The charity dinner came to an end in the hypocritical prosperity and dark competition. In the Rolls-Royce Phantom on the way back, the air was more stagnant than when it came. The light outside the car window quickly retreated, reflecting the two silent faces in the car.
Gu Heng leaned on the back of the chair, closed his eyes to recuperate, and his side face looked colder in the dim light. The tiredness around him that he deliberately restrained at the dinner pervaded without reservation at this moment, like an invisible mist covering him. Lin Wei sat on the other side, her eyes fell out of the window, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the cold metal buckle of her hand bag. The diamond necklace between the neck was as heavy as a shackle, and the decent smile at the dinner party had long disappeared, leaving only a deep fatigue and... a trace of lingering throbbing.
The low "continue", like a stone thrown into stagnant water, rippled in her heart. Is it encouragement? Is it an order? Or... some kind of secret recognition? She can't figure it out.
The car drove into the "Yunqi Waterfront", and the huge iron gate slid open silently, swallowing them into the cold fortress. Butler Zhou appeared at the door on time like a ghost.
"Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, welcome back."
Gu Heng did not respond and went straight to the spiral staircase leading to the third floor. Just when Lin Wei thought he would disappear directly behind the door of the forbidden area as usual, his steps stopped at the stairway.
"You," he didn't look back, and his voice was imperceptible. Is it tired? Or something else?" Come up with me."
Lin Wei's heart jumped suddenly. Go up? The third floor? Which restricted area that requires biometric identification? She subconsciously looked at Housekeeper Zhou. There was no expression on the housekeeper's stereotyped face, but just lowered her head slightly.
Gu Heng had already stepped on the stairs and didn't give her time to hesitate. Lin Wei took a deep breath, suppressed the suspicion and a trace of inexplicable tension in her heart, raised the skirt that was a little disturbing, and followed. The high heels stepped on the metal steps, making a crisp and lonely echo.
The thick, metallic glass door leading to the third floor slid open silently, revealing a completely different scene inside.
Unlike the extremely empty and cold public areas on the first and second floors, the third floor is more like a combination of a complex working fortress and a private shelter. The corridor is not wide, but the light is soft and warm yellow. On one side is a huge floor-to-ceiling window. At this moment, the curtains are tightly closed to isolate the outside world's sight. On the other side, there are several closed doors.
Gu Heng did not stop and went directly to a double-door room at the end of the corridor. He stretched out his finger and pressed the sensor by the door, and the door opened silently.
Study room.
The space is huge, but it is not empty. On the three walls are dark solid wood bookshelves, densely arranged with books, file boxes and some professional models that Lin Wei can't understand. The huge mahogany desk is thick and calm, full of documents, open laptops, and multiple displays, with complex financial data and curves on the screen. The air is filled with a faint smell of cigars, old pages and a mixture of bitter herbs.
There is no sense of alienation deliberately created on the first floor. Instead, it is full of traces of life and work, a kind of mess and...heaviness after high-intensity use. The light only turned on a table lamp and a few wall lamps in the desk area, casting a warm halo on the dark wood, but setting off the shadow of the corner is particularly deep.
Gu Heng walked to the back of the desk. Instead of sitting down, he rubbed his eyebrows tiredly, casually untied the bow tie of his evening dress, and threw it casually on the wide leather chair. This action weakened the imperial aura of his body, revealing a deeper burnout squeezed out by work and a kind of invisible pressure.
"Sit." He pointed to an equally wide and comfortable leather chair opposite the desk.
Lin Wei sat down according to her words, and her expensive dress skirt was spread out. She looked around and keenly scanned the classification labels on the bookshelf (finance, law, technology, and even some cold history and philosophy), several documents spread out on the desktop (the titles vaguely showed the words "M&A Risk Assessment", "Family Trust Structure", etc.), and a simple shape in the corner, which seemed to be often The rubbed brass globe. Everything here silently tells the huge knowledge map of the owner of the study, the heavy workload and... the possible and unknown source of pressure.
"At the dinner," Gu Heng's voice broke the silence. He walked to the wine cabinet, poured two glasses of amber liquid without adding ice, and put one of them in front of Lin Wei. "About the investment in red wine mentioned by Mr. Wu, which agency issued that report?"
Lin Wei was slightly stunned. She didn't expect that he asked herself to come up. The first thing she asked was this. Is it to verify that she didn't talk at the dinner? Or... is he really interested in this topic?
"It's the Global Alternative Investment Trend Report released by the 'Forward-looking Vision' Research Institute last month, Volume 3, Luxury Goods and Collectibles." Lin Wei answered clearly, and her tone returned to her calmness and professionalism at work. "The report used three chapters to analyze the part of the Burgundy Premium Garden mentioned by Mr. Wu in detail. The data sources include the auction records of Sotheby's and Christie in the past five years, the official data of the French Burgundy Wine Association, and the top collectors they have established. Demand model."
Gu Heng leaned against the edge of the desk with a wine glass and looked at her with deep eyes, as if he was evaluating the credibility of her words. Forward-looking vision... Their model has had several major deviations in predicting the valuation of rare minerals and technology start-ups. His tone has a hint of questioning, which is more like discussing a purely commercial issue.
Lin Wei met his gaze and did not retreat at all: "Yes, they do have an excessive tendency to be overly optimistic in the forecast of emerging industries. However, this report focuses on traditional scarce assets, with a solid data foundation, and the methodology focuses more on historical trend analysis and supply and demand relationships, especially the tracking of the psychology and behavior patterns of top collectors. I think it has a high reference value. The report mentions the view of the euro exchange rate window period, combined with the recent policy trend of the European Central Bank, I think it is particularly worthy of attention. She is well-organized, analytical and calm, and has fully entered the professional field.
Gu Heng listened silently, and his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the cold cup wall. Under the warm yellow light, the usual coldness in his eyes seemed to melt a trace, replaced by a pure focus on knowledge and information. He looked at the woman in gorgeous clothes and exquisite makeup in front of him, but at this moment she was like a calm and wise military commander, talking freely about investment strategies. The great sense of contrast brings a strange attraction.
"Have you read all the reports?" He asked, with a little less scrutiny and more inquiry in his tone.
"The core part." Lin Wei nodded, "I need it for work." She added a sentence, as if explaining that she was not absent-to-business.
"Need..." Gu Heng repeated the word in a low voice, and his eyes became a little deep, as if he was chewing on the meaning. He suddenly turned around, with a hint of imperceptible trial: "So, the plight of Lin's textile is also the result of your analysis of 'work needs'?"
This question was like a cold needle, which instantly pierced the brief professional atmosphere just now. Lin Wei's body stiffened almost imperceptably. Her father's company was the deepest pain in her heart and the root of her signing this contract. Her hand on her knee tightened slightly.
"Lin's problem," she raised her head and looked straight at Gu Heng's eyes, which were no longer so cold in the light. Her voice was still stable, but with a trace of imperceptible stubbornness and bitterness, "it was a chain reaction of market changes, decision-making mistakes and... capital chain breakage. As an analyst, I know the problem, but as a daughter, I can't go back to heaven. She did not avoid or shirk responsibility. She confessed her sense of powerlessness and pointed out the role played by Gu Heng in it - he controlled the broken capital chain.
Gu Heng's eyes deepened. He did not avoid Lin Wei's gaze, nor was he angry because of her blunt words. There is a subtle tension in the air, no longer just employers and employees, contractors and tools, but like two opponents who briefly let go of their guard and carry out some kind of deep testing in a complex situation.
He suddenly put down the wine glass, walked to the desk, rummaged through a pile of documents, took out a document that was not too thick, and handed it to Lin Wei.
The title of the document is: "Lin's Textile Operation Status and Potential Value Assessment (Internal Reference)".
Lin Wei's heart suddenly shrank! She quickly turned it over, which contained extremely detailed data analysis: Lin's core assets (brand value, some patented technologies, stable old customer base), the current debt structure, the expected loss of bankruptcy liquidation, and... the potential profitability in a specific market segment if the injection of funds is restarted. The analysis is objective and cold, without any emotion, but it clearly points out that Lin's is not completely worthless, but just needs a strong external force and a precise entry point.
Obviously, Gu Heng had asked someone to do this report well before she signed the agreement. He did not regard Lin as "worthless" garbage at all, but accurately calculated its residual value and ... the cost-effectiveness of acquiring (or controlling) it under the logic of cold businessmen.
"You..." Lin Wei raised her head and looked at Gu Heng, her eyes full of complicated emotions - shock, puzzlement, and even a trace of anger of being fooled. "You have known that Lin is still valuable? That agreement..." The agreement that made her feel extremely humiliated and decided that she was just a commodity in exchange for money!
"The agreement is a deal." Gu Heng interrupted her, and his voice returned to his usual calmness, but it was no longer so cold and piercing. "I will pay money to solve your father's predicament. You spend your time and identity to solve my 'needs'. Value evaluation is only the basis of business decision-making. He paused, looked at her cheeks, which were slightly red because of mood swings, and added in a strange frank tone: "This report proves that your performance at the dinner is not accidental. You do have the eye to see the value clearly.
After going back to his desk, he sat in a wide leather chair. His figure was hidden at the junction of the halo and shadow projected by the lamp, which made people unable to see his expression at the moment.
"You can take this report with you." His voice came from the blurred light and shadow, with a trace of imperceptible fatigue. "My assistant will contact you at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon. There is a small project that requires you to provide some... analytical perspectives. It is an extension of the duties of 'Mrs. Gu'.
Lin Wei held the report in her hand tightly, and the edge of the paper hurt her palm again. What is this? Are you sure? Is it to use? Or... the beginning of some new and more complex exploration?
Looking at the vague figure in the light and shadow, she felt for the first time that this man named Gu Heng was much more complicated than his "cold and ruthlessness". His fatigue, his study, the report he handed out, and the deep meaning hidden behind the sentence "solve my needs"... all wrapped him tightly like a thick fog.
She got up, without thanking or questioning, just took a deep look at the area where light and shadow were intertwined, then turned around and left the study full of secrets and complexity.
The door closed silently behind. In the corridor, the warm yellow lights are still there. Lin Wei leaned against the cold wall and felt her heart beating violently in her chest.
The report in my hand is heavy.
Gu Heng's last words echoed in her ears.
She felt that she seemed to have just touched the insignificant tip of the iceberg, and the giant hidden under the water was exuding a throbbing chill and... irresistible attraction.