The Heiress's Game

Meng Wanqing had cultivated her influence in the elite social circles of Yunjing City for over a decade and understood one principle well.

Men conduct business over drinks, while women cultivate friendships at beauty salons.

This private club, located on the East Third Ring Road in Beijing, has an outrageously high membership threshold, with membership fees starting at six figures.

Any woman sitting in this VIP box could easily come from a family with a net worth of at least nine figures.

The people who came today are all those who are closest to Meng Wanqing.

Mrs. Lin is the wife of a real estate developer, while Mrs. Zhou's family runs a luxury goods agency in the Asia-Pacific region, and she is adorned with jewels from head to toe.

There was also Mrs. Fang, whose husband was a well-known private equity tycoon in Yunjing City. Her own family also had some influence in Taicheng. She and Meng Wanqing were practically from the same hometown and had the closest personal relationship. They often visited each other for tea.

Meng Wanqing lay on the facial bed, her face covered with a seaweed mud mask, enjoying the beautician's gentle massage with her eyes closed.

The ladies next to me were also wearing face masks, their faces covered in various colors, but their mouths were never idle.

After discussing the recently opened restaurants and niche designer brands in Yunjing City, the conversation naturally turned to children.

"Wanqing," Mrs. Lin said, her voice filled with genuine envy as she wore a gold face mask.

"Your Wenxiong is getting more and more capable. My husband was just saying the other day that Brilliant International's stock price has broken 100, that's incredible."

Meng Wanqing closed her eyes and said, "No, no, he was just lucky."

His family handed over Brilliant International to him, and he just followed the established procedures. Fortunately, the industry has been doing well these past two years, and he managed to get it listed on the stock exchange.

He's nowhere near as good as his older brother.

This was a flawless statement, acknowledging her son's achievements while subtly displaying humility, and also mentioning Bai Junze, making her appear as a magnanimous and impartial stepmother.

Meng Wanqing has honed this rhetoric for over a decade, reaching a level of consummate skill.

Mrs. Lin sat up.

"Bai Junze is impressive, we have to admit that, but his starting point was not the same as your Wenxiong's."

The Bai family's core resources were all invested in him, and Zhuo Shengnan's business also paved the way for him.

Wenxiong truly built Brilliant International on his own. How many years has it been since he took over Brilliant International? Not only has it gone public, but its stock price has also increased so many times.

In terms of real ability, I really have more faith in Wenxiong.

Mrs. Fang, wearing a face mask, couldn't speak much, but she nodded vigorously.

"Oh, please don't say that. It wouldn't be good if the children heard it."

Meng Wanqing waved her hand, her tone still amiable, but her eyes had already lit up.

Over the years in the Bai family, her Wenxiong has always been ranked behind Bai Junze. All the best resources, the best connections, and the best halo have been piled on Zhuo Shengnan's son.

Her son, who was no less capable than anyone else, could only take over the business of Brilliant International, which had been separated from the core business of the Bai family.

In front of the Bai family, she had to maintain a dignified and respectable demeanor, and never praised her son even once.

But here, among these wealthy women who knew nothing of the Bai family's background, she could finally stop hiding.

These women don't understand the difference between Zhuo Shengnan and her; they only understand stock prices and going public.

"Speaking of which, our Lao Lin signed a cooperation project with Brilliant International last month."

Seeing that Meng Wanqing smiled without saying a word, Mrs. Lin's tone changed from praise to probing.

"He came back and told me that Wenxiong's presence at the negotiating table was even more impressive than his father's when he was young."

Wanqing, we've known each other for so many years, I won't beat around the bush with you.

My daughter Linlin just turned 26 this year. She studied in the UK and is now working as an analyst at an investment bank. You've seen her, she's pretty, isn't she? When you have some free time, could you introduce her to these young people?

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhou immediately objected, ripped off her face mask, and raised her voice two octaves: "Hey, hey, Mrs. Lin, you can't cut in line!"

My daughter Wanqing and Wenxiong are the same age. They chatted for quite a while at the last charity gala, and I remember Wenxiong even praised Wanqing's design for winning an award.

"That's nothing, right? My Linlin and Wenxiong's industries are even related. Investment banking and listed companies have a lot to talk about professionally."

"What kind of logic is that? Are you looking for a daughter-in-law or a CFO? I think my Wanqing and Wenxiong are more compatible. One studied design and the other does investment. They complement each other perfectly."

Mrs. Fang finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Alright, alright, you two stop arguing."

This kind of thing is about fate, it's not an auction. My two daughters are either married or still young, otherwise I'd join the queue too.

After she finished speaking, she winked at Meng Wanqing, and the group of people laughed at the same time.

Surrounded by them, Meng Wanqing waved her hand gently, her tone carrying a mixture of genuine apology and feigned helplessness:

"I appreciate your kindness. Linlin and Wanqing are both excellent girls. It is their honor that they have chosen our Wenxiong."

However, Wenxiong is a stubborn kid. He's focused entirely on the company right now, and he won't even meet the women I've introduced him to.

Even as his mother, I couldn't persuade him. Young people these days have such strong opinions.

"That's because you haven't met the right person yet. When you meet the right person, all your thoughts will be on the company, and you'll forget about everything else," Mrs. Zhou joked with a smile.

"I hope so," Meng Wanqing smiled slightly.

The beautician continued to gently massage her face, the delicate fragrance of seaweed mud mixed with the sweet scent of rose essential oil filling the entire private room.

Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Zhou were chatting enthusiastically about whether they should organize a dinner party another day to invite all the children out to get to know each other. Mrs. Fang occasionally chimed in, and the atmosphere was relaxed and lively.

Meng Wanqing enjoyed the feeling of being pampered.

The Lin family? They're in real estate. A couple of years ago, they almost went bankrupt because they over-leveraged. This year, they've recovered a bit and started looking for powerful backers everywhere. They want to marry their daughter into the Bai family just to find a protective umbrella.

The Zhou family? Representing luxury goods may seem glamorous, but frankly, they're just high-level compradors. They don't have any core assets, and one day a brand could terminate their contract and send them crashing down from their pedestals.

As for Mrs. Fang, she was smart enough to know that her family wasn't wealthy enough, so she didn't even ask for the money.

One by one, they all wanted to push their daughters into the arms of their sons.

Meng Wanqing sneered inwardly. Her Wenxiong deserved the best—not only a good family background, but also intelligence, resourcefulness, and the ability to truly help.

Not just anyone can marry into this family with a sincere heart. True love? Can true love help Wenxiong get a bigger share of the Bai family's shares? Can it give him more leverage with the old man and Bai Junze?

The laughter in the private room continued. Meng Wanqing turned over and asked the beautician to massage her back.

Wenxiong's path must be paved, not with any random people these noblewomen throw at him, but with a marriage that can truly turn his life around.

I've been watching short dramas on Douyin every day these past few days, and some of them are really well-made. They write their own scripts and produce their own short dramas. There are so many talented people here.

The price per unit of this novel has been reduced again. It's so hard to write for love! After much deliberation, I've decided to finish it after writing a few tens of thousands more words, maybe even a hundred thousand.