As Gu Heng and his group were seething with anger and anxiety over Gu Chang’s appointment as the new foundation’s vice president, Gu Heng suddenly received a message.
“Grandma!” Gu Heng exclaimed, standing up abruptly.
“What are you yelling for?” Xu Hua frowned and asked.
“Look at this,” Gu Heng hurried over to Xu Hua and showed her his phone.
Xu Hua squinted at the phone, and after a moment, her expression shifted slightly before she regained her composure. She turned to the others in the room and said, “You all should leave now. We’ll discuss this matter later.”
Once everyone had filed out, Xu Hua looked at Jiang Shuqin and said, “You too, go home for now.”
Jiang Shuqin hesitated, looking confused. “But… can’t I stay?”
Xu Hua remained silent, simply staring at her.
Jiang Shuqin had no choice but to get up and leave.
Now, with just Xu Hua and Gu Heng left in the room, Gu Heng asked excitedly, “Grandma, Mi Wei is pregnant! Should we proceed with our plan and bring her into the Gu family, then convince Uncle to divorce Yi Wei?”
“It’s not that easy,” Xu Hua replied. “Your uncle could simply choose to abandon the child before it’s even born. This matter cannot be rushed. We need to be patient and wait for the right moment.”
“So, should we wait until Mi Wei has the baby?” Gu Heng asked. “But what if Uncle finds out before then? Shouldn’t we hide her for now?”
Xu Hua thought for a moment. “Yes, it would be safer to hide her.”
Just then, Gu Heng’s phone buzzed again. He opened it and, in a flustered voice, said, “Mi Wei says she’s already left the country and won’t be back anytime soon. She also said she won’t contact us for a while.”
“Convince her to tell you where she is. Make her believe that if she hides on her own, she’ll be found quickly, but if we help, we can ensure that both she and the child get everything they deserve without being discovered.”
“I’ll persuade her, Grandma. I promise,” Gu Heng said, determined.
Once Gu Heng returned to his room, the confidence he had shown earlier faded as he threw his phone onto the bed and took a deep breath. The mix of emotions—jealousy, sadness, frustration—boiled inside him. He struggled to calm himself and focus on how to convince Mi Wei.
Meanwhile, Yi Wei was casually chatting with Sun Qi over snacks when he received a series of messages from Gu Heng attempting to convince him. Yi Wei barely skimmed them, too disinterested to read carefully.
“They really believe you’re pregnant?” Sun Qi asked, popping a sweet-and-sour hawthorn candy into his mouth. “I thought they’d at least ask for a medical report.”
“I’ve been carefully crafting a persona for them—one that seems innocent and timid. So subconsciously, they don’t believe I’m capable of lying,” Yi Wei explained. “And even if they had considered asking for proof, once I mentioned going abroad, their focus shifted to tracking me down. Getting me under their control is far more important to them.”
Sun Qi nodded in understanding.
“Even though I now have my own foundation, it’ll take time to stabilize. I chose Gu Chang as vice president, which will undoubtedly make them feel threatened. Who knows what they’ll try to do behind the scenes? That’s why I used the story of Mi Wei’s pregnancy to give them a glimmer of hope. By doing that, I’ve bought myself some time, while they keep Gu Heng’s backers at bay,” Yi Wei said, sipping his tea.
“So, when do you plan on revealing to them that Mi Wei is actually you?” Sun Qi asked.
“We’ll see how things go,” Yi Wei replied. “Are you coming to my foundation’s opening ceremony?”
“Of course! I’m feeling much better lately, and I’m not vomiting as much. I’ll come along for the excitement,” Sun Qi said with a grin.
—
Gu Yueshang held an official opening ceremony for Yi Wei’s foundation, inviting several guests and friends to the event. Both the Mi family and Yi Wei’s birth parents, Yi Hong and Zhao Zhen, attended. Since Yi Wei had previously stated that he wouldn’t abandon the Yi family, they viewed this as the perfect opportunity to show everyone that they had reconciled. They eagerly awaited a chance to speak with Yi Wei during the event.
However, Yi Wei spent most of the event introducing Gu Chang and Deng Song to important guests, including the Mi family. He made it clear that the new foundation would collaborate closely with the Mi family’s business, leaving no room for doubt about his alliances.
Throughout the ceremony and the subsequent banquet, Yi Wei spoke with many people but completely ignored Yi Hong and Zhao Zhen. His behavior sent a clear message to everyone present: the Mi family, not the Yi family, would be the foundation’s primary partner.
By the end of the banquet, Yi Hong and Zhao Zhen hadn’t had a chance to speak with Yi Wei at all. As they watched Yi Wei and Gu Yueshang leave together, they exchanged frustrated glances but knew they couldn’t openly express their discontent.
Gu Yueshang had invested a significant amount of money in Yi Wei’s foundation, and the project was moving forward smoothly. Meanwhile, Yi Wei continued to meet with various stakeholders at the academy, refining the new recommendation process for students. His schedule had been incredibly busy, but he was determined to ensure that everything was set up properly. Once the initial phase was over, things would settle down.
Thanks to the false story about Mi Wei’s pregnancy, Xu Hua had managed to keep the supporters of Gu Heng at bay. Although she couldn’t share the details with everyone, Gu Heng’s grandfather and uncle were also aware of the plan, and they helped Xu Hua keep their backers in line.
Now that Yi Wei had become the foundation’s president, he had many documents requiring his signature. While he trusted Gu Chang and Deng Song, he wanted to ensure he had the knowledge to assess each document properly, rather than simply serving as a signature machine. When he was unsure about something, he would take the paperwork home and ask Gu Yueshang to explain it to him.
After their nightly routine of reviewing documents, Yi Wei turned to Gu Yueshang and, with a mischievous smile, said, “Thanks for your help, hubby. You’ve worked hard.”
Gu Yueshang leaned in and kissed him gently. “It’s nothing.”
Yi Wei playfully kicked off the covers, draping his leg over Gu Yueshang’s lap as he slowly lifted his robe, teasing, “Would you like a little reward?”
Looking down at Yi Wei’s leg, Gu Yueshang smirked and, in one swift motion, pinned him down, whispering, “A little won’t be enough.”
—
Meanwhile, Yi Hong, Zhao Zhen, and Yi Bo left one of Gu Group’s subsidiaries, all three wearing grim expressions as they got into their car.
“I told you, someone like him would never genuinely help our family just because you exchanged a few kind words with him,” Yi Bo said darkly.
“Mi Group snatched the contract from under us again,” Zhao Zhen grumbled, her face sullen. “I think we’ll have to approach Yi Wei again.”
“Talk to him all you want—it’ll be a waste of time and energy,” Yi Bo sneered.
“So, what’s your plan? Just sit back and do nothing while the company collapses?” Zhao Zhen snapped back.
“The company isn’t going to collapse just like that,” Yi Bo retorted, trying to keep his tone even.
Zhao Zhen pressed a hand to her chest, where the stress was causing a sharp pain. “So, is that your goal now? Simply keeping us from going bankrupt?”
“Just give me time. I’ll figure something out to turn the company around,” Yi Bo promised.
“Your father is out of ideas—what makes you think you can come up with something?” Zhao Zhen shot back angrily. “If only you’d treated Yi Wei a little better before. Things wouldn’t be this bad now.”
“That kind of person wouldn’t have helped no matter what,” Yi Bo said coldly. “And it’s not like you treated him badly, yet he’s still treating you this way.”
“You’re just being stubborn,” Zhao Zhen replied. “We treated Yi Xuan like he was our own son, better than Yi Wei, the real one. And look how that turned out—he agreed to break off the engagement with Gu Heng without even consulting us. Now, he’s gone abroad without a word, giving us nothing in return. After everything we did for him, he’s broken our hearts.”
Yi Bo had nothing to say in defense of Yi Xuan.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to see Yi Wei again. You’ll come with us this time, and you’d better prepare an apology,” Zhao Zhen insisted.
“I’m not going,” Yi Bo said immediately. “I’ll never stoop to begging him like you two.”
“Are you trying to drive me crazy?!” Zhao Zhen yelled, hitting Yi Bo in frustration.
When the three returned home, they were surprised to find Yi Xuan sitting in the living room, waiting for them.
“Dad, Mom, Brother,” Yi Xuan greeted them as he stood up.
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