Chapter 43
The last time they met, he was just a kind stranger. This time, he had suddenly become her meal ticket.
The agent began frantically trying to remember if he had inadvertently offended the other party last time. Although he had indeed shown a slight unwillingness for the two to have too much involvement then, surely it wasn't... that bad?
The agent suddenly began to feel insecure.
Seeing that she merely said hello on their second meeting, still appearing quite indifferent, He Minglun considered another possibility.
"You don't actually remember me at all, do you?"
A big company, a major shareholder, a young and beautiful tycoon - although He Minglun was backed by an entertainment company and didn't rely solely on any one person, he still knew that in their circle, such a patron was incredibly rare and sought-after. If you actually encountered one, people would be falling over themselves trying to get close to her.
In this situation, it was completely normal for her not to remember him... yeah right!
Seeing that she had indeed fallen into reminiscence as he had thought, seemingly trying to recall something, He Minglun didn't even bother to put his hat back on.
"Hmm..."
Just before the other party could become truly anxious, Gu Wan finally recited his name: "He Minglun, 28 years old this year, height 181cm..."
This was what Xia Qianqian had casually told her when Gu Wan had given that "letter" to Xia Qianqian as a gift.
At this point, He Minglun of course realized that she was doing this on purpose.
Although much of the information she rattled off was outdated, having it listed out like that still made He Minglun feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
"It's not 181cm," he said.
"It's actually 187cm."
Gu Wan suddenly remembered that he had debuted ten years ago, when he was only 18, so it was indeed possible he had continued growing since then.
"There's also birthday, blood type..."
The agent, who had finally come to his senses, wanted nothing more than to cover He Minglun's mouth with his hand.
No, how could he so casually reveal such private information?
But He Minglun didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it, and promptly finished listing everything.
Just then, the elevator arrived at the 23rd floor. As Gu Wan was about to press the button to continue up, she heard him ask: "Do you want to watch me shoot a commercial?"
At this, not just Gu Wan, but even the agent whipped his head around to look at him.
Wait, no, he had only been thinking that casually to himself earlier, he hadn't actually meant for He Minglun to go and seduce the shareholder!
Of course, it wasn't that the agent didn't want to, but mainly that you should at least investigate a bit before attempting to curry favor, right? Otherwise if it backfired, they'd be finished.
However, this time He Minglun was showing unusual enthusiasm, to a degree that even the agent found inconceivable.
Gu Wan paused, then looked him over a few times. After a moment, she finally withdrew her hand from reaching towards the elevator buttons.
"Alright then."
"Let's go."
Seeing her so easily step out of the elevator, He Minglun reacted with a smile. He knew it - how could there be anyone who didn't like him?
Only the agent, nearly left behind in the elevator, was momentarily dumbfounded.
As it happened, the marketing department had their own photo studio, so after He Minglun checked in, he was immediately sent to change clothes and start makeup.
At first, the employees were startled by Gu Wan's appearance. Given her style of dress and demeanor, which didn't seem like that of an assistant, the staff thought perhaps the popular star had brazenly brought a secret girlfriend to the work site. They marveled at how daring he was, practically courting death - or did he just have that much faith in their ability to keep a secret? This was really testing them!
But as the more senior employees looked at Gu Wan, she seemed increasingly familiar. Adding to that the badge she wore, everyone finally understood - this wasn't He Minglun's girlfriend, this was their boss's wife!
[Holy crap! Big news!!!]
The boss's wife had come but didn't go find the boss, instead arriving with He Minglun, the star known for his handsome face. Hiss... didn't He Minglun know their big boss was sitting upstairs right now? Had this guy gone crazy?
Gu Wan had no idea how fast these people's hands were, how gossipy they were, or how outrageously the rumors were spreading. She had originally just planned to look around, and since He Minglun had invited her, plus she had indeed never seen how stars actually shot commercials, she decided to come.
Gu Wan hadn't intended to get involved at all, but to her surprise, before long the person in charge came over with a tablet, asking for her opinion. There were four proposals in total, and they wanted to know which one she thought was better, clearly intending to shoot whichever one she preferred.
Although Gu Wan wasn't incapable of understanding, and her aesthetic sense was always on point, the idea of interfering in Lu Yu's company's affairs still made her think better of it.
Gu Wan smiled and politely declined, tactfully expressing that she had only come out of curiosity and had no intention of meddling in their work. She told them to just proceed according to their original plan.
However, the person in charge also indicated that it didn't really matter which of the four proposals they chose.
At this point, He Minglun came over. After looking at all four proposals, he pointed to one of them and asked if they could shoot that one first, saying he personally felt that if he were to shoot it, the results from this one might be the best.
It was just a tiny request, one that could be settled with a single word from her, yet Gu Wan still refused.
He Minglun felt a bit put out, thinking that ever since their first meeting, she had been quite aloof.
But when he started shooting later, she watched very attentively.
He Minglun couldn't quite figure out if she liked him or disliked him. He found himself hesitating over this unconsciously, forgetting that they were merely slightly familiar strangers who had only met twice - he really had no need to dwell on such things.
Looking from one to the other, the agent suddenly felt a bit uncertain. Had his star been led by the nose emotionally?
As He Minglun continued shooting, Gu Wan sat on a nearby sofa, her elbow propped on the armrest, chin resting on her hand. Her eyes clearly reflected the busy figures of everyone around.
He Minglun was indeed worthy of his early fame, having enjoyed smooth sailing all the way. He exuded an aura of confidence and flamboyance.
But he certainly had the capital to be flamboyant - under the spotlights, he was impeccably handsome and self-assured.
He Minglun vaguely sensed a hint of admiration in her gaze.
He suddenly felt a little elated.
Meanwhile, Lu Yu had heard from the family driver around 8 AM that Gu Wan had already set out. Given the distance from their home to the company, she should have arrived in about half an hour, yet even now he still hadn't seen any sign of her.
Just as Lu Yu was debating whether to send Gu Wan a message to ask, he saw Qin Assistant across from him inform him that Madam Gu was currently in the marketing department watching this time's spokesperson shoot a commercial.
Only then did Lu Yu remember who the spokesperson the marketing department had invited this time was.
Seeing that there was only half an hour left before the meeting was due to start, and Gu Wan still hadn't appeared, Lu Yu pressed his lips together, but finally called her.
Gu Wan didn't refuse, exchanging a few brief words with Lu Yu before hanging up and standing.
Seeing the marketing department people and He Minglun still busily working not far away, Gu Wan had no intention of disturbing them. She just nodded to the agent who had been keeping an eye on his star the whole time.
Gu Wan pointed upstairs and said: "The meeting is about to start. You all continue with your work, I need to go up."
It was just a very ordinary sentence, but perhaps due to the added weight of her status, the agent found it exceptionally classy and refined.
In a big company like this, anyone who could attend shareholder meetings was a big shot.
The agent's expression turned cautious as he nodded hastily.
Gu Wan felt that the other party had misunderstood something, but she couldn't be bothered to explain further. She quickly left the studio and took the elevator to the top floor.
When He Minglun turned his head again, he noticed that the sofa had somehow become empty.
About five minutes later, Gu Wan met Lu Yu in the top floor office.
Qin Assistant hadn't seen Mrs. Lu for nearly a year, and he vaguely sensed that she had changed a lot. The most noticeable change was her casual attitude, which she had never displayed before.
As soon as she entered the room, she surveyed the office environment, then looked at the floor-to-ceiling windows with their giant screen. She then casually remarked, as if making small talk, "The view is really beautiful."
Gu Wan seemed to sigh with admiration: "So this is what it feels like to overlook City A. It's quite impressive indeed."
Looking at it this way, it was clear why so many people praised Lu Yu as heaven's chosen one. To own all of this in his early thirties was indeed well-deserved.
There was wonder and appreciation in Gu Wan's eyes, but no obsession or greed.
Even vast wealth and power could no longer move her. She was like a kite, free in the wind. If one wasn't careful and let go of the string for a moment, she would fly towards the sky without hesitation.
Seeing that Lu Yu hadn't spoken for a long time, Gu Wan had to ask, "What do you need me to do in the upcoming meeting?"
Lu Yu suddenly came back to his senses. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, because the real reason he had called Gu Wan up wasn't actually to discuss anything with her.
Fortunately, Qin Assistant, who had been observing the whole process, spoke up in time: "The other Mr. Lu doesn't have many shares, but if he really causes trouble, it could be a bit of a headache. So we'd appreciate it if you could cooperate with Mr. Lu later, Mrs. Lu."
An unconditional supporter of Lu Yu's decisions - a tool, Gu Wan understood. This was why she had come today.
Although she didn't think such a matter required specially setting aside half an hour to remind her, Gu Wan thought that perhaps this meeting was particularly important for the company's future development, which was why they were being so careful.
During the subsequent meeting, Gu Wan indeed acted as she had agreed with Lu Yu, offering no objections to anything he said throughout the entire proceedings.
She never went back on her word.
Lu Yu realized that even if she no longer loved him, he could still trust her.
Meanwhile, Lu Guangcheng, who had originally thought he could throw his weight around with the shares the old man had given him, and Lu Cong, who had come along specially, found themselves completely overshadowed by Gu Wan and Lu Yu's united front. Even when they spoke up or made suggestions during the meeting, the other shareholders seemed to ignore them entirely, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
Lu Guangcheng and Lu Cong's faces soon turned the color of pig liver.
This just goes to show that having shares doesn't mean much. When the old man was still alive, it was best to just quietly collect dividends. Aspiring for more only led to humiliation.
At the evening banquet, Gu Wan unsurprisingly saw He Minglun.
It made sense - with so many shareholders and big shots present, the advertising shoot and shareholders' meeting coinciding was too good an opportunity to pass up, even if just to get familiar faces.
Seeing that Gu Wan didn't actively seek out the big star, Lu Yu was initially quite pleased. However, when he came out of the study later that night, he saw that Gu Wan had apparently dug out a handbag she had carelessly tossed into the junk room half a year ago.
Lu Yu then understood that it wasn't that she didn't care about the big star; she just wouldn't use his resources or territory to provide convenience for the other party.
Should he praise her for having principles?
In the end, Lu Yu only asked, "Are you interested in him?"
Gu Wan nodded without much hesitation.
"Sometimes being a fan doesn't seem too bad," she said with a smile.
Gu Wan was still oblivious at this moment, but a voice in Lu Yu's heart was screaming—
Be careful.
She's a bit attracted to him.
Be careful!
She's falling for him!
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