The Heiress's Game

At 2:17 a.m., the entire Gu family mansion was shrouded in thick darkness, and even half of the ground lights in the courtyard were dimmed.

She pulled the curtains open a crack, and moonlight streamed in, cutting a thin, silvery line across the floor.

When she can't sleep, she never forces herself to lie down; it's a habit she's developed over the years—rather than tossing and turning in bed, she'd rather get up and do something useful.

The laptop rested on her lap, the cold white light from the screen illuminating her face.

She first dealt with a few emails, then browsed through the international financial news, her fingers swiping names on the touchpad, and somehow veered off in another direction.

Ningweier's social media accounts are easy to find.

These days, for anyone with a bit of wealth who wants to live a high-profile life, social media is their second face.

Ningville clearly understands this well.

Her account is set to public, and her follower count isn't top-tier.

However, the interaction rate is extremely high, with hundreds of comments under each post, all expressing envy and admiration.

Gu Yunjin scrolled down the list one by one.

The latest post was made three days ago, located on Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.

In the photo, Ningville is sitting on the terrace of a high-end restaurant with a glass of champagne in front of him. On his wrist, a new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch is visible, its dial reflecting the afternoon sunlight, sparkling as if it were taken unintentionally.

But Gu Yunjin knew all too well that such "unintentional" shots often required taking more than a dozen angles to get the perfect shot.

A section of the car door is visible in the corner of the photo, with a dark blue paint job, and the double-R logo on the handle is deliberately cut off in half.

But that curve is enough to make it recognizable – a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, with a starting price of 700,000 RMB in China.

The caption was just three words: Paris slow.

The comments section below exploded.

"My sister's life is my dream."

"Is that a Cullinan? Sister Will has such great taste!"

"I checked the watch on your wrist, it starts at 150,000. Goodbye."

"I'd love for a style tutorial from you, Sister Will. Your photos always look so sophisticated."

Ningville would occasionally reply to comments, her tone always casual and unpretentious, as if it were all just part of her daily routine.

"The watch was a birthday gift from my mom, and I don't really know much about these things."

"The car belongs to my family, and this was just a casual photo. Please don't overinterpret it."

Gu Yunjin smiled slightly.

advanced.

That's so high-class.

Creating this kind of persona—unassuming yet exuding a sense of superiority—can't be done without years of experience.

Every post's caption is just right, and every photo's lighting looks like a casual snapshot yet the composition is perfect.

Every detail that is "unintentionally" revealed precisely hits the mark that the public envies.

Luxury cars, famous watches, haute couture, afternoon tea, spontaneous trips, all paired with a refined yet approachable face.

And that composed attitude of "I'm just sharing my life, not showing off my wealth"—this persona is crafted to textbook quality.

Gu Yunjin then opened Ning Weier's following list and followed the clues to find Ning Limei's account.

If Ning Weier's social media accounts are meticulously crafted works of art, then Ning Limei's accounts are performance art.

The profile picture is a white water lily, and the bio only has four words: "Contentment brings happiness".

The latest update was posted yesterday; it's a photo of a tea ceremony.

A celadon Ru kiln teacup sits beside a half-read copy of the Diamond Sutra. Outside the window is a lush courtyard, and a pomegranate tree laden with fruit can be vaguely seen.

The caption reads: "Reading scriptures, drinking tea, listening to the wind. What more could one ask for in life?"

Scrolling down further, Ning Limei's entire account has this style.

Sometimes it's a bunch of wildflowers in a rough ceramic vase, captioned "Picked during my morning walk, prettier than the ones in the flower shop";

Sometimes it's just a bowl of plain noodles, accompanied by the caption, "Nothing beats a bowl of simple porridge and side dishes."

Sometimes she writes calligraphy herself, copying the Heart Sutra. Her handwriting is delicate, and she stamps a small seal at the end.

Each one exudes a sense of simplicity and authenticity.

Each one seems to be telling the whole world—I don't fight for anything, I don't grab anything, I just want this peaceful place.

The fans below went even further, calling her "Mrs. Clearwater Bay" repeatedly, saying that she had "true aristocratic qualities," "lived untouched by worldly dust," and was "a breath of fresh air in this restless world."

Looking at the compliments on the screen, Gu Yunjin suddenly remembered when she was very young, her mother, Su Wanning, was still alive.

Once, I was holding her on the sofa, flipping through a fashion magazine. The back cover of the magazine had a perfume brand name printed on it, and the brand name's words were: "True elegance is never noisy."

Her mother pointed to the word "GG" and said to her in a low voice:

"Jin'er, remember, the more someone tries to appear quiet and unassuming, the more they are actually scheming."

Gu Yunjin closed her eyes briefly.

When I opened my eyes again, Ning Limei was still there on the screen, living a peaceful and serene life.

Ning Limei.

In Gu Yunjin's memory, this name represents a long story.

More than 20 years ago, the year after Su Wanning married Gu Zhenxing, was the peak of her career.

That year, she practically dominated the entertainment headlines—Film Queen Su Wanning married into a wealthy family in a wedding of the century, and business tycoon Gu Zhenxing won the heart of his beauty.

Everyone says this is a fairy tale.

Then Ning Limei appeared.

At that time, Ning Limei was 28 years old, divorced, and had a three-year-old daughter named Ningweier. She served as Gu Zhenxing's date at a charity gala.

She is a partner in a cultural company, and she speaks and behaves with grace and poise among a group of jeweled women.

She wore a plain-colored cheongsam and a pair of pearl earrings, looking clean and refreshing, like a glass of plain water placed among a pile of strong liquor.

It was this glass of plain water that made Gu Zhen Xing addicted.

Su Wanning's beauty is flamboyant and dazzling; she has the natural look of a star.

But Ning Limei's beauty is different—she makes you feel comfortable, makes you feel that you can let down your guard in front of her, and makes you feel that she doesn't want anything, but simply appreciates you as a person.

She didn't make a fuss, didn't want a title, a house, or a car, and rarely even used the bank card that Gu Zhenxing gave her.

Gu Zhenxing bought her a villa in Qingshui Bay, but she refused to accept it no matter what. In the end, Gu Zhenxing slammed his fist on the table.

She reluctantly accepted the keys, then immediately donated the most expensive set of mahogany furniture in the villa to the temple.

This move put Gu Zhenxing in his grip for twenty-three years.

A woman who asks for nothing makes a man want to give her everything.

When Su Wanning discovered this relationship, Ning Limei had already been by Gu Zhenxing's side for two years.

She didn't make a scene, didn't confront Ning Limei, and didn't even let the media know about it.

One night, after Gu Yunjin had fallen asleep, she sat in the living room waiting for Gu Zhenxing to return and calmly asked him: What are you planning to do?

Gu Zhenxing remained silent for a long time before saying: She is different from other women.

Su Wanning smiled.

Gu Yunjin pieced together what happened later on, bit by bit, on her own.

My mother held on to the Gu family for ten years; those ten years were truly difficult.

In the past ten years, she has stopped being the glamorous movie queen on the posters and no longer appears in front of the camera.

Everyone thought she was living a happy life, but in reality, she was having a very hard time. She persevered for Gu Yunjin's sake.

From an infant in swaddling clothes to a primary school student with a ponytail.

Then, when Gu Yunjin was ten years old, Su Wanning finally divorced Gu Zhenxing.

The Gu family's legal team was very strong, but they didn't get much property or custody during the divorce.

It can be said that they have nothing but freedom.

When the news broke, the media reported on it extensively for a whole month.

Some say it was because of a third party, some say it was because of a broken relationship, and others say it was because Su Wanning couldn't stand the rules of a wealthy family.

Su Wanning did not respond to any of the speculations. She simply signed the divorce agreement, moved out of the Gu family's old house, rented a small apartment, and then stood in front of the camera again.

That year, Su Wanning was thirty-eight years old. She had been away from acting for ten years, and the first role she played after her comeback was that of a middle-aged woman whose edges had been worn down by life.

No filters, no elaborate makeup, just a bare face, exposing even the smallest wrinkle to the camera.

Film critics say this is the best performance of her career, saying she poured ten years of experience into this role.

Gu Yunjin secretly watched that drama. She stayed in bed until 3 a.m., crying until her pillow was soaked with tears.

After her comeback, Su Wanning filmed three dramas in one go, each one better than the last.

She no longer plays glamorous leading roles, but instead chooses marginal, complex, and even less likable characters.

When asked why, she said, "Before, I acted for others; now I act for myself."

Everyone thought she was about to experience a career resurgence.

Then, three years later, she hanged herself in her rented apartment.

They were discovered at 2 PM; there was supposed to be an announcement that day.

The agent called but no one answered, so he used the spare key to open the door and saw something he shouldn't have seen.

No one knows why Su Wanning had to die.

The police concluded it was suicide. There was no suicide note or signs of struggle at the scene; it was as clean and tidy as when she signed the divorce papers.

The media did countless special reports, and all sorts of speculations flew around—some said it was depression, some said it was too much pressure to make a comeback, and some said it was relationship problems.

The most outrageous claim is that she actually had a new relationship after her divorce, with someone outside the entertainment industry, but it didn't work out, and she couldn't think straight for a while.

Gu Yunjin has never responded to these speculations.

But she knew why.

That reason is like a needle, piercing her heart since she was fourteen, and it has never been pulled out.

She didn't tell anyone, didn't write it in her diary, and didn't tell any of her friends.

She simply hid that reason deep in her heart, letting it slowly become a seed, take root, sprout, and grow into black tendrils.

Su Wanning's funeral was organized by the Gu family. Gu Zhenxing stood at the front, his eyes red.

A large number of people came—from the entertainment industry, the business world, and the media—forming a dense, dark mass.

Gu Yunjin stood next to her father, dressed in a black dress, her hand held by Gu Mingcheng, her face expressionless.

She remembered that Ning Limei also came that day.

Dressed in plain black clothes, he stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, bowed three times from a distance, and then left.

They didn't offer condolences or try to show their faces; they were so low-key that it seemed they were truly there only for the deceased.

Later, Gu Yunjin learned that it was called "retreating to advance".

Ning Limei has always lived in that villa in Qingshui Bay.

She had no official title; she simply lived there, quietly being the "Mrs. Clearwater Bay," a role she held for over twenty years.

Over the years, Gu Zhenxing has had more than one woman by his side, Ning Limei, but she has remained the only one who has stayed by his side.

Because she never argues, and not arguing is the greatest argument.

As for Ningweier, the child whom Gu Zhenxing raised as half a daughter, lived a more comfortable life than Gu Yunjin, the real heiress.

The apartment was bought by Gu Zhenxing, and even her Cullinan was a birthday gift from Gu Zhenxing last year.

Gu Mingcheng and Gu Mingyue turned a blind eye to this because Ning Limei had no sons, only a daughter, and Ning Weier was surnamed Ning, not Gu, so she posed no threat to the Gu family's business.

Wang Manyun was furious, but she didn't keep trying to get revenge on Ning Limei.

So Ning Limei and her daughter lived peacefully for more than 20 years, becoming "life winners" on social media.

Ning Limei on the screen is still there, living a peaceful life.

The latest post was from yesterday: a cup of tea, a scroll of scripture, and pomegranates blooming red outside the window. The caption read: "Grateful for everything life has given me, good or bad, they are all gifts."

Gu Yunjin stared at that line of text for a long time.

Then she closed the laptop and placed it on the bedside table. The moment the cold light of the screen went out, the room fell into darkness again, with only the moonlight from outside filtering through the leaves of the asparagus fern, casting shards of silver light and shadow on the floor.

She got up, walked to her suitcase, unzipped the outermost layer, and took out a book.

The book cover is dark red, the edges are worn white, and the gold-stamped title on the spine has faded, but the words "Selected Works of Great Men" are still legible.

The paper became soft and fluffy from repeated handling, and the cut edges had a uniform old yellow hue, as if it had been marinated by time.

She carried this book with her for many years.

From the age of fourteen until now.

I don't remember which secondhand bookstore I found it at. I only remember that I had just started middle school and my mother had passed away a year earlier. She was like a hollowed-out person. She didn't speak, laugh, or cry. Every day she just mechanically went to get out of class, ate, and slept.

Until one day, on my way home from school, I passed a used bookstore. This book was sandwiched among a pile of yellowed old books, and the portrait of the person on the cover was slightly illuminated by the setting sun.

She didn't know why, but she squatted down, pulled out the book, flipped through it, and then bought it for two yuan.

At first, I just flipped through it casually. Later, I read it carefully. And then I started taking notes.

Gu Yunjin leaned back against the headboard, turned on the bedside lamp, and opened the book.

On the margin of one of the pages is her first note, written in a blue ballpoint pen when she was fourteen: "Investigation is like a ten-month pregnancy, and problem-solving is like childbirth."

The handwriting was childish and crooked, like the footprints left by a child who had just learned to walk.

As I flipped through the pages, I found more and more notes, and the handwriting became increasingly steady and mature.

The blue ballpoint pen turned into a black fountain pen, and later into a fountain pen. The handwriting went from childish to skillful, like a tree slowly growing rings.

In the chapter on "Strategic Problems of Revolutionary War," she underlined many lines and filled the margins with annotations.

One passage was highlighted repeatedly: "The purpose of the strategic retreat was to preserve military strength and prepare for a counterattack."

Next to it, written in pen, were two words: "Wait." Later, a sentence was added: "It's not waiting, it's growing."

Stop when your finger turns to a certain page.

The margins of this page are filled with dense notes, but the most striking part is a passage of the original text circled in red, with multiple circles that seem to penetrate the paper.

She looked down at the passage, her lips moved slightly, and she read it out word by word in a very soft voice, as if she were reciting a spell that only she could understand.

Then she closed the book and turned off the light.

In the darkness, Gu Yunjin placed the book next to her pillow, her fingers still resting on the cover, able to feel the slightly raised traces of the gold-embossed title.

A hundred causes will have results.

Twenty years is a long time. Long enough for a woman to wait from twenty-eight to fifty-one.

Grown long enough to make another woman fall from her peak into the abyss, grown long enough to make a thirteen-year-old girl grow to twenty-five.

It grows long enough for a seed to take root, sprout, and grow into a thick enough vine.

Gu Yunjin turned over, facing the window.

The moonlight cast the shadows of the asparagus fern on the wall, indistinct and vague, like an unfinished map.

Her hand was still resting on the book, her fingertips touching the cover, and she could feel the slight warmth emanating from the paper.

There's still a lot to do tomorrow. I need to accompany Wang Manyun to the art exhibition, put on a polite smile for that young master Chen at the dinner arranged by Gu Mingyue, and continue to play the obedient and unambitious second young lady of the Gu family.

As for Ning Limei and Ning Weier—

Not urgent.

Everything happened very quickly.