When Leng Mochen arrived, he only saw Li Si and Bai Shasha sitting in the lobby. "Where is she?"
"Gone!" Bai Shasha enthusiastically recounted the earlier events to him, ending with, "We didn’t even need to make a move; soone else dealt with her!"
Li Si t Leng Mochen’s questioning gaze and gave a mischievous smile. "Shasha’s right! In the past, I’d always thought if I ran into her, I’d definitely have to teach her a lesson. But after seeing what just happened, I’ve changed my mind. Bad people will always et their match—we’re better off sitting back and watching the show!"
Earlier, Shasha had gone upstairs to watch everything unfold from above alongside her. The two of them had quietly enjoyed being spectators. Why bother dirtying their own hands?
Leng Mochen frowned, clearly not entirely agreeing with their perspective, but simply gave a faint smile and said nothing. As for them staying out of it—he could step in, even if it ant working in the shadows.
This commotion had made them miss lunch. It was already 2 p.m.
Li Si asked the cashier to call Su ng down, and the group headed out for a al. Afterward, Bai Shasha and Su ng wanted to roam around and shop for clothes.
Since Leng Mochen had a eting that afternoon, Li Si suggested he leave first. Anyway, the driver stayed behind, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
The three of them wandered at their own pace, eventually amassing a mountain of clothes and shoes, leaving their poor driver, Old Ji, completely worn out—not only acting as a bodyguard but also lugging all their bags!
When they arrived at the Chow Tai Fook jewelry store, they saw through the glass display window that the place was packed with custors, with even more people streaming in at the entrance. Bai Shasha, curious, asked, "What’s going on here? Free gold?"
An elderly woman with a kind face happened to walk by, smiled at her, and said, "Young lady, you don’t know yet, do you? Everyone’s saying that 2007 will be the Year of the Golden Pig. Grandmothers have to buy gold beads for their daughters-in-law! It’s ant to bring good luck!"
Li Si suddenly rembered—this happened in her previous life too. But back then, it wasn’t until about a month before the Lunar New Year that it really took off. She had seen Li Fei wearing the one ng Zijun had gifted her.
By the ti the New Year and winter break ended and school started, almost every girl in class was wearing a little gold bead strung on red thread as a ring. So beads were oval-shaped, others round. So were gifts from future mothers-in-law, so from boyfriends or parents. Regardless of their origin, nearly all the girls sported one of those tiny gold beads.
Looking around at her friends, Li Si had noticed that nearly everyone had one—except for her. She had been a bit upset, thinking, "If my dad were still around, he’d definitely buy one for ." Later, she ended up buying one herself. Even now, she vividly rembered how difficult it was to get her hands on one back then—the first store she went to was completely out of stock.
These tiny gold beads were called "fortune-turning beads" because rumor had it that 2007 would be an unlucky year, and buying one was supposed to bring good fortune. There were two main versions of the story: the first claid that 2007 wouldn’t have a "Spring Start" day, making it a "widow year," so mothers-in-law had to buy gold beads for their daughters-in-law to ward off bad luck; the second said that 2007 had a "leap July," which was ominous, so people needed fortune-turning gold beads to reverse their luck.
Su ng burst out laughing. "So that’s what they’re saying? I bet it’s just a marketing ploy!" She compared it to rumors like mothers-in-law needing to buy canned peaches for their sons-in-law. "All nonsense!"
Li Si snapped out of her mories and grinned. "ng ng, you’ve hit the nail on the head!"
Bai Shasha blinked and linked her arm with Li Si’s. "Si, even if it’s a marketing sche, why not check it out? What’s the harm?" She loved jumping into any bustling scene—this crowded spot might even lead to the next big scoop.
Seeing Shasha’s eyes sparkling with excitent, Li Si knew her friend’s "career instincts" had kicked in again. "Fine, let’s go! But are you really planning to buy one? Aren’t you going to wait for soone to gift it to you, huh?" Li Si tilted her head to tease them, her face mischievous. Totally hands-on, huh? Not even giving Long Wu or Xu Er a chance to impress?
Su ng and Bai Shasha, acting as her loyal supporters on each side, hooked their arms around Li Si.
Su ng raised her eyebrows playfully. "Buying one yourself? What’s the point! Obviously, we should have President Li give them out—employee benefits, right? Such a thoughtful gift! Those younger girls will be over the moon."
Li Si actually thought it made sense—she had been mulling over what holiday gifts to distribute to the girls, and this idea of gifting gold beads seed like a great solution. Not only was it aningful, it’d also make them happy.
Bai Shasha imdiately chid in, not to be outdone. "President Li wouldn’t skimp on either, now would you? I’ve been by your side for an entire day!" She even exaggeratedly winked, making Li Si laugh so hard her face hurt.
"Alright, let’s see what they’ve got! No need to wait any longer!" Li Si confidently took charge. Let’s go check it out!
The store was jam-packed, and it took her ages to claim a spot at an available counter. Upon learning the gold price was 168 yuan per gram, Li Si exclaid that it was incredibly cheap. She guessed the gold bead hype was likely responsible for gold prices slowly climbing up from their recent decline.
The group ended up picking 40 identical gold beads and asked the staff to string them with red thread. The attendants were very eager to assist—they clearly viewed Li Si and the others as high-value custors compared to people buying one bead at a ti.
Li Si also picked out three identical golden pearl bracelets—one for each of them.
Lastly, Li Si chose a gold pendant. If the baby was born during the Lunar New Year, they’d truly be a "Golden Pig"—they couldn’t possibly miss out on their share!
While browsing, Bai Shasha had already wandered off sowhere else, leaving Su ng by Li Si’s side to help select pieces.
Once they’d finished, Li Si took their receipt and headed to the register with Su ng to wait in line to pay.
Unexpectedly, she bumped into none other than Tian Yaruo, who was also waiting to pay at the register!
The two froze for a mont, before Tian Yaruo’s eyes darted to Li Si’s rounded belly. Filled with pleasant surprise, she exclaid, "Tiantian, you’re pregnant! How many months now?" Almost in one breath, she followed up with, "When did you get married?" For all she knew, there hadn’t been any announcents!
Could it be that she planned to have the child first and then get married? Tian Yaruo frowned slightly in disapproval. That wouldn’t do—no matter what, the child should be born after the wedding. What if there were complications with the Leng Family in the future?
Li Si felt a twinge of irritation. What did her affairs have to do with her? Did Tian Yaruo really think she still mattered? They were strangers now—wasn’t that clear?
"We got married not long ago," Li Si replied coolly before turning to quietly chat with Su ng, ignoring Tian Yaruo completely.
Running into her here was nothing but coincidence. When Shasha had ntioned Ye Duowei’s divorce not long ago, it had briefly crossed Li Si’s mind that the Tian Family must be in chaos now.
Seeing Tian Yaruo’s slightly haggard appearance, Li Si guessed her days probably weren’t going so well either.
But her heart felt no sympathy; in her mind, there was no place left for Tian Yaruo anymore.
Upon hearing that Li Si was already married, Tian Yaruo felt relieved—it put her mind at ease knowing her daughter wouldn’t end up like her. At the sa ti, however, her heart ached. Her own daughter treated her like a stranger, withholding even life-altering news like marriage and impending childbirth.
She felt utterly defeated. It was all her fault for constantly wounding her daughter’s heart, pushing Li Si further and further away.
She admitted to herself that at tis, she hadn’t even treated Li Si as well as she treated Weiwei. Guilt, regret, and sorrow consud her.
But seeing Li Si’s cold and distant expression, she couldn’t help but attempt to nd things. "No wedding yet? Well, it makes sense to wait until after the baby is born to hold one! Judging by your bump, I’d say five or six months along now, right?
Tiantian, I don’t an to interfere, really—I’m only saying this for your own good. During pregnancy, you must take care of yourself. Avoid things that could upset or agitate you; this could have long-term effects on your health, you know—it’s no small matter!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian to vote with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation! Mobile users can read at m.qidian.)
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