Gu Qingtong was also shocked. She knew her own father’s character very well. He would often criticize things he couldn’t have. But with a single praise from Yan Chi, she feared that he would be over the moon.
Gu Shuyu kept winking and making faces at Gu Qingtong, using his entire face to express, “See, not only does she know me, but she also knows about my works.”
“The title of ‘leading actress’ is just a hollow reputation. Now both Qingtong and I are getting married, so my future father-in-law and mother-in-law can call me by my name directly. In addition, I brought a small gift for our first visit. I don’t know your preferences, so I picked something myself and handed it to the butler. I hope it will match the tastes of my future parent-in-laws.”
Yan Chi calmly spoke. In front of the elders, she didn’t show her usual coldness, but her true temperament couldn’t be concealed.
Yan Chi truly lived up to her reputation… She could do everything perfectly.
Even though Gu Qingtong knew that these were just Yan Chi’s formalities, she was still moved by Yan Chi’s thoughtful actions. She felt a small satisfaction as if someone had taken her seriously.
“Xiao Yan, why did you bring a gift? We’re really sorry! Oh my, look, this silly girl Gu Qingtong didn’t even tell us anything. We came back in a hurry and didn’t prepare anything…”
Gu Shuyu was an insider in the entertainment industry and naturally knew about Yan Chi’s connections and resources. He eagerly wanted to get closer to her, so he immediately called her Xiao Yan. While speaking, he tried to twist Gu Qingtong’s ear.
Instinctively, Gu Qingtong jumped behind Yan Chi, but she felt that she was being presumptuous. She couldn’t help but peek at Yan Chi’s reaction, only to find that Yan Chi was also staring at her. She didn’t know how long they silently gazed at each other until their eyes met.
This gaze was very familiar… Gu Qingtong suddenly remembered the eyes she had encountered when she sought Yan Chi’s help at the hospital.
Just as she caught that inexplicable emotion, it vanished in the instant their eyes met, leaving no trace and without any signs of panic from being discovered.
After a moment of daze, Gu Qingtong felt that further evading might seem more deliberate, so she simply blinked at Yan Chi and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I took the initiative to propose a marriage alliance with Qingtong. I asked her to wait until I finished negotiating with the heads of the family before informing others. I came here today specifically to make it official,” Yan Chi explained calmly on the behalf of Gu Qingtong.
Master Yan, the head of the Yan family, who was sitting on the sofa, observed the scene and interjected with a hint of sarcasm, “Oh? You’re so protective of this little girl?”
Upon hearing these words, Gu Qingtong reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately jumping several meters away from Yan Chi, waving her hands and blushing, afraid that Yan Chi might misunderstand due to this joke:
“Grandfather Yan, please don’t joke like that. There’s nothing like that!”
“Don’t be fooled by my granddaughter’s usual silence. You see, she burst out with a big fuss. As soon as she heard that the engagement with Tongtong was called off, she personally went to find her. After sorting things out, she came to us. What objections can we have? Tut-tut-tut.”
Master Yan, unlike Old Master Gu, wasn’t as strict and stern. He had a sense of humor, and his final tut-tut sounded quite meaningful.
Gu Qingtong knew very well that things were not like that at all. However, Yan Chi had entered into a marriage alliance with her for the sake of the Yan family’s inheritance rights, and she couldn’t reveal that publicly. There was no room for explanation, leaving her feeling utterly helpless.
Desperate and embarrassed, she turned to Yan Chi, hoping for some assistance, thinking, ‘Yan Chi (wifey), please say something!’
But Yan Chi didn’t even glance in their direction. She remained indifferent to these jokes and, to Gu Qingtong’s frustration, moved a few steps away and finally resorted to pulling her sleeve forcefully.
Only then did Yan Chi finally look to the side, meeting Gu Qingtong’s pleading puppy eyes. She nodded slightly, understanding the situation, and came to her rescue, saying, “Grandfather, enough. This young lady is sensitive, don’t tease her.”
Gu Shuyu and his wife joined in the laughter, but Old Master Gu kept a cold face, sneering and refusing to participate.
“On that note,” the head of the Yan family suddenly turned serious, a stern expression on his face, “the most important reason we came here is to apologize to Qingtong.”
Gu Qingtong knew that he was about to bring up Yan Song’s matter. After all, Yan Chi must have told her grandfather everything that had happened.
Whether it was to give her a proper explanation or to maintain the dignity of both families, Yan Song had no chance of turning the situation around.
“I failed to discipline him properly and didn’t raise the children of the Yan family well. I’ve raised a scoundrel who almost caused harm to Qingtong. The evidence, including the recorded videos, is all here. I brought him to the Gu family specifically to give you an explanation.”
“Yan Song, kneel down and apologize.”
Yan Song lowered his head and, following the command of the head of the Yan family, slowly bent his knees, kneeling on the marble floor.
With gritted teeth, he spoke word by word:
“Miss Gu, Mr. Gu, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been two-timing while having a girlfriend. I shouldn’t have entered into a marriage alliance with Miss Gu, and I shouldn’t have become resentful and had evil thoughts after Miss Gu called off the engagement. I almost committed a grave mistake.”
Yan Song’s entire right hand was wrapped in bandages and secured with a splint, but the pain in his arm was nothing compared to the humiliation he felt at that moment.
Even though he was apologizing, there was only hatred in his heart. If it weren’t for Gu Qingtong, this crazy woman, making such a big fuss, none of this would have happened if it were a well-controlled daughter from another family!
And then there was Yan Chi. Although Yan Song was terrified of her, he had come to his senses over the past three days.
Perhaps she had agreed to the marriage alliance in the first place to embarrass him early on, to unexpectedly drag him from the lofty heights of the clouds into hell, with no way to stand out in the Yan family.
He couldn’t understand why Gu Qingtong, this carefree and arrogant young lady, had discovered those secrets.
The only explanation was that someone with ulterior motives had revealed the secrets to Gu Qingtong, and that person was likely Yan Chi.
And afterwards, Yan Chi went even further, directly marrying his former fiancée? It was hard not to suspect that it was all done for him.
Even his girlfriend Xia Yao found out about his hidden engagement from somewhere and broke up with him directly. In the end, in this play, he lost everything—career, love, status, and dignity.
Yan Song was filled with anger and frustration, almost coughing up blood as he thought about it. But he couldn’t do anything; he could only kneel before his enemies and humbly beg for forgiveness.
“We, the Yan family, deeply apologize. To show our sincerity, even if the two no longer enter into a marriage alliance, the Yan family sincerely wishes to continue cooperating with the Gu family. We will completely hand over the project to the Gu family for arrangement.”
“Furthermore, Yan Song is no longer qualified to enter the Yan family’s enterprise or inherit the Yan family’s assets.”
With one sentence, the Yan family head pronounced a death sentence on Yan Song. Yan Song, who was already kneeling on the ground in despair, staggered and almost fell to the floor.
Years of effort… all in vain.
Old Master Gu slammed his teacup heavily on the coffee table:
“As a gesture of respect to the Yan family head and for saving Gu Qingtong’s life, I won’t hold the Yan family accountable. But as for this malicious beast, we don’t want his apology, nor can we forgive him. The Gu family has always conducted itself openly and without deceit. We don’t hold grudges, but we certainly won’t forget. Remember that.”
Old Master Gu had watched the footage. If it weren’t for his pressure on the hospital’s board of directors, even that crucial piece of evidence would have been hidden and concealed.
Having been in the business world for so long, how could he not know what Yan Song intended to do back then? If it weren’t for Gu Qingtong’s good luck, fiery temperament, and cleverness, without that knife, all their worries would have come true.
He despised such beasts in human disguise more than anything else in his life.
Gu Shuyu and Lin Wan, who had only heard a brief mention of the affair with the third party and harassment from Gu Qingtong earlier, now fully understood Yan Song’s malicious actions and glared angrily at him.
“That’s only natural, and we, the Yan family, can understand that,” the Yan family head said, turning to Yan Song. “Leave now, the Gu family can’t tolerate you, and neither can the Yan family. Don’t cause trouble here.”
“Leave… but where can I go?” A chill ran through Yan Song’s heart.
“Go back to your own family, to your parents. That’s where you belong.”
This time, Yan Song was caught red-handed with evidence on his person, and no amount of excuses could wash away his guilt. Under the oppressive aura of the several bigwigs1People who hold influential or powerful positions, he didn’t even have the courage to argue. He could only get up and walk out in a daze.
Before leaving the house, he took one last look, glancing at his half-sister, who shared the same father but had a different mother.
Even in this situation, Yan Chi still ignored him, treating him as if he were invisible.
From childhood to adulthood, as always, she had never paid any attention to his existence because he simply wasn’t worthy of being her enemy.
His hand clenched into a fist at his side and disappeared from the sight of the crowd.
“Alright, Old Gu, the annoying people are gone. Stop sulking now. It’s a happy occasion, so give us a smile,” the Yan family head said, teasing Old Master Gu again after being serious for a short while.
“Only one particularly annoying person left. If we’re talking about annoying, isn’t there still one here?”
As he spoke, Old Master Gu glared fiercely at Gu Shuyu.
Useless thing, not even aware when his own daughter is being wronged. It was the Yan family who saved his granddaughter, and now he had to give face to the Yan family!
Gu Shuyu was inexplicably included again and wore a frustrated expression.
Normally, he had no shame, but at this moment, he wanted to maintain his “Director Gu” image in front of Yan Chi.
Gu Qingtong looked at the chaotic mess in her family and felt a throbbing pain in her head from the lingering effects of the concussion. She made up her mind to call Gu Siyuan back home another day.
“Alright, let’s talk about the important matters. You already know Yan Chi’s intentions. I have watched her grow up, and I understand her character the best. That’s why I can confidently entrust Qingtong to her after what happened. Yan Chi and Qingtong are a perfect match in all aspects, except that Yan Chi is six years older than her. After all, these past years, she hasn’t listened to me, and she has no interest in love and relationships. She has been solely focused on her career. It was only recently that she expressed her willingness to get married, so I had to swallow my pride and arrange this marriage for them.”
As Grandpa Yan spoke, he looked towards Yan Chi with rare genuine affection in his eyes.
Yan Chi’s background was different from other children. She had been through some incidents when she was young, matured early, had poor health, and spent her childhood alone at home, accompanied only by books and artwork. She had no companions, which contributed to her silent and reserved nature.
Yet, she never asked anything from anyone, and regardless of the situation, she could achieve perfection silently on her own. This child, who evoked both sympathy and a desire to cherish, had always been a soft spot for the Yan family’s elderly couple.
The Yan family head and the Gu couple were very open-minded people, and they never found anything strange about two young individuals of the same sex getting married. However, considering that Old Master Gu was usually strict and conservative, they were vaguely worried that he might not agree.
Old Master Gu remained silent, but his facial expression visibly softened.
Everyone in this circle knew of Yan Chi’s excellence. She had always been independent, and there were no rumors about her personal life. The most discussed topic was why she hadn’t joined the Yan family enterprise.
Perhaps it was indeed due to her poor health, unable to handle the various branches of power within the Yan family enterprise, or maybe it was because she still harbored resentment towards many relatives of the Yan family… In the end, it could only be sighed that her ambitions lay elsewhere.
“CEO Yan, you must not say that. Our family’s Tongtong has a difficult personality, and we were worried that others wouldn’t be able to tolerate her. Now, even the country has passed the law allowing same-sex marriage…”
Gu Shuyu hurriedly spoke up in defense of Yan Chi, but he was interrupted by Old Master Gu before he could finish.
“You think you have the nerve to talk about your daughter’s difficult personality? I have already investigated everything about you, wanting to show off your superiority! You think I’m an old fossil, don’t you?” He didn’t change his expression and stared at Gu Qingtong, adding, “You figure it out for yourself.”
By agreeing to his granddaughter’s same-sex marriage with harsh words, this was where the pride of the stubborn old master lay.
“Thank you… Grandpa,” Gu Qingtong inexplicably received scolding again, but in front of her grandfather, she could only timidly utter her words like a buzzing mosquito.
“Thank you, Grandpa Gu, for your support,” Yan Chi followed closely behind Gu Qingtong.
Yan family head finally showed a pleased smile and turned to Gu Qingtong, his voice gentle:
“Qingtong, Yan Chi has had a difficult upbringing since childhood and rarely opens up to others. Since she has chosen you, there must be a reason. Perhaps you’re not familiar with her yet, but in your future interactions, please be patient with her. Consider it the only thing I can ask of you.”
Gu Qingtong had heard about Yan Chi’s background. Her stepmother became pregnant and took her place, so Yan Chi stopped living with her own family at an early age. Instead, she was raised by her grandparents, who were the Yan family head and his wife. It was a classic case of a Cinderella story.
“Okay, I will.” Gu Qingtong looked at the sincere elderly person in front of her and felt a hint of emotion in her heart.
Even though she knew that her relationship with Yan Chi was merely a contractual marriage, she still made a promise, hoping that if the agreement ever ended, the two elderly people wouldn’t be disappointed…
“Good child.” After saying that, the Yan family head patted Gu Qingtong’s shoulder. “Since the matter of this marriage alliance is settled, let’s talk about the next step—the wedding…”
Gu Qingtong was startled and hurriedly said, “No, no, no. We’re having a low-key marriage. We shouldn’t have a wedding ceremony. We’re both celebrities, so it’s better if fewer people know.”
Under the skeptical gazes of everyone, Gu Qingtong’s voice became smaller and lacked confidence.
Master Yan was suddenly enlightened. “Ah, I see. I understand now. So, you mean… you want to directly register and live together?”
