Chapter 29: The Reveal

Wen Huiying was so startled that she immediately lifted her skirt and hastily pulled her vest back on.

“Jinying, why aren’t you at school? The final exams are almost here!”

While scolding her, Wen Huiying quickly tidied up her clothes and went to open the door.

“Oh? Sis, you have a guest.” At the doorway stood a little girl with a clear, bright voice.

“You still haven’t explained why you’re skipping class!”

“The teacher arranged for me to take the final exams early—the crew requested it, and the school was happy to oblige. I’ll be joining the production in a few days.”

“So…that’s how it is?” Wen Huiying squeezed her knees together, a wave of frustration washing over her.

She knew her younger sister had recently caught the attention of a TV drama production and would play the role of the female lead as a child. She’d always assumed her sister’s scenes wouldn’t come up until the summer break.

Guo Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and said with feigned sincerity, “Well then, Miss Wen, our business is settled as discussed. I’m truly sincere about this. Let’s talk again when we have the chance—seven percent, as agreed.”

Wen Huiying bit her lip. She couldn’t let her little sister see anything that might be a bad influence. There was nothing else she could do.

“Just go.”

Guo Cheng put on an act of reluctant departure, as if he truly regretted leaving.

…

“At last, I’m free. What luck. But it’s nothing serious anyway; even if I lose the bet, I’ll just have to fork over a few tens of thousands more.”

After leaving the Wen family’s building, Guo Cheng paused at a small convenience store nearby to buy a pack of cigarettes to calm his nerves.

With the pack in hand, he lit one, took a few drags while standing at the shop entrance, and prepared to continue on his way. Many streets in Hancheng had no trash bins, and with strict city regulations, there wasn’t even a place to toss a cigarette butt while walking. So people often finished their smoke at the convenience store entrance before moving on.

He was halfway through his cigarette when a familiar voice called out to him.

Guo Cheng turned and saw Wen Huiying’s younger sister.

“Oppa, I’m sorry, you’re not angry with my sister, are you?”

“Uh…you saw everything?”

“Yes.” The little girl nodded.

Guo Cheng was at a loss for words.

“Well, no, I’m not angry. It’s just business, after all. I still hope to have a normal, pleasant collaboration with her. But your sister’s sheer stubbornness when negotiating is truly eye-opening.”

The little girl said gravely, “This isn’t a good place to talk. Could you step aside with me? There’s something I want to tell you.”

“I don’t know the area well—where do you suggest?”

She pointed ahead. “There’s an ice cream shop on the corner. If you’d buy me a treat, that would be perfect.”

“Alright, ice cream it is.”

Guo Cheng gently guided her inside and ordered two banana splits.

After a couple of bites, the little girl introduced herself. “My name is Wen Jinying. I just turned thirteen.”

“I’m Guo Cheng, your sister’s client. Now, let’s get to the point.”

Wen Jinying hesitated, then decided to explain. “My sister isn’t a bad person. Back in school, she was always surrounded by admiring boys, and it made her proud. Later, when she started working, she dated a guy who was just playing around. She couldn’t take it, so she quit her job and became a hacker. That was a year or two ago, and since then she’s been a bit self-destructive.”

“Her resilience is really lacking—does she just throw herself at any client now?”

“Not exactly. As far as I know, you’re the first she’s gone this far with—maybe because you’re especially handsome, Oppa. If she finds someone attractive, she’ll flirt a little. If she doesn’t, she can’t even be bothered to tease.”

Seriously! Did she have to say “flirt” so casually?

Guo Cheng thought to himself that this little girl definitely had the makings of a future femme fatale.

When Guo Cheng fell silent, Wen Jinying grew uneasy. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Am I gossiping too much?”

“Uh…no, I just don’t know how to respond.”

“Anyway, I know you’re a good person, Oppa; you didn’t take advantage of her. And I’m not saying you’re unworthy of my sister. I just worry that if she keeps this up, she’ll only fall deeper and lose faith in true love…”

“That’s enough, no need to explain. I understand.” Guo Cheng interrupted her train of thought. “What I’m more curious about is why you happened to be there today. It can’t be a coincidence with your finals, right?”

“The school knew about my TV drama, so they arranged my exams early at the beginning of the month. But I still wanted to keep learning, so after the exams and before joining the crew, I continued attending class, though my family doesn’t know.”

Guo Cheng realized she truly was a studious, well-behaved child.

“But what made you come home so suddenly today?”

“Because I saw my sister had bought a travel voucher online but told Mom she won it in a lottery, so I wanted to see what she was really up to…”

Really? What a sly little girl!

Guo Cheng felt a chill down his spine, grateful he didn’t have such a sister.

If Wen Huiying had half her sister’s emotional intelligence, she might have seen right through his excuses.

“Where did you learn all this at your age?”

Wen Jinying sighed. “Oppa, do you really think someone picked for a TV crew—a world of fame and ambition—can keep their innocence untouched?”

“…Well, maybe not. There’s too much scheming in that world.” Guo Cheng didn’t say it aloud, but he thought it to himself.

He watched as Wen Jinying finished her banana split, then a question struck him.

“By the way, I haven’t asked which drama you’re joining. I’m somewhat involved in the entertainment industry; maybe I can help you someday.”

“‘Autumn in My Heart.’”

“‘Autumn in My Heart’? Got it.” Guo Cheng said as he reached into his pocket and took out two bundles of cash. “Jinying, I know you’re a good kid and wouldn’t take what isn’t yours. But this is just a thank you from a friend for sharing ice cream.”

There were no 50,000-won bills in 2000, so this was about ten thousand yuan—just pocket money.

Wen Jinying gracefully refused. “I can’t take your money.”

Guo Cheng gently coaxed her, face sincere. “This is for your sister’s own good—if she ever asks me over for another negotiation, help me pick the right time and come up with an excuse to rescue me, okay? You don’t want her to get in any deeper, do you?

It won’t happen often—at most, one more time. After that, my gray dealings with her will be over. If your sister’s willing, I’ll make sure she gets a proper, respectable job and lives honestly.”

This time, Wen Jinying considered, then accepted the money and put it in her bag.

“It’s a deal, then. I really hope you can find my sister a steady, decent job in the future. If she stays home as a hacker too long, it’ll really change her personality.”

“There will be such a day. I’m actually short a hacker myself,” Guo Cheng said, watching Wen Jinying leave.

He hailed a cab, heading to Kwon Soonwoo’s place to settle accounts and take care of other matters. Right now, the books for his shell company in Dongyi were still being handled by Kwon Soonwoo’s accountant.

Sitting in the cab, Guo Cheng pieced together what Wen Jinying had revealed and finally understood the whole saga with Wen Huiying.

She was the classic “female in a male-dominated major.” In technical fields, the gender imbalance meant that even the plainest girls had several suitors. If a moderately attractive girl joined, she’d be treated like royalty. That was Wen Huiying’s experience—she was put on a pedestal at school, so her expectations soared after graduation.

But once outside the campus bubble, the gender ratio advantage vanished.

So, those female students from mechanical engineering or the male students from language departments—if they carried their campus-bred sense of superiority into the real world, they were bound for a rude awakening.

The man Wen Huiying fell for at the game company was, of course, powerful, young, and wealthy—far beyond her reach. Naturally, he was only toying with her.

After being hurt, she changed completely and became so self-destructive—it was truly a pity.

“A woman like that—if she could just face reality, stop aiming so high in love, she might still have potential. At the very least, her professional skills are solid.”