Chapter 20: The Thoughts of a Delicate Wife
When Jian Qing woke up in the morning, Li Jingche was already gone. Her body ached terribly from the fall she'd taken the day before.
As she descended the stairs, she saw Ren Tianchuan and Ren Yishan preparing to leave. The two of them, arm in arm, looked every bit the affectionate father and daughter.
All her life, Jian Qing had never shared such intimacy with her own father.
“Dad, tonight the developer from Dute Tourist Resort invited Yunchen and the others to dinner. If Yunchen isn’t feeling up to it, could you come with me instead?”
“Of course. Anything you want, Shanshan.”
“I knew you’d always treat me best, Dad!”
Watching this display of fatherly affection from the landing, Jian Qing’s hand tightened unconsciously around the banister.
Love and indifference are always obvious. Her father had never loved her; Jian Qing had known this since she was a child. Only now had she come to fully accept it.
“Uncle Qian.”
Seeing Uncle Qian enter through the door, Jian Qing called out, “Help me wash the car. I have a lunch meeting with a client.”
“All right, Qingqing.”
Yan Jin had mentioned that next week was Li family's young master's birthday. Jian Qing, wanting the gemstone to be finished in its most perfect state, had postponed nearly all her commissions. There was one socialite, an old client, whose order she couldn’t delay. She’d arranged to meet her today to discuss delivery and design ideas, hoping to extend the deadline a little.
Friends are above all. Yan Jin’s gemstone was meant to secure the Yan family’s future.
The restaurant was chosen by the client: the Haiyu Hotel. This confirmed for Jian Qing that her client was no ordinary heiress. Haiyu Hotel had long been the Li family’s private kitchen, but today a rumor was trending online that the hotel had changed hands from the Li family to the Hao family. That explained how her client had managed to book a table at such short notice at a restaurant that usually required a year’s advance reservation.
Jian Qing’s jewelry design studio didn’t bear her real name, but was called “Fu Zhuo”—a testament to her flair for names. Without any powerful conglomerate backing her, she’d built her studio bit by bit through competitions and her own skill. Her fees weren’t exorbitant, but her craftsmanship and unique designs—never mass-produced—made her a new favorite among socialites. After all, who doesn’t want something truly one-of-a-kind?
She drove her little “Old Man’s Joy” car to the restaurant, handed her keys to the valet, and was about to enter when the attendant stopped her.
“Miss, I’m sorry, but entry to our restaurant is by reservation only.”
Jian Qing nodded, understanding why the attendant had stopped her—who would drive such a car to a place like this?
She took out her phone and displayed her reservation code. As the attendant moved to verify it, a familiar voice sounded behind her.
“Sister? What are you doing here?”
She turned to see Ren Yishan, standing between Ren Tianchuan and Xiao Yuncheng, girlishly clinging to a man’s arm and smiling as if parading a trophy before Jian Qing.
Straightening her posture, Jian Qing faced Ren Yishan with a polite, distant smile, though her gaze darkened as it fell on Ren Yishan’s hand clutching their father’s arm.
Ren Tianchuan said nothing, but it was the pale-faced Xiao Yuncheng who spoke first. “Jian Qing, what are you doing here?”
In her halter top—a striking blend of gray gauze and white satin—and a form-fitting, slit skirt, Jian Qing looked easily the most dazzling among the four.
She ran a hand through her hair and, watching the valet drive away her car, smiled, “What else does one do at a restaurant but eat?”
“Sister, the Dute developers didn’t invite you,” Ren Yishan said, clinging to her status like a dog with a bone, as if afraid Jian Qing might upstage her at the banquet.
But Jian Qing remained unruffled, shrugging. “The Jian family designs jewelry—what use would we have for knowing real estate developers? But you, Ren Yishan, what do you do? Are you here to take a dump?”
“Jian Qing! Where are your manners!” Ren Tianchuan finally spoke, and if not for the public setting, he likely would have raised his hand to her.
When the valet returned the keys, Jian Qing lost interest in arguing and turned to enter.
Ren Yishan, seeing Jian Qing ignore her, called after, “Sister, today Dute’s CEO invited Mr. He. Looks like he didn’t want you to attend either—are you an embarrassment?”
He Jiangyu really came?
Jian Qing’s heart skipped a beat.
She paused, turned slowly, and scrutinized Ren Yishan without speaking for a long moment.
He Jiangyu really came?
As Ren Yishan handed her invitation code to the valet, she laughed gaily, “Maybe Mr. He is only with you because of your family. If he truly cared, why wouldn’t he bring you to an event where he could introduce you as his girlfriend?”
She leaned her head on Xiao Yuncheng’s arm. “Yuncheng is willing to bring me, but he won’t bring you—why do you think that is, sister? Maybe you should reflect. You’re so career-driven and strong—what man would want a woman like you?”
Jian Qing scratched her ear, and as she lifted her head, her innate confidence made her already striking features blaze even brighter.
“Ren Yishan, are you in some cult? Is your brain full of submissive wife nonsense? The Jian family doesn’t produce women whose only worth lies between their legs. The point of striving isn’t to stand out from the crowd, but to—”
At this, Jian Qing mouthed the last few words silently:
“To stay far away from chickens like you.”
“Jian Qing, you—!”
Ren Yishan lunged as if to grab her, but the attendant blocked her.
“Miss, your invitation allows entry for only two people. One of you cannot enter.”
The three of them were left awkwardly blocked at the entrance. Jian Qing, in no hurry now, leaned against the doorframe with a smile, waiting.
“I’m just here to eat. If I get a little drama to watch, all the better.”
Ren Yishan flushed. She’d heard of restaurants not allowing outside food, but never of not allowing extra guests.
“It’s just one extra person, why not…? Besides, we’re paying.”
“I’m sorry, miss. Only two of you may enter.”
“How can that be!”
The attendant was firm. At this hour, the restaurant was full of prominent guests. Before long, Xiao Yuncheng saw several of the Xiao family’s business partners coming and going. Embarrassed, he patted Ren Yishan’s hand.
“Shanshan.”
He shook his head and exchanged a glance with Ren Tianchuan, who, seeing the situation, released his daughter’s arm.
“You and Yuncheng go ahead. This is really for you young people—no need for me to join.”
Ren Yishan pouted, but her last venomous glance landed squarely on Jian Qing.
Jian Qing seemed quite refreshed. Just before entering, she called out to the attendant, “There’s no liner in your trash bin outside.”
The attendant paused, then contacted housekeeping. “Thank you for letting us know, miss.”
Jian Qing shook her head. “No problem. Though, even with a liner, nobody thinks a trash bin is clean.”
Her words were ambiguous, but her look at Ren Yishan was anything but friendly.
Upstairs, standing with a wine glass before the floor-to-ceiling windows, Li Jingche ignored the chatter of the men around him. His gaze followed Jian Qing as she entered the restaurant, his expression relaxed and open.
“Jingche, aren’t you planning to add the Dute project to your business empire?”
Du Yu, head of the Dute project and Li Jingche’s old university friend, stood beside him. Back in the student council, they’d been president and vice president—rivals in some ways, always striving to outdo each other.
Li Jingche smiled and shook his head, turning his gaze away. “You invited the Xiao family too?”
“Yes. I heard Xiao Yuncheng has a new fiancée. Many people here want to meet her—everyone knows the Jian family has a famously beautiful only daughter, so people are curious about this dark horse.”
The smile faded from Li Jingche’s face, but just as he was about to speak, He Jiangyu entered.
“Brother Che, you’re early today.”
And then, the sound of a woman’s high heels echoed behind him.