The Heiress's Game

The engagement banquet was held in the resort hotel's largest banquet hall, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the infinity pool and the azure sea view. Roses and baby's breath were laid out from the entrance all the way to the main stage.

The guests attending the marriage between the Bai and Gu families were all wealthy and influential. As the matriarch of the Gu family, Wang Manyun was busy inside and outside the banquet hall from early morning, personally overseeing every detail.

But no matter how busy she was, she didn't forget another more important thing: from the moment Gu Mingyue stepped into the hotel, she kept a close eye on her movements.

Gu Mingcheng's side was no exception.

There were many people from the Bai family today. Gu Mingcheng, as the heir of the Gu family, accompanied and received them throughout the visit, but he did not forget to tell them to take care of his wife, Shen Ruotang.

"If Mingyue makes any moves, you can handle it directly without asking me."

So when Gu Mingyue had been in Gu Yunjin's dressing room for a long time and hadn't come out yet, the two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the dressing room.

The door to the dressing room was suddenly pushed open, and Wang Manyun and Shen Ruotang walked in quickly, one after the other.

As soon as the two entered, their gazes swept over everyone else and landed directly on Gu Yunjin.

"Yunjin, are you alright?" Wang Manyun walked quickly to Gu Yunjin, took her arm and looked her up and down carefully, her voice filled with worry.

"I heard there was some noise coming from the dressing room. I hope nothing happened?"

Shen Ruotang followed closely behind, circling around Gu Yunjin to make sure her engagement dress was intact and her makeup was untouched. She breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her tone remained tense.

"Today is a big day. The Bai family is all here. You can't afford any accidents."

Gu Yunjin put on a well-behaved and gentle smile.

"I'm fine, Mom, sister-in-law."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, turning her gaze to Gu Mingyue, as if she had suddenly remembered something, her tone innocent yet concerned.

"Big sister, what happened to your face? It was fine just now."

Upon hearing this, Qian Yuewei instinctively held her breath—this was truly a blow to the heart.

She slapped someone, and now she has to make the person she slapped lie for her in front of her stepmother and sister-in-law.

From the moment she entered until now, no one has even glanced at Gu Mingyue.

She sat in front of the vanity mirror, the bright red handprint on her left cheek becoming more and more obvious, a few strands of her carefully styled hair coming loose, and tears still welling up in her eyes.

But Wang Manyun and Shen Ruotang seemed to have a tacit understanding and ignored her disheveled state.

They only cared about Gu Yunjin—whether the marriage would proceed smoothly and whether the Bai family's future granddaughter-in-law would be unharmed.

At this moment, Gu Mingyue, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, seemed to have become invisible.

Gu Mingyue burst into tears. "Nothing happened. I just accidentally... bumped my face. It's okay."

After she finished speaking, she used all her strength to keep herself from crying out loud.

Wang Manyun knew perfectly well that the injury on Gu Mingyue's face was clearly a palm print, not a collision.

But she simply nodded slightly, her tone as indifferent as if she were discussing the weather: "It's alright."

As Gu Mingyue's sister-in-law, how could Shen Ruotang not see what that swollen palm print meant?

But she didn't say anything, or even ask a question. She simply raised her hand and beckoned Xiao Lin, who was guarding the door.

"Help Mingyue to the next room and have the makeup artist redo her base makeup to reduce the swelling. There's still time, don't delay."

Gu Mingyue was helped up from the chair by Xiao Lin like a puppet on a string.

As she reached the door, she paused for a moment, glanced back, but no one stopped her, no one gave her a second look.

Wang Manyun's phone rang. She answered it and said a few words. Then she told Gu Yunjin, "Come down when you're ready. The Bai family is all here." She then hurriedly left with Shen Ruotang.

The dressing room fell silent again. Qian Yuewei, who had witnessed the entire process from the corner, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She walked up to Gu Yunjin and looked her up and down with the same admiration one would show for a famous historical site, her voice filled with awe.

"Gu Yunjin, I really admire you more than just a little."

You hit her, and she still has to cover it up for you.

You rub salt into her wound in front of everyone, and she still has to smile and help you spread the salt evenly. I can't help but admire your methods.