Chapter 26: A Formidable Person

It had been a long time since she had seen her handle people so quietly and effortlessly; Lu Nanting couldn't help but turn his head and smile at her.

Different occasions require different priorities, and Lu Nanting understood this better than anyone.

In the past, whenever Gu Lanxi went out with him—whether to meet friends or relatives—she always deferred to him and never overstepped her bounds.

When she went out with him to discuss business, naturally, everything was according to her lead.

People often judge whether a partner is "presentable" based on their looks.

However, families with true substance are never so superficial.

Rather than appearance, people care more about a person's sense of propriety in how they conduct themselves and their work.

In this regard, Gu Lanxi had always been excellent.

The market value of that house was indeed close to two hundred million.

Gu Lanxi hadn't lied at all.

She hadn't said much, yet she had said everything, and she had made it very clear.

That was the situation: she urgently needed about two hundred million, the house was already picked out, and she was simply waiting to sell her shares to buy it.

And the shares in her hands were worth approximately that much.

She wanted to sell them all at once.

If Li Jingxiu couldn't swallow the whole deal, she would certainly sell the remainder to his brother or someone else.

The couple's expressions were solemn.

A full buyback meant they would have to incur a significant amount of external debt.

But if they missed this opportunity, the consequences would be unthinkable.

While the two were still hesitating, Gu Lanxi spoke again, her voice gentle

"My aunt's maternal family is celebrating an elder's eightieth birthday, and she is going back to help with the arrangements. She'll likely head north next week. If you are facing difficulties on your end, I will find another way."

Li Jingxiu screamed internally: *Please, for the love of God, do NOT find another way!!*

On the surface, he had to maintain a pleasant smile: "No problem at all. If Miss Gu hadn't given us a hand at that critical moment years ago, there's no telling if Su Cha would even exist today. Now that Miss Gu is entering a new stage of life with new plans for the future, as partners who have fought side-by-side for many years, we must give our full support."

With the preliminary cooperation agreed upon, Gu Lanxi nodded slightly: "Then it's a deal."

"Right!"

Li Jingxiu nodded decisively, then gave a somewhat awkward smile: "I only ask that Miss Gu grant us a couple of days' grace to allow us some time to arrange the funds."

Gu Lanxi was very understanding: "Such a large cash flow requires arrangement for anyone. I had originally considered splitting the shares to make them easier to sell, but having known President Li for many years, our cooperation has always been pleasant. I believe you know what kind of person I am and how I conduct my business. Since you are in a position where you need support, it would be impossible for me to stab you in the back."

The social circle was small; how one conducts business is a reflection of their character. Once a reputation is ruined, many things become difficult to manage.

Since the age of twelve, Gu Lanxi had understood just how important a good reputation was to a person.

How Su Cha would develop in the future had nothing to do with her.

By doing this—choosing a single party and selling outright without splitting the shares to cause trouble, without hiking the price to an unacceptable level, and without contacting Young Master Li to play the "highest bidder wins" game—she had proven her integrity in the business world.

Li Jingxiu clearly understood this as well.

Although his heart was bleeding and he found the price a bit steep, and Gu Lanxi's intention to sell everything was unexpected, he couldn't deny that he was deeply moved after hearing her words.

If there were future opportunities for cooperation, he would certainly contact her first.

After they agreed on the number of shares and reached a preliminary agreement on the price and transaction time, Li Jingxiu lamented once more about the difficulty of running a large company before seeing the couple to the main gate.

Throughout the process, Gu Lanxi only offered a few polite compliments; she did not comment on his management abilities.

Because she was not skilled in management.

She never offered casual opinions on matters outside her expertise.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Gu Lanxi followed Lu Nanting directly into his car. While Lu Nanting was buckling her seatbelt, she rolled down the window and waved to Su Ying, who was standing there

"It was lovely today. Let's meet again when we have time."

Su Ying was wearing flesh-colored stockings and a royal blue professional skirt suit, but the tops of her fair feet were covered in dust.

After a single meal, it was unclear how many times she had been kicked.

Gu Lanxi felt for her for having married the wrong man, but she did not show it at all.

Marriage is a choice, whether for the man or the woman.

Choose correctly, and you find happiness.

Choose incorrectly, and you must bear the consequences yourself.

Su Ying was like this, and she was the same.

When Lu Nanting came for dinner, he brought two bodyguards in addition to the two drivers; one sat with him, and the other sat separately in a following car.

The two of them entered one car, and a bodyguard took Gu Lanxi's car.

It wasn't until the three cars had driven far away that Su Ying let out a weary sigh.

"That Miss Gu is truly a formidable person."

The couple's relationship had been terrible lately, and Li Jingxiu's reflex was to snap at her, saying she wasn't even worthy of carrying Gu Lanxi's shoes. But thinking of Lu Nanting, who had sat by the table eating with such gentle, polite, and aristocratic poise, the harsh words died in his throat.

It went without saying that if he had dared to utter such a remark, he would have immediately received a scathing retort: "Every pot has its lid. You spend all day trying to drag me into the dust; how much better could you possibly be?"

Su Ying was his original wife who had built everything from nothing alongside him; she wasn't some random fling from the outside. If she truly decided to take him down, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Forget it; if they could divorce, they would.

The two people, both believing they were desperately swallowing their pride for the sake of mutual interest, left the restaurant and returned to the company.

Gu Lanxi's words sounded pleasant, but her timeline was strict.

Today was already Thursday, and the other party was buying a house next week. Since they had promised two days, they had to gather the money within those two days.

Otherwise, if Gu Lanxi changed her mind, she would have a valid reason.

Setting aside the internal struggles of the couple, not long after Gu Lanxi got into the car, she received a call from the younger Li, Li Jingwen, politely inviting her to dinner.

Since Gu Lanxi had already promised Li Jingxiu two days, she naturally would not go back on her word.

Therefore, her refusal was handled with great tact.

"I'm sorry, President Li, I am quite busy and cannot step away for the moment. If you are willing, perhaps I could make it up to you in about two days. Would that be alright?"

When smart people speak, ordinary people often fail to understand.

However, the younger Li was a shrewd man and understood Gu Lanxi's meaning instantly.

Fine. She had already settled terms with his brother: raise the money within two days, and if things don't go smoothly, she will talk to him, the younger brother, after those two days.

Gu Lanxi had always been polite to him, so even if the younger Li was angry, he had no way to vent it at her. After hanging up, he immediately began looking for ways to cause trouble for his brother.

Gu Lanxi didn't care about such things.

Su Cha's stock price was changing daily, and the trend was quite good. There were many people wanting to take over; if all else failed, selling it in pieces wouldn't take more than a few days.

Gu Yongxin was her cousin, so it wasn't as if she couldn't wait a few days.

They were all family; there was no need to offend her.

After all, she was no longer the nameless Gu Lanxi of the past.

"Are you busy this afternoon?"

Lu Nanting wanted to ask her out to try on clothes. Fearing paparazzi, Gu Lanxi didn't want to go out with him and made an excuse

"There are changes to the script. I need to go home and memorize them. Go by yourself."

Realizing that sounded a bit blunt, she added: "What time will you be finished tonight? I'll wait for you to come home for dinner. Let me know if there's anything you want to eat."

The bristling hair Lu Nanting had just raised was immediately smoothed down by her words.

"I should be home before seven. If anything unexpected happens, I'll let you know in advance. As for the rest, just do as you please; I'm not a picky eater."

"Oh, not picky? Then I'll make stir-fried greens."

Lu Nanting immediately looked like he was in constipation and said nothing.

Gu Lanxi smiled and signaled to the driver

"Pull over ahead. It's not on the way home."

There were fewer people here; switching cars in a bustling district would actually be more difficult.

The driver was very professional. He didn't care what the boss was thinking; as soon as the boss's wife gave the order, he contacted the two cars behind them and found a stopping point to pull over immediately.

Once the car came to a steady stop, Gu Lanxi opened her bag, took out a mask and sunglasses, put them on, and then got out of the car to swap with the bodyguards in the back.

She was being truly cautious.