The Heiress's Game

Gu Yunjin took a few steps and then stopped.

She glanced back—Jin Wei was still standing there. Pei Yan took a few steps toward her, then stopped. The two were about three meters apart, as if separated by an invisible river.

The waves crashed against the embankment, the white foam they splashed up turning a pale gold in the evening light before quickly dissipating.

Jinwei's tears were still flowing, but she didn't wipe them away. Instead, she gripped the handle of her suitcase tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white and blue.

Gu Yunjin rolled her eyes inwardly—not at Jin Wei, but at Pei Yan.

She'd gone to such lengths to pave the way, yet this Second Young Master Pei was still standing there like a telephone pole, unable to even walk over and hug her.

But she couldn't resist in the end, and she turned back to Jinwei.

"Miss Jin," she began.

"There's something you might not know yet. My marriage to Pei Yan has been cancelled, and an official announcement should be made in a few days."

Jin Wei was stunned.

Tears still clung to her eyelashes, her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but all the information in her mind collided at the same time, leaving her unsure which to process first.

The marriage alliance was called off? Then why did she slap Pei Yan when she just saw Gu Yunjin do that?

"So you read that right, I'm not marrying him."

Gu Yunjin seemed to sense her confusion and added a sentence.

"But Miss Jin, the annulment of the marriage alliance does not mean that you and he can be together."

If it weren't for me, Gu Yunjin, it would be someone else.

Miss Li, daughter of the Zhou family, Miss Sun—the socialites of Dahai City were lining up to marry into the Pei family.

However, that person is most likely not you.

Jinwei's tears welled up again, but this time she didn't let them fall. Instead, she bit her lower lip hard and swallowed back her sobs.

"So, don't get hung up on him," Gu Yunjin said.

Jin Wei lowered her head and remained silent for a moment.

Then she looked up again; her eyes were still red, and the tip of her nose was red too.

"Ms. Gu, thank you," she said, her voice hoarse.

"You really are... different from what I thought, unlike any of the heiresses I imagined."

Gu Yunjin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

"Maybe it's because my mother is just another version of Jin Wei," she said.

The voice was soft and calm, as if recounting an old story long since dried up by time.

"Miss Jin, here's a suggestion—ask Pei Yan for money."

Jin Wei was stunned.

So, wipe away your tears, raise your head, and ask Pei Yan for money.

Compensation for lost youth, compensation for emotional distress, call it whatever you want.

He's rich; the Pei family doesn't lack millions or tens of millions. With that money, he can go back to school, start a business, travel the world, or find a place where he's not around to start over.

You're twenty-eight this year, not eighty-two; you've only lived a third of your life.

Gu Yunjin spoke in a very pragmatic tone, as if she were helping a lost stranger plan the shortest route home.

Jin Wei remained silent for several seconds, then shook her head.

"No, if we take his money, our ten years together will become a transaction."

I was never with him because of money.

Taking this money would be an insult to our relationship.

Gu Yunjin looked at her, at this thin girl with red eyes who refused to bow her head, and was suddenly speechless.

With her eloquence, her logic, and her usual ability to convince any business negotiating opponent within three minutes—she was actually choked by a lovestruck man whose tears hadn't even dried.

Because she suddenly realized that Jin Wei's logic held true in her own world.

This woman loved someone purely, passionately, and without regard for the consequences.

She felt that accepting money was an insult, so for her, this love was something that couldn't be priced.

Gu Yunjin was silent for three seconds. Then she reached out and gently patted Jin Wei's shoulder.

"I hope that a few years from now, you won't regret the choice you made today."

However, you'll most likely regret it—don't hide away and cry alone then, go see a therapist.

She withdrew her hand, straightened the collar of her trench coat, and turned to walk towards the parking lot.

This time she didn't turn back; you can't wake someone who's head over heels in love by scolding.

No matter how many times you curse, it will still be the same. The lessons learned by our predecessors at the cost of their lives will never be copied by future generations.

Jin Wei stood there, watching the figure walk further and further away, getting smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared around the corner at the end of the promenade.

The waves continued to lap against the embankment.

Pei Yan was still standing three meters away, with a faint red mark still on his left cheek.

He took a step toward Jin Wei, this time finally taking a step.

Jin Wei looked at him, at his red eyes and moving lips, and she knew that she would eventually have to finish what she had to say to him.