Chapter 41: Sorry, You’re Not Important

Before Jian Qing could even speak, Ren Tianchuan strode forward and slapped her across the face.

They say a single hand can't make a sound.

But now, as the slap landed on Jian Qing's cheek, it rang out with a startling clarity.

“Dad!”

Her eyes reddened, and her lower lip trembled as she choked out, “Do you even know how much harm this kind of humiliation can do to a person!”

She stared at her father, tears streaming down her delicate cheeks. Biting her lip, she wheeled herself over to Ren Yishan, who was still sitting on the floor, and grasped the hand adorned with a diamond ring.

She pretended she was helping Yishan up, but in truth, she wanted to get a closer look at the ring.

All of Ren Yishan’s jewelry came from the Jian family company. She lacked the taste to select her own pieces and feared exposing her ignorance.

Yet with just one glance, Jian Qing recognized it as the competition piece she had designed herself.

At the time, her mother had wanted to test Jian Qing’s abilities and had entered the piece into an exhibition under the guise of an independent designer. Unexpectedly, it had fetched a high price.

Jian Qing distinctly remembered that the Jian family had not bought back that diamond.

So she understood instantly—

Either this ring had an illicit provenance, or it was a gift from someone.

If it was a gift, only Xiao Yuncheng could have given it.

But Xiao Yuncheng’s own family was tight on funds, having already auctioned off many antiques and paintings. Would he really splurge on a luxury like this for her?

Jian Qing rested Ren Yishan’s hand on her own lap, still calling out gently, “Sister, say something~” as she subtly rocked the hand on her thigh.

In the bright light, the gemstone sparkled, soon becoming the most dazzling thing in the room.

Hao Qing took a closer look and was taken aback—wasn’t that the very diamond she had exchanged with Li Jingche before?

She knew a little about diamonds, and she’d been drawn to this one in particular because its fire was quite remarkable, scattering seven colors in the sunlight.

The brilliance of a diamond depends most on the cut. The eight hearts and eight arrows cut is the most traditional and classic, showcasing a diamond’s beauty.

But this one, she noted, was a radiant cut—a style suited for rough stones with chipped corners or flaws, and which also preserves more of the original stone.

Yet even so, the fire of this diamond was outstanding.

That was why Hao Qing had been so impressed by it that she decided to buy it.

Seated on the floor with her hand in Jian Qing’s grasp, Ren Yishan gradually came to her senses. Looking at the face she so despised, she yanked her hand away.

“Jian Qing, you pushed me—”

“Ren Yishan, where did you get that diamond ring?” Hao Qing interrupted before she could even finish the word “pushed.”

Startled, Ren Yishan looked at Hao Qing, not daring to speak, her eyes filled with apprehension.

As Hao Qing’s expression turned stern, even Ren Tianchuan, who had just been blustering with fury, was taken aback. It was the first time he noticed his daughter was wearing a ring. He hurried over to help Ren Yishan up, pulling her behind him.

“Miss Hao, what’s wrong with the diamond ring? If there’s something to discuss, let’s talk it over.”

Though Hao Qing’s voice was soft, sometimes tinged with a southern accent, her questioning was incisive.

“This diamond ring looks very much like one that belongs to a friend of mine. That’s why I’m asking.”

Though she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes.

“Our Jian family has always been in the jewelry business. My wife is a jewelry designer too. Diamonds don’t vary much in appearance. Most look similar,” Ren Tianchuan replied.

But Hao Qing ignored this pretext. She glanced behind her, and a socialite she was close to stepped forward and removed the ring from Ren Yishan’s hand.

Hao Qing, gloved, examined the ring, her gaze falling on the inside of the band, where tiny diamonds formed the letter “Z.”

It was the hallmark of the independent designer, Fu Zhuo.

Lifting her head, Hao Qing’s sternness vanished as she smiled at Ren Yishan. She curled her hand around the diamond ring, imprisoning it in her palm, then turned to Du Yu.

“Call Che-ge and ask if he’s tried on the gift I gave him last time.”

Du Yu raised an eyebrow. He’d just wanted to spectate, not realizing he’d be dragged into the matter.

Resigned, he nodded and took out his phone.

“Hello, Jingche? Do you still have that diamond ring Hao Qing gave you last time?”

On the other end, Li Jingche didn’t answer immediately. The ability to deflect was a trait shared by all snakes.

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Oh, nothing,” Du Yu weighed his words carefully, wanting to explain the situation without offending either party. “I’m at Miss Ren’s welcome banquet, and I saw her wearing a ring that looks just like it. It seemed like quite the coincidence, so I wanted to check with you.”

Li Jingche paused in the act of signing some documents, glanced up at Qin Jin, and then wrote on a blank sheet of paper: “Ask if He Jiangyu is with Li Shuang.” After stalling for a moment, he said, “What a coincidence. Miss Ren has good taste.”

Someone nearby whispered, “Who’s he calling that makes Du Yu so careful with his words?”

“Hush! Didn’t you hear? It’s Li Jingche on the other end!”

Though the two people behind spoke quietly, the room was so silent that everyone heard.

The pallor gradually faded from Ren Yishan’s face—did this mean she could use this ring to forge a connection with the Li family?

With hope in her eyes, she looked at Ren Tianchuan, who nodded at her encouragingly.

Ren Yishan quickly tidied her hair and stood respectfully before Hao Qing, all traces of her previous distress gone. Although her prosthesis was still a bit askew, she looked much better now that the nosebleed was wiped away.

Du Yu wondered why Li Jingche was stalling—how could someone so busy be asking about the guest list at a time like this?

Li Jingche rocked back in his office chair. Qin Jin came in after a while, and when he saw him, Li Jingche mouthed the word “here.” Suddenly understanding, he interrupted Du Yu, who was rattling off the guest list like a menu, and said, “The ring is missing. I have a meeting now. We’ll talk tonight.”

The gift Li Shuang had given Jian Qing had ended up on Ren Yishan’s finger.

If Ren Yishan hadn’t stolen it, who had?

“All right, Jingche. Take care.”

Du Yu hung up and shrugged at Hao Qing.

“The ring is missing.”

“Oh?” Hao Qing curled her lips. Ren Yishan quickly sidled up to her, tilting her chin upward.

Ren Yishan hurried to explain, “Maybe... it’s just the same style?”

She had no idea that the ring Li Shuang gave Jian Qing had actually been stolen from Li Jingche!

She even thought Li Shuang, like herself, simply disliked Jian Qing and wanted to set her up!

But now, the blame was falling squarely on her own shoulders!

“It’s not just the same style—even the anti-counterfeit mark inside the band is identical, Ren Yishan! This was a bespoke piece for the exhibition, one of a kind. How could there be another just like it?”

Having said this, Hao Qing stepped forward, and Ren Yishan’s face turned as white as a sheet.