The Heiress's Game

Bai Lingfeng invited his four sons to go fishing at an old reservoir on the outskirts of Yunjing City.

Although it's called a reservoir, it was actually bought by the Bai family years ago and turned into a private fishing ground. The water surface is wide, surrounded by mountains and dense pine forests. Apart from the occasional birdsong and the sound of fish tails slapping the water, it's so quiet that it feels like it's in a different world from Yun Jing City.

The old man was a prominent figure in the business world throughout his life, and his greatest hobby in his old age is fishing. Today, he invited all four of his sons, not one less.

The eldest brother, Bai Jingshan, arrived first.

He is in his early sixties and is the one of the three brothers who most resembles the old man in his youth. He has strong features and a rebellious air about him.

Unfortunately, he misused this arrogance. He spent his entire life in a nominal position within the Bai Group, never gaining any real power, but his temper was bigger than anyone else's.

He sat down by the reservoir with his fishing tackle box in his hand, muttering to himself, "I came all this way just to fish."

The second brother, Bai Jingchuan, arrived later. He didn't look well, and his dark circles were more pronounced than usual, clearly indicating that he had been quite troubled by Bai Wenxiong's mess recently.

He didn't say much. He nodded to the boss as a greeting, then sat down on the wooden boardwalk by the reservoir, set up his fishing rod, and stared at the water, seemingly lost in thought, whether he was watching the fish or something else entirely.

The third brother, Bai Jinghai, arrived late, carrying a high-end fishing tackle bag and wearing a brand-new fishing vest. He looked like he had just come from a golf club.

As he baited the hook, he joked that whoever caught the fewest fish today would treat everyone to dinner. The eldest brother didn't respond, and the second brother didn't say anything either. He chuckled twice and then awkwardly fell silent.

The fourth brother, Bai Jing'an, arrived last. He didn't bring any fishing gear, but he carried a thermos containing chrysanthemum tea that his wife, Wang Shuhui, had brewed early that morning.

He walked over to the old man, placed the thermos on the small table next to the old man, and then quietly sat down in the farthest chair. He took out a bag of sunflower seeds from his pocket and slowly started cracking them open.

He never got involved in the power struggles between his brothers, and he knew he wasn't qualified to.

Among the four Bai brothers, he was the weakest and had the lowest profile, but he had one great advantage: he was self-aware.

The old man sat in the middle of the rattan fishing chair, his fishing line hanging motionless on the water. All four of his sons were there, but he didn't rush to speak. He simply adjusted the position of the float and squinted at the shimmering waves on the water.

After a long time, so long that the third brother was starting to get restless, he finally spoke.

"I called you here today because there's something I need to tell you."

The old man spoke slowly, "I'm getting old, and I've already made arrangements for what needs to be made after my death."

The four people fell silent at the same time, even Bai Jing'an, who was peeling melon seeds, stopped what he was doing.

"I have left all the shares of the Bai Group to Junze. All the formalities have been completed and notarized."

The eldest brother, Bai Jingshan, was the first to stand up. He knocked his fishing rod to the ground, and the fishing line got tangled in the railing of the wooden walkway. He didn't bother to pick it up, and his face turned bright red.

"Dad! Are you getting senile? All four of us brothers are still alive, and you're giving all the shares to a grandson? What kind of logic is that! We brothers have worked at the Bai family for so many years; even if we haven't made any great contributions, we've certainly put in a lot of hard work—"

Bai Jinghai stood up immediately afterward, threw the fishing rod in his hand aside, and his voice was even shriller than his older brother's.

"Yes, Dad, we know Junze is capable, but we uncles haven't been idle either! Aren't you being too biased?"

The old man stood up and turned to his two agitated sons.

He is almost ninety years old this year, and his back is already somewhat hunched.

"Merit? Hard work?"

"Boss, you're talking to me about achievements? You've worked at Bai's for thirty years, and you haven't met your performance targets even once."

Your son Junyuan is exactly like you, but he hasn't learned any skills, though he has surpassed you in his ability to spend money.

Third brother, in what way are you better than the eldest brother? How many families could you support with your annual dividends?

Did I try to persuade you when your daughter Junyao got married? You didn't listen, and now you're making a huge fuss about getting a divorce.

She kept a gigolo, and now he's using her money to go find his mistress! You've completely disgraced the Bai family!

He took another step forward, pointing his finger from the eldest brother to the third brother.

"You are all from families who have arranged marriages, and your marriages are a mess. The younger ones are following suit."

Look at the children you've raised—which one is successful? Which one can handle anything? Are they really going to be handed over to you?

He sneered, and the sound echoed over the reservoir, startling several birds in the pine forest into flight.

"If I leave this to you, the Bai Group will go bankrupt within ten years!"

The eldest and third sons were scolded until their faces turned pale and then red, their lips trembling as they tried to retort, but under the old man's sharp gaze, neither dared to utter another word.

Bai Jingchuan sat silently on the wooden boardwalk, holding his fishing rod in both hands. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Dad, I have no objection to your decision. It's just that Junze is still young, and the Bai Group is such a large operation."

Could it be that we uncles could lend a hand, so that if anything goes wrong, we'd have someone to discuss it with?

He didn't finish his sentence.

The old man turned around and looked at him. When he was scolding the eldest and third sons, his eyes were full of anger, but when he looked at Bai Jingchuan, his eyes were more complicated.

There was disappointment, regret, and a hint of resentment that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally about to burst forth.

"How dare you say that?" The old man's voice suddenly rose, his withered finger pointing at Bai Jingchuan's face, the tip almost poking his nose.

"If we don't hand it over to Junze, are we going to hand it over to you? If we do, will we all end up with the Meng surname?!"

The color drained from Bai Jingchuan's face in an instant. The fishing rod slipped from his hand, bounced on the wooden boardwalk, and rolled into the water, creating a silent ripple.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, to defend himself, to deny it, to say that he had never had the idea of ​​handing over the Bai family's assets to the Meng family.

But he found he couldn't bring himself to say it, because he had indeed let Meng Wanqing interfere in too many things, and he had indeed paved the way for Bai Wenxiong time and time again under Meng Wanqing's influence.

He didn't know how many things Meng Wanqing had done behind the scenes, but he knew that if he really took over the Bai Group, Meng Wanqing would definitely not be content.

He himself dared not say that he could definitely control her.

The disappointment in the old man's eyes wasn't something that had accumulated in a day or two; it had been built up over a decade or two.

From the day Bai Jingchuan fell into the sea, lost his memory, and ended up in Taicheng, where he was held hostage by the Meng family father and daughter, things have gradually accumulated to this day.

"Second brother, you're good at everything, but you haven't figured out how to live your life."

Do you think you owe Wanqing something? You do owe her, so repay her with your own things; no one will stop you.

But if you want to return the Bai family's things, I won't allow it.

I've seen what happened at Brilliant International, and Wenxiong is a promising young man.

But his mother and you both spoiled him rotten, completely ruining him. You still want to take over the Bai Group? What do you have to offer?

Bai Jingchuan kept his head down, his fingers clenched into fists and placed on his knees, his knuckles white, and he remained silent.

The old man turned around, his gaze passing over the eldest son, the third son, and the distraught Bai Jingchuan on the wooden walkway, and landing on Bai Jingan sitting in the chair furthest away.

The fourth brother hadn't said a word; he'd stopped eating the sunflower seeds during the previous rounds of insults.

The old man looked at him, and his eyes suddenly softened a little.

"Fourth brother, what are your thoughts?"

Bai Jing'an placed the handful of uneaten sunflower seeds on the table, stood up, patted the crumbs off his hands, and spoke calmly and frankly.

"Dad, I dare not have any thoughts. I have never entertained any delusions from beginning to end. I think it is the best arrangement for you to hand over the shares to Junze."

The old man looked at him, remained silent for a long while, and then slowly nodded.

He didn't say anything more, but turned around, picked up the fishing rod again, sat down on the wicker chair, and cast the float back into the water.