Trying to Cut Ties With Me

Before Yun Huaizhu could recover from the tangle of emotions, Lin Meng picked up the necklace and held it out to her. "Miss Yun, I didn't know that day that the necklace you gave me was so expensive—that's why I accepted it. It's too valuable. I can't keep it, so I should return it to its rightful owner."

Yun Huaizhu had been holding back a nameless, smoldering anger for a while, and it peaked the moment Lin Meng said she was giving the necklace back.

Still, she reined in the urge to snap. "It was an exchange of gifts. The value doesn't matter."

Lin Meng pressed on. "No... it does. It's too expensive. I can't repay it..."

Yun Huaizhu stared at her as if she were interrogating her. "Then why return it? Did you do something to wrong me? Or do you think it's distasteful that I gave you something I've worn?"

Lin Meng had always imagined Yun Huaizhu would be like she was in the novel—gentle, soft-spoken, reasonable. But the woman in front of her was so aggressive that she couldn't get a single word out.

She even felt a little wronged. "That's not it. Your gift is lovely... so lovely I couldn't afford it if I worked my whole life. That's exactly why I can't accept it."

The more Lin Meng said this, the more Yun Huaizhu felt she was trying to cut ties with her as quickly as possible.

Yun Huaizhu stared at those guilt-ridden eyes that didn't dare look at her. "Didn't you like me so much that you hid a listening device in the earrings you gave me? Or was it not because you liked me—did you have some other purpose?"

Lin Meng: "?!"

How was it that the more she explained, the worse it sounded?

Even though what Yun Huaizhu said was true, she couldn't admit it. Flustered, she waved her hands. "No, no—the gift I gave you cost me a month's salary. I meant it sincerely! I just feel that the gift you gave me is worlds apart from what I gave you. I can't accept something so expensive. Otherwise, take the necklace back and just give me a few autographed photos..."

Though she did harbor a few calculating thoughts about Yun Huaizhu, when she went to buy the gemstones, the first thing that caught her eye was those two olive-green stones, green as spring itself.

In her mind, Yun Huaizhu's beauty was like the purest, sweetest flower blooming in spring—and those gems suited her perfectly.

At Lin Meng's words, Yun Huaizhu remembered that time at the hotel, when Lin Meng had tried to use that "one month's salary" line to take back the earrings. Now she was genuinely curious just how much Lin Meng earned in a month, for her to care about it this much.

Just as Yun Huaizhu was about to speak, her phone rang. She answered with a deep frown.

Lin Meng couldn't tell who was on the other end or what they said to Yun Huaizhu, but Yun Huaizhu's expression grew worse and worse from the moment she picked up, until finally her hand clenched into a tight fist. "Mm, alright... I understand. I'll go back and deal with it in a bit."

When Yun Huaizhu hung up, the look on her face was frightening, so Lin Meng wisely kept quiet.

Yun Huaizhu stood. Turning to leave, she looked at the necklace still clutched in Lin Meng's hand. "I, Yun Huaizhu, have never taken back a gift I've given. If you really find it so unbearable, then throw it away."

Lin Meng was stunned again.

She didn't even know how to form a sentence. By the time she raised a hand to say something, Yun Huaizhu had already walked out the hospital room door.

Lin Meng stared blankly at the three-million-yuan necklace in her hand for a while—obviously, she couldn't throw away something worth three million, but she didn't dare wear it out on the streets anymore either. Once she was well, she'd put it away at the bottom of a drawer, and when Yun Huaizhu wanted it back, she'd return it.

...

A row of luxury cars was parked outside the Yun family villa. Yun Huaizhu stormed through the front gates in a fury. The moment she entered the main hall, a crowd of men and women swarmed around her. "Huaizhu, what's going on between you and Eldest Miss Su? Why did she intercept all the orders we were supposed to close today? If our goods can't move, our cash flow will collapse, and everything the Yun family owns will be auctioned off!"

"Yes, yes—did you have a falling-out with the eldest Miss? Her family has always been several tiers above us in wealth and status. It's only natural for her to have a bit of a temper. Don't let your emotions get the better of you!"

"Exactly. All of us in the Yun family—dozens of us—are counting on you."

Yun Huaizhu heard the chattering the moment she walked in. It made her head pound, and she exploded. "Enough! Stop your endless bickering!"

Her roar silenced the hall instantly. Irritated, she walked to the sofa and slumped down. "There's nothing I can do either. I don't know what Su Yutang is thinking. She's always been like this—when she wants to give, she gives; when she doesn't, she takes it all back."

Just then, a noblewoman in a white qipao, her face timid and worried, stepped forward, caught Yun Huaizhu's arm, and began to cry. "Th-then... what do we do, Huaizhu? Did you upset her recently?"

What Yun Huaizhu hated most was this woman's crying.

This woman was her mother's younger sister—her aunt, a woman with not an ounce of backbone.

Her aunt, Yun Jinping, had enjoyed her grandparents' blessings from birth. After her grandparents died young, she had an older sister to shelter her and let her continue living a life of wealth and luxury.

After her sister was gone, she began to enjoy everything her sister's child—her niece—provided.

In fact, Yun Jinping had been the first to suggest that Yun Huaizhu get close to Su Yutang. Everyone else thought it was a good idea too.

Damn it! A nest of rice weevils squatting in the grain jar, good for nothing but buzzing around her face like flies!

Yun Huaizhu's eyes were bloodshot with rage, her expression savage. "I don't know whether the Yun family will go bankrupt when the cash flow dries up. But if you keep arguing endlessly in here, the Yun family will fall apart very soon."

As she spoke, she pulled her arm free of the woman's hold with disgust. "It's useless for you to say anything more. If Su Yutang doesn't want to give it to you, there's nothing I can do. I... will go find her today and get to the bottom of this. If you keep pestering me and making a nuisance of yourselves, I don't mind making the Yun family go bankrupt right now."

Seeing Yun Huaizhu's cold attitude toward her, Yun Jinping couldn't help but sob. "Huaizhu... do you still blame your aunt?"

Hearing that detestable crying, Yun Huaizhu let out a cold laugh. She stood and looked at the woman who was so well-preserved that not a trace of age showed. "Sometimes I really can't tell if you're playing dumb on purpose or if your brain truly doesn't work. If you still want to live your comfortable, luxurious life, then get out of here right now—otherwise I'll take back everything you currently have!"

Yun Jinping cried even harder at that. Yun Huaizhu raised her head and looked around at everyone. "All of you, get out too. Otherwise, you'll be the next to lose everything!"

At that, the crowd fell silent. Since Yun Huaizhu had already made her promise, there was no need for them to stay and bring more trouble on themselves.