The Heiress's Game

When Gu Yunjin returned to the Gu family's old house, all the lights were already on.

Old Zhou parked the car in the garage. She walked across the courtyard, and the late spring night breeze, carrying the fragrance of gardenias, wafted over from the flowerbed.

The crystal chandelier was lit in the living room.

"You're back?" Wang Manyun looked up, her gaze lingering on her face for a couple of seconds, as if trying to read some information. "Have you eaten?"

"have eaten."

Wang Manyun didn't rush to ask about the blind date. She first asked Sister Zhou to heat up a cup of milk, and then asked if the wind was strong at Wild Duck Lake and how her classmate was.

After all that groundwork was laid, he picked up the glass of cooled lemonade, took a sip, and opened it in a casual tone.

"The Chen family just called."

Gu Yunjin raised her eyes, her expression perfectly calm.

"Chen Yu'an's mother made the call herself and apologized profusely."

Wang Manyun put down her cup. "She said her second son was being unreasonable and made you feel wronged. I said it wasn't really a feeling of being wronged, and our Jin'er isn't the kind of child who holds grudges. It's just that the Chen family's young master's behavior was indeed inappropriate." Mrs. Qian said "yes" three times on the other end of the phone.

Gu Yunjin lowered her eyes.

Wang Manyun observed her expression and softened her tone even more.

"Jin'er, don't feel bad. There are plenty of rich and noble young men out there. What is Chen Yu'an? He's just the second son in his family, in a mediocre position, yet he dares to embarrass a girl at the matchmaking table."

She paused here, as if suddenly remembering something, and added,

"I'm not saying the second son is bad. You're also the second young lady of the Gu family; you're a hundred times better than him. I'm saying this person is no good."

"I know, Mom," Gu Yunjin said softly. "I'm not feeling unwell."

Wang Manyun looked into her eyes, as if trying to confirm the truth of her words.

Gu Yunjin's eyes were clear and bright, without any trace of grievance or resentment.

Wang Manyun was relieved.

The biggest advantage of this stepdaughter is that she is worry-free—she doesn't make a fuss, doesn't cry, and doesn't come home and throw things when she's wronged like those spoiled rich girls from other families.

"That's good." Wang Manyun picked up her lemonade and took another sip.

"I've already asked your Aunt Wu to inquire about the eldest son of the Sun family, the one you saw at the art exhibition, Sun Bo'an, the one with the gold-rimmed glasses."

His family is in real estate, and they have business dealings with us; we know them well. There's also Li Jingxing, the eldest son of the Li family, the tall one. He's not very talkative, but the Li family has a strong moral character, and his mother is known for being easy to get along with…”

Her words were interrupted by a sound coming from the entrance hall.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Gu Yunxuan ran in with his schoolbag on his back, his school uniform collar loose, and his hair messy from the wind.

Wang Manyun's expression changed the moment she saw her son.

She reached out and caught her son as he lunged at her, brushing the hair back from his forehead, her tone tinged with reproach:

"You're not wearing your shoes properly again. And why are your socks on the wrong feet again?"

"Did you oversleep this morning?" Gu Yunxuan wriggled out of Wang Manyun's arms, turned his head and saw Gu Yunjin sitting on the opposite sofa, his eyes lighting up.

"Second Sister!"

Gu Yunjin smiled at him. "School's out?"

"Hmm! I got 98 on my math test today."

When Gu Yunxuan said this, his chin was slightly raised, with a childlike sense of pride and self-assurance, as if he were waiting for praise.

"Impressive," Gu Yunjin said.

Gu Yunxuan turned around with satisfaction and rummaged through his schoolbag, intending to show Wang Manyun the test paper.

Wang Manyun's attention had completely shifted to her son, and she watched and laughed.

Gu Yunjin sat quietly for a few seconds, then stood up. "Mom, I'm going upstairs first."

Wang Manyun looked up from Gu Yunxuan's test paper and nodded to her.

"Get some rest. I'll ask Sister Zhou to make you some bird's nest soup tomorrow; you still don't look too good these past few days."

"it is good."

Gu Yunjin picked up her bag, turned around, and went upstairs.

After washing up, her phone screen lit up, and social media notifications flooded in one after another. She was about to swipe them away, but the headline of one of them made her stop.

#Su Wanning's Birthday#

Five words appeared at the end of the trending search list, followed by the word "boiling".

Gu Yunjin hovered her thumb above the screen for two seconds before tapping it.

The most popular post on the topic square was made by a long-time movie fan whose ID was tagged "Su Wanning Super Topic Host" and whose profile picture was a still from a movie she starred in twenty years ago.

The post included a video clip that montages together classic scenes of Su Wanning from her debut to her retirement and comeback, with the caption "Magnolia has been blooming for twenty years, you will always be our leading lady."

The post has been shared over 100,000 times, and the comments have piled up like a tall building.

Gu Yunjin scrolled down.

The top comment has gone completely off-topic.

"Every year on Sister Wan Ning's birthday, I have to say something: back then, when I saw the grand wedding of the Gu family, it was a wedding of the century. A movie queen marrying into a wealthy family, the media headlines were all fairy tales."

Looking back now, it was nothing but a fairy tale.

This post got hundreds of replies, and the more they talked, the more excited they became.

"Everyone in the circle knows how much Mrs. Beckham disliked this daughter-in-law back then."

The old lady didn't give Su Wanning a kind look in front of outsiders, constantly calling her an "actress." When Su Wanning went to offer a toast, the old lady wouldn't even lift her glass.

"Gu Zhenxing's mother is truly ruthless. Both are her son's wives, but she treats Wang Manyun with 'Manyun, you've worked hard,' while treating Su Wanning with 'You can't even keep a man's heart.' Her double standards are crystal clear."

"Isn't the most amazing one that comes from Clearwater Bay? Su Wanning appeared in the second year of her marriage, with a daughter who has been calling Gu Zhenxing 'Dad' for over twenty years."

Su Wanning, the dignified Mrs. Gu, suffers mistreatment from her mother-in-law at home, while another woman outside lives a peaceful life with her child in a seaside villa. What kind of world is this?

"Lady of Clearwater Bay - oh no, that's the title netizens gave her, she doesn't have that title herself."

Go look at Ning Limei's account. She reads scriptures, drinks tea, and arranges flowers every day, and there are a lot of people in the comments calling her a "real leading lady".

Me: ??? She's been a mistress for over twenty years and now she's become the leading lady?

"Her daughter, Ningweier, is also quite talented. Her social media accounts are full of Cullinan watches, Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, and Parisian afternoon tea, with little girls following her around calling her 'Sister, so beautiful and cool!'"

Where does the older sister get her confidence? From Gu Zhenxing.

How is Gu Zhenxing treating his biological daughter? How many times has the media photographed Su Wanning's daughter over the years?

"I heard that when Su Wanning got divorced, the Gu family's legal team was no pushover."

Su Wanning had been out of the spotlight for ten years and had no income, so the Gu family kept a very clear account of it.

How much money did she get in the end? It's pathetic. She didn't even get custody. A movie star, and she can't even take her daughter with her in the divorce.

"But she was really amazing after her comeback. I've seen all the movies she made in those years, and her acting skills have improved by a whole new level compared to before she retired from acting."

Before, she was just blessed with natural talent; after her comeback, every frame tells you what it means to say, "I've been through it all."

"She was in really good shape back then. There were interviews where she was seen looking at land with her daughter, saying she wanted to build a house in the suburbs."

When asked why she bought such a remote location, she said her daughter liked quiet.

She pointed to the area and said what kind of trees to plant here and what kind of flowers to put there, saying that her daughter would come back to stay there during her summer vacation.

Her eyes shone brightly when she spoke; she didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something drastic.

"Then she committed suicide."

This sentence took up its own section. The replies below noticeably slowed down.

"The police said it was suicide; there was no suicide note at the scene."

"I still don't believe it after all these years. Her career was booming back then, she had bought land, was designing a house, and her daughter would have been an adult in a few years. Why would she commit suicide?"

"So for many years, people have suspected it wasn't suicide. But there's no evidence, and the Gu family has kept the matter very quiet."

"What happened to her daughter later? That child was only a teenager when Su Wanning passed away."

"I heard the Gu family sent her abroad. They said it was for studying abroad, but really it was just to get rid of her."

"Gu Zhenxing really doesn't care about this daughter. He's not even as attentive as the one in Qingshui Bay."

"To be honest, those female celebrities in the entertainment industry who want to marry into wealthy families should really print out Su Wanning's story and read it every day."

What good is marrying into that family? My mother-in-law looks down on me, my husband has affairs, I won't get any money in a divorce, and I can't take the children with me.

You think you're Mrs. Gu, but in other people's eyes you'll always just be that actress.

"So you see, the young girls now have all come to terms with it."

"Either you become your own asset, or you find someone in the same industry; marrying into a wealthy family is becoming increasingly rare. Su Wanning's path was too tragic; it's frightening for future generations to look back on."

"Her daughter must be in her early twenties now. I wonder what she looks like and how she's doing."

"Today is her mother's birthday. I wonder if she's seen this post."

Gu Yunjin's fingers stopped.

The screen light shone on her face, and the word "boiling" on the trending search list was still flashing.

She flipped her phone over and placed it face down on the bed.

More than ten years after her mother passed away, her fans are still celebrating her birthday online.

Gu Yunjin sat for a long time.

Then I picked up my phone, scrolled to the top of the post, and liked the video that was posted in the early morning.