The Heiress's Game

The online ridicule sparked by Gu Mingyue's episode of "Shining Life" hadn't subsided when the official account of "Walking with Brilliance" suddenly announced that the latest episode would air three days earlier than scheduled.

The statement said that "post-production is ahead of schedule and the video was released early to thank the audience for their enthusiasm," but anyone with eyes can see that this is just a ploy to attract viewers.

The other side just gave us an epic wave of popularity; it would be foolish not to capitalize on it.

Watermelon and egg tarts were naturally the first things I saw on screen.

The comments section was already buzzing with excitement—many people had come from the trending topic about Gu Mingyue.

Several comments floated across the screen: "Come see the real inspirational heroine," "Chen Cui, please don't mess up," and "I heard there's behind-the-scenes footage of GG filming this episode."

The main feature begins. This episode follows Chen Cui for a day—she took on a photoshoot for a mid-range luxury brand, with a very full schedule, starting makeup at six in the morning and shooting until late at night.

The director was a Frenchman brought in from Europe. He was a notorious perfectionist and would shoot a simple head turn dozens of times.

By the twelfth take, Chen Cui's high heels had worn a faint bloodstain on her heel. As the makeup artist squatted down next to her to touch up her concealer, she took a deep breath.

Filming continued until 2 a.m. The studio lights made everyone's faces look pale. Several young production assistants sat in a corner yawning, and even the director's coffee cup was empty.

The last one finally passed.

Chen Cui stepped down from in front of the camera, and the first thing she did was not to go to the lounge, but to turn to all the staff, put her hands together, and put her voice in a hoarse voice from staying up all night.

"Sorry, I wasn't feeling well and kept everyone waiting. I ordered some late-night snacks for everyone, they should be here soon."

The scene shifts to the interview room, where Chen Cui, without makeup and wrapped in a large beige scarf, sits in a chair, her fatigue evident on her face.

A voice-over asked her if her job was tough, and she thought for a moment and smiled.

"It would be a lie to say it's not hard, but it depends on what you compare it to."

I've done many jobs before, and in the sweltering summer, wearing a mascot costume, I would sweat profusely and almost get heatstroke.

Washing things in cold water in winter until my hands cracked—this job is very easy for me now, and the pay is high.

She laughed as she said this, "I cherish this opportunity very much."

Life is about striving and fighting while you're young. When you're old and look back, at least you won't regret not having tried your best.

Social media exploded before the show's ending theme song even finished playing.

The hashtag #ChenCuiWorksHard# immediately surged to the top of the trending topics list, forming a perfect mirror image of #GuMingyueWorksOvertimeUntil5AM#, which was still trending.

Xigua stuck the barbecue skewers into the cardboard box, picked up her phone, and started scrolling through the comments section.

The top comment reads: "Both are wealthy, but one complains about working overtime until 5 a.m. and her husband picking her up, while the other is still apologizing to everyone at 2 a.m. The difference is obvious."

The second take is even more sarcastic: "Gu Mingyue: My walk-in closet has two floors. Chen Cui: My heels are bleeding, director, let's do another take. One is showing off her wealth, the other is struggling."

The third point consists of only one line: "I used to think Chen Cui was scheming, but now I realize I was wrong. She's not scheming; she's genuinely suffered."

After reading the third point, Watermelon turned to Egg Tart and said, "Didn't you say Chen Cui was scheming before?"

Egg Tart blushed and pointed at the screen with a barbecue skewer, saying:

"Can't I become a fan now! Look at these two people together—Gu Mingyue's greatest achievement in this life is being born into a good family, while Chen Cui climbed out of the mud on her own."

I used to think it was a bit unethical for Chen Cui to climb over Gu Mingyue to get ahead, but now that I think about it, if Gu Mingyue deserved respect, who would dare to step on her?

Xigua swiped a few more times and suddenly burst out laughing: "Look at this one—'Gu Mingyue worked overtime until five o'clock, and her husband came to pick her up.'"

Chen Cui worked overtime until 2 AM and ordered late-night snacks for everyone. That's the difference between aristocrats and those who strive.

"Nobles my foot! They're just lucky to be born into the right family."

Egg Tart muttered to itself, then picked up another skewer and took a big bite, as if biting into this unfair world.

Just days after the episode featuring Gu Mingyue from "Shining Life" aired, online discussions not only didn't subside, but instead surged again due to Chen Cui's dedication in filming until 2 a.m. in the latest episode of "Walking with Brilliance".

Netizens edited the two clips together to create a comparison video, with each title being increasingly sarcastic.

"The Five-Point Princess and the Two-Point Warrior" "The Hardships of a Socialite vs. the Struggles of a Working Class"

The video garnered over 10 million views in less than 24 hours, with comments like "Chen Cui becomes a fan" and "Gu Mingyue becomes a hater."

When Gu Mingyue saw that video, she smashed her teacup against the wall.

She took two deep breaths and then called the driver to prepare the car.

Gu Mingcheng's apartment is in a high-rise building on the east side of Dahai City, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the river.

The decor is minimalist modern, with dark gray marble floors and walnut furniture, and every piece of furniture is precisely placed in its proper spot.

When Gu Mingyue came in, he was sitting in the study reading documents. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His sister always had the same expression whenever she came to see him—she had suffered a great injustice and needed him to support her immediately.

He used to try to coax her with a few words, but now he just leans back in his chair, crosses his arms in front of his chest, and waits for her to speak.

Gu Mingyue opened the comparison video, slammed her phone on his desk, her eyes red and swollen, it was hard to tell whether from anger or tears:

"Big brother, have you seen it? It wasn't enough that I was edited like that, now Chen Cui is deliberately trying to ride on my coattails."

—What do you mean by filming until 2 a.m., what do you mean by apologizing to everyone? She was just faking it!

They just wanted to put me down! And Gu Yunjin—that bitch even came to my house that day pretending to advise me not to go on variety shows.

She talks like she's doing it all for my own good, but then she gets her own show aired early to ride my coattails! She planned this all along! She's been scheming against me from the very beginning!

She became angrier as she spoke, "I can't touch 'Walking with Brilliance,' and Gu Yunjin's father protects her, but what about 'Shining Life'?"

That lousy show edited me like this. Go tell WanYu to cut all my scenes!

All of it! I don't want to see anything more about that show!

Gu Mingcheng neither looked at her phone nor answered her question.

He picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Do you know what you look like right now? Like a child who got punched and is now sitting on the ground crying, and you even delivered that punch yourself."

Gu Mingyue was stunned.

"What did I tell you last time?"

"Go and undermine Chen Cui's family and break them up."

Did you do it? No.

You turned around and went on some crappy variety show, dressed in haute couture and showing off your walk-in closet in front of the camera, and then told people you worked overtime until 5 a.m.

Are you trying to make yourself a bigger target? Gu Yunjin is more than happy for you to be on a variety show, and you actually went.

She even advised you not to go? Yes, she advised you against it because she knew you would do the opposite.

You're stepping right into her predicted path with every step, yet you feel like you're slapping her in the face.

Gu Mingyue's lips moved, and her eyes reddened even more.

"So, am I wrong to ask them to cut my scenes? That show didn't deserve me in the first place, and now that they've cut them out, at least—"

"You can't delete it," Gu Mingcheng interrupted her directly.

"Why?!"

"We live in the internet age, not the print media age."

Deleting videos is tantamount to having a guilty conscience, and having a guilty conscience is tantamount to admitting guilt.

If you delete it now, the entire internet will "archive and replay" it for you tomorrow.

You won't even have a chance to defend yourself then—because the original video is gone, but there are screen recordings saved by other users.

"Delete the video. The stupidest thing to do is to not respond, not explain, and let it die down on its own."

Once the next hot topic emerges, nobody will remember you anymore.

Gu Mingyue slammed the cushion onto the sofa, stood up, took a couple of steps in the study, and then turned around.

"So you're just going to let me put up with this? Let them keep insulting me? Gu Mingcheng, are you even my own brother?!"

You're not on my side, and you're even speaking up for the people who bullied me! That bitch Gu Yunjin, and Chen Cui—she's just a handbag carrier, what right does she have—"

"That's enough." Gu Mingcheng leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses and placed them next to the documents, pressed his temples with his fingers, and said wearily.

"Gu Mingyue, your greatest achievement in this life is that you were born into a good family."

It's not because you have any extraordinary abilities, nor because you are particularly smart or hardworking—it's simply because your surname is Gu.

"If you were born into an ordinary family, with your brain, you wouldn't even know if you were sold out."

He stood up, walked up to her, and looked down at her:

"Who can you beat? Can you beat Gu Yunjin?"

She was sent abroad at the age of fourteen and has lived alone ever since. She dared to slam her fist on the table with her father to break off the engagement and even took away eight or nine hundred million yuan.

What about you? You can't even beat Chen Cui.

People climb up from the bottom; every time you step on them, they bounce back, rising higher and higher with each step.

What about you? Did you listen to what I told you last time?

You ignored what I said, and now that you're being ridiculed by the entire internet, you come crying to me.

What about next time? You'll do the same thing next time, because you never learn from your mistakes.

Gu Mingyue stood there, her chest heaving violently, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

She reached out and grabbed a crystal ornament from the coffee table—an abstract swan that Gu Mingcheng had spent a long time bidding for at Sotheby's—as she held it up, Gu Mingcheng's cold voice rang out.

"That 3.2 million you have was bought back by Rongbaozhai. If you ruin it, I'll have someone send the bill directly to Zhao Zongheng's office."

Gu Mingyue's hand froze in mid-air. Three seconds later, she slammed the swan back onto the coffee table, then turned around, grabbed her Hermes bag, and slammed the door shut without looking back.