September
The general manager’s office on the twenty-second floor of Yalan Company
The first thing that caught the eye was a 2.8-meter-wide rose-gold executive desk. A strip of warm LED lighting ran along its front, complementing the room’s milky-white walls.
The overall design centered on champagne and white. Its modern, understated-luxury style reflected the owner’s refined taste in every detail.
A jewelry set lay on the desk. The pearls had a delicate, pure luster and a gentle, jade-like texture. They had been carefully polished and buffed until they looked even smoother and more lustrous.
At the center of the necklace sat a faceted, pear-shaped yellow diamond. Yellow diamonds had long been a symbol of elegance and refinement, making one the perfect match for Ms. Song, who was in her fifties.
Women of that age had been shaped by time and experience. What they sought was often not dazzling brilliance, but a poised, dignified bearing—maturity and elegance.
Jiang Yun stood before the desk, admiring her work, a smile in her eyes. She had spent a month on it; she hoped Ms. Song would be pleased.
She pressed the desk phone. “Ningyi, come in for a moment.”
Lin Ningyi soon arrived at the office. Seeing the finished piece on the desk, she couldn’t help exclaiming in admiration.
“General Manager Jiang, even before I met you, I’d heard that your jewelry designs were exquisite. Now that I’ve seen one with my own eyes, I know it wasn’t just hearsay. You really are a woman with both beauty and talent.”
Jiang Yun smiled sweetly. “Enough flattery. Hurry and contact Ms. Song to arrange a time to meet.”
Lin Ningyi replied with a perfectly serious expression, “Yes, sir! General Manager Jiang, I guarantee I’ll get it done.”
Her words made Jiang Yun burst into laughter. Having an adorable assistant around her own age brought a little amusement to her otherwise routine workday.
……
Meanwhile, Zhou Yan was still lazing in bed when he got a call from his aunt.
Song Zurong teased him, “Zhou Yan, still not out of bed?”
“Auntie, why are you disturbing my beauty sleep so early in the morning? What can I do for you?” Zhou Yan drawled, sprawled lazily across his bed, with a trace of annoyance at being interrupted.
Song Zurong wasn’t bothered. She spoke unhurriedly. “That Miss Jiang whose business card you left me last time has asked to meet this afternoon. Do you want to come along?”
Sure enough, the moment he heard “Miss Jiang,” the man who had been lounging languidly sat straight up, instantly alert.
“Heh heh heh, Auntie, you’re so precious to me—I couldn’t possibly let you go by yourself. This afternoon, right? What time? I’ll be your driver, rain or shine.”
Four in the afternoon, at a café
Jiang Yun wore a custom-made, creamy-white halter-neck dress, accessorized with a thin silver belt set with tiny diamonds that accentuated her slender waist.
Since she had arrived early, Jiang Yun took the design drafts from her bag and looked them over. Sunlight filtered softly through the window and fell on her. Her long black hair, slightly curled, lay loose over her snow-white skin. From a distance, she looked like a fairy who had descended into the mortal world……
The moment Song Zurong and Zhou Yan entered, they saw this scene.
Ms. Song was just about to greet her when her nephew stopped her. Zhou Yan took out his phone and captured the entrancing sight before gradually walking over……
“Have you been waiting long?” Song Zurong was about to pull out a chair when she heard a voice beside her:
“Miss Jiang, we meet again.”
Zhou Yan ignored his aunt’s eye-roll and instead gallantly pulled out a chair for her.
“I haven’t been here long either. Why don’t you see what you’d like to drink?” Jiang Yun said, nodding at Zhou Yan.
“What a coincidence, Mr. Zhou.”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Zhou Yan replied.
“I’ll just have honey water.” Song Zurong smiled warmly. “The driver at home took the day off, so I asked A-Yan to bring me. I hope you don’t mind, Miss Jiang.”
“Of course not. That just means Mr. Zhou gets to spend a little more time with you,” Jiang Yun replied with a playful smile. Then she took out a jewelry box bearing the YL (Yalan) logo.
“Ms. Song, I hope you like it.”
She opened the black, gold-plated box. Inside lay a pearl necklace set with yellow diamonds. The diamonds’ purity and clarity were astonishing. Their soft glow, paired with the lustrous pearls and the pear-shaped yellow diamond, was like a star appearing in the stillness of night, shining with a gentle radiance……
Even Song Zurong, who had seen jewelry of every kind, couldn’t help being dazzled.
“Jiang Yun, I absolutely love it.”
“Let me put it on you.” Jiang Yun stood and leaned over to fasten the necklace.
“It’s elegant and dignified. It suits you beautifully.”
The young woman in front of him broke into a radiant, captivating smile. Zhou Yan’s heart gave a restless flutter. He hurriedly looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
Song Zurong glanced at her nephew, then turned her approving gaze back to Jiang Yun.
“Miss Jiang, to be honest, I’ve seen all kinds of jewelry, but yours is still the one I like best. I suppose that’s fate bringing us together. How about this: to show my appreciation, let me treat you to dinner today. What do you say?”
Zhou Yan glanced at his watch and quickly chimed in, “It’s dinner time anyway. My aunt rarely meets a designer whose work she likes this much. Miss Jiang, would you do us the honor of joining us for a meal?”
Jiang Yun couldn’t very well refuse, so she agreed.
……
In the group chat of Jiang Jin’s four friends
The Top Four on the Rich List
[Zhou Yan: sent a photo]
[Zhou Yan: A woman with both beauty and talent. Guys, I think I’ve fallen in love.]
Ke Shaoyu couldn’t resist the gossip. The moment he saw the photo, he started firing messages into the group: Isn’t that the woman who was beside your aunt the other day? What, you’ve already made your move?
Zhou Yan: Don’t talk nonsense. She seems like a lovely girl. I just happened to be accompanying my aunt to pick up her jewelry.
Pei Yanchuan chimed in: Oh, come on. Since when have you had so much free time that you’d accompany your aunt to pick up jewelry? Your ulterior motives are written all over your face.
Ke Shaoyu was doubled over laughing: @Zhou Yan, here’s a tip: after dinner, take her home and tell your aunt to get a taxi. That’ll give the two of you more time alone……
……
Jiang Jin had just gotten home from work, and his phone kept ringing. He stretched out on the sofa and opened the group chat, The Top Four on the Rich List. The first thing he saw was a photo of Jiang Yun.
In the photo, she was absorbed in studying the design drafts. Sunlight streamed through the glass window and fell across her fair, delicate face. The tip of her small, rounded nose tilted up slightly, and her soft pink lips were gently pressed together. Her expression was focused and serious.
How long had it been since he’d seen her? That woman who shamelessly loved to tease him……
Scrolling down, he saw Zhou Yan’s messages……
Jiang Jin’s gaze darkened. His face held a faintly restrained, cool expression. His grip tightened around his phone, the veins in his arm rising slightly. An inexplicable jealousy began to flare in his heart…
…