Chapter 23

Gu Yeliang listened intently and gripped Sang Ya's hand, his face full of pain. "Of course not. Being with you is more than I could ever hope for, Yaya."

"I'm sorry, Yaya. I've put you through so much."

"If I had a background like Xie Zhiyu's..." His eyes dimmed. "I'm the one who reached too high. I never should have pursued you..."

"You're so wonderful. I can't bear to see you suffer in the Gu Family because of me." Gu Yeliang drew Sang Ya into his arms. "I promise we'll go public once I finish this project, okay?"

Sang Ya felt a pang in her chest as she breathed in the faint scent of his cologne. "Okay. I'll convince Grandpa to call off the engagement."

"Silly girl, that's my burden to bear." Gu Yeliang kissed her forehead gently, as though she were precious to him. "Thank you for believing in me, Yaya."

Sang Ya asked, "A Ye, are you confident you can do it?"

She had recently started an internship at the family company. The Sang Family's business rarely overlapped with the Gu Family's, but Gu Yeliang's biggest competitor this time was the Xie Family's company.

Sang Ya believed in her boyfriend's abilities, but she had heard that Xie Zhiyu was in charge of the Xie Family's bid for this project.

Though she was afraid of her fiancé, she had to admit he was an outstanding heir to a wealthy family: rational, calm, decisive, ruthless... So perfect he seemed like a robot.

Could Gu Yeliang win against him?

Gu Yeliang's eyes darkened slightly, and he gave a bitter smile. "I'll do my best to win it."

"Ya Ya, trust me."

Gu Yeliang had not asked for help, but his words only made Sang Ya anxious. "Is there anything I can do?"

Her family might not be as powerful as the Xie Family, but they were hardly weak. "I'll ask my second uncle to help."

"Or you could work with Brother Zhiyu." Sang Ya had wanted to tell him the truth for a long time.

Gu Yeliang looked at her and shook his head gently. "The Xie Family won't share the profits. They have no reason to give the Gu Family a cut."

"You should be careful around your second uncle." He meant it as a warning, but Sang Ya had been sheltered too well. Her naivety bordered on foolishness.

"Are you worried my second uncle will object if he finds out about us?" Sang Ya patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. He's very good to me. He gives me anything I ask for."

The rest of Gu Yeliang's warning stuck in his throat. "Your second uncle's been swamped with another project lately. Don't bother him."

"I'll find a way to handle this."

Sang Ya had regretted her offer almost as soon as she made it, but luckily, Gu Yeliang had not taken her up on it.

"What can you do?" she blurted out. "We can't keep dating in secret forever, can we?"

"It's not that I don't believe in you. It's just that your opponent is Xie Zhiyu. Brother Xie..."

"My grandpa has already started discussing the engagement banquet with the Xie Family. For all I know, I'll graduate tomorrow and get married right after." The thought of spending her life with Xie Zhiyu, of seeing her whole future laid out before her, filled Sang Ya with dread.

An idea flashed through Gu Yeliang's mind. He tested the waters. "If I could get hold of Xie Zhiyu's bid proposal, I..."

He changed tack. "No. That's too risky."

Sang Ya thought it over seriously, then hesitated for a few seconds. "I can get the proposal."

But... was that really the right thing to do?

Gu Yeliang rejected the idea at once. "No. I can't let you take that risk. Besides, you two are engaged, and Xie Zhiyu is so accomplished. Being with me has already cost you enough. How could I let you face condemnation because of me..."

"Not this time. I'll think of something else. If it comes to that, I'll swallow my pride and make peace with Gu Yi."

Instead, Gu Yeliang's words strengthened Sang Ya's resolve. She gritted her teeth. "I'll get the proposal. Don't go begging Gu Yi. Who knows how he'd torment you?"

"Zhiyu has plenty of resources. Losing this one project won't mean much to him..." Sang Ya managed to convince herself. "But it means a lot to us. I'll make it up to him."

Gu Yeliang was silent for a moment before sighing. "Ya Ya, thank you. I swear I'll treat you well for the rest of my life."

Sang Ya's conscience had been weighing on her, but his words made her feel a little better. "Mm. I'm doing this for our future."

"For our future." Gu Yeliang's eyes were dark and deep as a bottomless pool.

... At the Xie Residence, Shen Baili looked through the newly unlocked chapters while chatting with the system. "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"You systems really keep up with the times."

The system said happily, "I've been learning about this world's culture and language lately. The heroine called herself a master of time management~"

The system grumbled, "She's pretty terrible at managing her time. Everyone around her keeps cleaning up her messes..."

Shen Baili skimmed the chapters and found herself agreeing wholeheartedly with the system's complaint.

For example, Sang Ya had everyone arrange their schedules around rehearsals for her graduation performance, then stood them all up to go on a date with Gu Yeliang...

And during her internship, Sang Ya happily spent each day slacking off and chatting with her coworkers about office gossip. She had not even noticed that her second uncle had sidelined her...

Was this some kind of reverse time management? Managing to turn everything into a mess?

Shen Baili finished reading the newly unlocked chapters. They described how Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang had met and fallen in love.

As an illegitimate son, Gu Yeliang had been shunned at school and bullied by his older half brother, Gu Yi. Seeing him mistreated broke Sang Ya's heart, and she helped tend his wounds. During those bleak school days, she was the only person who truly saw him.

Once they grew close, Sang Ya often confided her troubles to him, from her overbearing grandfather to the childhood betrothal she wanted no part of.

As they came to know each other, they fell in love. Sang Ya suggested breaking off her engagement, but Gu Yeliang stopped her. They dated in secret for years. Sang Ya repeatedly asked to make their relationship public, but Gu Yeliang always refused, saying the time was not right.

Then their relationship reached a turning point. After graduating, Gu Yeliang joined a tech subsidiary of Gu Corporation and, thanks to his exceptional abilities and impressive background, became its executive president.

Rankings

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Transmigration into a Book

Feel-Good Fiction

Rich CEO

Female Supporting Character Story

Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Pumpkin Vine

Mind Reading

Everyone's Darling