Liu Yuanhao waited for Liu Shishi to finish speaking, his face filled with anxiety. He bit his lip tightly and looked at Gu Jiaming.
At this very moment, Gu Jiaming held the future fate of the Liu Group in his hands.
Before this, he had considered seeking a bank loan to overcome the crisis.
However, the company still had an outstanding loan to repay to maintain cash flow. Furthermore, with banks cracking down heavily on virtual currency speculation, it was virtually impossible for the company to secure another loan.
As for borrowing from other companies, they would undoubtedly demand exorbitant interest or use the opportunity to swallow the Liu Group whole.
This was precisely why Liu Yuanhao had turned his attention to Gu Jiaming, an outsider.
He had initially thought that Liu Shishi's beauty would bewitch the man, making him willing to provide funds to help the company through this difficult period.
But to his surprise, Gu Jiaming turned out to be as cunning as a fox.
"Ten million? No problem!"
Unexpectedly, Gu Jiaming actually agreed.
Agreed?
Gu Jiaming actually agreed?
For a moment, Liu Yuanhao almost thought he had misheard.
It wasn't until he saw the same look of astonishment on Liu Shishi's face beside him that he dared to be certain he hadn't imagined it.
"Mr. Gu! Thank you so much. On behalf of my father and the company, I thank you for your righteous intervention. Please rest assured, we..."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Liu Yuanhao almost jumped for joy.
However, before he could finish his thanks, Gu Jiaming waved him off. "Vice President Liu, hold on a moment. Let me finish speaking."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mr. Gu. I lost my composure. Please, go ahead."
Interrupted, Liu Yuanhao realized he had been a bit too excitable.
Gu Jiaming pointed at Liu Shishi and said, "My condition is simple. As long as Miss Liu marries me, I will transfer the ten million immediately!"
After speaking, Gu Jiaming brazenly stared at Liu Shishi, as if she were already his for the taking.
"Impossible!"
Liu Shishi refused without a second thought.
Even though she had suspected earlier that Gu Jiaming would not be so kind as to agree to help them with ten million, Liu Shishi never imagined that he had his eyes on her.
The thought of how that man had looked at her sent shivers down her spine, making her feel utterly disgusted.
With that, she stood up and left.
She didn't want to spend another second in this place.
"Shishi! Shishi, stop!"
Liu Yuanhao was taken aback when Liu Shishi stood up and left so abruptly. He called out loudly, trying to stop her, but Liu Shishi didn't look back.
Unable to stop Liu Shishi, Liu Yuanhao turned to Gu Jiaming and bowed. "I apologize, Mr. Gu. My niece is very impetuous. I'm truly sorry."
"It's alright. I understand that beauties like Miss Liu are always proud. I can understand."
Gu Jiaming showed no signs of displeasure, his gaze greedily following Liu Shishi's retreating back.
Only when Liu Shishi was out of sight did Gu Jiaming turn back to look at Liu Yuanhao.
"Vice President Liu, my previous words still stand. As long as you can get Miss Liu to agree to marry me, I will hand over the ten million without hesitation."
"I... Alright, Mr. Gu. Please give me some time. I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."
After a moment's hesitation, Liu Yuanhao immediately agreed.
...
"Du Fei, what are you doing here?"
Liu Shishi left the restaurant, still upset.
To her surprise, as soon as she reached the lobby, she saw Du Fei sitting there.
As Liu Shishi emerged, Du Fei happened to look in her direction.
So, Liu Shishi composed herself, putting away her earlier emotions, and walked up to Du Fei.
"I'm waiting for someone here. Shishi, what are you doing here?"
Du Fei was also surprised to see Liu Shishi.
It had been some time since they last met. Seeing Liu Shishi again, he couldn't help but be captivated by her stunning beauty.
"Um, um, I came here to discuss some business. I'm just leaving now."
Liu Shishi had no desire to bring up what had just happened and could only stammer.
Du Fei could tell that Liu Shishi was holding back, but everyone had their own privacy. Du Fei wasn't foolish enough to pry further.
"Then I'll walk you out. Yunyun is always pestering me, saying she wants to go shopping with you. I figured you must be quite busy, so I didn't let her bother you."
Du Fei walked with Liu Shishi towards the exit.
Hearing Liu Yunyun's name, Liu Shishi smiled. "Speaking of which, I miss Yunyun too. How about this, I'll have time this weekend. I'll go visit her then."
"Really? Then I'll tell her this good news tonight. She'll be so happy."
Du Fei had said it casually, but he hadn't expected Liu Shishi to set a date. This truly surprised him.
The two soon reached the entrance. Since Du Fei was still waiting for Ye Huijuan and the others, he could only escort Liu Shishi to the door.
They bid each other farewell, and Du Fei waved goodbye reluctantly as he watched Liu Shishi's car drive away.
"Tsk tsk, someone is about to turn into stone."
Just as Du Fei was watching Liu Shishi leave, a familiar voice came from behind him.
Du Fei turned around and saw Ye Huijuan and Su Hao standing there, looking at him with smiles.
Du Fei asked, "Sister Juan, what are you talking about?"
"I just saw a devoted young man standing by the roadside, reluctantly watching the car of the girl he loves drive away. Oh, that scene, it really made my heart ache."
Ye Huijuan said, imitating the action as she spoke.
Su Hao, standing beside her, burst into laughter.
Du Fei looked embarrassed.
So, Ye Huijuan and Su Hao had seen him escorting Liu Shishi.
"Sister Juan, is this how an older sister behaves? Teasing her own younger brother in public, that's really not right. And as for Brother Hao, you're laughing so loud!"
After his embarrassment faded, Du Fei began to chide them for their behavior.
Su Hao immediately spread his hands, indicating it had nothing to do with him.
Ye Huijuan walked up to Du Fei and asked with a smile, "Brother, what's that girl's name? How old is she? Is she still single?"
"Sister Juan, you sound so gossipy. This really doesn't match your noble and elegant demeanor."
Du Fei never expected that Ye Huijuan would have such a gossipy side.
"Brother, you're wrong. I'm just concerned about you," Ye Huijuan said with a matter-of-fact expression. "However, my brother is so outstanding, he's perfectly suited for that girl. Boys need to be bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned. I support you! If you have any difficulties, just tell me. I do know a thing or two about girls' minds."
"Alright, Sister Juan, let's go eat first."
Du Fei felt a little embarrassed by her words.
Seeing Du Fei's shy expression, Ye Huijuan didn't press further.
After all, sometimes hinting is better than overstating. If she said too much, it might backfire.