The Heiress's Game

Mrs. Lin invited Mrs. Zhao to her home to try on the newly arrived autumn haute couture. The designer personally arrived with his assistant and two large boxes of sample garments. A portable fitting mirror was set up in the living room, and the sofa was covered with silk, cashmere, and tweed fabrics.

Mrs. Lin changed into a smoky gray cashmere coat, turned around in front of the mirror twice, and felt that the lines of the neckline were not smooth enough.

Mrs. Zhao, who was sitting on the sofa looking through fabric samples, spoke up.

"Hey, have you heard? Meng Wanqing has been asking around to introduce Bai Wenxiong to potential partners lately."

Mrs. Lin's hand stopped at her collar, and she glanced at Mrs. Zhao through the mirror.

Of course she had heard about it. Not only had she heard about it, but she knew far more about it than Mrs. Zhao did.

She had heard Meng Wanqing's pronouncements in high society circles through several different channels—things like "a clean family background is enough," "a girl's good personality is the most important," and "family background is not the most crucial thing; the key is that the two people get along."

When Mrs. Lin first heard these words, she almost thought there was something wrong with her ears.

Is this still the same Meng Wanqing who put on airs in the beauty salon and subtly rejected Yu Tong without leaving a trace?

"Her request," Mrs. Lin said, taking off her coat and handing it to the designer.

The tone was sarcastic: "The price drop is not just a little bit."

"Right!" Mrs. Zhao put the fabric sample on the coffee table and sat up straight from the sofa. Clearly, this topic was more interesting to her than the sample garment in her hand.

"Before, she always said things like, 'My Wenxiong is still young, there's no rush.' How come the tone has changed so quickly? Suddenly it's 'as long as his family background is clean,' don't you think she's...?"

Mrs. Zhao considered her words carefully, and finally chose a more dignified way of putting it: "Suddenly become pragmatic?"

Mrs. Lin chuckled. She turned to the designer and said, "Keep this one for now, I'll take a look at the camel-colored one," while the designer went to the other end of the room to rummage through the sample boxes.

She then sat down on the sofa next to Mrs. Zhao.

"It wasn't some sudden pragmatism; she had no other choice. Bai Wenxiong got into trouble. Did you know about Brilliant International's delisting?"

Mrs. Zhao's eyes widened: "Delisted? Brilliant International is delisted? Wasn't it supposed to be just stock price fluctuations? My husband mentioned it a while ago, saying that Brilliant International's stock price had fallen sharply, but it was being delisted—"

"It was delisted. Banks forced liquidation, panic selling caused the stock price to plummet uncontrollably."

"You didn't know? That's right, some of the news was suppressed, but it's already spread throughout the industry." Mrs. Lin leaned back on the sofa and held up a few fingers.

"In order to support the stock price, Pak Man-hung previously drove up the price of Brilliant International to 120 yuan."

The bank has exceeded the collateral risk limit and is demanding an additional 500 million yuan in margin.

Meng Wanqing and her family poured all their cash into the scheme, but the hole still couldn't be plugged.

Banks forced liquidation, triggering panic selling in the market and causing stock prices to plummet.

That wasn't the end of it. Pak Man-hung also signed a performance-based agreement with an international capital firm. When the stock price plummeted, he lost several hundred million more.

Bai Jingchuan also contributed money, investing at least seven or eight hundred million yuan in total.

Mrs. Zhao gasped, "Seven or eight hundred million?!"

"What does 700 to 800 million mean? Some small listed companies don't even have that much in total market capitalization."

Mrs. Lin's tone changed from gloating to a more genuine sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or sympathy). After all, it was not a pleasant thing for such a huge number to evaporate from the hands of any family.

"Brilliant International has now been delisted. Bai Wenxiong has lost a total of several billion yuan. It's hard to say whether he can ever make a comeback."

Mrs. Zhao was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses. She picked up the now-cold black tea and took a big gulp to calm her nerves.

"When Meng Wanqing introduced Bai Wenxiong to Xiaoying, she was thinking..."

"Trying to use her daughter-in-law's dowry to fill the hole, huh?" Mrs. Lin sneered, her smile tinged with disdain.

"She has no money left. Her son has gambled away all her cash, her real estate has shrunk drastically, and she can no longer make any money from the properties in her family home in Taicheng."

Her only remaining option is to find a wealthy in-law family and use their daughter's dowry to help her son improve his financial situation.

Mrs. Zhao's expression changed, and she hesitated, saying, "But Bai Wenxiong is, after all, the grandson of the Bai family. What about the old master of the Bai family—"

"What about the old man? I'll tell you something and you'll understand."

Mrs. Lin put down her teacup. "The old man is as clear-headed as a mirror. He knows better than anyone who is truly capable and who is just all show and no substance."

"Such a big thing happened to Bai Wenxiong, and the old man hasn't made a single phone call yet. Think about it, think about it carefully."

Mrs. Zhao fell silent. The sunroom remained quiet for a while, with only the designer carefully arranging the clothes racks not far away.

Mrs. Zhao suddenly remembered something, looked up and said, "But just a few days ago, Mrs. Fang was saying that she was talking to Meng Wanqing about her daughter—"

"I'll talk to Mrs. Fang," Mrs. Lin said seriously.

"Meng Wanqing is fishing now, she's indiscriminate in her pursuit of money. Whose money isn't earned through hard work? Why should she use it to fill the hole in her son's pocket?"

If she's truly sincere, she should first settle the accounts owed by Brilliant International to its suppliers and minority shareholders before its delisting.

Families in our circle with daughters should keep in touch so that no one gets scammed without even realizing it.

It's not a pleasant story to talk about, but it's better than actually marrying your daughter off to someone only to find out you've jumped into a fire pit.

Mrs. Zhao nodded and gave a bitter smile: "I thought marriages in wealthy families were all about matching social status and adding to each other's happiness. I never imagined there would be people who treat their daughters-in-law as a lifeline."

"Marrying someone of equal social standing is a prerequisite for adding to one's happiness. If the brocade is gone, where will the flowers come from?"

"At the time, I thought she had suddenly changed her personality, but it turns out she was paving the way."

But then again, which of the wealthy families in Yunjing City isn't shrewd and capable? Which of their parents hasn't spent decades navigating the business world?

Bai Wenxiong lost billions, Brilliant International was delisted, and Meng Wanqing's cash flow dried up. Who can keep these things from us?

"It can't be hidden." Mrs. Lin's tone was crisp.

"Even if we take a step back and assume that someone doesn't read the news or ask for information, and is simply captivated by Pak Man-hung's face and his mother's smile."

Do you think that family would be so foolish as to not even sign a prenuptial agreement? In Yun Jingcheng, which of these wealthy families doesn't have a clear prenuptial agreement when their daughters get married?

The purpose of the dowry was written out item by item in the agreement? Trying to use the daughter-in-law's dowry to fill the son's financial hole—this scheme is so cunning, it's laughable.