Arriving at a nearby restaurant, Chen Yuan ordered two cups of tea. Gu Ye took a sip, gathered his thoughts, and slowly said, "Master Chen, to be honest with you, after Yu Yan died, certain families saw that the Gu family lacked a successor and began growing restless.
"Among them, the Zheng family is the ringleader. Over the past few months, they have been continuously suppressing the Gu family’s business. A few days ago, they tried to force us to compromise and agree to a marriage alliance, threatening to cut our sales channels in half if we refused."
As he spoke, a bitter expression formed on his face. If they agreed to the Zheng family’s demands, how would the Gu family be any different from a mere vassal? But if they refused and fought head-on, their Primordial Energy would be severely undermined.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Doesn’t the Gu family have Senior Brother Huang holding down the fort? Did the Zheng family hire an even more formidable Martial Artist?"
Senior Brother Huang was a Martial Artist who had reached Muscle-refining Great Success and Hidden Force Great Success. With his impressive strength, the Zheng family shouldn’t have been able to easily find an elite Martial Artist stronger than him.
Gu Ye sighed. "The Zheng family doesn’t have the capability, but they spent a fortune to hire an expert with Muscle-refining Minor Achievement and Hidden Force Minor Achievement, which makes their forces look imposing.
"With the Zheng family making a move against our Gu family this time, I’m afraid he is also adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Chen Yuan asked calmly, taking a sip of tea.
Gu Ye smiled bitterly. "This Zheng family Tributor is incredibly ugly and known as Toad Liu. To make matters worse, he’s a habitual womanizer. The Zheng family wants Wan Tong to marry this Liu Ha Ma. How could our Gu family subject Wan Tong to such an injustice? Therefore, we’ve always refused."
This was exactly why he had the confidence to seek out Chen Yuan. Wan Tong had a good relationship with Chen Yuan’s cousin, so Gu Ye could only hope that this connection would persuade him. However, he wouldn’t bring it up himself. Explicitly stating it would change the nature of the conversation, making it seem as if he were using Cheng Xiaoyu to coerce Chen Yuan into helping. With Chen Yuan’s intelligence, he should be able to understand this underlying layer without it being spelled out.
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Gu Wantong had taken quite good care of Yu. He still remembered when Yu had been bullied by Yu Yan; it was Gu Wantong who had stepped in to help her out of the situation. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Gu Wantong suffer.
"Alright," he said faintly. "Supervisor Gu, allow me some time to consider it. I will give you an answer tomorrow."
Naturally, he wouldn’t just blindly trust Gu Ye. Moreover, Yu hadn’t mentioned this matter to him these past few days. He would decide after asking her later.
Gu Ye nodded hastily. "Thank you, Master Chen. If you can generously lend a hand, the Gu family will surely reward you heavily. Regardless of the outcome, Gu will be endlessly grateful."
To him, the fact that Chen Yuan didn’t reject the request outright was a good thing. The two parted ways.
After lunch, seeing that there was still some time before his undercover work started, Chen Yuan headed home, but there was no sign of Yu. She was likely staying at the Gu Residence for lunch.
Chen Yuan then made a trip to the Gu Residence. Following the servants’ notification, Gu Ye hurried out to welcome him and immediately prepared a guest room meant for VIPs. Chen Yuan simply stated that he had some matters to discuss with Yu.
Realizing that Chen Yuan was here to assess the situation, Gu Ye immediately sent someone to invite Cheng Xiaoyu over.
Before long, two young women appeared at the door. The one on the left was Cheng Xiaoyu, as lively and adorable as ever. The moment she saw Chen Yuan, her eyes lit up and she broke into a bright smile. Chen Yuan smiled back faintly.
The woman on the right wore a long dress. She was tall, elegant, and exceptionally beautiful. She was undoubtedly the Third Miss Gu, Gu Wantong. He had heard her name for a long time, but seeing her today, she indeed possessed a gentle and charming demeanor. No wonder that Liu Ha Ma was drooling over her and constantly thinking about her. Chen Yuan simply gave her a slight nod.
"Brother Yuan, what brings you here?" Cheng Xiaoyu asked in pleasant surprise, closing the door behind her.
Ever since Yu Yan’s death, Chen Yuan’s relationship with the Gu family had become somewhat strained. He rarely came to the Gu family to pick her up to play in the Inner City anymore. To her, it didn’t matter whether Brother Yuan had killed Yu Yan or not. All she needed to know was that Brother Yuan cared for her, and that was enough.
Chen Yuan chuckled. "I came to see you and ask about something."
Without beating around the bush, he relayed the situation Gu Ye had described and asked Cheng Xiaoyu if it was true.
At the mention of this matter, Cheng Xiaoyu’s face instantly fell. "Brother Yuan, it is true," she said softly. "The Zheng family is truly despicable, actually demanding that Miss Gu marry such a disgusting person. She’s been very unhappy lately."
It was simply even more unacceptable than Yu Yan. Every time she thought about it, she was filled with righteous indignation, feeling completely unjust for her Miss. Why did they always run into such terrible men?
Chen Yuan took a sip of water and smiled faintly. "Yu, aren’t you on good terms with Miss Gu? She even took care of you before. You could have told me about this."
Back then, if Yu hadn’t told him that the Gu family was funding students from impoverished backgrounds, his path might not have been so smooth.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked a bit embarrassed. "How could I bring myself to say it? I know your relationship with the Gu family isn’t good, Brother Yuan. Besides, even the Patriarch can’t handle the Zheng family, so they definitely aren’t easy to provoke..."
Although she hoped her Miss could escape this bitter mire, she also knew her boundaries. Brother Yuan had already been good enough to her; she couldn’t let him do things that would put him in a difficult position just for her sake. Furthermore, this matter was very dangerous. If she dared to bring it up and her mother found out, she would be scolded to death.
Of course, another reason was that it hadn’t reached the final, desperate stage yet. Otherwise, Cheng Xiaoyu thought, she might have actually opened her mouth and asked Brother Yuan for help.
Chen Yuan smiled slightly. It seemed his cousin was still capable of considering his situation. "So, you’re saying you don’t want Gu Wantong to marry that Liu Ha Ma?" he asked softly.
Cheng Xiaoyu nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. Of course, she didn’t want that.
Chen Yuan nodded. "Alright, I understand. I’ll find some time to resolve this matter."
He would treat this as returning the favor to his cousin’s benefactor. Objectively speaking, the Gu family would also owe him a favor, though he didn’t need it.
Worry clouded Cheng Xiaoyu’s face. "Brother Yuan, don’t act recklessly. You must be careful and stay safe."
She was still a bit uneasy. Although she knew Brother Yuan was very powerful now—even the Gu family hosted him in their best room—it was, after all, a problem that the Gu family themselves couldn’t solve.
Chen Yuan maintained a calm demeanor and spoke in a gentle voice, "Don’t worry, I’m just going there to reason with them. I won’t act recklessly."
He didn’t want to make an enemy of the Zheng family over this; a peaceful resolution would be best. After chatting about a few more trivial things, seeing that it was getting late, Chen Yuan took his leave.
Seeing that Chen Yuan had no intention of staying longer, Gu Ye personally saw him out to the courtyard gate. Only then did he return, wanting to inquire about Chen Yuan’s attitude from Cheng Xiaoyu. "Yu, did your Brother Yuan talk to you about Wan Tong’s situation? Is it convenient to share?" he asked warmly.
Gu Wantong also walked over, holding her breath in anticipation as she watched Cheng Xiaoyu. She, too, hoped for a good outcome. After all, she was at a tender age of youthful romance and couldn’t bear the thought of marrying an old, ugly monster.
Cheng Xiaoyu thought for a moment. There didn’t seem to be anything to hide, and Brother Yuan hadn’t told her to keep it a secret. She smiled and said, "Brother Yuan said he’ll find some time to resolve this matter. Don’t worry, Miss Gu. With Brother Yuan around, everything will be fine."
Gu Ye froze for a moment, his expression turning complex. Chen Yuan agreeing to help was undoubtedly a tremendous piece of good news. However, the fact that Chen Yuan agreed to help without discussing it with the Gu family clearly indicated that he didn’t want to get involved with them. He was solely stepping in for his cousin’s sake.
This sense of alienation left a deeply bitter taste in Gu Ye’s mouth.