The Heiress's Game

For the first few days after Li Chunjing settled in Suiyuan, she was still a little dazed.

Although she was called a personal assistant, Gu Yunjin's life didn't actually need anyone to take care of it, as there were plenty of servants at Suiyuan.

Gu Yunjin's daily routine was as regular as a clock with a set program—she would get up at 6:30 in the morning, run or exercise for 40 minutes, come back to take a shower and have breakfast, and then go to the study to read documents or hold video conferences.

The only thing that Li Chunjing felt was "assistant work" was picking up a few foreign language periodicals for her every week, occasionally booking restaurants for her, and accompanying her to some unavoidable social occasions.

But Gu Yunjin's social activities are pitifully few—she has been back in China for more than two months, and the number of invitations she has received could fill a whole stack. She picks and chooses, and attending one or two a month is considered a lot.

If it weren't for Zhou Xiulan and Li Xiaoxiao making harassing phone calls from different numbers every now and then, Li Chunjing would feel like she was living a dream.

Zhou Xiulan recently changed her strategy. Instead of hitting or scolding, she started sending voice messages, each lasting fifty-nine seconds, with the same few sentences repeated over and over again—"Chunjing, Mom really knows she was wrong. Please withdraw the lawsuit. What kind of family is this, fighting a lawsuit?" Li Chunjing listened to it once and never heard it again.

Li Xiaoxiao's style remained consistent; her messages were a constant combination of exclamation marks and profanity. The latest one was:

"Li Chunjing, you just wait! Even if the court rules in your name, you won't get any money! I have nothing under my name, so what's the point of you enforcing the judgment?"

Li Chunjing took a screenshot of the message and saved it in her evidence folder; she has now developed a habit of doing so.

Every time I receive a harassing call, I take a screenshot, record the audio, and archive it all.

She wasn't angry, at least not on the surface; the switch in her heart was firmly pressed shut.

After doing all that, she took a deep breath in front of the mirror.

Today is Saturday, and Gu Yunjin is attending a rare gathering—a small private dinner hosted by Gu Mingyue at a villa owned by Gu Mingyue herself.

Before leaving, Gu Yunjin said to Li Chunjing, "Just stick with me to the occasion we're going to today. Talk less and observe more. You might gain something from it."

Li Chunjing didn't quite understand what "harvest" meant, but she still changed into a decent but not flashy black suit and got into the car with Gu Yunjin.

Gu Mingyue's villa is located in a quiet, affluent area in the south of the city. From the outside, it looks like a small European-style manor. Small-leaved boxwoods are planted on both sides of the wrought iron gate, and the ground lights on both sides of the driveway are all lit with a warm yellow light.

The doorman, dressed in uniform, guided the parking lot. Li Chunjing noticed that there were at least three Rolls-Royces and two Maybachs parked there.

Gu Yunjin's Mercedes-Benz S-Class blended in, so discreetly that it was almost invisible.

The interior of the villa is decorated in a French light luxury style, with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and gold-painted wainscoting, every detail exuding "expensiveness".

There were about twenty guests, the women dressed in haute couture or evening gowns, and the men in sharp suits, chatting in small groups while sipping champagne.

Li Chunjing followed half a step behind Gu Yunjin, her eyes quickly scanning the room—she recognized two faces that frequently appeared in financial news, and a female celebrity who looked thinner in person than on camera.

Gu Mingyue stood in the sofa area in the center of the living room, surrounded by three or four people talking to her.

She wore a champagne-colored satin dress, her long hair was loosely tied up, and her makeup was so exquisite that every pore was perfectly covered. When she smiled, her eyes curved, and she was as gentle and graceful as a painting.

Li Chunjing had previously come across Gu Mingyue's social media account, which was filled with pictures of her exquisite life, charity events, and loving photos of her and her husband. The comments below were all praising her as "beautiful inside and out" and "a true socialite."

When the real person stood in front of her, Li Chunjing's first reaction was—she was indeed beautiful, even more beautiful than the photos her sister Li Xiaoxiao had painstakingly photoshopped.

Gu Yunjin walked over and greeted them.

When Gu Mingyue saw her, she maintained her smile perfectly and said, "Yun Jin is here," in a tone that was neither warm nor cold.

The two exchanged less than three pleasantries before Gu Mingyue was pulled away by the wealthy woman next to her to talk about other things.

Gu Yunjin didn't mind. She picked up her wine glass, walked to a single sofa in the corner, sat down, and slowly drank.

Li Chunjing was standing next to her, feeling that the party was utterly boring, when she suddenly heard a low but still sharp curse coming from the direction of the corridor.

"Do you think you're very capable? Do you think you know better than me how to be a master?"

Li Chunjing was stunned for a moment. That voice—it was Gu Mingyue.

She glanced instinctively toward the corridor.

Gu Yunjin obviously heard it too, and didn't even pause in the hand holding the wine glass.

Li Chunjing hesitated for two seconds, then quietly moved a few steps toward the corridor.

At the end of the corridor was a small living room with the door half-open; the light and sound leaking through the crack in the door were clear enough.

She stood at the corner and looked inside; what she saw made her heart sink.

A young girl was bending over and squatting on the ground, picking up the shards of champagne glasses scattered all over the floor and putting them into a tray one by one.

She was wearing a beige knit sweater and black trousers. She had delicate features, a good figure, and a temperament somewhat like a magazine model.

Gu Mingyue stood in front of her, holding a wine glass in one hand and adjusting her shawl over her shoulder with the other.

"When you joined the company, I told you that my cup had to be placed on the left side of the coffee table, exactly two fingers' width from the edge. You placed it on the right side."

The girl—Li Chunjing later learned her name was Chen Cui—kept her head down and continued picking up the broken pieces, her voice very soft: "I'm sorry, Miss Gu, I'll definitely be more careful next time."

"Pay attention?" Gu Mingyue chuckled softly, a laugh that was extremely pleasant to hear.

"Last time it was because the towel wasn't folded correctly, the time before that it was because the bouquet colors weren't right, and the time before that it was because the car door opened three seconds too slowly. You always make me wait for your 'next time'?"

"Chen Cui, I pay you a salary to do work, not to repeatedly make basic mistakes and then get away with just saying sorry."

Chen Cui did not speak.

She placed the last piece of broken glass into the tray, and when she stood up, there were red marks on her knees from the carpet.

Her expression was calm. Gu Mingyue glanced at her, then turned and walked out through another door in the small living room.

The moment she stepped out, the harshness on her face vanished as if a magician had pulled away a silk scarf, replaced by her gentle and dignified smile.

Immediately, someone came up to her and clinked glasses with her, praising her beautiful dress tonight. She turned her head slightly to thank them, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze in March.

Li Chunjing stood at the corner, her heart pounding.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the pickiness of wealthy people, but Gu Mingyue's criticism just now—whether the cup was two or three fingers from the rim, left or right—wasn't essentially correcting a mistake; it was telling the other person:

I can find your mistakes anytime, anywhere. How well you do it doesn't matter; what matters is that if I say you're wrong, then you're wrong.

Moreover, Chen Cui did not make any substantial mistakes from beginning to end.

She simply failed to meet a standard that was fundamentally impossible to meet.

Chen Cui stood there, holding a tray full of broken glass, her face still maintaining that almost professional calm.

She exhaled softly, as if she hadn't dared to breathe at all, and then turned to leave.

Li Chunjing's phone vibrated. It was a message from Gu Yunjin: "Please invite her over. I want to talk to her."

Li Chunjing took a deep breath and walked into the small living room. "Hello, Miss Gu Er would like to have a talk with you."

Chen Cui looked up at her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

She placed the tray on the cabinet next to her, straightened the hem of her clothes, and straightened her posture again.

"Okay, please lead the way."

The two walked one after the other to the sofa area in the corner.

Gu Yunjin remained seated, glanced at Chen Cui, and pointed to the chair opposite her: "Sit."

When Chen Cui sat down, Li Chunjing noticed that her back was straight, her hands were folded on her knees, and the curve of her smile was just right, not too much or too little.

Li Chunjing was very familiar with this posture—she sat like this during her job interviews.

Gu Yunjin skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Your name is Chen Cui?"

"Yes, Miss Gu."

"How long have you been working for Gu Mingyue?"

"Two years and three months."

"Two years and three months," Gu Yunjin repeated, picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and then put it down.

"You let her be so picky for two years and three months?"

Chen Cui was silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"Miss Gu, you probably didn't come to me to stand up for me."

Gu Yunjin glanced at her, and she put down her wine glass, leaning forward slightly.

"Chen Cui, do you want to be a star?"

Chen Cui's eyelashes twitched.

"I'm not one of those minor celebrities who plays minor roles, nor am I cannon fodder in talent shows."

Gu Yunjin's tone was very calm, "I plan to start a company to produce reality shows, and I need a female lead."

"You're not playing the lead role in someone else's script; you're being yourself—of course, I might write the script, but all you need to do is stand in front of the camera and let everyone see you, remember you, and look up to you."

She paused, then added, "If you agree, you can be like Gu Mingyue and make others do what you want them to do."

Instead of being criticized for two years and three months for deciding whether to put a glass of water on the left or the right side.

The background music in the living room had changed to a soothing jazz piano piece.

Chen Cui lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long while. Her fingers, which were resting on her knees, tightened slightly, then slowly relaxed.

"Ms. Gu, I have indeed thought about becoming a star."

Her voice wasn't loud when she spoke, but it was very steady.

"When I was in college, I participated in several auditions. After making it to the semi-finals, I was eliminated by the program team because I didn't generate enough buzz."

Later I thought, if I can't be a star, I can be a socialite's assistant; I can still live a glamorous life.

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Gu Yunjin, her gaze containing a very calm quality:

"But you came to me not because you think I'm anything special. It's because I'm Gu Mingyue's assistant. You want to use the label 'Gu Mingyue's former assistant'."

Li Chunjing stood to the side, silently worrying for Chen Cui.

The girl who dared to openly contradict Gu Yunjin was either foolish or genuinely intelligent enough not to need to pretend to be.

Gu Yunjin was not angry.

You're half right.

"My choice of you was indeed influenced by Gu Mingyue. 'The former assistant of the top socialite'—that's a ready-made gimmick for any reality show. But—"

She paused for a moment, her gaze falling on Chen Cui.

"The more important reason is you yourself. A person who has been subjected to unreasonable criticism for two years and three months can still manage their emotions perfectly and speak with such tact in front of me—you don't need acting training."

Gu Mingyue has already polished it for you; your foundation is now more solid than any newly debuted professional student.

"The facial expressions, emotional control, and on-the-spot reactions that newcomers have to fall countless times on set to learn—you've already mastered those skills."

Chen Cui lowered her head and thought for a few seconds, then raised her head again, revealing a smile completely different from before.

"Ms. Gu, when was your company established?"

Gu Yunjin picked up her wine glass and gently raised it towards her: "Soon."

Li Chunjing stood aside, watching the two women stare at each other across the coffee table.

On the way back, Gu Yunjin asked, "What do you think of Chen Cui?"

Li Chunjing thought for a moment: "Smart, patient, and very clear about what she wants."

"Anything else?"

"And—" Li Chunjing paused for a moment.

She just said, "You can still live a glamorous life," using "glamorous" instead of "decent" or "comfortable."

I think she's never really let go of the idea of ​​becoming a star.

Gu Yunjin opened her eyes and glanced at her.

"You're quite smart too," she said.