Five minutes later.
Shen Yuan heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. He sat there on pins and needles; the moment someone knocked, he jumped up and hurried to open the door.
His uncle was standing right outside, and his girlfriend, Ms. Lin, stood half a step behind him.
Li Chen smiled warmly when he saw him. “Thank you. You look great—you really look like an adult now.”
Shen Yuan’s face reddened a little. “Uncle, what are you doing here?”
“Came to see how you’re doing at work,” Li Chen said.
Qiao Hailou wasn’t nearly as eager as Shen Yuan. He followed behind at a leisurely pace and said calmly, “He’s doing well. Your kid takes after you—steady and meticulous.”
Li Chen looked pleased. He’d never actually worried that Shen Yuan would mess up. He had full confidence in this outstanding stepson of his. Still, he answered modestly, “As long as he’s not causing trouble.”
Qiao Hailou glanced at Shen Yuan, who was standing obediently behind his stepfather—unnaturally well-behaved.
He looked away, inexplicably annoyed.
Li Chen then introduced his girlfriend to Qiao Hailou. “This is my girlfriend, Lin Zhihui.”
Qiao Hailou gave her a once-over. “I’ve heard so much about you. Seeing you in person—wow. You really are a beauty.”
Lin Zhihui responded graciously, “Hello, President Qiao. And you’re just as handsome and charming as they say.”
Shen Yuan felt like a shadow shoved into a corner. He couldn’t squeeze into their conversation at all. The adults quickly drifted into business talk. He barely understood any of it, and he knew that when you didn’t know enough, the more you talked, the more mistakes you made. Forcing his way in would only show what a half-baked amateur he was.
He slumped inside. Qiao Hailou hadn’t said it directly, but he’d hinted enough—his uncle probably came mainly for his girlfriend, and checking in on him was just an afterthought.
Secretary Bai came in with tea and fruit.
She poured the tea, and Li Chen, still chatting with Qiao Hailou, glanced over. Because the teapot was closest to him, he naturally handed out the cups. Without thinking, the first cup he passed went to Shen Yuan. Then his own. Then Lin Zhihui. Qiao Hailou got his last.
It was such a minor detail that Li Chen himself didn’t even notice.
Shen Yuan froze for a moment. He picked up the cup, his palm warming against the porcelain. The heat seeped into his chest. He stole a quiet glance at his uncle.
Shen Yuan noticed.
And Qiao Hailou did too.
Qiao Hailou thought back.
The last time the three of them were together, he hadn’t noticed anything like this. Maybe because that meeting was too unexpected, and Shen Yuan had been so nervous he couldn’t stop blushing at him.
But this time, Qiao Hailou caught it instantly.
Shen Yuan’s eyes were fixed solely on his uncle.
Every cautious, hidden glance—each one slipped out like a tiny needle pricking at his heart.
Is he really this affected?
Qiao Hailou already knew he was the substitute. But only now, sitting across from the real thing, did he feel it in a painfully vivid way.
Even so, the smile on his face didn’t lose a single degree of warmth.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan was secretly studying Lin Zhihui up close. She was even more stunning than he’d imagined—poised, confident, gorgeous. She wore an ivory dress; nearly forty, yet not the least bit out of shape, her figure curved elegantly like a carved jade pipa.
She was composed, graceful, beautiful, educated. Her age matched his uncle’s. And most importantly—she was a woman.
Shen Yuan deflated hard.
Since this was still working hours, Qiao Hailou didn’t have time to sit around chatting. Li Chen understood that; when he felt it was about time, he said they should go look at jewelry.
Lin’s eyes brightened just a little. She was upfront about her intentions: “I’d like to see your high-end collection. I heard you have top-tier tanzanite… is that true?”
Shen Yuan stiffened, a little offended. What was that supposed to mean? He knew exactly which set she meant—it cost several million. She and his uncle were only dating, and she wanted him to buy something that expensive? Was she kidding? Wasn’t that going way too far?
“I’ll have someone take you—” Qiao Hailou started, then caught the expression on Shen Yuan’s face. He changed course. “Actually, I happen to be free. I’ll take you myself. That set was hard to acquire, and it’s one of Lan Rugong’s signature designs.”
Shen Yuan shot him a disbelieving look. Free? He had a mountain of work waiting. What was Qiao Hailou trying to pull?
Qiao Hailou turned to him. “It’s rare for your uncle to come by. You should come along too. Keep him company.”
Shen Yuan hesitated. He really didn’t want to be the third wheel. But when the adults all stood, he had no choice but to drag himself along.
In the elevator, when the others weren’t looking, Shen Yuan tugged lightly at Qiao Hailou’s sleeve and whispered, “What are you doing?”
Qiao Hailou ignored him completely, pulled his arm away, and treated him like air.
Shen Yuan glared, but with people around, he swallowed it.
They arrived at the flagship store.
This was the biggest branch in the country—five floors. The first four were sales counters: gold on the first floor, platinum on the second, jade on the third, diamonds and colored stones on the fourth. The fifth floor housed the VIP suites and sales department.
Wang Ziqin worked here now. The competition was cutthroat; he was currently doing everything in his power to sweet-talk an auntie into buying diamonds. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Shen Yuan.
He thought he was imagining it, but when he looked again—no, it really was him. And with him… wasn’t that his stepfather? And Qiao Hailou? And the woman—wasn’t she that washed-up actress dating his dad?
What were they doing here?
Qiao Hailou had already alerted the store in advance. As soon as they entered, the sales manager greeted them enthusiastically and led them straight to the fifth-floor VIP room.
In the elegantly decorated suite, they sat down, and the manager personally brought out the requested jewelry.
When the box opened, the room seemed to brighten.
Shen Yuan’s gaze locked instantly onto it.
The tanzanite set lay on its velvet cushion like a refined, elegant lady in repose. When lifted, she seemed to awaken—light catching on her surfaces in breathtaking bursts.
The beauty of a gemstone under light was something even the best cameras could never capture.
Tanzanite was a modern discovery, found at the foot of the equatorial snow mountains. Most were purple; only the rarest, finest ones gleamed with that deep, clear, mesmerizing blue. Popular overseas, rare in the domestic market. Its most famous appearance was the Heart of the Ocean from Titanic.
Lin Zhihui tried on the entire set—necklace, earrings, bracelet—tanzanite accented with small diamonds. The main stone on the necklace was the size of a dove egg, dazzling.
Once she had everything on, she instantly looked more luxurious.
She was stunning. A blush rose on her cheeks—she clearly loved it.
Even Shen Yuan had to admit she was well-suited for this set. Her mature beauty carried the design perfectly. A teenager wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.
Tanzanite of this caliber was rare in the country; a full set like this was nearly impossible to find.
After admiring herself in the mirror for quite a while, Lin Zhihui reluctantly removed the pieces.
Li Chen said with appreciation, “You look beautiful in that set.”
She blushed slightly. “Thank you.”
Li Chen asked the manager, “How much is it?”
The manager glanced at Qiao Hailou. “With the VIP discount, 5% off—seven million.”
Shen Yuan felt like he was about to burst. Did Uncle really like her enough to spend that much money on her?!
Lin Zhihui , looking pleased, even held Uncle’s hand and smiled at him. Shen Yuan sank into absolute misery—
Then she shook her head. “Don’t buy it for me.”
Shen Yuan blinked. “…What?”
What was going on?
Lin Zhihui turned to Qiao Hailou and said tactfully, “President Qiao, I actually wanted to ask about long-term rental of high-end jewelry. Not just this once, but a long-term arrangement. Daily rental at five percent of the retail price—and if you could offer a better rate, I’d be extremely grateful.”
“I may look glamorous, but honestly… my savings aren’t much.”
“And it’s not for me personally. To tell the truth… I can’t hustle like I used to when I was younger. I’m transitioning to behind-the-scenes work. I’ve registered my own studio and signed a few new artists. I’ll have to attend public events with them.”
“In this industry, you can’t show up looking cheap. But buying expensive pieces every time is impossible. And you can’t keep re-wearing the same pieces either—people will laugh.”
“So, I’m hoping to discuss a rental partnership with your company. I’d happily promote your brand publicly when wearing your pieces—free of charge.”
Shen Yuan sat there stunned. He needed a moment to process it. Then he suddenly remembered telling Xiao Lin that Lin Zhihui might not be like the media painted her.
She really was different.
Of course Uncle wouldn’t fall for someone shallow and grasping.
Realizing he’d assumed she was some ordinary gold-digger trying to scam his uncle made his ears burn.
Yet… Qiao Hailou wasn’t entirely wrong either. She was with Uncle partly because of “money”—not direct cash, but because being with him gave her access she’d otherwise never have. Without Uncle, she couldn’t even get in front of the CEO of CuiCan Jewelers.
She wasn’t asking him to buy her jewelry—but he was still the “credit line” making her rental request possible.
That kind of value couldn’t be measured.
But was that a bad thing? A flaw?
No. Shen Yuan instead felt she was smart, capable, independent—and admirable.
She and his uncle… were well-matched.
Shen Yuan thought that if he blatantly showed how jealous he was, it would look very, very— very ugly.
He suddenly felt a gaze fall on him. Snapping back to himself, he looked up—Qiao Hailou was watching him.
Qiao Hailou only seemed to glance at him casually before withdrawing his eyes.
Lin Zhihui asked, “Is that alright, Mr. Qiao?”
Qiao Hailou said, “Give me a moment.”
He stepped out with the sales director. A few minutes later, he returned. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lin. I made a mistake. Unfortunately, this tanzanite set has already been reserved.”
Li Chen frowned. If it had already been reserved, they should’ve said so earlier—either it was a mistake on the store’s part, or they were just making excuses.
But Lin Zhihui didn’t get angry. She only looked a little disappointed. “I see. Well, if it’s not meant to be, I can’t force it.”
Shen Yuan: “…”
Qiao Hailou said, “But we’ve prepared a few other pieces for you to see. As for long-term jewelry rental, that’s negotiable. But our high-end pieces aren’t always available—we loan them out only when we can. Since you’re President Li’s friend, we’ll give you a good rate. Two percent.”
For a second, Lin Zhihui thought the collaboration had fallen apart. Surprise lit up her face. She liked the tanzanite set, yes—but a long-term rental partnership was far more important. “Great, great—thank you, Mr. Qiao. Thank you. Truly.”
The manager brought out a few other sets. Not as impressive, but still high-quality pieces.
Li Chen stood by her side, helping her evaluate each one.
Shen Yuan remained seated, head lowered, not looking anymore.
Qiao Hailou was beside him. The tanzanite set still lay on the table—in front of them.
Shen Yuan asked quietly, “…Why did you deliberately make things difficult for her?”
Qiao Hailou replied, “She’s just Li Chen’s girlfriend. They’re not even close to marriage. And even if she does become the third Mrs. Li, she doesn’t get to pick and choose. She’s renting, not buying.”
Shen Yuan muttered, “But you lied. No one actually reserved it, right? If someone finds out what you did, wouldn’t it be embarrassing?”
“Who said I lied?” Qiao Hailou said. “Someone did reserve it. I did. I reserved it myself—I’m planning to buy it for my little boyfriend.”
“Someone who had ‘don’t you dare sell that stone to Lin Zhihui’ written all over his face.”
Shen Yuan’s whole face went scarlet. “I—I didn’t ask you to do that.”
Qiao Hailou said, “I did it on my own.”
He picked up the gemstone set—worth several million—and placed it into Shen Yuan’s open palm. Shen froze, panicked. “I can’t take this.”
But Qiao Hailou insisted on giving it to him. Shen didn’t dare accept it, but he couldn’t fling it away either. He was trapped between both.
Qiao Hailou asked, “What do you think this is?”
Shen Yuan held it for a long moment before squeezing out, “…Tanzanite.”
Qiao Hailou gave a small shake of his head, his gaze burning into him. “No. This is jealousy. My jealousy.”