As soon as this short video was released, it stirred up widespread discussion.
It was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples everywhere.
Gu Kaichang happened to be abroad recently, not in the country.
In order to seize the next opportunity to appear in public from Gu Zhaoye, he had been working diligently, running around and making moves for quite some time.
The old man (their grandfather) asked him to watch Gu Zhaoping’s show—hah, what a joke.
Gu Kaichang didn’t take it seriously at all!
Until one day, while he was wine-tasting with someone over there, the other person suddenly mentioned, “Hey, do you know your cousin? She’s super popular right now!”
Gu Kaichang was stunned.
He was still wondering when Gu Zhaoping had ever not been popular.
Weren’t people always talking about her strange behavior?
Gu Kaichang wasn’t interested in the topic at all and just laughed it off:
“Heh, I’m not close with her.”
Then the other person said, “Ah, so you don’t know she’s doing contortion? I saw her performance, and she’s really good. Among the people in our circle, I’ve never seen someone with such high-level skills. She must have started training when she was really young, right?”
Gu Kaichang froze:
“What? Gu Zhaoping does contortion?”
He looked baffled.
“Are you out of your mind?”
When he got back, he finally watched the show he swore he’d never click on—and was completely dumbfounded.
Wait a minute, that’s Gu Zhaoping?
What’s going on with her?
Has she been brainwashed by some secret organization?
Or maybe she found a magic “golden finger” and awakened some kind of power?
Or maybe she got a system that lets her draw skill books?
Gu Kaichang’s head was full of wild guesses.
He couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he tried!
Right then, a call came in from the old man.
Gu Kaichang quickly answered:
“Hello! Grandpa.”
“Gu Kaichang, did you watch your cousin’s show like I told you to?”
He had just finished watching it ten minutes ago, so he braced himself and said, “Yes, yes, I did.”
The old man continued, “Good. Zhaoping has been really serious lately. She not only plays chess and practices contortion, she’s also been doing quite well in the company. You shouldn’t be loafing around all day. Learn from your cousin.”
Gu Kaichang was stunned—learn from Gu Zhaoping?
This was the first time in his life he’d heard such a request.
It’s not like he was that lazy!
But he couldn’t go against the old man’s wishes.
He was currently doing everything he could to impress him and get the opportunity to represent the family in the upcoming business venture.
So he forced himself to agree:
“Okay, Grandpa. Oh right, do you know where Gu Zhaoye is recently?”
Gu Kaichang was ready to throw shade at Gu Zhaoye.
He already knew where he was—apparently, something went wrong at Yuanqi Tech, so Zhaoye had gone off to unwind.
He’s the one who’s actually not doing anything serious!
Thinking about it made Gu Kaichang happy.
At such a critical time, Gu Zhaoye really believed he was the heir?
He thought Grandpa would leave no room for anyone else?
Meanwhile, Gu Kaichang had to run around trying to boost his own reputation.
The thought of Gu Zhaoye being so relaxed made him angry.
The old man said, puzzled, “I don’t know where he is.”
“Ah, what a pity,” Gu Kaichang replied.
“Oh, I just remembered—I heard he’s somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Honestly, at such an important moment for our family, as the heir, he’s not even thinking about you, Grandpa. What if he can’t make it to the event…”
Gu Kaichang pretended to voice some light concern, then smoothly shifted the topic.
“I’ve been in Los Angeles recently, met up with some senior acquaintances—they all said they were surprised at how capable I’ve become…”
“It’s fine,” the old man suddenly said.
Gu Kaichang froze.
“If he’s not going, then he’s not going. It’s not like there’s no one else in the family.”
Gu Kaichang was shaken—then overjoyed. What did that mean?!
Grandpa was planning to leave Gu Zhaoye out and choose him instead?
Finally, he’d done something right?
This time, Gu Zhaoye really brought it on himself!
As for Gu Yingjie and Gu Zhaosi—he never even considered them competition.
Gu Yingjie wasn’t as proactive, and Gu Zhaosi had basically cut ties with the family ever since going to that weird school.
So if the old man was picking someone… it had to be him?
Gu Kaichang couldn’t hold back his grin.
He had to force himself to stop smiling before he spoke again:
“Grandpa, you’re truly wise. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support it unconditionally. I believe all of us in this generation will trust your judgment!”
The old man grunted in approval.
“You used to be a bit reckless. It’s rare to see you this mature. You’re finally seeing things clearly. Well said.”
Gu Kaichang turned the charm up even more:
“Of course! Us grandkids all want to carry on the Gu family legacy. Being by your side—does it have to be Gu Zhaoye? Whoever you choose, it just shows your good judgment!”
The old man actually smiled a little.
“Well said.”
And then he hung up.
Gu Kaichang’s grin was practically flying off his face.
He knew it—if he kept up the act and kept hyping himself, the old man would eventually be moved!
Now that he had a shot at appearing on behalf of the family, he needed to start building up his image.
He had to do even more to show his value and surpass Gu Zhaoye.
***
That morning, Gu Zhaoping was ready to head out.
As she walked out the door, she saw her new bodyguard, Mao Xinci, already waiting in the living room.
She stood up politely when she saw her and greeted, “Good morning, boss.”
Gu Zhaoping nodded, paused, then turned to her assistant Xiao Zhao and said, “That’s how you should address me from now on.”
Xiao Zhao was caught off guard.
Then quickly echoed, “Yes, understood—boss.”
That sounded much more natural.
The old “Miss Gu” title didn’t really suit her anymore.
She preferred being called “boss” over “young lady.”
Mao Xinci walked ahead of her out the door.
She had already asked what kind of car she should drive and had test-driven it earlier.
As they approached the car, the original driver quickly rushed over and opened the door for her, enthusiastically greeting her, “Miss, please get in.”
Gu Zhaoping got in but said, “You don’t need to drive today. Let Mao Xinci handle it.”
The driver was stunned.
Mao Xinci just nodded, took the keys from him, and calmly got into the driver’s seat.
The driver was dumbfounded.
“Why isn’t Miss letting me drive today? I mean, she’s a bodyguard, how can she be more professional than me?”
“And we rarely have female drivers in our family. She’s new too—what if she doesn’t know the roads well or can’t handle something unexpected? What if it delays Miss’s schedule?”
“It’s fine. You talk too much.”
Gu Zhaoping closed the door and rolled up the window.
She still remembered how uncooperative the driver had been when she asked to remove the ashtray last time, saying it was “for Second Young Master, her fiancé.”
Back then, there wasn’t a suitable replacement, so she tolerated it—but not anymore.
Driving?
With GPS, anyone could do it.
The driver stood there dumbly, watching them leave.
Mao Xinci didn’t say a word.
Whatever her boss asked, she simply did.
The car was unfamiliar, yes, but she had already practiced and adapted.
A little trial was all it took to drive smoothly.
She drove steadily, never said a word more than necessary, and didn’t talk to Assistant Xiao Zhao at all.
Xiao Zhao glanced at her a few times and thought this bodyguard was indeed impressive—very different from the previous driver, and she seemed much more reliable.
In the past, Gu Zhaoping didn’t pay much attention to such details.
But now, she insisted on handling everything well and creating an environment where she could live as comfortably as possible.
Everyone had to meet her standards—she would no longer ignore any tiny detail that made her uncomfortable.
On the road, Fang Yining called her.
A bit unexpected.
On the other end, Fang Yining was shocked:
“Zhaoping! When did you learn jiu-jitsu? You’re actually good at it!”
She was dumbfounded after watching the program.
As someone who knew Gu Zhaoping best, she couldn’t believe what she saw on TV.
Gu Zhaoping replied, “I told you I learned it in college. You forgot again.”
Fang Yining was in disbelief!
All these years and she had no idea.
In that moment, she didn’t even care how strange this all was anymore.
Her mind was racing with possibilities, and she felt extremely excited:
“So now, if you’re annoyed with Gu Zhaoye, you can just beat him up! He looks like he can’t even take two punches—”
“Already did.”
“What?! You already hit him?”
Classic Zhaoping—always ready for action!
Just hearing that thrilled her.
Thinking back to a few days ago, when Zhaoping showed zero reaction to accidentally using the wrong card at a male model club, Fang Yining suddenly started to understand.
It seemed like she didn’t care about Shen Yifeng anymore.
And really, what was there to explain to a fiancé?
Fang Yining suddenly realized that Zhaoping had changed so much in such a short time.
She couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment before asking:
“Zhaoping, why have you changed so much recently?”
Could it really be that the argument with Shen Yifeng had affected her that deeply?
But then again, the way Gu Zhaoping now looked down on Shen Yifeng didn’t seem like someone who would have a complete transformation just because of something a man said.
“No,” Gu Zhaoping said calmly.
“I just think that as the eldest daughter of the Gu family, this is who I should be.”
“There are so many younger members in the Gu family. I’m the oldest—I should be setting an example. And this is a critical time in the heir selection process. I have to be reliable. What, should I let someone else take the lead?”
Fang Yining was stunned.
What was going on with Zhaoping now?
Everything she said sounded so reasonable and made Fang Yining rethink things she’d never questioned before.
I’m pretty sure contortionism is different than martial arts. It’s like that crazy bending stuff where you look like you have no bones.
Also he really thinks he’s the next heir lol