Chapter 176

After school, Uncle Jiang's car was already waiting at the usual spot.

This was Jin Pili's first time coming to a wealthy villa area. After the car drove in, she kept looking out the window with curiosity.

"Jin Pili, do you feel like it's exceptionally luxurious and grand?" Gu Lianxing turned back to look at Jin Pili and asked.

Jin Pili nodded while looking outside: "It's a bit different from what I imagined."

Gu Lianxing smiled and said: "Stop looking, your master's martial arts hall wasn't much cheaper than the villas here."

By the time the car slowly came to a stop, Gu Gu Lianxing's mother was already standing in the courtyard waiting to welcome them. Seeing several beautiful girls get out of the car from afar, she called out repeatedly: "Gu Lianxing!"

"Mom!"

Gu Gu Lianxing waved her hand and ran toward her mother. Shen Ci and Jin Pili thanked Uncle Jiang unhurriedly before following.

"Mom, let me introduce you. This is Shen Ci, and this is Jin Pili."

"Hello, Auntie!" The two greeted her in unison, appearing very polite.

Mrs. Gu had an impression of Shen Ci, having met her once before. Jin Pili, however, was meeting her for the first time, though she had heard her daughter mention her as a new roommate who had moved into the dormitory.

"Hello, please come in. Gu Lianxing suddenly told me you were coming, so my preparations were a bit rushed." Mrs. Gu had a very approachable personality, her every gesture exuded elegance, and her voice was very pleasant.

After entering the villa, the group sat down in the living room. Mrs. Gu hurriedly instructed the nanny to bring out chilled fruit juice and washed fruit: "Eat some fruit first. Dinner will take a while to prepare, don't be shy."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Gu Gu Lianxing pulled her mother and asked: "Hasn't my dad come back yet?"

"He should be here soon. You never look for your dad when you come back, what's gotten into you today?" Mrs. Gu asked with confusion.

Gu Gu Lianxing raised an eyebrow: "There must be something going on. You'll know later."

Mrs. Gu smiled without a word, sat gracefully on the sofa, and instinctively looked at Shen Ci: "Shen Ci, I remember your home is also around here, right?"

Shen Ci nodded: "Yes, Auntie. We are less than five hundred meters away, very close."

"Gu Lianxing said you live alone. Where is your family? Are they not in Longcheng?"

"Mom, are you taking a census?" Gu Gu Lianxing looked at her mother with displeasure.

Mrs. Gu smiled: "Mom is just chatting casually with your friends."

"It's okay, Gu Lianxing." Shen Ci looked at Mrs. Gu and explained patiently: "My hometown is in Shengang. My younger brother is about to take the college entrance exam, and my mother will return to Longcheng after accompanying him through it in Shengang. I don't live alone either; I live with my younger sister, but she is filming recently and isn't at home."

"Oh, is your sister an actress?" Mrs. Gu showed a look of surprise.

She was a true wealthy lady who spent her days shopping, getting beauty treatments, and having afternoon tea. At home, she liked to binge-watch dramas and read novels.

Shen Ci nodded with a smile: "She just entered the industry and is currently in the cast of 'Destiny as Phoenix'."

"Really! I know this show, I've read the original novel. Who does she play?"

"She plays 'Hua Hua Xixi'."

"Oh, I like that character..."

For a time, Shen Ci and Mrs. Gu were chatting enthusiastically. Gu Gu Lianxing and Jin Pili looked at each other, realizing they couldn't get a word in and could only silently act as listeners.

It wasn't until the sky grew dark and night began to fall, and the aroma of food wafted from the dining room, that the nanny came over and said: "Madam, everything is almost ready, except for the soup that is still simmering. Please head to the table, I just saw the Master's car return."

Mrs. Gu nodded upon hearing this and greeted them warmly: "Dinner is served, little beauties, please take your seats."

Just as she finished speaking, Gu Shangyou walked in. He looked up and couldn't help but be stunned: "Oh? Why is it so lively today!"

"Hello, Uncle Gu." Shen Ci and Jin Pili greeted him immediately.

Gu Gu Lianxing rushed over and hugged her father's arm: "Dad, I invited my roommates to be guests at our house!"

Gu Shangyou nodded with a smile: "Welcome, welcome."

At the dining table, Shen Ci and Jin Pili sat on one side of the guest seats, opposite them were Mrs. Gu and Gu Lianxing, and Gu Shangyou sat at the head of the table.

The atmosphere was not at all serious. Mrs. Gu and Gu Shangyou were both very talkative, especially since they had heard a little about Shen Ci and were full of curiosity; they had long told their daughter to invite her over as a guest.

"Don't be shy, treat this like your own home. If you don't like something, eat less; if you like it, eat more. Reach out with your chopsticks," Gu Shangyou said.

Shen Ci didn't rush to the main point and chatted with them casually. Who knew that halfway through, Gu Shangyou himself brought it up.

"Shen Ci, I heard from Gu Lianxing that you invested in an artificial intelligence project?"

His initiative caught the three of them off guard. Shen Ci regained her composure and nodded with a smile: "So Gu Lianxing told you about this."

Gu Shangyou said with a wry smile: "More than just mentioned it, she also said that if this project succeeds, she's waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

Gu Gu Lianxing raised her eyebrows triumphantly.

Shen Ci pursed her lips and said slowly: "Uncle Gu, to be honest, I really wanted to talk to you about this today."

Gu Shangyou's expression froze. He had brought it up casually, never expecting the other party to come prepared.

"The project passed its test yesterday," Shen Ci said, getting straight to the point.

The triumphant expression on Gu Gu Lianxing's face grew even more pronounced.

Mrs. Gu looked at Gu Shangyou with some surprise, while Gu Shangyou asked with a look of confusion: "You mean the artificial intelligence project you invested in passed its self-test?"

Shen Ci nodded.

Gu Shangyou frowned and was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, though the smile was somewhat ambiguous.

Shen Ci spoke softly: "I know that Uncle Gu's Gu Corporation is a pioneer in artificial intelligence. Perhaps there were improprieties in the way Senior Brother Luo tried to get the Gu Corporation to invest in the project back then. It is understandable that you were suspicious of him for acting rashly."

"It's just that the project has now completed testing. This program has extraordinary significance for the current field of artificial intelligence. I hope Uncle Gu can give us a chance to cooperate. This program will definitely not disappoint you, Uncle Gu."

Shen Ci wanted to seek cooperation with the Gu Corporation, and as a junior, she naturally lowered her posture deliberately.

But her tone was neither humble nor arrogant. The reason was simple: the project results of the team were the foundation of her confidence.

Gu Shangyou looked at Shen Ci without responding for a moment, but a smile remained on his face. However, Shen Ci couldn't quite read that smile, and couldn't tell if he was happy or angry.

"Shen Ci, you're quite bold," Gu Shangyou said suddenly.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere clearly tightened. Gu Lianxing's face wrinkled as she was about to speak, but she heard Gu Shangyou continue: "You know I kicked those two boys out back then, yet you still dare to come back to me after the project succeeds. Aren't you afraid that I'll think you're slapping me in the face?"

Shen Ci shook her head calmly: "I didn't think that much. The only thought in my heart is that if Uncle Gu misses out on our project, you will definitely feel it is a great pity."