Chapter 123 - 120: Zhonghai National Gold

Chapter 123: Chapter 120: Zhonghai National Gold

Of course, Gu Heng and the others knew nothing of the conversation between Wang Junjin and Su Lei.

After walking out of the Dynasty Club, both Wang Yan and Wang Wan Ning looked toward Gu Heng, a questioning look in their eyes.

"So, bro, what’s the plan?"

Once out of Wang Junjin’s sight, Wang Yan instantly reverted to his carefree self from last night. He slung an arm around Gu Heng’s shoulder. "Got anything in mind? If not, I’ll make the arrangements."

"It’s just five o’clock, so there’s still a while before dark. We’re not far from the National Gold Center, how about we go shopping at the mall?"

Gu Heng offered his suggestion, "I recently bought a villa in Beichun, but I still haven’t had the chance to buy a lot of things for it. I can use this trip to Zhonghai to get everything I need."

"Yay!"

"I absolutely love shopping!"

Away from her parents, Wang Wan Ning became much more lively.

The constant smile gracing her face was truly a delightful sight.

"Shopping works."

"This gives me some time to organize a get-together."

Wang Yan wasn’t too keen on shopping, but since Gu Heng suggested it, he readily agreed. "Yesterday’s gathering was a bit rushed, and the ’quality’ was pretty average. You just wait and see what I can do tonight."

As he finished, Wang Yan gave Gu Heng a "you know what I mean" look.

"Let’s go, then."

Wang Wan Ning acted as if she hadn’t seen her brother’s hint at all.

She looked into Gu Heng’s eyes, her smile sweet and charming, her voice crisp and pleasant.

If Gu Heng had to use one phrase to describe Wang Wan Ning’s demeanor, it would be "she only had eyes for him."

’A rich girl with a goddess-level face and figure, constantly looking at you with the adoration of a fangirl... who could possibly resist that?’

"Let’s go."

Gu Heng nodded, his expression as calm as ever.

This was the first time he and Wang Wan Ning had met, yet she was already unabashedly showing signs of her interest in him.

’Seeing this, Gu Heng wasn’t naive enough to think it was his face alone that had captivated her and made her send such obvious signals.’

’Even though Wang Wan Ning was just Wang Junjin’s illegitimate daughter, judging by his attitude toward her—and the harmonious relationship between Su Lei and Wang Yan—it was obvious she’d been doted on and raised in luxury her whole life. Even some legitimate heiresses probably didn’t have it as good as her.’

’With that kind of upbringing, and now surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women at the Zhonghai Drama Academy, his looks might be a bonus, but they definitely weren’t the deciding factor.’

So...

The reason was obvious.

’The only thing Gu Heng couldn’t figure out was whether this was her own idea or if Wang Junjin had put her up to it.’

Gu Heng didn’t dwell on it for long, though.

’Whether it was her own idea or her father’s...’

’...how could he, as a man, possibly be on the losing end of this deal?’

’He might as well just go with the flow.’

After their brief conversation, the four of them headed toward the parking lot.

The Lamborghini Centenario Gu Heng was driving and Wang Yan’s Ferrari SF90 were parked next to each other. Gu Heng had assumed Wang Wan Ning would get into Wang Yan’s car, but to his surprise, she took out her own car key and woke up a deep purple McLaren 720S parked not far away.

The distinctive headlights, the flat, narrow daytime running lights, and the oversized carbon fiber front splitter made the McLaren 720S look aggressive and powerful.

"Your car?"

Gu Heng was a little surprised.

"It was an 18th birthday present from my dad."

Wang Wan Ning replied with a smile.

"Very cool!"

Gu Heng gave Wang Wan Ning a thumbs-up, praising her sincerely.

"Here..."

"If you think it’s cool, you can take it for a drive."

Almost without a second thought, Wang Wan Ning offered the car key in her hand to Gu Heng, a certain look of expectation in her beautiful eyes.

"Maybe some other time."

Gu Heng politely declined with a smile. "Right now, your brother’s Lamborghini Centenario and I are still in our honeymoon phase. We’ll see after I get tired of it."

"The way you say that..."

"Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve been cuckolded?"

Wang Yan rubbed his head and couldn’t help but mutter.

Seeing Gu Heng refuse, a flicker of disappointment flashed in Wang Wan Ning’s eyes.

After chatting a bit more about Wang Wan Ning’s McLaren 720S, the four of them got into their respective cars and drove out of the Dynasty Club’s parking lot, heading for Lujiazui on the other side of the river.

...

「A dozen or so minutes later.」

The three supercars, driven by the four of them, slowly pulled up in front of the main entrance of the Zhonghai International Finance Center Mall.

As Zhonghai’s top luxury mall, the Zhonghai International Finance Center Mall gathered almost every top luxury brand from around the world. The so-called "four blue-blood" and "six red-blood" brands of the fashion world were merely the basic standard here.

Evidently, Wang Yan and Wang Wan Ning were super VIPs at the mall. The moment they parked their supercars by the roadside, a guest relations specialist immediately came over to greet them, then called for the professional valet staff.

Compared to the super VIP service offered at the Beichun Zhuozhan Center, the Zhonghai International Finance Center Mall was clearly a cut above—a complete blowout, even.

Before Gu Heng’s group of four even stepped into the mall, they were already surrounded by six personal shoppers.

"Bro, where do you want to check out first?"

Wang Yan, long accustomed to being the center of attention wherever he went, asked Gu Heng as they walked.

"Is there a cigar lounge here?"

"I want to get some stogies to take back and age."

After Gu Heng bought the mountaintop villa, he first had it deep-cleaned, then arranged for landscaping. Before he could even officially move in, he had passively triggered the unlocking challenge for the second level of the [Golden Tower of Wealth].

Under these circumstances, the leisure room that Jiang Man had spent a fortune building for her ex-husband was still completely empty when Gu Heng left.

Of course, this also had something to do with Beichun being a relatively less developed city.

When it came to cigars, forget about a top-tier cigar lounge; it was hard to find even a decently upscale and sizable cigar club in Beichun.

Today, Gu Heng had come to the Zhonghai International Finance Center Mall.

His primary goal was to completely fill the three walls of the leisure room back home.

After consecutively using the [Tea Tasting Card], [Cigar Tasting Card], and [Fine Wine Tasting Card], Gu Heng had not only greatly enriched his own knowledge but had also significantly refined his tastes.

It was like for some connoisseurs of worldly pleasures—once you get used to the top-shelf stuff, going back to the basics just feels wrong. Life loses its joy, and everything seems bland.

"A cigar lounge?"

"Of course they have one!"

Wang Yan’s eyes lit up slightly. "We don’t even need them to lead the way; I can take you right to it."

"Is it top-notch?"

Gu Heng asked with a smile.

"If it’s in a place like this, it has to be top-notch!"

Wang Yan was very confident. "They even have a good selection of those auction-grade stogies. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

"Sounds like Brother Yan is a regular here."

Hearing Wang Yan’s high praise, Gu Heng knew this cigar lounge probably wouldn’t disappoint him. After all, Wang Yan wasn’t someone who hadn’t seen the world.

The two men chatted and laughed as Jiang Ruan and Wang Wan Ning walked alongside them.

Surrounded by their entourage, the four of them walked into the Zhonghai International Finance Center Mall...