The private jet’s passenger area was divided into three compartments: one for the owner of the plane, one for guests, and one for accompanying staff.

The middle-aged man guided Gu Chen to the owner’s area and directed Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi to the guest cabin. Uncle Meng, sent by the old master, glanced at the middle-aged man but said nothing, and went directly to the staff compartment.

As Gu Chen settled into the owner’s area, he understood that this private jet belonged to Mr. Li.

The middle-aged man introduced himself, saying, “Mr. Gu, my surname is Deng. My colleagues like to call me Old Deng. Just call me whatever you prefer. If you need anything, just ring the bell, and I’ll come right away.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Deng,” Gu Chen nodded. This Old Deng was likely also one of Mr. Li’s people.

On the plane, the service staff provided excellent service, bringing them hot tea and snacks.

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that, in terms of managing subordinates, Mr. Li was quite exceptional. After all, he was currently a genuine “useless item.

In TV dramas and novels, there is often a trope where the friends, family, and subordinates of a domineering CEO look down upon the CEO’s partner, disdainfully saying, “Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be with our young master…”

In the guest cabin, Ji Zhixi was a bit restless. In fact, last night, fans had voted for Gu Chen, arranging for them to team up today. Ji Zhixi had been subtly supporting this from behind.

He really wanted to get closer to Gu Chen to ask about how to handle matters with the Mu family, as neither he nor Mu Yunting had a reliable elder to turn to.

He looked at the closed door of the owner’s cabin, hesitated for a while, and finally said, “Um… Sir, is Mr. Gu currently working? May I go in and bother him for a moment?”

Old Deng thought, “?” Does Mr. Gu still have work? And is it really necessary to be this anxious about asking a friend something?”

But no matter what he thought, his expression remained unchanged as he replied, “Feel free.”

Ji Zhixi gently knocked on the door. When he heard Gu Chen say, “Come in,” he entered and closed the door behind him.

He sat down in the seat next to Gu Chen. Gu Chen was casually flipping through a book left by Li Tingqin on the plane and looked up, saying, “Xiao Ji, what can I do for you?”

Facing Gu Chen, Ji Zhixi felt as though he was about to speak at a board meeting. After organizing his thoughts, he said, “I don’t know if you’ve heard about the recent upheaval in the Mu family…”

Gu Chen replied, “Sorry, Xiao Ji, I’m not quite familiar with it. Could you briefly explain?”

Ji Zhixi said, “Um…” Perhaps the Mu family’s background and influence still aren’t significant enough to catch the attention of someone as busy as Mr. Gu.

However, despite not knowing about such trivial matters, Mr. Gu was still willing to listen and his tone was far from dismissive.

Ji Zhixi continued, “Actually, the situation is that Yunting’s father suddenly brought back an illegitimate son. This illegitimate son is older than Yunting, graduated from a prestigious MBA program abroad, and has already been introduced into the Mu Corporation today. As for Yunting…”

Hearing this, Gu Chen said, “Sorry for interrupting, but could I ask about the stock structure of the Mu Corporation?”

Ji Zhixi responded without hesitation, “Actually, the three largest shareholders are Uncle Mu, Yunting’s mother’s family, and our Ji family…”

At this point, Ji Zhixi paused, his eyes lighting up suddenly. “I see it now! It’s actually that simple!”

Gu Chen was puzzled. “?” Well, the stock structure was indeed quite simple, with three major parties involved. It seemed unlikely that an illegitimate child from the Mu family could disrupt things.

But after thinking for a moment, Ji Zhixi seemed troubled again. “However, Yunting has never considered working at Mu Corporation, so he has been developing his career in the entertainment industry. The people in the group have never really accepted him. And that illegitimate child, being so outstanding and secretly nurtured by Uncle Mu for so long…” This was precisely what he and Mu Yunting were most worried about.

Gu Chen said, “Actually, taking over the family business doesn’t necessarily mean holding an important position within the family enterprise. If you can choose the right professional managers…”

Ji Zhixi’s eyes brightened again. “I get it now! It turns out that whether Yunting can manage the business is not as important as we thought! We’ve been overthinking it!”

He had only briefly explained the situation, yet Mr. Gu had pinpointed the core issue with just a couple of sentences!

Mr. Gu truly lived up to his reputation as a business tycoon! Solving such trivial problems seemed to be a breeze for him.

Gu Chen wondered, “?” Now he understood?

Ji Zhixi excitedly shook Gu Chen’s hand, his expression overflowing with gratitude. “Thank you, Mr. Gu! You’re truly amazing. Just a couple of sentences and you’ve given us the best solution!”

Gu Chen calmly shook his hand and said, “Actually, it has nothing to do with me. It’s just that you, Xiao Ji, are smart.”

Ji Zhixi replied, “Mr. Gu, you’re just too modest and humble. That’s why the wealthy and irresponsible Chen is out there spreading nonsense. Anyway, thank you so much! I won’t disturb you any further.”

Gu Chen said, “…You’re welcome.”

Ah, young man, is there a possibility that you’re already smart enough on your own?

Returning to the guest cabin, Ji Zhixi whispered to Mu Yunting, “Mr. Gu has already pointed out the solution for us…”

Mu Yunting asked, “So soon?” Wasn’t it just a few minutes from when you went in to when you came out?

Ji Zhixi said, “Although Aunt Lin has passed away, we can still seek support from the Lin family when we return. And I will definitely marry you, which will persuade the Ji family to support you. As for the older members of the group, they’re hesitant about you, so you might want to be magnanimous and draw a big picture first, suggesting that after taking a higher position, you won’t interfere in the specifics, and will leave the position open. This way, the group members will support you, and then let them compete for the CEO position…”

“How’s that for a plan?”

“It’s indeed…” Hearing Ji Zhixi’s well-reasoned explanation, Mu Yunting couldn’t help but admit that this was indeed the best solution. Mr. Gu had managed to clarify it for Ji Zhixi in just a few minutes.

Ji Zhixi sighed, “So, chasing after Mr. Gu for advice on how to inherit family assets was really the right move! We definitely need to repay Mr. Gu well in the future!”

Mu Yunting nodded in agreement, taking note of this.

….

As night fell, at a private club in S City, the scene was one of extravagant indulgence.

In the private room frequented by Zhong Sheng, he and his friends were toasting and chatting. Several of their old classmates from boarding school were present, but Du Ruiqing wasn’t invited. After all, these people were from a higher social tier compared to those invited to Du Ruiqing’s previous “class reunion.”

“Sheng Ge, you’re amazing. Just a couple of words, and Gu Chen scurried off from the show, not daring to say a word.”

“Of course, Sheng Ge’s status in the circle is well-known. Just look at how he exposed that Gu guy; those clueless fans in the entertainment industry don’t dare to retort. They’re all keeping their tails between their legs, afraid Sheng Ge will reveal their boss’s dirty secrets…”

They flattered Zhong Sheng, but it seemed they didn’t really know who Gu Chen was or what he looked like.

Even a few high school classmates were asking, “To be honest, if Du Ruiqing hadn’t stirred up trouble, I’d have completely forgotten who Gu Chen was.”

“So who is he? Recently, you all have been talking about him, so I went back and looked at the graduation photos, but I couldn’t find him. He doesn’t even show his face on the show. It would be helpful if he at least made an appearance to jog my memory.”

Others who weren’t classmates added, “This person… if even Du Ruiqing can easily trample on him and keep him from appearing on a web variety show, it means he probably doesn’t have much of a background. What’s Du Ruiqing afraid of? It actually required you, Young Master Zhong, to step in?”

Zhong Sheng said, “If it weren’t for Du Ruiqing trying to threaten me that day, I would have almost forgotten about this person. Thinking back… this Gu guy was actually quite good-looking. He was the pretty little thing we tricked into the abandoned teaching building. But he was too clueless and ended up jumping from the building and breaking his leg.”

The classmates immediately understood, stroking their chins and laughing, “So it’s that pretty guy! I remember him now! He was indeed handsome! But I didn’t pay attention to his name… So he wasn’t in the graduation photos because of the leg injury?”

“Du Ruiqing heard that Gu Chen married into the Li family and was afraid of retaliation, so he was scared into threatening me like that. He still had the guts to come and threaten me…” Zhong Sheng sneered, “It seems this Gu guy is just a pretentious little rooster flapping under the Li family’s banner.”

“If that’s the case…” a friend winked, “If he hasn’t become disfigured, we could still invite him out to hang out?”

“Sheng Ge, that’s a good idea…” The rich and spoiled friends who didn’t know Gu Chen were intrigued by the idea that he was a recognized beauty from high school, especially since Zhong Sheng’s taste was reputedly very high.

“Once Sheng Ge spoke, Gu Chen was scared off the show. He probably doesn’t have much work now. If you invite him, he won’t dare to refuse.”

In Zhong Sheng’s mind, Gu Chen was good-looking but introverted and lacked presence. However, when pushed, he had the nerve to jump off a building.

Zhong Sheng’s attitude towards Gu Chen gradually changed in the midst of everyone’s teasing. From initially helping Du Ruiqing suppress Gu Chen, to looking down on him for withdrawing from the show, and now seeing this stubborn and enduring beauty as the most interesting kind to toy with.

He took a sip of his drink, smiled, and said, “It would be fun to invite him out and see if he’s still as pretty as before.”

……

At this moment, Gu Chen was on his way to the old residence for the evening banquet.

Before heading out, he had received a “reminder” message relayed by his father Gu Zhongmao’s secretary: “Second Young Master, Mr. Gu instructed you to perform well in front of the old man. Although the eldest son of the Li family doesn’t like you, if you can gain the old man’s approval, you will establish yourself in the Li family. Mr. Gu also said you should be less timid and interact more with the younger generation of the Li family; these connections will be beneficial for you throughout your life…” The message was dripping with a condescending, commanding tone.

However, it was too lengthy to bother with. If one of his subordinates had written such a report, he would have sent it back for a rewrite long ago.

Nevertheless, Gu Chen didn’t mind attending the banquet at the old residence. On one hand, he had no intention of altering the storyline to avoid any butterfly effects; on the other hand, observing the human drama was no big deal, as he was merely a bystander now.

So, he was in a pretty good mood.

Then, he received a call from Li Tingqin: “Xiao Gu, how’s it going?”

Gu Chen replied, “On the way.”

Li Tingqin asked, “Are you nervous?”

Gu Chen chose a moderate response: “A little bit.”

Li Tingqin reassured him, “If anything comes up, you can have your staff handle it directly. If it’s something they can’t manage, just call me.”

Gu Chen readily agreed: “Got it.”

After Gu Chen finished his call with Li Tingqin, butler Li, sitting in the front passenger seat, still looked somewhat worried. He reiterated his advice: “Mr. Gu, the old man values rules and propriety above all. When you meet him later, make sure not to argue with him. Just listen to whatever he says. But don’t be too nervous—just like the eldest son said, if there’s something you can’t handle, call the eldest son directly…”

He didn’t want Mr. Gu to get so upset that he would demand to be moved to another location; that would truly be a disaster.

Butler Li then heard Gu Chen nonchalantly respond with an “Mm.”

Turning to look, he was startled at first glance.

Since they were heading to the old residence for the evening banquet, the styling team had dressed Mr. Gu in high-end formal wear. This was the same team that the eldest son often used, and since Mr. Gu’s and the eldest son’s figures were similar, the suit and accessories were almost identical to those of the eldest son.

At this moment, Gu Chen was sitting in the back seat of the car, legs crossed, eyes closed as he rested. When he turned his head, the strong presence and aura he exuded made Butler Li momentarily think that it was the eldest son sitting there, nearly causing him to stop breathing.

Uh… Mr. Gu is… nervous?

Butler Li touched his heart, surprised. He had never seen Mr. Gu in formal wear before and didn’t expect him to look so imposing.

It must be because Mr. Gu and the eldest son were wearing matching outfits! His conditioned reflex to the eldest son’s clothes must have influenced his perception!