I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Gu Yuqing found it a bit unbelievable.

Those people are too famous, so famous that they are as distant as Jerusalem to me... Why are they talking about me?

"What did they say about me?" Gu Yuqing asked.

Gu Chengxi shook her head and whispered, "I only heard them mention your name, I didn't dare to listen any further, and I didn't hear what they were saying."

Gu Yuqing couldn't help but sigh, feeling incredibly annoyed.

She used to find it quite amusing when she saw people online complaining about being pressured by relatives to have children, give birth, and find a partner when they went home for Chinese New Year.

When the consequences happen to you, you suddenly understand how others feel.

"Uncle Cai is here," Gu Chengxi said.

Gu Yuqing turned around and saw that Cai Zhenyi was indeed walking towards her.

Gu Yuqing ignored him, turned around and pulled Wu Qiutong along, saying, "Stop eating, let's go, it's time to go."

Wu Qiutong was currently loitering at Gu Chengxi's table, holding a roasted duck leg in her left hand and a glass of red wine in her right, her mouth greasy.

"Where are you going? I haven't eaten my abalone yet, wait a minute..."

Gu Yuqing pulled Wu Qiutong away.

She could guess what Cai Zhenyi wanted to do by coming over—he just wanted to brag about all the achievements he had made.

She's really too lazy to deal with it now.

This is why Gu Yuqing hoped Chen Ya could come over—if Chen Ya was here, all the pressure would be directed at him, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything.

After walking a few steps with Wu Qiutong, the two encountered someone they knew on the path leading in from the gate.

A man wearing a black fitted tuxedo and with slightly wavy hair was walking towards them, arm in arm with a slender woman with long, wavy hair.

The woman strolled around casually and said, "This is Jiang Xinhai's residence? I don't think it's anything special."

The man said, "What's that saying again? 'A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the people who live there.' After all, it's a river in the middle of the sea."

Upon seeing this man, both Wu Qiutong and Gu Yuqing inwardly groaned, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

They both knew this man—he was none other than Yi Yangbing, the young master from Jinxi.

Last time, Yi Yangbing invited them to drink at a bar. Luckily, Chen Ya helped him stop them, otherwise the two of them would have been drunk and dragged away by him.

Although the result was that the two of them were drugged and dragged away by Chen Ya, it didn't seem to be any better.

Yi Yangbing's pursuit of Gu Yuqing failed, and for some reason, he did not leave the capital. Instead, he stayed in the city and changed the girls around him.

The girl named Zuo Pingping had a flamboyant and daring style of dressing, while the girl next to him now is more glamorous and looks like some unknown, obscure celebrity.

Getting entangled with this guy is worse than Cai Zhenyi. At least Cai Zhenyi has some sense of propriety, while this rich kid is capable of anything.

Gu Yuqing and Wu Qiutong turned around in tacit agreement and walked in another direction.

Yi Yangbing also saw the two of them and called out from behind, "Gu Yuqing!"

Gu Yuqing and Wu Qiutong ignored him, quickening their pace as they passed through a thicket, leaving the two behind.

As soon as the results came out, Gu Zongyan was seen walking towards them with that big shot beside him.

The big shot kept saying something, and Gu Zongyan listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

Gu Zongyan looked up, saw Gu Yuqing, raised his hand, and beckoned her over, as if he wanted her to come over.

Gu Yuqing pretended not to see it, pulled Wu Qiutong along, and walked around the plane tree towards the artificial lake.

She hadn't walked two steps when a man standing by the artificial lake, holding a glass of wine, suddenly called out to her:

"President Gu?"

Gu Yuqing turned her head and found that the person was none other than Zhang Weiqiang, the overseas returnee technical expert that Chen Ya had not invited earlier.

Gu Yuqing momentarily forgot that she was still on the run and couldn't help but ask, "Why were you invited too?"

With a confident and appropriate smile on his face, Zhang Weiqiang said, "Yes, I am truly honored to receive an invitation from the Gu family..."

"Gu Yuqing! I'm so glad to finally see you!"

Behind them came Yi Yangbing's voice, and Gu Yuqing and Wu Qiutong immediately looked miserable.

Yi Yangbing walked over, saw Zhang Weiqiang, and was taken aback. He said, "Mr. Zhang, what a coincidence, you're here too?"

Zhang Weiqiang immediately reached out and shook hands with Yi Yangbing:

"Mr. Yi, what a coincidence!"

Yi Yangbing shook hands with him, but his gaze fell on the person behind him. His expression immediately turned serious, and he stood at attention, saying:

"Uncle Gu... Xia, Xia, Xia Shi."

When Yi Yangbing uttered the words "Master Xia," he stammered. Everyone else was startled upon hearing it, but the woman beside him looked completely bewildered.

"Shi" is a respectful title for someone of high status. For example, if Lu Ai'ai were to be polite, she could call Yang Changshuo "Shi Yang".

But when it comes to "Master Xia", there's only that one.

Because there is only one Xia Longju in China.

Xia Longju stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming, staring at everyone and saying, "What a coincidence, everyone's here."

Gu Yuqing and Wu Qiutong were completely dumbfounded.

The moment Gu Zongyan and Xia Longju caught them red-handed, they lost their chance to escape.

Wu Qiutong made a face and scratched Gu Yuqing's palm with her finger, as if to say, "You rascal, why did you bring me here?"

Gu Yuqing's facial muscles twitched as she thought, "How was I supposed to know I'd be attacked by so many people at the same time?"

I desperately want to escape, but I can't.

Gu Zongyan and Xia Longju arrived hand in hand, and the big shot had a faint smile on his face, looking like he was in a good mood.

Hearing Yi Yangbing greet him, he turned to Gu Zongyan and asked:

"And this is...?"

Gu Zongyan gestured and introduced, "Let me introduce you. This is Yi Yangbing, the son of President Yi from Jinxi."

Xia Longju looked enlightened, nodded, and said, "Oh, it's you. I've heard of you."

Yi Yangbing immediately put on a frightened expression, bowing and scraping like a child.

Xia Longju smiled and said, "Why aren't you playing around in your Jinxi territory? Why have you come all the way to the capital?"

Yi Yangbing quickly replied, "Isn't this just to broaden my horizons in the capital?"

Xia Longju said, "We should come here more often to broaden our horizons. In the capital, we should be more well-behaved and not act as recklessly as we did in Jinxi."

Yi Yangbing's forehead was covered in sweat: "What did you hear people say? I've always been very well-behaved in Jinxi."

Xia Longju, with his hands behind his back, said nonchalantly, "That would be perfect."

He glanced at the obscure actress standing next to him, seemingly unimpressed by her overly flamboyant attire.

Gu Zongyan then introduced, "This is the daughter of the Wu family, and this is my daughter."

Xia Longju scrutinized Gu Yuqing for a while. Just as Gu Yuqing thought this middle-aged man was trying to seduce a young woman, she saw him nod repeatedly and say:

"Indeed, she is as beautiful as the rumors say. I think she is no less beautiful than my daughter."

Gu Yuqing laughed awkwardly: "Uh, haha."

She didn't know how to answer, nor whether to be humble or tactful.

Because she didn't know his daughter at all!

Xia Longju was clearly a very eloquent person with high emotional intelligence; he said things that even he himself didn't know how to respond to.

Yi Yangbing gestured behind Gu Yuqing and said, "President Cai, you're here too?"

Cai Zhenyi had also followed Gu Yuqing all the way here, and he saw Xia Longju, who was standing not far away hesitating.

When Yi Yangbing called out to him, he had no choice but to come over.

"Uncle Gu, Teacher Xia, good evening."

Xia Longju asked with a smile, "And who is this?"

Gu Zongyan said, "This is Cai Zhenyi. He is a senior executive at a game company and a very talented young man."

Xia Longju raised his eyebrows: "Cai Zhenyi? I think I've heard that name before."

Gu Yuqing gave a forced smile and said, "Same name, right? How could you possibly have heard of him?"

Yi Yangbing, who was standing next to him, quickly said, "His recent game is very popular. The Ronghua Daily even published an interview with him. Did you see it in the newspaper?"

Xia Longju frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's possible."

Cai Zhenyi quickly said, "I'm just a game developer. I'm really honored that Professor Xia has heard of me."

Xia Longju said, "Not at all. I'm quite open-minded about this. I'm not as old-fashioned as you think. Games are also part of the cultural and creative industry. If a country wants to be strong, it needs not only hard power but also soft power."

“Master Xia is right,” Zhang Weiqiang quickly chimed in. “It’s not easy for an entrepreneur like President Cai to create a game that allows people all over the world to recognize our culture.”

Yi Yangbing quickly added, "Of course, can President Cai be the same as others? He's an entrepreneur with a sense of mission."

Cai Zhenyi glanced at Xia Longju, who was nodding repeatedly. On the surface, he pretended to be humble and cautious, but in his heart, he was bursting with pride.

Being able to show your face in front of such a big shot, or even just receive a few words of praise, is a huge gain.

People like Xia Longju are key figures who can influence the country's attitude towards his industry. Isn't dealing with someone like him the reason he gets close to Gu Jia?

Xia Longju walked forward with his hands behind his back, and Gu Zongyan quickly followed, tilting his head at Gu Yuqing to signal her to come along as well.

Wu Qiutong wanted to take the opportunity to slip away, but how could Gu Yuqing let her go? If she left, she would truly be all alone. If her best friend wanted to leave, she would leave with her.

So, a large group of people followed behind Xia Longju, walking forward in a noisy thud.

Xia Longju, with his hands behind his back as if gazing into the distance, sighed:

"Great, that's wonderful. I feel very gratified to see so many talented young people growing up."

“Yes,” Gu Zongyan said, “Sometimes when I see them, I feel that it’s time for us old folks to hand over the reins.”

Xia Longju laughed and said to him, "What shift are you talking about? You're a businessman, you have to work your whole life. I'm the one who can retire when I reach a certain age."

Gu Zongyan said, "I don't think your plan is working. Given your current situation, you'll have to carry this burden for at least another 20 years. Retire? They won't agree to that."

Xia Longju sighed after hearing this and said, "You're right."

Gu Zongyan and Xia Longju were classmates, and because of this relationship, they maintained a long-term friendship even though they were not in the same field.

As Xia Longju walked, he said, "My daughter is so old that she's become unruly. She absolutely refuses to come here. I finally managed to bring her over, but she just ran away. I haven't seen her since."

Gu Zongyan smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "It's about time he reached the age of rebellion. Kids always go through this phase."

Xia Longju turned to him and asked, "Your daughter seems quite well-behaved. Doesn't she go through this phase?"

Gu Zongyan sneered and said, "The younger daughter is quite well-behaved, but the older daughter seems to have been rebellious since birth, and she has never changed."

Xia Longju turned around and glanced at Gu Yuqing. At this moment, she was putting on a demure and ladylike act, which was very deceptive. Xia Longju frowned and muttered, "Really? Doesn't seem like it."

When he turned around, Gu Yuqing rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.

This is truly a terrible father; he only speaks ill of himself everywhere, never mentioning his good points. A father like this is worse than no father at all.

Xia Longju sighed and said, "In a few more years, I'll be worried about getting married again. The daughter I raised will have to be sent to someone else. You're a smart kid, knowing to have a son."

Gu Zongyan laughed and said, "You only have one daughter, while I have two. Aren't I at a greater disadvantage?"

"Can this kind of thing be counted individually?"

Gu Zongyan said, "Your daughter is still young; it's too early for her to be thinking about such things."

Xia Longju said, "Didn't we say before that we, one a man and one a woman, would become in-laws? Now that we both have daughters, we can only be sisters."

Gu Zongyan said, "Since the sisters are too far apart in age, your daughter can be arranged to marry my younger sister."

Xia Longju immediately looked disgusted: "Your little one is too small, younger than my daughter."

"A woman three years older than her husband is like a golden brick."

Xia Longju said, "If you're going to bring gold bricks, it's your family who will. I don't want my daughter to marry into your family and have to take care of your son."

Gu Zongyan laughed in exasperation and said, "You have no vision, Lao Xia. Once you get married, you'll be one family. Your old-fashioned thinking is unacceptable."

"Forget about being old-fashioned, I've already lost out." After saying that, Xia Longju asked, "What about your eldest daughter? She's so beautiful, there must be at least a hundred, if not a thousand, suitors. What's wrong, you don't want her to get married?"