The Heiress's Game

It was past noon when the car entered the resort. The October sun of Yunjing shone through the car windows, bringing with it the unique clarity and dryness of autumn in the north.

The villa is built against the mountain, with white walls and black tiles hidden in layers of maple forest. The maple leaves are at their most vibrant red, and when the wind blows, they fall into the pond, spreading a flowing red across the water.

Bai Junze parked the car in front of the reception area, and the two walked along the stone path inside.

He glanced around at his surroundings and, unusually, gave Bai Tianyi's recommendation a high score in his mind.

The fishing area is a wide pond with a calm, mirror-like surface, reflecting several crooked willow trees on the bank and layers of red maple leaves in the distance.

The two rented fishing rods and bait, and found a shady spot to sit down.

Gu Yunjin cast the fishing line into the water with a practiced and skillful motion. Bai Junze sat next to her, holding the fishing rod with equal care.

Then the two began a long wait. Half an hour passed, and the float remained motionless.

An hour passed, and the float remained completely still.

Gu Yunjin changed his position, Bai Junze changed his bait, and cast his line again. The water was so calm it seemed to be mocking them.

And less than five meters away from them, a seven or eight-year-old boy had already pulled up his fourth fish.

The fish bucket next to him was splashing and churning with so many fish that they were almost overflowing.

"Perhaps we're sitting in the wrong place," Bai Junze said objectively, staring at his motionless float.

"Yes, it might be a matter of wind direction," Gu Yunjin echoed objectively.

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously put away their fishing rods, stood up, and returned the empty fish bucket to the old man who rented them the equipment.

The old man took the bucket, glanced at the bottom, then at the little boy's bucket full of fish next door, and said nothing, but his eyes clearly said, "Two adults can't catch as many fish as one child."

"Let's go," Gu Yunjin said decisively, brushing the dust off her hands. "Let's go crayfish fishing."

The shrimp fishing spot is deep inside the mountain resort; you have to walk along a small bluestone path for a while.

The further you go in, the fewer tourists there are, and gradually only the birdsong overhead and the babbling of the stream at your feet remain.

At the end of the path, the view suddenly opens up, revealing a crystal-clear stream winding down from the foot of the mountain. The water sparkles with silver light in the sunlight, and a huge wooden waterwheel stands by the stream, turning slowly, its spray creating a delicate rainbow in the sunlight.

There was no one around, only the creaking of the waterwheel, the rushing of the stream washing over the stones, and the occasional birdsong from the distant woods.

The two found a flat rock by the stream and sat down.

Bai Junze baited the hook and cast it into the water, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

In less than five minutes, he pulled up the first crayfish, its claws gripping the bait tightly and refusing to let go.

A few minutes later, the second and third fish took the bait one after another, and the water bucket at his feet gradually began to make splashing noises.

He picked up the fourth shrimp and turned to look at Gu Yunjin, who was sitting not far away.

Her shrimp fishing rod was placed by the stream, and the float drifted on the water for quite a while, the line even becoming loose.

She lifted the rod and saw that the bait had already been eaten.

His tone was laced with undisguised amusement: "Got nothing? You can go home empty-handed even when shrimp fishing?"

"You already have plenty of shrimp over there." Gu Yunjin re-baited the fish with a blank expression, cast the rod back into the water, and didn't even turn her head.

Bai Junze stood up and walked to her side, looking down at her float: "How about I teach you? When you bait the hook, you have to bury the whole hook in, without showing the tip. When the shrimp bites, the float will tap lightly twice. Wait for it to drag you away before lifting the rod. Lifting it too early will cause the shrimp to loosen its grip."

Gu Yunjin stared at the water without saying a word, and then did as Bai Junze said. She thought that she would definitely be able to catch a crayfish next time.

Then Bai Junze caught a lot of crayfish. Gu Yunjin stared at her bamboo pole, which hadn't moved at all, and then looked at the crayfish that had almost filled the bottom of Bai Junze's bucket. She narrowed her eyes.

Then she did something that was very out of character for the second young lady of the Gu family—she put down the bamboo pole, walked behind Bai Junze, and poked his side.

Bai Junze was staring intently at the water when she suddenly poked him, causing him to drop the bamboo pole from his hand.

He instinctively dodged to the side, but his foot slipped on the wet moss by the stream, and he instantly lost his balance.

He instinctively reached out, which caused her to fall down as well.

The two of them fell together onto the grassy bank of the stream, crushing a patch of unidentified white wildflowers.

Gu Yunjin fell beside him, her hair spreading out on the grass, covered with a few blades of grass and tiny flower petals.

Her eyes shone like stars filled with water, and Bai Junze lay on his side facing her, so close that he could almost count the number of her eyelashes.

Sunlight filtered through the blades of the waterwheel, casting dappled shadows on her face. His reflection lingered in her beautiful eyes, and her smile had not yet faded.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Gu Yunjin's breath caught in her throat for a moment. She instinctively closed her eyes. His hand supported the back of her head, his fingers running through her loose hair. She could feel the slight tightening of his knuckles.

A warm touch came to her lips, unhurried and gentle. For the first time, the sophisticated machine in her mind went blank, and she couldn't remember anything.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally couldn't help but push him away, panting heavily, her entire face flushed red from the tips of her ears to her neck.

"Take a breath." Bai Junze's voice was a little hoarse. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, he kissed her again.

This time it was slower and longer than before, as if confirming something that should have been confirmed long ago.

The waterwheel creaked and turned, the stream flowed gurgling, and the shrimp claws in the lobster buckets tapped against the bucket walls, making a soft, tinkling sound.

After a long while, he released her, his forehead pressed against hers, his breathing as erratic as hers.

Her face was still flushed, but the blush at the corners of her eyes was even deeper than before.

Bai Junze's face also turned red. The two of them sat on the grass by the stream, neither of them speaking first. They just looked at each other for a moment and then looked away at the same time.

His fingers were still on her shoulder, not letting go.

The maple leaves in the distance were blown down by the wind, swirling and drifting into the stream, turning a corner with the current, and disappearing behind the wooden paddle of the waterwheel.