Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 580 - 581: Coincidence! Shen Congwen, are you resigning yourself to degeneration?
King Jingyao turned his head. "So, you deigned to come upstairs?"
Seeing her drenched in sweat, he had the Secretary-General fetch a towel for her. Gu Anxi nonchalantly wiped her face a couple of times. Her old brother was quite displeased. "A girl should act like a girl. Xichen is lucky he doesn’t find you a handful."
Gu Anxi made a face. "Of course, he doesn’t find me a handful."
She was Bo Xichen’s precious girl, after all.
King Jingyao then turned his gaze to the other two women, Zhou Yu and Shen Congwen.
Shen Congwen, with his usual composure, greeted him, "Mr. Wang."
King Jingyao smiled. "Everyone, please sit."
He flipped through the menu. "Have you eaten? I just came from the hospital and I’m a bit hungry. Let’s just order a few dishes."
He said "a few dishes," but when could he ever truly be casual about it?
Gu Anxi immediately called the manager and ordered a table full of food, four or five of which were her old brother’s favorite dishes.
Her old brother was naturally very pleased by this, and even the Secretary-General standing by was smiling.
It seemed Mr. Wang’s kindness towards her wasn’t in vain; she still held this old brother dear in her heart.
Gu Anxi also ordered some dishes that everyone else liked, then closed the menu and handed it to the manager, who immediately went to see to the order.
King Jingyao lit a cigarette but extinguished it after smoking only half. "Why isn’t President Zhou here?"
Gu Anxi said, "Oh, he said he’ll be up in a bit."
King Jingyao’s gaze landed on Shen Congwen’s face, a teasing glint in his eyes. Shen Congwen’s face flushed, and he felt a wave of embarrassment. However, accustomed as he was to the limelight, he feigned composure despite his discomfort.
Gu Anxi sidled up to her old brother. "Old Brother, he’s my Boss Zhou’s ’woman,’ so you’d better tone down that look."
Her old brother swatted her playfully. "What nonsense are you thinking?"
Gu Anxi looked at her reddening hand, shrank back a little, and fell silent.
Across from them, Zhou Yu and Shen Congwen were somewhat dumbstruck.
So this was how those two interacted.
King Jingyao himself was quite skilled at making women happy. Seeing that Zhou Yu seemed preoccupied, he told a few light jokes to ease the tension. Moreover, the Secretary-General was an expert at managing the atmosphere, so everyone quickly relaxed.
After a while, Zhou Yunchen arrived, and King Jingyao gestured for him to sit.
The Secretary-General had wine brought over, and King Jingyao insisted on having a couple of drinks with Zhou Yunchen. Watching this unfold, Gu Anxi rested her chin on her hand and smiled, a knowing look on her face.
Zhou Yunchen wasn’t a fool either. He also understood the powerful man’s intentions; they simply had a tacit understanding they didn’t need to voice.
After King Jingyao had finished three rounds of drinks, he had to leave, and Gu Anxi saw him off.
The two walked side by side, with the Secretary-General consciously staying about ten meters behind them.
Neither spoke. When they reached the car, Gu Anxi opened the door for him. King Jingyao got into the car, settled down, and looked up. "You’re being so good today, even waiting on your old brother."
Gu Anxi, hands in her pockets, coughed lightly. "Um... thank you."
She added softly, "Actually, you don’t have to be so good to me."
The powerful man shot her a disdainful look. "Who said I was being good to you? Don’t be so full of yourself. You’re such a magnet for trouble. I’d burn incense and pray if you could just stay out of it for a single day."
With that, he slammed the car door shut and told the driver to go.
Gu Anxi was left eating a mouthful of exhaust fumes.
When she returned, she was surprised to see Gu Mingzhu coming downstairs with Tang Yuan, just as Zhou Yunchen’s group was passing by.
Gu Mingzhu’s gaze fixed on Shen Congwen, and she stared at him for a long time without saying a word.
Gu Anxi couldn’t help but sigh internally. Of all people, why did Gu Mingzhu have to fall for Shen Congwen?
With the blockbuster success of Gu Mingzhu’s movie, she now had a bit more standing in Beicheng. Tang Yuan also had some money of her own, and the mother-daughter duo seemed poised to strike out on their own.
At this moment, seeing Shen Congwen with Zhou Yunchen, Gu Mingzhu felt a surge of shame and anger.
The man she admired was actually like this!
She slowly approached, her tone laced with irritation. "Brother Congwen, have you really fallen so low?"
Shen Congwen, who always tried to keep a polite distance from her, merely offered a faint smile. "Miss Gu, it’s best you don’t inquire about my personal affairs."
Tears welled up in Gu Mingzhu’s eyes. "Shen Congwen, what do you take yourself for? And what do you take me for? Gu Anxi is just toying with you! What can you possibly gain by following her?"
Gu Anxi coughed lightly. "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt."
She walked over and stood before Shen Congwen. "Congwen is now in charge of An Pu. That means, apart from me, he calls the shots at An Pu." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"I don’t believe it," Gu Mingzhu scoffed. "What about Zhou Yunchen? I don’t believe you’d dare to openly elevate Shen Congwen to such a position. The Bo Family would never stand for it!"
In her mind, Shen Congwen was now serving two masters, shared by Zhou Yunchen and Gu Anxi.
It had to be said, Gu Mingzhu was thinking too much, and her thoughts were quite dangerous.
Gu Anxi smiled. "Oh? Well, you can always go tattle if you like."
She then put an arm around Shen Congwen, leaning on his shoulder.
Gu Anxi was 170 cm tall, but Shen Congwen was a full 175 cm. They looked remarkably well-matched standing together.
Gu Mingzhu was livid. "Shen Congwen, have you no self-respect?"
Shen Congwen, usually a refined and serious person, surprisingly replied in earnest, "Mm, I’m finding that relying on my looks for a living is actually quite nice."
Humiliated and furious, Gu Mingzhu stormed off.
Once back in her room, she deleted all her photos of Shen Congwen and threw away everything connected to him.
Tang Yuan came in and saw her fuming. She didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed. "Mingzhu, why bother with someone like that? He’s just a plaything for Zhou Yunchen and Gu Anxi now."
Gu Mingzhu burst into tears. "Mom, why would he do this! He was the pure, unattainable ideal in my heart!"
Tang Yuan soothed her. "People change. It’s all about self-interest. One day he’ll regret it, because only our Gu family was truly sincere with him."
Gu Mingzhu rallied her spirits. "I know he’ll regret it someday."
She bit her lip. "Since he has so little self-respect, I don’t need to give him any face in the future."
Tang Yuan nodded.
Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh, right, you saw Zhou Yu, didn’t you?"
Gu Mingzhu’s heart skipped a beat. "Yes, I saw her."
Tang Yuan sneered. "Min Xin is injured, yet she still has the heart to eat, drink, and be merry with Gu Anxi. I heard she and Min Xin are finished."
Gu Mingzhu gasped. After a long moment, she managed to whisper, "Are they... getting divorced?"
Tang Yuan nodded. "That’s right, they’re getting divorced. Mingzhu, this is a good opportunity. Min Xin is lying in the hospital now and probably needs the comfort of loved ones."
She paused. "It might be inconvenient for me, your mother, to go, but you can visit him."
Gu Mingzhu bit her lip. After a long silence, she whispered, "Mom, if Dad finds out... will he drive us out of the Gu family? I’m a bit scared."
Lately, their position in the Gu family had been worsening day by day. Although she had gained some standing in Gu Corporation, Aunt Gu Ning had returned and was watching them like a hawk...
Tang Yuan, however, seemed to possess a grim determination, perhaps bolstered by the confidence from Gu Mingzhu’s successful movie. She said gently, "There’s absolutely no problem with you associating with Mr. Min. Even if your father finds out, he can appreciate the bonds of blood. Doesn’t he himself often want to see Anxi?"
At the mention of Gu Anxi, Gu Mingzhu’s competitive spirit flared up again. "I’ll go visit Mr. Min tomorrow morning."
If Mr. Min could acknowledge her privately, then the Gu family wouldn’t be so important anymore.
