Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 201: Chapter 176: Armed Escort

Late at night, the lights were a dim yellow.

During the copper pot hotpot earlier, Gu Heng, Qian Zhengxing, and the others had drunk about half a jin of baijiu, leaving him slightly tipsy. But afterward, they spent more than two hours drinking tea and chatting in the lounge, so the effects of the alcohol had worn off.

Back in the master suite, Gu Heng took a shower. Still not feeling tired, he picked up his unfinished copy of The Prince, planning to read until he felt sleepy.

Outside the window, the wind and snow had stopped at some point.

[There are two ways of contending: one by the law, the other by force; the first is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is often not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second.]

Back in his school days, Gu Heng had been a top student. Later, forced by circumstances, he had no choice but to drop out and make a living on his own.

In truth, Gu Heng was a very quick learner.

As he read deeper, many insights would surface in his mind, and he often found himself marveling at the author’s wisdom and ingenuity.

Take the Chapter Gu Heng was reading now. The author of The Prince, Machiavelli, used the rise of Napoleon as an example: Napoleon established a new order with the Civil Code, yet he relied on military conquest to unify Europe.

Through this example, Machiavelli directly revealed the dual nature of power: law shapes the rules, and force defends them. Neither can exist without the other.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

Just as Gu Heng was engrossed in his reading, a soft knock came to his ears.

Gu Heng, who had been about to turn a page, paused. He then lifted his dark eyes toward the door.

Setting The Prince aside for the moment, Gu Heng swung his legs off the bed and walked to the door.

When he opened the door, he saw Jiang Ruan dressed in off-white silk pajamas. Her jet-black hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and beneath her slender, willow-leaf brows, her eyes were clear. She was hugging a pillow, and as she met Gu Heng’s somewhat surprised gaze, her cool, pale face was faintly flushed.

"What’s wrong?"

Gu Heng hadn’t expected Jiang Ruan to still be awake.

"That room..."

"It’s a little cold in that room."

Jiang Ruan pursed her lips, her voice barely a whisper.

"Cold?"

Gu Heng paused for a second. Looking at the crimson blush spreading across Jiang Ruan’s cool, pale face, he suddenly seemed to realize something, and his eyebrows arched slightly.

"Mhm..."

Gu Heng saw through her excuse but didn’t expose it. "The hot water pipes in that room might not be working right. I’ll have Sister Li get someone to take a look tomorrow."

"Then..."

"Then... I..."

Jiang Ruan looked at Gu Heng and stammered, unable to finish a sentence. Meanwhile, her cool, pale face grew redder and redder.

Of course, the flimsy excuse about the room being cold was just a pretext Jiang Ruan had come up with.

Just before, she had gotten into bed after her shower, ready to sleep.

However, after she turned off the lights, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

During her two weeks in Zhonghai, she had gradually gotten used to having Gu Heng by her side every night. She had grown accustomed to falling asleep holding his arm, or being held in his embrace.

If Gu Heng really weren’t around, she could have endured it. But he was less than a hundred meters away. After tossing and turning for a long time, her emotions finally won out over her reason, compelling her to knock on his door.

"Stay with me tonight."

"We’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."

Gu Heng stepped aside, letting Jiang Ruan walk in.

"Thank you."

Jiang Ruan thanked him in a low voice.

After letting her in, Gu Heng locked the door again and followed her back to the large bed.

"You still want the right side?"

Gu Heng asked Jiang Ruan.

"Mhm."

Jiang Ruan stood by the bed, hugging her pillow and nodding.

"It’s late."

"Go to sleep if you’re tired."

"I’m going to read for a little longer."

Gu Heng picked up The Prince again. Despite a man and a woman sharing a bed, he had no other intentions. It wasn’t that he was still in a state of post-nut clarity; it was mainly because he’d already left Jiang Ruan a bit sore on the plane today, and he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle any more.

"Okay."

Jiang Ruan replied.

Then, she replaced the pillow on Gu Heng’s right side with her own and lay down with a gentle, deliberate movement.

In an instant, an unprecedented sense of peace spread through Jiang Ruan’s heart.

At the same time, sleepiness and fatigue washed over her.

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...

The rhythmic sound of pages turning filled the air. Jiang Ruan felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. She turned her head to look at Gu Heng; in the dim yellow light, his side profile was as perfect as a sculpture.

She slowly turned over and gently wrapped a slender, pale arm around Gu Heng’s narrow waist.

Gu Heng, who was still reading, felt Jiang Ruan’s arm wrap around him. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing and did nothing, pretending not to notice as he continued to read.

Jiang Ruan’s heart pounded in her chest. When she saw that Gu Heng didn’t seem to have noticed, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Immediately after, the overwhelming sleepiness and fatigue returned, and in a flash, she was fast asleep in his arms.

[Challenge Mission: Conquer]

[Bound Target: Jiang Ruan]

[Current Progress: 90%]

[Progress Rewards: 20% (Claimed), 40% (Claimed), 60% (Claimed), 80% (Claimed), 100% (Pending)]

Suddenly, the system’s holographic screen automatically appeared.

Seeing this, a flicker of astonishment showed in Gu Heng’s eyes.

’What’s going on?’

’Didn’t it just hit 80% a couple of days ago?’

’How did it suddenly shoot up to 90%?’

Gu Heng turned to look at Jiang Ruan, feeling completely baffled.

’A woman’s heart is an ocean of secrets...’

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it.

He returned his gaze to The Prince and read for an unknown amount of time before finally falling asleep.

...

「The next morning.」

Having slept soundly through the night, Jiang Ruan slowly opened her eyes. She subconsciously stretched and then, still drowsy, glanced to the side.

As expected, Gu Heng was already gone.

Turning to look out the window, she saw that all the trees in the courtyard were cloaked in thick robes of snow, their branches heavy with clumps of white.

An occasional gust of wind sent crystalline snowflakes dancing through the air. Under the warm winter sun, the light reflecting off the snow bathed the entire mountaintop villa in a soft, hazy glow.

Jiang Ruan lazed in bed for a while before finally sitting up.

She looked at her familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, and her mind inexplicably drifted back to her first time with Gu Heng. She remembered her own "chaste maiden" act, then couldn’t help but recall Yesterday on the plane, when she had been swaying her hips and begging him.

The contrast between the two made her flush with embarrassment.

After quickly washing up, Jiang Ruan casually tied her jet-black hair into a low ponytail, then took the elevator down to the first floor.

She had originally thought Gu Heng would be reading again, but was surprised to find the living room full of people. Gu Heng was seated in the middle of the sofa, continuously signing documents with a Montblanc Pen. Surrounding him stood about ten men and women in formal business attire.

What surprised Jiang Ruan even more was that through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see two armored trucks in the courtyard, surrounded by heavily armed guards carrying live ammunition.

’What’s going on here?’

Though confused, Jiang Ruan was sensible enough not to approach, and obediently headed toward the dining room...

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