How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?

About ten minutes later.

After parking the car and getting out, he saw Lin Ran waiting in front of a restaurant named "Spring Courtyard".

"Why are you so slow?"

Having stood at the entrance for a few minutes, Lin Ran, seeing the group arriving late, couldn't help frowning and said.

Listening to Lin Ran's matter-of-fact tone, Gu Heng didn't indulge him and directly retorted, "Cut the crap, meow. You chose the restaurant yourself. Of course, you get here fast since you're familiar with the route.

You just sent me the name of the place, and I had to follow the GPS. There are so many cars in Shanghai, how fast could I possibly be?"

Lin Ran: "..."

"Don't give me that look. Tell me if I'm wrong or not."

"Alright, alright, you're right. I didn't think it through, Mr. Gu. You're generous. How about we go in first?"

Alright, alright, alright!

Usually, other people are the ones inviting him out to eat and waiting for him, but today, it was him waiting for Gu Heng. A complaint got him a retort. Originally, she thought she would be angry, but to her surprise, not only did she not feel any anger, she even subconsciously felt appeased...

Thinking of this made Lin Ran shudder a little...

Could it be that she had been smooth-talked into submission?

Gu Xinran, listening to their conversation, got completely excited...

Having a deputy director wait in person at the restaurant door for her was a scenario that had only happened in Gu Xinran's dreams, and now it was really happening to her...

Although she knew Lin Ran was waiting for Gu Heng, after all, Gu Heng was her cousin and adoptive father, right? It's only right for her to enjoy some benefits!

Right now, she wanted so badly to take out her cellphone and show off on Zhihu with a title like "What It's Like to Have a Multi-Millionaire Adoptive Father!"...

...

"This private restaurant is usually the first choice for us in the project department to entertain significant clients. I've never paid to eat here myself; it should be enough to make it up to you, right?"

Lin Ran said quietly to Gu Heng as they walked.

Upon hearing this, Gu Heng glanced at the restaurant's decor, no worse than the Michelin and Black Pearl-level restaurants he had eaten at in Hang City.

But then he thought it made sense; as Lin Ran said, it was the first-choice restaurant to entertain major clients, so the standard could not be poor.

As they entered the restaurant, a waiter immediately came to greet them.

"Director Lin, the private room is ready. Please, this way."

As a regular customer of this private restaurant, Lin Ran was respectfully greeted by the waitstaff all along the way...

Gu Heng acted quite normally, although he was very aware that this private restaurant was definitely of a very high-end kind. However, after so many days of indulgence, what service hadn't he enjoyed? Nothing could stir his emotions.

It was Gu Xinran and Tao Miaomiao who followed behind Gu Heng with restrained expressions...

Both of them, like Gu Heng, were kids from the countryside. Even though they had studied in Shanghai for a few years, they had never been to such upscale restaurants...

A monthly living expense of a little over two thousand yuan, in a big city like Shanghai, was barely enough to make ends meet, let alone afford dining in such restaurants?

At the end of the restaurant corridor, the waiter gently pushed open the door to the private room. Once Gu Heng and the others were seated, the waiter slowly followed them in with the menus.

Before the waiter could hand the menu to Lin Ran, she naturally instructed, "Let them order."

Following the instruction, the waiter passed the menu to Gu Xinran, who was the closest to him...

Gu Xinran took the menu with a bewildered face, flipped open the first page, and her eyes went wide...

[Clear Soup Swallow Dish / 698 yuan a bowl]

Never mind that she had never even heard of Clear Soup Swallow Dish, but 698 yuan for a bowl?

Was her ten days' living expense only worth a bowl of soup here?

The more she looked, the more frightened Gu Xinran became...

[Soup-Filled Yellow Croaker / 2680 yuan]

[Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallion / 2299 yuan]

...

Almost every main dish cost a month's living expenses...

She didn't dare to order at all!

Realizing this, Gu Xinran quickly handed the menu back to Lin Ran...

"What's the matter? Nothing you want to eat?"

Accepting the menu, Lin Ran asked with some confusion.

Gu Xinran quickly shook her head...

"Then what is it?"

Casting a pleading look at her newly acknowledged adoptive father and noticing Gu Heng wasn't responding, Gu Xinran said with a gloomy face, "Director Lin... these dishes are too expensive, I dare not order..."

Lin Ran was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

In her mind, Gu Xinran was Gu Heng's cousin; with Gu Heng being so wealthy, Gu Xinran's family shouldn't be poor either. She shouldn't be so afraid as to not even dare to order...

With this thought, Lin Ran cast a questioning glance at Gu Heng.

Gu Heng quickly understood Lin Ran's questioning gaze, but with no intention of explaining, he remained focused on his phone and nonchalantly said, "That's enough, stop pondering. My sister and I are both country bumpkins straight from the countryside. We haven't eaten any fine grains, so just order whatever, and make it quick.

We've still got to take them on the highway afterwards, do you understand the hardship of us migrant workers trying to get home during the Spring Festival?"

After Gu Heng finished, Gu Xinran also nodded like a pecking chicken.

If someone called her a country bumpkin on a normal day, she'd surely argue back, but in such a high-class restaurant, even being called a bumpkin didn't feel like a downgrade...

After glancing over the faces of this peculiar brother-sister duo, Lin Ran randomly picked a few dishes enough for four and handed back the menu to the waiter, then addressed Gu Heng, "So, you're here in Shanghai to pick up your sister for the New Year?"

Gu Heng put away his phone and looked at her, "What else would it be?"

Hearing Gu Heng's response, Lin Ran unexpectedly felt a little disappointed.

She had thought he came to Shanghai to find her, but now, it seemed like she had been wishful thinking?

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