The Heiress's Game

Pei Xinzhi sat in his study, holding a glass of unfinished whiskey in his hand, with two half-smoked cigars stuck in the ashtray in front of him.

Madam Pei sat opposite him, twisting and loosening the handkerchief in her hand, her expression shifting from disbelief to disappointment.

"What exactly does the Gu family mean?" she finally couldn't hold back.

"Weren't things going well before? The news was out, and everyone knew that the Gu family and the Pei family were going to get married."

"Now you're canceling it just like that, without even giving a decent reason?"

"I've given you a reason," Pei Xinzhi said, his tone also unhappy.

"Gu Zhenxing made the call personally, and his words were very polite. He said that the personalities of the younger generation were not compatible, and Gu Yunjin wanted to focus on her career for the time being."

Ultimately, it's because the second daughter of the Gu family herself didn't want to.

"You don't want to?" Madam Pei slammed the handkerchief on the table.

"Where is Pei Yan not good enough for her? Family background, education, appearance, in what way is she not good enough for her?"

Isn't she herself just a second young lady of the Gu family with little presence?

Even if Su Wanning was famous back then, she was still an actress. She's been dead for so many years. Does she really think she's some kind of princess?

"It was the Gu family who proposed it first, and now they're just canceling it like that? What do they take the Pei family for?"

"Alright," Pei Xinzhi raised his hand, his tone extremely impatient.

"What you become isn't important, what's important is that Gu Zhenxing nodded."

He nodded, and there was no turning back.

You want to slam your fist on the table with him? Do you dare? Don't you know what kind of family the Gu family is, and what kind of family we are?

How many people in Dahai City could stand up to the Gu family and slam their fists on the table? Certainly not you.

Madam Pei did not refute him; she knew her husband was telling the truth.

The Pei family is considered a prominent family in Dahai City, but compared to the Gu family—not in terms of wealth, but in terms of foundation—they are still a step behind.

Gu Zhenxing's grandfather's generation had settled in Dahai City. The family was a powerful and influential family for three generations. The Pei family was, to put it nicely, a newly rich family, but to put it bluntly, in Gu Zhenxing's eyes, they were just a junior family that he could use.

This marriage was a step up from the start; if you succeed, you're winning; if you don't—you can't turn your back on it.

"Forget it," Pei Xinzhi sighed, "If Gujia isn't working out, then let's try another one."

"The Gu family isn't the only prominent family in Dahai City."

Madam Pei thought about it and agreed. "The second young lady of the Li family just returned from Cambridge, and the eldest daughter of the Zhou family is studying for her MBA at Stanford."

Although the Sun family's niece has no family background, her own design company is thriving—she excels in everything she does.

"Anyway, it's not going to be that guy surnamed Jin's turn."

"The key is," she said, turning her gaze to Pei Yan, who was standing by the window, "we can't delay any longer, Yan'er, come and sit down."

Pei Yan turned around from the window.

He was wearing a gray lounge shirt and his face was expressionless.

"You're not young anymore."

Madam Pei looked at him and said, "You'll be thirty after the New Year. Thirty is the age to establish oneself. When your older brother was your age, he had already taken over two business lines at Pei's Real Estate. What about you?"

"Your marriage is still undecided, and your career is stagnant. Your father and I have discussed it, and we must settle your marriage this year."

Pei Yan didn't speak, but merely lowered his eyes slightly, indicating that he had heard.

"I know who you're thinking of, but Jin Wei won't do. There's no room for discussion on this."

Pei Yan's fingers, resting on his knees, slowly tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"You should wake up a bit," Madam Pei said, picking up the hot tea that the maid had just brought in and blowing on the tea leaves floating on the surface.

"The daughters of wealthy families are different from the girls from ordinary families."

Gu Yunjin is the type who, if she doesn't like you, will directly confront her father and sit down in front of Gu Zhenxing to annul the engagement—think about it, would you dare to do that?

That's the difference. The environment they grew up in, the grand scenes they've witnessed, the resources and confidence they hold—these are things Jin Wei can never give you in her entire life.

Pei Yan did not refute.

"Let's forget about the Gu family's matter," Pei Xinzhi finally spoke up from the side, his tone gloomy.

"We won't force them if they're not willing, but from now on, we'll listen to your mother and arrange for whoever to meet with whom. Don't make any more excuses to back out."

Pei Yan remained silent for a long time.

"I see."

He stood up and walked towards the door.

Madam Pei added from behind, "Yan'er, I know you're upset. You think I'm ruthless now."

When you stand on a bigger stage in the future, you'll thank me for being ruthless today; then you'll understand.

Pei Yan paused for a moment at the door, then pushed it open and went out. He walked back to his room, closed the door, leaned against it, and looked up at the ceiling.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at it—it was Jin Wei's WeChat message. Her profile picture was a side profile photo taken at the beach before.

He didn't open it; he closed his eyes.

But what came to mind was what my mother had just said—"If it were you, would you dare?"

He dare not.

He hadn't even said "Let's get married" to Jin Wei for ten years, so how could he dare to sit down in front of Pei Xinzhi and say "I don't want an arranged marriage"?

Pei Yan leaned against the headboard, his phone screen lit up, showing his chat with Jin Wei.

The last message was sent by Jin Wei three days ago; it contained only four words: "I miss you."

He didn't reply; he didn't know how to reply.

Every time Jinwei said she missed him, he would call her immediately. Back then, he felt that these trivial words were the most comforting background noise in the world, like a radio station that would never be turned off.

But now he dared not listen—because hearing her voice made it impossible for him to continue deceiving himself.

He leaned back against the headboard, staring at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, two faces flashing alternately in his mind.

One of them is of Jin Wei—she turns around and smiles at him with her eyes crinkled, as if she doesn't want anything from him.

The other one was of Gu Yunjin—he couldn't imagine her wearing an apron, but he could picture her expression when she stood in front of Gu Zhenxing and said, "I will not marry Pei Yan," without the slightest hesitation.

Gu Yunjin. He didn't have a deep impression of this woman before, only knowing that she was the least favored daughter of the Gu family, a tool in a political marriage.

He even thought she was like him—arranged by her family, unwilling but powerless to resist.

Until that afternoon when she drove her race car and left everyone behind, the composure she exuded was something he had never seen in any of his peers in his entire life.

He compared her to Jin Wei.

The thought felt cruel to him, but his mind was out of control.

Jinwei followed him for ten years. During those ten years, she agreed to everything he arranged for her.

He said they couldn't make their relationship public, and she agreed.

He said his family didn't agree and it might take a long time, but she said it was okay, she could wait.

She never refused him, nor did she ever make any demands. He once thought this was the best kind of relationship—gentle, obedient, and without causing him any worry.

But now he realizes that this tenderness, under the heavy weight of reality, is as light as a piece of paper, easily blown away by the wind.

And what about Gu Yunjin? Gu Yunjin dared to sit alone in front of Gu Zhenxing and say that she didn't want to get married.

That's Gu Zhenxing—Gu Zhenxing, who can shake the entire business district with a single stomp in Dahai City.

Whenever Gu Mingyue suffered a grievance, she would rush to him and cry to complain. Pei Xinzhi would always greet him politely as Mr. Gu.

Gu Yunjin simply sat down in front of him and canceled the marriage proposal.

This is something Jin Wei couldn't do, and something many people can't do.

Pei Yan tried to imagine Jin Wei sitting in front of Gu Zhenxing—she would probably be too nervous to speak, or she would reveal her timidity as soon as she opened her mouth.

She had never been in that world before; she didn't understand those rules, couldn't say those kinds of things, and didn't even know what to wear to meet such people.

And what about him? He put himself in Gu Yunjin's shoes, trying to imagine himself sitting alone in front of Pei Xinzhi and saying, "I will not marry the person you have arranged."

Then he discovered that the screen was empty.

He couldn't imagine it, because he couldn't do it either.

He has lived for nearly thirty years and has everything that others envy—family background, education, appearance, a respectable job, and a woman who has loved him for ten years.

But when he laid them all out, he discovered that none of them were things he had earned himself.

His family background was a gift from birth, his education was bought with money from his family, and his job was arranged by his father. The people in the company who call him "President Pei" are not referring to his abilities, but to his surname.

Even Jin Wei's love—he didn't know if she would still love him if he didn't have the surname Pei, if he didn't have that money.

He had to admit that his parents were right.

When it comes to marriage, it's still important to find someone who is a good match in terms of social standing and economic status.

It's not that Jin Wei is bad, it's just that the rules of the game are different in this industry.

He could keep his relationship with Jin Wei a secret from his family for a year, two years, or even ten years, but he couldn't keep it a secret forever.

One day he will have to stand up and admit his choice in front of everyone—but he doesn't have that courage.

It wasn't there ten years ago, and it won't be here again ten years from now.