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

"I’m not lacking those few million."

"And what you said just now was right, our Gu family ancestors should be offered a place too. What class do your poor ancestors belong to, Zhang Laoba? To be placed in the same ancestral hall as my Gu family ancestors?"

The last sentence was so insultingly disparaging it turned Zhang Laoba’s face green from anger...

But he was unable to even retort...

They were all poor ancestors, but at least someone from our family has made something of himself, while Zhang Laoba’s family is still toiling in the fields living a bitter life... n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Feeling that his last remark may have been too sweeping, Gu Heng continued to explain to the villagers, "I’m willing to give 2 million as a welfare to our Anping Village. You all watched me, Gu Heng, grow up. Now that I’ve made it, I’m also willing to contribute more to such meritorious deeds."

"But since someone can’t stand to see others do well, there’s nothing I can do about it."

"You can’t blame me for this, blame those who disagreed just now."

After saying this, he immediately left the village committee courtyard with his family...

....

After Gu Heng left, the village committee courtyard became lively again...

Although the Li surname managed to keep the prime offering position for their ancestral tablet, Gu Heng’s final heart-piercing words triggered rifts between the Li surname and the others...

After all, to the other surnames, it made little difference whether the Gu surname or the Li surname tablets were placed first, since it would never be their turn anyway...

At this time, Gu Heng, who had offered to donate an additional 2 million, was definitely more popular with the people...

After all, with Gu Heng contributing more, each family would save over ten thousand yuan, which was a tangible benefit laid out before them...

Now that Gu Heng had left, people immediately started to give a hard time to those who had disagreed earlier: "Since you don’t want the Gu family to spend the money, now you, Zhang Laoba and the Li surname, cough up the 2 million. Anyway, I’ve made it clear today, I’m only contributing 15,000 for the ancestral hall renovation! Not a penny more.

"Look, the Li family has more people, right? Then just let your Li family pay for their own ancestral hall."

"I’m only offering 15,000 too. If this can’t be resolved, I’ll just go and plead with Gu Laosan. I’ll give the money to the Gu family and ask them to make a few extra offering spots when they build their ancestral hall. I’ll place my family’s ancestral tablets in their hall. After all, they’ve got money now, they wouldn’t covet this ten thousand or so!"

"Hey! That’s a good idea. Didn’t that kid Gu Heng just say he was going to build an ancestral hall? Why don’t we just go directly to his family then?

Gu Laosan is easy to talk to, I’ll find a chance to speak with him."

The conversation took a sudden turn...

Not a moment ago, it was Gu Heng’s family being targeted, with no one standing up for him.

But as soon as Gu Heng flipped the table and walked away, it was Zhang Laoba and the Li surname who became the unlucky ones...

The fickle nature of a rural community’s sentiments was just like this...

That’s also why many people with money don’t want to return to the village...

It’s not that they have forgotten their roots; they simply don’t want these irritating and nonsensical issues to get to them.

.....

.....

Gu Heng was unaware that his remarks had turned the village assembly into a joke, as he walked home cheerfully talking and laughing.

Seeing his father, Gu Jianguo, with his brows furrowed, Gu Heng reassured him with a smile, "Dad, don’t worry, what I said earlier wasn’t just out of anger.

When we get home, I’ll call the construction company and tell them to design an additional ancestral hall. We’ll start construction of the hall at the same time as the house! I guarantee you that the ancestral hall I have built will be even more imposing than our village’s hall!"

In his eyes, this money was all spent to make Gu Jianguo happy.

Spending a bit more or a bit less didn’t matter; after all, he had the system to reimburse him.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jianguo’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed...

He had been incompetent all his life, and now, his proudest achievement was having a son like Gu Heng...

Listening to Gu Heng reassuring Gu Jianguo, Xu Hong snorted discontentedly, "All these things cost money! I was already heartbroken over spending five or six million building a house, and now we have to spend a few million more to build an ancestral hall. How much will that cost?

"Son, give it to me straight, how much have you actually earned out there?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jianjun, who was walking nearby carrying a bench with his wife, also pricked up his ears.

If Gu Heng were to say that his savings were close to a hundred million, he would have to tell countless lies to cover it up, so he fobbed them off, "I never really calculated how much I’ve earned, but the money for building your house and repairing the ancestral hall, I can earn that in a month, so don’t worry too much about it."

"Goodness me! That’s a lot, isn’t it?"

"Building a house and repairing an ancestral hall might add up to eighteen million, right? You can earn that much in a month? That would be a hundred million a year! With that kind of money, you’d be on the Hurun list, wouldn’t you?"

Before Xu Hong could speak, Gu Jianjun and his wife’s mouths fell open in shock.

The income Gu Heng spoke of had completely surpassed their imagination...

To them, ten million was already an astronomical figure, not to mention Gu Heng was talking about ten million a month...

"Uncle, you even know about the Hurun Rich List? No wonder my dad always says you’re the most knowledgeable among all his siblings."

"But you’re thinking too much. The lowest ranked on the Hurun Rich List are worth several billions. The little money I make isn’t enough to get on that list."

Gu Jianjun immediately laughed proudly, "Well, Xinran said during her internship that she was working for a Fortune Global 500 company, and her boss was a billionaire listed on the Hurun Rich List, so I looked it up online..."

If the old Gu Heng had said this compliment, Gu Jianguo might have smiled just to be polite.

But now, knowing his nephew was not only wealthy but a billionaire changed his entire mindset.

Being flattered by a billionaire, how could he not be happy?

"Son, what exactly do you do to earn so much money outside? You’d better not be doing what you told your uncle, doing something..."

The rest of the sentence, even though Xu Hong didn’t voice it, Gu Heng knew what it was...

A rural woman who had no concept of a billion, let alone how to make one, could only think in a negative direction...

Of course, Gu Heng couldn’t retort against his uncle as he would against her, so he simply smiled and explained, "It’s from trading foreign exchange futures, it’s not illegal."

"What’s foreign exchange futures?"

Seeing his mother’s determined attitude to get to the bottom of things, Gu Heng felt a bit troubled...

These questions would be easier to explain to Gu Xinran, but explaining them to a mother who hadn’t finished elementary school, and had rarely traveled far in her life, would probably take several hours to clarify...

Just as the group was about to reach the front door, the keen-eyed aunt spotted two cars parked in the yard...

"Xiaoheng, are your friends looking for you?"

At these words, Gu Heng looked in the direction his aunt was pointing, and saw his Bentley parked next to a red BMW...

His impressions of the Shanghai-licensed BMW were far too vivid...

After all, his first car accident was caused by it...

"Brother! Auntie! Uncle! You’re back!"

As Gu Heng stared at the cars in a daze, a crisp and joyful voice rang out from behind him...

The whole family turned around and saw Gu Xinran standing excitedly behind them, but they only glanced at her for a moment before their eyes shifted to the elegant figure beside her...

Unbeknownst to them, Lin Ran had dyed her previously wine-red hair back to black...

Even her signature red coat had been switched out for a light camel-colored one, with a gray turtleneck sweater underneath, and a matching LV bag hung from her hand...

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Her face bore a light smile...

The contradictory temperaments of grace and vivacity were both fully exhibited in her alone...

Gu Jianguo, Xu Hong, including Gu Jianjun and his wife, had only seen such beauties of temperament on television; they had never witnessed one in person...

In the countryside, you’d mostly see girls who had gone out to work and come back dressed slightly more fashionably, but never someone who had both the air and looks like Lin Ran...

Just as Gu Heng was about to speak, Lin Ran approached with a smile, covertly winked at him...

She then looked over his shoulder, politely scanning each of Gu Heng’s elders before setting her eyes on Xu Hong. Her gaze brightened, and she brushed past Gu Heng to stand before Xu Hong, saying softly in Mandarin, "Auntie, hello, my name is Lin Ran, and I’m Gu Heng’s girlfriend.

A couple of days ago, I was planning to come back with Gu Heng to see you, but I got held up with work, so I was delayed for two days.

Now that work is done, I immediately rushed over."

After Lin Ran finished speaking, everyone stood frozen in place...

Gu Heng: "Is she this direct? Not going to discuss it with me first?"

Gu Xinran: "Did Director Lin seriously become my sister-in-law?"

Xu Hong: "This is my daughter-in-law?!"