guest of honor, just to his left.
The waiter immediately poured her hot tea, and the lingering tea aroma dispelled some of the mountain chill.
Gu Zhou whispered, "Please give her a new hot towel for wiping her hands, and make sure it's hot."
Wang Yuanling's eyelashes moved slightly.
The waiter quickly brought up a hot towel.
She picked it up and wiped her hands. The warmth wrapped around her slender hands, completely driving away the coldness.
Gu Zhouwei leaned closer to her and said softly, "I ordered your favorite dishes. Now that they are served, let's see what else you want to add."
This intimacy... is too obvious.
Wang Yuanling could even detect the subtle exchange of glances between the people at the table with his peripheral vision.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu." was all she could say.
The topic at the table quickly turned from small talk to the main topic.
Several people began to discuss the recent major planning adjustments in the city and the direction of land policies. Their words were full of wit and contained a huge amount of information.
Wang Yuanling listened attentively.
Gu Zhou is obviously well aware of this. He does not dominate the topic, but at key points, he always seems to inadvertently lead the topic to the Health City project, or cleverly "lead out" Wang Yuanling's professional insights.
"Speaking of the planning and positioning of the Health City, President Ling's feasibility report was very thorough." Gu Zhou picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and turned his gaze to her: "The ideas in that report about ecological compensation and the integration of community medical care are refreshing even to me. President Ling, why don't you share them briefly with everyone?"
Wang Yuanling understood what he meant.
She knew that this was Gu Zhou building a stage for her to show her strength and value in front of these people.
She quickly gathered her thoughts and took over the conversation gracefully, her voice clear and steady: "Mr. Gu, you're too kind. Regarding Health City, our core idea is to create a 'Life and Health Community'. We plan..."
Her explanation was clear and well-organized, with strong data support. It was both profound and down-to-earth, and she made complex planning concepts easy to understand.
Several important figures at the table listened attentively, nodding slightly from time to time.
The guest of honor showed approval in his eyes: "Well, your thinking is clear and your vision is impressive. It's truly rare to be able to so organically integrate social, ecological, and economic benefits. Mr. Gu, you've made a very discerning choice of partner."
Gu Zhou's lips curled up in a satisfied arc, and there was a subtle hint of deep meaning in his eyes as he looked at Wang Yuanling, as if he was admiring a treasure that had been carefully polished and finally shone with the expected brilliance.
"It's because of Mr. Ling's own strength."
He lightly pushed the credit back to her.
The atmosphere was harmonious with clinking glasses.
The dinner is over.
Wang Yuanling had the contact information of all the important people, and everyone gave it to him proactively and enthusiastically.
Standing at the door, after seeing off the last important figure with Gu Zhou.
The hair on her forehead was blown lightly by the night breeze from the mountains, and the ends of her hair rubbed against her cheeks, causing itching.
She was just about to push aside her tangled hair.
His shoulders suddenly sank.
Instantly, a warmth enveloped her neck, shoulders and arms, dispelling the chill of the mountain breeze.
Wang Yuanling was slightly startled and subconsciously looked at Gu Zhou beside him.
The moonlight was like water, softly reflected on his well-defined profile. His black eyes, which were always deep and unfathomable, were now immersed in a hazy halo, appearing particularly soft.
He concentrated on straightening the collar of her suit, the movement so natural as if he had done it a thousand times: "If you want to truly hold power, you need connections and resources."
His voice was deep and carried a strange magnetism in the quiet mountain night, wrapped in unprecedented patience and gentleness: "With these connections, everything you do in the future will be twice as effective with half the effort. If you find that nothing can stump you, naturally no one will dare to disobey you."
His words clearly explained the profound meaning of everything he did tonight—not only did he help her deal with those obvious stumbling blocks, but he also paved a smooth road for her to gain true control.
He spent a lot of time and energy, and used his connections to gather for her a table of "big shots" who were powerful enough to shake up the situation, just to give her enough chips and confidence on the chessboard of power.
For a long time, in order to climb to the position of CEO of Wang Group, she took every step with difficulty, as if walking on a tightrope or thin ice.
Suddenly one day, she discovered a shortcut tailor-made for her, a gravel road that allowed her to take every step with confidence.
It is difficult to describe in a few words the feeling of suddenly finding a sense of security.
After Gu Zhou helped her straighten her suit, he put down his hand and said in a low voice, "Let's go back."
He was just about to turn sideways.
"Gu Zhou." She spoke.
Gu Zhou stopped and looked at her with narrowed eyes: "What's wrong?"
The moonlight flowed on his deep outline, and his dark eyes, which had just been filled with a soft halo, now reflected her figure clearly, focused and direct.
She swallowed softly, her eyes filled with confusion: "You've done so much for me. If I still can't accept you, will you regret it?"
He didn't hesitate at all: "No." His voice was low: "Besides, you're mistaken. I'm not doing this to make you accept me. I just can't stand seeing a pearl covered in dust. So you don't have to feel burdened. Be yourself, do what you want. If you need my help, feel free to ask."
The mountain breeze was still blowing, but she no longer felt cold.
I could only feel an unprecedented warmth, which spread to the bottom of my heart and collided with the violent heartbeat to create a sense of restlessness.
The moonlight is hazy.
She could hardly see her own heart.
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