Chapter 332: Deception
They say when a wall falls, everyone pushes it. The Gu family seemed to be facing exactly that situation now.
One of their down jacket production lines was exposed for a scandal similar to “black-hearted cotton,” and all their other businesses were now viewed through a tainted lens.
Xu Youyou indeed despised the Gu family, but she was no longer the naive girl she once was. Seeing one scandal after another break out, with barely a good word said about the Gu family, she asked Lu Jingyao, “Is someone fanning the flames?”
Lu Jingyao gave her an approving look and said, “The Gu family’s business does have problems, but there are also people eyeing their assets.”
Xu Youyou actually wanted to ask if he and Xie Ran were behind it, but considering Xie Ran had just come over today to report work, it wouldn’t make sense for him to hide anything.
Lu Jingyao directly said, “Do you still remember the Gu family from Hong Kong?”
Of course Xu Youyou remembered. That bizarre porcelain deal that fell apart caused Gu Fengchuan a major loss. She had heard plenty of people from Hong Kong say afterward that the Gu family did it deliberately, as revenge for being framed in the past.
“The world works like this — one side declines, another rises. Back then, when the Gu family in Hong Kong was schemed against, the Gu family in Shanghai was just one of the culprits. Now that the Hong Kong Gu family has recovered, naturally, they want to settle old scores one by one.”
Listening to Lu Jingyao’s explanation, Xu Youyou still had doubts. “Can the Hong Kong Gu family really reach this far?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “On their own, of course not. But in Shanghai, there are plenty of people eager to tear a piece of flesh from the Gu father and son.”
Xu Youyou grew curious. “It seems like you and Xie Ran haven’t made any moves this time?”
Lu Jingyao replied, “I know you hate the Gu family, but right now, they’re still under the Red Dragon King’s protection. With so many people already targeting them, there’s no need for us to rush in first. After all, our goal isn’t to divide up the Gu family’s assets.”
Ever since being reborn, although Xu Youyou hated the Gu family to the bone, she also didn’t want to lose everything she had. She definitely wanted to see the Gu family suffer, but she was also determined not to hurt herself in the process.
Or perhaps, to some extent, her hatred for the Gu family wasn’t greater than Xie Ran’s hatred for Xingzuan (Star Diamond).
“You… how do you know me so well?” Xu Youyou blurted out.
Lu Jingyao gazed at her tenderly. It was exactly because Xu Youyou hadn’t let hatred cloud her mind and was still enjoying life that he could truly relax.
The Gu family, meanwhile, was in a complete mess. Their production lines were being questioned, and even Gu Shuangbai — who had no real involvement — was getting dragged down.
“I didn’t even get to enjoy any of the family’s perks, but now that the whole family is getting roasted, they didn’t forget about me!” Gu Shuangbai couldn’t help but complain.
Father Gu glared at his son and said, “If you hadn’t been flaunting our family name all over the entertainment industry, how could things have blown up like this?”
He wasn’t entirely venting his anger — after all, many of the damaging news headlines were splashed with “Top Star Gu Shuangbai’s Family Business” in big, bold letters.
The entertainment industry was always highly sensitive to scandals. Gu Shuangbai’s name had been stuck in the top ranks of trending searches — longer and more steadily than even the ones he had paid for in the past.
Only this time, with the explosion of bad publicity, he couldn’t force a smile.
“Dad, you’re blaming me now? Back when you used my name to promote the family business, you weren’t complaining,” Gu Shuangbai shot back.
Father Gu gave his second son a hard stare. “Are you blaming me?”
Gu Shuangbai said, “My fan groups are in chaos right now. If I hadn’t been tied so closely to our products, would I be getting dragged into this mess? Dad, were you really that desperate for money that you had to cut corners?”
Normally, Father Gu would never have tolerated his son talking back like this. In the past, his sons were as timid around him as mice facing a cat.
But now the Gu family was on the brink of collapse. Father Gu lamented that even his own son was turning against him, but he forced himself to swallow his anger — after all, he still needed to coax Gu Shuangbai into providing some liquid cash.
A man who had never bowed his head in his life now lowered it for the first time. Father Gu said, “There’s no point in arguing over who’s to blame now. The most important thing is that we’re still a family, and we can weather this storm together.”
Seeing his proud father lower his head for once, Gu Shuangbai’s expression softened a little. He asked, “What’s your plan to fix this mess, Dad?”
Father Gu had already prepared his pitch. “Second Son, you’re part of this family. Your finances have always been separate from the family business, and money flows fast in the entertainment industry. You should still have some cash on hand.”
Gu Shuangbai wasn’t a fool — he immediately picked up on the hidden meaning. Still, he pretended to be clueless. “Dad, you don’t understand the industry. It’s all for show. Sure, the money comes in fast, but it goes out even faster. There’s nothing left to save.”
Father Gu frowned slightly. His second son sounded less like a famous star and more like some pampered kept woman.
Knowing he needed to offer real incentives, Father Gu added, “If you hand over your money, I’ll have it converted into company shares at a fair price. You’re my own son — I wouldn’t cheat you, right?”
Gu Shuangbai stayed silent.
Father Gu sighed helplessly and said, “I’ll even give you extra shares. The Gu family is in danger, sure, but we’re not about to collapse. The Red Dragon King is still backing us. Didn’t we survive a similar crisis before? Second Son, if you’re unwilling, I can still scrape by — but I’ll have to sell out to outsiders. If that happens, our good company will end up divided among strangers.”
Father Gu’s words hit Gu Shuangbai’s sore spot. As the second son, it would be a lie to say he had no feelings for the family business.
But from the beginning, Father Gu had always treated the eldest son as the heir, never letting the second or third sons get involved. That’s partly why Gu Shuangbai had abandoned the wealthy heir life to struggle in the entertainment industry.
The Gu family’s company had been a golden goose for years. Gu Shuangbai still carried some regret about not being part of it, and he knew chances like this didn’t come often.
“I’ll have my lawyer come over,” Gu Shuangbai said.
Hearing that, Father Gu’s eyes lit up immediately. As long as his son was willing to bring out the money, that was good enough. He didn’t worry about the lawyer — he could always find a way to smooth things over and give out some random shares to pacify him.
