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The host announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, today the Ji Family is hosting a gathering for everyone. The bet is one dollar, and the riddle is 'Shandong man.' There are four answers for you to choose from, and we will reveal the answer in an hour!"
The four answers are: good, very good, excellent, and expensive. There is also an option for a self-filled answer.
Everyone burst into laughter; wasn't this just a way to give away money? Once you participated, you were guaranteed a share. Someone asked if there were any other requirements, to which the host replied, "If you guess correctly, you get double; if not, you stay here for the Governor's Wife!"
Gu Cheng laughed heartily upon hearing this; Ji Furong was indeed different.
The Governor's Wife had never played such a game before. She thought every answer was excellent but couldn't make up her mind, so she placed her bet on expensive. The banquet hall became lively as everyone started betting on expensive.
"This one is different; I don't know if it's right or not. I hope the Ji Family gives double, but two dollars—hahaha!" The Governor's Wife laughed uncontrollably.
An hour later, Gu Cheng held a dollar in his hand, kissed it near his mouth, and placed it on expensive. The host said, "The last guest has placed their bet; please let the Ji Family start the game!"
Ji Furong suppressed her laughter and said, "Today is the Governor's Wife's birthday; everyone wants to show their appreciation. Thank you all for your kindness (the dollars); the Governor's Wife will love it!"
Cunning! Adorable! Clever!
Gu Cheng laughed heartily; he hadn't expected to be outsmarted by this woman. The Governor's Wife was delighted and immediately decided to recognize Ji Furong as her goddaughter. No one would mind that single dollar among the big shots, but giving over ten thousand dollars as a birthday gift to the Governor's Wife was truly impressive.
Ji Furong socialized until ten o'clock that night before bidding farewell and leaving the Governor's Mansion. As soon as she got into the carriage, she saw Gu Cheng walking toward her from a distance.
"Senior Brother?" Ji Furong felt a bit tired but still responded politely.
" senior Ji, my carriage is broken. Can you give me a ride?" Gu Zhibin thought that Gu Cheng's ability to be thick-skinned was truly top-notch, but he still wouldn't let himself get on the same carriage, fearing it would ruin his good fortune.
Gu Cheng sat beside Ji Furong as the carriage started moving.
Naturally, Ji Furong did not hear Gu Zhibin's words. She accompanied Gu Cheng to the entrance of the Gu Family Old Residence and was invited to visit his home.
At ten ten in the evening, the Gu Family Old Residence was still quite lively. When the members of the Gu Family saw Gu Cheng bringing a girl home, they were all surprised.
With just a glance from the Gu Family, everyone gave a big show of respect.
Gu Cheng let out a chuckle, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and poured a cup of good tea for Furong.
The Gu Family placed great importance on tea, and Gu Cheng was well aware of this.
Ji Furong wasn't particularly knowledgeable about tea, but she felt that the tea from the Gu Family was indeed sweeter and clearer than that from other places.
Gu Cheng didn't say much; he just happily watched Ji Furong. The members of the Gu Family were astonished to discover that their eldest son could actually serve someone. Was this really Young Master Gu?
They certainly hadn't mistaken him!
The Gu Family Matriarch, Gu Cheng's mother, came out to chat with her son and realized that the girl he brought back was the one she had been eyeing for a long time but hadn't mentioned to him. Upon seeing Ji Furong, she immediately took off a bracelet to give to her. Ji Furong's face turned slightly red as she smiled and tried to politely decline.
At this moment, Gu Cheng was particularly smooth-talking. "Do you know about the unique items from the Tian Shun era? There are only two in total, and both are in the Gu Family! The one my mother is giving you is one of them!"
Gu Cheng made it very clear that Ji Furong should accept it. The mother and son exchanged a glance, and Gu Cheng slipped the bracelet onto Ji Furong's wrist.
Gu Cheng said, "The Gu Family and the Ji Family have always been on good terms. My grandfather is friends with your grandfather, my grandmother with your grandmother, my mother with your mother, and my father with your father. So, what do you say? Do you want to be friends with me? I am your senior brother, and I will definitely take care of you!"
After Gu Cheng finished speaking, his eyes sparkled, and the Gu Family truly lived up to that saying.
Who was it that claimed to be a staunch believer in not getting married? This slap in the face came way too quickly.
Seeing that Ji Furong did not respond, Gu Cheng became genuinely anxious, calling her "good sister" repeatedly.
The Gu Family Matriarch was afraid her son might be too forward with the girl, so she mentioned her own name. Ji Furong understood that her grandfather indeed intended to marry her off to this family. Little did she expect that the person she would marry would be Gu Cheng.
Ji Furong felt overwhelmed as she recalled her grandfather's unreliable smile while listening to Gu Cheng say he had a close friendship with her grandfather.
Without suspicion, Ji Furong cautiously replied that she would go back to see her grandfather before discussing further.
Gu Cheng, not one to hesitate, immediately prepared a carriage and took Ji Furong back to the Ji Family. When the Ji Family's grandfather met Gu Cheng, he was overjoyed and quickly approved of the marriage while praising, "Furong, where can you find a husband like Young Master Gu? I will take charge of your marriage! You will cultivate your roots in both the Ji Family and the Gu Family! This is your grandfather's expectation for you!"
Gu Cheng decided to cultivate his feelings for Ji Furong more deeply. He said, "My wife has a cold personality but a warm heart. I am like a rice ball; I will warm myself up for my wife!"
Ji Furong was amused by Gu Cheng. She didn't know how to respond. Gu Cheng encouraged her to voice any requests she had, but Ji Furong didn't mention anything; she just blushed. Gu Cheng thought about how perfect he was, except for his poor performance in literature class. He made up his mind and said, "Furong, as long as my GPA improves to first in the class, will you be with me? What do you say?"
Mr. Ji's eyes suddenly lit up; it seemed that Gu Cheng was planning to improve his weaknesses amidst heavy rain!
After all, they were friends across generations, and it brought her joy. Ji Furong had seen Gu Cheng's report card, and his meaning was clear. However, the issue of literary talent couldn't be resolved in just a day or two. She didn't expect Gu Cheng to say, "Give me some time, okay? A month."
Gu Cheng was like a blazing light, impossible to look away from.
From that night on, whenever Gu Cheng had a meeting in the west of the city, he would finish early and rush to the east to see his wife. His perspective was particularly unique; he didn't want to disturb her. He quietly sat in the carriage and felt at ease when he saw Ji Furong safely emerge from the shop. Only then would he return to the west of the city to continue his day's work.
Ji Furong said, "To improve your literary talent, you need to read more essays."
Gu Cheng squatted in Ji Furong's library, reading essays.
Ji Furong said, "To improve your literary talent, you need to practice writing more."
Gu Cheng found Ji Furong's compositions and dissected them for study.
Ji Furong said, "To improve your literary talent, you need to practice speaking more."
Gu Cheng then took Ji Furong's delicate face in his hands and smiled at her like a blooming flower.
Fu Xiaoxiao, this little canary, would come looking for Ji Furong every few days. Gu Cheng protested, telling her to go find her Han Zhiqing.
Every time under the name of "Third Talented Woman," she shamelessly takes advantage of the Ji Family's hospitality, which is truly despicable.
Having eaten the rice from his wife’s family, she should obediently do her part.
She should stay by his cousin Han Zhiqing's side.
On the other hand, Jiao Jiao, unable to win Han Qifeng's heart, feels resentful and seeks out Gu Cheng to cry on his shoulder. Gu Cheng coldly responds with, "Excuse me, but I won't see you out."
Jiao Jiao knows that Gu Cheng has no feelings for her and goes on a hunger strike for three days, ultimately being sent away by her family.
Gu Cheng has been with Ji Furong for half a month. He finds her personality somewhat cold, but her heart is warm. Ji Furong provides food for the orphans taken in by the welfare home, offers clothing to homeless refugees, treats the sick and injured for free, opens green channels for emergency patients, and helps friends without concern for profit.
When Ji Furong delivers food, Gu Cheng accompanies her;
When Ji Furong distributes clothing, Gu Cheng is there;
When Ji Furong works hard to treat patients, Gu Cheng helps;
When emergency patients cannot find a bed, Gu Cheng moves them to the Gu Family Hospital.
Ji Furong supports her friends even at a loss financially without losing her conscience, and Gu Cheng stands by her;
In the following half month, wherever Ji Furong is, Gu Cheng is there too.
In a month, Gu Cheng's literary performance reached second place in the class, and his grades topped the class for the first time, surpassing Ji Furong.
Gu Cheng smiled as he hugged Ji Furong and spun her around. "Furong, we made a promise!"
Ji Furong blushed and nodded.
She finally agreed!
For the next 365 days, he was there, and she was there.
Gu Cheng took Ji Furong back to the Gu Family Old Residence. Grandpa Gu and Grandma were very fond of Ji Furong. At Gu Cheng's request, Ji Furong began managing some household affairs for the Gu Family.
One day, Gu Cheng was on the phone, sounding very anxious. A shipment for the Gu Family was stuck at the dock. As he was leaving, he didn't watch where he was going and accidentally tugged on a small note hanging by the door, tearing off a page. Gu Cheng paused for a moment, only to hear Ji Furong's melodious voice say, "Gu Cheng, take care of yourself!"
"Okay!"
Ji Furong nodded encouragingly at him.
Gu Cheng set down the torn page and hurried off to the dock.
After tidying up the house, Ji Furong discovered the torn page, which had eight words written on it: "I love my wife, until death do us part."
On the back of the torn page were written: "Furong my wife, every beautiful day we spend together."
She sat upright on the sofa, holding a torn page in her hands. After being busy with business and family matters these days, she felt really exhausted, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In her ears, it seemed as if she could hear Gu Cheng calling her name over and over again, "Furong, Furong, Furong."
When she woke up again, it was early morning, and the sky was still dark. Ji Zhenyan reached out to feel her pillow, wanting to find her watch. She remembered that Gu Cheng would place her watch under the pillow before going to sleep.
Her hand tightened around something, and when she looked up, it was her old mobile phone.
Ji Zhenyan called out Gu Cheng's name in disbelief, but this was her home in Haicheng; there was no sign of Gu Cheng anywhere. It took her a moment to recall that she had returned from Shanghai the day before.
The torn page of Furong's journal still hadn't been found by the new owner of the mansion.
"I love my wife, until death do us part!"
"Every beautiful day we spent together."
Ji Zhenyan felt as if she had been dreaming a great dream, or perhaps had dreamt back to before 1908 in Jing City, that era of blooming flowers.
When she lowered her head, she saw the purple crystal ring on her ring finger; it was the engagement ring that Gu Cheng had given to Ji Furong.
Ji Zhenyan held her hands tightly together, gripping the ring firmly. Her eyes became moist as she took it off and carefully stored it away.
This was the only evidence she had of having been in that era.
Now, she is no longer Ji Furong, but Ji Zhenyan.
At 6:50 AM, Ji Zhenyan gets up, and she leaves home at 7:20 AM, arriving at the company by 7:40 AM.
Every day, there is a morning meeting at the company. Even if there is no morning meeting, she arrives at the same time.
In the Network Department, she is usually one of the first three people to arrive.
There is a custom in the company that during the morning meeting, they recite the Disciple's Rules.
All the veteran employees can recite it fluently.
She still feels like an imposter among the crowd, but she doesn't mind anymore.
She insists on reading it every day, believing that one day she will master it.
Today, the ethereal figure Gu Yanshen took the stage after the recitation ceremony, but today was different.
He appeared disheveled, looking tired and aged.
Yesterday, he was still the ethereal figure full of charm, but after just one day apart, how could he have changed so much?
It was clear that he had prepared for the speech at the morning meeting for a long time, but he was nervous and his performance was not ideal.
After he finished speaking and stepped down, there was complete silence in the audience.
He was one of her favorite people in the company; nothing could happen to him.
She only hoped that he would be okay.
In fact, the night before, the company's top leader, Chen Baiqing, had issued a strict order to the sales department. As the second-in-command overseeing the sales department, Gu Yanshen felt the gravity of the situation.
Chen Baiqing demanded that the company's net profit from sales reach ten million within a year, with sales revenue hitting three billion, primarily from Online Sales.
Gu Yanshen had just begun to explore Online Sales; currently, he was achieving daily sales of thirty thousand with a net profit of six thousand.
Meanwhile, Shen Buqing, the head of the Network Department, boldly declared, "Once I finish the mall project, I'm done. I won't do sales work. Gu Yanshen isn't very capable; if he can do it, then I can do it too!"
These words were spoken in front of several leaders from the Branch Offices.
It was simply shameless. Chen Baiqing wanted Shen Buqing to contribute more, but he stubbornly refused, saying, "I'm doing great with my mall project; I'm very busy. Let sales handle sales."
Shen Buqing emphasized that he was a technical expert. Faced with Shen Buqing's unreasonable behavior, several leaders from the Branch Offices expressed their sympathy towards Gu Yanshen.
At the end of the meeting, the company's offline sales had doubled; originally, they aimed to achieve six hundred million a year, but now the headquarters alone needed to reach twelve hundred million.
This was Haicheng, a small county in a fifth-tier city where niche industries found it very difficult to do business. On top of that, products from SDS Company were expensive, making sales challenging.
That night, Gu Yanshen couldn't sleep at all.
After the morning meeting, Chen Baiqing asked Gu Yanshen to prepare a detailed analysis report on the plan from the previous night. Shen Buqing seemed unconcerned, just waiting for the online mall to get up and running while Chen Baiqing promised him a 10% commission.
Ji Zhenyan was Shen Buqing's assistant and had previously worked as a research assistant for an internationally renowned academic. Initially, Chen Baiqing intended for Ji Zhenyan to join the online operations and sales team, but Shen Buqing remarked, "This girl is useless here. She's impressive but doesn't get things done. She doesn't understand business like Uncle Chen does, and she doesn't know technology like I do; she's just here to do some trivial tasks."
Gu Yanshen's expression darkened as he smiled and said, "Graduates from prestigious universities are always capable."
Shen Buqing scoffed.
This was a high-level company meeting, and everyone heard Shen Buqing's remarks, which completely dismissed Ji Zhenyan's abilities.
Gu Yanshen frowned slightly and said, "I heard you had her manage Uncle Chen's team, and Uncle Chen spoke highly of her! He said her algorithms are impressive and her performance is outstanding!"
Shen Buqing's face turned sour as he retorted angrily, "What's so impressive? Such simple algorithms—I could figure them out with a flick of my finger! And about yesterday's sales plan for the online mall, Ji Zhenyan knows nothing. What kind of profit do you think a girl who knows nothing can bring to the company?"
Uncle Chen chuckled and replied, "You say Ji Zhenyan can't do it, but you can't either! Ji Zhenyan is good at copywriting and has many connections; she'll figure it out as she goes along!"
Shen Buqing shouted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! Are you her leader or am I? If I don't find her useful, I'll just kick her out! It's none of your business!"
Shen Buqing and Uncle Chen both knew that he would really kick Ji Zhenyan out, and they didn't want to lose such talent.
During this meeting, Chen Baiqing realized many things, but he couldn't say them outright. Shen Buqing's uncle was a high-ranking official, and the company had to show some deference. Although Ji Zhenyan's grandfather was a director, he had been retired for many years.
After weighing many factors, Chen Baiqing ultimately cast his vote for Shen Buqing.
Shen Buqing's suggestions for company management were all implemented one by one.
Shen Buqing agreed that the company cafeteria could have a third queue for payment, making it easier for people to pay after picking up their food. He also requested that several trash bins be placed at the entrance of the cafeteria to facilitate waste disposal.
At noon, Ji Zhenyan went to the cafeteria, feeling quite unlucky.
After getting her food, Ji Zhenyan waited in line at the second queue to check out. A person from the third queue cut in line aggressively. There weren't many people in her queue, but there was a key middle-level personnel named Chen Hong, who had a good relationship with Ji Zhenyan at that time.
After Ji Zhenyan paid, she noticed that someone from the third queue was cutting in without giving Chen Hong any respect. Chen Hong happened to be right behind Ji Zhenyan in line, feeling extremely awkward and frustrated with her.
The most frustrating part was that as Ji Zhenyan walked past the entrance, she accidentally kicked over a trash bin. When she went to find the cafeteria staff to clean it up, Chen Hong saw her and thought she was deliberately being messy.
Ji Zhenyan's good reputation with Chen Hong was completely ruined.
As a result, Shen Buqing truly harbored ill intentions towards her. When he decided to kick her out, he even added insult to injury by saying she was like garbage.
But at this moment, Ji Zhenyan, feeling down after finishing her meal and a day's work, received recognition for her mall design from Chen Baiqing that night. This made Shen Buqing very unhappy. He emphasized, "Ji Zhenyan is just an operator. She can do design, but we in the Network Department won't take on this design task anymore; let the developers handle it. I won't give her any performance bonuses either. Just looking at her annoys me—she's an old lady who knows nothing!"
Chen Baiqing was truly speechless; Ji Zhenyan's mall design was really well done, after all, she was an outstanding talent from a big company.
Shen Buqing insisted on his viewpoint and urged Chen Baiqing to reconsider. He said, "Ji Zhenyan is just a pawn. Whether you value her or Gu Yanshen does, it's the wrong decision. The three of us need to stick together tightly to achieve the thirty billion sales target. Ji Zhenyan is really not useful at all!"
Chen Baiqing was genuinely annoyed by Shen Buqing's complaints and told him to leave for now.
On the other hand, Gu Yanshen took Chen Baiqing's thirty billion sales plan seriously. That night, he held six consecutive sales team meetings. Additionally, Gu Yanshen was negotiating a hundred million online deal at that time, and everyone in the sales department still had great trust in him.
That night, Ji Zhenyan posted on social media, sharing four management suggestions for the company. A friend of hers in the circle approached Chen Baiqing, who discovered that Shen Buqing had numerous management flaws.
That evening, he scolded Shen Buqing thoroughly.
However, Shen Buqing was not pleased; he secretly vowed to drive Ji Zhenyan out of the company for opposing him.
When Chen Baiqing discussed this matter with Gu Yanshen, both were quite troubled. Gu Yanshen had successfully closed the hundred million deal.
He also received encouragement from Ji Zhenyan and felt sad; the company currently faced many issues. He genuinely wished Ji Zhenyan could stay because having good employees like her would give the company more hope. Aside from his fondness for her, he truly hoped more capable employees would join the team contributing ideas for the company.
He talked about this with Chen Baiqing and insisted that Ji Zhenyan should stay.
That night, Shen Buqing learned about this again and mockingly laughed, "What can an assistant who earns less than six thousand do? I just don't think much of her! Since we've already secured a hundred million online deal, I want to be number three; I don't need Ji Zhenyan anymore! If Gu Yanshen likes her so much, he can make her his wife!"
Chen Baiqing was thoroughly enraged. He included Gu Yanshen and Shen Buqing in a three-person meeting to discuss Ji Zhenyan and the online mall, calling for an urgent meeting. Shen Buqing scoffed, saying, "If you want to be a wife, just say it. I can't stand you anyway. The online mall has already signed contracts worth hundreds of millions; what do I have to worry about? Ji Zhenyan is just a shameless person! Instead of working properly, she’s trying to seduce the company’s second-in-command!"
Gu Yanshen was really furious. He said, "She is very polite; she smiles every time we meet!"
Chen Baiqing was also angered by Shen Buqing's words. He said, "Fine, you say you can be the third-in-command. You need to make the online mall reach 2.7 billion; if you can't do it, then get lost. If Ji Zhenyan really becomes Gu Yanshen's wife, I will bless them!"
After Shen Buqing obtained the position of the company's third-in-command, he completely disregarded others in the department and looked down on Gu Yanshen as well.
He instructed Ji Zhenyan to delegate authority to several team leaders, concentrating all departmental conflicts on her alone.
Ji Zhenyan originally had a great rapport with everyone in the department; they all liked her, especially Uncle Chen and Jiao Jiao.
Shen Buqing thought that being tough was necessary. He promised Uncle Chen and Jiao Jiao that as long as the mall succeeded, they would each receive a 2% commission and informed the mall developers that once the handshake ceremony was completed, they would receive an additional reward of 420,000 from SDS Company.
In his eyes, Ji Zhenyan was nothing at all.
Shen Buqing was capable but truly lazy.
A few days later, Ji Zhenyan made significant contributions to the mall's construction by improving the construction process. Gu Yanshen praised her to Chen Baiqing, saying, "I'm also happy that the mall is being built!"
Chen Baiqing was very pleased to learn that Ji Zhenyan was doing well, but he knew that Shen Buqing would not let this go easily.
He wanted this girl to stay in the company a little longer, just a little longer.
As expected, on the day of the official promotion, Shen Buqing joined forces with Human Resources Chen Hong, disregarding Ji Zhenyan's top weekly evaluation scores and kicked her out.
From that moment on, Chen Baiqing's heart hardened. Gu Yanshen no longer spoke of feelings, and Shen Buqing completely lost his mind; he wanted money—lots of money.
A month later, Ji Zhenyan returned to SDS Company with technology and a team.
Chen Baiqing was exhausted; his business had failed, but he still wanted to hold on. He rejected Ji Zhenyan again, wanting to reorganize himself.
This time, Gu Yanshen calmly said, "I can wait. I will wait for good technology and a team to come to the company and dig deep!" The light in his eyes gradually dimmed. He still remembered her bright smile as she confidently declared, "I want to dig deep in this company!"
In Gu Yanshen's heart, Ji Zhenyan was a woman setting sail with ambition, vibrant and spirited, her red dress fluttering. In her eyes was a light that others did not possess. He wanted to see that light—confident, grounded, and inviting. He wanted to collect such light and keep it in his pocket.
In May, Shen Buqing's online mall project worth 2.7 billion completely failed. Chen Baiqing fell into despair, and Gu Yanshen no longer smiled.
This time, Ji Zhenyan visited SDS Company again with a mature product. She did not seek out Chen Baiqing or Gu Yanshen but instead found Uncle Chen. This time, her eyes still held light—the light of hope in spring. When she looked up, she saw the slender figure of a celestial being walking toward her from afar. He noticed the light in her eyes; it was still the way he liked it. He smiled, and she smiled back.
I have traveled through mountains and rivers just hoping that you can be well.
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