Tycoon: From Rags to Riches

Deep in the night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Gu Heng had left his front door wide open as he leaned back against the sofa.

His face was pale, his lips were chapped, and his expression was listless. There wasn’t a trace of color in his cheeks.

It was the 30th day since his weight loss plan began. Less than an hour remained until the deadline for the first challenge given by Brother Tongzi.

On this final day, Gu Heng had been in a state of near-starvation.

In the morning, a 200g cup of black coffee to act as a diuretic and flush out sodium.

At noon, 100g of zero-fat yogurt to maintain his gut flora.

In the evening, 100ml of distilled water with B vitamins to prevent metabolic shock.

"It’s finally over..."

Gu Heng quietly watched the light screen before him as the countdown ticked away, second by second.

Until—

It finally hit zero!

With a crisp chime, the light screen hovering before Gu Heng’s eyes instantly changed.

[Challenge Mission: Lose 26 Jin in 30 Days]

[Status: 100% Complete]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully unlocked the first level of the "Golden Tower of Wealth".]

Gu Heng, who had been listless and dizzy, suddenly perked up as if he’d experienced a final burst of energy after seeing the notification from Brother Tongzi.

At the same time, his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Gu Heng stared intently at the light screen. After a dozen or so seconds, the screen gradually dissipated, and the shimmering golden illusion of a tall tower slowly solidified.

The next second, the light screen reappeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a cash reward: 100,000,000 RMB]

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a benefits reward: Jun Cheng Law Firm Top-Tier VIP comprehensive and exclusive legal services (two-year term), with a dedicated fund of 50,000,000 RMB.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have received an asset reward: Zhen Cui Group (full acquisition).]

Just as the light screen unfolded before Gu Heng’s eyes, the screen of his phone, which had been sitting on the coffee table, suddenly lit up.

"DING—"

"Your account ending in 1769 received a deposit of 100,000,000.00 RMB on August 16. Your new balance is 100,006,849.69 RMB. [China Merchants Bank]"

Gu Heng stared at the long string of numbers in the bank’s text alert. He slowly reached out a trembling right hand, picked up his phone, and opened the China Merchants Bank app.

Account Overview—

Total Assets: 100,006,849.69

Gu Heng stared fixedly at his phone screen, looking it over and over again before he could finally confirm that this was not a hallucination.

His heart was pounding like a war drum, and his face gradually flushed red.

Before he knew it, his eyes were brimming with tears.

Abandoned by his parents, mocked by his classmates, judged by strangers...

Three whole years of hardship vanished like a phantom in this one moment.

Now, his suffering had finally turned to sweetness.

Gu Heng raised a hand to wipe away his tears. After that brief burst of energy, he could feel his body rapidly weakening again.

"Hello?"

"Is this 120?"

Following his original plan, Gu Heng didn’t hesitate to dial 120. "This is Apartment 602, Unit 2, Building 6, Auto Repair Residential Area, Lu Yuan District. I need immediate medical assistance."

At the same time, he immediately chugged half a bottle of highly concentrated honey water.

Before completing the mission: ’Life and death are trivial. My fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide!’

After completing the mission: ’My body is worth a thousand pieces of gold; how can I treat it lightly!’

Hmm...

Your position determines your perspective. Sometimes, a change in mindset can happen that fast.

Gu Heng used to think rich people who ran to the hospital over every little thing were so dramatic. Only now did he realize that, after becoming rich himself, he was even more dramatic than they were.

After dialing 120, Gu Heng’s right hand, still holding the phone, slowly dropped to his side. He felt his eyelids growing heavy.

’Can’t fall asleep... not before the ambulance gets here...’

Forcing himself to stay awake and to keep from passing out, Gu Heng turned his gaze back to the light screen hovering before him.

It was then that he noticed a faint "+" suffix after the last two rewards.

Gu Heng mentally tapped the "+", and the once-brief reward descriptions instantly expanded with details.

[Benefits Reward: Jun Cheng Law Firm Top-Tier VIP comprehensive and exclusive legal services (two-year term), with a dedicated fund of 50,000,000 RMB]

[Current Progress: In Progress (0.1%)]

[Jun Cheng Law Firm: A leading domestic law firm in the field of litigation and a benchmark in capital markets and cross-border transaction legal services. It has 12 offices and 700+ lawyers in the country, is headquartered in Beichun, and possesses multiple specialized teams.

Its business scope covers numerous professional fields, including criminal defense, civil and commercial litigation, marriage and inheritance, contract disputes, corporate consulting, bankruptcy and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and cross-border investment and financing.]

[Benefit Details: Jun Cheng Law Firm will provide you with exclusive, customized services, offering comprehensive protection in core areas such as asset security, personal safety, privacy protection, tax compliance, crisis management, cross-border affairs, and real estate due diligence.]

[Note: The dedicated fund will be transferred to your exclusive account once the progress reaches 100%. At that time, Jun Cheng Law Firm will contact you for a formal signing.]

Gu Heng read through the information carefully, marveling inwardly at how thorough his Brother Tongzi was.

To be honest, just moments ago, after the initial excitement of seeing 100 million deposited into his account, Gu Heng had started to feel a bit anxious.

It was like a child holding gold in a bustling market.

However, after reading about this benefits reward, Gu Heng felt much more at ease.

Jun Cheng Law Firm. He had seen its headquarters before while working as a delivery driver. It was a standalone, ten-story building that looked incredibly impressive.

Everyone coming and going was dressed in sharp suits.

In the future, having such a top-tier law firm watching his back would undoubtedly increase his ability to mitigate risks significantly.

After finishing his detailed reading of the benefits reward, Gu Heng then clicked the "+" after the asset reward.

[Asset Reward: Zhen Cui Group (full acquisition)]

[Current Progress: Transaction in Progress (0.01%)]

[Zhen Cui Group: A top-tier restaurant group based locally in Beichun. It owns 1 Omakase restaurant (Sushi Yun), 2 seafood buffet restaurants (Chao Yu), 2 steakhouses (Yuan Zhi), 1 seafood restaurant (Zhenhai), 1 high-altitude restaurant and bar (Cloud Vase), and 1 fusion restaurant (Banquet Fusion). The total acquisition cost is approximately 120 million yuan.]

[Note: The full acquisition negotiation has been initiated. When the current progress shows the transaction is complete, please entrust Jun Cheng Law Firm to handle the handover at Zhen Cui Group.]

Gu Heng, whose eyelids had been about to fall shut, seemed to experience another burst of energy after carefully reading the detailed description of this asset reward.

Gu Heng had never even heard of Zhen Cui Group.

But when it came to names like Sushi Yun Omakase, Chaoyu Seafood Buffet Restaurant, and Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, Gu Heng was all too familiar.

In fact, it wasn’t just Gu Heng; probably anyone living in Beichun would be familiar with these restaurants.

That was because these establishments could practically be considered the pinnacle of the dining scene in Beichun, and even in all of Ji Province.

Take Sushi Yun Omakase, which had just opened two months ago. The cheapest lunch set cost 1,588, and the dinner set started at 1,988.

Gu Heng had always thought Beichun’s spending power was quite low. It wasn’t until Sushi Yun Omakase opened that he realized just how many wealthy people there were in the city.

At that price point, Sushi Yun Omakase was not only packed every day, but it was also nearly impossible to get a table. You had to make a reservation at least a week in advance to dine there.

During its initial opening period, the local section of TikTok was flooded with photos and videos of pretty girls checking in, including quite a few online influencers.

As for brands like Chao Yu, Yuan Zhi, and Cloud Vase, they were also top-tier restaurants in their respective dining categories.

Across all of Beichun, high-end business banquets were almost always held at either Banquet Fusion or Zhenhai.

In the past, when Gu Heng walked by these restaurants, the most he dared to do was peek through the glass.

But in the blink of an eye, these very restaurants were about to become his assets.

Such a transformation truly made Gu Heng feel as if he were in a dream.

"Haaa..."

After several successive emotional rollercoasters, Gu Heng felt his breathing become ragged. He was already dizzy, and now a wave of nausea was washing over him.

"THUMP THUMP THUMP..."

Just as Gu Heng’s eyelids were growing heavier and heavier, a series of hurried footsteps approached, drawing closer until he saw several figures in white coats appear. The moment he relaxed his guard, he passed out.

"The patient has fainted! Check his breathing and pulse immediately!"

...

"Check complete! Patient’s breathing and pulse are normal!"

...

"Prepare an IV drip! 0.9% normal saline with a 5% dextrose solution!"

...

In his hazy state, a multitude of urgent voices echoed in Gu Heng’s ears...