Chen Lishu nodded and said, "Alright, I'll accept this competition. Please send me the competition rules and location details to my phone later."
"No problem!" Lin Che's smile grew increasingly excited. Just as he stood up, preparing to hug Chen Lishu, the office door was suddenly opened. Gu Xingdong walked in, his gaze sweeping over Lin Che from head to toe.
Observing Gu Xingdong's distinguished demeanor, Lin Che nodded with satisfaction. He then friendly asked Chen Lishu, "Is this your husband?"
"Yes," Chen Lishu replied. She stood up, walked over to Gu Xingdong, and introduced him, "This is Uncle Lin. He came to discuss something with me tonight. He's a good friend of my godfather, so you should call him Uncle too."
Hearing Chen Lishu's introduction, the coldness on Gu Xingdong's face softened considerably. He took out a cigarette from his bag and offered it with both hands to Lin Che, politely greeting him, "Hello, Uncle Lin."
Lin Che quickly waved his hands in refusal, "Your wife has done me a great favor today. How can I possibly take your things? Here, have mine!"
With that, Lin Che took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tucked it into Gu Xingdong's embrace. After finishing, he nodded to both of them and said,
"It's getting late, and I have other matters to attend to today, so I won't be inviting you out for a meal. I'll personally visit you when I have time in the future. It's also been a while since I last saw Old Man He!"
A demure smile appeared on Chen Lishu's face as she beckoned, "Alright, please do come and visit our home when you have the time."
As her words fell, Lin Che hurriedly left Shuise Group.
Gu Xingdong watched his retreating back and asked, "What was he here to see you about?"
Chen Lishu shrugged her shoulders with a hint of helplessness. "I don't know what influence Zhang Wan'er has, but she managed to persuade the empress of country M to insist on inviting me to their internal competition.
Lin Che said this matter could very well be related to national development. He spoke until his mouth was dry, so I had no choice but to agree to it."
Gu Xingdong seemed surprised that Lin Che would come to persuade her on this matter. He suspected that this competition held a significant conspiracy, and he worried that Chen Lishu might suffer losses unknowingly if she participated.
After a moment of thought, Gu Xingdong reached out and caressed Chen Lishu's head, softly comforting her, "Actually, if you didn't want to participate in this competition, you could have refused. As for Lin Che, you can leave him to me and godfather to handle.
Even if it's the empress of country M, so what? They don't have that much power yet to interfere in China's affairs. They are merely using their status to subtly threaten you! We can fight fire with fire."
"I've naturally considered what you've said. However, things are not as simple as you imagine. They are very clever. They've put a big hat on me, so to speak. If I refuse, they can easily spread public opinion that I'm unwilling to contribute to the country. Believe me, after a while, our entire family wouldn't be able to survive in Kyoto.
With our current financial situation, we could even live abroad. However, everyone needs roots. I've lived in China for decades, and I don't want to leave this place. Besides, if I leave, won't those people from country M still trouble us? Since it concerns the friendship between the two countries, they won't go too far. Therefore, I agreed to this matter."
After all, Chen Lishu was a businesswoman. When Lin Che proposed this request, she had already considered the subsequent issues. Confirming that this matter would not bring her too much trouble, and even had potential benefits, she agreed to it.
Gu Xingdong looked at Chen Lishu's determined expression and nodded, "Alright, I believe you. Let's go back for dinner now, and we'll deal with the rest later."
With that, the two left the company and returned home.
When Grandpa He learned about what happened today, he was so angry he slammed the table, cursing, "This scoundrel! Now, to secure his own position, he's actually pushing you, a young girl, out!
The world has changed. Some people will do anything for their own benefit. We will not participate in this competition. I intend to personally step in to stop this! I want to see what objections Lin Che and those people from country M have!"
Seeing Grandpa He's angry demeanor, a warmth flowed through Chen Lishu's heart. She then walked up to him, patting his back, and said, "Godfather! If he can take benefits from me, can't I do the same?
Actually, I prefer to believe that Uncle Lin's intentions are good. It shows he cares about China. He also assured me that this matter will absolutely not put me in a difficult position. In fact, Uncle Lin is the one caught in the middle, and he's the most stressed.
Look, the fact that I'm participating in the competition hasn't been exposed yet. That means Uncle Lin has been earnestly negotiating with people from country M, trying his best not to harm me!
Godfather, if I can successfully design this competition, I might become the chief designer of country M, and our company could become an international brand overnight. This is a good thing!"
Under Chen Lishu's comfort, Grandpa He's expression did improve somewhat. He shook his head with a hint of helplessness and looked at the innocent Chen Lishu, saying, "This is indeed a good thing, but don't forget, this is an internal competition of country M. What's your role in it? Isn't it up to them to decide who wins or loses? I'm worried they might tamper with the design competition."
Chen Lishu curved her lips, a meaningful smile appearing on her face, "Godfather, you're overthinking this. Don't forget that such large design competitions always have reporters following. I believe with your capabilities, it should be simple to arrange for one of our own reporters to be at the competition venue, right?
If the design competition results are indeed unsatisfactory, then so be it. But if they tamper with the design competition, I don't mind releasing the footage from that day. In any case, it won't be a bad thing for us, will it?"
Listening to Chen Lishu's words, Grandpa He let out a helpless sigh. Given the unusual identities of their group, no one knew what accidents might occur at the competition venue.