Shen Yifeng surprisingly felt some rare unease in his heart.
But he could explain this unease to himself.
It wasn’t out of worry about what Gu Zhaoping might do, but more from a sensitivity to new troubles.
He couldn’t predict when Gu Zhaoping would cause him trouble again.
She wasn’t following her old ways of bothering him, so there was a possibility she might do something else irrational.
People’s nature is hard to change.
A person’s character doesn’t change easily, and their obsessions aren’t so easily let go of.
Although Shen Yifeng was emotionally detached, he actually knew quite well that, to some extent, he was an obsession for Gu Zhaoping.
They had grown up together.
Shen Yifeng was a year older, and they often saw each other when they were kids.
However, later on, he studied in a private boarding school in North America, and they were separated for a long time.
Only occasionally, when Gu Zhaoping traveled or went out to have fun, would the elders of the Gu family ask him to look after her.
Shen Yifeng’s version of “looking after her” was simply booking her tickets, checking her itinerary, sending her some pocket money, telling her he couldn’t go shopping with her, and reminding her not to stray from the bodyguards and to stay safe.
Later, Gu Zhaoping also went to study her undergraduate degree there, so they became a little more in touch.
But they weren’t in the same state, and whenever there was a holiday, Gu Zhaoping would slip back to China, or go partying and drinking, her social circles and Shen Yifeng’s circles never really overlapping.
However, Shen Yifeng could still sense that Gu Zhaoping was quite enthusiastic about him.
She even asked him academic questions.
At that time, Shen Yifeng felt a pang in his heart.
Oh no, Gu Zhaoping wasn’t just having fun; she was asking him academic questions, which most likely meant she had feelings for him.
He finally just said, “…It’s fine, you go have fun. It’s good.”
Now, Shen Yifeng stared at the EXCEL files on the WeChat interface, unsure of what to think.
It was like the time he refused one of Gu Zhaoping’s requests.
She had boldly sent him a message saying she would never bother him again, that she had lost, and that was it.
After that, she started living recklessly hiring male models, partying, left and right, and posting videos all over her social media, bombarding her friends’ feeds.
He would sometimes see Nyx’s manager post promotional banners, happily congratulating Miss Gu for achieving the highest sales for the month.
But Shen Yifeng didn’t pay much attention.
Not long after, he stopped noticing, though he found her behavior rather amusing.
One time, he saw Gu Zhaoping post a video, only to delete it it was of a male model wearing a low-cut black silk shirt, dancing with a blindfold over his eyes, a smile revealing neat teeth, his body twisting like a water snake.
Gu Zhaoping waited the full two-minute limit before deleting the video and wrote, “Wrong post~”
With a little child-like emoji.
Shen Yifeng just glanced at it and didn’t reply.
Some thoughts were blatantly obvious.
If she really wanted to play such games with him, he’d find it tiring.
Marriage was marriage.
He didn’t want to play emotional games.
He had no interest in it, at least not with Gu Zhaoping.
Since then, Gu Zhaoping never sent him a “wrong post” again.
Shen Yifeng patiently waited for Gu Zhaoping’s next message.
He was certain she would send a couple of sentences in a while.
He waited for the next message to confirm his judgment.
Although he kept wanting to cut ties with Gu Zhaoping, at this point, he still felt the need to give her a couple of words.
After all, he was her fiancé, and he had the responsibility to keep her in check.
He couldn’t let her keep acting recklessly.
…But.
Nothing.
No messages.
Shen Yifeng signed a few documents, furrowing his brows, not even realizing he was constantly looking at his phone.
The page was still open, unmoving.
Was she playing cold war?
Shen Yifeng wondered how long Gu Zhaoping could keep this up, but his hand instinctively clicked open her social media.
The male model videos he expected to see were gone, replaced by a simple text:
“Looking for a nutritionist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach. Please contact me if you know any suitable candidates.”
Cold.
Nothing else.
He frowned, even refreshing the page a few times in disbelief.
Shen Yifeng’s usually indifferent expression suddenly had a subtle shift.
…A nutritionist?
…Jiu-jitsu?
What was Gu Zhaoping planning to do?
Change herself and make him regret it?
A subtle absurd feeling arose in his heart.
Did she have that kind of perseverance?
Fine, he’d watch and see how long she could keep it up.
Gu Zhaoping was preparing to take over the family business.
To be a qualified person in power, she first needed a clear mind, and secondly, a strong body.
She got up early to inspect the gym, listed orders for the butler to purchase equipment, and re-planned the layout of the house, shrinking the guest area and enlarging the work area.
The design style also needed a change.
She preferred a minimalist style, often referred to as wabi-sabi, but to put it simply, she also accepted hotel-style decor.
Simple, cold, and business-like environments could reduce visual stress, helping her brain relax, which helps lower cortisol.
Appropriate natural elements, plants, natural stones, and wood could promote serotonin secretion and help improve mood.
This had always been her approach to decorating.
Currently, the room left for the Gu family’s eldest daughter had too much red, pink, and retro luxurious elements very maximalist leading to a sense of restlessness and anxiety.
Before she became strong enough, it was necessary to live in the old mansion.
It was the closest to the power core and allowed her to quickly interact with all members of the Gu family.
Gu Zhaoping first had the butler clear out a guest room to make space for renovation, while she received a slew of messages piling up one by one.
“Zhaoping, are you going to practice jiu-jitsu?”
The tone was incredulous.
Gu Zhaoping only asked, “Do you know anyone?”
“No, I was just wondering… Aren’t you afraid of scars? Jiu-jitsu can lead to injuries. Plus, with your perfect legs, can you handle muscle legs?”
Gu Zhaoping paused for a moment after reading the message, then looked down at her legs in confusion.
When she ran in the morning, she only felt that her body’s physical condition was poor.
No, it couldn’t be said to be very poor.
After all, the family had professionals doing health management, and Gu Zhaoping lacked for nothing in terms of nutrition.
She also had great conditions for muscle growth.
But she cared more about maintaining her figure and wore shapewear to create a bigger difference in chest, waist, and hip measurements.
Gu Zhaoping checked the fridge in the room and saw a small note with a tip.
She also had the habit of dieting.
She took the heart-shaped note off and noticed a line on the back: “If you want to be more suitable for him, you’d better be more disciplined. [Go for it!]”
Gu Zhaoping thought for a moment, deducing that the “he” was probably her fiancé.
She must really love him, so much so that she felt a bit insecure.
No one knew that Gu Zhaoping’s dieting and body shaping was for Shen Yifeng.
People only thought she was following fashion, wanting to be stricter with herself.
The line seemed like a secret that Gu Zhaoping, the proud young lady of a wealthy family, tried so hard to hide her unease about love and her tangled self-esteem.
That’s why Gu Zhaoping had many beauty products, all kinds of skin repair, whitening, softening, and moisturizing creams, various beauty instruments that kept her skin glowing, with a whole cabinet of exfoliating products.
She didn’t intend to judge the lifestyle of the original Miss Gu, but Gu Zhaoping didn’t plan to keep living that way.
Gu Zhaoping asked the other party: “If I fall in the bathroom now, what should I do?”
The other person was stunned for a moment, not understanding how the topic jumped so drastically.
She instinctively put herself in Gu Zhaoping’s shoes, thought for a moment, and replied: “Uh, take the opportunity to call Shen Yifeng to come and princess-carry you back to bed?
Then, a bit of this and that, showing off, letting him know the taste and making sure he never leaves you again…”
“No.” Gu Zhaoping said.
“I will use my legs to stand up on my own.”
The other person was stunned.
Fortunately, the title of the eldest daughter of the Gu family was still useful.
She posted a recruitment notice on her social media, and soon someone recommended a reliable personal trainer.
Gu Zhaoping, after missing her scheduled time, arranged an appointment with the trainer to test her capabilities and then determine how many classes per week.
She was still familiar with the techniques, but her untrained body might not be able to fully utilize those techniques.
Gu Zhaoping walked into the gym with regret, looking around at the simple equipment, when she suddenly spotted something familiar.
She picked up the boxing gloves from the floor, tied them on, and threw a punch at the standing punching bag.
The punching bag dented and shook.
It was okay; this would soon become her perfect gym a place to release endorphins, a paradise.
When the Gu parents returned, they were shocked by the unpacked equipment all over the floor.
They didn’t know what was going on at home again.
Mrs. Hua, wearing a shimmering short jacket, her large pigeon egg-sized imperial green ring flashing, delicately put down her handbag and asked the workers who were calmly assembling and unpacking: “What’s going on here? Who did this?”
The butler quickly explained: “It’s the eldest miss.
She wants to remodel the gym.”
Gu Zhaoping was often impulsive, so Mrs. Hua wasn’t too surprised.
She just glanced at her husband.
They were worried that Gu Zhaoping might be making a big move again, and it seemed she wasn’t in a good mood.
Was she in a bad mood because of what happened at Old Master’s place today?
They didn’t know how the visit to Old Master had gone today, and their hearts skipped a beat.
Mrs. Hua gave Mr. Gu a look, signaling him to call Old Master to check in.
If there was a way to salvage things, they should do so.
She would go upstairs to see what Gu Zhaoping was up to first.
Mr. Gu could only reluctantly nod.
On this side, he carefully dialed the number, and Mrs. Hua cautiously went upstairs.
“Zhaoping, Zhaoping, where are you?”
She looked at the empty corridor, turned the corner, and was startled.
The floor was piled with the unpacked black equipment and foam packaging, and there were even some furniture that had been dragged out!
Mrs. Hua clutched her heart.
This child, whenever she faces a setback, she loves to stir things up. Was she planning to tear the house down?
Thinking about what she heard today while playing cards, Mrs. Hua felt truly miserable.
Those rich ladies said that Gu Zhaoping was famous now, and everyone knew she was determined to break up her brother and his girlfriend, even showing up at their date to catch them.
Gu Zhaoye, the domineering CEO, protecting his wife, fiercely clashing with his sister, looked so manly, so boyfriend material.
Ruan Nian was truly lucky to have found such a person.
In this relationship, the most annoying thing was the sharp-tongued sister-in-law, such people were the hardest to deal with.
Now, Gu Zhaoping’s reputation online was terrible.
Ruan Nian, with her hair messed up, looked so pitiful, and Gu Zhaoye, looking worried about her, was so charming.
Gu Zhaoping, who went to “catch the affair” on her own, was completely out of her depth.
She even dared to lay her hands on them.
If it weren’t for her being his sister and the protection of the Gu family name, Gu Zhaoye probably would’ve beaten her so badly her parents wouldn’t recognize her.
She even dared to lay her hands on them!
When the “Four Seasons of the Aristocracy” variety show aired, the story of the Gu family would be talked about even more.
Mrs. Hua didn’t even want to play cards anymore, but she still pretended to be indifferent, holding the cards and waiting until now.
When she thought about how Gu Zhaoping insisted on going to see Old Master today, she suspected she might have faced some setback.
She was even angrier thinking about it.
Looking at the large black equipment on the floor, she felt another wave of anger: “Messing around, messing around, can you even keep it up, constantly messing around?”
“Ah? Gu Zhaoping, did you hear that? I told you not to cause trouble if you have no ability”
Mrs. Hua walked into the gym, trying to catch Gu Zhaoping, but just then, a muffled sound came from the gym.
Right in front of her.
“Boom!”
With one punch, the standing punching bag collapsed under the impact, and Gu Zhaoping, drenched in sweat, stopped mid-punch from the starting stance.
She turned her eyes and caught sight of Mrs. Hua.
She raised her hand, biting the velcro with her teeth, and took off the gloves.
She lowered her eyes and threw the gloves down, then picked up a bottle of water to drink.
After swallowing, she rolled her neck and then finally turned her attention to Mrs. Hua.
“What’s wrong? What did you just say?”
Her voice was still hoarse.
Mrs. Hua realized she was sweating cold on her back.