Chapter 40

Early the next morning, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled patches of light upon the ground.

Gu Liuyun arrived early at the family garden and meticulously arranged the setting, hoping to ease the tense atmosphere between Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao.

However, when the two beauties arrived one after the other, the atmosphere proved even worse than he had anticipated.

Ye Manman wore a delicate, elegant long dress, looking like an immortal fairy, while Chen Jiaojiao was dressed in a fiery red short skirt, radiating passionate energy.

The moment their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly, and the air grew thick with a pungent sense of hostility.

"Hmph!" Chen Jiaojiao broke the silence first, turning her head away to avoid looking at Ye Manman.

Ye Manman refusing to be outdone, let out a soft huff and walked straight over to a stone bench on the other side, seating herself with an elegant yet distinctly aloof posture.

Seeing this, Gu Liuyun could not help but massage his temples with a headache. The atmosphere of this arena of romance was harder to endure than undergoing a heavenly tribulation!

He cleared his throat and began, "Manman, Jiaojiao, I invited you both here today because I wanted to—"

"Brother Liuyun, say no more. I have nothing to say to her!" Ye Manman interrupted Gu Liuyun, her tone tinged with a hint of grievance.

"Who even deigns to speak to you!" Chen Jiaojiao retorted unyieldingly, her voice dripping with disdain.

Gu Liuyun felt like a meat filling in a sandwich, squeezed between two powerful auras, caught in a dilemma from which there was no easy escape.

He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and tried to mediate once more, "Is there some misunderstanding between you two? If there's something to discuss, let's talk it out calmly..."

"Misunderstanding? She is doing this on purpose!" Chen Jiaojiao pointed at Ye Manman, burning with anger. "She always plays the weak victim just to win your sympathy!"

"I am playing the weak victim? You are the one who..." Ye Manman refused to concede, but before she could finish, Chen Jiaojiao cut her off.

"You totally are!" Chen Jiaojiao raised her voice by an octave. "You haven't the slightest understanding of Brother Liuyun's pressure; all you know how to do is act pitiful in front of him!"

"You..." Ye Manman turned pale with rage, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Enough!" Gu Liuyun finally lost his patience, letting out a low roar that instantly subdued both of them.

Both women froze, staring at Gu Liuyun in shock.

"You two..." Gu Liuyun looked at them, words failing him for a moment before he let out a helpless sigh. "Forget it, you both need to cool down first."

He turned and walked toward the other side of the garden, leaving the two of them staring blankly at each other.

Watching the two women who had been arguing incessantly, Gu Liuyun felt his head swell to twice its size.

He had tried to persuade them, gently analyzing the "misunderstandings" between them, but the two of them were as unyielding as if they had swallowed gunpowder. Neither would give an inch, trading barb for barb until even the birds in the garden were scared away.

Gu Liuyun felt as though he had been reduced to nothing more than air, a wave of disappointment washing over him. It felt like watching the prize cabbages he had painstakingly grown get trampled by rogue pigs.

Even the surrounding flowers and plants seemed to sense the oppressive atmosphere, drooping their heads and looking utterly listless.

He took a deep breath and decided he was done playing the nice guy.

The very next second, Gu Liuyun's aura underwent a drastic transformation. An invisible, overwhelming pressure radiated from him, making him feel like an ancient sovereign descended to earth.

His previously gentle gaze turned as sharp as a blade, and his voice dropped to a much deeper register. "Enough! Have the two of you argued enough?"

Both Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao were stunned by this sudden change; they had never seen Gu Liuyun look so stern and severe.

Staring at him in blank astonishment, they resembled two tamed kittens, the tense, hair-trigger atmosphere vanishing without a trace.

Gu Liuyun slowly approached them, devoid of his previous gentle tone, exuding an unquestionable majesty instead.

"Have you made enough of a scene?" His voice carried a trace of biting cold, reminiscent of millennia-old ice. "Look at yourselves right now. What do you look like?"

Pressed down by Gu Liuyun's overwhelming presence, Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao found it hard to breathe. They had never imagined that Gu Liuyun, usually so gentle and considerate toward them, could possess such a terrifying side.

The two women exchanged sheepish glances.

Gu Liuyun swept his gaze over them. "..."

With that, he ignored the two frozen women, turned around, and strode toward the study, leaving them rooted to the spot as though struck by a paralyzing spell, completely unable to move.

Gu Liuyun stepped into the study, leaving the two women in a state of utter disarray in the wind.

Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao looked at each other, each reading a trace of embarrassment in the other's eyes.

After fighting tooth and nail just moments ago, upon reflection, it really had been rather humiliating.

"What he said... actually makes sense." Ye Manman spoke first, her tone somewhat hesitant.

Chen Jiaojiao nodded as well. "Indeed. If we keep squabbling like this, we'll only become the laughingstock of those despicable people."

After a brief silence, Ye Manman sighed. "Sigh, it's all my fault for being too impulsive."

Chen Jiaojiao also scratched her head with a look of sheepish embarrassment. "Me too. I shouldn't have said those things."

At that moment, Gu Liuyun returned, carrying two cups of steaming tea.

"Here, cool your tempers." He handed the teacups to them, his voice resuming its customary gentleness.

"Brother Liuyun..." Both Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao looked at him with a sense of guilt.

Gu Liuyun smiled. "I understand how you feel, but there are some matters where we must stand united to overcome them." He proceeded to outline his subsequent plans and strategies—how to integrate resources to strengthen the family and how to counter the enemy's conspiracies—leaving the two women utterly awestruck.

"Brother Liuyun, you are simply amazing!" Adoration flickered in Ye Manman's eyes.

"You're practically Zhuge Liang reborn!" Chen Jiaojiao praised him without reservation.

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me." Gu Liuyun waved his hand with a smile. "We are all in the same boat now; we must pull together."

"Yes!" the two women answered in unison, their gazes resolute.

Ye Manman took the initiative to take Chen Jiaojiao's hand. "Jiaojiao, I'm sorry. I was in the wrong earlier."

Chen Jiaojiao squeezed her hand back. "Manman, please forgive me too."

The two exchanged smiles, and the previous estrangement was instantly wiped away.

Seeing this scene, Gu Liuyun finally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the romantic battlefield had been successfully navigated.

However, before he could fully release that breath, Steward Lin came running in frantically, his face completely drained of color. "Young Master, this is bad! Something has happened at the company!"

Steward Lin was shouting frantically about trouble at the company, yet Gu Liuyun remained completely unruffled.

He knew the situation like the back of his hand; that old fox and his own good-for-nothing uncle were undoubtedly up to no good.

Sure enough, upon arriving at the company, Uncle Gu was directing several security guards to carry boxes out. Each package was tightly sealed, and heaven knows what treasures were hidden inside.

Steward Lin trailed close behind him, bowing and scraping like a tail-wagging pug.

"Well, if it isn't our esteemed Young Master! What brings you here to inspect the work so soon?" Uncle Gu said with a sarcastic drawl, a smug smile plastered across his face as though he had already seized total control.

Gu Liuyun sneered, his gaze sweeping over the crates as his voice turned icy. "What do you think you're doing? Are you transferring company property to your own home?"

"Oh, my! What a way to put it—transferring to my own home? This is all rightfully mine!" Uncle Gu straightened his back, adopting a righteous and defiant posture.

"Rightfully yours? The company was founded single-handedly by Grandfather; since when do you get to call the shots?" Gu Liuyun scoffed coldly.