Chapter 61: Jewelry

In the whole conversation, what caught Liang Sixuan’s attention was just one sentence—give way to her. Back at home, when had she ever needed to give way to others? It was always others yielding to her. Now that Qin Miaoyu, the real daughter, had returned, was she supposed to make room for Qin Miaoyu? She recalled Qin Miaoyu mentioning that the Liang family felt guilty toward her, that the gap between the Liang and Qin families was enormous, and their daily lives starkly different. If Qin Miaoyu really used this guilt to drive her out of the Liang family…

No! She would never let that happen! Her parents had said she would always be their child!

Liang’s mother lingered in Sixuan’s room for a long time, completely forgetting that her own biological daughter, Qin Miaoyu, hadn’t appeared at dinner. It was as if she’d forgotten the girl entirely, not even bothering to ask. Because the Liang family hadn’t yet announced Qin Miaoyu’s identity, only those close to them knew the truth; outsiders still believed Liang Sixuan was their daughter.

When people saw Qin Miaoyu and Liang Sixuan walking behind Mrs. Liang, they were all surprised—especially the younger generation, most of whom knew that Liang Sixuan wasn’t fond of Qin Miaoyu and couldn’t quite grasp what was going on.

Xi Ruofen was used to such curious stares and led the two of them straight to the W boutique.

The store manager came forward eagerly to greet the distinguished guests. “Mrs. Liang, Miss Liang, and this young lady as well, welcome! Miss Liang, are you here to see that piece of jewelry from last time?”

“Take Sixuan to see your recently launched custom-designed collection. Then have someone else show the second young miss around.”

Second young miss? The manager had never heard this title before, but with Mrs. Liang’s instructions, she immediately assigned a sales associate to attend to the second young miss.

Xi Ruofen told Qin Miaoyu, “Take a look and see if there’s anything you like. If so, have the associate set it aside and we’ll settle up together.”

Qin Miaoyu hadn’t planned to browse, but then she remembered her second brother had mentioned commissioning something for her from W. With nothing better to do, she followed the associate.

She had little desire for jewelry, glancing mostly at the designs and craftsmanship, until she wandered into the ring section.

Instinctively, she touched her ring finger, only to realize she’d taken off the ring in a huff that day and left it in a drawer on her dressing table.

“Second young miss, are you interested in rings? Would you like an introduction?”

“Show me the couples’ ring section.”

Having finalized the details for her custom jewelry, Liang Sixuan returned to her mother, beaming with delight.

“Feeling better now?” Xi Ruofen tapped Sixuan’s nose tenderly, motherly affection written all over her face.

Sixuan nodded and asked, “Where’s Qin Miaoyu?”

Xi Ruofen pointed. “What’s she looking at?” The store manager chimed in, “That’s our couples’ ring section.”

Couples’ rings?

“Mom, have you met Qin Miaoyu’s husband? Godfather and godmother said he’s an ordinary guy?” Sixuan asked, intrigued. She’d heard her husband was the one who drove her to the old house that day, but she’d been out with her mother and missed him.

Xi Ruofen recalled the young man she’d seen earlier. “Not exactly ordinary. That aura—he’s at least from a middle-class family.”

Middle-class? Sixuan scoffed at this, but thinking of her own fiancé, she felt a wave of disgust.

“Mom, when can we call off the engagement with the Su family? Su Yikun is just revolting!”

Xi Ruofen soothed her, “Don’t be hasty. Breaking off the engagement needs to be carefully planned—our families have important business together. Now isn’t the time.”

Sixuan understood how vital this partnership was for the Liang family and didn’t press further.

Qin Miaoyu browsed through the couples’ rings but felt that none of these pricy pieces, starting at a hundred thousand, were as beautiful as the pair Lu Qi’an had bought.

But now that she had more money at hand, she had to admit those rings had been rather inexpensive.

“If these don’t suit you, we also offer custom designs. Would you like to know more?” the associate offered.

Custom designs? That’s right, she could try designing one herself.

“No need.” Qin Miaoyu returned to Mrs. Liang and Sixuan.

Seeing she hadn’t bought anything, Xi Ruofen frowned slightly and asked the store manager to recommend a few pieces suitable for Qin Miaoyu, then paid and left the boutique with both girls.

“Don’t act so timid in public, as if you’re from a petty background. People who don’t know might think the Liang family can’t even afford a piece of jewelry,” Xi Ruofen remarked, looking at Qin Miaoyu.

Qin Miaoyu blinked. “Would anyone in South City really think that? How odd.”

Xi Ruofen was at a loss for words at her retort and turned away in silence.

Watching the exchange, Sixuan was secretly delighted. The more Qin Miaoyu tried to play hard to get, the sooner the family’s guilt would run out—and then she’d have no leverage left!

Qin Miaoyu, distracted by thoughts of couples’ rings, had no interest in shopping, and before she knew it, she bumped into someone.

“Who’s this? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Qin Miaoyu quickly apologized, “Sorry!”

“Yu Fang, isn’t this the one from the Qin family?”

Qin Miaoyu’s gaze shifted slightly, and she recognized a lady she hadn’t seen in years.

“Hmph, Qin Miaoyu, you still dare show your face before me?” Yu Fang snapped, seething with anger.

Thinking of what had happened years ago, Yu Fang was still furious—her son had almost been ruined because of Qin Miaoyu! If she hadn’t begged her elder brother for help, who knows how things would have ended. Then, at the end of last year, her son was detained again because of Qin Miaoyu! Now he was bedridden with a broken bone, unable to get up!

Qin Miaoyu must be a jinx. If only her son had never been engaged to her, none of this would have happened!

Of course, Qin Miaoyu had no idea Yu Fang thought of her as a jinx, nor did she care to see Yu Fang’s face.

When she’d first gotten engaged to Jiang Anqi, Yu Fang had made her stay at the Jiang household under the guise of teaching her, but in reality, she was treated like a servant—serving tea, doing laundry, and cooking, as if the enormous Jiang home had no maids at all.

She’d suffered plenty during that time, and when she complained to her mother, Su Yaqing, her mother merely said, “This is nothing. That’s how it is between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law. Your grandmother was even stricter with me. If you adapt early and meet the Jiang family’s standards, things will be better once you marry in for real.”

But reality proved otherwise. Things never got better.

Every holiday, she was required to pay her respects at the Jiang household, and Yu Fang always found new ways to make things difficult, no matter how well she did.

That engagement had taught her a hard lesson: Marrying into a wealthy family is no easy task.