The Heiress's Game

The news of Ning Limei's downfall spread rapidly among the wives' circle.

Wang Manyun's phone was ringing off the hook for days, with all sorts of people asking for news, to which she always responded with a smile.

"I'm not at liberty to say much about Lao Gu's affairs," she said politely and distantly, as if the matter had nothing to do with her from beginning to end.

But today is different. Today, Mrs. Wu invited her for tea.

The two sat in a teahouse in the east of the city that was open only to members. The three-hundred-year-old banyan tree in the courtyard filtered the afternoon sunlight into fine golden spots, which fell on the rosewood tea table.

Mrs. Wu was Wang Manyun's true confidante, a friendship spanning over twenty years, dating back to before Wang Manyun married into the Gu family.

In front of Mrs. Wu, Wang Manyun didn't need to put on airs.

"Tell me the truth." Mrs. Wu put down her teacup, the jade bracelet on her wrist tapping softly against the edge of the table.

"Is Ning Limei completely beyond redemption this time?"

"The villas in Clearwater Bay have been acquired, the courtyard houses are stuck, the Cullinan has been reclaimed, and the black cards have been suspended."

Wang Manyun held the teacup, counting them one by one, her tone as calm as if she were reciting a shopping list.

Gu Mingxuan was happy, saying that his father had finally stopped going that way.

Mrs. Wu leaned closer: "So, are you happy?"

Wang Manyun did not answer immediately. She held the teacup and slowly circled her fingers around the rim.

The tea soup is this year's pre-rain Longjing tea, clear and bright green, reflecting the dappled sunlight filtering through the banyan leaves overhead.

"I can't quite put my finger on it." She put down her teacup, her gaze falling on the flickering light and shadow on the table.

"When Ning Limei is around, I'm annoyed by her. But when she's not around, I'm even more annoyed."

Mrs. Wu looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Because now there is no wife in Clearwater Bay, but Old Gu has a new Julie by his side."

Wang Manyun's voice wasn't loud, but when she said the word "Julie," her lips pursed slightly, as if the word itself carried an unpleasant connotation.

"She's not even twenty-five, a year younger than Gu Yunjin. Just the word 'young' alone puts her ahead of so many people. What's more, she's a renowned painter, the kind that's internationally famous."

It's not the kind of fame built on family connections, men, or hype; it's the kind that's featured in reputable auction catalogs and has collectors who own it.

Her reputation as a talented woman is firmly established; how can you compare her to those other women?

Mrs. Wu frowned.

"What exactly happened with Ningweier's slap? I heard his hand was injured?"

"She was injured. She needed six stitches on the side of her hand. I heard there was broken glass everywhere, and Ningville's slap pushed her into the shards—you know, that hand was heavily insured. Over ten million dollars."

Wang Manyun picked up her teacup, took a sip, and her tone carried a subtle quality.

"Ningweier is facing huge compensation claims, and Lao Gu doesn't intend to pay them for her. Ning Limei's own black card has been suspended, so she can't afford the money."

It seems they'll have to give back all the money they've taken over the years.

Mrs. Wu was slightly taken aback, then looked at her with a "that's more like you" look.

Wang Manyun didn't meet that look, but the curve of her lips deepened slightly.

"So it's not entirely without good news." Wang Manyun put down her teacup, the bottom of which made a very soft thud as it hit the sandalwood.

"Ning Limei and her daughter were arrogant for 23 years, but in the end, her daughter slapped herself and ended up in a compensation lawsuit. It's really ironic."

Mrs. Wu picked up the teapot and refilled the tea for the two of them; the sound of flowing water was particularly clear in the quiet teahouse.

"But you just mentioned Julie—this Julie is much more difficult to deal with than Ning Limei, isn't she?"

"At least Ning Limei did it secretly back then. No matter how much she was favored, Old Gu would never take her to formal occasions—it wouldn't be proper, and it would be embarrassing to take her out."

Wang Manyun leaned back in her chair, her fingers slowly tracing circles on the rim of her teacup.

"Julie is different. She's a renowned painter, and she and Lao Gu are close friends despite their age difference. When Lao Gu goes to her exhibition, it's called cultural consumption, it's called entrepreneurs supporting art. Who can say a word against it?"

She paused, looked down at the emerald green tea in her cup, and lowered her voice.

"When Ning Limei was around, Lao Gu spent a fixed number of days with me each year, though not many. But now?"

Julie injured her hand, and Lao Gu stayed with her at the hospital every day. The last time I went to Zhenxing Medical Center to get him to sign some papers, he was on the phone in the corridor, his tone light and cheerful like a young man in his twenties.

I stood at the corner of the corridor and listened for five minutes, but he didn't even notice me.

Mrs. Wu remained silent for a while. Outside the teahouse, birds chirped in the banyan tree, their clear calls making the silence inside seem even more profound.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"Me?" Wang Manyun tilted her head slightly, her eyes looking at the trunk of the large banyan tree outside the window, which was covered with moss that was so green it looked almost black.

Her face was expressionless, like the moss on a tree trunk, layer upon layer, the color of the bottom layer long forgotten.

"I never planned on that. From the day I married Gu Zhenxing, I knew he didn't only have me."

Su Wanning waded across the road ahead, Ning Limei had been fighting next to me for twenty-three years, and now it was Julie's turn. They came and went, and only I sat in Mrs. Gu's seat.

Ning Limei used to make me feel that this position wasn't so hard to hold—because the hardest thing was watching her bask in the limelight.

Now that she's not as glamorous as she used to be, I don't know how I should sit in this position anymore.