Chapter 15: So Shameless

After returning to the company, Gu Chengze loosened his tie and paced around anxiously.

“Mr. Gu, Team Leader Gu wants to see you,” the assistant said, trying to stay calm. Anyone could see that the eldest daughter of the Wen family and the eldest son of the Gu family were not on good terms today. In fact, it was more than that—Wen Ya had completely ignored Gu Chengze the entire time.

Especially by the lake, Wen Ya had made it clear to everyone that there was trouble between them. It wouldn’t be long before rumors spread that the engagement between the Wen and Gu families was on the verge of being called off.

“Why is he here? To laugh at me?” Gu Chengze tightened his tie and straightened his clothes. “Make sure to monitor the media and suppress any news about me.”

“Understood. What about the Second Young Master?” the assistant asked cautiously. Seeing Gu Chengze’s expression, he quickly added, “I’ll go and turn him away immediately.”

Thinking of Gu Chengtao made Gu Chengze feel even worse. His grandfather had two sons and one daughter. Gu Chengze’s father was the eldest son, and as the eldest grandson, it was natural for him to inherit the company. But his grandfather favored his youngest son, and Gu Chengtao was treated differently. On top of that, his father had several illegitimate children. Wen Ya was right—the Gu family was a mess.

Although he was now the general manager, his position wasn’t secure. One word from the old man could strip him of everything. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but after seeing Wen Ya and Ji Ming confidently managing the West City project, he realized how different they were.

Now that Gu Chengtao had joined the company, Gu Chengze couldn’t afford to let him gain an advantage. He couldn’t lose the West City Project. No matter what, his engagement to Wen Ya couldn’t fall apart.

“Let’s go to Wen’s,” Gu Chengze said firmly. He needed to talk to Wen Ya.

—

“Mr. Wen, it’s Mr. Ji on the phone,” Xiaohui said, holding Wen Ya’s bag. When she heard the ringtone, she quickly pulled out the phone.

Xiaohui was Wen Ya’s personal assistant, assigned by the company. Originally, Wen Qihua’s assistant had been a man, but it was inconvenient for him to work closely with Wen Ya, so a female assistant was chosen from the secretarial department.

“Give it to me,” Wen Ya said, taking the phone. Ji Ming’s calm voice came through.

“You didn’t even say thank you. Is this how you treat someone who helped you?”

Wen Ya blinked innocently and smiled. “I’m not clever enough to understand what you mean, Mr. Ji.”

“Haha,” Ji Ming chuckled, his tone meaningful. “Remember, you owe me a meal.” With that, he hung up.

Wen Ya looked at the phone and smirked. It was better to owe too much than to feel burdened. She already owed him plenty, so one more meal didn’t matter.

She had acted deliberately today—first to annoy Gu Chengze, and second to stir up some news and test her mother’s reaction.

After returning to the company, she held a meeting with Huang Jingyang and the general manager of the real estate company. When Wen’s and Gu’s companies had partnered, many details in the contract were vague. Previously, Wen Qihua had trusted Gu’s and Gu Chengze, but now that worked in Wen Ya’s favor.

She had someone renegotiate the contract, limiting cooperation with Gu to the Nanjiang Star project. In other words, apart from this real estate project, the West City project had nothing to do with Gu.

“I’m afraid the Gu family won’t agree,” someone said. The original plan was to split the profits equally, but now they were only getting a small share. No one would be happy with that.

“The decision is ours to make. They have no right to object,” Wen Ya stated firmly.

If the contract hadn’t already been signed, Wen Ya wouldn’t have even offered them that small share.

After finalizing the plan, Wen Ya returned to her office. Before she could sit down, Assistant Wang informed her that Gu Chengze had arrived.

“Let him come up,” Wen Ya said, unsurprised.

In the same office, with the same indifferent expression, Gu Chengze’s face darkened as he thought about how she had deliberately tried to create tension between him and Qingqing.

“What do you mean by this? Even if you want to call off the engagement, we’re still engaged in the eyes of the public. You completely disrespected me in front of everyone today. What do you want people to think?” Gu Chengze was furious, thinking about the humiliation he had suffered.

“Then why didn’t you think about embarrassment when you were kissing other women in public? You’re the only one who cares about dignity, but my Wen family has no shame, is that it?” Wen Ya’s expression turned cold. “Gu Chengze, who gave you the right to question me? Look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are. What right do you have to be angry? What right do you have to be angry with me?”

“I admit it was wrong for me to be involved with Qingqing, but you insulted me in front of employees from three companies today. If this gets out, it will harm the reputation of both our companies. Especially since two real estate projects in the north of the city will launch in over a month. Bad news now could cause significant losses,” Gu Chengze said, his tone softening as he remembered the photo Wen Ya had of him and Qingqing.

“Let’s not talk about that. If the truth comes out, the ones who’ll suffer the most will be Gu’s and you. As for the West City project, if a little scandal can affect it, it only shows how weak our companies are. Any small issue causes chaos. Gu Chengze, let me ask you again—do you agree to cancel the engagement?”

“Impossible, at least not now,” Gu Chengze refused firmly.

Wen Ya nodded and gestured for him to leave. Since polite words didn’t work, she would take more drastic measures.

She contacted the detective agency immediately. Perhaps the last photo had alerted Gu Chengze, as he had been much more cautious recently. The detectives had only managed to take a few blurry photos, which weren’t strong enough. They needed more evidence.

Remembering that they had once photographed Gu Chengze and Xu Qingqing going to the hospital, Wen Ya asked the detectives to investigate that hospital. If they could find out why Xu Qingqing visited the obstetrics and gynecology department—whether for a pregnancy check-up or an abortion—it would be the most direct and powerful evidence.

When Wen Ya left work that evening, she went to the hospital. Construction on the house had already begun, and in another month, her parents could move back home.

“Mom, look, I named this villa West Lakeside. I’ve kept one for myself. When it’s finished, you and Dad can move in. The air here is good, and it’s great for your health,” Wen Ya showed the design to her mother, pointing out other areas and explaining them in detail.

“Chengze hasn’t been here for a while. Did you two have a fight?” Mother Wen asked. She had heard from her daughter about a new partner named Ji Ming joining the project. They had gone on a field trip together that day to discuss the project’s progress and future plans. Gu Chengze was barely mentioned, which made Mother Wen suspicious.

In fact, she had already noticed something was wrong between them. There was no sign of affection, and they seemed no closer than strangers. In the past, her daughter would always talk about Chengze, but since her father’s hospitalization, she hadn’t mentioned him at all.

“He’s been busy lately. I’ll ask him to visit when he’s free,” Wen Ya said, forcing a smile.

“Xiao Ya, did you two fight? Or has he been treating you poorly?” Mother Wen asked calmly.

“No, don’t overthink it. Don’t worry about me,” Wen Ya shook her head.

“I’m your mother. If I don’t worry about you, who will?” Mother Wen gently touched Wen Ya’s head. “Gu Chengze is smart and capable, considered a rising star among the younger generation in South City. But that’s not why we chose him. Your father and I agreed to the engagement because you liked him, and the Gu family proposed.”

Tears welled up in Wen Ya’s eyes as she looked at her mother, unsure of what to say.

“Your father and I have worked hard all our lives just to give you a comfortable life. We never forced you into an arranged marriage. We agreed because you loved Gu Chengze, and the Gu family proposed. If you don’t love him anymore, or if he treats you badly, then end it. Saving face or considering the bigger picture isn’t as important as your happiness. Nowadays, people get divorced after marriage, and I’ve never heard of an engagement that can’t be canceled. With your talent and beauty, you can choose any man in the world.” Mother Wen had long noticed that Gu Chengze didn’t truly care for her daughter, but Wen Ya had insisted on marrying him. Now that her daughter seemed to have changed her mind, Mother Wen couldn’t hide her relief.

Wen Ya couldn’t help but laugh. “Mom, you sound like you’re selling melons, boasting so much!” She buried her face in her mother’s arms, her eyes slightly red. She felt incredibly lucky to have such an open-minded and loving mother. How could she be so deserving of such a parent?

Mother Wen patted her head with a loving smile. “My daughter is naturally the best.”

After hearing her mother’s words, Wen Ya realized she had underestimated her. She had thought her mother was fragile, but now she saw her as strong, independent, and resilient.

With her mother’s support, Wen Ya felt ready to deal with Gu Chengze without hesitation, no longer needing to tiptoe around the issue.

“Hello, Lao Chen, help me investigate someone,” Mother Wen said, picking up the phone after Wen Ya left. The person she wanted to investigate was Gu Chengze.