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

As the light faded, the number of people on the streets of the ancient town began to thin, and a drizzle fell upon the gray tiles, stirring up a misty haze.

The Bentley Flying Spur came to a steady stop at the front of Alila Hotel.

Thanks to Fang Xun’s prior arrangements with the hotel, two members of the welcome staff had been waiting at the entrance for some time.

As soon as the car had come to a complete stop, the welcomers hurried over and the car door was slowly opened. Gu Heng was the first to step out from the back seat, handing his treasured coins to the welcomers with instructions, "Deliver these to room 03 for me."

During this exchange, Fang Xun and Lin Ran also emerged from the car...

Lin Ran was staying at the Alila Hotel as well, but she had arrived at 10 o’clock the previous night, and had woken up earlier than Gu Heng that morning. They had perfectly missed each other and had not met...

As for why she was sharing the same car with Gu Heng, it was purely out of laziness.

With Fang Xun acting as a free chauffeur, she was too lazy to drive herself and conveniently hitched a ride back to the hotel with Gu Heng...

The steep parking costs outside the scenic area didn’t even register on the mind of such a wealthy woman...

As soon as she got out of the car, Lin Ran, with no concern for her image, began to rub her hands together, exhaling light white mist from her red lips.

"It’s so cold, so cold..."

Having spent so much time in Wuzhen, Fang Xun was well accustomed to the erratic weather and said with a smile, "That’s how it is here in Wuzhen. Light rain falls from time to time throughout the year, but it’s bearable in other seasons. During winter, especially, the slightest downpour can make it piercingly cold."

Lin Ran nodded in strong agreement.

The temperature had been quite comfortable during the day, but after the shower, it had plummeted.

"Now would be the perfect time to have a copper pot and gather around for some hot pot of mutton slices."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but swallow salivatingly...

Lin Ran was from the north, where hot pot meant mutton dipped in sesame paste...

Upon hearing Lin Ran’s words, Gu Heng’s eyes also lit up...

He was from Hui’an, situated in the central regions, where the eating habits of the east, west, south, and north all mixed together in a cultural melting pot...

Copper pot hot pot was also a specialty of his hometown. During his childhood winters, his family often gathered around a copper pot to dip slices of meat. As he started working away from home and seldom returned, such memories became ever more distant...

Now, stirred by Lin Ran’s suggestion, Gu Heng couldn’t suppress his inner craving and turned to Fang Xun, asking, "Does your hotel have that kind of copper hot pot?"

Fang Xun responded with some uncertainty upon hearing Gu Heng’s request, "I’m not sure, but I can ask the kitchen for you."

Gu Heng nodded, visibly excited.

"Then hurry and ask. If they do, have the kitchen prepare a few pounds of fresh mutton for me, and the sesame paste too. Arrange it all for me."

Having been quietly listening by the side, Lin Ran quickly chimed in, her voice rising with excitement, "Get plenty, get plenty! I want some too! It’s on me!"

Observing her zealousness, it was hard for Gu Heng to reconcile this lively woman with the senior executive of a large company that she was...

The two had spent the afternoon together, becoming more familiar, and had started bantering back and forth like friends...

"Sure, you can eat, for ten thousand yuan."

"Isn’t that too little?"

"Ten thousand yuan!"

"Are you robbing me? I’ll just have the hotel prepare it for me!"

"You won’t be able to. Only guests in the villa suites have the privilege to order extra meals. You, staying in a standard room, can only eat what the hotel offers."

"I’ll upgrade my room then!"

Gu Heng pretended to think for a moment, then nodded, "That could work. But upgrading costs 6999 yuan, go ahead and upgrade."

"You’re ruthless!"

With Gu Heng’s final blow, Lin Ran finally fell silent...

She belonged to the absolute high-income class, earning a seven-digit salary with bonuses to spare each year, but she still couldn’t bring herself to spend 6999 yuan on a hot pot meal...

After all, not everyone was like Gu Heng, as if money came with the wind...

Fang Xun stood by in silence, watching the two with a hint of envy...

Lin Ran and Gu Heng could bicker and lift each other’s spirits without any reservations because they were equals in status, one a company executive and the other a young tycoon driving a Bentley. She, a hotel butler, was already at a natural disadvantage in status...

Gu Heng and Lin Ran could treat her like a friend, but she couldn’t consider them as friends, especially during working hours...

....

....

After returning to his room, Gu Heng once again enjoyed a comfortable soak in the constant temperature swimming pool, reminiscent of the night before.

Just as he walked out of the pool area, dressed in a bathrobe, he saw Fang Xun already seated on a sofa in the living room, waiting for him.

Seeing Gu Heng, Fang Xun quickly stood up, "The copper hotpot is already set up in the pavilion on the lake, and the lamb is prepared."

Gu Heng, who was wiping his hair with a towel, said in surprise, "That fast?"

"The fresh lamb was already available in the kitchen, and the manager arranged for someone to go out and buy the copper pot."

Listening to Fang Xun’s reply, Gu Heng smiled satisfactorily...

That’s why rich people like high-end hotels, isn’t it?

Aside from the comfortability, just the service alone is worth the price. Would an ordinary hotel go out and buy a pot just because a guest wanted to eat lamb in a copper hotpot?

The more Gu Heng thought about it, the more he felt a sense of inequity...

He felt as if he had lived the past twenty-something years in vain... It all came down to his privileged advantage arriving late in his life, having endured so much hardship for nothing...

While he pondered, he walked towards the pavilion on the lake...

Because the air conditioning was already turned on, a thin layer of mist had formed on the clear glass walls of the pavilion. The rich, white bone broth in the hotpot started to simmer, and the rich aroma entered his nostrils. His stomach, not too hungry before, immediately rumbled with a growl...

Unable to wait, he sat down, picked up a few slices of lamb, and dipped them into the pot...

Alila Hotel would definitely not use just any lamb to dupe him. With the first bite, the lamb still had a hint of milky flavor, enhancing the rich two-to-eight sauce. Gu Heng, who hadn’t tasted this flavor in many years, almost swallowed his tongue along with it...

Just as he was about to grab a second helping, he heard the sound of footsteps.

"There you go! You’re eating alone, huh!"

Like Gu Heng, Lin Ran ran into the pavilion wrapped in a bathrobe from the doorway...

But there was a difference...

Aside from a pair of boxers, Gu Heng had nothing under his bathrobe, while Lin Ran was wearing a more modest nightgown under hers...

Nevertheless, although the places that should be covered were covered, there were still some parts that were both important and unimportant peeking out...

For instance...

Her bare feet.

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She wore a pair of bath slippers, and her five playful little toes were completely exposed to the air. Probably due to the fact that she seldom exercised and took good care of them, they were not deformed in the slightest...

White and tender, like the white of a scallion...

She must have had a pedicure, even her toenails were as translucent as pieces of jade...

Gu Heng didn’t know what color the polish was, but it looked indeed more enticing than an ordinary foot...

Was this woman so bold?

They had only known each other for a day, right? And she could already meet him dressed like this?

She hurriedly sat at the table, casually grabbed some lamb with her chopsticks, dipped it in the pot, and after eating it with satisfaction, she noticed that Gu Heng was staring at her. She couldn’t help but frown her delicate brows and said, "What are you looking at?"

"Your bare feet."

Lin Ran: "???"

Hearing Gu Heng’s candid answer, Lin Ran remembered she had been too hasty. After taking a shower and receiving the message from Fang Xun that the hotpot was ready, she had run over from her room without even changing into her cotton slippers...

Thinking of this, her scallion-like toes immediately clenched awkwardly, but she still tried to keep her composure as she looked at Gu Heng and said, "Have you ever heard a saying?"

"What saying?"

"Getting obsessed with ’jade’ will only harm you!"

"Then it’s not ’bare feet’; let’s change the term."

"Change it to what?"

"Beautiful feet."

Looking at Gu Heng’s kinda handsome face, Lin Ran felt an impulse to splash the hotpot on his face...

But oddly enough...

Maybe it was because of the social circle, the men around her usually treated her with a lot of respect. Even those suitors were very serious, and almost none had ever teased her like this. Facing Gu Heng’s teasing, Lin Ran didn’t feel annoyed. On the contrary, she felt a sense of novelty...

"I can’t be bothered with you!"

Gu Heng, seeing the conversation was over, didn’t continue it but instead turned the topic and invited Fang Xun to sit down and eat together.

A proper amount of cheekiness can set the mood and narrow the distance.

But too much lewdness just makes one a lustful man.

Of course, Gu Heng wouldn’t have realized this; he had learned it from TikTok. He hadn’t interacted with many girls before and hadn’t had the chance to practice. Now, he was applying theoretical knowledge to reality...

But seeing Lin Ran’s reaction, Gu Heng understood that sometimes, the things taught online weren’t entirely unreliable...