I Was Reborn as the Villain, but the System Bound Itself to the Female Leads - Chapter 8:

Chapter 8: I Did It All for the Company

North City, Gu Family.

When Gu Qingyi returned home and entered the living room, she immediately saw her grandfather, Gu Weijun, sitting solemnly at the head seat. Her parents sat beside him, heads lowered, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Behind her grandfather stood Long Haochen, hands clasped behind his back.

“Grandpa, I’m home!” Gu Qingyi said gently. She quickly sensed that something was wrong.

“Hmph, so you still know to come back?” Gu Weijun said coldly, not giving her a pleasant expression.

“Why is it that you left the company with Haochen, but he’s already home and you only just returned?” Gu Weijun questioned. If Gu Qingyi’s answer didn’t satisfy him, she would undoubtedly face the family rules.

“Well…” Gu Qingyi thought for a moment, then gave her reply. “It’s because of some matters at the company. Grandpa, you know this—there are spies in Tengyuan Group. Today, I contacted an employee who gave me a lead on those spies. That’s why I came home late.”

She lied. If her grandfather knew she had actually been out shopping with Lin Yuan for over two hours, he’d probably break her legs and even strip her of her position as CEO of Tengyuan Group.

Bang!

Before she could finish, Gu Weijun slammed his cane on the floor. Cracks appeared on the smooth tiles, showing how much force he used.

“Look at this! This is the daughter you two raised—already learned how to lie!”

“You, kneel!”

Seeing her grandfather furious, Gu Qingyi didn’t dare say more and obediently knelt before him.

In the entire Gu Family, her grandfather was the strictest. Though retired and living at home now, he still held the power over life and death within the family. No one dared disobey his orders.

“After you left the company today, you went to Wanjia Plaza and went shopping with that brat from the Lin Family, didn’t you?”

“Grandpa, you investigated me?” Gu Qingyi wasn’t surprised. With the Gu Family’s capabilities, investigating someone was easy. What shocked her was that her grandfather actually used those means on her.

“Before that, you even agreed to that brat’s confession, didn’t you?”

“You sold me out?” Gu Qingyi turned to look at Long Haochen. Only a few people knew she had accepted Lin Yuan’s confession—and Long Haochen was one of them. It had to be him.

“I didn’t sell you out, Qingyi. I only did it for your safety! Lin Yuan isn’t a good person. If you stay with him, you’ll suffer.”

“Whether I suffer or not is my own business. I don’t need you meddling!”

“Silence!” Gu Weijun’s cane struck the floor again with a crisp crack, his face full of disappointment as he looked at his granddaughter. “I arranged for Haochen to be by your side to protect you, yet you pull such a reckless stunt. You’ve let me down.”

“Grandpa, I can explain,” Gu Qingyi said quickly, giving Long Haochen a sharp glare. She hated nothing more than being controlled, and Long Haochen’s tattling had clearly crossed her bottom line.

“Fine, I’ll listen to how you try to talk your way out of this!” Gu Weijun snorted and looked at his kneeling granddaughter.

“Grandpa, everything I did was for Tengyuan Group!” she said firmly. “Tengyuan Group is your life’s work. I can’t just watch it decline. Recently, the company’s faced constant setbacks, and many core secrets have been leaked. Eliminating the spies is imperative.”

“According to my investigation, one of those spies is Chen Zhibao. He’s colluding with the Lin Family’s Tianxing Group. Getting close to Lin Yuan—accepting his confession, shopping with him—it’s all just to approach him and gather evidence of Chen Zhibao’s collusion with Tianxing Group.”

“What did you say?” Gu Weijun immediately asked, looking shocked as he confirmed again, “Who did you say is one of the spies?”

Gu Qingyi subtly pursed her lips. As expected, the moment she mentioned Chen Zhibao, her grandfather reacted. He had always valued friendship deeply. Learning that his friend had betrayed him and the company they built together was enough to distract him from her previous offenses. It worked—now was the time to strike while the iron was hot.

“It’s Chen Zhibao—Grandpa Chen,” she said while watching his expression closely.

Upon confirming her answer, Gu Weijun slumped in his seat like a deflated balloon. After a long silence, he looked at her and asked, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“Grandpa, this concerns the future of the company. How could I be wrong about something so serious? Do you not trust my abilities?” she replied confidently.

Gu Weijun didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t doubt her abilities—his granddaughter was even more capable than his own son. That’s why he let her take over as CEO of Tengyuan Group right after graduation.

“Do you have the evidence?”

“I haven’t found solid proof yet, but I’ve uncovered a few leads. With my connection to Lin Yuan, I believe I can quickly obtain evidence of Chen Zhibao’s collusion.”

Gu Qingyi spoke with absolute confidence.

“Good, very good. You may get up now. I misunderstood you earlier and wrongly blamed you without knowing the facts. That was my fault—I owe you an apology.”

“It’s alright. I love you the most, Grandpa,” Gu Qingyi said with a smile as she stood up.

Crisis averted.

“Haochen, Qingyi’s dealing with Lin Yuan on her own—I’m worried she’ll suffer. You must protect her well.”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa Gu. I’ll protect Qingyi with everything I’ve got,” Long Haochen said with a smile.

After hearing her explanation, he now understood that Gu Qingyi had only accepted Lin Yuan’s confession as a ploy. It wasn’t genuine, which brought great relief to his heart.

“Tomorrow is that old bastard from the Ye Family’s birthday. Qingyi, take a gift and go. Bring Haochen with you,” Gu Weijun said.

Having his granddaughter go would save him a lot of trouble, and with Long Haochen accompanying her, he could be fully at ease.

“Got it,” Gu Qingyi replied.

Although she didn’t like Long Haochen tagging along, now was definitely not the time to say so. Grandpa hated it when anyone contradicted his orders.