The reception dinner ended after two hours.
Ge Aimin and a group of Construction Bank staff personally escorted Gu Bai to the car, while Sheng Lishan, the bank director, naturally became the driver.
"Mr. Gu, where do you plan to go now?"
"Let’s go to Celestial Joy Seat at Sea View No.1, please."
Gu Bai sat politely in the back seat and smiled at him. No matter the circumstance, Sheng Lishan, as the bank’s deposit director, held a high position, but was serving as a temporary driver for him, so Gu Bai showed him a certain degree of respect.
"Mr. Gu, what are you talking about? I picked you up personally, so I’m naturally obligated to take you back." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥
Sheng Lishan repeatedly expressed that he dared not refuse.
Gu Bai looked out the window and, after a bit of courtesy, remained silent.
It was already 8 PM, and although Gu Bai originally intended to return to his dormitory, considering he returned to the country without prior notification to Deng Bo and others, he decided not to go back.
Just in time, he had received a call from the property management while in Europe, informing him the house was prepared, so he decided to stay there for the night.
Sheng Lishan drove steadily, and before long, they arrived at the base of Celestial Joy Seat.
Sheng Lishan immediately got out of the car to open the door for Gu Bai. Those unfamiliar with him would assume he was a professional driver, unaware that he was a bank executive.
"Mr. Gu, we’ve arrived."
Having been on a plane for so long, Gu Bai was indeed a bit tired, catching a nap in the car until he heard Sheng Lishan’s voice and opened his eyes.
He rubbed his face to wake up slightly before slowly getting out of the car.
"Sorry, Director Sheng, I’m a bit too tired."
Gu Bai smiled and explained to Sheng Lishan.
"Understandable, after all, a flight lasting over ten hours tires anyone out. Mr. Gu, go in and have a good rest then. I won’t disturb you further."
"Director Sheng, wouldn’t you like to come up and sit for a while?"
Though Sheng Lishan was tempted to see what a mansion worth over a hundred million looks like, he still smiled and declined.
He wasn’t foolish enough; Gu Bai was clearly being polite. Listening was sufficient; actually going up would be truly tactless.
Gu Bai didn’t insist. After the two exchanged contact information, he bid farewell and walked directly towards the building’s interior.
It wasn’t until Gu Bai’s figure disappeared from view that Sheng Lishan sighed.
At over forty, he had risen to the position of director of the Shanghai Branch of Construction Bank, quite an achievement. But facing the barely twenty-year-old Gu Bai, it was evident he couldn’t compare.
Nothing more needs mentioning, just the fact that he couldn’t even dream of owning a Sea View No.1 residence, let alone having 20 billion quietly lying in Gu Bai’s account.
The gap between individuals can indeed be vast.
One may think they’ve surpassed most people, but look up and there are still more impressive individuals above.
Once inside the building, Gu Bai was unaware of Sheng Lishan’s thoughts as he stood by the elevator door, quietly awaiting the elevator’s descent.
As Gu Bai lowered his head to play phone games while waiting for the elevator, a somewhat strong but not overpowering scent of perfume seeped into his nose, suggesting a high-end fragrance.
Gu Bai lifted his head, his gaze tracing the source of the scent.
Beside him stood a woman with a calm, almost chilly demeanor.
The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, with long hair unusually sleek, draping over her shoulders, wearing a crisp white blazer. Perhaps due to the hot weather, the sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, yet it didn’t appear incongruous. Her face bore the faintest touch of makeup, devoid of any jewelry adornment. If Gu Bai were to accurately describe her, only two words sufficed.
Two entirely contrasting qualities coexist in one individual.
Noticing Gu Bai watching her, Ai Shengnan turned her head to give him a polite and meaningful smile.
This was the benefit of "Non-action" charisma.
Typically, a man encountering such a high-caliber beauty would first have indecent thoughts. Nevertheless, the minority with healthy and high moral standards would not be considered.
Gu Bai at least considered himself such an indecent man, the kind who couldn’t simply learn to admire beauty without ulterior motives, nor did he wish to learn it.
However, due to the influence of "Non-action" charisma, even if his gaze was disrespectful and intentions impure, seen by others, it exuded positivity, never perceived as lecherous. Additionally, good looks added points to his image.
After all, humans are sensory animals, making first impressions vital in social interactions. Even the ancients had left us with that resounding notion that "appearance reveals the inner self."
Gu Bai returned the smile and didn’t stare at her further.
Any more gazing, and not even the "Non-action" charisma could save him.
Since obtaining the system, Gu Bai’s interactions with women would be regarded as goddess-tier by others. It should prevent such losses in composure; he ought to have developed some immunity, though not complete, somewhat resistant. What was causing this loss of composure was knowing this woman.
Founder and editor-in-chief of one of Hua Country’s top fashion magazines, "YW," in 2020 she rose to the 45th place on the Forbes Hua Country Women Billionares list with a fortune of 2.6 billion RMB.
For a time, the name Ai Shengnan resonated across the country, not because she was wealthy, but because she was not only rich but also a top-tier beauty, instantly becoming the prime choice for every homebody’s ideal wealthy woman.
In order to verify whether he had recognized her correctly, Gu Bai used the system to try to open her system panel.
The only condition for using the system panel data on others was that one had to know the other person’s real name.
She was indeed the future top wealthy woman, Ai Shengnan.
With a favorability of 50 towards him, 10 points higher than the average favorability of 40, it was quite good. After all, women of this caliber had seen countless high-quality men, and having 50 points indirectly proved that Gu Bai’s appearance was indeed impressive.
The elevator doors opened.
Adhering to the principle of ladies first, Gu Bai stepped aside and gestured for Ai Shengnan to enter first.
She didn’t hesitate, softly said thank you, and walked into the elevator, with Gu Bai following after.
Gu Bai glanced at Ai Shengnan’s floor—25th floor, which was also a high-priced floor of the Celestial Joy Seat. It seemed that the current Ai Shengnan might not have her 2.6 billion worth from 2020, but it should not be far off.
After Ai Shengnan pressed her floor button, Gu Bai also pressed the elevator button for the 36th floor.
Seeing Gu Bai press the button for the 36th floor, Ai Shengnan’s originally indifferent gaze shifted slightly, but soon returned to its previous state.
The atmosphere in the elevator felt slightly oppressive. Suddenly, Ai Shengnan, who had been silent, spoke up, "Are you the new resident of the 36th floor?"
All other floors of the Celestial Joy Seat had two units per floor, while the 36th floor had only one unit, so it wasn’t surprising for Ai Shengnan to ask.
Gu Bai, hearing this, smiled and replied, "Yes, I just bought it a few days ago, and today is my first day moving in."
As a fellow resident of Sea View No.1, Ai Shengnan naturally knew the worth of the penthouse. The asking price exceeded 200 million, but she didn’t expect the owner to be such a young man in his twenties.
Being able to live in a billion-dollar mansion at this age, Ai Shengnan could guess with her toe that Gu Bai must be a super-rich second generation from some family. Although curious, she restrained herself from asking, as even ordinary people know not to probe into someone’s background upon first meeting, let alone someone of her level.
"That makes us neighbors. We should keep in touch when we have time,"
Ai Shengnan said with a smile.
To reach this level in business, Ai Shengnan was by no means an ordinary woman, let alone in the media industry, where establishing a position required substantial capability and background.
She also knew that being acquainted with the owner of the penthouse, Gu Bai, was a highly valuable social resource, bringing only advantages and no disadvantages.
"Being neighbors with President Ai is my pleasure."
"Founder of the top fashion magazine ’YW,’ who in all of Shanghai doesn’t know you?"
Upon hearing Gu Bai’s explanation, Ai Shengnan understood. After all, being in the media industry, her exposure was inherently high, so it wasn’t surprising for Gu Bai to know her.
"Since you know me, it’s only fair that I know your name too, right?"
"If President Ai is interested in knowing me, it’s truly my honor. I’m Gu Bai."
After listening to Gu Bai’s introduction, Ai Shengnan carefully searched her brain for information and suddenly thought of a new emerging capital in the Shanghai financial circle, Black Swan Capital.
"President Gu of Black Swan Capital?"
"President Ai knows about it?"
In theory, at this time, Black Swan was still in a dormant period with no significant activity and shouldn’t have much influence. Gu Bai didn’t expect even an industry outsider like Ai Shengnan to know him.
Actually, Gu Bai was mistaken on this point.
Although Black Swan Capital was a fledgling company, entering the market with a wealth of 500 million naturally attracted attention. Moreover, the previous spree in which it aggressively swung its axe at major investment banks had already made Black Swan Capital somewhat renowned in the Shanghai business circle.
"Naturally, with a massive entry of 500 million, who in all of Shanghai isn’t aware of it? But I didn’t expect President Gu to be so young. It truly affirms the saying that heroes emerge among the young."
"President Ai’s words are inaccurate. If a middle-aged person in their forties or fifties said the phrase about young heroes, I’d think it normal, but it seems President Ai is about the same age as me, so I can’t really accept that."
Although Gu Bai was technically refuting her words, he was actually complimenting Ai Shengnan on her youthfulness.
Ai Shengnan certainly picked up on this. However, as a woman, even a career woman couldn’t resist the flattery of being young and beautiful, so she smiled and thanked him.
In a short while, the 25th floor arrived. After bidding goodbye to Gu Bai, Ai Shengnan exited the elevator.
Gu Bai watched Ai Shengnan’s figure disappear, swept away the distracting thoughts from his mind, and pressed the elevator’s close door button.
The elevator continued to rise and soon reached the 36th floor.