Chapter 226 - 192: You Can’t Be Too Polite

Chapter 226: Chapter 192: You Can’t Be Too Polite

Ten minutes later.

Liu Nanyi, Su Tang, Lin Qingge, and the others stood at the entrance of Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, waiting for Gu Heng to come out.

It was nearly ten o’clock, peak time for Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar. A large crowd was gathered at the entrance, waiting to be seated.

"Yaoyao, should we just go ahead and leave?"

"Roar Hall is pretty packed today too. I barely managed to book a large private room just now. If we’re late, someone else might take it."

Gao Junlin had absolutely no desire to go with Gu Heng. The sheer pressure emanating from Gu Heng’s status was overwhelming. Everything Gao Junlin took pride in was utterly insignificant in front of him.

"I think we should wait."

Feng Yao glanced at Liu Nanyi and the others. Seeing that they had absolutely no intention of leaving early, she replied softly.

Hearing this, a gloomy look flashed across Gao Junlin’s face.

About five minutes later, after Su Tang and the other two girls had politely turned down five more guys who tried to hit on them, Gu Heng’s figure finally appeared.

Gu Heng was still in that thin dress shirt, surrounded by a crowd of managers from Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, all of whom wore expressions of clear deference and a desire to please.

"You don’t have to see me out."

"You have so many customers. Go on, get back to work."

Gu Heng gave a slight nod to Liu Nanyi’s group while instructing General Manager Huang Xin and the others beside him.

"Chairman Gu, we’ll just see you to the elevator."

Huang Xin said with an obsequious smile.

Gu Heng had been at the helm of Zhen Cui Group and in his high-ranking position for several months now.

He knew exactly what people like Huang Xin were thinking. It was simply a case of ’you can’t be faulted for being too polite.’

This "politeness" wasn’t about "gifts," but about "etiquette."

In the north, where the ’official-centric’ mentality was particularly strong, this way of thinking was deeply ingrained and couldn’t be changed overnight.

Trying to force a change would only cause panic and unease among his subordinates.

So, Gu Heng simply let them be.

Seeing the forty-something Huang Xin bowing and scraping before Gu Heng, and then seeing Gu Heng’s completely unfazed expression, Liu Nanyi and her friends felt inexplicably tense.

Soon, Gu Heng and the group reached the elevators.

"Chairman Gu, we welcome you to visit and inspect Cloud Vase again anytime!"

Huang Xin and the others stood at the entrance. He looked at Gu Heng, who stood in the center of the elevator, and made his declaration with a slight bow.

In response, Gu Heng merely raised a hand.

As the elevator doors slowly slid shut, Liu Nanyi and the others could clearly see that Huang Xin and his men didn’t straighten their slightly bowed backs until the very moment the doors were fully closed.

"Gu..."

"Gu Heng, aren’t you wearing a down jacket?"

Liu Nanyi felt the intangible aura of authority radiating from Gu Heng. She thought that the Gu Heng before her now was completely different from the one who had been standing at the central bar just moments ago.

It was a little intimidating, but mostly, it was admiration.

"Don’t need one."

Gu Heng smiled at Liu Nanyi, then his gaze swept over Su Tang and the others, but he didn’t say anything more.

The four guys, including Gao Junlin, stood at the back of the elevator, feeling inexplicably stifled.

Four absolute beauties were right in front of them, yet this guy had to show up out of nowhere and ruin everything.

But they were unwilling to just give up. They hadn’t even gotten Su Tang’s or the others’ WhatsApp numbers yet.

As the tallest building in Beichun, the elevators at Beichun Huarun Center were incredibly fast.

In just a few dozen seconds, they went from the top floor to the underground parking garage.

DING—

A clear chime sounded as the elevator doors slowly parted.

Gu Heng was the first to step out of the elevator, followed by Liu Nanyi and the three other girls, with Gao Junlin’s group bringing up the rear.

The moment they followed Gu Heng out of the elevator bay, Liu Nanyi and the others froze, their steps faltering slightly at the scene before them.

Directly in front of the underground elevator exit was a luxury van of a brand they didn’t recognize, but it was clearly high-end. The right-side automatic door was already open, revealing a spacious, brightly lit cabin with its lavish interior on full display.

And parked in front of and behind this luxury van were two all-black Hongqi Guoyao sedans. Their tall, stately, boxy frames exuded a boundless, domineering presence.

Furthermore, standing in front of each car were two burly men in black, stand-collar cashmere coats. Each wore a transparent earpiece and radiated a ’keep your distance’ aura.

It was only then that Liu Nanyi and the others realized why Gu Heng, when asked about his coat in the elevator, had said he "didn’t need one."

Because Gu Heng went from a building straight into a car, and from a car straight into a building. He never had to be exposed to the bitter cold, so of course he didn’t need to be bundled up in winter clothes like them.

"Chairman Gu!"

Zhong Hua stepped forward and greeted Gu Heng.

"Oh..."

"I forgot to ask."

Gu Heng turned his head to Liu Nanyi. "Which Roar Hall location are you going to?"

"The Hongqi Street Store."

Looking at the scene before her, Liu Nanyi had the strange feeling that a scene from an overbearing-CEO romance novel had just come to life. Su Tang and the others beside her felt the exact same way.

At that moment, it wasn’t just Su Tang; even Feng Yao, who already had a boyfriend, was filled with regret.

If they had known about Gu Heng’s status back when they ran into him at Zhuozhan Shopping Center, they never would have acted so reserved.

"Roar Hall, Hongqi Street Store."

Gu Heng relayed the order to Zhong Hua, then looked at Liu Nanyi’s group. "Want to ride with me?"

"Okay~"

Liu Nanyi nodded eagerly.

"What about you all?"

Gu Heng glanced at Feng Yao and Gao Junlin’s group of five behind them.

"We drove two cars here. We’ll just get a designated driver later."

Gao Junlin subconsciously avoided Gu Heng’s gaze, replying in a low voice.

"Don’t go to the trouble."

Gu Heng waved Zhong Hua over, his expression casual. "Assign two people to drive their cars over."

"Understood."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hua immediately summoned one person from each of the Hongqi Guoyao sedans, front and back.

"This..."

Gao Junlin opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but he had no choice but to accept. "Thanks."

"Let’s go."

Gu Heng gestured to Liu Nanyi, then led the way toward the luxury van.

"Tangtang, Qingge, let’s go together."

Liu Nanyi said to Su Tang and Lin Qingge.

"Okay."

Su Tang and Lin Qingge nodded, following Gu Heng and Liu Nanyi into the van.

Liu Nanyi sat in the same row as Gu Heng, while Su Tang and Lin Qingge sat in the row behind them.

Once they were all seated, the automatic doors on both sides closed. Zhong Hua and his men quickly got into their vehicles, and the convoy slowly drove away, leaving Feng Yao and the others behind.

Feng Yao watched the departing convoy, a sour feeling inexplicably rising in her heart. Suddenly, Gao Junlin’s Panamera Executive didn’t seem so impressive anymore.

’So... this is it...’

’This is how the truly rich travel.’

A flicker of understanding passed through Feng Yao’s mind.

At the same time, she thought about one of her roommates dating a man like Gu Heng and living this kind of life from now on. The thought was almost worse than death.

"Yaoyao, let’s go..."

Seeing Feng Yao staring blankly into the distance, the gloom on Gao Junlin’s face deepened, but he forced a smile and spoke gently to her.

"Let’s go."

Feng Yao didn’t notice anything was off with Gao Junlin. She just nodded and followed him and the others deeper into the underground parking garage...