Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Screen, Don’t Entangle

After lunch, Gu Heng followed the team’s physical therapist to a liquid nitrogen cryotherapy chamber for a recovery session. Luo Xiwen and Jiang Ruan both tagged along.

The two women stood about two meters from the cryotherapy chamber, watching as Gu Heng took off his shirt. Clad in only boxer briefs, he stepped inside. Neither of them looked away.

As mist began to rise from within the chamber, Luo Xiwen’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward Jiang Ruan, finally settling on the red mark on her neck, just below her jaw.

A moment ago, Luo Xiwen had noticed the same red mark on Gu Heng’s neck, but she hadn’t paid it much mind, assuming it was just a mosquito bite.

Gu Heng’s skin was naturally thicker, and after a long session of icing and massaging it the day before, the hickey had mostly faded. To the naked eye, it was just a faint red patch, not at all conspicuous.

But Jiang Ruan was a different story. She was naturally fair-skinned and delicate. Even though she had spent a long time icing and massaging the mark in her room last night, the imprint was still quite clear.

Luo Xiwen looked at the hickey on Jiang Ruan’s neck, in the exact same spot as Gu Heng’s, and instantly realized that the red mark she had seen earlier was no mosquito bite.

Obviously, Gu Heng and Jiang Ruan had been intimate.

’Could it be that they’ve already...?’

At the thought, Luo Xiwen’s heart tightened.

Although she had long been mentally prepared, she knew that a man like Gu Heng would surely have many women in his life.

But when it actually happened right before her eyes, beyond the pain, she felt an even stronger sense of resentment.

’But I was first!’

Luo Xiwen pursed her lips, feeling thoroughly dejected.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruan felt Luo Xiwen’s gaze and slowly turned to look at her.

Their eyes met. The look they exchanged was complicated, but neither said a word.

They didn’t know what to say. And neither of them had any standing to.

One was a secretary, the other an assistant.

One didn’t want to leave; one couldn’t leave.

Neither was the main woman. Neither’s status was legitimate.

They looked at each other in silence before finally breaking eye contact and turning their gazes forward again.

With Gu Heng’s current physical condition, he could only stay in the liquid nitrogen cryotherapy chamber for two minutes at most.

But those short two minutes made Gu Heng feel completely refreshed, as if the morning’s fatigue had vanished entirely.

Gu Heng stepped out of the cryotherapy chamber. He looked at the two women standing side by side, his expression calm and natural.

Screen, but don’t get entangled.

This was a principle he had also learned from Wang Baoshan that one night.

True alpha males, in matters of romance, always had the same mindset: lay your cards on the table and let the other person decide.

They would proactively reveal their desire for multiple partners with extreme honesty.

Accept it, and you can stay.

Don’t accept it, and you’re free to leave.

What is the mindset of a true alpha?

It’s absolute confidence. They’re betting that you’ll never meet a more impressive man than them in your entire life.

Today, Gu Heng had made no effort to hide Jiang Ruan from Luo Xiwen. This in itself was a form of screening, and it seemed the results were quite good.

As for Jiang Ruan...

She was a special case.

If she weren’t the target tied to his challenge mission, Gu Heng would never have gone to such lengths or gotten so entangled with her. Now, you could only call it fate.

After getting out of the cryotherapy chamber, Gu Heng chatted briefly with Luo Xiwen before heading to a mobile hyperbaric oxygen chamber for more recovery therapy. Luo Xiwen stayed with him for a little while longer before leaving.

...

In the blink of an eye, late autumn arrived, and the year drew to a close.

THUD THUD!

THUD THUD THUD!

Inside the high-end fitness studio, Gu Heng wore boxing shorts, his hands in boxing gloves.

As the boxing coach in front of him continuously raised the focus mitts, Gu Heng landed a precise strike every time, his punches as fast as lightning.

Over two whole months of high-intensity training had once again brought about a magnificent transformation in Gu Heng.

At this moment, Gu Heng was bare-chested.

Compared to two months ago, when his body was flabby and lacked any muscle definition, his physique now exuded power and looked as if it were sculpted.

His shoulders were broad, his deltoids full and prominent, and the lines of his shoulders and neck were sharp and distinct.

His forearm muscles were firm, his pectoral muscles thick and well-defined with a deep line between them.

His six-pack abs were perfectly arranged, each block distinct, revealing a dynamic beauty with every breath.

His back was broad and muscular, his lats extending upward from his waistline, the muscle groups clearly layered.

Such a physique would earn a sincere compliment from anyone: a truly chiseled man.

THUD!

As the final punch landed, the boxing coach in front of him stumbled back two steps.

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

At some point, a crowd had gathered around the boxing ring.

Huang Xue, the Vice President of Xinghuo Fitness Studio, the eight experts from his dedicated training team, as well as Luo Xiwen and Jiang Ruan, were all sincerely applauding Gu Heng.

"Chairman Gu, congratulations!"

Huang Xue congratulated him. "Not only did you perfectly achieve our initial goal, you far surpassed it!"

Today was the last day of Gu Heng’s contract with Xinghuo Fitness Studio, and also the deadline to unlock the second-level challenge mission of the "Golden Tower of Wealth."

For the past ten weeks, Gu Heng had practically ignored the outside world. He had only two words in his mind—

Pumping iron!

His only indulgence was that one night with Jiang Ruan.

After that night, Gu Heng had been like an ascetic monk, completely abstaining from women.

Cardio—

would only make him lose muscle!

No women, no cardio!

Now, his hard work had finally paid off.

Gu Heng not only achieved the 15% body fat percentage required by Brother Tongzi, but he even surpassed the goal, getting his body fat down to 13.78%.

"Thank you all for your diligent guidance over the past two-plus months!"

"Tonight at Zhenhai Seafood Restaurant, we’re not going home until we’re drunk!"

Gu Heng announced to Huang Xue and the others.

"Thank you for the treat, Chairman Gu!"

"We’ll definitely be there on time!"

As the vice president in charge of major accounts, Huang Xue naturally had to maintain a good relationship with a huge client like Gu Heng.

At the same time, Huang Xue also felt a genuine admiration for Gu Heng.

A bona fide billionaire, with no professional need or financial incentive, had managed to drop his body fat from 22% to below 14% in just over two months. His astonishing willpower and discipline were truly something she couldn’t help but marvel at.

After all, even many celebrities, who were driven by profit, found it difficult to endure such high-intensity training day after day. It wasn’t unheard of for some to even have mental breakdowns.

Those seemingly simple numbers represented a degree of sweat and hardship that words couldn’t describe. Otherwise, how could it live up to a term like "total transformation"?

And the people who admired Gu Heng weren’t limited to just Huang Xue. Luo Xiwen and Jiang Ruan, who had witnessed his entire journey, felt the same.

Women are drawn to the strong.

In the past, the strength Gu Heng had shown the two women came from external factors like money, status, and identity. But the strength he had displayed recently came from his inner willpower, discipline, and endurance.

Gu Heng could have lived a life of luxury. He didn’t need such a great body to win the hearts and favor of countless women. Yet he still held himself to such a strict standard, and it was hard for the two women not to feel a sense of admiration.

Gu Heng exchanged a few pleasantries with Huang Xue and the others, then stepped down from the ring.

"Xi Wen, settle the bill for this period with the owner of the fitness studio later. And you’re coming to dinner tonight, too."

Gu Heng instructed Luo Xiwen.

"Okay."

Luo Xiwen nodded.

"Jiang Ruan, you’ll drive me home."

After giving his instructions to Luo Xiwen, Gu Heng turned and gave another order to Jiang Ruan.

"Okay."

After giving his orders to the two women, Gu Heng gave a nod to Huang Xue’s group, then changed his clothes and left.

...

After returning home, Gu Heng went straight into his room and locked the door from the inside.

Haaaah—

Sitting in an armchair, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then, he pulled up the system’s holographic screen. Watching the countdown timer approach zero, he felt extremely excited.

The moment the countdown hit zero, a familiar, crisp sound chimed in Gu Heng’s mind, and the system’s screen instantly changed.

[Challenge Mission: Reduce body fat from 22% to 15%]

[Completion Status: 100%]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully unlocked the second level of the "Golden Tower of Wealth".]

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