The Heiress's Game

Xu Bingjun personally delivered the news of He Daheng's invitation to meet Gu Zhenxing to his study.

Gu Zhenxing was flipping through a weekly report on the real estate sector when he heard the name "He Daheng." He didn't even frown, simply asking, "Has he arrived in Dahai City?"

"We've arrived. A Gulfstream G650 and a Boeing 737 freighter are parked at the airport."

The cargo plane was specifically used to transport tea leaves, water for brewing tea, teaware, and two tea masters.

When Xu Bingjun reported these things, his facial expressions remained well-controlled, but there was a subtle restraint in his tone—that restraint itself was a form of evaluation.

Gu Zhenxing put down the weekly report, remained silent for a few seconds, and then let out a soft hum through his nose.

He had seen countless nouveau riche in his life, but He Daheng was the first one who had become so rich that he could afford to hire a private jet for tea.

However, since they personally flew all the way to the Great Sea City, we still have to give them face.

He instructed Xu Bingjun to arrange the meeting in the study of the old house, not the group office—the office is for business, the study is for receiving guests, and He Daheng was not qualified to enter the office here.

The agreed time was 3 p.m.

He Daheng was seven minutes late, but he made quite a show of himself when he came in.

—Four bodyguards led the way, two assistants carried his bags, and behind them followed his "tea-themed team," which he was so proud of:

A young tea master dressed in a plain-colored tea uniform, and an assistant holding a sandalwood tea box lined with bright yellow silk, on which lay a tightly pressed old Pu'er tea cake.

He Daheng entered the room and greeted Gu Zhenxing with a fist and palm salute, his loud voice making the carved windowpanes in the study vibrate.

"Brother Gu! Long time no see! I brought some fine tea today, let's enjoy it!"

Gu Zhenxing stood up and shook hands with him, his smile faint, but he showed all the proper courtesy.

He doesn't dislike pomp and circumstance; he himself is always surrounded by a retinue when he goes out. But not all pomp and circumstance are the same. The pomp and circumstance of the Gu family is cultivated over generations, emphasizing understated sophistication and dignified manners.

He Daheng's behavior of wanting to wear all his family's possessions on his body is, in the eyes of the real Dahai City aristocratic families, like putting a hundred-carat diamond on a slipper—every one is real, but everyone will feel embarrassed for you if you wear it out.

The tea master knelt down in front of the tea table and began a complex and astonishing tea-making ceremony.

Warming the teapot, rinsing the tea, smelling the aroma, and pouring the tea into cups—each step was carried with an almost religious solemnity, as if she were holding not a purple clay teapot, but the Imperial Seal of the State.

He Daheng kept introducing the teapot from the side—this teapot was made by Gu Jingzhou's apprentice, this cup was fired in a famous wood-fired kiln, and the water was glacial water flown in from the Swiss Alps. The pH value was tested before brewing the tea.

Gu Zhenxing held the cup of tea, smelled it, took a sip, and thought to himself, no matter how precise the pH value is, it can't brew the sweetness of the well water in the backyard of the old house.

But he didn't say anything; he simply put down his cup and nodded to He Daheng: "The tea is good."

He Daheng was waiting for this very sentence.

He put down his teacup, leaned forward, and then quickly got to the point.

He first praised Gu Mingcheng, saying that Brother Gu was good at raising his son and that his nephew Mingcheng was young, promising and had a bright future.

Then he said he heard that Brother Gu had a daughter who graduated from a world-renowned university, was both talented and beautiful, and had an excellent reputation in the industry.

Gu Zhenxing held his teacup without responding, waiting for him to continue.

He Daheng had laid the groundwork enough and finally revealed his trump card—he had a youngest son, He Jiawei, who was twenty-six years old this year. He had returned from studying abroad and was learning management from his older brother in the group. He was of good character, had an outgoing personality, and was still unmarried.

He heard that the Gu family's daughter was also unmarried, and he felt that this was a match made in heaven, and the two families could definitely become in-laws.

"As for the bride price, I will definitely not let Brother Gu suffer a loss."

"I can offer three percent, no, five percent, of the shares in Daheng Group! Transfer them directly to Miss Gu's name as a token of the He family's sincerity."

He Daheng held up five fingers, his expression so sincere that it seemed he had already mentally planned a wedding of the century.

Gu Zhenxing paused for a moment while holding the teacup.

Five percent of Daheng Group's shares, based on Daheng's current market value, is indeed a considerable sum.

For a fleeting moment, he felt a pang of unease—he quickly went through Daheng's debt ratio, cash flow, and the financial problems that had been secretly exposed in recent quarters in his mind, and then the allure of these figures burst like a bubble.

He thought that five percent of Daheng's shares looked good on paper, but if Daheng went bankrupt in the future, five percent would be nothing but a pile of worthless paper.

Moreover, the dowry must match the bride price – this is an unwritten rule among the wealthy families of Dahai City.

You, He Daheng, are using shares as a dowry, so is my Gu family supposed to use Gu's Real Estate shares as a bride price? This is not a good deal no matter how you look at it.

But what truly made him refuse was not the bill.

The account was just an excuse, a respectable way for him to save face in his mind.

What truly made him close that door without hesitation was something else entirely, such as his dislike of the He family's nouveau riche attitude.

"Brother He," Gu Zhenxing put down his teacup.

I appreciate your kindness. But Yun Jin already has plans.

As for the Pei family, Pei Xinzhi and I have almost reached an agreement.

You're a little too late. Besides, Yun Jin grew up abroad and is independent. As her father, I can't just arrange her marriage; she has to agree herself.

He Daheng was taken aback by these words, then laughed and said that it was a pity, but it didn't matter. Even if the deal fell through, we could still be on good terms and do business together in the future.

He then chatted for a while about the Zhaoyang Association, but his enthusiasm was clearly not as high as before.

After drinking the fourth infusion of tea, he got up to say goodbye.

The tea master put the tea set back into the sandalwood box one by one, and the bodyguards and assistants filed out, waiting for the sound of the convoy starting to move to be heard outside.

Gu Zhenxing leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

Xu Bingjun came in through the side door and took away the tea set left by He Daheng from the coffee table.

Gu Zhenxing watched him pack up and suddenly said, "Just you wait and see, Daheng won't last more than three years."

Xu Bingjun didn't reply, but simply placed the teacup gently into the tray.

"That youngest son of the He family," Gu Zhenxing added, "lost over eight million at a casino in Macau last month. His father probably doesn't know I know. This kind of person wants to marry my daughter?"

He stood up and walked to the window, watching He Daheng's convoy slowly drive out of the gate downstairs. The entourage was still impressive, with each car polished to a shine. But in Gu Zhenxing's eyes, all he saw was the thought, "Why bother?"

He has a deep-rooted pride in his bones. This pride is not something he earned himself, but something that the Gu family has built up little by little over generations. He has lived with this pride since he was a child, and he can no longer distinguish whether it is a sense of superiority or instinct.

He Daheng is a nouveau riche. We can do business together and drink together, but he would never marry his daughter to him.

Gu Yunjin's marriage should ultimately be with a family worthy of the Gu family's reputation—although the Pei family is not as prestigious as the Gu family, they are at least a respectable family, and Pei Yan is a reliable young man.