The Heiress's Game

Meng Wanqing invited Gu Yunjin to afternoon tea. Meng Wanqing wore a light purple silk cheongsam with a thin cashmere cardigan over it.

Seeing Gu Yunjin enter, she turned her head and smiled.

"Yun Jin is here." Meng Wanqing raised her hand, indicating to the waiter that tea could be served.

"Please have a seat. Our Oriental Beauty tea just arrived today, and I asked the owner to reserve a pot for us."

Gu Yunjin sat down opposite her.

"Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Meng." Gu Yunjin took the teacup from the waiter, smelled the aroma of the tea, and did not drink it in a hurry.

"Yun Jin," Meng Wanqing said with concern, "I heard the other day that something happened to your company's dating reality show?"

"Yes. The male guest had some issues, so the show was taken off the air."

"Sigh, I've heard about it too." Meng Wanqing sighed, her brows furrowing slightly, looking genuinely worried for her.

"This is such a bolt from the blue. A perfectly good program, gone just like that. I heard the losses are considerable? Several hundred million?"

"It's still being calculated," Gu Yunjin said.

Looking at her nonchalant demeanor, Meng Wanqing secretly sneered inwardly.

Keep pretending.

In all her years in the Bai family, what kind of situation hadn't she seen?

For a small company like Xingyao Media, several hundred million yuan is by no means a small sum. She didn't believe Gu Yunjin wouldn't feel the pain.

But her face still held that gentle expression.

"It's good that you young people can handle things, but don't be too reckless. Money can be earned back if you lose it."

"Our family doesn't rely on that show to make a living. Consider it a lesson learned, something that could cost hundreds of millions. Don't take it to heart."

Gu Yunjin gave a faint "hmm".

Meng Wanqing didn't seem to mind her coldness.

"But speaking of which, Yun Jin, have you ever considered—trying a different approach?"

"Which direction?"

"A movie." Meng Wanqing's eyes lit up, her voice filled with excitement.

"The film market is booming. Have you seen those films from last year? They only cost 70 or 80 million yuan to make, but they grossed over a billion yuan at the box office. That return on investment is top-notch anywhere."

"You come from a content creation background; you have aesthetic sense, resources, and connections. Isn't making movies much more respectable than doing variety shows? And the money comes in much faster."

Meng Wanqing continued with a smile, "If you're interested, I can help you make the connection."

There are several celebrities in Taicheng who have a lot of popularity and a large fan base in mainland China.

Invite them to star in the film, and find a big-name director to oversee it—just imagine, a combination of a popular star and a great director, once it's on the market, pre-sales will easily exceed 100 million.

The filming period is also short, taking two months to complete and three months for post-production, so the film can be released and generate revenue within six months.

"If it bounces back several times over, won't we make back all the losses from the dating reality show?"

She spoke lightly and confidently, as if describing a smooth road paved with flowers and money.

"I appreciate Aunt Meng's kindness."

Gu Yunjin declined, "However, Xingyao's business direction for the next few years has already been set, and we are not considering expanding into film and television production for the time being."

There's still a lot to do in the area of ​​commercial ventures related to variety shows. My energy is limited, and I can't expand too much.

Meng Wanqing's smile froze for a moment.

"Yes, yes. You are a child with your own opinions and you do things in your own way, which is something Junze is like in you."

Since you've already made up your mind, I won't say anything more.

She smiled gently and harmlessly, "But if you ever need Aunt Meng's help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. We're family."

"Of course," Gu Yunjin smiled, "We're family, no need for formalities."

-------

In the afternoon, Meng Wanqing went to the appointment again. When she pushed open the carved wooden door, her old friend was already sitting in the private room, having drunk half a pot of Tieguanyin tea.

"Being fifteen minutes late is not like you, Miss Meng."

Su Nianrong put down her teacup and looked at her with a half-smile.

Meng Wanqing calmly placed the Hermes bag on the low rattan stool next to her, adjusted her shawl, sat down opposite her, and then slowly began to speak.

"Traffic jams on the road. In Yunjing, traffic jams start as early as 2 PM, much worse than in Taicheng."

Su Nianrong scoffed, clearly not believing her.

She and Meng Wanqing have known each other for decades. They've been hanging out together since they were in school uniforms at Taicheng Girls' High School. Who doesn't know who the other is?

There are only two possibilities when Meng Wanqing is late: either she doesn't want to arrive early, or she deliberately makes others wait.

Neither of them has anything to do with traffic jams.

However, Su Nianrong didn't ask her out today to argue about those fifteen minutes.

"Hey, seriously," Su Nianrong leaned forward, "Just who exactly is your daughter-in-law?"

Meng Wanqing paused, her hand holding the teacup still. "You mean Yun Jin? Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

"What do you mean by suddenly?" Su Nianrong rolled her eyes.

"Your son has only been married for a few months? Three months? Four months?"

Such a big matter, and you dismissed it with just a few words over the phone. I haven't even seen many photos of the bride.

When did our Miss Meng become so incompetent?

Meng Wanqing smiled but did not reply.

Su Nianrong continued, unwilling to give up, "And let me tell you, it's not just me who's curious."

Last time in Taicheng, Mrs. Lin and the others were asking about the background of the eldest son of the Bai family who married his wife. They couldn't find many photos of her online. Isn't that strange?

"Nothing surprising," Meng Wanqing said calmly.

"She studied abroad from a young age and later worked in Dahai City, so she didn't have much contact with many people in the industry."

In addition, there's the person she is—how should I put it—she doesn't like to show her face in public.

I've invited her to the social gatherings of wealthy women in Yunjing City several times, but she doesn't come eight out of ten times. Even when she does come, she only stays for a short while before leaving.

The ladies wanted to get to know her, but they couldn't find the door.

She said this with a helpless tone, like a good-natured mother-in-law tolerating a young daughter-in-law who is not very sensible.

Su Nianrong could certainly understand the implied meaning. Her eyes lit up, and she put down her teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"Is he difficult to get along with?"

"Not really." Meng Wanqing shook her head.

"Well... you know, the young lady. She grew up in a golden house, never experienced hardship or storms."

At the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, having read a lot of books, he felt that he knew everything and could handle anything.

But what does she really know? Law and finance degrees are certainly impressive, but there are many things in this world far more complex than legal statutes and financial statements, things she may not even be familiar with.

Su Nianrong listened and nodded, then smiled meaningfully.

Seeing her expression, Meng Wanqing knew that she had understood the unspoken meaning, so she continued speaking.

"Actually, there's not much to say. The Gu family is indeed the one in Dahai City."

She gave a thumbs-up and said, "The top tier. Her grandfather made his fortune in shipping."

Later, they went into real estate and finance, and their wealth was so great that we small families in Taicheng couldn't even dream of it.

Yun Jin grew up in a life where she never got what she wanted. What kind of cunning or scheming could you expect her to develop? That's unrealistic.

"And how are things going with her and Junze..." Su Nianrong asked tentatively.

"That's good." Meng Wanqing smiled, her face showing a tolerant expression that said, "They're just young people."

"Junze treats her well, and she cares about Junze too. But as you know, Junze's personality is just like his mother's; he's always at the company, so the two of them don't really have much time to spend together."

Yun Jin also runs her own media company, and she's busy all day long.

Young people are all like that; things will probably get better in a couple of years when they have kids.

She spoke casually, but Su Nianrong automatically interpreted it as meaning something else entirely—that the young couple's feelings for each other weren't deep.

This is quite interesting. Su Niannianrong has been watching this play by the Bai family in Taicheng for over ten years.

From Bai Jingchuan falling into the sea, losing his memory, and ending up in Taicheng, to Meng Wanqing taking her child back to Yunjing with him, and then to Bai Jingchuan divorcing his ex-wife, every episode is full of exciting developments.

Now that they've added a daughter-in-law with powerful connections, who knows what new tricks they'll come up with next.

"According to you, this Miss Gu is quite easy to manipulate."

Meng Wanqing turned her head and looked at the small dry landscape garden outside.

Whether it's easy to handle or not, it's hard to say right now.

"But you're right. A twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old heiress from a wealthy family has been too well protected since childhood and has never even seen the different faces of this society."

She's still a long way from establishing herself in Yunjing City.

Su Nianrong smiled knowingly and raised her glass to clink with hers.

"Then this is going to be interesting."

"There's no need for such drama." Meng Wanqing gave her a reproachful look.

"The new tea chef here is quite skilled; you should try this pineapple cake."

Su Nianrong didn't ask any more questions. She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of pineapple cake, took a bite, and nodded in admiration.

The two tacitly shifted the topic away from Gu Yunjin and started talking about the recent situations of old friends in Taicheng—whose son was getting married, whose daughter had divorced and remarried, and whose stocks had recently plummeted.

The two chatted and laughed, and the scene looked no different from any other gathering of old friends in the world.