Chapter 58 - 57: If you don’t have money, being yourself is a luxury
He swallowed the last bite of the A5 grade steak and squinted his eyes with satisfaction.
"You can’t say it enough, the steak at this upscale restaurant is just so much better than the 12-piece set for 99 yuan on TikTok." After saying this, he signaled the waiter to bring him another serving.
He Jing and Lin Jiayun were busy checking in on social media and taking photos, and had just started cutting their steaks. Hearing Gu Heng’s remark, they couldn’t help but roll their eyes.
Lin Jiayun, "What you’re saying is obvious, isn’t it? The price here for a single steak could buy you a month’s worth on TikTok, there’s no comparison.
But ordering two servings at once, can you eat all that? A5 Wagyu is quite greasy."
Dipping a cherry tomato in the steak sauce before popping it in his mouth, Gu Heng replied, "It’s greasy, but I can manage to eat it with a bit of effort."
"The synthesized steak I used to eat is like comparing Qiao Biluo with Liu Yan in terms of difference.
While both are lush and oily types, Qiao Biluo is like reclaimed waste engine oil from discarded tanks, disgustingly greasy; even men who’ve never tasted good pork could only tolerate her once, and a second time would be quite a choke.
But Liu Yan is different, how luscious is Liu Yan?
Even when completely dry, you could still squeeze some juice out of an egg.
You understand what I’m saying, right?"
Lin Jiayun: "???"
He Jing: "???"
Why does such a weird comparison kind of make sense?
After hearing this, He Jing shook her head and her gaze lingered on Gu Heng’s face for quite a while as if she was trying to see through him. After a long pause, she finally spoke, "I feel like I’ve met a different Gu Heng in the past two years, ever since you quit your job. It’s like you’ve opened your energy channels. You’re so different from before."
Lin Jiayun eagerly chimed in with gossip.
"What was he like before?"
"Before, he was like a wooden person. After working for two years, aside from a few people, no one in other departments could even recall his name. But the lines he wrote for me were all loaded with flirty words; I used to think he was covertly flirty, now he’s openly flirty."
Listening to He Jing’s mocking, Gu Heng just smiled at her, "Could it be possible that I haven’t changed, but this is who I have always been?"
He spoke the truth; being full of flirty words was his true nature.
"What about before?"
Gu Heng didn’t answer her but turned his gaze to Lin Jiayun, "Lin Jiayun, tell me. If a colleague at our company spouted dirty jokes every day, what would you think of him?"
"Shrimp Head Man!"
Lin Jiayun answered without hesitation.
"And what if this colleague treated you to luxurious meals and provided rides to and from work every day?"
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"Then that would be witty and humorous!"
Lin Jiayun was very honest, without a trace of pretense, speaking the complete truth.
Hearing her response, Gu Heng turned his head back to He Jing and shrugged, the answer speaking for itself.
To the wealthy, making risqué jokes is considered being witty and humorous. For the not-so-wealthy, it’s just Shrimp Head Man.
Take the once wealthy Principal Wang, for example, whose girlfriend-swapping was portrayed as charming by marketing accounts. A single Like on Weibo could make an Internet celebrity famous, with countless of them waiting eagerly for his attention.
The average person almost licking their phone screens in the comment section is still reviled as a disgusting Shrimp Head Man.
What does this tell us?
If you’re not wealthy, just being yourself is a luxury.
......
The dining table fell silent...
But it didn’t remain quiet for long as Gu Heng broke the silence.
Looking at He Jing, who was properly cutting her steak, Gu Heng started, "By the way, Jingjing, how is the house hunting going?"
Upon mentioning this, He Jing perked up.
"I’ve pretty much seen all there is, and they start selling on March 1."
Speaking of the house brought an uncontrollable smile to He Jing’s face.
Having struggled for so many years in Hang City, all she wanted was to own her own house, and now her dream was almost within reach.
"That’s great, I also plan to buy a house in Hang City, and I’d like you to help me look into it."
"Buying a house is a good thing, you’re finally spending money on something serious.
And you asked the right person. This year alone, I’ve practically visited all the residential complexes in the 12 districts of Hang City, and my contact list is filled with dozens of real estate salespeople’s numbers.
Tell me your budget, and I can give you some advice."
Seeing He Jing’s expert-like demeanor in buying houses, Gu Heng knew he had asked the right person.
"Budget, huh? Wait a second."
Saying this, Gu Heng took out his phone, logged onto his Construction Bank APP, glanced at his balance, and then said, "Under 12.65 million."
???
What’s this about budgets being exact down to the last cent?
"Hold on!"
As she spoke, Lin Jiayun snatched Gu Heng’s phone.
He Jing leaned over as well.
Both of them stared at the long string of digits on Gu Heng’s phone screen, then instinctively looked up and exchanged glances...
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands..."
Ignoring the few thousand odd change at the end, Lin Jiayun burst out, "So your budget is just whatever balance you have in your account? What’s up? Can’t make ends meet?"
He Jing, though not as expressive as Lin Jiayun, chimed in as well, "You should always have some cash on hand for emergencies. In my opinion, a few million should be enough."
Gu Heng nodded in agreement with He Jing’s words but then decisively rejected her suggestion.
If he only had that $12.65 million, he wouldn’t have needed He Jing to advise him; he’d definitely just buy a house worth a million or two in his hometown and then deposit the rest in the bank to live off the interest.
But did he only have $12.65 million?
Of course not.
Didn’t the system function like a legal money printer? Whenever he needed, couldn’t he print as much as he wished?
"You don’t need to worry about this for me; it’s not like I’ll be broke after this. Just help me recommend some properties."
Listening to Gu Heng’s lavish words, He Jing and Lin Jiayun had different thoughts...
Lin Jiayun’s thought was simple; initially, she thought it was enough for Gu Heng to be a young millionaire. But suddenly, she realized that being a millionaire was no longer enough; Gu Heng’s assets were likely soaring towards the billions, and her heart couldn’t help but flutter...
Young, wealthy, and even modestly handsome.
A hot commodity anywhere.
If she didn’t make a move now, she might never get the chance.
As for He Jing...
She was somewhat bewildered...
Maintaining her baseline, she had struggled in Hang City for many years and just managed to save a bit over three million, barely enough to pay in full for a house of about 120 square meters...
She thought she was quite remarkable, but comparing herself to Gu Heng, she felt like a clown... yet she still managed a faint smile and said, "With a budget of 10 million, except for a few top-tier properties, almost any district in Hang City is available for you to choose from.
Buying a house isn’t difficult; the difficulty is in not having money.
The properties I’m looking at are within two to three million; you certainly wouldn’t be interested in those. Just download a property viewing app later tonight, pick a few appropriate ones, and that should do."
Gu Heng realized it made sense.
Those who say buying a house is troublesome are often those whose budgets are limited and thus need to compare and choose carefully...
With over ten million on hand, he had plenty of options to choose from.
He just hadn’t gotten used to the idea of being wealthy yet, still stuck in the mindset of an ordinary person...
Thinking this, Gu Heng let it go and, as the waiter served him another steak, he picked up his knife and fork and dove into his second feast, devouring the juicy steak and mumbling, "Perfect, it’s the weekend tomorrow. If you’re free, why not come and see some houses with me?
Don’t go home tonight; the suite has two other rooms. Just pick any, it’s a waste to leave them empty."
Eating others’ food shortens the mouth...
He Jing was very clear about this principle...
Having dined again on Gu Heng’s thousand-dollar meal, accompanying him to see some houses wasn’t an unreasonable request. She nodded and agreed right away.
On the other hand, Lin Jiayun, joking yet twisting awkwardly, said, "Isn’t that a bit improper? Two women one man staying together, that might cause a scandal if it gets out. My husband fans would get jealous~"
"Then you can just take a cab home. It’d give me and Jingjing some alone time. If she loses fans over this, I’ll support her," Gu Heng said offhandedly without even looking up.
Lin Jiayun: "???"
"The latecomer really can’t surpass the original; your heart has only Jingjing!"
He Jing and Gu Heng both glanced at Lin Jiayun, who was acting like a drama queen, and very harmoniously ignored her...
As for Gu Heng...
It had already been two meat-filled days in Wuzhen...
He knew quite well that seducing Lin Jiayun might be easier than Fang Xun...
Fang Xun demanded tangible benefits, while Lin Jiayun...
Just satisfying her vanity would be enough.
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