Chapter 177 - 160: Just Mention Jiang Ruan to President Zhao

Chapter 177: Chapter 160: Just Mention Jiang Ruan to President Zhao

The city lights began to glow as the night grew hazy.

A McLaren 720S pulled out of the flow of traffic and slowly came to a stop by the roadside.

"Wan Ning, thanks for everything today."

Gu Heng unbuckled his seatbelt and politely thanked Wang Wan Ning, who was beside him.

"Chairman Gu, you’re being too kind."

Wang Wan Ning turned her head, her smile sweet and pure. "Being by your side has been way more eye-opening than my time at school."

"All I did was buy a couple of cars. How is that eye-opening?"

Gu Heng chuckled, at a loss for words.

"How could it not be?"

"The successful sale of the world’s first Bugatti Chiron 300+!"

"The successful sale of the world’s ninth Sun God Apollo IE Purple Dragon!"

"Both of those are sensational news in the global super car world, and I was there to witness them firsthand. If that isn’t eye-opening, then what is?"

Wang Wan Ning gazed at Gu Heng, her beautiful eyes like stars in the night sky. She made no effort to hide her admiration and affection for him, nor her desire to be closer to him.

Just half an hour earlier, Gu Heng had closed deals with the official representatives of both Bugatti and Apollo. He purchased the world’s first Bugatti Chiron 300+ for 92 million and the world’s ninth Sun God Apollo IE for 43 million.

The entire SSTP Super Car Club was stirred by the process.

Many committee members, both those inside the club and those nearby, rushed over upon hearing the news. By the time Gu Heng was signing the purchase contracts with the Bugatti and Apollo representatives, the threshold of Deng Zhihong’s lounge was nearly worn down from all the foot traffic.

Tonight was, without a doubt, the most committee members and regular members Wang Wan Ning had seen since joining the SSTP Super Car Club. She even saw several major figures who were famous within the club.

After the contracts were successfully signed, Deng Zhihong, as both the host and a beneficiary, immediately booked out an entire restaurant in the adjacent SSTP building to host a banquet for Gu Heng and the many committee members who had rushed over.

At the banquet, Gu Heng chatted and laughed easily with the many distinguished committee members. Later, he was even jointly recommended by them for a committee position in the SSTP Super Car Club.

Even though they were both eighteen, Wang Wan Ning found herself completely unable to get a word in during the entire affair. She could only stand silently by Gu Heng’s side, occasionally pouring him a drink or helping him to some food.

The feeling was rather like accompanying her father to a business dinner, yet with a distinct difference.

The difference was that her feelings for her father were admiration and respect, while her feelings for Gu Heng were admiration and adoration.

"Well, I’ll be going then?"

Gu Heng smiled at Wang Wan Ning. "Drive carefully on your way home, and send me a message when you get there safely."

"Okay!"

"Then feel free to contact me anytime!"

"Your pretty designated driver, Little Wang, is at your service 24/7!"

Wang Wan Ning tilted her head up slightly and made a little cat-like saluting gesture. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, her smile sweet and charming. Seeing her playful and adorable look, even Gu Heng, who had been surrounded by beauties for the past two days, couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter in his heart.

Beautiful, with a sweet voice, and a rich beauty to boot.

All this emotional validation was really a bit much to handle.

"Talk later."

After saying their goodbyes, Gu Heng got out of the car. He watched Wang Wan Ning drive away before turning to walk toward the building that housed the Bund W Hotel.

However, as he was passing the Yu Gu Qing Bar, a fleeting glance made him suddenly stop in his tracks.

...

「At the Yu Gu Qing Bar, in front of the counter.」

Zhou Xun gazed at Jiang Ruan in front of him, his heart unable to stop its frantic pounding.

"Do you work in Zhonghai?"

"Or are you here on a business trip?"

Zhou Xun asked Jiang Ruan tentatively.

"A business trip, I guess."

Jiang Ruan fell silent for two seconds before replying in a low voice.

"I remember after high school, you got into the flight attendant program at Yanhang, right?"

Zhou Xun asked again, "So are you working for an airline now?"

"No."

Jiang Ruan shook her head but didn’t say what she did for work.

Zhou Xun nodded. He could tell Jiang Ruan didn’t want to elaborate, and although he was curious, he was tactful enough not to press the issue.

"Are you still in touch with our high school classmates?"

Zhou Xun had intended to use high school memories to open up the conversation further and then smoothly sit down next to her. But he didn’t expect that the moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Ruan’s expression would suddenly freeze, her gaze fixed on something behind him.

Noticing the change in her expression, he quickly turned to look behind him.

He saw that a young man had appeared behind him at some point. The man was wearing a light gray dress shirt, his eyes dark and deep, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through the surface and see into his soul. His handsome face held an inexplicable air of authority.

"Gu Heng. I’m Jiang Ruan’s boss."

Gu Heng smiled faintly and extended his right hand to Zhou Xun.

"Zhou Xun, Jiang Ruan’s old classmate."

Seeing Gu Heng’s extraordinary bearing, Zhou Xun subconsciously reached out and shook his hand.

"Oh..."

"So you’re an old classmate."

Gu Heng glanced at the somewhat stiff-looking Jiang Ruan, then asked Zhou Xun, "So, Mr. Zhou, what prestigious company do you work for?"

"I’m a project manager at Xincheng Venture Capital. Nothing too prestigious."

Zhou Xun replied with false modesty. A man’s intuition told him that the relationship between this young man who called himself Jiang Ruan’s boss and Jiang Ruan herself was likely not so simple.

"The same age as Jiang Ruan, and you’re already a project manager at a renowned venture capital firm?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Heng didn’t hold back on his praise. "Mr. Zhou, you truly are a dragon among men! Your future is limitless!"

Faced with Gu Heng’s lavish praise, especially in front of Jiang Ruan and coming from her supposed boss, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but feel a little giddy, an inexplicable sense of deep satisfaction welling up inside him.

"I was just lucky. Right after I started, I followed my mentor on a successful project, which gave me the chance to become a full-time employee and then project manager."

"On the surface, it looks glamorous—in and out of high-end office buildings, Michelin-starred restaurants, and golf courses all day, with an annual salary just barely scraping a million."

In the presence of a beautiful woman, a man’s desire to show off is infinitely magnified.

Zhou Xun had wanted to show off for Jiang Ruan from the start, and now, after being praised so highly by Gu Heng, he couldn’t stop the floodgates from opening.

It sounded like complaining, but it was actually bragging.

While Zhou Xun was over here "pouring out his grievances," Gu Heng’s gaze had already shifted to Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan, whose expression had been a bit stiff just moments ago, was only now starting to come to her senses.

’I just came downstairs for a drink, happened to run into an old classmate, and had a brief chat. What do I have to feel guilty about?’

With this thought, her confidence returned.

"In reality, we’re just the humble second party. Take the project I was just assigned: the renowned domestic design firm, Tianyuan Design Institute, is planning to go public on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Many investment banks are fighting for this IPO project. I’ve begged and pleaded and made countless calls, but I haven’t even managed to get in the door at Tianyuan Design Institute."

"This whole thing has had me so worried I’ve had insomnia for days..."

Zhou Xun was still humblebragging, but Gu Heng had no interest in listening anymore.

"Mr. Zhou, my apologies."

"I have some work that needs Jiang Ruan’s immediate attention, so we have to go. Let’s talk again some other day if we have the chance."

Although Gu Heng directed these words at Zhou Xun, his eyes never left Jiang Ruan. And as he spoke, he deliberately stressed certain syllables.

Zhou Xun didn’t catch the meaning, but Jiang Ruan knew exactly what he was implying.

At the thought, her fair, pale face, already flushed with a hint of wine, inexplicably deepened to a more alluring crimson.

"Uh..."

"Okay."

Seeing Gu Heng about to lead Jiang Ruan away without taking no for an answer, Zhou Xun felt a pang of unwillingness. He tentatively asked Jiang Ruan, "Jiang Ruan, it’s rare for old classmates like us to run into each other. Can I add you on WhatsApp? When we go home for the New Year, we might have a chance to get together."

As he spoke, Zhou Xun pulled up his personal WhatsApp QR code, his gaze fixed on Jiang Ruan with anticipation.

Faced with Zhou Xun’s request, Jiang Ruan instinctively glanced at Gu Heng.

"Your old classmate is asking to add you on WhatsApp. Why are you looking at me?"

Gu Heng’s smile didn’t waver. "If you want to add him, then add him."

"Fine, I’ll add him."

Jiang Ruan muttered, then crisply and efficiently opened her phone and added Zhou Xun on WhatsApp.

"Great, let’s keep in touch."

Seeing Jiang Ruan’s profile pop up in his WhatsApp chats, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but beam with delight.

Gu Heng watched them with a half-smile. Jiang Ruan, for her part, tilted her head back and downed the remaining half of her cocktail in one gulp. Then, she grabbed the shopping bag from her earlier stroll, got up from her high-stool, and silently fell in behind Gu Heng.

"Oh..."

"You just said the project you’re taking over is the Tianyuan Design Institute IPO, right?"

Gu Heng had only taken a couple of steps with Jiang Ruan before he suddenly turned back and asked Zhou Xun.

"Yeah."

Zhou Xun was a little confused but nodded instinctively.

"Call their President Zhao. Just tell him you’re an old classmate of Jiang Ruan’s."

"I can’t guarantee anything else, but I can guarantee it’ll at least get you in the door."

Gu Heng clapped Zhou Xun on the shoulder. "Good luck!"

With that, before Zhou Xun could react, Gu Heng led Jiang Ruan away.

It took a long moment for Zhou Xun to finally process what had happened.

By now, Gu Heng and Jiang Ruan were long gone.

’He knows President Zhao of Tianyuan Design Institute?’

’And he said that just by mentioning my connection to Jiang Ruan, I’m guaranteed to get a meeting with President Zhao?’

’How is that possible?’

Zhou Xun found it incredible. Tianyuan Design Institute was a leading company in the domestic design industry. It had undertaken many large-scale projects for state-owned and central enterprises, had been deeply rooted in the field for decades, and was down-to-earth with outstanding performance and bright prospects. It was highly favored by the capital market.

How could a behemoth like that in the design world give face to someone like Jiang Ruan—a girl from an ordinary family who studied to be a flight attendant?

And yet, Gu Heng had just casually mentioned the surname of Tianyuan Design Institute’s boss, which meant he wasn’t just shooting his mouth off.

’Should I give it a try?’

Zhou Xun’s expression flickered, his heart wavering like a scale.

’Right now, I can’t even get in the door!’

’How much worse could the outcome possibly be?!’

’I’ll just give it a try!’

At this thought, the hesitant look on Zhou Xun’s face was quickly replaced by determination. Then, emboldened by the alcohol, he pulled out his phone and dialed President Zhao of Tianyuan Design Institute...