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

Chapter 52 - 51: Having Money Feels So Good

After a while...

The quietness inside the car was broken by Fang Xun.

Holding back her reluctance, Fang Xun returned the Gucci necklace, worth over twenty thousand yuan, to Gu Heng...

"I’m sorry, Mr. Gu, you might have misunderstood me, I’m not the kind of person you think I am."

Listening to her, Gu Heng wanted to laugh, but he ultimately held it back, knowing very well that if he let out that scoff, their discussion might truly fall apart...

And now...

Gu Heng was quite sure she was trying to maintain her dignity...

If she really were the kind of woman who adhered to her bottom lines, she would have thrown the necklace in his face and left unceremoniously...

Unfortunately, she did not do that.

She even appeared more eager than he was, unable to wait to hear why he had given her the necklace...

Thinking this, Gu Heng opened the gift box, gently picked up the necklace with his index finger, and then slightly twirled his fingertip, making the costly necklace that Fang Xun had hesitated for a long time to not buy circle around his finger like a cheap toy for children...

"You might not want the necklace, but I want to know what misunderstanding you think I have about you. Can you explain it to me?"

Watching Gu Heng’s calm and indifferent face, Fang Xun felt a tingling in her teeth and couldn’t help but bite down hard on her back teeth and said, "Maybe I indeed can’t compare to your wealth, but I have my dignity and my principles. Don’t you think your actions are an insult to me?"

"Is that so?"

Gu Heng didn’t answer but asked in return.

"Isn’t it so?"

With a slight shrug, Gu Heng’s expression remained indifferent.

"Then it depends on how you interpret it; if you think it’s an insult, then indeed it is an insult.

But are you angry because you think I’m using money to insult you? I don’t think that’s the case."

Watching Fang Xun’s lips quiver, seemingly wanting to object, Gu Heng did not give her a chance to continue and said, "I think... you’re not angry because I’m insulting you, but because you feel the price tag I’ve set isn’t enough, right?"

"Don’t rush to object me, I’ve come across similar situations before."

"I’m not afraid to tell you, it was probably three years ago, I used to deliver takeout for a while.

Once, I delivered a meal to a customer, and he asked me to throw out his trash, but I refused. Then he immediately left a complaint on the order, claiming I had a bad attitude.

That day I was fined 150 yuan, roughly half a day’s wages for me.

Latter, I appealed over that 150 yuan for several days and, in the end, the customer canceled the complaint, not only was the fine cancelled, but I also received 100 yuan as compensation from that customer.

Before the fines were reversed, I thought about that matter every day, fuming, feeling like both the platform and that customer had trampled on my dignity. But after getting that one hundred yuan, I no longer held any resentment towards that customer, do you think this is somewhat similar to what I’m doing now?"

Fang Xun found it hard to believe Gu Heng’s words; a young man in his twenties driving a Bentley and claiming he had delivered takeout, who would believe that? Yet she couldn’t help but frown and said, "How is that similar?"

"Of course, it’s quite similar; you think I’m insulting you because you feel a mere necklace worth twenty thousand isn’t enough to buy your dignity, right?

But what if the condition I offered made you my girlfriend, and later I gave you ten, a hundred necklaces each worth twenty thousand? Would you still feel insulted?"

Fang Xun’s expression froze upon hearing this, suddenly unsure of how to respond...

Because Gu Heng’s words had struck a chord deep inside her.

When Gu Heng first placed the necklace box on his lap, Jingjing had already mentally prepared herself; as soon as Gu Heng asked her to be his girlfriend, she would have kicked her own boyfriend to the curb without a second thought...

Observing her conflicted expression, Gu Heng smiled, rolled down the window, took out a cigarette, and lit it slowly.

"You see, I wasn’t wrong, was I? Wouldn’t you feel there’s no insult if I made such an offer?

Now, think back carefully about the story I just told you. Don’t you feel that the current you and the past me are very similar? The only difference is that your so-called dignity is more expensive now; back then, my dignity was only worth a hundred yuan."

As Gu Heng’s words trailed off, the car fell silent again...

Gu Heng was in no rush for Fang Xun to respond, simply smoking his cigarette quietly...

He was genuinely one of the lowest class, and if not for the system, he would still be struggling at the bottom of society.

It was precisely because of this that he understood the thought process of the lowly people the best. In many cases, dignity is really the least valuable thing to ordinary people.

Even if some persisted with unyielding self-improvement and upward striving, hysterically maintaining their own self-respect, what of it?

Those who have self-respect and self-love perhaps deserve admiration, but the reality is as long as they don’t rise above, their dignity still isn’t worth much, even if they treasure it dearly. In the eyes of others, it’s still worthless.

If Fang Xun was one of those self-respecting and loving individuals, Gu Heng would definitely not have acted this way, because he had been caught in the rain himself and knew how unpleasant it felt.

Although his magnanimity wasn’t great enough to shelter others with an umbrella, he wasn’t the kind of person who, having been wet himself, would tear others’ umbrellas apart.

But unfortunately, she wasn’t one of them; she was like himself–a person whose dignity could be explicitly priced and sold...

...

...

A cigarette burned out.

Gu Heng spoke again, but this time, he had lost his previous patience.

"This necklace, plus fifty thousand yuan, for you to be my girlfriend for one day. After one day, I will leave Wuzhen, and we can break up amicably."

It all adds up to seventy thousand already; shouldn’t that be enough?

For his former self, seventy thousand yuan could have bought half his life...

Hearing this, Fang Xun didn’t respond. Gu Heng smiled slightly, didn’t say more, and took out his cellphone, opened the WeChat transfer page, and input the figure of fifty thousand.

"No need to rush your response. The WeChat transfer has a 24-hour limit, and that’s the time for you to think it over. If this transfer is returned to me after 24 hours, I’ll take it as your refusal."

After finishing, he glanced at the neckace he had held until it was somewhat warm, leaned toward the passenger seat, and gently draped the neckace around her neck.

"As for this necklace, whether you agree or not, consider it a gift from me for our acquaintance."

Having said that, Gu Heng no longer observed her reaction, stuffed the phone in his pocket, started the ignition, and slowly started the car...

As the Bentley Flying Spur drove out of the shopping center’s open-air parking lot, Fang Xun slowly picked up her phone and gently tapped to confirm receipt of the transfer...

"Ding Dong."

The notification sound from WeChat emerged from Gu Heng’s pocket, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile...

The feeling of having money is really good...

"The boy destined to slay the dragon will eventually become the dragon. The host has taken his first step as a scumbag, indulgence successful, reward: 660,000. Balance: 12.66 million."