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

What on earth brought all this about?

Isn’t it all just for money?

To others, I might look like a fool with more money than sense, but Gu Heng didn’t care. Happiness was priceless and he’d happily play the fool, even if it cost millions, tens of millions, or even a hundred million!

"Gu Heng, the lady who performed onstage is back~"

Lin Jiayun, with her sharp eyes, spotted Zhao Maomao’s return and softly warned Gu Heng beside him, but she was clever not to remind him about handing out the prize money, merely mentioning their return.

As far as being clever goes, Lin Jiayun might not be the sharpest tool in the shed.

But when it came to knowing the times and understanding men, she was truly exceptional.

She knew well that being this kind of canary, despite appearing very close to Gu Heng, she actually had no say at all. Even such a well-intended reminder had to be given through tactful hints; showing off too strongly could easily leave an impression in Gu Heng’s mind that she was "teaching him how to handle things"...

Although she felt Gu Heng was probably not that sort of person, people always change.

Who knows if Gu Heng had become like that?

Her sisters saw only Lin Jiayun’s lavish lifestyle with luxury cars and mansions, and high-end dining, completely oblivious to the underlying complexities...

Ordinary people also didn’t understand that even being a canary required certain skills...

Especially for the canaries of truly influential big shots, the skills demanded were even greater. Looks and beauty were just the bare minimum; the real limit was having emotional intelligence and brains.

It was truly like walking on thin ice...

Because for genuine big shots, the saying that "women are like clothes" was not empty talk. They could discard you in a heartbeat, and countless others would swarm in to take your place...

Gu Heng had grown quite experienced now and could understand the implications of Lin Jiayun’s hints. He gave her a meaningful look, caressed her smooth thigh, then stood up and walked toward Zhao Maomao.

He wasn’t worried about Lin Jiayun being scheming; this society was full of women with schemes.

As long as Lin Jiayun behaved, having schemes could even be a good thing.

...

"Maomao, this is 1 million we’re talking about~ After Mr. Gu hands over the money to you later, you must not forget about us."

"That’s right, I’ve been eyeing a new luxury LV bag recently. It’s not too expensive, just over ten thousand. Maybe you could gift me one~ It would at least offer me some consolation~"

...

A chorus of voices buzzed in Zhao Maomao’s ears.

Although Zhao Maomao’s face was always filled with a gentle smile, her mind was full of scorn.

Not expensive, just over ten thousand?

How could this woman say such an outrageous thing?

Did she think she was an easy target to exploit?

Never mind whether she could get her hands on that 1 million, even if she did, it would be a compensation for a huge sacrifice she made. Why should she share it with them?

Although Wuyou Media was a big company, its internal resources were limited, especially since most Internet celebrities like them were more or less at the same level. Usually, they were real competitors within the company, although they appeared to be close friends on the surface; secretly, each of them wished the others would just drop dead.

She wouldn’t share a dime of benefits with them, and similarly, if they got their hands on the prize money, she wouldn’t get anything either.

"Mr. Gu."

"Mr. Gu."

Just a moment ago, Zhao Maomao was the center of attention among these internet celebrities, but as soon as Gu Heng arrived, they all stood up, addressing him with respect.

Gu Heng merely nodded indifferently at them and approached Zhao Maomao with Lin Jiayun, smiling as he spoke, "You danced beautifully."

Zhao Maomao quickly stood up, whether genuinely or pretentiously, and said with a somewhat panicked expression, "Mr. Gu, you flatter me. After such a huge blunder today, I might end up all over the Internet by tomorrow. The comment section will likely explode."

Gu Heng could tell this internet celebrity was playing up her plight but casually comforted her, "Look on the bright side. This could well be a surge in popularity for you. Just a while ago, Jiayun mentioned your name is Zhao Maomao, right? With over 600,000 followers, you’re already a prominent internet celebrity.

This boost in your profile might just help Mr. Lei’s company gain another internet celebrity with millions of followers."

Zhao Maomao’s eyes were full of gratitude as she pecked like a chicken, "If such an opportunity arises, then I must thank you in advance, Mr. Gu."

Gu Heng waved his hand, tired of continuing with the pleasantries, and spoke indifferently, "As I mentioned earlier, the first prize tonight is one million, and you received the most votes, so the reward goes to you. Do you want to leave your bank account details for me to transfer the money to you, or should I just send it directly via WeChat?"

After hearing Gu Heng’s words, not only did Zhao Maomao’s heart start racing, but the hearts of the other internet celebrities around her also began to beat faster, their eyes filled with almost tangible envy...

That’s one million we’re talking about...

How could they not be envious?

Ever since they found out the winner wasn’t them, they were hoping that Gu Heng would default on the money so they could have a laugh...

But unexpectedly, Gu Heng actually was going to pay, and do so outright. The performance had barely finished a few minutes ago, and he was already coming up to hand out the money...

As Zhao Maomao was pondering how to respond, a group of people who had been in a meeting backstage at the SOS club arrived, led by Qian Haowei and several other wealthy second-generation employees.

"Mr. Gu, in all fairness, this one million should be paid by us at SOS; tonight, these ladies have generated significant buzz for our SOS bar, even quintupling our turnover!"

While speaking, Qian Haowei walked up to Gu Heng and continued, "Mr. Gu, you’ve really helped us out a ton tonight, not only promoting us greatly but also setting a sales record for the past two years. We can’t thank you enough, so how can we let you foot the bill?"

Gu Heng looked at Qian Haowei with a slightly puzzled frown.

Those who run nightclubs worldwide are among the greediest for money. Indeed, he inadvertently helped market SOS, so gratitude was natural, but why take money out of his pocket again?

However, Gu Heng didn’t ponder it further.

Whatever Qian Haowei’s motives might be didn’t affect him.

After all, he’s just another rustic boss, and had Gu Heng not whimsically decided to come here tonight, their paths would likely never have crossed. There was no need to care about what he might be thinking.

With this thought, Gu Heng simply said neutrally, "Mr. Qian, the bonus is simply because I made a promise. I, Gu Heng, consider myself a man of my word. Mr. Qian, are you trying to make me out as a person who doesn’t honor his commitments?"

Qian Haowei felt a chill down his spine and quickly explained, "Mr. Gu, you misunderstand, I simply wanted to express my gratitude to you and these ladies."

Qian Haowei couldn’t understand Gu Heng’s thought process.

Taking the initiative to pay this one million, anyone with eyes could see he was extending goodwill, yet not only was Gu Heng ungrateful, but he also responded with such a heart-stabbing remark?

But there was nothing he could do...

Compared to Gu Heng, he was very much the lesser man. Find your next read at NovelBin.Côm

A small fish against a big fish, always trying to guess the thoughts of the bigger man, regardless of whether they’re agreeable or not.

Gu Heng couldn’t be bothered to listen to his explanation and turned his attention to Zhao Maomao, "Miss Zhao, you haven’t mentioned how you’d like to receive the payment."

Zhao Maomao initially wanted to engage Gu Heng with a bit of polite small talk, but sensing his impatience, she got straight to the point, "WeChat is fine, it’s more convenient..."

Gu Heng nodded, turning to Lin Jiayun, "Add her on WeChat and transfer one million to her. I’ll reimburse you later."

Lin Jiayun quickly nodded understandingly.

As for Zhao Maomao...

She couldn’t help but feel a touch of disappointment surge within her...

She had intended for Gu Heng to transfer the money via WeChat as a subtle move...

Her hope was to use this opportunity to add Gu Heng as a contact and, if possible, have some private conversations with him...

After all, withdrawing from WeChat carries a fee of 0.1%; that’s 1,000 yuan just in fees on one million, and that 1,000 yuan would be lining the pockets of brokers...

As for Gu Heng...

His thoughts were simple.

He didn’t care whether the girl was decent or not; he wasn’t some animal who indiscriminately indulges in carnal pleasures.

A woman who intentionally experiences a wardrobe malfunction in front of over a thousand people, the thought of what she might have experienced and how chaotic her life might be was almost too much for him.

His standards weren’t high, true, but not just anyone deserved to climb into his bed.