Not only was her back soaked with cold sweat, but her legs were a bit weak.
Mrs. Hua still hadn’t fully processed what just happened.
Wait, did Zhaoping just knock down that punching bag with one punch???
She didn’t really understand boxing, nor did she know much about strength and striking techniques, but she knew her daughter.
This, this absolutely couldn’t have been done by Gu Zhaoping!!
She usually diets to maintain her shape, and even struggles to open a bottle cap in front of Shen Yifeng, how could she possibly knock that punching bag down with just one punch???
Seeing Mrs. Hua still in shock, Gu Zhaoping checked the time and walked over.
“Mom, is there something you need?”
As she walked closer, Mrs. Hua suddenly felt a strong sense of pressure from her daughter, a pressure that was so intense it felt unfamiliar.
She almost took a step back, but then she reminded herself they were mother and daughter, so she suppressed the instinct to retreat.
“No, nothing.”
The words almost got stuck in her throat, and the scolding she wanted to say just wouldn’t come out.
She looked at her daughter, who was slightly flushed from the exercise, releasing a subtle sense of pleasure, and suddenly cold sweat ran down her back.
She remembered something the rich ladies had said at the card table.
“If it weren’t for her being his sister, with the Gu family’s protection, Gu Zhaoping would have already been beaten by Gu Zhaoye to the point where her parents wouldn’t recognize her.”
She suddenly felt like her daughter was a stranger.
How much had she ignored Gu Zhaoping during this time??
How did she not even know when she started practicing boxing?
A strange thought popped up in Mrs. Hua’s mind.
She even feared Gu Zhaoye might hit her…
But she felt like with Gu Zhaoping’s strength, if Gu Zhaoye wasn’t on his knees begging for mercy, it was her mercy as an elder sister that kept him from doing so.
People naturally feel uneasy when faced with strength.
Mrs. Hua’s voice lowered significantly: “…Oh, I was just asking, Zhaoping, how did your visit to Grandpa go today?”
“It went well.”
Gu Zhaoping answered, hanging the boxing gloves on the rack.
Mrs. Hua’s expression was doubtful.
Really?
The two boys from the second and third branches were there, and she didn’t believe they wouldn’t have added some trouble.
She was afraid Gu Zhaoping was hiding things from them.
She initially wanted to scold her, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“How was Grandpa’s mood? Should we… go check on him again?”
Gu Zhaoping screwed the cap back on, nodded, and said, “He was in a good mood.”
Mrs. Hua still wanted to say something, but Gu Zhaoping had already left the gym.
Mrs. Hua stood frozen for a moment, then followed behind.
The sound of her heels clicked loudly in the corridor as she walked after her, clutching the wall and saying, “Are you really okay? Zhaoping? Really not…”
Suddenly, she tripped over some equipment on the floor and almost fell.
“Ah!”
Before she hit the ground, a hand reached out in front of her, steadying her.
Mrs. Hua stared up in shock, realizing that her daughter’s grip was stronger than ever, and the movement was incredibly quick.
“Be careful, Mom.”
Gu Zhaoping said, calmly.
“Let’s wait until the third floor is cleaned up before we go up.
I’ll go take a shower first.”
Mrs. Hua stood frozen, staring at her daughter’s retreating back.
She was different.
This was so different.
What kind of blow made Gu Zhaoping transform like this?
She stared at her daughter’s figure as it disappeared down the hall.
Her phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
She opened it and saw it was Gu Zhaoye.
Suppressing her strange feeling, she answered the phone, hearing his voice, forced to hold back his anger, low and sinister.
“Mom, is Gu Zhaoping there?!”
After a day of trying to calm Ruan Nian, Gu Zhaoye had finally managed to comfort her, though Ruan Nian still felt down.
He had put aside his pride, repeatedly tried to cheer her up, bought her priceless jewelry, and even gave her a couple’s watch.
This was almost a symbolic gesture of acknowledging their relationship.
He had never been this invested in anyone before.
But Ruan Nian still pushed him away when he tried to hold her, saying sadly, “Gu Zhaoye, your sister doesn’t like me.
A relationship that isn’t accepted by the family won’t end well.”
“We should cool off for a bit.”
Gu Zhaoye was infuriated.
He had been on the verge of winning his wife back, but now Gu Zhaoping had interfered and pushed Ruan Nian further away!
Ruan Nian already had little sense of security after the things he had done to her, and no matter how much he expressed his sincerity, she no longer fully trusted him.
Because of his fiancée, Ruan Nian had been overthinking for a long time.
Gu Zhaoye had promised to prove his sincerity to her, and he had abandoned his fiancée to be with her.
At first, Ruan Nian had been surprised and happy about that.
But now, it was Gu Zhaoping’s fault!
It was all Gu Zhaoping’s fault!
Gu Zhaoping had to jump out, accuse Ruan Nian of being a mistress, and question how she dared to be with her brother.
The Gu family didn’t look down on someone from such a common background like Ruan Nian, only a young lady from a prestigious family would be worthy of her brother.
She would never marry into the wealthy family, and she should give up on that!
Ruan Nian, helpless, was grabbed by her, her thin butterfly bones exposed, shivering with her arms crossed, her eyes red as she looked at Gu Zhaoye, heartbroken and unable to believe what she was hearing.
“Zhaoye… is what she said true?”
“I… I was just an interloper…”
“I never should have intervened in your relationship with Miss Fang… I was wrong…”
Gu Zhaoye’s arm twitched with suppressed rage, his face dark with fury.
In the business world, everyone knew that anyone who offended Gu Zhaoye would not end well.
This wasn’t something a few harsh words could solve.
He would make Gu Zhaoping understand what the cost of interfering in his business and hurting Ruan Nian would be.
Gu Zhaoye leaned against the window, took his hand out of his pocket, flicked open his lighter, and lit a cigarette.
The smoke filled the room as his gaze darkened, his emotions sinking deeper, impossible to read.
“Is she home?”
After spending the whole day with Ruan Nian, he finally had time to deal with this.
Gu Zhaoye’s mood was irritable, and his patience had almost worn thin.
“…Ah, yes, Zhaoping is home.”
Mrs. Hua, still shaken from earlier, wasn’t fully present.
“Tell her to wait. I’ll head back to the old house right now.”
Gu Zhaoye said coldly, snapping the lighter shut, pulling the cigarette from his mouth.
He furrowed his brows and strode into the hallway.
It took Mrs. Hua a moment to react.
Wait, what does this mean? Why does Gu Zhaoye sound like he’s going to settle things with Zhaoping?
She knew what was going on, but she didn’t expect Gu Zhaoye to be this angry, still brooding over it even after a day, planning to rush back to the old house.
She suddenly remembered the scene where Gu Zhaoping knocked down the punching bag.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she stopped him.
“Hey! Wait “
But Gu Zhaoye had already coldly hung up the phone.
When she tried to call back, it was impossible to get through.
Was he really shutting her out again?
Mrs. Hua held her forehead, feeling dizzy.
It seemed like a big battle was about to begin.
But what’s even scarier is that, when she hurriedly went downstairs to tell Mr. Gu that Gu Zhaoye was coming back, Mr. Gu was holding the receiver, his usually submissive expression now shocked.
“Ah, ah… ah? You’re coming over now?”
Mrs. Hua was stunned.
What did this mean? Was he going to meet with Old Master?
Mr. Gu covered the receiver and looked up at his wife, cautiously stunned.
“Old Master said he couldn’t explain things to me, so he’s coming over now?”
Mrs. Hua’s heart skipped a beat.
She was completely confused.
“Old Master is coming over too?”
“Too? Who else?”
“Gu Zhaoye just said he’s back and asked Zhaoping to wait!”
Mr. Gu almost choked on his own breath.
“Old Master also said to have Zhaoping wait for him!!”
This is it! It’s really over!
How did Zhaoping end up offending both of them in one day?
Old Master was so angry he didn’t even rest and rushed back from the sanatorium to the old mansion! A medical miracle!
“How was Old Master’s tone? Was he mad? Really mad?”
“He was very agitated! Very anxious! I couldn’t tell anything else! What about Zhaoye?”
“Zhaoye is furious! He’s also very agitated! Very anxious!”
Not to mention Old Master, but even Gu Zhaoye! Gu Zhaoping should be maintaining a good relationship with him!
In the future, won’t Gu Zhaoye be in charge of the entire Gu family?
Now, things are this bad between them, how will Gu Zhaoping live in the Gu family in the future?
Even though Gu Zhaoping holds the family trust fund and some assets, without anyone managing them for her, aren’t they bound to fall into the hands of her future husband?
It’s rare for an elder sister to fall out with a younger brother who has already taken on the responsibility of being the heir.
After all, marriage isn’t stable, and the younger brother is the only security for both the family wealth and the future.
Seeing Gu Zhaoping and her younger brother like this, they couldn’t help but feel anxious for her.
The couple was frantic, filled with a sense of impending doom.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Gu Zhaoye had arrived.
He walked in with his head held high, his hand-tailored suit refined and expensive, fitting his tall and slender frame.
He had a chiseled face, high nose, deep eyes, and had always been their pride.
“Zhaoye, Zhaoye…” Mrs. Hua’s heart skipped a beat as she hurried to meet him, trying to ease the atmosphere with some small talk, but Gu Zhaoye raised his eyes slightly, and he seemed to regard her, his own mother, with cold indifference.
He was the decisive and ruthless CEO of the business world.
“Where’s Gu Zhaoping?” he asked coldly.
Mrs. Hua was caught off guard, and Mr. Gu froze.
The entire situation became tense.
Just as Mr. Gu cleared his throat and was about to assert his fatherly authority, a voice came from in front of him, breaking the silence:
“I’m here.”
Gu Zhaoping didn’t take the elevator but walked down the stairs.
She changed into casual clothes, soft and approachable, looking like she had a great aura.
But in reality, she rolled up one sleeve, revealing her strong arm, leaning against the second-floor staircase corner, watching her suddenly appearing younger brother.
Her face was plain, cold, even though she had washed up, her hair was neatly combed.
She wore rectangular-framed glasses, and the light reflected on her eyelids made her gaze even colder and more scrutinizing.
She had a lot of pent-up anger before, but the moment Gu Zhaoye saw her, his anger should have erupted immediately.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he suddenly couldn’t figure out why, but his words were stuck in his throat!
Perhaps it was because of Gu Zhaoping’s dominant posture, standing high above him, that made Gu Zhaoye strangely feel uncomfortable.
He had never been looked down upon like this by Gu Zhaoping, and this downward gaze was especially clear.
Realizing his momentum had been interrupted, Gu Zhaoye felt a flash of frustration, and his voice deepened.
“Gu Zhaoping, do you still want me to invite you down? Or should I remind you again, what did you do to Ruan Nian in front of me?”
After hearing this, Gu Zhaoping lowered her head and walked downstairs.
Her movements were not fast, just slow and steady, holding onto the railing and walking down calmly.
Gu Zhaoye had been throwing a tantrum, but since no one was taking it, his anger felt like it had fallen flat, making him seem somewhat ridiculous.
His chest heaved as he tried to yell, “Gu Zhaoping!”
But because his eyes could only passively follow Gu Zhaoping’s movements down the stairs, his shout no longer sounded as firm and full of authority.
Instead, it disrupted the rhythm, becoming somewhat offbeat.
Gu Zhaoping showed no other expression, only walking toward him quietly, but her silence felt even more intimidating.
This made Gu Zhaoye forget all the anger he had been holding back.
He stared at her closely, unable to predict her next move.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Hua were frozen in place, not moving.
Gu Zhaoping reached Gu Zhaoye and said, “Yesterday, was it me who came to catch you?”
Gu Zhaoye was stunned for a moment, then became angry.
Was she trying to turn the tables?
Gu Zhaoye finally reacted, sneering: “Gu Zhaoping, do you still want to deny it? Everyone saw what you did “
“Does that mean I laid my hands on her?” Gu Zhaoping continued interrupting him.
Gu Zhaoye was even more agitated.
“Yes! Gu Zhaoping, don’t force me to “
Before he could finish, he felt a sharp gust of wind near his ear, followed by a massive force hitting his face.
His cheekbones and teeth felt the blunt impact.
He turned his head, staggering a few steps, then touched his face in disbelief, looking up.
Had he just been hit?
Before he could react, another wave of blunt force pressed him to the ground, and before he could even see what happened, his head hit the ground!
Gu Zhaoye was completely stunned!
What just happened?
Who hit him?
Gu Zhaoping?!
Gu Zhaoping skillfully used her thigh muscles to lock Gu Zhaoye’s neck, her palm pressing under his chin for leverage.
She half-sat on top of him, still wearing her casual clothes, her rectangular glasses neatly perched on her face, looking almost graceful.
She pushed her glasses up, and only then did a strand of hair finally fall down due to the intense movement.
“You’re right, I was wrong.”
“I was so focused on hitting Ruan Nian, I forgot to hit you.”
“Who told you to call me by my name in front of me, instead of calling me ‘sister’?”