Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 494 - 495: I heard that Gu Anxi also submitted the design drawing
"Really?" Gu Mingzhu seemed a bit starstruck. "Then how... how is the final winner determined?"
Her little schemes 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 accustomed 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 moment.
Gu Anxi, who had overheard some of it, lowered her head to hide her laughter.
Gu Mingzhu, on the other hand, actually believed him and felt somewhat 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 came 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 member. If it weren’t for her, how could the Gu and Bo families have become 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 mess of a perfectly good life."
Gu Anxi smiled faintly. "Regarding today’s events, what do you plan to tell your boss?"
The Secretary General immediately waved his hands. "How would I dare try to be clever with you! You’re magnanimous; please don’t mention 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 seemed indifferent to the news when he heard it."
Sipping her tea, Gu Anxi chuckled. "She must have either offended Mr. Wang or done something to displease him. Otherwise, he would have met her in person. Why would she need to be so deferential towards you?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
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 some of his little pleasures!
As Secretary Wang left, Bo Xichen said with an amused smile, "Miss KO?"
Gu Anxi exclaimed, "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 come 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 seemed 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.
「Meanwhile,」
The Secretary General had just finished his meal 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 overtime, throwing a pile of non-essential tasks his way. This went on for three full days, and the Secretary General finally realized something was amiss.
This was pushing him to his breaking point! No, something was very wrong. He belatedly realized that Mr. Wang was likely punishing him because of his meeting 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 me to go through all of them?"
He was swamped with work every day; how could he have the time 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 came up with. So, I had all the submissions printed for you to guess which one is hers."
King Jingyao immediately put down what he was doing and asked with great interest, "She told you that? Why didn’t the child tell me?"
The Secretary General chimed 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 shamelessness 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.
