The Heiress's Game

Pei Yan treated Gu Yunjin with politeness and courtesy, maintaining the dignified distance befitting a marriage partner.

Neither being proactive nor negligent, always appearing when required and spending every penny where necessary.

He assumed Gu Yunjin was the same; everyone was sensible and there was no need for any dramatic displays of affection.

Until this voyage.

His invitation to go out to sea was essentially a social task.

Pei Yan had made arrangements in advance: yacht, champagne, lunch—everything was ready. All Gu Yunjin needed to do was stay on the boat for two hours, and the mission would be complete.

Gu Yunjin arrived as promised, wearing a white French tea dress with her hair half-tied up. She stood by the dock and nodded slightly to him, looking like a beautifully bound book with the word "Qualified" written on the cover.

Pei Yan chose a newly acquired catamaran, with a pure white hull and teak deck, which was gently rocked by the sea breeze as it was moored on the dock.

Pei Yan went up to her and first showed her around the sailboat, talking enthusiastically about the carbon fiber material of the mainmast and the navigation system that was customized from Finland underneath.

Gu Yunjin listened politely, nodding occasionally, but her gaze had already drifted past the ship's side to the distant horizon, clearly showing that she was far more interested in the sea breeze than in the sailboat itself.

"How about it? I'll have the captain take the ship out and circle around the sea. We can see the sunset in the evening," Pei Yan asked expectantly.

"Going out to sea isn't very interesting." Gu Yunjin tucked the stray hairs that had been ruffled by the sea breeze behind her ear.

"Instead of spending the afternoon at sea, how about something more exciting? How about shooting?"

Pei Yan was taken aback. "Shooting?"

"Yes. But it seems there aren't many decent shooting clubs in the country, let alone the kind with real guns and ammunition."

Pei Yan's first reaction was confusion. Shooting?

He looked at her slender wrists, her hands neatly placed on her knees, and even her pale pink nail polish, which was meticulously applied.

These words don't seem to fit with guns, smoke, or recoil at all.

He thought she would suggest going to an art exhibition or a newly opened afternoon tea restaurant—the kind of place perfect for taking photos and posting on social media, since she gave the impression of being a meticulously groomed socialite.

"You like this?"

"I like it," Gu Yunjin said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"What do you think I like? Going to art exhibitions? Going to concerts?"

Pei Yan didn't reply, but his expression confirmed it.

She paused, then suddenly remembered something, turned her head and smiled at him.

"Let's go to the racetrack then, I know a place."

Pei Yan stood on the deck, watching Gu Yunjin turn and walk towards the dock, and was stunned for several seconds.

Gu Yunjin not only refused to go to sea, but also first suggested shooting, and when shooting didn't work out, he immediately switched to racing.

He wondered if she was just being polite, but judging from her brisk and confident steps toward the parking lot, it was clear she wasn't just being polite.

She genuinely felt that going to sea was not as interesting as racing.

The racetrack is located in the suburbs, built against the mountainside, and is a professional, members-only track.

When the staff saw Gu Yunjin get out of the car, they immediately came up to her and called out "Miss Gu," and then led her to change into her racing suit.

"Young Master Pei," Gu Yunjin said, glancing back at him before putting on her helmet.

"Please go upstairs and sit down to watch."

Pei Yan was seated in the audience.

Six cars lined up at the starting line. Gu Yunjin's car was dark blue and sandwiched in the middle, completely inconspicuous.

The starting flag was lowered, and the engine roared to life.

For the first three turns, the dark blue car maintained a mid-range position, unhurried and calm, as if it were still warming up.

Pei Yan leaned back in his seat, thinking that his skills were alright, but also—

Then the fourth bend came.

The car suddenly accelerated as it entered the curve, its body almost scraping against the inner guardrail, a wisp of smoke rising between the tires and the ground.

Pei Yan leaned forward unconsciously, his hands gripping his knees.

He doesn't understand racing, but he understands what control is—that precision that allows you to navigate the edge of the limit without losing your composure.

Just like the top traders he had ever seen complete a perfect hedging trade in a fraction of a second.

The dark blue car overtook three cars on the bend, and after exiting the bend, it shot off like an arrow, widening the distance between them.

One lap, two laps, three laps—each turn is a precise, surgical cut, making other cars look like they're crawling in its presence.

Pei Yan stood up. He didn't remember when he had stood up.

When the car crossed the finish line on the last lap, the dark blue car was a full twelve seconds ahead of the second-place car.

There was a moment of silence, then several staff members led the applause.

The car came to a stop, the door opened, and Gu Yunjin stepped out, raising her hand to remove her helmet.

Her long hair was slightly disheveled, spilling out from under her helmet and falling over her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed slightly from the heat and adrenaline, and the stray hairs on her forehead were damp with sweat and stuck to her skin.

She walked towards the audience with her helmet in her arms, and when she reached him...

"Young Master Pei, this is much more interesting than going to sea, isn't it?"

Pei Yan looked down at her and remained silent for about three seconds.

In those three seconds, many things flashed through his mind—the obedient Gu Yunjin, the proper Gu Yunjin, the impeccable Gu Yunjin in front of all the elders, and the Gu Yunjin who had just left everyone far behind on the track.

The fragments were quickly pieced together, forming an outline he had never seen before.