Chapter 127 - 122: Are You Here to Stock Up?

Chapter 127: Chapter 122: Are You Here to Stock Up?

It was a rectangular wooden box, encased in smooth, top-grade wood. The top was a golden lid, imprinted with an abstract-style nude female figure.

"Whoa?"

"He’s even bringing out the Golden Legend?"

"Looks like Oscar is pulling out his ace in the hole."

Seeing the humidor taken from the black case, Gao Zihang’s eyes widened slightly, his tone laced with amazement.

"Chairman Gu, the Habanos Guayasamín 2."

"A global limited edition of fifty boxes. This one right here is number 39."

Oscar’s voice held a hint of pride. "There are ninety cigars in here, with fifteen sticks each of six different vitolas: Coronas, Lanceros, Mentors, Pirámides, Siglo VI, and Robustos. And every cigar has the three-point band."

As Oscar continued his introduction, the two Cigar Masters displayed the product.

Compared to the Habanos 50th Anniversary box from just now, this Habanos Guayasamín 2 looked more understated and simple.

"President Ka, name your price."

Gu Heng was concise, getting straight to the point.

In the world of cigars, those who knew, knew the status of the Guayasamín 2.

No more needed to be said. Just coming across one was a score.

After all, Gu Heng was a top-tier tycoon with a Wealth Level of A10. How could his collection not have some top-shelf treasures?

"A flat price. 5.5 million."

Oscar hesitated for a moment before giving the price.

"Seal the box."

"Bring out the next one."

Gu Heng raised his right hand, which held a cigar, and gestured to the two Cigar Masters without a shred of hesitation.

Hearing this, Oscar couldn’t help but smile wryly. "My heart suddenly aches. Is it too late to take it back?"

"Of course it’s too late."

Gu Heng spread his hands and replied with a chuckle.

"Oscar, a thousand cigars smoked, another thousand will come. You’ll have other chances to get more,"

Wang Yan urged, "Be generous. Don’t be so coy about it."

"Brother Yan, it’s not that easy to come by."

Oscar shook his head with a bitter smile, then waved to another staff member in the distance. "But since I brought it out, I’ll stand by my word."

"This last box is the Habanos 40th Anniversary, a global limited edition of 100 boxes."

"It’s also the first edition of the Habanos BHK, with 40 cigars per box."

As Oscar spoke, the staff member pulled another humidor from the black case.

This Habanos 40th Anniversary humidor’s surface was inlaid with 40 pieces of shagreen, while the central Habanos logo was inlaid with abalone shell. The overall look screamed high-end luxury and style.

"Chairman Gu, today, I’m doing this to make a friend."

"If you like it, give me 5 million, and it’s yours."

Oscar steeled himself and gave a rock-bottom price.

’I didn’t make a profit on the first two boxes, so what’s one more?’

’Judging by Gu Heng’s extravagance, he’s definitely a super-VIP client with immense status and power. He’s worth investing in, even at a loss.’

"Seal the box."

Gu Heng gestured with a slight raise of his hand, still just as decisive.

In just over ten minutes, he had spent nearly 12 million on only three boxes of cigars.

At this point, it wasn’t just Jiang Ruan; even Wang Wan Ning, who had grown up in wealth, couldn’t help but show a hint of astonishment on her face.

Having attended international schools since childhood, Wang Wan Ning was surrounded by countless "rich second-generation" classmates and friends, so she knew this demographic like the back of her hand.

’Don’t be fooled by their glamorous appearances.’

’It’s always luxury watches and supercars, five-star hotels or Michelin restaurants.’

’In reality, most of them don’t have much money in their pockets.’

’They’re certainly richer than ordinary people, but nowhere near as wealthy as they appear.’

’Their Moments on WhatsApp look high-class and sophisticated, but it’s all just a carefully curated persona.’

’It might fool naive little girls, but higher-level green tea bitches and gold diggers don’t fall for that act anymore.’

’Someone like Gu Heng, spending tens of millions on cigars without batting an eye... Forget my classmates and friends, even Wang Yan, who’s already started taking over his family’s business, would probably have to think twice and couldn’t be this carefree.’

However, Gu Heng’s next move made Wang Wan Ning realize she had been surprised far too soon.

Cigars were, after all, consumables. Limited editions worth over a million were the exception, not the rule.

Now that Gu Heng had his collector’s items to stash away...

...it was time to buy his daily smokes.

From numerous limited editions like the Habanos GR, Partagás GR, Montecristo GR, Ramón Allones GR, the Switzerland 55th Anniversary, the Juan López 155th Anniversary, and the Colección Habanos "Book" 140th Anniversary...

...to many relatively regular production lines like the Habanos BHK series, the Habanos Siglo series, the Habanos Behike series, the Habanos Novedosos series, and the Montecristo Legend series.

He bought no less than five boxes, and sometimes as many as ten, of each.

He practically cleared out an entire wall of Oscar’s cigar room.

In the end, it wasn’t just Wang Wan Ning; even Wang Yan and Gao Zihang were so shocked their eyes were wide as saucers.

When Gu Heng had dropped nearly 12 million on those first three boxes, Wang Yan and Gao Zihang hadn’t been particularly surprised. Given the current market, those boxes were basically in the realm of collectibles, no different from antiques.

Even if they didn’t appreciate in value after he bought them...

...he could liquidate them at any time if he wanted to sell.

But the cigars Gu Heng bought afterward were purely consumables.

To spend tens of millions on daily smokes... that was just outrageously extravagant.

"Chairman Gu, it doesn’t look like you came here to shop. It looks like you came to stock up your own store."

Oscar gazed at the mountain of cigar boxes before him. Even after running this cigar lounge for over six years, he was still stunned by Gu Heng’s grand gesture.

"I have OCD. I can’t stand to see an empty cigar cabinet."

Gu Heng replied with a chuckle, "President Ka, tally it up, give me a bank account number, and I’ll have my private banking secretary transfer the money to you directly."

"One moment."

"This might actually take me a while to calculate."

Looking at the mountain of cigar boxes, Oscar was truly experiencing what they call a happy problem.

"It’s fine, no rush."

Gu Heng motioned for Oscar to take his time, then turned to Wang Yan. "Brother Yan, I was just looking at the brand guide the shopping assistant gave me. I see there are concept stores for Yilin Hall and Thick Mountain Kiln here. Should we check those out later?"

"I’m good with whatever."

Wang Yan had no objections.

After speaking, Gu Heng turned to Gao Zihang and Zhao Yongtao and said with a smile, "President Gao, President Zhao, do you have plans later? If not, how about we grab some drinks later tonight?"

Gu Heng had naturally overheard Gao Zihang’s earlier hint to Wang Yan.

Since Gao Zihang was interested in connecting, he was willing to further the relationship.

People often say, "More friends means more paths."

In reality, through his recent experiences, Gu Heng had come to realize that saying was a bit flawed.

’In this society, it’s not that having more friends makes the path easier; it’s that when your path is going well, you’ll have more friends.’

"I was hoping you’d ask!"

Gao Zihang’s eyes lit up, and he accepted without hesitation.

"No problem!"

"No problem at all!"

Zhao Yongtao was overjoyed to hear the invitation.

’Based on everything Gu Heng has done, he’s clearly a powerful figure worth latching onto.’

’For him to take the initiative to include me... in my eyes, that’s a huge honor.’

"Brother Yan, let’s all go together tonight."

"You set it up, and I’ll cover all the expenses."

"If you have any other really close friends, you can invite them too."

"The more, the merrier."

’In for a penny, in for a pound.’

Since he had already invited Gao Zihang and Zhao Yongtao, Gu Heng figured he might as well open up the invitation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Tonight’s expenses are definitely on me!"

Wang Yan quickly waved his hands. "Chairman Gu, you’re the guest. How could I possibly let you pay? If my dad found out, he’d kill me!"

"Absolutely not!"

"No way!"

Seeing Wang Yan’s firm stance, Gu Heng shook his head. "You set it up first. We can talk about the rest later."

"Done!"

While they were talking, Oscar finished his calculations.

He walked over with the itemized bill and handed it to Gu Heng. "Chairman Gu, the total comes to 20.17 million. I’ll round it down for you. Let’s just call it an even 20 million."

"Give me the account number."

"I’ll have the bank wire you the money right now."

Gu Heng gave the list a quick glance, and seeing that the quantities and unit prices were correct, he readily agreed.

As for whether the cigars he bought were authentic, he wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Leaving aside the fact that Wang Yan was the middleman, if Oscar dared to sell Gu Heng fakes, the sheer value of the transaction was enough to land him in prison for life. After all, under state regulations, cigars were classified as tobacco products.

"President Ka, I’ll give you an address in a bit."

Gu Heng added Oscar on WhatsApp. "Can you mail all these cigars to me in Beichun? Any problem with that?"

"No problem."

"We have professional channels for that."

The two chatted briefly about the follow-up arrangements. During this time, Gu Heng called Luo Xiwen and instructed her to transfer 20 million to the corporate account of Oscar’s cigar lounge.

With the payment settled, Gu Heng walked over to the mountain of cigar boxes, picked out a few limited edition boxes, and then grabbed a few regular ones.

"I’ll take these with me. They’re for entertaining while I’m in Zhonghai for the next few days,"

Gu Heng said to Oscar.

"Chairman Gu, please put those down."

Hearing this, Oscar raised a hand to stop Gu Heng, then turned and quickly walked to a glass cabinet, from which he pulled out two black carrying cases.

"These two cases contain forty cigars. They’re a mix of loose sticks from various limited edition brands. They’re a gift, on the house. This should be more than enough for you."

Gu Heng looked at Oscar, then at Wang Yan.

"President Ka, are you busy tonight?"

Gu Heng asked Oscar suddenly.

"Not at all."

Oscar shook his head and answered honestly.

"Brother Yan is setting something up tonight. President Gao and President Zhao are both coming. How about you join us, President Ka?"

Gu Heng invited with a smile.

Hearing the invitation, Oscar fell silent for a moment. Then, without a word, he strode back to the glass cabinet and pulled out three more black carrying cases.

"Chairman Gu, the cigars are on me tonight!"

The response said it all.

Gu Heng gave a slight smile, while Wang Yan laughed and said, "With you, the Cigar Emperor of Zhonghai, present, if we brought our own smokes, wouldn’t that be a slap in your face? You didn’t even have to say it, of course they’d be on you!"

"On me, on me, on me! They have to be!"

Oscar was enthusiastic. "There’ll be more than enough cigars tonight. You guys just smoke to your heart’s content!"

"Then it’s settled."

Gu Heng sent his Beichun address to Oscar via WhatsApp. "We’re going to check out some other shops. Let’s get in touch tonight."

"See you tonight!"

After making their plans, Gu Heng, Wang Yan, and the others didn’t linger any longer and walked out of the cigar lounge...