Although Zhao Wenbo had sent someone to invite Gu Nian to lunch, now that Gu Nian had arrived, the man had not expressed any intent to let Gu Nian take a seat.
Gu Nian narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, gracefully took a seat with her secretary, and pursed her cherry lips.
"Sorry, President Zhao, for making you wait so long, I'm late, the traffic around the second ring road was terrible today."
The intent behind Gu Nian's words was clear; she was invited by Zhao Wenbo, and it was not as if she had approached him uninvited.
It was also a way to tell Fu Jingshen that she had not appeared before him intentionally.
Zhao Wenbo looked at Gu Nian with an almost embarrassed smile, "No trouble at all, Miss Gu is a busy person. I heard that the entire Gu Family relies on you now. Your elder brother and Mrs. Gu are still lying in the hospital, and Gu Wei, busy taking care of his wife and son. Oh right, I believe your second sister has also disappeared."
"The current predicament of the Gu Family is quite difficult... With the product issues and the shortage of funds, I've heard that the stock has been plummeting."
Gu Nian: "..."
In fact, the internal situation of the Gu Family had started to stabilize slowly, because outsiders did not yet know that Fu Jingshen had arranged for his secretary to inject funds.
A faint arc lingered at the corner of Gu Nian's mouth; she listened to Zhao Wenbo's sarcastic comments with a smile creeping up the corners of her mouth.
"With fame comes controversy, and when a company grows large, it's inevitable to encounter such issues. Unlike small companies, with limited human resources and smaller scale, these are not things to worry about too much."
Gu Nian's words clearly stated that the Zhao Family's scale was limited and they could not match the position that the Gu Family occupied today.
A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse.
The Zhao and Gu Families were originally business partners; it was not a matter of the Gu Family seeking help from the Zhao Family or begging them for raw materials.
Today, given that Zhao Wenbo had been pointing out faults and making sarcastic comments, Gu Nian, who was not a pushover, naturally had to fight back.
"You..."
Zhao Wenbo's face turned somewhat ugly. He had originally thought of Gu Nian as a greenhorn just starting out, the most favored third miss of the Gu Family, pampered to the point of being unruly. He had never expected the woman to be so articulate and assertive, not giving an inch in her presence.
...
Seeing Zhao Wenbo put in his place, Zhao Meng's seductive eyes lingered on Gu Nian, turning colder and colder as if laced with poison.
Back in school, Gu Nian had excelled in everything, always outshining her.
In front of this woman, she always felt like she was being dwarfed, constantly suppressed.
Even Fu Jingshen, whom she liked, had been snatched away by this woman.
Zhao Meng had been the first to fall for Fu Jingshen, only for Gu Nian to beat her to it. How could Zhao Meng not harbor resentment?
...
"Niannian... long time no see. I wonder if you still remember me?"
Zhao Meng hid the malice in her eyes and started speaking in a friendly and approachable manner.
Gu Nian crossed her legs leisurely, facing the woman's ill-intentioned beautiful eyes, with a smile curving her lips.
"Sorry... I don't quite remember."
"I'm Zhao Meng... We went to the same middle and high school, we even shared a class in middle school."
"Is that so... Long time no see."
Gu Nian responded calmly, without any affection, showing that she was not close with Zhao Meng.
Heh... causing trouble, stirring up mischief...
This Zhao Meng really was a handful.
"Dad, why is Niannian here for lunch all of a sudden? Didn't we agree it was going to be a private meal just for Mr. Fu?"
Zhao Meng actively clung to Zhao Wenbo's arm, coquettishly making a scene, while her gaze locked unwaveringly on Fu Jingshen.
From beginning to end, after Gu Nian walked into the private room, Fu Jingshen's brows and eyes never lifted, let alone rest on Gu Nian, treating her entirely like a stranger.
The more Fu Jingshen acted like this, the more pleased Zhao Meng felt in her heart.
Back then, Fu Jingshen had loved Gu Nian so dearly he seemed willing to give her the world.
It was Gu Nian who had carved her own path to ruin by running away during the engagement, turning the Fu Family into a laughingstock, hmph... With Fu Jingshen's pride, he would never forgive her.
"It's like this, Miss Gu came to find me because the Zhao Family isn't supplying the essential oils, I was really too busy this morning, so I simply moved it to lunchtime."
Zhao Wenbo apologized with a smile on his face, but Fu Jingshen remained unappreciative.
Zhao Meng then pretended to be surprised, covering her mouth and saying, "Dad, how can you arrange things so carelessly... Mr. Fu must not want to see Niannian at all, right?"
Gu Nian: "..."
Zhao Meng.
A grudge was formed.
Gu Nian's beautiful eyes turned colder as she listened to Zhao Meng's words, her gaze landing on Fu Jingshen.
Zhao Meng and she were high school classmates, so the woman must know about what had happened back then.
Gu Nian's lips pursed as she looked at Fu Jingshen's tense handsome face, a strange feeling flickering through her heart. She hadn't expected to see him today under such circumstances after their unpleasant parting yesterday.
Zhao Meng was clearly bringing up the past, obviously looking to stir up trouble.
"It doesn't matter."
Fu Jingshen replied indifferently, lifting his eyes to meet Gu Nian's gaze across from him., their eyes meeting in the air, his gaze deep, causing Gu Nian's heart to skip half a beat.
The coldness of the man the day before, including when he pressed himself upon her, felt as though it just happened.
Gu Nian awkwardly avoided his gaze, swiftly changing the subject.
"Since Mr. Fu and President Zhao are dining, I'll make it short... and not take up more of your time."
"President Zhao, the Gu Family and Zhao Family have been cooperating for nearly ten years, and all along, whether it's been the capital flow or the supply chain, there's never been a problem, let alone a contract breach within three days."
"That was when your father was at the helm of the Gu Family... Miss Gu, you are still too young, you don't understand the intricacies of business, it's all a mess."
"Hmm, although I don't understand business affairs, I do know about human decency... giving a helping hand is always much better than kicking someone when they're down... isn't that right?"
Zhao Wenbo: "..."
Gu Nian's words struck right at Zhao Wenbo's conscience, causing his complexion to slightly change.
With a stern face, Zhao Wenbo waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough, Miss Gu, you need not say more... the Zhao Family really can't supply the essential oils anymore. Recently the climate has been bad, the roses withered early, and we simply can't extract any."
"Besides, with the state the Gu Family is in... even if I wanted to help, I couldn't save it, it's clearly a total mess."
Hearing Zhao Wenbo's words, Gu Nian's beautiful eyes grew colder.
That was the end of it, hmm, anything more she said would be pointless.
"Well, if that's the case, then I won't stay any longer..."
Having said that, Gu Nian was ready to leave with her secretary, but Zhao Meng, sharp-eyed, stood up.
"Niannian, it's lunchtime, why leave? Let's talk about everything after eating."
Zhao Meng grabbed Gu Nian's arm, smiling brightly, yet Gu Nian could tell the woman harbored ill intentions.
"Mr. Fu, what do you say?"
Gu Nian, seeing the challenge in Zhao Meng's eyes, clearly hoped to keep her there, to annoy Fu Jingshen.