The Heiress's Game

The blind date was arranged at Luming Mountain House.

This place is located halfway up a mountain in the north of the city. The white walls and black tiles are hidden behind layers of camphor trees. You have to drive on the winding mountain road and make three turns before you can see the two inconspicuous lanterns at the entrance.

Those who know this place will naturally know, while those who don't won't notice even if they pass by the entrance ten times.

Gu Mingyue put some thought into choosing this place—it was respectable yet understated, private yet not contrived, making it an excellent choice for a blind date.

When Gu Yunjin arrived, Chen Yu'an was already seated by the window.

He arrived fifteen minutes earlier than agreed.

When Chen Yu'an saw Gu Yunjin walk in, his eyes lit up honestly.

Gu Yunjin was all too familiar with this look. It wasn't the frivolous, aggressive kind of stare, but rather the instinctive, slight dilation of a man's pupils when he sees a woman more beautiful than he expected.

He quickly suppressed his initial amazement, stood up, pulled out the chair opposite him with clean and efficient movements, and his smile was perfectly controlled.

"Miss Gu, you look even better in person than in the photos."

"Young Master Chen, you're too kind."

Today she wore a dusty pink silk dress with three-quarter sleeves and a perfectly placed V-neck. A thin, matching belt cinched her waist, accentuating her slender figure.

Her hair wasn't styled up; it hung naturally over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled. She wore two tiny pearls the size of rice grains on her earlobes, and still nothing on her wrists.

The waiter brought over two cups of this year's pre-Qingming Longjing tea. A few tender buds were settled at the bottom of the celadon cups, and wisps of steam rose up.

The two chatted about the weather, then about tea, and finally about Chen Yu-an's experience studying in England.

He is the second son in the Chen family. He has an older brother, Chen Yukang, who is five years older than him and is already taking charge of the family business.

He studied architecture and worked at a firm in London for two years after graduation. He was called back by his family last year and is currently in charge of the design management of the Chen family's real estate business.

He speaks clearly and logically, looks people in the eye, and occasionally makes a self-deprecating remark such as, "In a family business, someone who studied architecture is just a senior decorator." He keeps himself humble without seeming to be doing it intentionally.

If Gu Mingyue had arranged for Chen Yukang, Gu Yunjin would probably have been on high alert.

The eldest son and heir of the Chen family, every smile carries a price.

But Chen Yu'an was the second son, in a position that was neither too high nor too low. He didn't need to take the lead or fight for the family fortune, which fostered a relatively relaxed temperament.

This made Gu Yunjin feel that the dinner party wouldn't be too difficult to endure.

Just as Gu Yunjin was about to reply, a figure suddenly flashed in her peripheral vision.

A young woman walked straight toward their table, her steps quick and heavy, her high heels making a crisp, rapid sound on the stone floor.

She wore a red, tight-fitting dress, her hair loose, but you could still tell she was pretty—bright features, a shapely figure, the kind of beauty that would turn heads on the street.

But at this moment, his face was full of anger, his eyes were red, his lips were pressed into a line, and he looked like a string stretched to its limit.

Gu Yunjin only glanced at it and was able to make a rough judgment.

"Chen Yu'an!"

Her voice was loud, and the waiter followed behind her, looking at her and then at Chen Yu'an with a troubled expression, not knowing what to do.

Chen Yu'an frowned slightly. It wasn't the panic of being caught in the act, but rather the impatience of being interrupted.

He put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the girl at the door. All the relaxed and cheerful feeling on his face disappeared, replaced by an expression that Gu Yunjin had never seen before.

"Zhou Nian, what are you doing here?"

Zhou Nian stood in front of the table, looked at Chen Yu'an, then at Gu Yunjin, her gaze lingering on Gu Yunjin's face for two seconds before quickly looking away.

"What am I doing here?" Zhou Nian's voice trembled, but her volume didn't decrease at all. "You told me you were on a business trip. A business trip? Is this what you call a business trip?"

She pointed to the picturesque mountain scenery outside the window, and then to Gu Yunjin.

"Eating a couple's set meal here with another woman, and you call that a business trip?"

Chen Yu'an didn't stand up, nor did he even change his posture leaning back in his chair. He looked at Zhou Nian as if she were an ignorant child.

"I've made myself perfectly clear."

"Our relationship was just a mutual one. Now I need to find someone suitable for marriage, and that's my right. What right do you have to question me?"

Zhou Nian's face flushed red instantly.

"Dating? You call that dating? You said you'd marry me, Chen Yu'an. You said you didn't mind my family, you said—"

"I've said too much already," Chen Yu'an interrupted her, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that reminded Gu Yunjin of Gu Mingcheng's expression when he mentioned the "deputy director position" at the dinner table.

"You actually believe what a man says at that time? Zhou Nian, you're too naive."

Don't you know your family's financial situation? Your dad runs a small supermarket in the county town.

Your mother doesn't even have a decent job. Me marry you? My parents would break my legs.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke in a flat tone, as if he were simply saying that the weather was nice today.

"I told you before, in a family like ours, marriage is marriage, and dating is dating. If you take it seriously, who can you blame?"

Zhou Nian's lips began to tremble, and tears finally fell.

"Chen Yu'an, you bastard."

Then she grabbed Chen Yu'an's glass of red wine from the table, flicked her wrist, and splashed the deep red liquid all over his face.

The wine dripped down Chen Yu'an's hair and onto his dark blue linen shirt, leaving a dark stain.

The entire restaurant fell silent in that instant; the sounds of knives and forks, conversations, and background music all ceased, and everyone's eyes were fixed on that table.

Chen Yu'an stood up.

He first wiped the wine stains off his face with a napkin, then threw the napkin on the table and looked at Zhou Nian.

Then he raised his hand and slapped Zhou Nian across the face.

Zhou Nian was knocked so hard she stumbled to the side, her high heels twisted, and she managed to brace herself against the edge of the table to avoid falling.

"This slap is to teach you some manners." Chen Yu'an picked up his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, his voice as calm as if nothing had happened.

"If something like this happens again, it won't just be a slap."

He turned to Gu Yunjin, his tone tinged with apology:

"Yun Jin, I'm so sorry, I made you laugh today. I'll treat you to a private meal another day as an apology."

He glanced at the dumbfounded waiter, then took out a few bills from his pocket and handed them over.

"This is an extra tip. Please tell your manager that I apologize for bothering you today."

After saying that, he picked up his coat from the back of the chair and left without looking back.

The silence in the restaurant lasted for a few more seconds, then, like a bubble bursting, whispers poured in from all directions.

Then he left.

Zhou Nian lay on the table, not wailing or hysterical, but burying her face in her crossed arms, her shoulders heaving as she made muffled sobs.

Diners cast their gazes from all directions, their expressions a mixture of curiosity, voyeurism, and schadenfreude.

Gu Yunjin remained seated, glancing at Zhou Nian for a few seconds.

Then she put down her napkin, pulled out her chair, and stood up. Zhou Nian's shoulders stiffened slightly, but she didn't look up.

Gu Yunjin walked over to her, took a tissue from the tissue box on the table, folded it, and handed it to her.

"Let's wipe it."

Zhou Nian raised her head.

Her makeup was completely ruined.

Her eyeliner smudged into two grayish-black shadows, her foundation was washed away by tears, leaving fine lines, and the red mark left by Chen Yu'an's slap on her left cheek was slowly surfacing.

She looked at the tissue Gu Yunjin handed her, then at Gu Yunjin's face, and froze.

The reason she was stunned was simple—from the moment she entered this door, she had regarded Gu Yunjin as an enemy.

The look she gave Gu Yunjin when she rushed in, lingering for two seconds on his face, was hostile.

She thought this woman would gloat, look down on her, and look at her with that "you're not worthy" gaze, just like Chen Yu'an did.

But Gu Yunjin simply handed her a tissue.

His expression was calm, not the condescending gentleness of "I pity you" nor the indifference of "you deserve it," but just a very calm calm, like handing a piece of paper to a passerby while waiting at a traffic light.

Zhou Nian took the tissue, pressed it to her eyes, and sniffed.

"Do you think I'm ridiculous?" Her voice was terribly hoarse and nasal.

Gu Yunjin sat down in the chair opposite her.

"No," she said.

Zhou Nian took the tissue off her eyes and crumpled it in her palm.

"He's right, I was too naive."

Her voice was broken, "When he was pursuing me, he said such nice things, saying he didn't care about my family, and that I was a hundred times better than those so-called noble ladies."

I believed it. I fucking believed it all.

She blew her nose forcefully, her voice carrying a self-deprecating tone that had been repeatedly honed.

"I've been with him for over a year and I've never spent his money. We always split the bill when we eat out."

"I'm afraid he'll look down on me. When he works overtime, I make soup and bring it to him; when he drinks too much at social events, I pick him up."

"I saved up for two months in advance to buy him a gift for his birthday... I thought it was true love."

"In his eyes, I was just a 'relationship,' not even worthy of being introduced to others by him."

She unfolded the crumpled tissue and covered her eyes, her shoulders starting to tremble again.

Gu Yunjin looked at her.

"You're dating a spoiled rich kid like that?"

Gu Yunjin's voice was soft, and her speech was slow, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

"It can only affect the body, not the heart."

Zhou Nian's hand stopped.

She removed the tissue from her eyes and turned to look at Gu Yunjin.

Tears still stained her face, but a complex expression welled up in her eyes, which were surrounded by smudged eyeliner—surprise, confusion, and something else that was hard to describe.

Gu Yunjin didn't look at her; her gaze was fixed on the layers of greenery outside the window.

"They were pampered and spoiled growing up, they had everything they needed and lacked nothing."

Therefore, they have no reverence for the concept of "obtaining".

The more sincere you are, the more they take it for granted.

The more you give, the more they feel it's your own choice.

Talking about feelings with this kind of person is like handing over your whole heart, only to get a "I didn't force you" in return.

She turned her face to look at Zhou Nian, her gaze calm.

"The best way is to make a quick buck."

Zhou Nian's lips parted slightly.

"Make... a quick buck?"

"The effort he put into pursuing you, the sweet words he said, and the 'you're different from other women' all came at a cost."

Gu Yunjin's tone was completely flat, as if she were stating an economic principle in class.

"Do you think he didn't do the math? He did it perfectly. The cost of saying a few nice words is almost zero, while your sincerity and youth are real opportunity costs. He traded something of zero cost for what you have that is most valuable. He made a huge profit in that deal."

She stood up.

"So next time, if there is a next time, remember one thing—discuss the price first, then the feelings."

He says he doesn't care about your family, so let him prove it with his actions.

A house, a car, cash, or a check.

Don't think it's vulgar. In the eyes of these people, feelings are the cheapest thing; they only respect things that have a price.

"You only get to sit at the same table with him if you name a price. If you don't, you're just a dish on the table."

Zhou Nian sat there, clutching the wad of tissues soaked with tears in her hand, staring motionlessly at Gu Yunjin.

"you……"

She didn't know what to say. The woman in front of her was completely different from what she had imagined.

When she rushed in, she thought Gu Yunjin was the kind of naive and innocent young lady who was raised in seclusion and had been arranged by her family to go on a blind date, and knew nothing about the true nature of men.

Now she realizes she was terribly wrong.

Gu Yunjin didn't say anything more. She picked up her handbag from the table, turned and walked towards the door, then suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly.

"Apply ice to the slap mark on your face when you get home. Don't use a hot towel, it will make the swelling worse."

Then she left.

The wooden floorboards in the hallway made a soft, rhythmic sound under her feet.

She walked past the diners who cast curious glances, and past the waiters who stepped aside to make way for her with their trays.

The car was parked in the parking lot of Luming Mountain House. When the driver, Lao Zhou, saw her come out, he stubbed out his cigarette and opened the back door.

"Second Miss, shall we go home?"

"Not going home." Gu Yunjin leaned back in the leather seat, her gaze fixed on the winding mountain road outside the car window. "To Wild Duck Lake."

Old Zhou responded and started the car.

The Maybach smoothly drove out of the villa gate and down the winding mountain road.

Wild Duck Lake is not in the east of the city, but in the north.

It's an artificial lake. In the past, it was a wild wetland in the suburbs, but it was later developed into an ecological park. There are a few cafes and Western restaurants scattered around the lake. Because it's far from the city center, it's not usually crowded.

After driving for forty minutes, we turned from the mountain road onto the provincial highway, and then from the provincial highway onto a narrow road lined with poplar trees on both sides.

Old Zhou parked his car in the lakeside parking lot. Gu Yunjin told him to go back first, saying she wanted to walk around by herself and would call a car back later.

Old Zhou hesitated for a moment, but as a seasoned driver for the Gu family, he knew what to ask and what not to ask. He nodded and drove away.

Gu Yunjin walked along the wooden boardwalk deeper into the lake. It was a weekday noon, and there were almost no people by the lake, except for an old man wearing a straw hat fishing in the distance. His fishing rod was propped up on a stand, and he was dozing off in his chair.

A breeze blew across the lake, carrying the scent of water plants and sunshine, causing her smoky pink skirt to flutter gently.

At the end of the boardwalk is a glass-house café with floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides, offering a view of the entire lake.

There was only one customer in the coffee shop, sitting in the corner with an Americano and a closed laptop in front of him.

He was a young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses and a black T-shirt.

He saw Gu Yunjin push the door open and come in. He didn't stand up, but just raised his hand to indicate, "This way."

Gu Yunjin walked over and sat down opposite him.

"How long have you been here?"

"Two hours." The man pushed the coffee in front of him toward her.

"I ordered this for you. I had the waiter prepare it at the perfect temperature, timing it perfectly."

His name was Zhou Ji, and he was the first person she met while studying abroad.

"The night you came back, you asked me about it," he said, swiping his finger across the touchpad and opening a file.

"I've found the right person."