Chapter 42: She Is No Saint

Ren Yishan never expected Li Shuang would give Jian Qing such an expensive gift.

After all, the last time a group of wealthy second-generation heirs met at Sea Yu Hotel, they were clearly strangers. If she hadn’t initiated a connection with Li Shuang, Jian Qing would never have gotten close to her at all!

Staggering forward, she tried to grab Hao Qing’s hand to explain herself, but Hao Qing gave her no chance to speak, turning instead to Du Yu:

“Call the police, Du Yu.”

The mention of the police made Ren Yishan’s face change dramatically.

She hurriedly grabbed Xiao Yuncheng’s arm.

He stood by Du Yu’s side, his gaze flicking between Hao Qing and Du Yu, licking his lips, clearly troubled as he said, “Director Du, Shanshan isn’t that kind of person. The ring is just a coincidence.”

“Director Xiao, I know Miss Ren is your girlfriend, but this ring is a valuable item that Jing Che exchanged for with Hao Qing using Sea Yu Hotel. We can’t afford to be careless.”

“Exchanged... Sea Yu Hotel? For a diamond ring?”

Ren Yishan was dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss for words—how could such a worthless thing be so valuable?!

Xiao Yuncheng was also speechless, even casting a suspicious glance at Ren Yishan.

After all, he and Ren Yishan had no emotional foundation, and the first half of her life had been truly humble.

Ren Yishan grew flustered, tugging at Hao Qing’s hand, and in her panic, she blurted out everything:

“Hao Qing, please listen to me. This ring was given to me by my sister. She saw I had no jewelry, so she let me wear it. I didn’t know it was stolen!”

This bucket of filth aimed at Jian Qing was her lifeline now.

She seized it and refused to let go.

Jian Qing arched her brows; she hadn’t expected the diamond ring she had designed to end up purchased by such a wealthy family, only to find its way back to her side after so many twists and turns.

“Oh? Miss Jian gave it to you?”

Hao Qing’s gaze grew sharp as it fell upon Jian Qing.

Ren Tianchuan chimed in from the side:

“Yes, Miss Hao. Qingqing knew her sister lacked jewelry, and since she’s a jewelry designer, perhaps she copied someone else’s design and stumbled upon this by chance.”

This father was no better—he not only denied Jian Qing a chance to clear her name, but also blocked every possible escape route—

Either Jian Qing was a thief,

Or she was a plagiarist.

In any case, she was a criminal.

“So it turns out the little daughter stole something to frame her elder sister?”

“Tsk tsk, didn’t you hear her father? Maybe she plagiarized too!”

The murmurs around them grew louder, the tide turning swiftly against Jian Qing. The welcome banquet had become a trial, and she was left alone, everyone standing in opposition.

“Miss Hao,” at last, Yan Jin squeezed through the crowd, stepping quickly to stand behind Jian Qing, “Though Jian Qing hasn’t officially joined the Jian corporation, she has won several awards in jewelry design. Plagiarism is impossible, theft even less so.”

Jian Qing’s brows twitched slightly, her gaze locking onto Ren Yishan like a leopard stalking prey:

“You say I gave you this ring?”

Ren Yishan was confident there was no surveillance here; Sea Yu Hotel was a retreat for many dignitaries, with a high demand for privacy. She nodded firmly:

“Of course. I even wondered why you handed me the ring wearing gloves. Now I understand—it was to avoid leaving fingerprints, wasn’t it?”

Ren Yishan pressed her advantage, looking pitifully at Hao Qing, tears streaming as she sobbed:

“Miss Hao, you’ve wronged me.”

Hao Qing glanced at her, then slowly turned her gaze to Jian Qing.

Jian Qing remained calm, straightening the blanket over her lap as she spoke:

“Very well, since my sister claims I gave her the ring, let me ask: when, where, and who witnessed it?”

Ren Yishan’s eyes darted—

She couldn’t claim today, as Jian Qing had only met her at the banquet, and there was Yan Ni in the dressing room behind Jian Qing, who might testify for her, making Ren Yishan’s story impossible to defend.

Better to push the timeline back, so Jian Qing would have no way to prove herself.

“It was... about five or six days ago, I’m not sure. My sister brought her new boyfriend home that day. She said everything I had—from men to houses, cars—were things she’d already played with, so she gave me the jewelry she was tired of wearing. I thought she was genuinely kind to me, so I didn’t think much of it. How could I have known…”

As she spoke, Ren Yishan began to cry again.

She collapsed into Xiao Yuncheng’s arms, trembling.

Xiao Yuncheng hadn’t expected that, in Jian Qing’s eyes, he was just another disposable toy. His eyes chilled:

“Jian Qing, you’ve gone too far!”

He passed judgment, and the crowd erupted in discussion:

“I thought Jian Qing had a gentle temperament, but this...”

“Yeah, I used to think Xiao Yuncheng was the one who betrayed her. I felt sorry for her. Guess I was wrong.”

Despite this, Jian Qing smiled lightly, looking calmly at Hao Qing:

“Miss Hao, I believe you’ve reached your decision?”

Jian Qing knew well—the exhibition had been held about ten days ago. The jewelry, once purchased, wasn’t taken away on the spot, but only after at least three days. If Hao Qing exchanged it with the Li family as soon as she received it, the exhibition was in Dubai, and returning home would take at least two days.

In other words, at the time Ren Yishan claimed, the jewelry was likely still in Hao Qing’s possession—possibly not even handed over to the Li family yet.

How could Jian Qing have stolen it?

While everyone else was lost in confusion, Du Yu covered his forehead with a smile, speechless as he stared at Ren Yishan.

Hao Qing’s expression soured; she snatched the ring from Ren Yishan’s finger:

“Five or six days ago, the ring was still with me. How could Jian Qing have stolen it?!”

Ren Yishan’s face turned pale:

“Then... maybe... maybe I remembered wrong…”

“It’s not that you remembered wrong—you simply don’t understand.”

Jian Qing propped her head, her eyes bright:

“This ring was exhibited and won an award, only recently brought back to the country. Because it was designed by an independent designer and is highly renowned in the industry, only someone who knows nothing about jewelry would steal it. Those who do know wouldn’t dare, because it’s far too famous.”

With that, Ren Yishan’s legs gave way, and she collapsed into Xiao Yuncheng’s arms.

He bit his lip, his face flushed, eager to slip away but unable.

“Miss Hao, let’s take our time investigating. Shanshan isn’t that kind of person. How about I join you downstairs, and we can discuss it over dinner?”

Ren Tianchuan tried to smooth things over, but Hao Qing was already pulling Du Yu away:

“There’s no need for explanations, Mr. Ren. In a few days, the police will pay you a visit.”