Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 182: Chapter 165

Nanlu Clubhouse, a table by the window.

Han Yijia sat in her original spot, waiting from twelve noon until three in the afternoon, but there was still no sign of Gu Heng and his group.

Her boyfriend, Zhang Peng, who had been sitting across from her, had long since been unable to contain his restlessness and made an excuse to leave early. ’Knowing him,’ she thought, ’he’s probably already smoked two cigarettes by now.’

"Excuse me."

Han Yijia was growing anxious from the wait. When she saw a staff member walk by, she couldn’t help but ask, "Does your restaurant have a back exit?"

"Our restaurant has a back door through the kitchen, and other than that, just the main entrance right in front of you. Is there something I can help you with, ma’am?"

The service staff at the high-end restaurant were extremely professional, and she responded politely to Han Yijia’s question.

"Oh, I see..."

"It’s nothing, I was just curious."

Han Yijia felt a little more at ease. ’People of Gu Heng’s status wouldn’t use a greasy kitchen exit unless it was a special situation. They must still be in the private room discussing business.’

Lifting her lemon water, Han Yijia took another small sip.

She was so afraid of missing Gu Heng that she didn’t even dare to drink much water.

"TAP, TAP, TAP..."

Just as Han Yijia was distractedly about to take out her phone to edit some photos, the sound of several sets of footsteps suddenly approached from behind her.

Hearing the sound, Han Yijia subconsciously turned to look.

There he was—the long-awaited Gu Heng—emerging from the private room surrounded by a group of people, slowly making his way toward the main entrance.

Gu Heng’s and Han Yijia’s eyes met in mid-air. He looked slightly surprised to see she was still there, but he didn’t stop, continuing toward the main entrance.

Han Yijia could only watch as Gu Heng walked past her again. Staring at his receding back, she bit her lip, a wave of indignation washing over her.

’Am I that much worse than Jiang Ruan?’

’He won’t even pause for a second for me?’

Han Yijia shot up from her chair and, clicking in her high heels, hurried after Gu Heng’s group.

...

「Downstairs at the Bund Center Building.」

Gu Heng opened the door of his Lamborghini Centenario and waved to Xu Ke and Qin Ying. "President Qin, President Xu, let’s connect by phone about the follow-up matters. That’s all for today. You two should get back to your work."

"Mr. Gu, you go first."

"It’s no trouble for us to wait until you’ve left before we head up."

Qin Ying insisted on seeing Gu Heng off, a smile on her face.

Seeing this, Gu Heng didn’t argue. He swung his leg in and sat down inside the Lamborghini Centenario.

"VROOM..."

As Gu Heng pressed the start button, the engine roared to life like the low growl of a beast.

Seeing this, Qin Ying, Xu Ke, and the others immediately stepped away from the front of the car.

However, this movement exposed Han Yijia, who had been standing a short distance behind them.

Qin Ying and Xu Ke looked at Han Yijia. They both remembered the pretty young woman and stood silently in place, neither making a move.

Han Yijia looked at Gu Heng, who was just a few meters away. She took a deep breath, then strode toward his Lamborghini Centenario on her slender legs.

"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK..."

She bent down slightly and tapped gently on the car window.

Gu Heng had already seen Han Yijia. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold—not only following him all the way from the restaurant but daring to walk up and knock on his window in front of everyone.

Seeing this, Gu Heng didn’t mind giving her a chance.

Gu Heng slowly lowered the passenger-side window. He said succinctly, "Get in."

Han Yijia, who had been about to say something, beamed with joy upon hearing his words. She opened the car door with a slightly clumsy movement and slid into the seat.

"Seatbelt on."

Gu Heng instructed her.

"Okay, okay."

Han Yijia immediately turned and fastened the seatbelt in front of her.

The yellow seatbelt stretched across her ample chest, creating a surprisingly alluring sight.

"Leaving."

Gu Heng lowered the driver’s side window to inform Qin Ying and Xu Ke, then lightly tapped the accelerator and drove toward the main road.

Once the window was closed again, the cabin quickly fell silent.

"I’m heading to the National Gold Center Mall later. I can only drop you off there."

Meeting her again, Gu Heng showed no signs of awkwardness as he spoke casually to Han Yijia.

"What a coincidence!"

"I was just heading to the National Gold Center Mall too!"

Han Yijia’s voice was a little coquettish. She sat sideways in the passenger seat, her legs, wrapped in Balenciaga stockings, turned completely toward Gu Heng.

"Was that your boyfriend just now?"

Gu Heng asked nonchalantly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Hearing this, Han Yijia’s expression stiffened slightly. "He is my boyfriend, but he’s been cheating on me. I lost feelings for him a long time ago. I barely even let him touch me now."

Listening to Han Yijia’s spiel, Gu Heng found it strangely familiar.

"Chairman Gu, that night..."

"I waited for you for such a long time."

Seeing Gu Heng go quiet, Han Yijia bit her lip and spoke up again, her delicate voice tinged with a hint of grievance and disappointment.

She paused for a moment, then her voice dropped to a near-whisper. "Didn’t you promise you’d give me a try?"

"I did promise you that."

"But now, I think we should just forget it."

While waiting at a red light, Gu Heng turned to glance at Han Yijia and replied with a faint smile.

"Chairman Gu, I just told you."

"I barely let him touch me anymore."

Han Yijia was getting anxious. She reached out and grabbed Gu Heng’s forearm. "You have to believe me."

"We can compromise."

"There’s more than one way to prove you’re telling the truth."

The corner of Gu Heng’s mouth lifted into a smirk.

Seeing this, Han Yijia immediately understood what Gu Heng meant.

"Then I want to try right now."

Han Yijia’s gaze burned as she looked at Gu Heng. Although this wasn’t quite what she’d hoped for, she knew an opportunity like this was hard to come by, so she chose to seize it proactively.

"Right now?"

Gu Heng glanced at the heavy traffic on the main road. "Not right now. As law-abiding citizens, we must ensure we’re driving safely."

Hearing this, Han Yijia thought Gu Heng was making another excuse to brush her off, but then his tone suddenly shifted. "Just wait a moment. The National Gold Center Mall is just past the next red light."

"Okay~"

Han Yijia understood what he meant. The light that had just dimmed in her beautiful eyes instantly returned.

...

Normally, with his top-tier membership at the National Gold Center Mall, Gu Heng could have simply pulled over and had a professional valet park his car.

Instead, Gu Heng drove directly into the underground parking garage. He didn’t head for the exclusive VIP parking area, but found a relatively secluded public spot and stopped.

After cracking both side windows slightly to ensure proper air circulation, Gu Heng turned off the engine.

In the dim cabin, Gu Heng’s and Han Yijia’s eyes met.

"Perform well."

"And I might consider giving you a real chance in the future."

Gu Heng said softly to Han Yijia, one eyebrow slightly raised.

Han Yijia bit her lip. She glanced at their surroundings. While this spot was more secluded than others, people and cars still passed by occasionally.

Soon, the car fell quiet.

Gu Heng leaned back against his seat, his expression growing more languid.

Occasionally, passersby would spot the incredibly cool Lamborghini Centenario parked there and couldn’t help but stop to take a second look, some even taking out their phones to snap a couple of pictures.

However, with Gu Heng, the "owner," present and seemingly dozing, the occasional person or car would at most look and take pictures from a distance. They were respectful of his space and didn’t dare to approach and disturb him.

Under these circumstances, they naturally had no idea that there was actually someone in the passenger seat of the Lamborghini Centenario.

Time ticked by, second by second.

"BUZZ, BUZZ..."

Suddenly, a vibration sounded from inside Han Yijia’s handbag, but she acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

"Why aren’t you answering?"

Gu Heng asked softly.

"I don’t need to."

Han Yijia responded in a low voice.

However, after the first missed call, a second, third, and fourth followed in quick succession. The incessant buzzing started to annoy Gu Heng, so he reached over, opened Han Yijia’s handbag, and took out her phone.

When he saw the caller ID, he knew who it was.

He answered the call and put it directly on speakerphone.

"Babe!"

"Why aren’t you answering my calls!"

"Are you mad at me?"

"I’m in the underground garage at the National Gold Center Mall. Where are you?"

As soon as the call connected, an anxious-sounding male voice came through, bombarding Han Yijia with questions.

She lifted her head and gave Gu Heng a sultry look, then responded into the phone in a low voice, "I just saw your calls."

"Oh, okay..."

Hearing that Han Yijia’s tone was normal and that she didn’t sound angry, Zhang Peng breathed a sigh of relief. He then pressed, "Babe, where are you? I’ll come find you now."

"Just wait for me in the underground garage."

"I’ll come down to you. I need to put something in your car."

Han Yijia replied.

"Babe, I’ll wait for you."

"I’m not in a hurry."

Zhang Peng assumed Han Yijia was coming down specifically for him, which made him feel quite pleased. He added in a doting voice, "I’ll wait for you, babe."

"Mhm."

Han Yijia didn’t even have the energy to humor Zhang Peng.

"Babe, I have to tell you, while I was looking for a parking spot just now, I saw this super cool Lamborghini. It’s black and yellow, just insanely cool."

"I just looked it up online. Do you know how much that car costs?"

"A full thirty million!"

"You could buy a huge, high-end apartment in a good location in Zhonghai for that much!"

Zhang Peng enthusiastically shared his discovery with Han Yijia, completely unaware that both Gu Heng and Han Yijia were listening with the strangest expressions on their faces...

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