CHAPTER 184: CHAPTER 168: THE NEW GENERATION’S GODDESS

Fang Shaobei exchanged glances with the lawyer, handed over the explanation to him, and then walked back to Gu Qimiao’s side.

"Was what I just said alright?" he asked.

Gu Qimiao nodded with a smile, "Very dashing, thank you, Teacher Fang."

"Your reputation is also tied to the interests of my gallery," he said.

Gu Qimiao gave him a dismissive look, "All you care about is profit!"

The lawyer put the CD into the drive, "Before we watch the video, let’s confirm one thing: the two paintings on the screen were both completed on June 9th. Now, let’s watch the video."

The video was taken from the gallery’s surveillance, specifically Fang Shaobei’s office.

Gu Qimiao would always take her paintings to show him after completing them, and this one was no exception.

In the video, Fang Shaobei spread out the painting on the table. Although partially blocked, it was still clear that the painting on the table was the one in question.

"This segment shows Miss Gu discussing her work with Teacher Fang Shaobei when the painting was halfway done. The date was June 2nd. The next segment shows her bringing the finished painting to Teacher Fang for review on June 8th."

"From this analysis, I believe everyone understands the situation clearly."

"So I think this was probably a farce directed by Mr. Wang himself, just to hype himself up, wasn’t it, Mr. Wang?"

Mr. Wang was too angry to speak and couldn’t argue any further because the evidence from the opposing side was flawless.

He didn’t have much to lose anyway. Lu Qianwen had promised to take responsibility in case of any trouble. All he had to do was follow the script they gave him, and now that it ended up like this, he couldn’t be blamed.

Once the media exposed this part of the trial, the online sentiment shifted immediately. Initially, people condemned Mr. Wang for being shameless, but soon they began to praise Gu Qimiao. Some even dug up her photos and she quickly became the new goddess.

The only ones unhappy with this outcome were Lu Qianwen and Liang Zixuan.

The two were getting facial treatments at a beauty salon, Liang Zixuan said, "I told you earlier, this plan wouldn’t work. Now, not only did we fail to ruin that woman’s reputation, we actually gave her more fame."

Lu Qianwen took several deep breaths and asked her disdainfully, "So what brilliant idea do you have?"

Liang Zixuan smiled, "I believe psychological blows are never as direct as physical pain."

"What should we do?"

"I don’t have a plan yet. Let’s observe Gu Qimiao’s daily life first, and then contact you when we have a method."

...

After this incident settled down, life returned to normal. Gu Qimiao continued to spend every day in her small studio doing what she loved, and Jiajia officially started working at the company.

The first few days frightened He Ye greatly. He was constantly on edge, especially when the woman his little sister-in-law brought along knocked on his door three times. Desperate, he moved upstairs in the middle of the night to find some peace.

He considered it a lesson learned; next time he wouldn’t bring anyone home, even if a naked woman lay by his door!

The trauma kept him from nightlife for quite a while, and he wasn’t even sure if that woman would recognize him. During several departmental briefings, he only dared to relay messages through others in the PR department.

He could only hope that with enough time, this matter would quietly blow over.

By early July, schools were on summer break.

One day, Xiaoxiao brought Yi Bao to Shen Yanchen’s office. Yi Bao immediately ran to the studio to drag Gu Qimiao out, while Xiaoxiao said, "Big Bro, Gigi, let’s go to the bay the day after tomorrow since Little Uncle and sister are shooting a TV series there. We can all hang out together. Besides, how can we survive this heat without soaking in the water?"

Shen Yanchen looked up at Gu Qimiao, finding her also looking at him for approval.

Thinking about how she had been cooped up in the office lately, Shen Yanchen said, "Sure." He then turned to Gu Qimiao and said, "Isn’t this period’s theme finished? We can go to the beach and take some photos."

Gu Qimiao nodded with a smile. Yi Bao and Xiaoxiao also became excited.

"Big Bro, since it’s almost the end of the workday, I’ll take Gigi to buy swimwear."

Shen Yanchen nodded, "Go ahead."

Behind his serious facade, he was imagining Gu Qimiao in swimwear...

At four in the afternoon, the sun was still scorching. Each of the three women held an ice cream, biting into it.

It was too hot, so Xiaoxiao decided to come out later in the evening. She took Gu Qimiao along, saying they were going to find Shen Yiran.

They got out of the taxi in front of a modern creative building, its facade displaying the words "Future Tech."

Gu Qimiao recognized the logo as belonging to a brand known for developing games and software, which was quite famous abroad.

Xiaoxiao explained that the company was founded by Shen Yiran and Yi Bao’s father. Gu Qimiao wondered why there were so many remarkable people around her!

Yi Bao was clearly very familiar with the place. She ran around as soon as they entered, and the employees, who all knew her, couldn’t resist teasing her a bit.

Yi Bao’s parents both worked there, primarily on game development, which explained why Yi Bao often complained that they played games instead of spending time with her.

When they arrived, Second Brother Shen was still in a meeting, so Yi Bao took them to find her mom.

In the tech-savvy office, large screens were placed all around the spacious control room, where a girl was sitting inside.

From the back, the girl looked quite young. Xiaoxiao had mentioned before that Yi Bao’s mom was only two days younger than her, making her roughly 22 years old. Gu Qimiao admired how someone so young could understand so much.

After all, she got dizzy just watching the complex programs on the screens while standing there for a moment.

"Ke Ning." Xiaoxiao walked over to greet her. Yi Bao ran over, her chubby little body pouncing towards Yang Kening.

Yang Kening reached out to pick her up and asked while looking at Xiaoxiao and the others, "What brings you here today?"

Before Xiaoxiao could answer, Yi Bao excitedly pointed at Gu Qimiao and said, "Mommy, this is Miaomiao, the one I told you about. Isn’t she pretty?"

Ke Ning smiled at Gu Qimiao, looking every bit the gentle and tranquil woman she seemed to be.

Having quiet parents yet raising such an active daughter was quite amusing.

"Mommy, the day after tomorrow, can you come to the beach with us?"

Ke Ning pinched her nose and said, "You don’t know how to swim. What if the sea sweeps you away?"

"That’s why I want you and Daddy to come. If I get swept away, Daddy will save me."

Ke Ning put her down from her body and said, "Go ask your dad."

Following Yang Kening’s gaze, they saw Li Yihao and Shen Yiran walking in one after the other, indicating that the meeting had ended.

Gu Qimiao had seen these people before, so she didn’t feel awkward.

As soon as they walked in, Yi Bao and Xiaoxiao each clung to one of them.

Li Yihao was pestered to the point where he had no choice but to agree. Besides, it had been a while since he had taken his wife and daughter out. Finally gathering everyone together, he naturally didn’t want to disappoint them.

Shen Yiran reluctantly agreed as well, though he had his own reasons; he hadn’t seen Dudu in a while.

After organizing everyone, Gu Qimiao and Xiaoxiao went shopping that evening for things they needed for the trip. Yi Bao, being restless, naturally wouldn’t stay at the office with her parents and followed Gu Qimiao and the others out.

At first, she was enthusiastic, but after a while, she started to get fussy, blocking Gu Qimiao’s path with outstretched arms: "Miaomiao, carry me."

Gu Qimiao laughed, handed her bags to Xiaoxiao, and bent down to pick up Yi Bao.

Yi Bao, probably tired, lay listlessly on Gu Qimiao’s shoulder and soon fell asleep.

Shopping while holding a child was exhausting, so after buying the necessities, they decided to head back.

As they were walking towards the supermarket exit, Gu Qimiao’s phone rang. Xiaoxiao took Yi Bao into her arms while Gu Qimiao answered the call, immediately saying, "Mo Ming, I’m at South Street. Come pick me up, and don’t bring your two-seater; I have a friend with me."

Gu Moming grumbled a bit before hanging up, but Gu Qimiao knew he would come to pick them up.

They found a bench by the roadside and sat down, finally feeling some relief.

Xiaoxiao started talking to Gu Qimiao about Yi Bao’s parents. The kids had all grown up together, but no one had expected that the two of them would end up together.

Ke Ning hadn’t been very talkative as a child, and Li Yihao often kept her company. When she got a bit older, Li Yihao inadvertently got her into gaming, and she started seeking him out to play. Their relationship grew from there.

Childhood sweethearts with common interests, now working together every day and having such a lovely daughter—family, love, and career all fulfilled. They truly seemed like winners at life.

They were deeply engrossed in conversation when a sharp horn blared nearby.

"Brother!" Gu Qimiao hurriedly stood up with all their stuff, and Xiaoxiao followed behind, carrying Yi Bao.

Mo Ming took one look at Xiaoxiao but said nothing. He simply helped Gu Qimiao put her things into the trunk.

Xiaoxiao got into the car with Yi Bao, and he didn’t object.

"Let’s drop Xiaoxiao and Yi Bao off first since the child is asleep."

Mo Ming glanced at them through the rearview mirror. From the moment Xiaoxiao got into the car, she barely dared to speak, fearing that Mo Ming might throw her out.

Fortunately, he said nothing this time. As he started the car, Xiaoxiao thought he must have softened upon seeing her with a child, reluctant to throw her out. She owed her luck to Yi Bao.

When they arrived at Yi Bao’s house, Xiaoxiao got out: "Thanks, I’ll get off here. It’s not far."

"Leave the stuff in the car, and I’ll bring it over later."

"Alright, I’ll head off then." She glanced at Mo Ming, but as soon as she shut the door, he revved the engine and took off.

Gu Qimiao hadn’t even finished speaking.

"Going somewhere?" Mo Ming asked.

"To the beach. Want to come?" Gu Qimiao asked casually, not expecting him to immediately reply, "Why not?"