The Gu Family was a giant in real estate, while the Shen Family led the textile and apparel industry. The two families' marriage alliance was a perfect match in terms of status.
Moreover, the second son of the Gu family, Gu Mingting, was gentle, refined, and exuded an air of elegance.
In everyone's eyes, whether considering family background or personal character, Mingting and Shen Tinglan were a well-matched pair.
In the past, Gu Mingting had rarely visited the company to see Shen Tinglan. But today, just the day after their engagement, not only did he come so early, he also brought flowers and lunch boxes.
Seeing this scene, the employees couldn't help but gossip in the company's group chat.
Everyone agreed that now that their relationship was official, things were different, which is why Mingting could openly and confidently show up.
Some of the younger female employees even expressed envy, wishing they could have such a gentle, considerate, and romantic fiancé.
Shen Tinglan had just finished a meeting.
Unlike her glamorous appearance at the engagement party yesterday, today she wore a deep blue professional suit, looking sharp and capable.
When Mingting entered, Shen Tinglan was still busy assigning tasks.
"Go ahead with your work, don't worry about me."
Mingting didn't treat himself as an outsider at all.
He found a vase, arranged the roses, and placed them on Shen Tinglan's desk.
Afterwards, Mingting asked the secretary to get a pencil, a ruler, and some blank paper, then sat down at another table and opened his phone.
The original owner had majored in oil painting in college, and he had a Weibo account where he posted his artworks, which were mostly portraits of Shi Yunyun.
From Mingting's perspective, while the original owner's professional level wasn't top-tier, his portraits were remarkably lifelike.
This was probably because he had truly loved the Female Lead, which is why he could capture Shi Yunyun's expressions and mannerisms so vividly.
This Weibo account was Gu Mingting's secret garden, a place to hide his unrequited feelings. It had few followers and no real fame.
Mingting simply deleted all the portraits and renamed the account to 'Ordinary Little Artist'.
Being secretly photographed by the girl on the subway today had given Mingting an idea.
He planned to film his creative process and post it on Weibo and video platforms.
On one hand, he couldn't break the original owner's character, and painting wasn't difficult for Mingting. On the other hand, he still had a score to settle with Shi Yunyun.
The Xiao Family primarily operated in the jewelry business. In order to be a qualified daughter-in-law of the Xiao Family, Shi Yunyun had majored in jewelry design
But she had no talent for it whatsoever.
Throughout her four years in college, whether it was her coursework or her graduation project, Gu Mingting had been the one to complete them for her.
After graduation, Shi Yunyun got her wish and joined the Xiao Corporation.
In order to leave a good impression on her future parents-in-law and to make Xiao Yu see her in a new light, Shi Yunyun begged Gu Mingting to help her cheat.
She submitted a ring design called 'Spring Goddess', which is actually created by Gu Mingting, to a national competition, and ended up winning the Innovation Award.
Because of this award, Shi Yunyun gained some fame in the industry.
Even professionals praised her as a rising star in the design industry.
In the original timeline, after Gu Mingting and Shi Yunyun got married, the Female Lead used the excuse of 'You already have me, what more do you want? Why can't you help Xiao Yu?' to pressure the original owner into designing jewelry for the Xiao Corporation under her name.
Later, a pendant necklace called 'Moonlight', which is designed by Gu Mingting, won an international competition.
Shi Yunyun also became an overnight sensation. She's hailed as a genius designer, and gained a large domestic following.
With Gu Mingting, the behind-the-scenes designer, the Xiao Corporation repeatedly won industry awards and its reputation has become better and better.
Not only did wealthy people come to Xiao Corporation to request Shi Yunyun's custom jewelry, but Xiao Corporation's affordable accessories also sold extremely well.
It can be said that in the original timeline, Gu Mingting had played the role of a tool man to the fullest, and Xiao Yu and Shi Yunyun joined forces to squeeze him dry.
The Male Supporting Role gave everything, but in the end, all the fame, wealth, and status went to the Male and Female Leads, while he was instead framed as an adulterous, abusive husband, despised by everyone...
This was something Mingting couldn't tolerate.
By the time he arrived, the original owner had already designed the 'Spring Goddess' to help Shi Yunyun establish herself in the design world.
But Mingting believed this honor didn't belong to the Female Lead, and she didn't deserve it!
Unfortunately, Shi Yunyun was very careful in doing things and didn't leave any evidences.
On top of that, the original owner had willingly helped her. Whether it was the initial drafts, final designs, or even the rough sketches of his early ideas, he had handed everything over to Shi Yunyun.
With no proof to expose Shi Yunyun, Mingting had nothing to work with.
However, this wasn't a problem, as Mingting had plenty of time and patience.
He registered an account on a video platform, and his name was still 'Ordinary Little Artist'.
After doing some research, Mingting set up his phone on a borrowed stand, positioning it to face the desk.
By the time Shen Tinglan finally finished her work and took a breather, she noticed Mingting scribbling away at another table.
Mingting had tied his medium-length hair back with a hairband, though a few loose strands still framed his face.
His head was lowered in concentration, his slender, pale fingers gripping the pen. His knuckles looked like delicate jade, smooth and flawless.
At that moment, the morning sunlight happened to spill over him, casting a soft golden glow around his figure.
The sight of such beauty in such a setting left Shen Tinglan momentarily dazed, and a phrase flashed through her mind, 'A man as refined as jade.'
They say men are most attractive when they're focused on their work.
Even though Shen Tinglan felt she had enough understanding of her fiancé's good looks, she couldn't help but feel her heart beating faster at this moment.