The Heiress's Game

Before going home, Pei Yan took a detour around the mountainside.

He parked the car next to the viewing platform, rolled down the window, and let the sea breeze blow in, carrying salty and damp moisture.

Victoria Harbour below was brightly lit, and cruise ships slowly passed by, leaving long trails of light on the sea.

He sat there for almost twenty minutes until his phone vibrated—a message from Jin Wei asking if he was coming home for dinner tonight.

He replied, "I'll be there later, don't wait for me," then started the engine, turned the steering wheel, and drove towards the Pei family's old residence.

The Pei family's old house is located on the other side of the mountain. It is a true old-fashioned mansion with gray-white granite walls covered with ivy and two hundred-year-old lychee trees planted in the yard.

His father, Pei Xinzhi, has worked hard all his life, starting with shipping and expanding the Pei family's business to real estate and ports. Now in his sixties, he is still in charge of the overall situation, and he makes all the decisions on the board of directors.

Pei Yan parked the car in the garage, straightened his shirt collar, took a deep breath, and pushed open the living room door.

His parents were both there. Pei Xinzhi sat on the sofa reading the Hong Kong Economic Journal, his reading glasses perched on his nose, without even looking up.

Madam Pei was trimming the withered leaves of a potted plant with a small pair of silver scissors when she heard footsteps. She looked up at him with the same smile he had seen since she was a child.

"You're back?" Madam Pei asked casually.

"After having dinner with Miss Gu last time, why haven't I seen you ask her out again?"

Your Aunt Wang called me yesterday and said that Yun Jin has a good impression of you, and asked what our attitude is.

Pei Yan changed into slippers in the entryway and stood in the middle of the living room.

He didn't sit down; his hands hung at his sides, his knuckles unconsciously clenching and unclenching.

"Mom, I have something to tell you."

Madam Pei paused for a moment while pruning the branches.

Pei Xinzhi put down his newspaper, took off his reading glasses, and looked at him. "Speak."

"Jinwei is pregnant, and I'm going to marry her."

Madam Pei placed the scissors on the coffee table, then looked up at Pei Yan, her gaze unchanged from when she was pruning the potted plants.

"Get rid of it." Her tone was calm.

"I know a few doctors who offer very private consultations and can be scheduled anytime. The earlier the better, as it minimizes the impact on your health."

Pei Yan's face looked as if he had been slapped, the color rushing up and then fading away in an instant.

He had anticipated many possible reactions—throwing things, yelling at him, threatening to sever ties.

He was even prepared to be kicked out of the house, but he didn't expect his mother to say "get rid of it" in that tone.

That wasn't a grandmother talking about her unborn grandchild; that was a housekeeper clearing out some junk that didn't belong in the house.

"Mom, that's your grandson."

"Grandson?" Madam Pei stood up and walked to him.

"If I admit I'm the grandson, then I'm not; if I don't, then I'm not."

Pei Yan turned to look at Pei Xinzhi, hoping that his father would at least say something fair.

Pei Xinzhi leaned back on the sofa, his hands folded on his knees. His expression didn't change much, but his brows were furrowed.

"Your mother is right, we can't keep this child," Pei Xinzhi said.

"I'm not saying she's bad, she could be very good, but she shouldn't have entered the Pei family."

Look at your eldest brother—your sister-in-law is the eldest daughter of the Lin family of Hengchang Group. Back then, this marriage brought us shipping orders, port resources, and connections in three provinces in mainland China.

Do you think the Pei family has been able to establish itself in Dahai City all these years because of one person's individual efforts? You know perfectly well whether your elder brother's marriage has helped the family.

Pei Yan clenched his fist.

He knew about his older brother Pei Jun's marriage—it was arranged by their parents, and it only took three months from the blind date to the engagement.

Lin Jingzhi, the eldest sister-in-law, is indeed a proper person. After the marriage between the two families, the Pei family's resource integration in shipping and ports has indeed reached a new level.

"Dad, I'm not the eldest brother. I don't need to rely on marriage—"

"You don't need it?" Pei Xinzhi interrupted him, his gaze sharp.

"Your mother and I have put so much effort into raising you, not so you could marry an ordinary person."

"Now you say you don't rely on marriage, then tell me, whose house do you live in? Who gave you the start-up capital for your investments?"

When you move around in this circle, do people give you face because of who you are, Pei Yan, or because your surname is Pei?

The freedom you have now belongs to the Pei family. Now you're telling me you don't need it?

Pei Yan stood in the center of the living room, his hands trembling.

"I haven't disowned this family." He tried his best to keep his voice steady.

"Jin Wei is a good person. She is very innocent and has never wanted anything from the Pei family."

We've been together for ten years; she's been with me since college. If you're willing to give her a chance—"

"An opportunity?" Madam Pei chuckled softly.

She picked up the scissors again and cut off another dead branch from the potted plant.

"Ayan, you've always been a smart child, how could you be so muddle-headed about this?"

She's not from our circle. It's not that she's bad, it's that she shouldn't have come through this door.

We didn't object to you being with her. It's fine to have some fun; everyone's young at heart.

But marriage is another matter. Your older brother also hesitated back then. What happened in the end?

Are your older brother and Jingzhi not doing well now? Feelings can be cultivated, but social status cannot.

"Have you thought about how she will get along with the people in this industry after she comes in?"

Do you know what those wives say about her behind her back? You don't feel sorry for her, but I feel bad for her.

"She doesn't care about those things."

"It doesn't matter whether she cares or not. Don't you care? Ten or twenty years from now, when you bring her to a family gathering, everyone is talking about their in-laws' businesses, resources, and the education of their next generation. What can she say while sitting there?"

What are you going to do with her? What are you going to do with yourself? What are you going to do with your child?

Madam Pei put down the scissors, walked up to him, and raised her hand to straighten the wrinkles on his collar.

Her tone suddenly softened, becoming exactly the same as when she coaxed him to take his medicine.

"Ayan, listen to your mother. I'll arrange things for the child. I've already talked to your Aunt Wang about the Gu family. You've met Gu Yunjin before; she graduated from a prestigious university."

She's pretty and has a gentle personality, what's wrong with her? Spend more time with her, and you'll gradually develop feelings for her.

Pei Yan took a step back.

"I will not let Jinwei abort the child, nor will I go on blind dates."

"You may disagree, but this is my decision."

Pei Xinzhi stood up. He put his hands behind his back and stared at Pei Yan's face like nails.

"Your decision? You live in my house, use the resources your family gave you to do your investment business, and even the car you park in the garage has the Pei family's name on it."

Tell me, what criteria do you use to make your decisions?

"Ayan, I'm not forcing you. But I have to make you understand one thing—you're saying these things now because you're using the Pei family's influence."

Without the Pei family, what can you give her?

She's pregnant. Can you give her a home? Can you let her live in a villa halfway up the mountain? Can you let her focus on her pregnancy without having to go out to work? You can't.

"dad--"

"I don't expect you to answer me right away. Go back and think it over carefully, figure out what you really want."

Do you want her, or do you want this family?

I won't pressure you, but don't pressure me to make a decision either.

Pei Xinzhi picked up the newspaper again, shook it, and flipped to the page he had just seen.

Pei Yan turned and walked out of the living room.

When the car drove out of the Pei family's old house, he went around to the viewing platform again.

This time he didn't stop, but slowed down and glanced at the lights below the mountain.

Then he stepped on the gas and drove towards the villa on the hillside.

He knew Jin Wei wasn't asleep yet; his favorite soup was probably still warm in the kitchen, and the living room lights were always set to the warmest tone. She would jump up from the sofa and greet him with a smile when she heard the keypad lock open.

He imagined her smiling face, the off-white loungewear she might be wearing, and the nameless little life inside her—then suddenly felt something wet on the steering wheel.

The sea breeze blowing in through the window cooled the moisture in the corners of his eyes.