Chapter 181 Extra 1 (End)
Extra 1 (4) Previous Life - Gu Jiangkuo's Secret Love Story 4
Gu Jiangkuo did not take the issue of blocking overseas calls seriously, but he did not expect that a few days later, a Southeast Asian man who claimed to be his housekeeper would come to his house in person and present sufficient evidence to prove that what he said was true.
——He said that Gu Jiangkuo was actually a young master from a super wealthy family who was stranded outside!
Gu Jiangkuo had spent almost his entire youth living in hardship that was unimaginable to ordinary people. When he suddenly received the good news, his first reaction was that he was dreaming, and his second reaction was that he was reluctant to leave Yanlin.
"What?" Butler Zhongbo couldn't believe his ears. "Master, you still don't believe it?"
"no."
The evidence provided by the Gu family was so sufficient that he had to believe it.
The housekeeper asked, "Then why are you unwilling to leave Yanlin?"
Gu Jiangkuo couldn't really explain why. Was it because of his nascent "career"? Or was it because of that secret love that was destined to end in vain?
No matter which reason is given, it is a bit absurd.
So Gu Jiangkuo simply chose to remain silent. After a long silence, he finally gave a perfunctory excuse: "It's hard to leave your hometown."
"Uncle Zhong, give me some more time."
The housekeeper said, "The master hopes you will return home soon. Your grandfather misses you terribly. He has given you a deadline of the 15th of this month."
Gu Jiangkuo couldn't get close to this grandfather he'd never met, and even felt wary. If, as the housekeeper said, his grandfather loved and missed him so much, why didn't he show up in person? Furthermore, his words didn't sound like those of an elderly man missing his grandson, but more like those of a boss forcing his subordinates. There was no human touch at all.
But then again, how could Gu Jiangkuo not be tempted by the huge wealth the Gu family promised him?
He had been poor for too long and dreamed of becoming rich overnight.
Even if it feels that things are not that simple, there is enough temptation to make people want to take a chance.
But, now that I’m in Southeast Asia, I don’t know when I can return to Yanlin and whether I can see him again?
Gu Jiangkuo did not reply to the housekeeper until one day when he wandered near Jiang Group and saw with his own eyes the boy he had been thinking about day and night holding hands with General Manager Ding.
Gu Jiangkuo's steps seemed to be stuck with glue. He stared blankly as Jiang Nuo and Ding Pingzhou walked hand in hand into the gate of Jiang Group until their figures disappeared.
In fact, it was not surprising. He had heard about the relationship between the Ding and Jiang families, and he had also speculated about it, but he was just unwilling to admit it.
Gu Jiangkuo clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, and then he relaxed his fists dejectedly.
He found that he didn't even have the right to be jealous.
.
The next day, the butler received a reply from Gu Jiangkuo that he was willing to go back to Nanyang with him. He was overjoyed and reported to Old Master Gu. He also expressed his concern for the new young master: "Why do you look so haggard? Did you not sleep all night?"
Gu Jiangkuo simply ignored the question and said in a hoarse voice, "Give me a few days to deal with things here."
Normally, the project handover procedures must be handled at the Jiang Group, but Gu Jiangkuo did not go there for the first time. He handed over all the necessary procedures to his subordinates, and after everything was completed, he obediently followed the housekeeper to Nanyang.
.
The extravagance of the Gu family far exceeded Gu Jiangkuo's imagination. He considered himself a small contractor who had seen some of the world, but when he arrived at the Gu family manor and saw the real upper class society, he was still like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, making many jokes. He also noticed that the young master Gu Xin had a vague hostility towards him.
He gradually learned some truths about his parents, which further fueled his ambition.
Therefore, to him, the Gu family is a land of tenderness and beauty, but also a land of thorns and dangers.
Gu Jiangkuo was walking on thin ice, running around exhausted, and putting patience first. He quietly built up his own power and almost had to keep one eye open even when sleeping.
Despite being so busy, Gu Jiangkuo still couldn't help but occasionally ask about Jiang Nuo.
I heard that the guy named Ding started to engage in import and export trade, and he often had to follow cargo ships, often being away for several months.
After Jiang Nuo graduated and returned to the company, he became increasingly busy and often went out of town, so we didn't have much time to actually meet.
Although Gu Jiangkuo knew rationally that he should hope for the happiness of the person he loved, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy when he heard that they were rarely together.
He sent more people to find out more.
Then he heard that Ding Pingzhou's decision had affected some local tyrants, and they came to his house. Jiang Nuo blocked the knife for the man named Ding.
Gu Jiangkuo: “!”
Gu Jiangkuo almost rushed back to Yanlin directly, but ended up hearing his subordinates report in detail how Ding Pingzhou had been taking care of Jiang Nuo day and night, how he had gone crazy and led his men back to fight, almost causing a loss of life... Finally, the head of the Ding family came forward to settle the matter.
...So, Jiang Nuo is loved by someone, and there is no need for an outsider like him to worry about her.
From then on, Gu Jiangkuo never asked about Jiang Nuo again.
He concentrated on staying in Nanyang, becoming increasingly silent and patient.
Even when Mr. Gu said in person, "You are disabled and cannot inherit the family business," which hurt him so much, Gu Jiangkuo just laughed it off.
He even used this excuse to reject several marriages that Mr. Gu tried to arrange for him.
In private, Gu Jiangkuo has quite a thundering method. He uses the resources provided by the Gu family to grow rapidly, but he has always kept it secret and has great patience.
The subordinates were increasingly unable to see through this cold-hearted young master Akuo, who seemed to be fighting for nothing and determined to concentrate on assisting Gu Xin.
On the contrary, Gu Xin, who was trained as the heir, had the resources of the Gu family and was in great glory. However, he ignored the family business and went to China instead, where he competed with several men and fell in love with a boy named Rong Yi.
He broke up and got back together, and was entangled with others, and spent a fortune to make a beautiful woman smile, and he did it countless times.
In order to defeat a love rival, he would even go so far as to "let the weather get cold and the trees break".
Gu Jiangkuo had never been very interested in Gu Xin's romantic affairs, but when he heard about the "Ding family of Yanlin", he suddenly became interested.
"Which Ding family? Who from the Ding family dares to mess with the person that Asin likes?" Gu Jiangkuo asked.
His subordinates told him the whole gossip: "That man is so bold, thinking he has some money, he dares to compete with our Gu family. He is not on the same level as us! Young Master Xin is trying to bring him down and bankrupt his Jiang Group."
"...His last name is Ding, so why is the company called Jiang Group?" Gu Jiangkuo had a bad feeling.
"I'm not sure about that—Hey, Master, where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Book the nearest flight to Yanlin," Gu Jiangkuo instructed excitedly. "Also, order me a bouquet of roses and put it in the trunk of the car that picks me up at the airport. I want 999 roses."
For more than ten years, Gu Jiangkuo deliberately avoided the topic, thinking that he had long forgotten the young man who had amazed him in his youth.
But when I heard the news that Ding Pingzhou fell in love with someone else, I couldn't help but feel excited.
It was not until he got on the plane that Gu Jiangkuo gradually calmed down and regretted his impulsiveness.
Killing him for no reason and bringing flowers with him... It was too abrupt.
Come to think of it, Jiang Nuo probably doesn't recognize me yet. Forget it, forget it, I'd better not take out the flowers and get to know him in my new identity first.
After all these years, I wonder if Jiang Nuo has changed? He's in his thirties, right? He should be more mature and stable, and wouldn't do stupid things like climbing over the firewall to access the internet anymore? Is he still as picky as before? Having left his student days behind, those cheap street vendors probably wouldn't be worth his while.
Gu Jiangkuo was enjoying himself like a young man who had just fallen in love. For a moment, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. At the same time, he felt annoyed that he was not cautious enough and was afraid that he would not be able to make a good impression on Jiang Nuo.
After getting off the plane, Mr. Gu did not take the flowers out of the trunk. Instead, he went to the hotel to wash up, changed into new clothes, and sprayed some men's cologne provided by the hotel. He took a bath like burning incense, and was extremely pious.
He dressed himself up before preparing to go out to Jiang Group.
——I had originally planned to summon the senior executives of the Chinese branch to tell him the detailed situation of the Jiang Group. However, the branches of the Gu Group in China are mainly concentrated in several economically developed municipalities such as City A. President Gu decided to come here on a whim, and the senior executives had not arrived yet.
Gu Jiangkuo's patience was rarely enough, as if the youthful spirit that had been dormant for many years suddenly rekindled, making him unable to wait even a moment. He just wanted to rush to see the boy he had a crush on in his youth again.
Even if no one from the China branch came to explain the problem to him in detail, Gu Jiangkuo had a rough idea in his mind. It was nothing more than that Ding had fallen in love with someone else, which angered Gu Xin. Gu Xin, with his love-brained mind, ordered the China branch to take action to bring down Ding Pingzhou, causing Jiang Nuo's company to suffer as well.
Although Gu Jiangkuo has been deliberately keeping a low profile in order to reassure the old man, his words actually carry much more weight than Gu Xin's.
Gu Xin can let his subordinates deal with the Jiang Group, and he, Gu Jiangkuo, can also make them stop.
He even provided financial and material assistance to the Jiang Group. More than ten years later, Gu Jiangkuo was no longer the young man who was inferior due to his physical disability and dared not approach his idol. He was now a grown man. He just thought that Jiang Nuo and Mr. Ding had a deep relationship, so he didn't disturb them and deliberately ignored their news.
But it’s different now, Jiang Nuo must have broken up!
.
Jiang Group.
When Ding Pingzhou heard that a guest named Gu was coming to visit, he was immediately frightened and turned pale.
Gu Xin actually came to my door!
He was now regretting provoking Rong Yi. How could he have known that Rong Yi's suitors were so influential? Yu Wencong alone was enough to give him a headache—his uncle Yu Min had just moved his fingers and the company's market value had evaporated by tens of millions—and now there was Gu Xin!
If Yu Min could make him anxious and worried, then the Nanyang Gu family could easily bankrupt him.
After all, that was the Gu family, and crushing him to death was almost the same as crushing an ant.
Gu Xin had just made his harsh words, and now someone was showing up! How could Ding Pingzhou not be afraid? He made up his mind to beg for mercy as soon as he saw the person.
No matter how good Rong Yi is, money is more important! He doesn't want to go bankrupt. As the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if a rich person goes bankrupt, they can still maintain a middle-class lifestyle. But only when you actually experience it, you know how big the gap is.
Didn’t Jiang Nuo die of depression because he couldn’t bear this kind of blow?
.
"Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu?" Ding Pingzhou walked into the reception room and saw a tall figure. He called out uncertainly.
The figure from behind has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his well-developed muscles make his suit look stylish. His height is almost 1.9 meters, but he doesn't look like Gu Xin at all.
The man was called Mr. Gu, but he agreed, "Well, do you know me?"
The tall man looked to be in his thirties, with a calm demeanor and a cold tone filled with hostility.
Ding Pingzhou was intimidated by the other party's powerful aura. After a moment, he explained: "Sorry, I recognized the wrong person. Who are you? What can I do for you?"
"Ding Pingzhou," Gu Jiangkuo called out his name coldly, "I heard your company is in some trouble? I'm here because of that."
Ding Pingzhou felt that this man looked familiar, but after so many years, he couldn't actually remember that he was just a small contractor on the project.
Gu Jiangkuo handed over a business card. Ding Pingzhou took it, and his face, which had just calmed down, lost its color again. "Are you Gu Xin's elder brother? Mr. Gu, listen to me, I really don't mean to go against your brother. I am willing to withdraw. I swear, I will never appear in Rong Yi's sight again. I..."
"I don't care about your nonsense," Gu Jiangkuo said impatiently, "As long as I'm here, the Jiang family will not fall."
"Ah? Really!?" Ding Pingzhou instantly imagined a lot of palace fighting dramas among wealthy families. He thought it was a fight between brothers and he might be the one who benefited from it. He almost cried for joy.
But Gu Jiangkuo got annoyed when he saw his face and said dissatisfiedly: "Let your chairman come out and talk to me."
How could Ding Pingzhou still have the nerve to stay in Jiang Nuo's company when he had already fallen in love with someone else? Even if he wanted to save Jiang's company, it wouldn't be a favor. He would definitely have to talk to Jiang Nuo face to face.
"I am the chairman." Ding Pingzhou said.
Gu Jiangkuo frowned: "Where's Jiang Nuo?"
"Ah, Jiang Nuo..." Ding Pingzhou, "Do you know Mr. Jiang?"
Gu Jiangkuo: "I don't have the patience to listen to your nonsense."
Ding Pingzhou then stammered, "Xiao Nuo... Mr. Jiang passed away over a year ago."
“?!!”
Gu Jiangkuo was struck by lightning. He grabbed Ding Pingzhou by the collar and almost lifted him up from the spot. "What did you say?"
"He, he passed away. I was busy with other things, and later I learned that he was not in a good mental state and was a little depressed. When I learned that he passed away, I was also very sad."
.
Gu Jiangkuo didn't remember how he walked out of the gate of Jiang Group. He only remembered that it rained that day, washing away his carefully styled hairstyle and the cologne he had sprayed, making them messy and disheveled.
He didn't want to believe this fact, but unfortunately his physical condition was so good that he didn't catch a cold or fever even after being caught in such a heavy rain, and he was still conscious.
Gu Jiangkuo spent three days to thoroughly investigate the cause and effect of Jiang Nuo's death.
Ding Pingzhou still had the nerve to say, "I was very sad to hear the bad news about Jiang Nuo." It was clearly him, the Chen Shimei, who killed Jiang Nuo!
"If I had known he was a scumbag, I shouldn't have left. If I had continued to stay with him, he might not have..." Gu Jiangkuo blamed himself, but he was also filled with a raging anger that wanted to be vented. He wanted the man surnamed Ding to get his retribution.
Should he follow Gu Xin's wishes and let the Jiang Group go bankrupt? Should he watch Ding Pingzhou suffer indifferently?
No, it seems that is not enough.
What Gu Jiangkuo didn't expect was that even though he didn't go to seek revenge, the man surnamed Ding actually came to him on his own initiative.
"Mr. Gu! Help!" Ding Pingzhou was desperate and tried every possible means to help. Gu Xin's revenge on him had already begun. Now, several major projects invested by Jiang Group had encountered various problems overnight.
If Gu Jiangkuo and Gu Xin are competitors, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then he might as well give it a try!
Ding Pingzhou wailed, "Boss Gu, saving me is as simple as raising your hand."
Gu Jiangkuo wanted to beat him to death to pay for Jiang Nuo's life, but he habitually remained calm: "Why should I save you?"
Ding Pingzhou: "As long as you help me through this difficult time, I'm willing to do anything for you. Jiang's has a lot of business that can be connected with the Gu Group's Chinese branch. I'm willing to make concessions! I'm even willing to give you half of my wealth and give you shares for free! As long as Jiang's is saved."
He guessed that Gu Jiangkuo might know Jiang Nuo, and deliberately said: "After all, Jiang Group is Xiao Nuo's hard work, I..."
When Jiang Nuo's name was mentioned, Gu Jiangkuo immediately looked over coldly, with a look that seemed to want to kill someone. Ding Pingzhou choked and shut up.
But Gu Jiangkuo actually agreed: "Since it's Mr. Jiang's company, I'm willing to help him. Let's put aside the equity and other conditions for now. I do have an unwelcome request."
Ding Pingzhou hurriedly said, "You go ahead!"
Gu Jiangkuo lowered his eyes, hiding the grief and hatred in them, and said slowly, "Boss Jiang and I were friends. He passed away so suddenly, and I want to leave some memories for him. How about this? Find all his old things, whether it's clothes or daily necessities, and give them all to me."
"Mr. Gu, you..."
"As long as you agree, I will take action to save the Jiang Group."
.
Years of keeping a low profile have made forbearance ingrained in Gu Jiangkuo's bones.
Jiang Nuo's death completely extinguished the last bit of his popularity.
Mr. Gu once again regained his amazing patience, like a cheetah lying in the grass, able to go for a long time without eating or drinking, just waiting for the right moment to strike and kill the prey with one blow.
A few years later, Mr. Gu died in the Gu family manor. According to rumors, the old man weighed less than 30 kilograms when he passed away and was starved to death.
But Gu Xinyuan was on vacation abroad with Rong Yi and didn't even get to see his grandfather for the last time.
After hearing these rumors, Gu Xin did not make a fuss. Instead, he stood on the side of his elder brother Gu Jiangkuo and ordered the media not to fabricate rumors, otherwise the Gu Group would pursue legal responsibility, thus calming down public opinion.
Those who know the inside story scoff at this:
"Of course Gu Xin is willing to stand up for his elder brother. After all, his food, clothing and other expenses all depend on his elder brother."
"Although Mr. Gu doesn't like to show up in public, he is the real power in the Gu family and the true head of the family. Gu Xin and his same-sex lover are just pretty decorations, just like the royal family in the UK, they are like mascots."
"It's strange. Why doesn't Mr. Gu stand in front of the public? He seems to particularly dislike the limelight."
"I interviewed Mr. Gu once. How should I put it? His eyes were sharp, but also lifeless. I heard he didn't even have a female confidant. He had no desires or ambitions, like a living dead."
"Stop talking nonsense. How could he be free of desire? Mr. Gu is enjoying himself. His dog, Wangcai, has over 20 nannies and was even flown here from Yanlin on a special plane."
"Giving a dog a nanny?! Twenty of them? I'm living worse than a dog."
"I hope to be reincarnated as an Alaska in my next life."
.
cemetery.
Ding Pingzhou knelt before the tombstone and murmured, "Who could have imagined that a few years later, I would follow in your footsteps? Xiao Nuo, karma has paid off. I'm bankrupt too."
"Gu Jiangkuo kept his promise. The Jiang Group was saved, but it has nothing to do with me anymore." Ding Pingzhou took a bottle of Erguotou for 2.5 yuan, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip. "The feeling of bankruptcy is hard, but I made it through and didn't commit suicide."
"Xiao Nuo, I had a dream last night. I dreamed I died in a shabby welfare nursing home. ... Is this a sign? I think I'll end up alone." He took another sip. "When did you get involved with Mr. Gu? I've looked through your past, but I can't find any connection between you two... He even wanted to kill me at one point."
"But later on, I didn't. Maybe it's because seeing me in such a miserable state is more painful than death. Or maybe," Ding Pingzhou said softly, "I am one of the few people in this world who still can't forget you."
"Xiao Nuo, Xiao Nuo." Ding Pingzhou burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
A gust of north wind blew, blowing up the dust and fallen leaves on the ground. Ding Pingzhou wiped his tears and blew his nose with his clothes before drinking the last sip of wine.
"It's not that I don't want to give you a drink. If he knew, he would definitely not let me go. He allowed me to miss you, but he didn't allow me to dirty your tombstone." Ding Pingzhou stood up unsteadily. "That's it. I'll come to see you next year on your death anniversary."
Hearing the sound of a car engine outside the cemetery, Ding Pingzhou quickened his pace and hid in the woods. He saw a Rolls-Royce parked at the door from a distance. A tall man in black got out of the car, personally carrying two bottles of expensive Romanee-Conti.
Ding Pingzhou suddenly felt that the cheap empty wine bottle in his hand was even more annoying, but he didn't dare to throw it away or make any noise.
.
For many years, everyone's impression of Chairman Gu has been remarkably consistent: lonely, sinister, cold-hearted, ruthless, and aloof, as if he was born without the orbicularis oris muscle - he simply can't smile.
In short, he is a patient with severe emotional deficiency.
When Gu Jiangkuo was 75 years old, he felt that he was about to die, so he made arrangements for his afterlife early on: he told his confidant the name of a Chinese cemetery and asked him to be buried there.
Yanlin is where he grew up.
Therefore, everyone thought that Chairman Gu only missed his hometown and did not truly regard Nanyang as his home.
Only Gu Jiangkuo knew that the cemetery was the burial place of the only person he had secretly admired in his life. But even in death, he dared not disturb him, still believing that the beautiful young master was the bright moon in the sky, and must not be desecrated without permission. So he only dared to bury him in the same cemetery, far away in a corner, silently watching him.
Jiang Nuo was like an unreachable dream, the only bright spot in his long and boring life, and it briefly illuminated his youth.
The aging Gu Jiangkuo lay on the clean white hospital bed. Suddenly he dreamed of his youth. It seemed that he saw his young self and the young Jiang Nuo in a sea of white.
Is the kaleidoscope of life's last moments really so wonderful?
The corners of his lips lifted, and the wrinkles on his face briefly relaxed. Chairman Gu fell into a long sleep quietly.
.
"daughter in law!!"
22-year-old Gu Jiangkuo suddenly woke up and felt tear marks on his face. Horrified, he touched the people around him and then turned on the light.
After seeing that the person beside him was indeed Jiang Nuo, he still tried to smell her breath, and luckily, it was Nuo Nuo, and alive!!
But Jiang Nuo was so annoyed that he pulled up the quilt, covered his head, and said in a muffled voice: "Gu Dajiang! Are you sick? I just fell asleep!"
"No, wife, I had a terrible nightmare! It was as real as a lifetime. I dreamed that you were dead, and we were not together, and I would die alone."
Jiang Nuo finally poked his head out from under the covers, his sleepy eyes wide open as he asked seriously, "And then?"
“And then—” Gu Jiangkuo scratched his head and frowned, “I don’t remember what happened next. Oh, I still remember it just now. Anyway, it was a nightmare.”
Jiang Nuo: “…”
He thought Gu Jiangkuo remembered his past life.
Jiang Nuo lay back down again, lacking interest. "Don't startle me. Turn off the lights and go to sleep!"
"Oh." Gu Jiangkuo obediently turned off the lights. Although he had forgotten the details of the dream, he still felt frightened. With a feeling of regaining what he had lost, he hugged Jiang Nuo and sighed, "Nuonuo, it's great to have you by my side."
However, Mr. Jiang was frightened tonight and immediately exploded: "Stop playing tricks! This is the fourth time! We agreed to sleep! There's no way you can pretend to be pitiful for the fifth time!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com