Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Goodbye

Dusk was settling in, painting the sky with a crimson glow.

Around seven o’clock, Jiang Ruan stood before a heavy, black armored door.

"DING DONG... DING DONG..."

The crisp chime of the doorbell rang out, and Jiang Ruan took half a step back.

About two minutes later, the black armored door slowly swung open.

"You must be Miss Jiang, correct?"

The person who answered the door was a middle-aged woman of about fifty, dressed in a housekeeping uniform. She looked at Jiang Ruan with a warm and respectful attitude. "Please, come in."

"Thank you."

Jiang Ruan gave the woman a polite nod and stepped through the doorway.

"Miss Jiang, this way, please..."

The middle-aged woman led the way, while Jiang Ruan curiously took in her surroundings.

A villa worth over twenty million was, by any measure, one of the most luxurious mansions in all of Beichun.

Rows of unknown, precious tree species, paired with numerous brightly colored flowers, filled the entire courtyard with a sense of natural, harmonious beauty.

Jiang Ruan followed the woman around a natural screen formed by trees and flowers, and the view suddenly opened up before her.

The vast, fiery crimson of the sunset shimmered on the surface of a spacious private pool.

Between the pool and the villa, Gu Heng sat by a grill, dressed in a silk shirt. His collar was slightly open and his sleeves were rolled up to his wrists, giving him an exceptionally relaxed and carefree air.

Wisps of white smoke curled up from the grill. On the distinct briquettes of walnut charcoal, two superb cuts of steak sizzled every time a drop of fat fell.

The scene was strangely reminiscent of a still from a TV drama brought to life.

Seeing Gu Heng again after half a month, Jiang Ruan’s gaze grew a little dazed.

’He seems to have gotten even more charming...’

And in fact, he had.

There was once a popular question on a site like Quora, where a young person asked: What can a guy do consistently in college to get the biggest payoff?

One of the top-voted answers consisted of just four words:

Read books, lift weights!

The former trains the mind, the latter trains the body.

The difference in vigor and spirit between someone who consistently works out and someone who never does is practically visible to the naked eye.

If Gu Heng had seemed more like a boy half a month ago...

...then now, he looked more like a man.

And for a woman, the latter was naturally more charismatic and alluring.

Just as Jiang Ruan was looking at Gu Heng, he looked over at her as well.

Today, Jiang Ruan was wearing a loose, beige plaid shirt over a small white camisole, paired with washed denim shorts and black leather ankle boots.

Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her beautiful legs were long and straight.

A touch of light makeup on her gorgeous face made her look even more coolly refined.

It had to be said, a beauty is a beauty; even every strand of her hair looked perfect.

Their gazes met mid-air, and an unspoken, indefinable meaning passed between them.

"Mr. Gu, Miss Jiang is here."

Soon, Jiang Ruan was brought before Gu Heng.

"Sister Li, you can go attend to your other duties."

Gu Heng nodded slightly, dismissing her.

Hearing this, Li Huifang promptly and quietly hurried away, returning to the villa to do what she needed to do.

After Li Huifang left, Gu Heng turned his gaze to Jiang Ruan and said with a light chuckle, "Yuan Zhi managed to get his hands on a couple of M9 Level Australian beef cuts. Are you okay with steak for dinner tonight?"

His expression was natural, his tone relaxed.

It was as if he wasn’t the one who had been ignoring Jiang Ruan for the past half a month at all.

"That’s fine."

Jiang Ruan nodded, her voice a little quiet.

"It’ll probably need to grill a little longer."

Gu Heng gestured with his eyes. "Have a seat and rest for a bit."

"Okay."

Jiang Ruan looked at the empty seat very close to Gu Heng. She didn’t refuse and sat down.

In an instant, her long, crossed legs were fully revealed before Gu Heng’s eyes.

"SIZZLE—"

Fat dripped, and wisps of white smoke rose into the air.

Gu Heng’s movements were quite skilled. His gaze remained fixed on the grill before him, while Jiang Ruan quietly watched him.

Neither of them spoke again, and for a moment, the scene fell quiet.

An unknown amount of time passed like this.

"Could you grab the plate?"

Gu Heng suddenly broke the silence, gesturing to Jiang Ruan.

"Oh, oh..."

Jiang Ruan, who had been slightly lost in thought, quickly picked up a wooden board meant for the steak and held it out for Gu Heng.

Gu Heng placed the steak on the board with tongs, then picked up a knife and carved it on the spot before drizzling it with a pre-prepared truffle sauce.

He did the same with the other steak.

"Let’s go."

"We can eat inside."

Gu Heng gestured towards the villa, holding the steaks in both hands.

"Okay."

Jiang Ruan nodded and followed Gu Heng into the villa.

Inside the main hall, a cool air rose from the Italian gray marble floor, and a magnificent, luxurious crystal chandelier in the center cast a soft glow.

In the distance, four professional chefs in pristine white uniforms stood before an open-plan Western-style kitchen, busying themselves in an orderly fashion. Their cutting boards were laden with precious seafood.

"Sit anywhere."

Gu Heng casually placed the two plates of steak on the marble-patterned round dining table. He smiled at Jiang Ruan and said, "I’ve been working on the yard ever since I bought this villa. It was just finished a couple of days ago, so I only moved in two days ago myself."

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever cooked a meal at home here."

Gu Heng and Jiang Ruan sat facing each other. As soon as they were seated, dishes immediately began to be served from the kitchen.

At this moment, Jiang Ruan took in everything before her.

She appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.

A mansion, a private courtyard, a personal chef, house staff...

It all felt so far out of reach, yet it was right in front of her.

"I’m sorry, I was in a bit of a hurry just now," Jiang Ruan said quietly. "I should have brought you a housewarming gift."

"Don’t worry about it."

"You can make it up to me later when you have the chance."

Gu Heng replied with a chuckle, then raised his knife and fork. "Let’s eat. Steak is best when it’s hot."

"Mhm."

Jiang Ruan agreed and picked up her utensils as well.

About ten minutes after they sat down, the work in the kitchen was finished.

"Chairman Gu, please enjoy your meal."

"We won’t disturb you any further."

The head chef, leading the other three, quickly walked over to Gu Heng and spoke with utmost respect.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhang."

Gu Heng nodded in acknowledgment.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they quickly left. Once the chefs were gone, the house staff left as well.

At last, only Gu Heng and Jiang Ruan remained in the entire villa.

They ate and chatted, though Gu Heng ate with great restraint.

Aside from the steak in front of him, he barely touched the other dishes, taking only a small taste of each.

Before they knew it, the sky outside had grown completely dark.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the evening breeze lifted a corner of the sheer curtains, revealing the silhouettes of a few tuberoses stretching in the courtyard. Their faint fragrance mingled with the resinous scent of pine and cypress, drifting through the air where cool AC and warm light intertwined.

"When are you planning to leave Beichun?"

As Gu Heng suddenly asked this question, the dining room fell silent...

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