The Heiress's Game

Zhang Zhuoran stood at the entrance of Suiyuan Garden, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

It's not gladiolus used to make a show of business occasions, nor is it a perfunctory lily; it's a carefully arranged bouquet of champagne roses paired with lisianthus.

Gu Yunjin came out of the study and saw Zhang Zhuoran standing in the center of the living room, holding flowers in his hands. His expression had something she had never seen on his face before—not nervousness, but a kind of unease that was more solemn than nervousness.

A certain radar in her mind immediately went off.

"What brings you here?" She walked over, took the flowers, smelled them, and placed them on the coffee table, her tone as casual as if he had just stopped by for a cup of coffee.

But her mind was already racing—something was off about Zhang Zhuoran's setup today.

"I've been so busy with company projects that I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your move."

Zhang Zhuoran sat down, took the coffee she handed him, and ran his fingers along the rim of the cup twice.

"Suiyuan Garden is nice; it's quiet and suits you."

Gu Yunjin sat down opposite him, holding her teacup without saying a word, just waiting.

She knew Zhang Zhuoran too well; the more direct he got to the point, the more clumsy his foreshadowing would become.

Sure enough, after exchanging a few pleasantries about project progress and market trends, Zhang Zhuoran put down his coffee cup and suddenly asked, "Are you—going to have an arranged marriage with Pei Yan?"

Gu Yunjin stopped holding the teacup.

She put down her teacup and nodded: "If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the case."

"Could you—" He paused, his fingers unconsciously clenching and unclenching on his knees.

"Would you consider me?"

The living room was silent for several seconds.

The shadow of the osmanthus tree outside the window swayed gently on the wooden floor.

"You know that the Zhang family's circumstances are no worse than the Pei family's."

Zhang Zhuoran spoke a little faster than usual, as if he had rehearsed the words in his mind many times, but when he spoke, the rhythm was still off.

"Although my dad is a scoundrel, I've essentially separated from him now, and I can make my own decisions."

"You know my net worth, and the company's equity structure is completely transparent—if you're willing, I won't interfere with any of your decisions after we get married."

You won't have to deal with mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships, nor will you have to put up with the elders' attitudes. If you marry me, you'll still live the exact same life as you do now, except there will be someone else who won't hold you back.

Gu Yunjin put down her coffee cup, looked at him, and remained silent for a moment.

Gu Yunjin admires Zhang Zhuoran; she admires him sincerely.

This person is capable, has a broad perspective, and is clear-headed in both dealing with people and things; they are a rare breed among the second generation of wealthy families. But admiration is one thing, and facts are another.

"Zhuoran," she said.

"I have a question for you. We are now friends and business partners."

"I invested in your AI project; we're working together on something very promising. Are you comfortable with this relationship?"

"Of course it feels good," he said, unsure why she asked that.

"I feel comfortable too." Gu Yunjin leaned back slightly.

"You won't talk to me about romance, and I won't negotiate terms. We're talking about projects and arguing about solutions."

Even slamming your fist on the table doesn't hurt feelings, because the foundation of this relationship is mutual benefit—and mutual benefit is the most solid thing, more reliable than anything else.

"What do you think about us being friends? The kind that lasts a lifetime. Making money together, doing projects together, and I'll be there to ring the bell for your company when it goes public. Isn't that a stable relationship?"

"stable."

He said it, but his voice was no longer so confident, because he vaguely guessed what she was going to say next.

"But if you become husband and wife, it's a completely different story."

Gu Yunjin's gaze was very honest.

"Especially in marriages between wealthy families, when two large families are entangled together, the relationship between husband and wife becomes like grasshoppers on the same rope—today your father has a project to cooperate with the Gu family, tomorrow my father has a decision that requires the Zhang family's support."

We argued heatedly at the board meeting, how can we sit down and have a peaceful coffee at home?

Do you think we can tolerate this for long, given our personalities? A year? Two years? Once the conflict of interests wears down our feelings, we won't even be able to remain friends.

"To be honest, any woman who marries you will be very happy. I know you are a good person, with impeccable character and integrity. But I can't do that."

Gu Yunjin looked into his eyes and said, "I'm the kind of person who clearly separates interests from feelings. I can fight alongside you in the business world."

But arranged marriages are different. Arranged marriages mix everything together—emotions, interests, family ties, face—and in the end, nothing can be distinguished. I don't want things to fall apart later, and I won't even be able to keep a friend like you.

Zhang Zhuoran leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh, as if he had finally taken out a stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time, only to find that it had landed on his own feet.

He stared at the bouquet of flowers on the coffee table for a long time, then muttered, "I shouldn't have accepted your investment in the first place."

"Because I took your money, I can't pursue you anymore. And if I can't, so be it."

"I'll have to attend meetings with you, report project progress to you, and watch you nitpick my proposals at board meetings. This is too cruel to me."

Gu Yunjin chuckled, "It's too late for you to withdraw your shares now."

In your company, your project, your team, which part of it doesn't involve my money?

Our boats are already tied together, there's no way to untie them. It's best when friends are tied together, making money together, sharing the profits, and no one owes anyone anything.

If they do split up, it's just a matter of dividing the property, it's that simple.

As a married couple—just imagine the scene: after the board meeting, there's a family meeting; after the shareholders' vote, it's time for the couple to vote. Aren't you exhausted?

Zhang Zhuoran said helplessly, "Fine. Looks like I can only be your friend for life."

"Friends for life, that's good enough."