Early the next morning, the assistant got to work handling the matter of terminating the contract with the Feng family. The company had been cooperating with the Feng family for years, and ending the contract abruptly without thorough preparation would result in significant financial losses.
Despite the assistant's report detailing the profitability and ramifications of breaking ties, Gu Qixiao remained firm in his decision to terminate the cooperation with the Feng family.
The assistant refrained from arguing further, simply responded with an "Understood," and left the office.
Gu Qixiao then recalled that Wu Bei had compiled information on the industry over the past few years, including details about some emerging enterprises. Among them, there were bound to be potential suppliers suitable to replace the Feng family.
He immediately opened his email and began browsing. Sure enough, there was a supplier offering similar products to the Feng family—a newly emerging enterprise that had only gained prominence in recent years.
Gu Qixiao promptly forwarded the details of this company to the assistant, instructing him to conduct an investigation before finalizing any cooperation.
Assistant Li, ever the exemplary professional, efficiently resolved the cooperation termination within a single day.
He also thoroughly investigated the new potential partner that Gu Qixiao had proposed and managed to negotiate a contract that was a third cheaper than the price the Feng family previously offered.
While everything on this end was being seamlessly resolved, joy on one side was matched by despair on the other.
Mr. Feng was caught off guard by the abrupt cancellation from the Gu family. He couldn't comprehend why, after years of stable collaboration, their partnership would be terminated so suddenly.
Initially, Mr. Feng maintained his composure after being informed of the termination. However, he soon realized that this was only the beginning.
When Feng Qinqin returned home that day, she sensed that the atmosphere in the house was different from usual, and there was a noticeable trace of worry on her father's face.
She asked what was wrong, but Mr. Feng brushed it off casually, saying it was just minor work issues.
This response didn't alleviate Feng Qinqin's concern. She knew her father's temperament well—he never brought work-related emotions home.
If he did bring worry home, it meant the issue had a substantial impact on the company.
Rather than question him further, Feng Qinqin returned to her room and covertly asked the company manager about the situation.
Upon learning that Mr. Feng was troubled because the Gu family had terminated their partnership, she became even more concerned. Though the Feng family could not rival the prominence of the Gu family, their legacy in Capital City spanned several generations.
The partnership had been established by their elder generations, so to end such a long-standing cooperation without any clear reason was baffling.
It was easy to deduce that this was Gu Qixiao's doing, but Feng Qinqin barely knew him—not beyond brief encounters at banquets or hearing others talk about him.
She didn't know where to start in attempting to help the company. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she felt, so she instinctively sought out Ji Yu to confide in.
When Ji Yu heard about the Gu family's termination of their cooperation with the Feng family, she was stunned, but quickly asked, "Do you know who the Gu family's new partner is?"
"I don't. My father refuses to discuss it with me. I only noticed something was off and asked the company manager to find out."
"If the Gu family's new partner isn't finalized, or they're keeping it under wraps, either scenario is bad news for your family," Ji Yu analyzed.
Hearing Ji Yu's assessment, Feng Qinqin felt darkness cloud her vision.
Just then, Mrs. Feng's voice echoed through the house, prompting Feng Qinqin to hastily bid farewell to Ji Yu and hang up the phone.
Ji Yu stared blankly at her phone. Could it be that Gu Qixiao terminated the cooperation with Qinqin's family because of her?
Logically, it shouldn't be the case, but if it was, it would be overly petty. If there's an issue, direct it at me—why involve innocent people?
She decided to clarify the matter directly. Ji Yu considered calling Gu Qixiao to arrange a meeting.
But after scanning her contact list thoroughly, she realized she no longer had Gu Qixiao's number. She had only ever had his assistant's contact, but after their divorce, she deleted it, assuming she'd never need it again.
Left with no alternatives, Ji Yu decided to ask Mr. Gu to help her arrange a meeting with Gu Qixiao.
During their marriage, Mr. Gu had treated Ji Yu exceptionally well. After all, she was the daughter-in-law he had personally chosen for his son.
However, his son had been such a disappointment, not returning even once in three years of marriage. Now, hearing Ji Yu ask him to arrange a meeting with his son left him puzzled, but he complied.
After finalizing the time, Mr. Gu continued to remind Ji Yu to take care of her health. "If that foolish boy ever makes you angry again, just come to me—I'll teach him a lesson for you."
Mr. Gu's words warmed Ji Yu's heart, but she hadn't yet told him about her divorce from Gu Qixiao.
Once he found out that the divorce was initiated by her, how would Mr. Gu perceive her?
She decided to deal with that later. For now, she just needed to meet Gu Qixiao and talk things through.
"I understand, Dad. You take care of yourself as well—don't overwork," Ji Yu replied, comforting Mr. Gu.
Her soft and gentle tone made Mr. Gu even happier. The two chatted briefly before ending the call.
A few days later, at 10:30 in the morning, Ji Yu arrived early at the cafe where she and Gu Qixiao had agreed to meet. Incidentally, it was the same cafe where she had chatted with Feng Qinqin earlier.
This time, since they were discussing business matters, Ji Yu didn't choose her usual window seat but opted for a private room instead.
Sitting inside, Ji Yu wasn't anxious since she had arrived early. She quietly waited for Gu Qixiao to show up.
On the other side, Gu Qixiao sat in his car, preparing to head to the cafe at his father's insistence.
"Whatever the matter is, why can't it be discussed at home? Why do we have to meet at a cafe? The old man is being ridiculous," he thought.
Leaning back in his seat, Gu Qixiao rubbed the corner of his eyes before instructing the driver to set off.
Halfway through the journey, Song Xuan's call came in.
Seeing her name appear, Gu Qixiao felt a headache coming on. If he didn't answer, Song Xuan would keep calling until he did, so for the sake of convenience, he reluctantly picked up.
"What's wrong?" Gu Qixiao sounded slightly impatient, but the next second, he instructed the driver to turn the car around and head to Song Xuan's location.
Song Xuan had said on the phone, "Brother Xiao, where are you right now? I just got into a car accident. Can you come over and help me?"
Although Gu Qixiao wasn't eager to see Song Xuan, upon hearing about her car accident, he immediately had the driver turn around.
Upon arrival, he saw Song Xuan's car crashed into a streetlamp. She was sitting on the roadside, appearing deeply shaken.
A crowd had gathered to watch, with some even taking photos and videos.
Feeling exasperated, Gu Qixiao got out of the car, brought the dazed Song Xuan aboard, and left the driver to deal with the accident.
"Are you okay?" Gu Qixiao asked, looking at Song Xuan, who seemed lost.
She suddenly threw herself into his arms, crying softly. "Brother Xiao, a moment ago, I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared—terrified! Thank goodness you came right away to help me."
"It's alright now. You're fine," Gu Qixiao reassured her, gently patting her back.
"Brother Xiao, you must care about me, or you wouldn't have come to my aid, right? Brother Xiao, I love you. Let's be together," Song Xuan said, her gaze fervent and frantic.
Gu Qixiao immediately pushed her away in disgust. "Song Xuan, no matter how many times I say it, it's impossible between us. Stop deluding yourself."