Chapter 237 - 199: From Now On, We Are All Brothers

Chapter 237: Chapter 199: From Now On, We Are All Brothers

The song ended, and the private room fell quiet again.

Lin Qingge held the microphone in both hands, feeling a bit at a loss.

"Qingge, Tangtang, go sit over there with Yiyi for a bit."

Gu Heng gestured to Su Tang and Lin Qingge, who were sitting to his right. "I need to discuss something. I’ll be done soon."

"Okay."

The two women obediently picked up their wine glasses and quickly walked over to sit beside Liu Nanyi.

"President Han, President Chu, come have a seat."

After the two women made room, Gu Heng looked up at Han Jingcheng and Chu Zhengnan. He gave a casual wave, his smile warm and gentle.

"Chairman Gu, I hope we’re not interrupting anything..."

Han Jingcheng hurried over, his expression slightly apologetic.

"Not at all."

"It’s thoughtful of you to come."

As Gu Heng spoke, he reached for another bottle of Hennessy XO.

But before he could, Chu Zhengnan had already grabbed a bottle of Hennessy XO, opened it, and placed it in front of Gu Heng. Though he appeared quiet, his actions clearly conveyed his attitude.

"President Han, President Chu, since you’re here, let’s have a couple of drinks."

Gu Heng pushed the newly opened bottle of Hennessy XO toward the two men. Compared to the aloof and imposing image they had of him from the other day, Gu Heng seemed surprisingly approachable today.

"Thank you, Chairman Gu."

"We can get it ourselves."

Han Jingcheng quickly took the bottle, fetched two empty glasses, and filled them both to the brim.

"Chairman Gu, a toast to you."

Han Jingcheng raised his full glass, holding it very low in a gesture of respect.

"To you, sir."

Chu Zhengnan did the same.

Gu Heng clinked glasses with each of them in turn, and then they all drank.

Although they all downed their drinks, Gu Heng’s glass had an ice sphere in it and was only a third full of liquor, while Han Jingcheng and Chu Zhengnan each had a full glass.

Even though both men could hold their liquor, they still paused for a moment as they drank, a testament to the drink’s strength.

"Chairman Gu, do you see any areas where our Roar Hall needs improvement?"

Han Jingcheng set down his glass and immediately picked up the bottle to refill Gu Heng’s, asking in a humble tone.

"Overall, there are no major issues."

"But there are some minor details that need attention."

"Roar Hall may be a chain KTV, but since we’re aiming to build a premium brand and expand nationwide, every other KTV chain in the country will be our competitor."

Gu Heng sat in the center of the sofa and said calmly, "They say the devil is in the details. Take the large luxury suite we were just in. The cleaning is incomplete—there are missed spots. When I was walking around earlier, I could clearly feel a sticky patch on the floor."

"Furthermore, I feel Roar Hall is severely lacking in its consideration for female customers. As the vice president in charge of Roar Hall, you should know full well what the customer demographics of a KTV chain look like."

"Women are a key demographic for KTVs. They’re often the ones who drive spending from male customers. Therefore, their perception of us directly impacts Roar Hall’s brand image."

"Improving their perception of us is actually quite simple. For instance, providing more disposable toilet seat covers in the restrooms, having sanitary napkins ready at the front desk, offering a complimentary pot of warm water to rooms with female guests, and so on."

Initially, Han Jingcheng had only asked for Gu Heng’s guidance out of respect for a superior. He hadn’t actually expected Gu Heng to say anything of substance.

He never expected Gu Heng to have such unique insights.

Gu Heng didn’t actually know anything about managing a KTV chain. But what he lacked in specific knowledge, he made up for in worldly experience and vision.

During that half-month of carousing with Wang Yan in Zhonghai, Gu Heng had partied every single night, experiencing nearly every type of high-end nightlife venue the city had to offer.

Having seen what "good" looked like, it was now child’s play for him to critique the "bad" and offer substantive, well-founded criticism.

"Chairman Gu, you’re right. We have indeed been thoughtless when it comes to our female customers."

Han Jingcheng grew serious. "What other shortcomings do you see at Roar Hall? Please, don’t hold back..."

Since Han Jingcheng had asked, Gu Heng told him everything, honestly recounting all the shortcomings and problems he had noticed.

The better Roar Hall performed and the greater its brand influence became, the higher Xingchuan International Group’s profits would be, which in turn meant larger dividends for Gu Heng each year. Their interests were aligned, so of course he wanted Roar Hall to prosper.

The two spoke with great animation, while Chu Zhengnan sat quietly beside them.

He didn’t interrupt, simply drinking quietly along with them.

Meanwhile, Liu Nanyi, Su Tang, and Lin Qingge were sitting together, eating fruit and snacks while straining to overhear Gu Heng’s conversation.

"What’s going on?"

"Isn’t Gu Heng the chairman of Zhen Cui Group?"

"Why is he giving advice on Roar Hall’s business development?"

The more Su Tang listened, the more confused she became. She turned to Liu Nanyi and whispered.

"Besides being the chairman of Zhen Cui Group, he’s also a director with actual power at Xingchuan International Group, the entertainment giant of our Ji Province. Roar Hall is just one of Xingchuan International Group’s subsidiary brands, so of course he has the right to advise them on their business development."

Liu Nanyi had planned on keeping this secret to herself, but with the sudden arrival of Han Jingcheng and Chu Zhengnan, it was impossible to hide any longer. She had no choice but to tell them the truth.

"Oh my god!"

"I can’t believe Gu Heng has this other identity!"

Su Tang’s eyes widened, and she nearly gasped out loud.

"Look at this..."

"I just looked it up online."

Liu Nanyi handed her phone to Su Tang. "Sound Wave and Tea Sense, those places we went to a couple of months ago? They’re also owned by Xingchuan International Group. I heard the company’s total market value is over a billion."

A billion!

Staring at the dense list of corporate assets on the screen, Su Tang felt her breath quicken.

She thought about her cousin, whose quality of life had skyrocketed after finding a rich boyfriend, and suddenly, she didn’t feel like trying so hard anymore.

Everyone called her the queen of the grind, a woman as fierce and ambitious as an eagle.

But being the queen of the grind, being that eagle, was exhausting.

’If Gu Heng were my boyfriend...’

’Why the hell would I still be grinding!’

’That little Feng Yao? I could crush her with a flick of my wrist!’

The thought popped into Su Tang’s head unbidden, but she knew it was impossible to tie down a man like Gu Heng.

His answer on the way to Roar Hall had been proof enough of that.

"Yiyi, you and Gu Heng..."

Su Tang’s mind raced. Handing the phone back to Liu Nanyi, she asked tentatively, "What’s your relationship with him now?"

"We..."

Faced with Su Tang’s sudden question, Liu Nanyi found herself uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

What was their relationship?

Friends?

But they had just kissed and touched. Gu Heng had even washed his hands in her most private places. No matter how you looked at it, those weren’t things friends did.

Lovers?

They had been intimate, but Gu Heng had never shown any intention of defining their relationship. So they couldn’t be lovers, either.

"We’re..."

Liu Nanyi was speechless for a moment before finally stammering, "Just friends, I guess."

Hearing this, Su Tang’s eyes flickered.

’If they’re just friends...’

’Then it wouldn’t be interfering. I wouldn’t be the other woman.’

If Su Tang had only been wavering back at the Yunzun High-altitude Restaurant and Bar, now she had completely made up her mind.

Because no matter how confident she was, she didn’t think she would ever meet another man who was a better catch than Gu Heng.

And even if she did, it was unlikely their paths would ever cross.

"Let’s drink."

Su Tang raised her glass, choosing to end the conversation there.

The three girls’ eyes met, a silent, unspoken understanding passing between them.

...

"Chairman Gu, I’d like to propose a toast."

Gu Heng and Han Jingcheng had more or less finished their discussion when Chu Zhengnan raised his glass at the opportune moment.

"President Chu, I’ve heard of you for a long time."

Gu Heng clinked his glass against Chu Zhengnan’s and said with a chuckle, "We didn’t get a chance to talk much at the company or the banquet the other day. Let’s make up for it tonight."

"Chairman Gu, I’m sure you thoroughly investigated Xingchuan International before investing, so I won’t beat around the bush with you."

Chu Zhengnan downed the entire glass in one go. Counting the previous drinks, he had nearly finished a whole bottle of Hennessy XO by himself, and he was chugging it.

"You might laugh, and so might President Han, but I’ll say it anyway."

"To put it nicely, I’m a reckless brute. To put it bluntly, I’m an idiot."

"I’m all brawn and no brains, I play favorites, I’m short-sighted, and I have no real ambition."

"To be honest, when I found out my brother was planning to raise capital by bringing in an outside shareholder, I was completely against the idea. I was vehemently opposed to it."

"So, when you first came to the company, I truly despised and resented you. I even took it upon myself, behind my brother’s back, to bring some guys down to try and put you in your place."

Chu Zhengnan’s expression grew somber as he confessed in a low voice.

Sitting between them, Han Jingcheng’s expression flickered at Chu Zhengnan’s words. He shot a nervous glance at Gu Heng, only breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he saw the chairman was still smiling.

"Even after my brother chewed me out and stripped me of my Vice President title, my attitude didn’t change."

"It wasn’t until I saw all the recent changes within the company that I realized just how wrong I was. The company I thought was thriving and prosperous had, without my noticing, become rife with corruption and riddled with parasites."

"If it weren’t for you, the whole enterprise would have collapsed. It was only a matter of time."

At this, Chu Zhengnan raised his glass again, his expression utterly sincere. "Chairman Gu, thank you for saving us from the brink. You not only brought our company new opportunities for growth but also helped us root out so many of the bad apples."

"From now on, just say the word and I’ll do anything you ask."

"I, Chu Zhengnan, will pledge my life to you!"

With that, Chu Zhengnan moved to down the glass.

But just then, a finger pressed against the rim of his glass, stopping him.

Gu Heng said nothing. He simply picked up an empty glass, took the bottle of Hennessy XO, and, as Chu Zhengnan and Han Jingcheng watched, filled it to the brim.

Then, Gu Heng removed his finger and raised his own full glass.

"From now on..."

"We’re brothers."