Chapter 10: Gu Chengze

After visiting Wen Qihua in the hospital last time, Gu Chengze had been busy comforting the upset Xu Qingqing and hadn’t had the energy to focus on Wen Ya. During this time, he only called once to ask about Wen’s father’s health and didn’t contact Wen Ya again.

Two nights ago, Xu Qingqing got a call from her hometown. Her father had accidentally broken his leg. When she was panicking, Gu Chengze appeared like a “savior.” He drove her back to her hometown overnight to visit her father in the hospital and also met her parents.

Luckily, the injury wasn’t serious—just a common fracture. By the time they arrived, Mr. Xu had already been discharged and was resting at home.

Seeing their daughter bring home such a handsome and polite boyfriend, Xu’s parents were thrilled. They had always heard their daughter talk about having a boyfriend but had never met him. Now, seeing how well-mannered and caring he was, they were even more pleased.

After a short chat, Xu Qingqing thoughtfully asked Gu Chengze to rest and even set his phone to silent. When he woke up, it was past eleven. He checked his phone and saw nearly a hundred missed calls. All his sleepiness vanished instantly.

When Gu Chengze first heard that Wen Ya had shown up at Wen’s and publicly announced she would solve the company’s problems, he thought his assistant was joking. But his assistant confirmed it was true—Wen Ya had not only made the announcement but had also taken action.

“You’re saying she called the police and had all the senior executives arrested? And she removed all the shareholders from the board? Are you sure it was Wen Ya who did this?” Gu Chengze couldn’t believe the person his assistant described could be the same Wen Ya he knew.

“If there’s only one Miss Wen, then yes,” the assistant replied seriously. “From our latest investigation, over 80% of Wen’s shares are now under Wen Ya’s name. She’s bought out all the small shareholders and even seems to have leverage over Mr. Lin and others, so they’ve stepped down from the board. Additionally, we’ve learned that the crimes committed by Wen’s senior executives have been confirmed. Except for two who were released on bail because Wen Ya didn’t press charges, the rest face criminal penalties. Most importantly, she must have planned this for a while because she just announced at a press conference that Huang Jingyang will be the new executive president of Wen’s. Several key department heads have also been replaced with well-known industry experts. Wen’s stock price is slowly recovering.”

Gu Chengze’s expression darkened. He had always thought Wen Ya was just a naive beauty who knew nothing. Now, he realized she had been hiding her true abilities. Had all her seemingly foolish actions toward him over the years been an act?

Just as he was fuming over being deceived, his assistant called again.

“Mr. Gu, I think you need to come back immediately.”

“Why?” Gu Chengze’s face turned grim. He had a bad feeling.

“Wen Ya announced that Wen Group will partner with Ji Group to develop the West City project. The city government has approved it, and the contract was just signed.”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen at the company?” Xu Qingqing noticed his troubled expression and asked carefully. “If there’s an issue, we should head back to South City. We’ve already seen my parents, after all.”

Hearing this, Gu Chengze felt guilty. Xu Qingqing had sacrificed so much to be with him over the years. “Qingqing, I’m sorry. There’s a big problem at the company. I need to rush back.”

“It’s okay. Company matters come first,” Xu Qingqing said understandingly. “Go freshen up. I’ll get you some food. You need to eat before you leave, or your health will suffer.”

Gu Chengze was so moved that he kissed Xu Qingqing. After eating, he apologized to Xu’s parents and left with Xu Qingqing.

By the time they returned to South City, it was past five in the afternoon. During the trip, he had tried calling Wen Ya, but she didn’t answer. Gu Chengze was so angry he almost smashed his phone.

When he got home, Grandpa Gu and Father Gu were waiting in the hall. Both looked expressionless, but their eyes showed clear dissatisfaction.

“Where have you been all day?” Grandpa Gu asked calmly.

Gu Chengze lowered his head. Unlike Ji Ming, Gu Chengze was only the general manager of Gu Corporation, not the actual decision-maker. The real power still lay with Grandpa Gu.

“Answer the question! Are you mute?” Father Gu snapped.

“After Wen Ya returned home, did you even meet her? Your future father-in-law was in a serious car accident and hospitalized. How many times have you visited him?” Grandpa Gu continued calmly.

“I asked her out for dinner as soon as she came back. I was abroad when Uncle Wen’s accident happened, so I didn’t know. After returning, I visited him and met Xiao Ya. We were planning to have dinner together,” Gu Chengze dodged the main issue.

Grandpa Gu snorted. “You keep saying you’ll have dinner together, but why didn’t you know about your fiancée’s actions? And now she’s involved with that Ji family kid?” Grandpa Gu slammed the table. “You’re still hiding things from me. After Wen Ya returned, you only met her twice. On the day you came back, you didn’t visit your future father-in-law but went to comfort that woman. Two nights ago, because her father broke his leg, you rushed to her hometown overnight. Your real father-in-law was unconscious in the hospital, but you traveled miles to see someone with a minor injury. Are you out of your mind?”

“Grandpa,” Gu Chengze protested, though he knew his actions were irrational. He just didn’t like Wen Ya.

Father Gu glared at him. “What’s so great about that woman you’re keeping? Is she prettier than Wen Ya? Does she have a better family background? I’ve told you before—Wen Ya is the only daughter of the Wen family. She’ll inherit everything. With such a big change happening at Wen’s, as her fiancé, you should’ve been by her side. Now, because of your neglect, our Gu family is completely in the dark.”

“Grandpa, Dad, I don’t think we can blame this entirely on my brother,” Gu Chengze’s sister, Gu Xirui, said disapprovingly. “We’ve all seen Wen Ya before, but the Wen Ya in today’s news? Is she the same person?”

Everyone in the living room fell silent, deep in thought.

“It was my fault,” Grandpa Gu sighed.

“It’s not your fault. I think everyone in South City has been fooled. Who would’ve guessed Wen Ya hid her true self so well?” Gu Xirui glanced at Gu Chengze. “But, brother, you need to have a serious talk with Wen Ya tomorrow. The West City project is a three-way partnership between the city government, Wen’s, and Gu’s. Why did she bring Ji’s in without consulting us?”

That’s right. The West City project is the priority now. It doesn’t make sense to bring in another partner halfway through. What about the funds Gu’s invested in the early stages?

The next morning, Gu Chengze went to the company to hold a meeting. The topic was Wen’s sudden decision to involve Ji’s in the project. During the meeting, he discovered a major issue. Wen’s had signed the agreement with the city government directly. They had joined the West City project by signing a separate contract with Wen’s. Essentially, Wen’s had taken over the entire project and was now sharing a portion with Gu’s.

In other words, Wen’s could decide how much to give Gu’s, and if they wanted to bring in others and reduce Gu’s share, there was nothing stopping them.

What’s worse, that sly Wen Qihua had even tampered with the contract. There was a clause stating that if both Wen’s and Gu’s were unable to support the West City project, Wen’s had the right to add new partners.

“So, Wen Ya didn’t violate the contract by doing this?” Gu Chengze’s face darkened. When the contract was signed, Wen’s was at its peak. With Wen Qihua’s presence, it seemed he could live another forty or fifty years. Who would’ve thought he’d get into a car accident? Now, with Wen’s facing such a crisis and its assets shrinking, Wen Ya could claim they couldn’t sustain the project alone and needed new partners. After all, Wen’s had the final say.

“According to the contract, yes,” the legal advisor confirmed.

Gu Chengze took a deep breath. “The team in charge of the West City project, come with me to Wen’s Corporation. No matter what, since Gu’s invested so much upfront, Wen’s owes us an explanation.”

As they neared Wen’s, Gu Chengze tried calling Wen Ya again, but she still didn’t answer. He entered the building with a grim expression, only to be stopped by the receptionist.

“I’m Gu Chengze. Inform your Chairman Wen that I’m here.”

The receptionist glanced at Gu Chengze’s stern face. Wasn’t this Director Wen’s fiancé? Why did he look so hostile?

…………

“Director Wen, Mr. Gu is here to see you.”

“Let him come up,” Wen Ya said without looking up.

The West City project was massive, and Wen’s father had worked hard to secure it. If Gu Chengze and Wen Ya hadn’t been engaged, Wen’s wouldn’t have chosen Gu’s for the project. After all, Gu’s main business was catering, and they had no connections in real estate. Besides funding, Wen’s gained little from partnering with Gu’s.

In recent years, Gu’s had been trying to break into real estate but never had the opportunity. The West City project was just as crucial to Gu’s as it was to Wen’s.

After yesterday’s press conference, everyone in the business world knew about the changes, especially in South City. The Gu family couldn’t have missed such big news. Wen Ya had expected Gu Chengze to confront her yesterday afternoon, but he never showed up.

“Director Wen, Mr. Gu is here.”

Wen Ya stopped writing and looked up at Gu Chengze, who entered with a stern expression. She waved for Assistant Wang to entertain Gu’s employees, leaving only Gu Chengze and herself in the office.

“Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink?” Seeing him just stare at her, Wen Ya chuckled. “I’ll make tea then. My dad loves tea and has plenty of good leaves here. I might as well enjoy them while he can’t stop me.”

Wen Ya didn’t hold back. She grabbed a handful of fine West Lake Longjing tea.

A faint tea fragrance filled the air. Wen Ya gently sniffed it. She didn’t like the bitter taste of tea but loved its aroma. It always made her feel relaxed and happy.

“Is this the first time you’ve come to see me so proactively?” Wen Ya suddenly asked.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Gu Chengze replied, avoiding her question.

“I changed my number. My old phone is still at home. Uncle Li probably kept it charged in case I needed it. Otherwise, it would’ve been off by now,” Wen Ya tilted her head, looking playful and cute.

“Then why didn’t you tell me your new number?” Gu Chengze pressed.

Wen Ya looked at him with a half-smile, making Gu Chengze’s scalp tingle.

She leaned forward slightly, revealing her delicate collarbone, and smiled. Her eyes sparkled, stunningly beautiful. “Gu Chengze, did you read the text I sent you?”

Gu Chengze looked away, trying to calm his racing heart. “I rarely check texts. Next time, just call me. The reason I’m here is the West City project. Even if Wen’s has the right to bring in new partners, shouldn’t you discuss it with Gu’s? After all, we invested heavily in the early stages.”

“But apart from the first installment, Gu’s hasn’t delivered the rest of the funds, right?” Wen Ya smiled, sliding a prepared document across the table. “According to the contract, I could sue Gu’s for delaying funding and affecting the project’s progress. I could even kick Gu’s out of the project without paying any penalties. I’m being generous, don’t you think, Mr. Gu?”