Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Right, how could the nation’s leader use a foreigner as an assistant?! All the guests attending Tan Guiren’s birthday party were elites from the upper echelon of Hua Xia society. They were rich and powerful, so all of them were very politically sensitive in their heads. After hearing what Gu Nianzhi said, these people didn’t really change their expressions, but they were grumbling internally. Just recently, they had seen Gu Yanran bustling around the Prime Minister’s official residence and gloating like no other. Also, she spoke and acted in an authentic Hua Xia manner, so no one expected such a thing…
However, Gu Yanran’s heart sank. Her face blanched and flushed at the same time, so it looked ugly. She really didn’t know that there was such a rule in the upper echelon of Hua Xia society. Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin never said anything about foreigners not being able to work at the Prime Minister’s residence when they asked her for money and benefits. If she had known about this rule in the beginning, then she certainly wouldn’t have spent so much money helping Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin replace what they had embezzled! Gu Yanran suddenly balled her hands into fists, the veins popping on the back of her hand. Gritting her teeth hard, her previously gentle and elegant demeanor was about to crack.
On the other side, Gu Nianzhi locked eyes with Prime Minister Tan, and she shook her head sadly. “If that’s the case, then I don’t know if it should be the Secret Service or the Special Operations Forces investigating you.” This should be treated as an espionage case…
Tan Dongbang’s heart dropped, and then he saw a tall, handsome man standing by Gu Nianzhi who nodded. “Yeah, this lady is right. The Prime Minister’s office cannot hire foreigners for work. This incident must be thoroughly investigated by the Secret Service.”
As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard Yin Shixiong’s voice, the joy blossomed in her heart. This was a professional giving his endorsement. Was Prime Minister Tan scared now or what?!
Gu Nianzhi looked at the ashen Gu Yanran and said deliberately, “Sister, are you surprised? Is this shocking enough for you? You especially delivered an invitation for me yesterday. Were you planning on exposing Prime Minister Tan’s illegal actions?”
“Nonsense!” Gu Yanran finally couldn’t stand the crowd’s stares anymore and berated Gu Nianzhi quietly. “Do you know where we are right now? Don’t make a fuss!”
“How am I making a fuss? I already said that I was merely stating the facts,” Gu Nianzhi said seriously. “I already said long before that your intelligence is lacking, so you shouldn’t get involved in this mess.” Honestly speaking, Gu Nianzhi looked down on Gu Yanran quite a lot. Even if she possessed a massive fortune, she didn’t know how to protect it but instead chose to run around currying favor. From the very beginning, she planned to use Huo Shaoheng and rely on him to protect her fortune that rivaled a nation’s, but after failing, she latched onto Prime Minister Tan…
A woman who had no spine to begin with would never be able to stand up, even if she was given a mountain of gold. No matter how Gu Yanran pretended to be gracious and elegant, it was obvious from her methods and behavior that her life only had two possible paths: to kneel down or lie down in bed for a man… From this perspective, Gu Nianzhi truly felt that this was an issue of Gu Yanran’s upbringing. If she had grown up with a family like the Gus, even an adopted daughter or servant wouldn’t have developed this kind of behavior. Also, He Zhichu told Gu Nianzhi before that she was the same as Gu Yanran, so she was the real daughter of the Gus. The only possibility was that Gu Yanran had come to the Gu household later on, or perhaps at a certain age. Her behavior and world views had already formed by then, so her time with the Gus wasn’t enough to completely change her. That explained her behavior and why her created identity of the oldest daughter of the Gus possessing a fortune rivaling a nation’s felt so awkward. In that moment, Gu Nianzhi really wanted to know how Gu Yanran was raised and how she came to join the Gus. This jarring difference between the legendary Gu family and how she acted, what caused it?!
Gu Yanran was completely infuriated by Gu Nianzhi’s look of contempt towards her intelligence. It was that same gaze again. She thought she would never see that look again for the rest of her life! Gu Yanran suddenly walked up and whispered in Gu Nianzhi’s ear so they were the only ones to hear, “Haha, my intelligence isn’t enough? You still lost to me…”
“What?” Gu Nianzhi frowned. “Get it straight in your head. Some things can’t be said on a whim.” Gu Yanran immediately shut her mouth but formed a smirk. Gu Nianzhi memorized everything and planned to take her time to pay Gu Yanran back for this. At this moment, she calmly looked at the sweaty-faced Prime Minister Tan and said slowly and evenly, “Prime Minister Tan, do you want to accept investigation by the Secret Service, or accept impeachment by the Senate? Which would be easier for you?”
Tan Dongbang looked around the crowded room and saw that several deputy ministers of the Secret Service were already solemnly taking out their phones to make calls, so he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He had no choice but to spill the truth. “…Actually, you are overthinking it.” Gu Yanran’s expression stiffened and Tan Dongbang didn’t even dare to look at her face as he continued, “Actually, Miss Gu Yanran is only helping out here as a friend. She’s not a formal employee of the Prime Minister’s office and never touched any confidential information. She’s like a guest who was helping out at our home for a few days.”
In other words, Gu Yanran was only a temp worker at the Prime Minister’s official residence. Never did Gu Nianzhi expect a person like Tan Dongbang to play such a trick! So he lied to Gu Yanran? “Oh? Sister, you spent money and gave effort, but you didn’t even get a formal position in the place?!” Gu Nianzhi snickered. “When you came to deliver my invitation on campus, you took the vehicle from the Prime Minister’s official residence and brought bodyguards from the Prime Minister’s official residence. Now he’s saying you’re a temp worker, but what kind of temp worker would get your kind of treatment? That’s even fancier than what formal employees get!”
Gu Yanran’s face completely blanched. She never expected to not even get a formal job title! Then did that mean her money was flushed down the toilet?! Gu Yanran couldn’t help glaring at Tan Dongbang but disocvered he didn’t even dare to meet her eyes. She felt even more horrible and aggrieved.
Gu Nianzhi watched Gu Yanran with a smile, then looked at Tan Dongbang and Tan Guiren standing, confused, between them. She shook a finger at Tan Dongbang. “Mr. Prime Minister, although you said my sister isn’t a formal employee, in reality she was involved with official business at the Prime Minister’s official residence. So this has created a fait accompli, and I’m afraid it can’t be diverted by merely throwing out the excuse of her being a ‘temp worker.’”
This time it was Tan Dongbang’s turn to look ashen. When he and Cai Songyin initially planned to persuade Gu Yanran to offer money to help pay back the deficit from the embezzled campaign funds, they were going to play edge ball. So even if someone exposed them for not being allowed to hire a foreigner, they could argue that Gu Yanran wasn’t a formal employee and had never participated in official business. He didn’t expect to be shocked by Cai Songyin’s return today and be the one to actually blurt out that Gu Yanran had participated in official business! He had shot himself in the foot.
Gu Nianzhi gazed coldly at Tan Dongbang’s remorseful face. She thought to herself that it was far too late for him to regret things now. She didn’t need to think hard to know that if Gu Yanran hadn’t bled money, then why would Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin give her such big perks? In other words, Gu Yanran was stingy, and if Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin hadn’t promised a huge, irrefusable offer, would she be generous enough to be a fool with an open wallet and not ask for anything in return?!
So Prime Minister Tan and his wife shouldn’t gloat or be thankful for Gu Nianzhi, as she had no intention of helping them. Gu Nianzhi wasn’t purposely targeting anyone, but she felt that Tan Dongbang, Cai Songyin, and Gu Yanran were all trash. Today she would first expose Gu Yanran as being, “the Prime Minister’s personal assistant,” and then break down Tan Dongbang’s flimsy excuse of her being a “temp worker.” Finally, she would make a move on Cai Songyin.
Gu Nianzhi had a simple goal. She wanted this “iron triangle” bundled with self interests to fall apart and completely destroy all possibilities of Gu Yanran ever finding support in the Hua Xia Empire again. After all, Gu Nianzhi had control Gu Yanran if she were to be able to find the real Gu Xiangwen. She couldn’t give Gu Yanran the chance or ability to create any future obstacles for her.
Gu Nianzhi glanced over to discover that Cai Songyin appeared somewhat conflicted. She seemed to want to gloat but was also a bit worried about Tan Dongbang. This meant she still had love for him. Gu Nianzhi coughed quietly and patted Cai Songyin’s shoulder. “Mrs. Tan, why did you only come back today? I really never thought that your case would end up like that. It’s a shame. You are so amazing but will never be able to help Prime Minister campaign or raise funds again. If I had been the one to represent you in the case, by now you would’ve already countersued the Procuratorate for damaging your reputation and begun seeking state compensation.”
Cai Songyin’s eyes narrowed suddenly. “What did you say? I haven’t been convicted or broken the law. Why can’t I raise funds anymore?”
The corners of Tan Dongbang’s lips trembled before he interrupted Gu Nianzhi with an unhappy frown. “Miss Gu, today is my daughter’s birthday party. This is not somewhere for you to solicit business. Please be respectful.”
Gu Nianzhi giggled. “Right, Prime Minister Tan didn’t want to provide your wife with the best lawyer, so there must be a reason for that. Ok, I’ll stop now. Oh my, your legal representative Miss Jin is staring daggers at me…”
Jin Wanyi was, indeed. She had originally wanted to watch the action but ended up overhearing Gu Nianzhi boldly claim she could help Cai Songyin fight for state compensation, so she couldn’t help getting nervous. She was worried Gu Nianzhi would run her mouth, so she quickly came over. “Gu Nianzhi, don’t speak nonsense. We’ve given this case our best effort. Don’t think you can be arrogant just because you have Lawyer He’s support.”
“I’m being arrogant?” Gu Nianzhi pointed her slender and delicate finger at herself with a half smile. “Lawyer Jin, you think so? If I state my reasoning, will you and your clients, Prime Minister Tan and Miss Gu Yanran, slap yourselves in the face three times?”
