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

After a quick wash, Gu Heng squatted at the doorway slurping down his meal from a large porcelain bowl.

While eating, he called out to Xu Hong, "I'm heading out for a bit after I finish eating."

"What for?"

"Remember Xiaofeng?"

"Sure, that kid who used to get into mischief with you? What's up with him?"

Gu Heng devoured two eggs per bite; six eggs disappeared into his stomach in less than two minutes, and then he started gulping down the sweet egg soup with a "glug, glug, glug."

After wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he continued, "He's getting married on the 26th, I'm planning to drop by his place today to see if there's anything I can help with."

On hearing this, Xu Hong quickly nodded in agreement.

"A wedding is a big event; of course, you should help out."

In rural areas, red and white celebrations always involved the assistance of relatives and friends. Under normal circumstances, no one would refuse a call for help unless relationships had completely broken down.

Because everyone knew that one day they too would face these events, and if you didn't show up today, nobody would come to your house tomorrow.

But as she spoke, Xu Hong's face fell, "You've got the nerve to talk about someone else's wedding? Look around, which guy in the village your age doesn't have kids running around in the fields?

When are you going to give me a grandchild?"

Realizing he misspoke, Gu Heng hastily replied, "I'm working hard to earn money, once I've saved enough, I'll get married. Then I'll have ten or eight grandsons and granddaughters for you to look after!"

"Earn money, earn money! How much is enough before you stop? You can already afford a car worth millions, why still make so much money? Are you planning to buy planes and cannons to fight the Japanese devils?"

Gu Heng: "..."

Who knew his mother could be so patriotic...

Probably watched too many of those anti-Japanese dramas with his dad...

Seeing Gu Heng silent, Xu Hong's maternal BUFF was slowly wearing off, her words becoming more heated, and eventually, she took on the air of the head of the household, "I didn't pressure you before because our family was poor, afraid that the girls would look down on us,

but now that you've made some money, they probably won't have anything to say. After the New Year, I'll ask some of my old friends to introduce you to a few decent girls! Go on blind dates!"

Gu Heng: "???"

"I'm only 23! And I'll only be 24 after the New Year, what's the rush..."

"24 actual age, 25 by the lunar calendar, blink and you're 26, another year and you're pushing 27, and in two years you'll be thirty! Keep dawdling, and in the blink of an eye, you'll be as old as your father and me!

They say a man should be independent by thirty! Look at you! Without a wife, what are you going to establish?"

As his mother spoke, Gu Heng felt his scalp tingle and quickly said, "Don't worry, I already have a girlfriend now, and she's very pretty, we're just talking about getting married in a couple of years!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

He even took out a photo of Lin Jiayun to show her.

Though Lin Ran seemed somewhat interested at the dinner table, he had not agreed to come, so Gu Heng could only make do with Lin Jiayun for now...

After all, although he couldn't get Lin Ran to come, getting Lin Jiayun to visit was just a phone call away.

The photos Lin Jiayun sent him were too provocative; this one was selected by Gu Heng as one of the more decent ones.

If his mother saw any of those racy photos, chances are, he'd be thrown out of the house...

"Is this your girlfriend?"

"Of course! Pretty, isn't she?"

Just as Gu Heng was swearing it to be true, a slap descended on his forehead.

"You think I'm an idiot! And you have a girlfriend! You think I don't use Douyin? Isn't this one of those internet celebrities from Douyin? You think you can fool me with some random photo?"

While dodging his mother's slaps, Gu Heng put his bowl down and explained, "It's true! I'll bring her here in a few days, and once you meet her in person, you'll know!"

"Still full of lies! You think I'm senile! You really think such a beautiful girl would fall for you?"

Gu Heng couldn't believe his mother's prejudice against him ran so deep...

With the conversation taking this turn and still not being believed, he had no choice but to make a quick getaway. He opened the car door and jumped into the driver's seat...

He ignited the engine, reversed, and carried out the entire set of maneuvers smoothly...

.....

.....

It wasn't until he drove out of the yard that Gu Heng felt the overpowering pressure from his mother slowly dissipating...

Once he got the car onto the road, Gu Heng turned up the music volume in the car and rolled down the windows, lighting up a '95 and driving slowly through the rural roads with just one hand on the steering wheel...

In the cold last month of winter, with temperatures only a few degrees, don't you feel cold driving with the windows down?

The answer is cold!

If it's cold, why lower the window at all?

Nonsense, if you don't lower it, who will know that it's you driving a Bentley?

The town where Gu Heng lived was densely populated, with more than a dozen villages clinging to a main road.

Especially now that it was the New Year, all the workers who had gone out had come back, and there were quite a few pedestrians on the road. Gu Heng's ostentatious display immediately drew the attention of many onlookers.

The older generation might just think the car looks nice, but those who worked outside knew very well the value of the car, and soon enough there were quite a few murmurs of discussion.

Now and then heard someone say, "That's Lame Gu's son! He's made something of himself now, became a big boss outside! I heard that car is worth millions!"

In the countryside, any household's business could spread in a matter of hours.

Gu Heng used to detest being called Lame Gu's son, but now when he heard it, there wasn't a hint of anger in him.

He had once felt that people calling his dad "Lame Gu" was an insult, a form of discrimination. Gu Heng didn't deny that back then it was because of his own inferiority complex. When you're poor, an inferiority complex often magnifies all malice.

But things were different now; he was the sturdy leg his father stood on! Whenever people mentioned "Lame Gu" within ten miles, it was no longer with the previous contempt, but with envy and jealousy!

Once he drove past the scope of his own village, the faces by the road grew unfamiliar, and Gu Heng no longer wanted to show off, so he casually flicked his cigarette out and rolled up the window.

After all, catching a cold from showing off would be a bad deal...

...

Following the route in his memory, Gu Heng drove towards the home of his childhood best friend...

Although it had been almost five or six years since he last visited, they had run around together for over a decade as kids, how could he possibly forget?

There were a lot of cars on the road, but nearly all the drivers subconsciously kept a certain distance from Gu Heng...

Anyone who could afford a private car wouldn't fail to recognize the big B logo of a Bentley.

Everyone knew how much it would cost if they scraped or bumped into Gu Heng's car.

Moreover, the countryside isn't like the city, with cameras everywhere.

If something like a scrape did happen, it would generally be hard to assign blame, and even if the police were called in, they often dealt with it in a conciliatory manner. In the end, it would come down to whose connections were stronger...

The one with the strongest connections got the advantage, and as for the other party, well, they just had to suck it up.

From the point of view of ordinary people, could someone who drove a Bentley possibly have weak connections?

It was exactly for this reason that no one would unnecessarily go out of their way to mess with Gu Heng...

With so many considerate drivers being forced to yield, plus the rural roads getting better and better, Gu Heng had a very smooth drive.

A few minutes later, Gu Heng saw a newly-built house not far away with the character for happiness pasted on the pillars at the entrance of the courtyard and pretty much knew this was his childhood best friend's home...

Although the house was newly built, the location hadn't changed, and the festive decorations at the door also served as proof that he hadn't guessed wrong.

Thinking this, Gu Heng floored the accelerator and charged straight into the courtyard.

There were quite a few people in the courtyard, and they all jumped when a car suddenly burst in...

"Beep!!"

Gu Heng glanced over and saw that his best friend wasn't in the courtyard, so he honked the horn.

The piercing sound of the horn filled the entire yard...

"Who's the dumbass causing trouble at the door?!"

Through the car window, he could hear a familiar roar. When he saw the familiar figure coming out of the house, Gu Heng honked again.

"Beep!!"

Li Feng stood there stunned by his own front door at the sight of the Bentley, unable to react.

But the next second, seeing the figure getting out of the car, Li Feng's eyes widened as he locked gazes with Gu Heng...

"Dude!"

"Dude!"

At almost the same time, both of them shouted out this word and then hugged each other...

What's a best friend?

A best friend is someone who, no matter how long you haven't seen each other, the first thing they want to do upon seeing you is to act like your dad.

Li Feng's parents stood on the side, full of question marks...

Li Feng's dad: "If he calls my son 'Dude', then who am I?"

.....