Seeing Gu Huaijin and Lin Susu, Yu Yan’s brows furrowed unconsciously, her eyes filled with profound disgust.
She said coldly, “We are not selling this violin.”
Lin Susu’s brow twitched slightly, and her gaze instantly fell on Xia Xing, who was standing beside Yu Yan.
Compared to Lin Susu’s delicate, petite beauty, Xia Xing possessed a more dignified and graceful elegance.
With a perfectly oval face and gentle features, her beautiful eyes seemed to ripple with water, resembling a classical beauty stepping out of an ancient painting.
Her aura was refined and sophisticated.
The moment she saw Xia Xing, a faint glimmer flashed in the depths of Lin Susu’s eyes.
She walked quickly over to Xia Xing, looking at her with a pleading expression.
“Miss Xia, is this violin your friend’s?
Could you ask your friend to lend it to me for a while?”
“A-Jin and I were brought together by the violin back then.”
“I was practicing in the back garden, and A-Jin was captivated by my playing.
He found me later, and that was how we got together…
He loves listening to me play the violin more than anything.”
“Miss Xia, I don’t know how much longer I can hold on, or if I’ll even be able to successfully hold a concert.
But no matter what, I want to make one last effort.”
Whether intentionally or not, Lin Susu lowered her head slightly, revealing the familiar necklace around her neck.
The overhead lights reflected off the necklace, casting a dazzling brilliance.
Xia Xing’s eyes were instantly stung by the sight.
She replied in a flat, indifferent tone, “People die in this world every single day.
Am I supposed to accommodate and yield every time a terminally ill person appears in front of me?”
Having seemingly never heard such harsh words, Lin Susu’s eyes immediately reddened.
Tears pooled in her eyes, on the verge of spilling over.
Gu Huaijin’s expression turned icy.
“Xia Xing, it’s just a violin.
Why must you be so aggressive?If you want one, I’ll just buy another one for you.”
Xia Xing looked at him.
“Yes, it’s just a violin.
If she wants one, you can buy her another one.
Why must it be mine?”
Pleading from the side, Lin Susu asked, “Miss Xia, what will it take for you to lend the violin to me?
Name your conditions.”
Name her conditions…
In the end, wouldn’t Gu Huaijin be the one paying the price?
Xia Xing offered a silent smile.
“Miss Lin seems to be quite fond of the things my mother left behind?
First, it was my mother’s necklace, and now, my mother’s violin.”
Confused, Lin Susu replied, “I don’t understand what Miss Xia means.”
Watching Lin Susu play dumb, Xia Xing sneered inwardly.
“This ‘Summer Night Star’ was left to me by my mother.
And the necklace around Miss Lin’s neck was also left to me by my mother.”
Lin Susu’s face instantly turned pale.
“I’m so sorry, I truly didn’t know these were your mother’s belongings…”
“Last night, Ziting gave me a gift box containing the necklace.
I thought it was a gift from A-Jin, so I put it on.
I never expected it to belong to Miss Xia’s mother…”
Xia Xing smiled lightly.
“Now that you know, can you return it to me?”
Lin Susu touched the necklace around her neck, gently biting her lower lip before looking at Gu Huaijin with teary, sorrowful eyes.
“A-Jin, since Miss Xia has asked for it…
why don’t you just give the necklace to Miss Xia?
It’s not worth getting her upset over such a trivial matter.”
Why don’t you just give the necklace to Miss Xia?
She used the word “give,” not “return.”
Her unspoken implication was clear: even though the necklace originally belonged to Xia Xing’s mother, it did not belong to Xia Xing.
She was merely being magnanimous enough to give it to her because Xia Xing had asked.
Gu Huaijin had already believed that Xia Xing’s mention of divorce was just a deliberate threat, and he was somewhat displeased.Hearing Lin Susu’s words now, the chill on his face deepened.”
No need.”
The man’s voice was as crisp and cold as water.
“Since it was given to you, it is yours.”
“But…”
Lin Susu wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Gu Huaijin.
His expression remained indifferent and aloof.
“Once a gift is given, there is no reason to take it back.”
An undeniable wave of emotion surfaced in Lin Susu’s brows.
Xia Xing subconsciously clenched her fists.
Moments later, a faint smile curved her lips.
“Didn’t Miss Lin want to borrow the violin?
That’s easy.
As long as Mr.
Gu is willing to beg me, I will consider it.”
Lin Susu’s eyes widened slightly, disbelief flashing in her gaze.
Gu Huaijin’s face turned dark and menacing.
He said coldly, “Xia Xing, know your limits.”
Xia Xing mocked, “I thought Mr.
Gu would agree to anything for Miss Lin.
It seems…
he is only human after all.”
In the past, Xia Xing used to think that Gu Huaijin would sacrifice anything for Lin Susu.
Now she saw that the only things he could sacrifice were the insignificant ones.
For example—her.
After seeing through all of this, Xia Xing’s heart was completely devoid of any ripples.
She turned to the store manager, who was standing frozen to the side.
“If I’m not mistaken, the authorization for this violin expires today.
Please take it down from the display.
I plan to take it with me today.”
The manager cautiously glanced at Gu Huaijin’s expression.
Xia Xing raised an eyebrow.
“What?
As the owner of the violin, don’t I even have the right to take it back?”
“Of course, of course!”
The manager quickly smiled.
“I’ll have someone process the handover paperwork for you right away, Miss Xia.”
After completing the handover, Xia Xing took the violin.
Without sparing Gu Huaijin and Lin Susu a single glance, she walked out without looking back.
Gu Huaijin watched the woman’s retreating figure, his brows tightly knitted.
Lin Susu lowered her head slightly, her expression somewhat apologetic.
“A-Jin must have forgotten to celebrate Xia Xing’s birthday yesterday, so she’s angry.
It’s all because my body is useless, always causing trouble for you.”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Gu Huaijin withdrew his gaze and said in a flat tone, “Start preparing for the concert first.
I’ll have someone deliver that ‘Summer Night Star’ to you in due time.”
A joyful smile bloomed on Lin Susu’s face.
“Okay.”
…
That evening, Gu Huaijin came home on time for a rare change.
However, Xia Xing had not set out the dishes and waited for him as she usually did.
At dinner time, Gu Ziting also came downstairs on schedule.
Seeing that the dining room was completely empty, Ziting looked confused.
“Dad, didn’t Mom prepare dinner today?”
Xia Xing was an extremely qualified, virtuous wife and mother.
Over the years, she had never argued or made a fuss, strictly fulfilling her duties as a wife.
Although Gu Huaijin had no affection for her, he was generally quite satisfied with her overall performance.
Ziting had a weak stomach and was extremely picky about food.
For dinner and midnight snacks, Xia Xing almost never relied on servants, handling everything herself.
Recalling the events of the day, Gu Huaijin pressed his thin lips into a tight line, a faint trace of displeasure appearing on his face.
If she was using this method to threaten him, she was being far too presumptuous.
“Don’t worry about her,” Gu Huaijin said indifferently.
“I’ll take you out to eat.”
Gu Ziting clapped his hands happily.
“Yay!
Can we call the pretty lady to join us?
I can eat yummy cotton candy again!”
“Cotton candy?”
Gu Huaijin paused slightly, taken aback.
“Didn’t your mom say you are lactose intolerant and can’t eat cotton candy?”