The Heiress's Game

Gu Yunjin felt that if she didn't go out of the study for some fresh air, she might really die suddenly in front of the monitor.

She stared at the screen for several days in a row, and even signed the variety show scheduling plan that Li Chunjing sent her after only glancing at it—

This was an extremely rare sign for her, meaning that her energy had been pushed to its limit by another front.

So when Wang Manyun messaged her again to ask her to meet Pei Yan, she didn't roll her eyes inwardly like she had the previous times. Instead, she felt that this might be a good opportunity for a forced rest.

Wang Manyun's original words were, "Mrs. Pei said that Ayan has been very busy lately, and she finally managed to spare an afternoon for you young people to meet and get to know each other better."

Gu Yunjin replied with two words, "Okay," then closed her laptop and went to the dressing room to pick out a loose-fitting linen casual outfit.

She looked at herself in the mirror—her complexion wasn't great, but at least she didn't have to stare at a computer screen anymore.

The meeting place was chosen by Mrs. Pei at the terrace restaurant of a private club in Deep Water Bay.

The sea view is expansive, people are walking their dogs on the beach, sunlight shines through the edges of parasols onto the white tablecloth, and the air is filled with the faint scent of sea salt and the aroma of freshly ground coffee.

When Gu Yunjin arrived, Pei Yan hadn't come yet. She sat down, ordered an iced Americano, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a while.

The sea breeze felt so good on her face that she almost fell asleep. She silently gave the club a high score for its environment—no matter what her blind date was like, at least this place was really suitable for catching up on sleep.

Pei Yan arrived ten minutes late.

When he walked over from the terrace entrance, Gu Yunjin immediately noticed that he wasn't in good spirits—there were two faint dark circles under his eyes.

He came over and sat down, first apologizing and saying that he had been delayed by a work call on the way, his tone as polite as the last time they met.

Gu Yunjin said it was alright and didn't ask any further questions.

She and he weren't at the point where they could pry into each other's private affairs, and she didn't plan to take that step.

The two ordered food and chatted casually for a while—he said the investment market had been turbulent lately, and she said she was also busy with some things.

The conversation remained superficial, neither deep nor shallow, like two people who were both distracted trying to maintain a polite social interaction.

About five minutes later, Pei Yan's phone vibrated.

He glanced down at the screen, and his expression instantly changed.

He looked up at Gu Yunjin, his expression full of apology, and said, "I'm so sorry, there's a very urgent matter that I have to deal with right away. I'll definitely have dinner with her another day to make up for it."

Gu Yunjin smiled and said it was okay, you can go ahead and do your work, her tone as relaxed as if she were seeing off a colleague she wasn't very familiar with.

Pei Yan grabbed his coat and hurried down the steps of the terrace, walking more than twice as fast as he had come.

She watched his figure disappear around the corner of the parking lot, then lowered her head to finish the last bite of her sandwich, and slowly took a sip of her coffee.

She didn't want to know where Pei Yan was going, what he was doing, or why he was in such a hurry.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched, feeling the sea breeze blowing her hair up and down. She felt that although the male protagonist left halfway through this second blind date, it was perfect as a forced rest.

Gu Yunjin took out her tablet from her bag, connected it to her Bluetooth headset, and Zhou Ji's video conference started.

Zhou Ji was a student whom Gu Yunjin had sponsored when her mother, Su Wanning, was still alive. He was about ten years older than Gu Yunjin and his hometown was in the mountainous area of ​​Dongzhou.

If it weren't for Su Wanning's financial support back then, he wouldn't have even finished high school, let alone later get into Tsinghua University and then go to Wharton for his MBA.

After Su Wanning's death, Zhou Ji was one of the few people who maintained contact with Gu Yunjin.

Gu Yunjin spent her time in both England and the United States between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five.

During the years she studied in the United States, Zhou Ji would drive for several hours to New York to pick her up during holidays and take her back to his home to eat dumplings.

Zhou Ji's wife, Ye Ming, treated her like a younger sister, and the two children noisily called her "Aunt Yun Jin."

Gu Yunjin and Zhou Ji are not siblings, but they are closer than many biological siblings.

Yunwhale Capital was founded by Gu Yunjin, and from its initial organizational structure to every subsequent investment decision, everything revolved around her will.

—It's not a partnership, not a co-founder system, but a capital group that serves only her.

Zhou Ji's role is that of her partner and her agent.

He knew all too well who the Narwal belonged to, and he knew all too well who had enabled him to get to where he was today.

"Is it the middle of the night where you are?" Gu Yunjin asked.

"It's one in the morning. But since I can't sleep anyway, I might as well finish the proposal."

"I've thought about bringing the Narwal back to China for a long time, and it's feasible."

But we have to do it step by step. The first step is to register a new entity in Dahai City, and the second step is to transfer the overseas assets in batches.

The free trade zone has special policies for cross-border capital flows, allowing the use of the QFLP channel. While the compliance costs will be higher than expected, it's worthwhile.

"Let Lu Xiao handle the compliance matters. He's currently liaising with the financial office in Dahai City, so the process shouldn't take too long," Gu Yunjin said.

Zhou Ji took off his glasses and wiped them.

"From a broader perspective, if we don't leave now, it may be even more difficult to leave later."

"Last month, Congress introduced another round of new bills targeting Chinese investment, ostensibly to prevent national security risks, but frankly, it's just an excuse to block you."

"Even if a foundation managed by people of Chinese descent is not registered in China, it is still scrutinized under a magnifying glass during the review process."

"Instead of waiting to become a target someday, it's better to move gracefully while the initiative is still in our hands."

Gu Yunjin knew he was telling the truth.

Yunwhale has shorted several arrogant giants on Wall Street in recent years. Its outstanding performance has attracted attention.

The people behind those short-selling funds are using compliance reviews as a weapon to repeatedly smear Yunwhale.

She couldn't let Narwal sit idly by on someone else's turf; she had to get her things back before things got out of control.

"What's your sister-in-law's attitude?" she asked.

Zhou Ji smiled, a smile that contained a hint of heartache, but mostly gentleness.

"Ye Ming wants to go back even more than I do. Both sets of parents are getting old, and we can't take care of them back in our hometown. If we go back to Dahai City, at least we can fly back to visit them every few days."

"My only concern is whether my child will adapt well to the new school, but the international schools in Dahai City are quite good, so we can take it slow."

"Welcome back," Gu Yunjin said.

"The main body of the Narwal will be located in Dahai City, and the structure will remain the same as it is now. You will still be the president."

"Within three years, I want Narwal to become a top-tier emerging capital in China."

"The first step is to bring in the investment in the AI ​​research team, the second step is to connect with the cross-border channels of the free trade zone, and the third step is that I also have plans for reality shows and the content industry."

"In the future, there will also be room for capitalization in artist management and IP operation. At that time, Yunwhale can set up a special cultural industry fund."