The Heiress's Game

On her first day back at work, Dong Yuwei turned on her computer and synced the design drafts for the next season of the Flying Apsaras series from the cloud.

The drawings spread out on the screen gave her a brief moment of relief; the lines were still there, the colors were still there, and the details she had painstakingly crafted stroke by stroke in the Milan workshop were still there.

This was the only thing she didn't need to doubt.

Sitting in her office, she is the up-and-coming designer who made the entire jewelry line an instant hit.

She was a key talent that the company exceptionally sent to Milan for further training, and she was "Teacher Dong" whom colleagues would greet with a smile and a nod.

But as soon as she stepped out of that building, she became that stupid woman who had her apartment returned, her belongings sold, and her phone number blocked by Shen Ziqian.

This sense of division kept her mostly silent all morning. She wore headphones and silently edited images, barely even taking a few sips of water.

This matter cannot be left unresolved; it's not just about money, or at least not solely about money.

Shen Ziqian sold her things, returned her house, and treated her like an expired coupon, casually throwing her into the trash.

If even something like this can be left unresolved, then she'll face any hardship from now on, whether it's working late into the night or drawing blueprints until her wrist aches.

She would always remember the humiliation she suffered today, and she could not allow herself to get used to it.

The staff canteen was bustling with activity during lunchtime.

The jewelry design team members who went to Milan for training arranged to have dinner together today.

When Dong Yuwei walked over with her tray, Sister Fang had already taken a seat and was waving at her.

Fang Jie is a senior designer in the jewelry design department. She has been working in the jewelry industry for more than ten years. She always wears a snake bone chain that she designed herself on her wrist. It is exquisite and not to be trifled with.

Sitting next to her was Brother Song, who specialized in men's jewelry. He had short, stubby fingers, but the drawings he made were so exquisite that they could move even the sculptors to tears.

"Yuwei, over here!" Sister Fang dragged the chair next to her out a little.

"Why are your dark circles so bad? Are you still jet-lagged? Let me tell you, I slept for two whole days after I got back, and I still feel sleepy every afternoon."

"Sister Fang," Dong Yuwei put down her plate, sat down in a chair, and placed her hands on her knees as if to encourage herself.

"I have something I want to tell you."

Fang Jie paused for a moment while picking up food with her chopsticks, and she exchanged a glance with Song Ge.

"My boyfriend—now I should call him my ex-boyfriend."

Dong Yuwei took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened between her and Shen Ziqian from beginning to end.

Fang Jie's expression went from confusion to shock to anger, and finally to an almost demented disbelief as she looked at Dong Yuwei with the eyes of someone re-examining cultural relics.

"Yuwei, I only realized today that there are still old-fashioned, traditional women like you these days."

Dong Yuwei was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"Traditional women are the kind who think, 'If I'm good to you, you should be good to me too.'"

I've done so much for you, so you should cherish it.

I've given you my heart; even if you don't return it, at least you can't spit on it.

This kind of thinking, twenty years ago it would have been called being virtuous and capable; now, do you know what it's called?

"...What's your name?"

"Call them survivors," Brother Song chimed in from the side.

He finally stuffed the now-cold braised pork into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.

"The fact that your thinking has survived to this day in today's dating market without being completely exploited is purely a survivor bias."

Dong Yuwei opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't refute it.

"I don't know what I was thinking, I just felt... we've been together for four years, and we were a campus romance."

If I treat him well, he'll treat me well in return, right?

He was under a lot of pressure while pursuing his master's degree, so I thought I'd help him in any way I could.

He said the lab didn't have enough funding, and I couldn't let his research project fall apart.

He said his classmates all had new computers, but he was still using the old one from his undergraduate days, which was incredibly slow when running data, so I...

"You just transferred the money on your own initiative." Sister Fang was extremely shocked.

Dong Yuwei nodded.

Fang Jie took a deep breath, turned to look at Song Ge, her eyes asking, "Should I do it or will you?"

Brother Song picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, slowly put it down, and then held up one finger to Dong Yuwei.

"First, you have a misconception that needs to be corrected. You think that if you are good to him, he will be good to you in return. This is a logic of equivalent exchange that you believe in deep down."

But from my perspective as a man, Shen Ziqian wouldn't think that way.

He'll only think, "I'm so capable, my girlfriend is willing to spend money on me." He won't be grateful; he'll just think he's awesome.

Dong Yuwei's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Secondly," Brother Song held up another finger, "is he popular at school? He's a graduate student at Yunjing University, handsome, and a campus heartthrob for countless people?"

"That's not surprising." Sister Fang sneered and rested her elbows on the table.

"Yunjing University, a prestigious graduate student, and handsome—this kind of person would be the male protagonist in a campus romance novel."

Girls would peek at him on the street, and the cafeteria ladies would give him two extra pieces of meat when serving him food.

It's a great hunting ground on campus; you can easily hook naive young girls with just a smile.

You think you're his girlfriend, but actually you're his prey.

He enjoys being worshipped and pampered; once you're no longer of use to him, he'll move on to another hunting ground.

"So he treated me like prey for four years, and I thought I was in a relationship." Dong Yuwei laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Not only were you beaten for four years, but you also served as his zookeeper for four years."

Brother Song added, his tone carrying an indignation that said, "I'm a man too, but I just can't stand it."

"You pay for my tuition, you buy my computer, you pay for all the meals, you even cover the wedding gift for my roommate, Yuwei, do you know what that's called in our male circle?"

"What's your name?"

"Call him a big traitor." Brother Song showed no mercy.

Fang Jie kicked him under the table.

Dong Yuwei had lost all appetite.

"Looking back now, I realize how stupid I was."

"It's not the kind of stupidity of 'How could I do such a thing?', it's the kind of stupidity of 'I could have seen it clearly sooner, but I chose not to.'"

That month in Milan, I sent him messages but he didn't reply to a single one. I actually believed the excuse he made up: it was a secret mission, so we couldn't bring our phones.

How could a normal person not contact their girlfriend for a month?

I've known the admin at my company for less than three months, and she replies to my messages instantly every time I message her. I didn't even think there was anything wrong with it.

"Alright, alright," Sister Fang patted her on the shoulder.

"The fact that you can understand this now means that you haven't been completely brainwashed yet."

If you're still making excuses for him right now, then he's truly beyond saving.

How old are you? You just graduated two years ago.

The company is paying for your training in Milan, and you might even become the lead designer next year.

Your good days are yet to come, but his good days are over.

Think about it, a new employee at a big company with such terrible character, how far do you think he can go in his career?

Dong Yuwei was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"And you said he's a campus heartthrob?" Brother Song scoffed and put his chopsticks on the table.

"To be honest with you, campus heartthrobs are creatures whose bloom is extremely short-lived."

While in school, I was fawned over by a group of young girls who had never been in the workforce, and I really thought I was the best in the world.

Once he got into a big company, surrounded by peers who were smarter and more capable than him, his pride was no longer effective.

Then he'll know what it feels like to be publicly berated and brought to tears by his boss for not doing his job well.

"Aren't you a man? Why are you siding with outsiders?" Sister Fang glanced at him sideways.

"I am a man, but I am a human being first and foremost."

Brother Song said righteously, "Dong Yuwei transferred 150,000 yuan to that kid. If I were a woman, I definitely wouldn't spend that much money on a man."

At most, I'll treat him to hot pot, and even then, it'll be the kind with a group-buying deal.

Sister Fang couldn't help but laugh out loud, almost spitting out the food in her mouth.

Dong Yuwei smiled as well.

"Alright, let's get serious." Sister Fang stopped smiling and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"Yuwei, if you want to call the police, I support you."

That guy selling your things is unauthorized disposal of someone else's property, and taking the deposit back after canceling the lease is misappropriation. Both of these are civil disputes, but if they get serious, they could escalate to criminal charges.

You can't be afraid of trouble; the more you're afraid, the more you'll suffer. Do you have the transfer records on hand?

"Yes." Dong Yuwei took out her phone. "I've looked through every single transaction, including bank statements and WeChat transfers."

Last night at the hotel, I found all the bank transfer records from the past two years.

"Very good." Sister Fang nodded approvingly.

"Keep these pieces of evidence safe. Show them to the police when you report the crime. They can open a case just based on the transfer records."

But before you call the police, you need to think carefully—are you afraid of things escalating?"

"I'm not afraid," she said. "I've already embarrassed myself enough; now it's his turn to be embarrassed."