Li Beicheng unexpectedly stood up to speak for her, and she was indeed very surprised.
Had it been five years earlier, she would have been overjoyed, just for his one affirmation.
Five years later, everything had changed, her heart as dead as ashes.
All that remained… was numbness.
In the deadly silence, Li Yuntang appeared to smile nonchalantly, capturing the expressions of everyone present.
Then, leisurely, he opened the box and took out the sparkling jewelry, pressing a hidden mechanism on it.
His action was very cryptic and immediately drew the attention of three people.
With agile, slender fingers, he removed the base of the gemstone and casually flipped open a page of a book, lifting the base towards the sunlight.
As the light shifted and flickered several times, the ornate letters “D.G.” clearly reflected on the page, revealing a shocking fact in the most forceful and direct way!
Yan Shuirou’s eyes widened, and her lower lip bled from biting it: “This is…”
Li Beicheng’s heart raced, his voice hoarse and lost: “Younger Uncle, you…”
“That’s right, this is the only non-sale item at the auction.” Li Beicheng said with a playful smile, “In other words, everything Miss Yan said was purely slanderous, and Beicheng’s lying skills aren’t very sophisticated.”
As the owner of the 38 million jewelry, Yan Xiaye was stunned for a long while, unable to fully recover.
She looked down, dazed, and saw the handsome man handing the gemstone to her, his expression as cold and steady as when they first met: “The first time I met you, I didn’t have time to prepare a gift, and this isn’t anything very valuable, consider it a belated meeting gift.”
…
Nearly a week had passed since the incident in the study.
During this time, Yan Xiaye occasionally gazed at the azure gem on the dresser, indecisive about what to do.
Upon learning the value of the jewelry and the identity of the person who gave it, she immediately stated that she wasn’t qualified to accept such a valuable meeting gift, but was lightly countered by her Younger Uncle saying, “Modesty is a virtue, but don’t underestimate yourself too much.”
Before she could think of other ways to politely refuse, Li Yuntang preemptively received a call and had to leave, reportedly to handle business personally in the Capital City.
It seemed to prevent Li Beicheng from doing something to her, the Younger Uncle simply took him away, giving Yan Xiaye enough time to be alone.
That noon, Yan Xiaye was sitting in the living room having a heartfelt conversation with her grandmother when Ya’er, surrounded by nannies, ran over like a gust of wind, squeezed herself between the two and sat down, sweetly and slyly cooing, “Great-Grandmother, when is daddy coming back?
Ya’er is so bored alone!”
Whether intentionally or not, the little girl idly kicked her legs, her little boots repeatedly striking Yan Xiaye’s knee.
Yan Xiaye looked down, decided not to take issue with a child, and silently moved a bit further away.
“Dear Ya’er, it’s good that you love your daddy, but you shouldn’t neglect mommy,” the Old Madam said, not noticing what Ya’er had done, thinking she was just being innocently playful.
She reached out and playfully flicked Ya’er’s little nose.
“I heard from the servants that you’ve been unwilling to play with Xiaye.
Is that true?”
“I don’t want to.
I only need daddy, and that’s enough!” Ya’er said defiantly, shaking her head like a rattle and casting a disdainful glance at Yan Xiaye with the corner of her eye.
“I’m not childish like Little Yunduo.
I’m the little princess of the Li Family.
I don’t need any mommy!”
Seeing her nominal ‘daughter’ roll her eyes at her, Yan Xiaye felt no disturbance in her heart, and she even wanted to laugh a little.
It was just as well, as she could not have become close to this child who resembled Yan Shuirou so much.
Yet she did not know how to explain this to her grandmother.
Now, she seemed to have found the perfect solution.
“Ya’er, how can you say such things!” Fearing that Yan Xiaye might be hurt by these words, the Old Madam, unusually stern, pulled Ya’er onto her lap and gave her a light pat.
“Apologize to mommy right away.
Girls in our Li Family must not be so rude.”
“I won’t, I won’t!”
It was barely a touch as if dusting off dust, but Ya’er started to cry and throw a tantrum.
“Ever since this woman came to our house, Great-Grandmother doesn’t love Ya’er at all.
I hate her!”
Growing more upset by the moment, she demonstrated the unusual combativeness of a bratty child, grabbing the oranges and apples from the coffee table and throwing them at Yan Xiaye in a hasty fit.
Helpless, Yan Xiaye raised her hands to block the barrage of heavy fruits, considering Ya’er’s heart-wrenching cries, then thinking of the gentle and sweet Little Yunduo, she couldn’t help but marvel at the vast difference between children.
The Old Madam’s face darkened gradually, and it was only after a heavy slap on the coffee table that the drama finally came to an end.
“It seems that Beicheng has been too indulgent with you.
You really need to learn some manners!”
After speaking, the Old Madam gestured to the nanny, “Go back and copy the ‘Three Character Classic’ as punishment.
When you’re ready to apologize to Xiaye, then you can come out.
Go now.”
“Wuu wuu wuu, Great-Grandmother!”
Hearing that she had to apologize and copy texts made Ya’er cry even harder until the nanny finally managed to carry her away.
As the piercing cries gradually faded, the Old Madam sighed and massaged her temples.
“Xiaye, don’t take it to heart.
Although you didn’t carry her for ten months, Ya’er is still your daughter.
Her nature isn’t bad; it’s just that Beicheng has spoiled her too much.
She just needs to be shaped a bit.”
“It’s okay, Grandma.
I won’t take it to heart,” Yan Xiaye replied calmly and took over massaging the Old Madam’s shoulders and neck.
“Do you want to eat the little sweet cakes I make?
I can go make some for you right now.”
“Yes, how could I not want to?” Ignoring a kitchen full of chefs, the Old Madam patted Yan Xiaye’s hand affectionately.
“Since you…
these five years, no one has been able to make the flavors Grandma loves.
These years, Grandma has just been hoping to stay strong longer, afraid that I wouldn’t last until you got out…”
Yan Xiaye’s eyes reddened, she fought back tears and smiled.
“I forbid Grandma to say such things.
Whenever you want to eat them, I’ll make them for you.”
“Good, good, good.
Grandma knows Xiaye cares the most,” the Old Madam slowly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and closed them with a gentle expression.
“Actually, Grandma isn’t afraid of dying, but it wouldn’t be good to keep Grandpa waiting too long on the other side.
It’s just that I can’t stop worrying about you and Beicheng, and Yuntang’s side still hasn’t settled Little Yunduo’s mom…”
Fearing that she would burst into tears right then and there, Yan Xiaye covered her mouth with one hand and took the opportunity to head to the kitchen, where she broke down crying.
No matter whether she was willing to admit it or not, her familial bonds were thin, and she had failed terribly in being lovable to her parents.
In both the Li Family and her own family, all she had left was the Old Madam.
When she had dried her tears and returned to the living room with freshly baked sweet cakes, the greeting she received was not her grandmother’s smile, but another distressing voice.