Chapter 311 - 246: You Try, You Die

Chapter 311: Chapter 246: You Try, You Die

As night fell, the entire Changbai Mountain International Resort lit up brilliantly. The lights along the winding ski slopes suddenly flickered on, like luminous veins embedded in the snow-covered mountain.

At the agreed-upon time, Gu Heng lightly knocked on Wang Wan Ning’s door.

"Wan Ning, are you ready?"

Gu Heng asked, "It’s about time for us to leave."

"Coming, coming!"

A clear voice approached, and the door soon opened.

Gu Heng’s eyes lit up when he saw Wang Wan Ning, who had clearly taken great care in dressing up.

She was wearing a black, waist-cinching dress from Chanel’s latest collection. A ring of delicate pavé diamonds adorned the collar. Her long, ash-brown hair, usually worn down, was now neatly tied up in a bun, revealing her slender, snow-white, swan-like neck. The overall effect was one of indescribable elegance.

This was the kind of poise that Su Lei and Wang Junjin had poured money into cultivating—the true air of a socialite that couldn’t be faked by ordinary girls with a bit of cosmetic surgery, some work done on their faces, and a few luxury accessories.

"It’s just a regular business dinner. You didn’t need to be so formal."

Gu Heng gazed at the gracefully standing Wang Wan Ning, his eyes smiling and his voice gentle.

"It’s not that formal."

"I just dressed up a little."

Wang Wan Ning blinked, replying charmingly.

"Where’s your down jacket?"

"Put it on, and we’ll head out."

With so many women in his life, Gu Heng could, of course, tell that her appearance was the result of meticulous effort. However, he saw through it without saying a word and simply reminded her.

"Okay~"

Wang Wan Ning replied, then quickly went back into her suite. She reemerged moments later, carrying a long down jacket in her left hand and the Hermes bag Gu Heng had given her in her right.

"Put it on."

"Don’t get cold."

Gu Heng took the bag from her, gesturing for her to put on her jacket first.

Feeling his concern, the smile on Wang Wan Ning’s face grew even brighter.

Once Wang Wan Ning had her jacket on, the two of them headed out of the hotel.

At the hotel’s main entrance, the Luo Shilun Bay Stream was already waiting.

The professional bodyguards standing on either side of the vehicle saw Gu Heng and Wang Wan Ning approaching together and immediately opened the power-sliding door, minimizing heat loss while ensuring the pair could step directly inside.

After they boarded, the door slid shut, and the entire motorcade sped away from the Changbai Mountain International Resort.

...

Shan He Farmhouse Iron Pot Stew. The restaurant’s exterior had the standard feel of a Northeast farmhouse, with red lanterns that made the whole place look festive and lively.

"Have you ever had Northeast iron pot stew before?"

As Gu Heng and Wang Wan Ning entered the restaurant, Zhong Hua and Xiang Lingshuang, who were following behind, immediately stepped forward to take their heavy coats.

"I haven’t!"

"But I’ve seen it all over the internet!"

"What’s that saying again?"

"Northeast iron pot stew, where you can stew anything and everything!"

Wang Wan Ning looked around the restaurant with curiosity, surprised at how clean and tidy it was inside.

"Hahaha..."

"A few decades ago, you really could stew anything and everything."

Gu Heng chuckled and shook his head. "But if you say that now... well, that would be a felony."

Nowadays, when people talk about Northeast cuisine, the common impression is that it lacks variety and doesn’t have any signature, impressive dishes compared to the Eight Great Cuisines of China.

In reality, it’s not that Northeast cuisine lacks impressive dishes.

It’s just that its most impressive dishes are all written into the criminal code.

Take the famous Northeast dish Di San Xian, for example. Its original name was also pronounced Di San Xian, but it was written with different characters.

Today, Di San Xian is made with potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant. But the original "immortal" version used Siberian tiger, bear, and deer.

Who would dare make that today?

And even if someone dared to make it, who would dare to eat it?

That’s a case of "try it and you’re a goner."

One bite and you’ve won yourself a life sentence.

Then there’s the widely known "Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms." The original name was actually "Lion’s Mane Mushroom Stewed with Hazel Grouse." The entire twelve-volume cookbook for these dishes might as well be split between the Wildlife Protection Law and the Wild Plant Protection Law.

Wang Wan Ning was sharp and naturally caught the hidden meaning in Gu Heng’s last sentence. She smiled and said, "In that case, it’s better not to stew things indiscriminately. Safety first."

Chatting and laughing, the two were guided by a waiter and soon arrived at their reserved private room.

The waiter knocked and, after getting a reply from inside, pushed the door open.

Gu Heng and Wang Wan Ning stepped inside. In the spacious room, a massive round table in the center held four large iron pots. Each pot was covered with a wooden lid, and steam would occasionally jet out from small openings, carrying a rich aroma with it.

On either side of the table were sofa areas for relaxing and having tea. When Gu Heng and Wang Wan Ning entered, both areas were filled with people. Some were wearing official-style jackets, while others were in business suits.

"Ah!"

"Chairman Gu, you’re here!"

Fan Hong, who had been seated in the main host’s position, immediately shot up from the sofa upon seeing Gu Heng and Wang Wan Ning. As his voice rang out, the vast majority of people in the room stood up as well.

Many of the middle-aged men in official-style jackets couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise as they looked at Gu Heng’s incredibly young and handsome face.

Although they knew well in advance that the chairman of Zhen Cui Group, who was planning to invest, was very young, they hadn’t expected him to be *this* young.

Some of them couldn’t help but wonder, ’This young... can he be reliable?’

Facing everyone’s gazes, Gu Heng calmly swept his eyes around the room.

"Chairman Gu, allow me to make some introductions."

Fan Hong hurried over, his tone respectful and eager.

"This is Director Zhao Hongbo, the deputy director of our Changbai Mountain Management Committee."

The first person Fan Hong introduced was the middle-aged man he had just been personally attending to. This man only rose slowly from the sofa after Gu Heng had started walking toward him.

The Changbai Mountain Management Committee, fully named the Ji Province Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone Management Committee, is a provincial-level agency. Its rank is at the department level, which meant this middle-aged man, as a deputy, held a deputy-department-level rank. In an ordinary prefecture-level city, this would be roughly equivalent to a vice-mayor.

"Director Zhao, this is the chairman of our Zhen Cui Group, Mr. Gu Heng."

Fan Hong then formally introduced Gu Heng to Zhao Hongbo.

"Director Zhao, a pleasure to meet you."

Gu Heng extended his hand, his demeanor composed and neither servile nor overbearing.

To be honest, with the assets he now commanded, unless it was a deputy director with real power from a central authority, an ordinary deputy director really didn’t carry much weight in his eyes.

Besides, he was here to invest, which made him unequivocally the client.

"Chairman Gu, so young and so accomplished!"

Zhao Hongbo grasped Gu Heng’s right hand with both of his and said enthusiastically, "Director Huang had originally planned to come today as well, but there was an urgent meeting in the provincial capital. He had to rush back this afternoon. Before he left, he specifically instructed me to provide you with the best hospitality, Chairman Gu, and to not betray the trust you’ve placed in our Changbai Management Committee!"

Obviously, the Director Huang that Zhao Hongbo mentioned must be the director of the Changbai Mountain Management Committee, as only he would have the authority to give instructions to Zhao Hongbo.

As for how much of what Zhao Hongbo said was true and how much was false, there was no way to know. In any case, his speech was watertight, leaving no room for criticism.

"Of course, I understand."

Gu Heng exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhao Hongbo. Then, with Fan Hong making the introductions, he greeted several other important leaders who were present at the banquet.

The county heads of Fusong County and Jingyu County, the two main producers of Chinese medicinal herbs in the Changbai Region, were both personally in attendance. In addition, there were many other leaders relevant to the investment, including the director of the Changbai Mountain Management Committee’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, the director of the Changbai Mountain Chinese Medicinal Resources Protection Center, and the director of the Changbai Mountain Environmental Protection Bureau.

On Zhen Cui Group’s side, besides Fan Hong, the project manager, the corporate headquarters had also sent several department directors, showing that they also took this business dinner very seriously.

With the arrival of an important figure like Gu Heng, the atmosphere immediately shifted. With Fan Hong acting as a bridge between the two sides, they quickly became acquainted through pleasantries and polite conversation. Soon after, everyone moved to the central round table, and once seated, the evening’s banquet officially began...