The Heiress's Game

Lu Xiao stood at the door of the Suiyuan Study, holding a brown paper document bag in his hand. He hesitated for two seconds before knocking.

He knew that once this report was submitted, some things would be settled.

Gu Yunjin took the file bag, pulled out the report inside, leaned back in her chair, and opened it.

The report was very thick, compiling everything that could be found about Pei Yan, from his personal resume and financial situation to his social circle and private life.

She skipped over the parts she already knew and flipped directly to the chapter on character relationships.

Jin Wei, a native of Yunzhou, graduated from Liqun Chinese University and is a project team leader at a translation company.

The first thing she saw was a photo—a profile picture, with her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled, looking incredibly clean.

Then she saw the timeline.

Not one or two years, but ten years. From the welcome party at the Chinese University of Hong Kong to the present.

They broke up in the middle, Jin Wei went back to Yunzhou, and recently came to Dahai City. She has been staying in the villa on the hillside with Pei Yan for the past few days.

She stared at the date for several seconds, then closed the report and placed it on the table, her voice laced with undisguised sarcasm:

"Ten years have passed, and these two haven't improved at all."

Lu Xiao stood in front of the desk without responding, waiting for her to continue.

Gu Yunjin turned to the page on Pei Yan's career resume in the report. "Pei Yan is a fairly prudent investor."

But after all these years, they still haven't been able to separate themselves from the family.

How many notable cases does he have? His investment platform and funds belong to the Pei family.

His connections belong to the Pei family; even the sports car he parked in front of his villa on the hillside has the Pei family's name on it.

He says he loves Jin Wei, but what has he done for that love all these years?

Can he break away from the Pei family and become independent? No.

Would he dare to slam his fist on the table and say to Pei Xinzhi, "I don't want an arranged marriage; I want to marry her"? No.

His career was dependent on his family, his life was dependent on his family, and of course, his marriage could only be arranged by his family.

Compared to Zhang Zhuoran, he's far inferior—Zhang Zhuoran dared to separate from his father's family, and he built his current fortune on his own; that's what you call having ability and courage.

What about Pei Yan? Ten years have passed. He can't bear to part with Jin Wei, and he can't let go of his identity as the second young master of the Pei family. He's been dragging things out like this, wasting both of their youth.

What else is this but trash?

Then she turned to Jin Wei's page, "Jin Wei, ten years of her life were wasted on one man."

I don't want money, I don't want fame, I don't want anything—I just want a sincere heart.

And the result? He gained neither money nor power.

Look at Julie. She's only been with my dad for a short time, yet she already has assets, international fame, trust funds, and ownership of her art studio.

Everything is clearly secured, and once everything is done, one can walk away at any time, ensuring a worry-free life of plenty. One can paint whenever one wants and travel whenever one wants.

What did Jin Wei get after ten years? A simple "I'll figure something out"?

She shoved the report onto the table. "Both of them are hopelessly in love. One lacks the ability to be independent, and the other lacks the courage to cut their losses. They've been entangled for so long, and they're still going in circles."

Lu Xiao asked, "Should we continue to push forward with the marriage alliance?"

Gu Yunjin shook her head, "No need, I don't want to marry someone who can't control their own life."

If he really has the guts to give up the Pei family's wealth and status and be with Jin Wei wholeheartedly, then I would respect him as a true man.

But he couldn't do it. He couldn't let go of the Pei family's status and position, nor was he willing to give up the woman he loved. He wanted both, but he was delaying both.

He shouldn't have been entangled with Jin Wei for so many years, wasting more than ten years of a girl's youth.

This kind of person cannot be my partner.

"I don't want to marry a good-for-nothing."

"Understood." Lu Xiao nodded.

"A husband is not someone to fulfill parents' expectations; a husband is a future partner."

He has to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, to shield me from harm in critical moments, and to provide financial support when I need his backing.

Pei Yan is no good. He can't even control his own feelings, so what can he control?

Gu Yunjin grew angrier the more she thought about it. "He provoked her, but he won't take responsibility. She had an abortion for him, and he's still agonizing over 'I love her, but my parents don't approve.'"

Calling this kind of man useless is being kind.

Lu Xiao put the report into a file folder, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Should we let President Gu know about Pei Yan's situation?"

Gu Yunjin looked up at him and said, "No need. Arranged marriage and free love are two different things."

Pei Yan and Jin Wei had been together for ten years, which was nothing in the context of a marriage between wealthy families.

Do you think my dad would care if he knew? He'd just say, "Men, who hasn't had a few relationships when they're young? Once you're married, you'll settle down."

Who is Jin Wei? A girl from an ordinary family, not even a competitor in his eyes, at most just a passing episode before Pei Yan's marriage.

Gu Yunjin picked up the coffee cup and found it had gone cold.

"The essence of the marriage alliance is the exchange of resources between two families, and Pei Yan's personal feelings are not on the exchange list."

Whether he has a woman he likes, and who that woman is, are negligible variables in the eyes of both sets of parents.

So even if my dad found out, he wouldn't cancel the marriage; instead, he'd push me even harder—he'd think we had leverage over Pei Yan, making him easier to control in the future.

Lu Xiao remained silent for a while, knowing that Gu Yunjin was right.

He now understands the attitude of these wealthy families towards arranged marriages—marriage is a contract, love is just fluff.

Lacey does not affect the validity of a contract; sometimes it can even add bargaining power to the contract.

"So you mean we're just going to let this matter drop?"

"For now, we don't need to worry about Pei Yan and Jin Wei. If I don't agree, the marriage alliance can't continue."

"Lu Xiao, do you know why I can make this decision without relying on my dad?"

Lu Xiao shook his head.

"Because I've been preparing for 'not being forced' since I was fourteen."

She pulled the curtains open a little, and sunlight streamed in through the gap, falling on her profile.

"When I was studying in the United States and the United Kingdom, the kids from wealthy families around me often drove sports cars to parties."

I sat alone in the library from opening to closing time, studying finance and law, trying to get two degrees at the same time.

After graduation, I was the only intern on Wall Street who arrived earlier than the cleaning staff every day.

It's not that I don't want to sleep in, it's that I know I have no way out.

Unlike Gu Mingcheng and Gu Mingyue, I don't have Gu Zhenxing paving the way for them.

I am the least favored daughter in the Gu family, and I could be packaged up as a bargaining chip for a marriage alliance at any time.

I don't want to be used as a bargaining chip by anyone; I have to be stronger than everyone else.

She turned to look at Lu Xiao, "I spent eleven years earning assets that many people couldn't earn in ten lifetimes, and built a capital group that serves only me."

Every project, every investment, every decision is made by me, Gu Yunjin.

No one can force me to do something I don't want to do.

"My dad's no good, the Pei family's no good, nobody can force me."