3. Career
It was almost nine o'clock when the family of three returned to Mantingfang by car. Gu Sinan kept yawning in her car seat, probably because it was her usual bedtime.
Ye Zhenzhen led him out of the car, where they saw the butler, Uncle Li, waiting at the villa entrance.
The villa in front of us is located in the city center. It is much smaller than the old Gu family house, but it has excellent landscaping, good privacy, and more modern decoration and facilities, making it suitable for young people to live in.
"Young Master, Madam, Young Master, welcome home."
Uncle Li smiled and welcomed the three people into the door.
"Uncle Li, please don't joke around. Just call me Zhenzhen." Ye Zhenzhen was a little embarrassed by this dramatic way of addressing her.
Uncle Li is the same age as Mr. Gu, but his hair is already gray. He has been serving the Gu family since he was young, and although he is a housekeeper, he is more like a family member.
The old man has a quirky sense of humor; he enjoys watching old-fashioned CEO dramas and occasionally cosplays as the butler in them. He even has a custom-made tuxedo that he wears whenever he feels like it during holidays, and the whole family has to play along.
"Grandpa Li, I also like it when you call me Nan Nan." Gu Si Nan, being led by Ye Zhen Zhen, rubbed her eyes and walked forward.
"Alright, Nan Nan, your room is ready. I'll take you there." Uncle Li smiled kindly and led the young master away.
Everyone went back to wash up. The master bedroom and the children's room were both on the second floor. The original owner disliked Gu Tingshen, so after their marriage, they slept in separate rooms and didn't disturb each other. Therefore, Ye Zhenzhen's room was in the middle, with Gu Tingshen on the left and Gu Sinan on the right. She was very satisfied with this layout.
Gu Tingshen loved peace and quiet, and the original owner also had a strong sense of territory. Apart from the butler, Uncle Li, the cook, housekeeper, and others in the villa only appeared during working hours and were now resting in the servants' quarters in the backyard.
The nanny who took care of the young master in the old house didn't come. Ye Zhenzhen was a little worried about him; children are more easily frightened at night than during the day in unfamiliar environments.
She quickly took a shower, dried her hair until it was half dry, and considering that the young master was a boy, she rummaged through the dressing room for a long time before finally finding a set of short-sleeved and short-legged home clothes to change into.
Knock on the door next door, and the young master opened it, dressed in a moon-white Chinese-style loungewear with subtle bamboo leaf patterns. The clothes clearly reflected Gu's mother's taste, making him look more and more like a young master from a bygone era.
"Mom?" He was surprised to see the person who came in and asked in confusion, "Can't you sleep?"
"Yes, I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you," Ye Zhenzhen said, following his lead. "May I come into your room?"
"Okay, please come in." The little boy invited her in, his voice tinged with excitement. He had seen on TV that children who couldn't sleep would go to their parents' room to sleep together. A little shy but also excited, he asked, "Will you sleep with me?"
He has slept alone since he can remember. His mother, Gu, emphasized the importance of developing his self-reliance. The aunt who took care of him when he was young would only sit by his bedside and keep him company. He has never had any experience with other people.
Ye Zhenzhen saw his bright, expectant eyes staring at her, and her heart softened. Who could resist such an adorable little one? She didn't mention she was just there to visit, but smiled and nodded, "Yes, it was windy outside just now, and I couldn't sleep. Can I sleep with you?"
"Yes! I'm a man, so Mom doesn't have to be afraid with me! I'll go get you a pillow." He said and ran into the inner room of the bedroom.
Ye Zhenzhen sat on the beanbag chair by the bed, looking around the bedroom. The walls were a light pinkish-blue, the decor simple yet playful, with a sophisticated aesthetic. A thin quilt with a cute Chinese dragon pattern was spread on the large bed in the middle, with a bedside table on one side and a small floor-standing bookcase on the other.
A moment later, Gu Sinan brought out a pink flower pillow.
The two lay side by side on the bed, both feeling a bit curious. It was also Ye Zhenzhen's first time sleeping with a child.
Looking at the time, it was almost ten o'clock. "Nannan, shall we go to sleep?" Hearing the answer, she reached out and turned off the main light, leaving a small night light on.
She turned to face the little boy, who was staring at her with wide eyes. She smiled and kissed his forehead. "Close your eyes and go to sleep."
She reached out and gently patted his back, humming a lullaby her mother used to sing to lull her to sleep when she was little.
Gu Sinan obediently closed his eyes. He hadn't wanted to sleep and wanted to enjoy his mother's embrace a little longer. But the gentle melody soon lulled him into a sweet dream.
Gu Tingshen leaned against the door, listening to her humming grow softer and softer until it disappeared. He went into the room, the dim light of the nightlight giving his dark pupils a touch of warmth.
Gu Sinan was sleeping next to Ye Zhenzhen, her little hands wrapped around her arm, fast asleep.
He watched quietly for a while, then silently left the room.
The next morning, Ye Zhenzhen took the young master downstairs and ran into Gu Tingshen coming back from his run.
Sweat rolled down his tanned skin, his black short-sleeved shirt soaked and clinging to his body, outlining the contours of his muscles. Beneath his athletic shorts, his calf muscles were well-defined and sculpted, exuding a powerful masculine energy.
Ye Zhenzhen whistled in her heart. That figure, those muscles, absolutely gorgeous.
Yesterday, he was dressed in a strict suit, the shirt collar cinching his neck, and even his ankles were encased in black socks, exuding an aura of asceticism. Now, dressed in sportswear, he appears somewhat youthful and energetic.
The original owner had a rather childish aesthetic sense, liking delicate and handsome boys, and thought Gu Tingshen was old and rough.
Ye Zhenzhen, however, adored his strong muscles, which were brimming with vibrant life. Perhaps because she had been ill for so long, she cherished all healthy and robust life.
She looked down at her own thin arms and legs, then pinched the young master's fair and soft little arms; they really looked like two weak little chickens.
"Nannan, don't you think Daddy's muscles are cool? How about we both start working out tomorrow morning?"
"Okay, Nan Nan needs to build muscle too."
Gu Sinan admired her father very much, but they rarely had the chance to spend time together. She was overjoyed to hear that she could exercise with her father.
"You guys eat first, no need to wait." Gu Tingshen walked past them and went upstairs to wash up. Thinking of the look she had given him earlier, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable. Those beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with admiration for him, without the cold disgust of the past.
And last night, her gentleness and patience towards Gu Sinan were things he had never seen before.
Breakfast was plentiful. Gu Sinan used chopsticks skillfully and was very well-mannered. The table was clean and there was no spillage.
After taking a shower and changing into his pajamas, Gu Tingshen came downstairs, and the three of them ate together in silence.
Ye Zhenzhen noticed that Gu Sinan didn't like eating eggs and carrots.
"Nannan, do you know what the main components of muscle are?"
Gu Sinan was eating lettuce when she heard this and shook her head.
“It’s protein. If you want to build muscle, you need to eat more protein.” Seeing the child nod, she asked, “Then can you guess which food contains protein?”
"An egg?" Gu Sinan's eyes darted around. He didn't know what protein was, but the word "egg" made it easy to make that connection.
"Wow, you're so smart! Eggs, fish, shrimp, and all kinds of meat contain protein. People who want to build muscle should eat more of these," Ye Zhenzhen coaxed patiently.
"But the egg yolk is very dry." He pouted.
"You can eat it in small bites, or dip it in sauce. Do you like ketchup? Eating egg yolks is good for your eyes; it can make your eyes bright."
Butler Li brought over a small dish of tomato sauce and placed it on the dining table. Gu Sinan's eyes lit up, and she picked up an egg, peeled it, and started eating.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was relaxed and cheerful. Uncle Li stepped aside, a satisfied smile on his lips, and a line from a domineering CEO drama flashed through his mind: "Young Master hasn't been this happy in a long time."
It's the weekend. After dinner, Gu Sinan went upstairs to play.
While Ye Zhenzhen was picking out clothes in the dressing room, her phone suddenly rang. Ye Zhenzhen picked up the phone and saw that it was Song Chengcheng, so she answered.
"Mr. Ye, Chairman Ye couldn't reach you before, so he called me."
Ye Zhenzhen thought for a moment and confirmed that she hadn't received a call from her father. Remembering the recent strained relationship between the father and daughter, she reasonably suspected that her father had been blocked. She asked calmly, "What does he want?"
"Chairman Ye is very supportive of your decision to invest in this variety show. He happened to run into Mr. Wang from Apple Media yesterday," Song Chengcheng said, unable to discern her boss's mood over the phone, but she could only grit her teeth and continue, "The production team just contacted us, and we can sign the investment contract tomorrow."
She almost laughed in anger at these words, a strange rage welling up in her chest. This was the first time since she transmigrated that she had felt the lingering emotions of the original owner.
The original owner was actually aware of her acting skills. Her insistence on participating in "I Am an Actor" was to resist her father's interference in her life.
Now that she has just changed her mind, her father has taken it upon himself to intervene and pave the way for her investment.
Ye Zhenzhen felt suffocated just from experiencing this kind of manipulated, uncontrollable life.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and calmly asked, "I understand. What time is it?"
"Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, at the Apple Media Building. Would you like your driver to pick you up from Mantingfang then?"
"No need to pick me up, I'll go to the company later. Have Fengming's vice president bring this year's product design team over as well. Prepare all of Taoyao's existing artist information. I've changed my mind. We'll discuss the details when I get there."
She is not the original owner of this body, so she won't let anger cloud her judgment and try to compete with others' expertise using her weaknesses, which would only make her a laughingstock.
Ye's father's controlling nature shattered her dream of enjoying the life of a rich second-generation.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Everything she has now, except for her mother's inheritance and the gifts from the Gu family at the time of her marriage, comes from her father.
As long as she still needs to rely on Ye's father for a living, she will never be able to escape his control.
She needs to develop her own career in order to have true freedom.
Ye Zhenzhen knows nothing about running a company, but she has one major advantage.
She knew the plot and understood the general direction of the future development of the world in the book.
The book "The Redemption of the Iceberg God" had just finished before she transmigrated into it. She had transmigrated ten years before the main story began, roughly equivalent to 2015 on Earth. Reality shows like "I Am an Actor" were just starting to gain popularity in China. Having witnessed the future development of the world's film and entertainment industry, she saw the entertainment circle as a land of business opportunities.
Thanks to the arrangements made by Ye's mother, she has absolute say in both Taoyao Film and Television and Fengming Jewelry, which Ye's mother left her. She also has Song Chengcheng and the rest of the team Ye's mother left her, all industry elites. Every idea she has can be turned into reality through them.
With this in mind, she felt incredibly confident. She found a professional-looking suit in her wardrobe, added a set of pearl jewelry, and applied some light makeup in front of the mirror. Although she didn't usually like wearing makeup, it was important to appear more formal for a contract meeting.
Upon reaching the second-floor corridor, they saw Gu Tingshen and Uncle Li talking about something. Hearing footsteps, both of them turned to look.
"Is Madam going out?" Uncle Li asked, noticing that she had changed into her outdoor clothes.
"Yes, could you arrange a driver for me to take me to the company later?" She had some immature ideas and wanted to discuss them with Song Chengcheng at the company.
To everyone's surprise, Uncle Li smiled apologetically, "Madam, the drivers just happen to be out today. Xiao Liu went abroad with the master, and Xiao Wang has some family matters to attend to and has taken leave for the past few days."
Before Ye Zhenzhen could speak, he added, "But the young master is on vacation these few days and has nothing to do at home, so let him drive you."
Ye Zhenzhen looked at the two of them suspiciously. What a coincidence!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
