"Really?" Gu Mingzhu seed a bit starstruck. "Then how... how is the final winner determined?"
Her little sches were as transparent as glass to the perceptive Secretary General.
The Secretary General gave a mysterious smile. "As I just said, such matters should be left to the professionals. Mr. Wang has invited a master to judge these design drafts. Miss Mingzhu, you have a prestigious status as the designer of that Italian building. However, this only makes it more crucial that we ensure fairness in this competition. By showcasing your outstanding work publicly, everyone will be able to admire it. Don’t you agree?"
Having long been accustod to navigating social situations, he was a master of saying the right thing to the right person, leaving Gu Mingzhu stunned and speechless for a long mont.
Gu Anxi, who had overheard so of it, lowered her head to hide her laughter.
Gu Mingzhu, on the other hand, actually believed him and felt sowhat confident.
Her work was modified by Master Xun Yi, who was also KO’s teacher, so it would naturally carry traces of KO’s style. No matter which master ca to assess it, they wouldn’t find any issues. That ten million was well spent.
Thus, she smiled confidently. "Then I shall await the good news."
The Secretary General continued eating with an amiable smile. He didn’t tell Gu Mingzhu that the invited master was Master Xun Yi himself—if he had, Gu Mingzhu probably wouldn’t have dared to call herself KO!
Everyone dispersed, each with their own thoughts. As she was leaving, Gu Mingzhu glanced at Gu Anxi, her lips pursed slightly.
The Gu family and the Bo Family had already fallen out, yet her father still defended Gu Anxi, saying her mother had gone too far? How had she gone too far? Gu Anxi wasn’t even a real Gu family mber. If it weren’t for her, how could the Gu and Bo families have beco estranged? How could she, Gu Mingzhu, constantly be overshadowed by Gu Anxi? Even if Mr. Wang left her birthday banquet because of the Bo family, that was unacceptable. She just couldn’t stand Gu Anxi looking so smug. Clearly, she was the legitimate daughter of the Gu family.
After seeing Gu Mingzhu off, the Secretary General returned to greet Gu Anxi.
He gave a wry laugh. "That young lady’s competitive streak is too strong. It’s not a good thing. She’s making a ss of a perfectly good life."
Gu Anxi smiled faintly. "Regarding today’s events, what do you plan to tell your boss?"
The Secretary General imdiately waved his hands. "How would I dare try to be clever with you! You’re magnanimous; please don’t ntion today’s incident to your elder brother!"
He sighed. "I found out that Miss Mingzhu is KO—the very KO that Mr. Wang admires. I thought Mr. Wang would be thrilled, but he seed indifferent to the news when he heard it."
Sipping her tea, Gu Anxi chuckled. "She must have either offended Mr. Wang or done sothing to displease him. Otherwise, he would have t her in person. Why would she need to be so deferential towards you?"
The Secretary General was convinced. "The Old Madam often says you’re incredibly astute. I didn’t believe it before, but now I truly do."
Perhaps only such a clever young lady could make Mr. Wang see her in a special light.
But surely, she could guess why Mr. Wang was displeased with Gu Mingzhu?
Of course, she understood; she was just playing dumb! Besides, if everything was laid bare, Mr. Wang would lose so of his little pleasures!
As Secretary Wang left, Bo Xichen said with an amused smile, "Miss KO?"
Gu Anxi exclaid, "Little Uncle, can you not be so sharp?"
He just laughed. "Your countless identities haven’t been cleared with Mr. Wang yet, and now you’ve co up with another one. Aren’t you afraid he’ll... hmm?"
Gu Anxi nodded, feigning complete understanding. "Right, Uncle Wang might not be able to handle it."
"Naughty girl," Bo Xichen said softly. "Don’t call him Uncle Wang anymore."
She murmured an "oh," lowered her head, and continued eating, occasionally stealing glances at him.
Bo Xichen smiled. "What is it?"
Gu Anxi suddenly hugged his arm. "Little Uncle, are you jealous?"
He looked surprised, then chuckled softly. "Maybe a little."
In her customary way of confessing her affection, she said, "I only like you."
Bo Xichen put an arm around her shoulder and fed her bite by bite. Such sweet gestures might have seed out of place on others, but thanks to his graceful and noble bearing, there was no hint of awkwardness.
Gu Anxi was rather enjoying this.
「anwhile,」
The Secretary General had just finished his al when he received a call. It was none other than King Jingyao.
King Jingyao’s voice was flat as he ordered him back to work overti, throwing a pile of non-essential tasks his way. This went on for three full days, and the Secretary General finally realized sothing was amiss.
This was pushing him to his breaking point! No, sothing was very wrong. He belatedly realized that Mr. Wang was likely punishing him because of his eting with Gu Mingzhu. The Secretary General was miserable but dared not argue, as Mr. Wang wouldn’t entertain such excuses.
Just when he was at his wit’s end, an idea struck him. Why not call Doctor Gu over? Mr. Wang was most susceptible to her influence. Didn’t he hear her say she had also submitted a design?
The Secretary General slapped his thigh. "I’ve got it!"
So, he eagerly carried a stack of printed drafts over to King Jingyao’s office. King Jingyao was reviewing files. He looked up. "What’s this?"
The Secretary General grinned. "These are the design drafts for the competition. I had an assistant print them out."
King Jingyao frowned. "I only need the final ten high-quality drafts. These... Do you expect to go through all of them?"
He was swamped with work every day; how could he have the ti for this?
The Secretary General had naturally anticipated this response and said confidently, "I heard Doctor Gu also submitted a design. I thought you might want to see what she ca up with. So, I had all the submissions printed for you to guess which one is hers."
King Jingyao imdiately put down what he was doing and asked with great interest, "She told you that? Why didn’t the child tell ?"
The Secretary General chid in playfully, "If she had told you, wouldn’t you have just given her first place?"
"Am I that kind of person?" King Jingyao cast a reproachful glance at the Secretary General, then smiled. "Besides, didn’t we invite Master Xun Yi? Just have him modify her drawing. If it really doesn’t work out, then have him redraw one for her."
The Secretary General listened, dumbfounded.
After a long pause, he finally said, "That’s... not how you’re supposed to dote on your sister."
He added, "That KO, Gu Mingzhu, is Master Xun Yi’s disciple. If you do this..."
King Jingyao squinted at the Secretary General. "And why not? If I’m proposing it, I naturally have conditions that will entice him."
The Secretary General was utterly defeated.
It wasn’t his boss’s astounding abilities that impressed him, but the sheer extent of his shalessness and favoritism. Didn’t he greatly admire KO before? Now he’s completely biased! He’s known for so long that Gu Mingzhu is this KO, yet he hasn’t even glanced at her work.
User Comments
0 comments from readers