Reluctantly Willing

“There’s an anonymous vote beforehand on the tenth of April,” Chen Chen read the email out loud. “This is a new policy that the old man thought of.”

Whatever Old Mr. Gu says is the rule, but the anonymous vote doesn’t make sense. One voting round was enough to decide the winner. What was the point of this?

Chen Chen didn’t understand, but Gu Jun sure did. He knew that his father was still biased and wanted to give his son this opportunity.

If someone tried to bribe the voters, the vote would be biased towards him. If anything happened, it would help him figure out his game plan.

“Just let them vote, then. Only Gu Jing and I will know the results anyway.”

“Okay. The day after tomorrow is the Tomb-Sweeping Day. Will it be the same as before?”

“Yes.”

Every Tomb-Sweeping Day, Gu Jun would go visit his mother’s tomb. She had died more than ten years ago, but Gu Jun still remembered his kind mother.

He still felt regretful about her death. He’d been studying in America then. By the time he’d made it back, his mother had already died. It had been many years, but he still hasn’t forgiven himself. If Old Mr. Gu had told him beforehand, he might have been able to see her one last time.

The Tomb-Sweeping Day was in the rainy season.

Spring had arrived and the landscape was verdant. However, the spring rain still had a chilly feeling.

Standing before the gravestone, Gu Jun stared at the woman’s picture. He put the lilies on the ground.

“Mom, it’s been so many years, but I finally met someone I like. You’ll bless me from heaven, right?”

Unlike the princesses of most rich families, Old Mrs. Gu was a lady of elegance and class. She’d read every day. She didn’t fit in with the power-grabbing atmosphere of the family. However, she’d told Gu Jun many times that no matter what he did, he should follow his heart. There were many things in life that he would have no control over, but he couldn’t forget his ambitions, no matter the gravity of their consequences.

He didn’t apply this in terms of business, but he remembered it clearly for relationships.

“If An Xiaoyan agrees to be with me someday, I’ll take him to see you. He’s such a good person. You’ll definitely like him.”

At the other end of the cemetery, An Xiaoyan was also standing in front of a gravestone.

An Xiaoyan knew that the woman he’d killed with his own hands was called Mu Nan. This was his first time participating in the Tomb-Sweeping Day after he was released from prison, so he came to see her.

No matter what, this woman had died because of him.

After Gu Jun left in the morning, An Xiaoyan left shortly thereafter. Using the bit of money he had left over, he bought a bouquet from a florist shop and took a taxi to the cemetery.

A City only had one cemetery. He didn’t know where Mu Nan was buried, so he had to look one by one.

He searched the rows of gravestones. Thankfully, they were arranged according to the time of death. Considering the time period in which Mu Nan had passed away, An Xiaoyan narrowed the range and then looked at each gravestone.

Fortunately, Gu Jun was at the back of the cemetery while An Xiaoyan was at the front. They didn’t see each other.

Mu Nan’s parents had gone to America after her death. Since she had been born in A City, her ashes were divided. One part was taken to America, while the other was here.

Standing before Mu Nan’s gravestone, An Xiaoyan looked at the young woman and his heart was in pain.

He felt apologetic to her. If it wasn’t for him, Gu Jun would have a pair of twins and a caring wife now. The family would be happy. It was his mistake that caused this disaster.

“I don’t know you, but this is all because of me. I’m very sorry about your death. I will visit you every year from now on.”

He put down the chrysanthemums. Pulling his jacket tightly around him, he walked out of the cemetery. As soon as he walked out, a car behind him honked. He looked back and saw Gu Jun sitting in it.

“Get in!”

An Xiaoyan didn’t think Gu Jun would be here. He thought Gu Jun had just gone out normally.

“What are you here for?”

“To see an old friend.”

“Mu Nan?”

Gu Jun had gone to Mu Nan’s gravestone after visiting his mother’s. He found it strange that there was a bouquet there already. This had never happened before. Mu Nan’s parents had taken half of her ashes away. This meant that they would never return.

Since he met An Xiaoyan here, everything made sense.

“Did you put the flowers there?”

There was no point in hiding it. An Xiaoyan nodded.

“Oh. If only you hadn’t made that mistake back then.”

“Mr. Gu, it has already happened. I can’t change anything. I can only visit her every year.”

It was rare for Gu Jun not to be angry when they talked about this. An Xiaoyan couldn’t believe it. Before, Gu Jun would always be furious when they mentioned it and could barely suppress his urge to kill An Xiaoyan.

Now, it was like they were talking about something unrelated to them.

Gu Jun had actually forgiven An Xiaoyan long ago. He had to thank An Xiaoyan too. If it wasn’t for him, Gu Jun wouldn’t have seen his own heart clearly. He would have married a random person—a woman, even if it wasn’t Mu Nan. He would just marry any random person that he didn’t absolutely dislike.

“It’s been a while since we’ve taken Guo Guo out. Let’s go to the park after the weather gets better.”

“But people will recognize me…” An Xiaoyan said worriedly. He wanted to accompany Guo Guo out too, but the New Year’s ordeal had been so significant. It would be bad if people recognized him.

“It’s okay. They won’t recognize you. It’s been so long. No one remembers.”

The tomb-sweeping hadn’t affected Gu Jun’s mood at all. An Xiaoyan’s answer made him much happier too. He wanted An Xiaoyan to slowly forget the bad things.

…

April tenth arrived quickly. At ten o’clock, there would be a vote in the top level conference room of the Gu Group headquarters. All the voters were stockholders or representatives of the Gu Group. The number of shares they had would determine the weight of their vote. This meant that the more shares one had, the more powerful their vote was.

Gu Jun arrived just in time. When he entered, it was already filled with people. He didn’t care. He found his spot and sat down. Gu Jing was right across from him. When he sat down, Gu Jing glanced at him, eyes filled with provocation.

Old Mr. Gu started talking from his seat. “This preliminary vote is to illustrate the balance of power between the two sides. You will just choose between the two heirs. The results will be publicized after the true heir is chosen. This is like an alarm. As the head of the Gu Group, one must always be alert and improve. The business world is full of intrigue. One cannot be too kind but must have one’s own bottom line…”

He blabbed on, but Gu Jun didn’t even listen. He was thinking about taking An Xiaoyan and Guo Guo camping in the forest tomorrow. He had to calculate what to bring, the schedule, and how to get there. He wasn’t in the mood for this meeting at all.

“Finally, it is time for the vote.”

The anonymous ballot box was in the center. All the stockholders lined up and walked over.

Gu Jun sat on the side and watched. Nan Qiang walked over and smiled at Gu Jun as he tossed his ballot in. After everyone sat in their respective seats, Gu Jun and Gu Jing were called out. According to the rules, they had to wait for the results independently.

They were the only ones in the conference room. Gu Jun lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa, waiting.

“You seem relaxed. You’re that confident?” Gu Jing also lit a cigarette and sat beside Gu Jun.

“If I want this position, you have no chance.”

“You can’t say that. I admit that you’re more skilled in business, but you can’t be overly proud either. The early bird gets the worm. You should know this.”

The results were out. Their respective secretaries handed the count to them. Gu Jun took a glance and burned it with his lighter.

Gu Jun smoked the entire way back home. The car was filled with smoke. Chen Chen looked at him through the rearview mirror.

Gu Jun hadn’t been a good mood since he came out of the Gu Group building. Chen Chen was worried, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Mr. Gu, are we going back to the mansion?”

Gu Jun snuffed his cigarette. “Find a quiet bar and drink with me.”

“Okay.”

Chen Chen felt fortunate that he was single. If he had someone, getting ordered around by Gu Jun would cause him to get dumped.

Chen Chen found a quiet bar. The environment was nice and the entire building was pretty quiet. The bartender made drinks at the counter while the guests all drank and chatted quietly. It wasn’t opulent like the Night Charm.

It was daytime, so there weren’t many people. Gu Jun found an empty corner and sat down. Chen Chen ordered two regular drinks and carried them over.

“We haven’t sat down and chatted for years.”

Hearing that, Chen Chen relaxed. The last time Gu Jun had done this, he’d only been an assistant. Six or seven years had passed. He’d watched Gu Jun develop step by step to his current status now.

“Yes, it’s been a long time. Time really flies.”

“I suddenly feel like a failure.”

“Why? Because of the vote results?”

“I’ve never treated you like an outsider. It says that I only have 30%. Gu Jing has already won over 70% of the people. I don’t feel good. I don’t want all my efforts to be ruined like this.”

He wasn’t satisfied, but he didn’t want to beg. Regardless of whether he fell into poverty or succeeded, people could only beg him and not the other way around. To him, this was a man’s dignity.

“Many of the stockholders have partnerships with us. Gu Jing must have put in a lot of effort.”

“He’s just crafty and has the Gao Family for support. What’s he scared of?” After speaking, Gu Jun angrily drank some wine. The coldness filled him, making him feel better.

“Should we work with Nan Qiang?” Chen Chen asked cautiously.

Gu Jun seemed to understand Nan Qiang’s mysterious smile earlier. It was reminding him to cooperate. It seemed that Nan Qiang had already known the results and just wanted Gu Jun to take the initiative.

“I can’t do that.” He’d promised An Xiaoyan to not hurt him anymore. An Xiaoyan’s terrified eyes still remained in his mind.

Chen Chen couldn’t say anything. Only Gu Jun could decide. Did he want power or the beauty? He could only choose one.

The music in the bar was very soothing. There were occasional murmurs too. Gu Jun watched the bottle of wine sparkle under the light, thinking about this and that.

Just then, his phone rang.

Nan Qiang.

Gu Jun walked to the bathroom and accepted the call. A deep voice came from the other end.

“I wonder if you’re satisfied with today’s results.”

His voice was filled with provocation, but Gu Jun repressed his anger. “You already knew the result, right?”

“It’s not like I didn’t remind you earlier. This is your last chance. Tomorrow is the last day. If you agree to my request, we’re still partners. It’s not hard to let you turn the tide. But if you still won’t cooperate, let me just say that it’s not that important who becomes the heir. Since I’m willing to work with you, don’t act so brashly on your own accord. It won’t help you at all.”

Gu Jun knew that Nan Qiang was speaking the truth, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t break his promise so easily.