Jiang Ci looked at Mrs. Pan with feigned confusion. “What do you mean, kept in the dark?”
“About what happened the other day, of course!” Mrs. Pan glanced sideways at her. “Why didn’t you mention that you were coming from the gambling stone market when you got hit? If you had told me, I would have smelled something fishy much sooner!”
Several other ladies who didn’t know Jiang Ci were drawn in by her dramatic tone and gathered around with their glasses.
Standing in the center of the circle, Mrs. Pan continued vividly, “You have no idea what a scene I witnessed on Jade Street yesterday. I was looking for earrings to match this dress, but nothing suited me, so I went to Ronglu Zhai. While I was browsing, I heard a commotion across the street. I went to the door and saw a man in rags clinging to the entrance of Jubao Zhai, making a huge scene! The staff couldn’t even pull him away!”
One lady asked, “Why would a man like that cause trouble at a prestigious place like Jubao Zhai?”
“Because someone has a guilty conscience!” Mrs. Pan patted Jiang Ci on the shoulder. “I didn’t know who he was at first, but then I heard him shouting. He said Manager Yu owed him ten cans of opium! He claimed Yu promised to pay him to crash your rickshaw, but then went back on his word and refused to pay! That’s when it hit me—you told me it was just some addict who lost control! You thought it was an accident and let it go, but little did you know it was all planned!”
Mrs. Pan was getting carried away, and her voice rose. More people gathered around. Someone asked, “But why would they do such a dishonorable thing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I heard from a shop assistant that Manager Yu made a mistake at the market. He passed on a stone that my friend here bought, and it turned out to be a huge profit! When he couldn’t buy it back by force, he resorted to dirty tricks!”
Everyone turned to look at Jiang Ci.
She smiled calmly. “It’s true. I cut a good stone that day—a ‘Spring with Color’ variety. Manager Yu offered eighty thousand dollars, but I didn’t sell. It wasn’t until we polished it that we realized… it was Dragon Stone Grade.”
“Dragon Stone Grade! No wonder…”
The ladies exchanged knowing glances. There was no need to say more; the reason was clear.
“Miss Jiang,” Mrs. Pan pressed, “just a shop manager dares to scheme against you like this. Aren’t you going to demand an explanation?”
Jiang Ci shook her head. “There is no real proof, after all. Once a person is addicted to opium, they lose all sense of right and wrong. You can’t take everything they say as truth. If Manager Yu is innocent, he won’t trouble me again, and I can let it pass. If he continues to cause problems, then we can settle the score then.”
Mrs. Pan sighed. “That sounds nice, but why would he target you specifically if he wasn’t guilty? Don’t be too naive about people!”
Just then, her husband came over to introduce her to some friends, so she nodded to Jiang Ci and moved away.
Coincidentally, Qin Yange also spotted some acquaintances and went to greet them, leaving Jiang Ci alone for a moment.
Zeng Juemi had been watching from nearby. He walked over, his expression looking even more puzzled than before.
Jiang Ci stepped toward him first and raised her glass slightly. “Second Young Master Zeng.”
“Just now, you…”
“When the water is too clear, there are no fish; when a person is too shrewd, they have no friends. Some things are better left unsaid, Second Master.”
“But what happened to Jubao Zhai…”
Jiang Ci blinked innocently. “I thought perhaps you had stepped in to help, Second Master.”
“If I wanted to take them down, I would have done it in broad daylight. Why wait until night?” Zeng Juemi adjusted his collar uncomfortably, looking around to make sure no one was listening. “So it really wasn’t you?”
“Can you do something like that yourself, Second Master?”
He was stunned for a moment. “Judging by what was reported… honestly, no, I don’t think I could.”
“Then why assume that I can?”
Zeng Juemi was left speechless. He scratched the back of his neck and then suddenly laughed. “You’re right. Why would I suspect you? They must have offended someone else.”
His expression turned serious. “But be careful doing business from now on. The owner of Jubao Zhai… actually has a grudge against the Qin family.”
As they spoke, the sound of a car engine was heard outside.
Jiang Ci turned and saw a black Packard pull up to the entrance.
A middle-aged man in a white suit stepped out. He lit a cigar with the help of a waiter and walked straight toward the banquet hall.
“That’s him,” Zeng Juemi whispered. “From the Liao family.”
Jiang Ci vaguely remembered that the Third Wife’s maiden name was Liao. “Isn’t the in-law family from the Third Branch also named Liao?”
“Yes,” Zeng Juemi nodded. “But they are from the Second Branch of the Liao family. They had a very nasty falling out with Brother Nine’s side years ago.”
Seeing the man in white about to enter with his cigar still lit, Zeng Juemi stopped talking. “What a rude man. Come, let’s go find Brother Nine and I’ll explain everything.”
Jiang Ci glanced thoughtfully at the man in white and followed Zeng Juemi over to Qin Yanchi.
When they arrived, Qin Yanchi was surrounded by a group of men addressing him as “President,” clearly members of the Songjiang Chamber of Commerce.
Seeing Jiang Ci approach, Qin Yanchi remembered what his older sister had said. “Let me introduce you. This is a relative of mine, the owner of Longchang Jade Shop. These gentlemen are…”
The businessmen were sharp. Sensing Qin Yanchi wanted to speak privately, they exchanged pleasantries with Jiang Ci and quickly excused themselves.
As soon as they left, Zeng Juemi spoke up. “That Liao Junfeng is so arrogant! Coming into a charity event smoking a cigar? Does he not care who he offends?”
“Liao Junfeng is nothing more than a puppet acting on his father’s orders. My uncle… the older he gets, the smaller his heart becomes.”
“Small heart?” Zeng Juemi scoffed. “He’s just greedy! He acts like the Shipping King’s fortune should have been his by right, just because he’s a nephew. But it belongs to your aunt, his daughter! Now that she’s become Director, their plans are ruined, and they are throwing a tantrum. Isn’t giving him a manager position enough?”
Qin Yanchi smiled and shook his head. “Their thinking is outdated. They never took my sister seriously. They thought I would inherit the company when I returned from abroad, so they tried to push Liao Junfeng into a key position to compete with me. They never expected that my sister was the chosen heir all along. So now, Liao Junfeng has a personal vendetta against her.”
Listening in, Jiang Ci quickly pieced together the situation.
It was the classic story: the Shipping King had only a daughter, no sons. His nephews and grandsons acted as if the inheritance was already theirs, scheming and plotting, only to lose everything to the rightful heir. Hence the hatred.
…
It was surprisingly similar to what happened in her own original family.
If her uncle’s family hadn’t been just as greedy, she wouldn’t have had to marry into the Qin family during the mourning period.
But this kind of thing was common, both then and now.
Jiang Ci asked, “Aren’t they afraid of offending the Qin and Zeng families?”
Zeng Juemi smirked and gestured with his chin toward a corner of the room.
Jiang Ci looked over and saw Liao Junfeng standing face-to-face with Lu Fengchun. They seemed to be chatting amiably, clearly close allies.
“The Second Branch of the Liao family is very tight with the Lu family,” Zeng Juemi’s voice lowered. “Times are unstable right now. As long as they don’t go too far, we prefer not to make a fuss over trivial matters.”
Before she could respond, the hall suddenly fell silent.
Qin Yanting walked gracefully down the stairs, wearing a stunning red dress.
“Today’s charity auction is to raise funds for the disaster relief in Guanzhong. Your presence here shows your compassion. On behalf of the victims, I would like to propose a toast.”
Everyone raised their glasses, calling out “Director Qin!” and “Madam Lu!” surrounding her like stars around the moon.
Time passed quickly, and by seven o’clock, the auction finally began.
Jiang Ci entered the hall and found her seat according to the invitation. She realized she was sitting in the same row as Qin Yanchi and Qin Yange, actually positioned slightly further forward than her father-in-law, Qin Wenxuan.
She glanced back and accidentally met the eyes of Qin Huai’an, who was sitting next to her father-in-law. She immediately turned back around.
Bad luck!
Qin Yange, sitting beside her, looked at the first item on stage. “I donated a set of jewelry. What did you give?”
Jiang Ci smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see soon enough.”
“So secretive…”
The items at the start were relatively modest, with starting bids ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars.
Qin Yange expected to wait a while, but barely half an hour later, Jiang Ci’s donation was announced.
“The next item is generously donated by Ms. Jiang Ci, owner of Longchang Jade Shop.”
The auctioneer pulled away the cloth, revealing the display.
“This exquisite pair of jade carvings was commissioned by Ms. Jiang and designed by the renowned master Ge Zhenghua. The first piece is titled ‘Seeking Plum Blossoms in the Snow,’ and the second is ‘Temple in the Wind and Snow.’ Both are carved from top-grade colorless Glass Type jade, utilizing the natural internal ‘cotton’ to depict the snow scenes. The craftsmanship is truly masterful. The starting bid is five hundred dollars!”
Qin Yange immediately raised her paddle.
“Miss Qin bids one thousand dollars!”
“Master Feng bids one thousand five hundred!”
At that moment, Liao Junfeng raised his hand. His voice was laced with arrogance. “I’ve always heard that the main branch of the Qin family upholds high standards. Today I see it is true. However, this is a charity event. Donating such cheap jade seems rather… petty. For the sake of my cousin’s reputation, I suppose I have no choice but to spend five thousand dollars.”
The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned tense.