Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Half an hour later, Gu Heng looked at his reflection in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

The clean, short, textured crop, paired with his meticulously shaped eyebrows, gave the once delicate-looking Gu Heng a sharper, more defined edge.

Beneath his sword-like brows, his eyes were bright and piercing. His entire demeanor had undergone a major transformation.

"Mr. Gu, are you satisfied with how it looks?"

The female stylist removed Gu Heng’s cape and asked him.

"It’s great."

Gu Heng nodded in praise.

"That’s wonderful."

The female stylist’s smile grew wider.

It was clear she knew that her skills had just landed her another high-quality client.

Since he was short on time, Gu Heng paid and left Meisi Hair Art immediately.

His exclusive personal shopper, Shen Jia, followed Gu Heng’s instructions and began leading him and Luo Xiwen toward the luxury menswear boutiques.

When it came to buying business menswear, the Armani brand was an unavoidable choice.

Due to marketing strategies, many people in China subconsciously assumed Armani’s prestige was a step below brands like LV, Burberry, and Versace.

This perception was both right and wrong.

The reason was that many people simply didn’t know the Armani brand is actually divided into the main line, Giorgio Armani (GA), and the diffusion line, Emporio Armani (EA).

The price difference between the two was night and day.

The former is the brand’s high-end ready-to-wear collection.

The latter is the brand’s more conventional ready-to-wear line.

For similar products, the prices could differ by as much as tenfold.

If you compared Armani’s main line to brands like LV and Burberry, Armani was completely dominant in the field of business menswear.

If Luo Xiwen hadn’t taken the initiative to explain all this, Gu Heng would have been completely in the dark.

Of course, Gu Heng didn’t let it show.

Leveraging their status as professional VIP clients, Gu Heng and his companions were warmly welcomed by the numerous sales associates upon entering the Armani boutique.

Gu Heng had secretly been hoping for some cliché scene where an underestimated rich guy puts a snobby employee in their place. But after entering, he found the store was nearly empty, save for a few people who looked like they were just browsing.

"Mr. Gu, would you like to pick out a suit?"

Luo Xiwen’s slender fingers brushed across the luxury menswear as she asked Gu Heng.

"You can choose for me."

"I don’t plan on wearing a suit tonight, that would be a bit too formal. But if you find a couple of nice ones, I don’t mind buying them."

Gu Heng sat right down on the sofa. Surrounded by four sales associates, plus Shen Jia and Luo Xiwen, all he had to do was wait and try on any suitable clothes they brought him.

"Understood."

Hearing this, Luo Xiwen began to select items with renewed focus.

She looked at the clothes, where any single piece cost far more than her monthly salary, and a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

Soon, Luo Xiwen had selected a series of outfits suitable for Gu Heng.

Most were shirts and dress pants, along with a few suits in different styles.

Meanwhile, Gu Heng began to move in and out of the fitting room frequently.

Every time he came out, Luo Xiwen, Shen Jia, and the others would light up.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Expensive things are expensive for a reason.

With his hair and eyebrows freshly trimmed, now dressed in expensive business attire, Gu Heng had undergone a complete transformation.

Finally, Gu Heng stepped out of the fitting room one last time.

The outfit he was wearing now was what he planned to wear to the banquet later.

It was a light coffee-colored business shirt with an excellent drape, made entirely of mulberry silk that shimmered faintly under the lights. On his lower half, he wore a pair of black dress pants, the hem falling perfectly to his ankles, maintaining the ideal distance from the expensive leather shoes on his feet.

Seeing himself like this, it wasn’t just Luo Xiwen and the others who were stunned; even Gu Heng himself felt a surreal, dreamlike sensation as he looked at his reflection.

Turning around, Gu Heng’s gaze swept over the group.

He noticed that the sales associates’ gazes now held a newfound restraint compared to before. Although the feeling was subtle, it was definitely there.

’So this is...’

’People really do respect the clothes before the man.’

Seeing the change in the sales associates’ eyes, Gu Heng had a sudden realization.

"These will do."

"Bag it all up and ring me up."

Gu Heng waved his hand, signaling that he was ready to pay.

Hearing this, the sales associates beamed with joy.

The clothes Gu Heng had just purchased probably amounted to more than they could sell in an entire week during the off-season.

Faced with such a major client, the associates were not only exceptionally efficient but also gave him every complimentary gift within their power to offer.

Belts, ties, cufflinks, sunglasses, fragrances, colognes...

It had to be said, the Armani brand’s range of products was indeed quite extensive.

In the end, Gu Heng swiped his card, paid, and left the store. The total came to 143,000.

When they arrived, Shen Jia’s hands were empty. When they left, both of her arms were laden with shopping bags.

"Hmm..."

"There’s still plenty of time."

"We can check out some other brand stores later."

Gu Heng glanced at the time on his phone. Seeing it was just six o’clock, he said to Shen Jia, "Why don’t you take these bags to my car first? We’re going to grab something to drink."

"Okay, okay."

Shen Jia nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Gu, I’ll be right back."

"Go on."

"We’ll wait for you at Overlord Tea Girl."

Gu Heng pointed to a storefront not far away.

"Okay."

After acknowledging, Shen Jia quickly left.

Gu Heng and Luo Xiwen then strolled slowly toward the Overlord Tea Girl shop.

"Walking together like this, we don’t look so out of place anymore."

Suddenly, Gu Heng turned his head and said this to Luo Xiwen.

"Wh-what?"

Luo Xiwen froze for a moment, not processing what he’d said.

"Before, your outfit was so professional. Walking next to you, I kind of looked like the landlord’s idiot son."

Gu Heng smiled, his tone very natural. "Now it looks much more natural. We actually look quite good together."

Hearing Gu Heng say they looked "good together," Luo Xiwen’s heart suddenly started to race. She replied in a low voice, "Mr. Gu, you look classy in anything you wear."

"What time do you usually get off work at the private bank?"

"Five o’clock."

"So normally, you should be off the clock by now."

Hearing this, Luo Xiwen immediately waved her hands. "Mr. Gu, my job is to provide you with the best service. You don’t need to worry about my work hours."

"That’s not what I mean."

Gu Heng waved his hand and said with a smile, "What I mean is, since it’s after hours, let’s drop the ’Manager Luo’ and ’Mr. Gu.’"

"Calling each other by our titles is for work. Let’s not be so formal after hours."

"I’ll call you Xiwen, and you call me Gu Heng. How about it?"

Hearing this, Luo Xiwen looked a little hesitant.

"It’s settled then."

Seeing her reaction, Gu Heng made the decision for them.

"Alright."

Luo Xiwen pressed her rosy lips together. A hint of bashfulness appeared on her composed and beautiful face, creating an unexpectedly charming contrast.

Chatting as they walked, the two soon arrived in front of the Overlord Tea Girl shop.

"Whoa!"

"So many people?"

Gu Heng’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the long line snaking inside.

"This is Overlord Tea Girl’s first store in Ji Province. It just opened a few days ago, so the hype is at its peak right now."

Luo Xiwen explained briefly, then added, "It’s alright. If you want something to drink, I can go buy it for you. You can just rest out here."

"Hmm..."

"If it’s going to take too long, then let’s just forget it."

Gu Heng thought for a moment. It really wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go inside wearing this outfit. After all, he had a business dinner to attend later, and it would be embarrassing if his expensive leather shoes got covered in scuff marks.

"Then what would you like to drink?"

"You can just pick something for me."

"Okay."

Luo Xiwen nodded, then quickly walked into the Overlord Tea Girl shop in her high heels.

Gu Heng, meanwhile, stood where he was and glanced around. When his eyes landed on a particular display counter, a thought suddenly struck him, and he started walking toward it...