Chapter 303: Trouble
Gu Fengchuan and Gu Xueying both stared at Fang Qianqian with surprised expressions, as if they suddenly didn’t recognize her.
“I don’t want to associate with people like that,” Gu Fengchuan said seriously.
Fang Qianqian looked at him as if she were looking at a child throwing a tantrum. “Xu Youyou has personal assets worth tens of billions and is about to marry Lu Jingyao. With such a powerful alliance, you still want to offend them?”
Gu Fengchuan was momentarily speechless. If it were any other girl, unrelated to him, marrying Lu Jingyao with Xu Youyou’s conditions, he would definitely be eager to curry favor.
But the moment he thought of Xu Youyou—how unpleasant their past encounters were—he hesitated. At their first meeting, she had hit him in the face with a broom. Even now, just thinking about it made his face ache faintly.
He couldn’t understand Xu Youyou’s inexplicable hatred toward him, nor did he want to share any of the brotherly affection he reserved for his sister with her. As a result, his hatred only deepened.
“I didn’t offend them. I’m just keeping a respectful distance,” Gu Fengchuan insisted stubbornly.
Fang Qianqian had initially liked Gu Fengchuan as her new boyfriend. Even though he wasn’t from Hong Kong City, he was the heir to the Gu family of Shanghai City, with hundreds of billions of assets awaiting him.
Gu Fengchuan also seemed easy to manipulate and didn’t seem woman-crazy, which reassured Fang Qianqian. Unlike her mother, she wouldn’t have to face endless mistresses and illegitimate children.
Now, Fang Qianqian felt Gu Fengchuan was even worse than her philandering father—at least her father wouldn’t randomly offend powerful figures.
“Big Sister Fang, Daddy and Mommy also don’t like Miss Xu very much. When you visit Shanghai City, be sure not to mention Xu Youyou in front of them. Their health isn’t good; they can’t handle the stress,” Gu Xueying said softly.
Fang Qianqian’s mouth drooped. “Got it.”
However, in her heart, she silently crossed off any plans to visit the Gu family in Shanghai—and even scratched off the idea of marrying into the family altogether. Now, when she looked at Gu Fengchuan, she didn’t find him nearly as handsome as she first did.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou, completely unaware that a brief meeting had wrecked a marriage prospect, was busy listening to gossip from He Zhilian.
Although the He family was based in the capital, they also had deep roots in Hong Kong City. He Zhilian often traveled between the two cities and knew the local gossip just as well as any native.
“It’s said that Gu Jianming, head of the Shanghai Gu family, was originally from Hong Kong City,” He Zhilian said in a low voice.
Xu Youyou was shocked. “He doesn’t have a hint of a Hong Kong accent. He speaks fluent Sichuanese. How could he be a native of Hong Kong?”
Having lived two lives, Xu Youyou clearly remembered her “cheap” father’s accent.
The public image Gu Jianming had always presented was that of a country boy who struggled to make it big in Hong Kong City.
His rise wasn’t very respectable. Xu Youyou vaguely knew it was linked to “honey trap” schemes, and it seemed even Madam Gu was involved.
He Zhilian continued, “This Mr. Gu really has a colorful background. His grandfather fled from inland China to Hong Kong City during troubled times and became a servant in the Hong Kong Gu family. His descendants even changed their surname to Gu and stayed as household servants.”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou suddenly understood why Gu Jianming worked so hard to cover up his past. After all, saying you came from a remote mountain village and made it on your own sounded far better than admitting you were once a servant.
“The rise of the Shanghai Gu family also has a lot to do with the Hong Kong Gu family,” He Zhilian added.
Xu Youyou asked, “Did the Hong Kong Gu family send their servants inland to develop business?”
He Zhilian nodded. “Originally, a proper young master was supposed to go inland with some servants. But the young master died, and the servant seized the family assets.”
Xu Youyou gasped. “Murder?”
He Zhilian shook her head. “Not directly, but it’s almost the same. The young master, once pampered and loved, was accused of rape thanks to the servant’s ‘righteous testimony.’ Although he wasn’t sentenced to death, he couldn’t bear the humiliation and took his own life.”
Xu Youyou asked, “From the way you say it, was the young master falsely accused?”
He Zhilian replied, “The Hong Kong Gu family insists he was framed. Here in Hong Kong City, we all say he was innocent. But once in Shanghai, people might say the young master brought it upon himself. As for the truth, only those involved back then would know.”
Regardless of the truth, Xu Youyou thought, the two families had formed a deep grudge. If it were her, she wouldn’t dare strut into the main family’s territory so openly.
Sure enough, the moment the Hong Kong Gu family saw Gu Fengchuan, their faces darkened, and even the younger generation ignored Fang Qianqian.
Fang Qianqian felt increasingly unlucky and didn’t bother hiding her displeasure toward the Gu siblings.
Xu Youyou thought this gathering was wildly entertaining—there were barely any antiques to be seen, but there was no shortage of drama.
“When will the real treasures come out?” Xu Youyou asked He Zhilian.
He Zhilian said, “Around ten in the morning. Right now, it’s just a warm-up. But if someone has a really good item, they can also arrange private deals with buyers now.”
“Are private deals easy to make?” Xu Youyou asked.
He Zhilian shook her head. “Without the Gu family’s endorsement, private deals are risky. Even if they succeed, future disputes could arise.”
While they were talking, someone suddenly approached Xu Youyou.
“Miss Xu, I’m Wu Yu. I’ve been wanting to meet you these past few days, but you’ve been busy. I have a deal I’d like to propose.”
Wu Yu looked about the same age as Fang Rui, and had a similar vibe—a typical arrogant, rich playboy.
“I heard you bought Fang Rui’s Lamborghini Countach. I really like that car. Would you consider selling it to me? I’m willing to offer 32 million HKD.”
At Wu Yu’s offer, Xu Youyou would instantly make a two-million profit.
Her real target had never been the car itself, but the string of characters associated with it. So she could have easily sold the car to recover her cost—but she didn’t.
“Sorry, the car has already been shipped out. It should be arriving in Shanghai soon,” Xu Youyou lied.
Upon hearing this, Wu Yu immediately said, “Miss Xu, we can make the transaction in Shanghai. I really love that car.”
Xu Youyou’s five-part suspicion instantly turned into full confirmation because of his eagerness. Smiling, she said, “That model is rare in China but quite common overseas. If you really like it, you can buy one in Europe or America. It’s much easier than going all the way to Shanghai.”
