SFBF CH51

Gu Duo blinked in disbelief, unable to believe that there would actually come a day when he remembered something wrong… though it probably wasn’t a memory error.

He remembered that the person’s surname was “Zhen” [T/N: sounds like the word for “Real”], he just didn’t know why he had blurted out “Jia” [T/N: meaning “Fake”] just now.

Although that Uncle Zhen was very annoying, privately changing someone’s surname was still very impolite.

For a moment, Gu Duo’s expression turned a bit awkward and uneasy.

Hearing Gu Duo suddenly mention Mr. Zhen again, Shen Qing couldn’t help but ask, “What about him? Didn’t I already chase him away… Don’t worry, even if he hasn’t left yet, he won’t dare to come back again.”

Gu Duo cupped his little chin with his hands.

It wasn’t quite the same effect as Ao-zai holding up his chubby face with his meaty little paws, nor did he have Ao-zai’s habit of staring at the ceiling when thinking, but at first glance, the two brothers had inexplicably similar expressions when deep in thought.

Looking profound, Gu Duo suddenly said, “That Uncle likes Little Uncle.”

Shen Qing: “…? …How did Duo-zai know?”

He didn’t even know that!

Shen Qing revealed a shocked expression. Meeting his gaze, Gu Duo stated, “…It’s nothing, that Uncle said it himself before.”

Shen Qing: “?”

According to Gu Duo, when he and Ao-zai had just been brought back, Zhen Yong came to visit them. His very first sentence was that he liked their Little Uncle and wanted to be their aunt-in-law.

Shen Qing: “…”

Wow, this Mr. Zhen is truly bold.

But as it turned out, President Gu ended up marrying “him” instead.

And because President Gu wasn’t working from home during that period, Zhen Yong never came to see the cubs again, so Gu Duo hadn’t seen that uncle for a long time either.

Perhaps after these past few months, even Zhen Yong himself had forgotten that he told the kids he liked their Little Uncle.

But who could blame their family’s cub for being too smart and remembering everything?

Shen Qing asked, “Then does your Little Uncle know about this?”

Gu Duo thought for a moment and answered rigorously, “…He shouldn’t have known at the time.”

“That Uncle told us not to tell Little Uncle.”

Shen Qing: …Uh.

It was actually a secret crush?

…Could it be that kind of dog-blood drama where two people have known each other for years, one secretly loves the other, and just when the one with the crush is preparing to confess, they suddenly find out the other person has gotten married?!

…

No wonder he felt that Mr. Zhen’s mental state seemed a bit off.

…This novel really has a lot of tropes, huh.

The relationships between the characters are truly complicated.

As expected of a multi-million-word epic!

“Thank you, Duo-zai, for telling me this,” Shen Qing said very solemnly to Duo Duo.

Being thanked made Duo-zai blink, a bit unaccustomed to it. He turned his head back and tried to continue reading his book.

But a moment later, he propped up his little body and sat straight up again. “So what are you going to do, Aunt-in-law?”

Gu Duo was genuinely very curious about how his aunt-in-law would handle this… He remembered back when someone who liked his Eldest Uncle came to confront his Eldest Aunt-in-law. The Eldest Aunt-in-law almost flipped the roof off the Gu family mansion, and it was only Grandpa stepping in that finally quelled the storm.

At that time, Gu Duo and his younger brother had only recently been brought into the Gu family and were being looked after by his Eldest Uncle’s family. So, unavoidably, they witnessed the scene of the Eldest Aunt-in-law smashing things and cursing with their own eyes.

Honestly speaking, it was quite traumatizing.

For a long time after that, whenever Ao-zai heard a slightly loud noise, his little body would tremble unconsciously.

Gu Duo was actually quite similar, but he hid it very well.

At this moment, Gu Duo lowered his head slightly to look at his scratch paper… A long time ago, this Little Aunt-in-law’s emotions also seemed very unstable, and he used to smash things too.

He was actually quite worried that his Little Aunt-in-law would go crazy this time, just like his Eldest Aunt-in-law did.

But he felt he couldn’t hide the fact that Uncle Zhen liked Little Uncle… From the moment he sensed Uncle Zhen’s hostility toward Shen Qing, Duo Duo had been debating whether or not to tell his aunt-in-law.

Fortunately, after he told him, his aunt-in-law remained the emotionally stable person he had been recently.

Looking at him now… it seemed his Little Aunt-in-law hadn’t taken the matter to heart at all?

Looking at the emotionally stable Shen Qing, who was currently sprawled out like a salted fish on the carpet with a smile still hanging on his face, Gu Duo no longer worried that his aunt-in-law would suddenly jump up and start breaking things.

So without the fear of being frightened, he was merely curious.

Curious about how Shen Qing would handle this.

As for how Shen Qing was going to handle it?

Naturally, handle it exactly the way it should be handled!

Lazily half-leaning on the shag carpet, Shen Qing pulled out his phone while giving Duo Duo a “lesson”: “What made your Eldest Aunt-in-law go crazy wasn’t actually the fact that someone liked your Eldest Uncle, but rather… that perhaps your Eldest Uncle also liked that person.”

Gu Duo tilted his head after hearing this, a bit unable to understand what Shen Qing was saying.

Shen Qing said, “You’re still young, it’s okay if you don’t understand. You and Ao-zai just need to remember that when you grow up, you must be completely honest and frank with your significant other.”

As Shen Qing spoke, he fell backward onto his back. Ao-zai mimicked him and also lay down on the soft white carpet.

He was such a tiny thing, round and plump, so his effect of falling into the long fluff was completely the opposite of Shen Qing’s.

Two people, one big and one small, one long and one short, pressed two dents into the shag carpet.

Gu Duo sat to the side, looking at them.

Ao-zai asked, “Auntie, what is honet-tee?”

Shen Qing was still holding up his phone to draft a message, typing as he spoke, “Honesty means… remaining truthful, and at the same time, knowing how to confess. So the honesty I’m talking about means not only that you can’t deceive your partner, but also that if you suffer a grievance, you need to let your partner know. Don’t suppress it in your heart… All done.”

Having almost finished drafting the message, Shen Qing raised a hand to beckon Duo-zai: “Duo-zai, come look.”

Gu Duo finally moved, walking over and kneeling on the carpet to look at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing: “Come on, lie down for a bit. This carpet is very comfortable.”

Shen Qing pulled at him, and after holding out for a moment, Gu Duo eventually lay down on the other side.

…Normally, during the daytime, aside from an occasional afternoon nap, Duo Duo never allowed himself to lie down. That was too decadent! …

Although in the end, the shag carpet was pressed into three dents by the one large and two small figures.

Shen Qing handed the phone to Gu Duo to see. Gu Duo already knew many characters and had no trouble reading or writing, so he finished reading quickly. He asked, “Is this what you’re planning to send to Little Uncle?”

Shen Qing smiled, a dazzling smile that showed off his prominent aegyo sal (under-eye bags): “Yep.”

While he could somewhat understand Mr. Zhen’s feelings of having his secret crush suddenly snatched away, understanding it was one thing, but he had no intention of accommodating him, much less approving of his subsequent actions.

—Mr. Zhen liked President Gu but didn’t confess in time, which led to President Gu marrying the original owner of this body.

What did that have to do with the original owner, or with him, Shen Qing?

Just like the topic of honesty they had just discussed, Shen Qing didn’t plan on dealing with this matter in a roundabout way, and swallowing his anger was even more out of the question.

Since Zhen Yong dared to pull dirty tricks in front of the kids, there was no need for him to cover up for the guy.

So Shen Qing just typed out the whole situation exactly as it happened in a text message and sent it to President Gu—it couldn’t be helped, who asked President Gu not to have WeChat?

He wanted to let President Gu handle it himself while maintaining as much dignity for both sides as possible.

How he handled it was none of Shen Qing’s business.

As long as he kept that guy surnamed Zhen from ever appearing in front of him and the cubs again, and didn’t let him ruin their mood, that was enough.

“Mhm.” Gu Duo also highly approved of Shen Qing’s approach, primarily because he believed his Little Uncle could handle the matter well.

Shen Qing’s words just now reminded him—it seemed that what his Eldest Aunt-in-law was cursing about when she went berserk was his Eldest Uncle’s favoritism toward that other person, and his concealment of the truth, things like that.

So, would his Little Uncle show favoritism toward Uncle Zhen?

Gu Duo looked at Shen Qing and thought, Probably not. After all, his Little Aunt-in-law was much better looking than Uncle Zhen, and seemed wiser than Uncle Zhen too…

Seeing that Shen Qing had finished sending the message, Gu Duo prepared to sit back up and finish his morning coursework.

But then Shen Qing’s phone rang; it was the workers delivering the furniture.

The one large and two small figures immediately sprang back into action. Shen Qing went downstairs to direct them in moving the furniture to the playroom, and afterward, the workers consulted the two cubs’ opinions to help arrange and install everything.

The villa had an elevator, so carrying things up was quite convenient.

With the bodyguards also helping, even the delivery workers were stunned. They said they had delivered a lot of furniture and it wasn’t their first time in a luxury mansion, but it was their first time seeing helpers move so swiftly and efficiently.

Not only were the bodyguards quick, but the two cubs in the family were also two little laborers.

After the shelves and cabinets were brought up and assembled, Shen Qing first directed Duo Duo and Ao-zai to wipe the shelves clean. Then, they brought out all the toys previously stored in the inner room and arranged them on the newly arrived shelves.

Shen Qing had ordered five or six shelves, cabinets, and small bookcases just for storing toys alone. Both the inner and outer rooms were practically crammed full of shelves. Even though the display wasn’t full yet, it at least had the atmosphere of a “treasure cave.”

Leaving the task of arranging the shelves to the cubs, Shen Qing gave the installation workers a rough outline of where to place the other large items.

For instance, the small desks and chairs bought for the cubs to study at in the future; the small reclining chairs with backrests and small tables for them to nap on.

In the corner of the inner room, they set up a small tent strung with a line of tiny fairy lights. Ao-zai loved this very much and wanted to sleep inside it.

As for the corner of the outer room, when they were shopping, Duo Duo had picked out a swing, reasoning that his aunt-in-law might like it.

Shen Qing at the time: ???

Ahem, apart from that, the other major project was installing the ceiling chandeliers and arranging some indoor decorations.

For this, Duo Duo chose an aerospace and universe theme, while Ao-zai chose a marine life theme.

The benefit of opening up a suite of rooms was that the brothers could have one room each, installing their favorite themes without any conflict.

While the workers were busy putting up wallpaper and decorating the rooms, Shen Qing took the two cubs to the small living area on the second floor for their mid-morning tea break—drinking milk.

Duo Duo and Ao-zai both thought their aunt-in-law had forgotten about this, but it turned out they still couldn’t escape drinking milk…

“Drink up quickly. Once you finish drinking and digest for a bit, it’ll be exactly time for lunch.”

The two cubs had no choice but to nod in agreement, pitter-pattering over to sit down.

After all the manual labor, the cubs were tired too.

Grandma Zhang quickly brought up the milk that had been kept warm for them.

For the one big and two small figures, Shen Qing and Gu Duo both used mugs, while Ao-zai used a baby bottle.

At first, Ao-zai was dissatisfied—why was he the only one using a baby bottle?

Of course, a cub as small as Ao-zai didn’t yet know that baby bottles were an exclusive accessory for babies.

He just couldn’t accept using something different from everyone else.

Learning of his thought process, Shen Qing discussed it with Gu Duo: “How about you use a baby bottle too, Young Master Duo?”

Gu Duo: “…”

Gu Duo tried a few times, found that he couldn’t do it, and refused.

Moreover, he felt that his younger brother didn’t need to use a baby bottle anymore either.

When Gu Duo was Ao-zai’s age, he had long learned to drink water from a cup himself.

But Shen Qing felt that a three-and-a-half-year-old Ao-zai was still a baby. Primarily, Ao-zai drank slowly and liked to play; sometimes he would even lie down flat while drinking. What else could he use if not a baby bottle?

Gu Duo was persuaded.

But he still asked Shen Qing very confusedly, “Then why doesn’t Aunt-in-law drink from a baby bottle? That way Ao-zai wouldn’t feel special.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Auntie Zhang, standing to the side, was amused by them and said, “There are still quite a few new baby bottles in the house. How about I get one for the Madam and the Eldest Young Master?”

Shen Qing: “…Thinking about it carefully, I feel that Ao-zai is already three and a half years old. He should be a mature cub now.”

With a serious expression, he craned his neck toward Auntie Zhang and said, “Next time, put the Little Young Master’s milk in this kind of cup too.”

Gu Duo & Grandma Zhang: “…”

Meanwhile, Ao-zai, who had indeed fallen backward onto the lounge chair while drinking and was clutching his baby bottle: “Wu?”

.

After they finished their milk, the installation crew was still working in full swing. Shen Qing checked the time, and it was almost 11:00 AM.

…Didn’t he say the meeting would end at 10:30?

Shen Qing checked his phone; President Gu hadn’t replied to his message.

He happened to catch Tian Yi passing by and made a few subtle inquiries, learning that the people who went upstairs for the meeting had almost all left.

So he asked Tian Yi to stay behind to keep an eye on the renovations, and Shen Qing stated he was taking the cubs upstairs to have a “heart-to-heart” with President Gu.

Tian Yi: “?”

Why did it feel like just now, while decorating the room and drinking milk, the Madam was laughing “hahaha” and looking very cheerful?

But the moment President Gu is mentioned, he stops smiling?

Did their President Gu do something wrong?

Shen Qing, of course, didn’t want to smile.

He had typed out the incident and sent it to President Gu, yet up till now, he hadn’t received a text reply… This made Shen Qing severely suspect whether President Gu, a man who had stopped using a mobile phone long ago, even had the habit of checking his messages.

Or perhaps he simply didn’t know he was supposed to check SMS texts?

So he had to go upstairs and tell Gu Huaiyu in person.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he be setting a bad example for the cubs!

Shen Qing: “…Honesty Mini-Class, Step Two of not letting yourself suffer grievances: If you have something to say, you must say it clearly face-to-face.”

He stood up, and the two cubs stood up with him, tilting their heads up to look at him: “?”

Shen Qing said, “…Towards your family, especially your future significant other, if there’s an issue, sending a message to clarify things is acceptable. But if the other person doesn’t reply for a long time, then you must go and speak to them face-to-face. Otherwise, if you meet someone like your Little Uncle who doesn’t use a phone or check messages at all, it’s very easy for misunderstandings to arise…”

Just as Shen Qing finished speaking, before he could even take a step toward the stairs, he heard a commotion downstairs.

Several of them looked down together.

…It was actually Zhen Yong again.

Only this time, Vice President Zhen had lost all his previous domineering, high-and-mighty aura.

For some unknown reason, he was weeping and wailing, mumbling incoherently. Because he was constantly being dragged by the family’s bodyguards, no one could catch what he was crying and shouting about before he was swiftly hauled outside…

The downstairs area fell completely silent once more.

Shen Qing: ?

Tian Yi and the cubs beside him also fell silent, clearly all bewildered.

At this moment, as if sensing something, Shen Qing subconsciously looked up toward the upper floor.

As if his gaze was directly captured, he saw Gu Huaiyu leaning in his wheelchair, his indifferent, aloof eyes slightly lowered, staring fixedly at him without blinking.

…

Shen Qing thought: Could it be that President Gu actually saw the text?

Before he had time to ask, Gu Huaiyu suddenly raised a hand and spoke across the distance: “Come up.”

The cold, deep voice rang out, causing everyone below to instinctively look up at Gu Huaiyu.

The crowd was a bit uncertain about who President Gu was calling.

Gu Huaiyu: “Shen Qing… Wife, come up for a minute.”

…Alright, this time it was certain who President Gu was calling. Tian Yi stated he would go back to work, and the two cubs, not having been called, followed their Uncle Tian to look at the room being decorated.

Shen Qing went upstairs alone.

Compared to the second floor, the third floor remained extremely deserted and cold.

Gu Huaiyu was no longer in the corridor, having returned to his office.

The house was too big; the noise of decorating the playroom downstairs could barely reach this side.

Once Shen Qing followed President Gu into the office and closed the door, he couldn’t hear a single sound.

“Um…”

After entering the office, before Gu Huaiyu could speak, Shen Qing had already asked, “What’s the situation with Vice President Zhen?”

Gu Huaiyu, having returned behind his desk, looked up at him. Bearing a pallid face that revealed a sharp, gaunt jawline, his gaze was piercing.

Shen Qing: “He was crying so loudly just now… I mean, did you really just have him escorted out directly?”

Shen Qing also hadn’t expected that after being “honest” about his grievance to President Gu, the man not only read the message but acted so swiftly, and his methods were quite ruthless too.

…Judging by the bodyguards’ posture just now, saying they directly tossed Vice President Zhen out would be more accurate.

Gu Huaiyu’s voice, however, was extremely calm: “Running over here during working hours to look for trouble and severely delaying the progress of his department’s work, shouldn’t he be escorted out to hurry back and finish his job?”

Shen Qing paused, then said blankly, “…Putting it that way, it does seem appropriate to escort him out.”

And it wouldn’t even make them look impolite.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing grasped the main point immediately. Gu Huaiyu raised an eyebrow slightly and added, “Also, a work attitude like his makes him unsuitable to continue as Vice President, and even less suitable to remain at the headquarters in Hua City.”

Shen Qing: “…”

President Gu, isn’t that too swift and decisive!

“Then where is he going?”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Lifting his eyelids to look at the young man opposite him again, Gu Huaiyu sometimes genuinely couldn’t figure out if Shen Qing simply loved gossip, or if he just purely enjoyed caring about other people.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Huaiyu asked, “Don’t you have anything else you want to ask me?”

Shen Qing: “What else? Is there anything else?”

…

Just now, Shen Qing indeed intended to come upstairs to find Gu Huaiyu, but that was just to ask him what he planned to do about Mr. Zhen.

Now that President Gu had told him right off the bat, he naturally didn’t have anything else to ask.

After some thought, Shen Qing opened his mouth: “I want to ask… what do you want to eat for lunch?”

Gu Huaiyu: “?”

Shen Qing pointed outside the door: “The kitchen has already started cooking. If there’s anything special you want to eat, you can still add it now.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

Propping his elbows on the desk, Gu Huaiyu lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes, and said to Shen Qing, “Come here.”

Hearing this, Shen Qing gave a sound of agreement and walked around the desk to President Gu’s side.

Gu Huaiyu opened his eyes again. His phoenix eyes with distinct double eyelids looked deep and piercing due to snapping open so suddenly. He looked at Shen Qing and said, “I didn’t know Zhen Yong liked me.”

Shen Qing: “?”

Why was President Gu suddenly saying this?

“…Well, now you know,” Shen Qing said hesitantly.

After all, he was the one who told him. Shen Qing wasn’t sure what President Gu meant now, so after deliberating, he said, “So what should we do now? Do you need me to secretly set up a meeting for him?”

Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu immediately frowned. “Why would you set up a meeting for him?”

Shen Qing: “…So you guys can meet and talk things out clearly.”

Gu Huaiyu: …

He directly clutched his chest.

If this were in the past, he probably would have just spat out a mouthful of blood right then and there.

He originally just didn’t want the young man to misunderstand anything, so he deliberately offered this explanation.

Gu Huaiyu never expected things to take this kind of bizarre twist.

Fighting back the urge to cough, President Gu, in a rare display, continued to furrow his brows. “Me and him? Talk about what?”

Shen Qing: “?”

Seeing President Gu’s attitude, Shen Qing grew even more uncertain, feeling like he was heading in the wrong direction.

But he bit the bullet and said, “…It’s just that I feel like you guys have known each other for a long time, and he’s liked you for a long time too. At least longer than you and I have known each other… So since it’s been so long, shouldn’t you finally clear the air?”

Gu Huaiyu: “Kicking him out means there’s nothing to say.”

He looked at Shen Qing, his eyes very cold, his tone stern. “…I haven’t even met him a few times. I only knew the Zhen family planted someone in the company.”

Meeting Shen Qing’s somewhat dazed eyes, the fingertips Gu Huaiyu was using to press against his chest turned white, and his words became more forced: “His uncle is one of the company’s shareholders. An annoying… cough cough… old geezer.”

His eyes were cold, his tone was cold—he was entirely driven by anger.

From the side, President Gu’s profile looked dark and ruthless, and his expression showed a rare hint of profound implication.

Shen Qing: …

This was the first time he had heard President Gu evaluate someone like this—”an annoying old geezer.” Mm, it seems that shareholder surnamed Zhen is indeed very detestable.

But now Shen Qing understood.

In other words, Mr. Zhen Yong’s status in President Gu’s heart was merely that of some young person the Zhen family had planted in the company.

He might not even know his name. He just remembered there was such a person, and remembered his surname was Zhen.

…Holy crap.

Then how on earth did Zhen Yong manufacture that domineering ‘I know President Gu very well, very intimately’ vibe?!

Mr. Zhen is the real Best Actor here!

Or was it that his superior family background made Zhen Yong’s ego inflate so much he thought he had the protagonist’s halo?

…But sorry, Mr. Zhen. In the later corporate wars in the original novel, I don’t think a ‘Zhen family’ even existed.

In short, because of Vice President Zhen’s unwarranted familiarity, Shen Qing mistakenly believed Gu Huaiyu and this Vice President Zhen were, at the very least, childhood friends, buddies, or close colleagues. That was why he sent the message to President Gu first… Mm, you shouldn’t suffer grievances with close family, but you also need to pay attention to your methods.

Even with your closest family members, you shouldn’t put them in too difficult a position, you must give them space… although in the end, he still has to resolve the matter for me, that’s the main point.

But he didn’t expect this at all.

After all that, President Gu wasn’t even familiar with the guy!

So Duo Duo, Ao-zai, have you learned the lesson? Sure enough, if there’s a problem, you have to ask face-to-face and clarify it!

Things you let your imagination run wild about might really just be wild, baseless guesses…

Just as Shen Qing was feeling that today’s events were incredibly educational, he heard Gu Huaiyu ask him, “So did you understand or not?”

Sensing President Gu’s voice dropping even lower, Shen Qing hurriedly answered, “I understood. It means you and that President Zhen actually aren’t close.”

Gu Huaiyu paused slightly.

A moment later, he said, “…Mn.”

Then the two ran out of things to say.

Suddenly catching his eye again, Shen Qing saw President Gu’s pale but handsome face currently expressionless, exuding an air of majesty and low pressure, indicating that the person in question was still not in a good mood.

Shen Qing subconsciously swallowed, thought for a moment, and asked again, “Then how annoying is that ‘annoying old geezer’ from the Zhen family exactly?”

“Hm?” Gu Huaiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if asking Shen Qing why he was asking this.

Shen Qing: “I’m worried that if you transfer Vice President Zhen away, the Zhen family will be unhappy.”

Looking at President Gu’s emaciated appearance, Shen Qing hadn’t expected that by making a complaint, he wasn’t triggering a private issue between President Gu and a friend with a secret crush, but had escalated it into internal corporate conflict and power struggles.

…Even though the Zhen family’s name would be wiped off the map in the future, who knew what their current strength and status were? …

Did I suddenly blow things entirely out of proportion?

Like… it’s not like Shen Qing excessively coveted all of President Gu’s assets.

But he was still a tiny bit worried.

After all, his husband’s health was poor. What if this matter caused President Gu a lot of stress…

“Don’t worry.” Hearing him say this, Gu Huaiyu’s demeanor actually softened a bit.

He leaned back slightly, his gaze sharp, and said concisely: “It was already time to make a move against that Zhen family anyway.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Why did he suddenly feel that his husband looked super handsome with this posture and speaking like this?

Obviously, the overbearing CEOs from the novels who bankrupt companies at the drop of a hat never struck a chord with him; he always felt nothing towards them, and sometimes even found it a bit cringe-worthy.

…Is it true that good looks can save anything?

Why did it feel so completely different when President Gu’s pale, sharply contoured lips opened and closed to speak these words!

While Shen Qing was shockingly evaluating President Gu’s features, Gu Huaiyu looked at him and suddenly said, “Wait a minute, shouldn’t you also give me an explanation?”

Shen Qing: “What explanation?”

Tapping his long fingers casually on the desktop, Gu Huaiyu said, “The wording in the message you sent me was very rigorous and very tactful. …Did you think that because he liked me, he would be special to me? Do I look like I’m desperate for love?”

Shen Qing: “! …No waah, I didn’t think that at all waah!”

While instinctively denying it, Shen Qing was thinking in his heart: This President Gu is way too sharp, isn’t he?

If the other party hadn’t pointed it out, Shen Qing wouldn’t have even realized it himself. He really did seem to default to the assumption that Zhen Yong, who had a crush on President Gu, held a special place with President Gu.

But Shen Qing also felt wronged: “I only thought that because I assumed you guys were close! …Alright, alright, I know now. You’re not close with that Vice President Zhen. It was all his own imagination, self-directed, an internal climax in his own head.”

Gu Huaiyu: “…?”

Shen Qing: …shut his mouth tightly under President Gu’s utterly baffled scrutiny.

He needed to learn to be solemn and serious.

Gu Huaiyu suddenly said, “Firstly, no one else is special. Secondly, even if someone is special, you are the most special.”

Shen Qing: “?”

His eyes widened subconsciously, looking down at Gu Huaiyu: “Huh?”

President Gu had already pulled out a file from the desk. “I said before that you don’t need to suffer grievances. You can do whatever you want.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Still in a daze.

Seeing that the youth didn’t understand, Gu Huaiyu let out a deep breath and said, “So you didn’t need to wait for me to handle Zhen Yong’s matter at all. When he provoked you and made you unhappy, you should have just kicked him out directly.”

Shen Qing: Ah?

…Can I really be this willful?

Shen Qing: “That wouldn’t be good, right? Like that Vice President Zhen—even if you guys aren’t close, he still has the Zhen family backing him. If we hadn’t just communicated, I wouldn’t have known if we could afford to offend them, right?”

Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu turned his eyes to look at him. His thin eyelids drooped slightly, his gaze lingering on the youth’s face for a long time. Suddenly, he held up two fingers: “First, you didn’t offend them; they offended you. Second, you are free to get rid of anyone who offends you.”

“Don’t forget your identity.”

Shen Qing: “…”

After saying that, President Gu flicked the document in his hand and began reading it.

Shen Qing’s mind was still spinning: What’s my identity? The wife of President Gu? …

Holy shit.

Like I said, my husband is exceptionally handsome!!!

Shen Qing thought in hindsight.

Since lunch was set for 12:00 PM, and there was still about an hour left for Gu Huaiyu to work, Shen Qing went downstairs first after they finished talking.

In the office, Li Hong came in to deliver documents. It was a file requiring President Gu’s urgent signature. As Gu Huaiyu opened it and read, Li Hong gathered his courage after brewing on it for a long while and proactively confessed: “Um, President Gu, about Vice President Zhen having feelings for you… Although I knew about it early on, I previously thought it wasn’t necessary to tell you.”

Li Hong had also just returned from handling an errand outside when he found out such a big incident had happened. Zhen Yong had actually dared to badmouth the Madam directly in front of the Young Masters, openly provoking him…

Before this, although he felt Vice President Zhen was very bold, the man had never made any major blunders in front of President Gu.

Including the fact that he liked President Gu—he had never run up to President Gu to confess or cross any lines. At most, he just tried to show up to make his presence known…

Of course, making his presence known was exactly the same as not doing it.

Because President Gu hadn’t noticed him at all.

Li Hong had felt that Zhen Yong at least had some sense of propriety, so he didn’t take the man’s existence too seriously, merely letting this young, childish, and idle rich second-generation heir act up.

After all, President Gu never cared about romance and only liked being alone.

Moreover, there was more than one person who liked President Gu. Li Hong felt it would be weirder for him to rashly report such things.

But he never expected…

In short, with such a mess occurring, as President Gu’s top special assistant, Li Hong didn’t know if he bore any responsibility for it.

But offering an explanation was still necessary.

Fortunately, President Gu was reasonable and showed no intention of pursuing the matter.

He just suddenly said after signing the document, “When Shen Qing heard Zhen Yong liked me, he defaulted to the assumption that Zhen Yong and I were very close.”

Li Hong: “Ah?”

Assistant Li was instantly shocked. “How are you and Vice President Zhen close?! …”

It was clearly a ‘If not for the blunder with the project in the neighboring city this time, Vice President Zhen wouldn’t even have a way to see President Gu’ kind of relationship…

Gu Huaiyu raised a hand to interrupt him, indicating that wasn’t the main point.

He said, “Shen Qing thought my relationship with Zhen Yong was very good, and knew Zhen Yong had a secret crush on me. But not only was he not angry, he even wanted to ‘help’ arrange a meeting between me and Zhen Yong… Tell me, what kind of psychology is this?”

Li Hong: …Only then did he realize that President Gu’s sentence was a question.

President Gu is asking me a question?!

…Not the kind where a boss quizzes a subordinate, but a genuine inquiry…

President Gu is asking for his advice!

While feeling overwhelmingly flattered, Li Hong didn’t quite dare to answer casually.

After all, this was the first time President Gu had ever asked him to help analyze a problem!

Li Hong: “Um, exactly what did the Madam say at the time? Could you elaborate a bit?”

Gu Huaiyu indeed had a photographic memory, so he simply recounted it to Li Hong.

Though his tone remained flat: “He said, he felt Zhen Yong and I had known each other for a long time, and Zhen Yong had liked me for a long time too, at least longer than he and I had known each other. So since it’s been so long, he said it was necessary for me and Zhen Yong to meet and talk things out clearly.”

Hearing this, Li Hong felt there was no need to analyze it at all; he was familiar with this trope!

So he directly said, “Hey, isn’t this simple? The Madam isn’t not angry, the Madam is jealous! He’s just deliberately acting like he isn’t angry!”

“…Jealous?” Gu Huaiyu put down the pen in his hand.

“Yes!”

Li Hong’s face was full of confidence. “Think about the Madam’s words. Even though the Madam misunderstood the situation himself, he clearly minded very much that you’ve known Vice President Zhen longer than you’ve known him! Otherwise, why would he emphasize the time? If this isn’t jealousy, what is?”

Gu Huaiyu: “…”

The peaks of his eyebrows lifted uncontrollably. Gu Huaiyu pondered, slowly repeating those two words in his heart: Jealous.

Shen Qing was… jealous?

To be jealous, what did that mean…

After deeply pondering, Gu Huaiyu lowered his eyes, remaining expressionless.

The thin eyelids drooped to conceal the emotions in his eyes. A moment later, the aura around him suddenly lost its sharp edge.

“Li Hong.”

“Here!”

Gu Huaiyu: “Clear your schedule for tomorrow and go process Duo Duo and Ao-zai’s adoption procedures.”

“…Yes!”

Although he was curious why they had suddenly switched topics when they were just talking about things related to the Madam, upon hearing that it was about adopting the young masters, Li Hong immediately showed a pleasantly surprised expression. “President Gu, you’ve finally decided to adopt the young masters! Before, because…”

Li Hong automatically silenced the rest of his words.

He was also extremely glad he hadn’t spoken them aloud.

What he wanted to say was that previously, simply because of the title “Lone Star of Heavenly Calamity,” President Gu had been forced to agonize, hesitate, and cautiously consider the matter of adopting the young masters.

Even though Li Hong, and President Gu himself, had always scoffed at such claims.

…President Gu couldn’t possibly be some Lone Star of Heavenly Calamity.

If President Gu really was one, how could those people in the Gu family still be alive and kicking, pinning crimes and making up nicknames for him?

Shouldn’t they have kicked the bucket ages ago?

Li Hong: “That’s wonderful!”

Li Hong expressed his joy and congratulations. Most importantly, he also liked the little young masters very much. He knew they had always lacked the security of a home, so he felt they would be much happier once they were adopted.

Gu Huaiyu: “Mhm, I probed Duo Duo about it before, and they don’t have any objections… When I go down to have lunch with them later, I’ll formally bring this up again.”

Hearing President Gu say he was going downstairs to eat lunch soon, Li Hong continued to show a joyful expression: “That’s fantastic!”

It wasn’t an illusion; he felt that President Gu had been in good spirits recently, and talked more than before.

Perhaps because of this, with his health improving, President Gu finally made up his mind to adopt the young masters!

When all was said and done, they really had to thank the Madam…

“Li Hong.”

Li Hong suddenly heard President Gu call him again and hurriedly responded, “Here!”

Gu Huaiyu: “Come here and support me for a moment.”

After saying that, Gu Huaiyu planted both hands down, set both feet on the floor, and his body immediately lifted out of the wheelchair.

Li Hong: “???”

“P-President Gu, you, you stood up??”

—Aside from taking a shower, going to the bathroom, or getting in and out of bed every day, President Gu had been confined to a wheelchair for two years!

Two years. He had thoroughly viewed himself as a dying man and refused to stand.

Why suddenly…

Li Hong hurriedly ran over to support President Gu.

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