Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Scumbag Talk

It was surreal, as if a dream had manifested into reality.

A walk-in closet like this was probably a scene every ordinary girl had fantasized about.

Jiang Ruan reached out and gently stroked a Dior dress.

At that moment, she inexplicably felt the urge to cry.

It was as if all the grievances and heartache from the afternoon were being released in that single moment.

Wiping away her tears, she turned, left the guest room, and headed back toward the master bedroom.

...

Bathed in a soft, warm yellow light, Gu Heng was leaning against the headboard.

He was engrossed in the last quarter’s financial report for Zhenhai Seafood Restaurant.

Since triggering the Tempering the Heart challenge mission, Gu Heng had already completed his in-depth research on three restaurant brands: Banquet Fusion, Sushi Yun, and Yuan Zhi. Zhenhai was the one he was currently focused on.

If he hadn’t suddenly triggered the challenge to unlock the second level of the Golden Tower of Wealth half a month ago, he was confident he could have completed the Tempering the Heart mission by the end of the month.

But plans rarely keep up with reality. Since unlocking the second level of the Golden Tower of Wealth took precedence, the Tempering the Heart mission had to be put on the back burner, only to be advanced little by little whenever he had a spare moment.

BUZZ BUZZ...

Just as Gu Heng was focused on the report, the phone he had casually placed beside him began to vibrate.

A small smile touched Gu Heng’s lips when he saw who was video calling.

The call connected, and Xu Mo’s delicate, rosy-cheeked face appeared on the screen.

"Honey!"

"I’m home from work!"

Her voice was crisp, her smile sweet.

Even through the screen, Gu Heng could feel Xu Mo’s boundless, youthful energy.

"Why so late today?"

Gu Heng’s voice softened unconsciously.

"Hee hee..."

"We got our bonuses today, so my department head took us all out for a team dinner after work..."

Xu Mo chattered on like an open book, sharing every little detail of her day with Gu Heng.

As Gu Heng listened intently to Xu Mo, a slight noise from the doorway made him glance over. Standing there was Jiang Ruan, dressed in a white nightgown.

Gu Heng glanced at Jiang Ruan before his eyes returned to the phone screen.

"Oh, right!"

"Honey, why did you suddenly send me a gift today?"

"It’s not even a special occasion!"

Xu Mo was bringing it up again. She had actually called Gu Heng that afternoon when she received the gift, but he had been in the middle of strength training and had cut the call short after a brief exchange.

"Who says you can only get presents on holidays?"

"You can get them on regular days, too."

Gu Heng smiled warmly, his voice gentle. "Do you like the gift I sent you?"

"I love it!"

"I absolutely love it!"

"But it’s just... it’s a little too expensive!"

Her voice grew quieter as she finished, "Honey, I’m perfectly fine with my canvas tote bags. More than the purse you gave me, I’d rather just go for a walk with you by Nanhu Lake."

"Momo, are you sure you only want to ’just walk’ when we go to Nanhu Lake?"

A smirk played on Gu Heng’s lips. "I’d feel bad calling you out on it."

Xu Mo blushed at Gu Heng’s teasing.

"I... I just want to walk."

Her eyes darted away, her voice lacking conviction.

Nowadays, Xu Mo was even more enthusiastic about kissing than Gu Heng was.

A kiss when they met, a kiss when they parted. Sometimes, even when they were just walking in a secluded spot, Xu Mo couldn’t resist stealing a kiss.

But Xu Mo was too shy to ever ask for one. Instead, she would just gaze at Gu Heng with her big, shimmering eyes, baiting him until he couldn’t help but initiate the kiss himself.

From the doorway, Jiang Ruan watched Gu Heng, who acted as if she wasn’t even there. Seeing the gentle look in his eyes and the soft tone he used for the video call, she couldn’t help but bite her lip.

’Is that his girlfriend?’

’He sees me standing here and can still act so calm.’

Jiang Ruan found it incredible. A normal man cheating on his girlfriend or wife with a lover on the side would show at least some sign of panic or awkwardness if said lover suddenly appeared while he was video-calling his partner.

Yet, Gu Heng hadn’t shown the slightest hint of anything being wrong.

How could she describe the feeling he gave off?

Indifference.

Gu Heng didn’t care that she had suddenly appeared. He didn’t care what she might do. And he certainly didn’t care if the girl on the other end of the call found out about her.

’Then again...’

’He’s not a normal man to begin with.’

Jiang Ruan thought to herself.

"Honey!"

"When your gift arrived today, a lot of the women from my department were there."

"They were all so jealous. They kept saying what a great man you are."

"And I was thinking, ’Of course he is!’"

"My honey is a great man—the best man in the whole world!"

As Xu Mo said this, she tilted her chin up, her expression a picture of pure, smug delight.

Seeing her expression, Gu Heng couldn’t help but chuckle.

The purse he had sent Xu Mo today was just a relatively entry-level pink chain handbag from Dior, priced at only around twenty thousand yuan.

It wasn’t that Gu Heng was reluctant to buy her a more expensive bag. He simply considered that Xu Mo had always been frugal. If he suddenly gave her something too extravagant, it might just scare her off. It was a process that had to be approached gradually.

Gu Heng video-chatted with Xu Mo for about half an hour before finally hanging up.

Putting down his phone, Gu Heng looked toward Jiang Ruan, who was still in the doorway.

"Do you need something?"

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, his tone no longer holding any of its earlier warmth.

The sudden shift made Jiang Ruan’s heart ache for some reason.

"The clothes in my walk-in closet..."

Jiang Ruan leaned against the doorframe, her jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. Her fair, cool-toned skin and stunning features made her look like a woman who had stepped out of a painting.

"Work uniform."

Gu Heng said coolly, "As my assistant, you’ll inevitably have to accompany me to various business functions. You can’t be dressed shabbily."

’Work uniform?’

’What kind of boss buys their assistant a work uniform worth hundreds of thousands?’

’Such a hypocrite!’

’This is clearly just a sugar-coated cannonball, trying to make me surrender completely with a display of wealth!’

Jiang Ruan scoffed internally.

"Were you just on the phone with your girlfriend?"

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ruan couldn’t stop herself from asking.

"Yes."

Gu Heng nodded.

"Does she know I exist?"

"Not yet."

"Then weren’t you afraid she’d find out about me just now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I’m not."

Jiang Ruan blinked. For some reason, she felt like she had stumbled onto a movie set.

"Do you love her?"

"I do."

"Truly love her?"

"Truly."

"If you truly love her, then why do you still..."

Jiang Ruan paused. "Why do you still need a ’personal assistant’?"

She had wanted to say "Lover," but found the word difficult to voice.

"I do truly love her. But I never said she’s the *only one* I truly love."

Gu Heng shrugged, answering with startling frankness.

An answer like that left Jiang Ruan speechless for a long time.

’What kind of scumbag nonsense is that?’

’Even Hong Shixian would have to hand you a cigarette out of respect if he heard that!’

"Scumbag!"

Jiang Ruan shot Gu Heng a venomous glare, then turned to leave.

However, she only took a few steps before slowly coming to a halt.

She raised a hand to her chest.

THUMP-THUMP...

Her heart was racing, her cheeks burning.

’What did he mean, he doesn’t just truly love one person?’

’Could it be... that he treats me this way because he truly loves me, too?’

Jiang Ruan’s thoughts began to spiral as she murmured to herself inaudibly.

...

「Inside the master bedroom.」

Gu Heng glanced at his Conquer challenge mission. Seeing the progress bar had quietly ticked up from 60% to 66%, the corners of his lips lifted into a slight smile.

"She protests, but her body doesn’t lie..."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!