Chapter 222 - 189: Misunderstanding and a Comped Bill

Chapter 222: Chapter 189: Misunderstanding and a Comped Bill

At that moment, Lin Qingge was utterly shocked.

She knew Gu Heng, and more importantly, she knew his identity.

Gu Heng, the new director and second-largest shareholder of Xingchuan International Group.

Lin Qingge had never imagined that the online friend her roommate Liu Nanyi was always talking about would turn out to be her boss.

Two months ago, Lin Qingge had been scouted by Xingchuan Entertainment.

After a grueling series of auditions, she had stood out from a pool of over a hundred other female university students to secure a permanent spot in Xingchuan Entertainment’s debut girl group.

Xingchuan Entertainment was a key strategic project for Xingchuan International Group, an entertainment industry giant in Ji Province, and the parent company placed immense importance on its success.

Simply for making it through the auditions, Lin Qingge received a 100,000 yuan cash prize from Xingchuan Entertainment. For a girl living on a typical student’s monthly allowance, this instantly made her a "little rich girl" among her peers.

And just like that, Lin Qingge officially signed with Xingchuan Entertainment.

Now, besides attending her regular classes, she spent most of her time in intensive training at Xingchuan Entertainment’s temporary facility.

She had only recently heard about Gu Heng during idle gossip with some of the senior women from departments directly under the parent group.

By chance, she had seen a photo of Gu Heng.

Because Gu Heng was so young and extraordinarily handsome, that single glance had left an indelible impression on Lin Qingge.

’Chairman Gu is so handsome...’

’He’s even more handsome in person than in his photo, and he has a better aura.’

Lin Qingge’s beautiful eyes sparkled as these thoughts surfaced in her mind.

"Do we know each other?"

Gu Heng suddenly asked Lin Qingge.

"Ah..."

"We don’t."

Lin Qingge hadn’t expected Gu Heng to ask. She froze for a moment before instinctively denying it.

Hearing this, Gu Heng gave a slight nod and said no more.

Although Lin Qingge claimed they didn’t know each other, Gu Heng’s intuition told him she definitely did. He just wasn’t sure from where.

"Gu Heng, I’m done ordering."

Liu Nanyi handed the tablet back to Gu Heng, then looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Do you want to sit down with us? We’re all around the same age."

"I’ll have to pass."

"I have something else to attend to. You all have fun."

As Gu Heng spoke, he glanced down at the food and drinks Liu Nanyi had ordered.

They were mostly inexpensive dishes, and for drinks, she’d chosen Cloud Vase’s signature cocktail set. The total bill barely met the minimum charge for the booth.

From what Gu Heng knew of Liu Nanyi, she came from an ordinary family. Although both her parents were employees at a state-owned enterprise, 3,000 yuan a month for living expenses was the absolute most they could give her.

Treating so many people for her birthday today, even if everyone brought a gift, meant Liu Nanyi would have to shoulder the entire cost of the meal herself, since presents couldn’t be converted to cash.

The S3 booth they were in was one of the best viewing spots at Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, second only to the S1 booth. Even on a weekday, its minimum charge was around a thousand yuan.

A meal costing over a thousand yuan would definitely sting for someone like Liu Nanyi.

Gu Heng glanced at Liu Nanyi’s order, then reopened the menu. He added all of Cloud Vase’s more expensive seafood dishes to her tab. Next, he opened the drink list, canceled the cocktail set she had just ordered, and planned to pick out some other drinks for her.

"Hey?"

"Dude, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Why are you adding dishes to our order without asking?"

Suddenly, Teng Yingyao, his expression perpetually arrogant, stood up and snatched the ordering tablet right out of Gu Heng’s hands.

"Look at this..."

Teng Yingyao glanced at the tablet and immediately showed the screen to everyone. "He added all these dishes without our permission! The total price of these dishes alone is almost five thousand yuan."

As he spoke, Teng Yingyao kept glancing over at Liu Nanyi.

Of all the girls, Liu Nanyi was the most lively and cheerful, and she was exactly his type.

Seeing Liu Nanyi and Gu Heng chatting so warmly just now had really annoyed him.

Now that he had an opportunity to act, he was all fired up. He felt like a knight in shining armor, righting a wrong on Liu Nanyi’s behalf.

"Seriously?"

"Is this place a clip joint?"

"Who just adds dishes to a customer’s order?"

Gao Junlin, who was also annoyed with Gu Heng, stood up as well. "Dude, isn’t this a classic case of ripping off an acquaintance? You’re a real piece of work!"

Seeing Gao Junlin and Teng Yingyao on their feet, Gao Junlin’s two other roommates also stood up. Although they didn’t say anything, their posture clearly showed they were united against a common foe.

This sudden turn of events caught the four girls completely off guard.

Seeing the evidence before them, Feng Yao and Su Tang looked both stunned and suspicious. Lin Qingge, however, who knew Gu Heng’s identity, was certain it was all a misunderstanding.

Only Liu Nanyi seemed a little flustered.

"Don’t talk nonsense."

"Gu Heng isn’t that kind of person."

But despite her panic, Liu Nanyi immediately stood up from her seat. She subconsciously chose to trust Gu Heng and tried to smooth things over.

"Give the tablet back."

Facing the four aggressive young men, Gu Heng’s expression remained calm. His voice was laced with a cool indifference and an authority that permitted no argument.

After several months, Gu Heng was no longer the poor boy he once was. He was at the helm of a business empire worth billions, and the livelihoods of thousands of families depended on the jobs he provided.

He had shared drinks and conversation with the chairman of Junyao Group on the Huangpu Riverfront and smoked cigars over tea with the president of China Merchants Bank’s Zhonghai Branch in a skyscraper.

Unwittingly, Gu Heng had developed a unique presence of his own.

Although his presence was still unrefined compared to men like Wang Junjin, it was far more than these four brash young men could ever hope to challenge.

In that moment, to Teng Yingyao and the others, Gu Heng seemed like the dean from their school days; a figure they subconsciously wouldn’t dare to even think of defying.

The moment Gu Heng finished speaking, Teng Yingyao instinctively handed the tablet back to him.

Gu Heng took the tablet, glanced down at the screen, and seeing that the order was correct, handed it directly to Hu Lei, who was standing behind him.

"Manager Hu, serve their table according to this menu. For drinks, bring them Dom Perignon Champagne—unlimited bottles for tonight. Comp their entire table, and just bill it directly to Director Fan of the Board Office."

After calmly giving his instructions to Hu Lei, Gu Heng turned and smiled at Liu Nanyi. "Enjoy yourselves. I’ll be going now."

With that, Gu Heng left the S3 booth area without a second glance at the others and walked toward the central bar.

"Wait, what?"

"What just happened?"

Su Tang asked, the reality of the situation slowly dawning on her.

"I have no idea."

Feng Yao shrugged, looking just as baffled.

"Don’t you guys get it yet...?"

Lin Qingge started to explain. "Gu Heng added all those dishes for Yiyi because he planned on comping her meal from the very beginning. He just didn’t get a chance to say it before you all cut him off."

As she finished, Lin Qingge glanced at Teng Yingyao and the others, who were still standing there dumbfounded. She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes, but the exasperation in her voice was unmistakable.

"So he says it’s comped, and we’re just supposed to believe him?"

Teng Yingyao felt the girls’ strange stares, and his face flushed as he tried to save some face. "What if we finish our meal and he refuses to pay up?"

The waitress who had been with Gu Heng—and who Hu Lei had left to attend to the table—couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward. Seeing Teng Yingyao continue to judge a gentleman by his own petty standards, she spoke up to defend her boss’s reputation and dignity.

"Sir, that gentleman is our chairman."

"This entire Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, and in fact the entire Zhen Cui Group, are his businesses. Given our chairman’s status, I don’t believe he would have any reason to play a trick on you."

"What?"

"Gu Heng is the Chairman of Zhen Cui Group?"

When this earth-shattering news came from the waitress’s mouth, everyone was shocked speechless. This time, that included Lin Qingge, as the fact that Gu Heng was also the chairman of Zhen Cui Group was not part of the information she had.

"Oh my god!"

"So Chaoyu Buffet Restaurant, Sushi Yun Omakase, and Original Grilled Steakhouse... all these restaurant brands are part of Zhen Cui Group."

Su Tang picked up a promotional placard from the table, which listed all the restaurant brands under Zhen Cui Group, along with their locations and reservation numbers.

"Gu Heng is that rich!"

Feng Yao clicked her tongue in amazement. Recalling their chance encounter at the Zhuozhan Shopping Center, she suddenly understood why such a poised and beautiful secretary had been so attentively at his side.

The girls were all exclaiming in amazement, while the boys exchanged awkward glances before finally sitting back down, their expressions sheepish and embarrassed.

This time, no one dared to say another word.

The humiliation was simply too painful.

Mainly, who could have imagined that a young man who looked to be their age could have such a powerful background? It defied all common sense.

Even the ever-confident Gao Junlin was silent for once.

He might be confident and arrogant, but he wasn’t an idiot. His family’s entire net worth couldn’t hold a candle to Zhen Cui Group, so one could only imagine how terrifying Gu Heng’s family background must be.

After this sudden revelation, the entire table fell into an inexplicable silence.

Liu Nanyi stared at the central bar, watching Gu Heng as he spoke with two bartenders. A dazzling light shone in her beautiful eyes. Beside her, Su Tang and Lin Qingge were also fixated on Gu Heng in the distance, their own eyes shimmering with an unreadable light.

Even Feng Yao, who already had a boyfriend, felt waves of emotion ripple through her heart, which refused to calm down for a long, long time...

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