It was a gift her mother, Mu Yun, had bought her when she was young.
Every year, her mother would buy her a piece of jewelry. She once smiled and said to her, "Baby Xingyu, be good. This beautiful jewelry is the dowry that I have saved for you—a piece a year. When you get married, you will be the most beautiful and happiest bride."
However, she had only saved up five pieces in total.
Because before the fifth year was over, something happened at home. Her maternal grandfather, the Mu family, went bankrupt. Also, her mother, who was deeply affected, passed away in a car accident. From then on, she was the only one left in this world. Her stepmother came in and stole all her mother's dowry and inheritance, including those five extremely precious pieces of jewelry.
Liu Meizhi gave two of them to Su Xingqi.
One of them was a white earring carved out of the finest jade. It was full of water and warm to the touch. The other was a pink diamond necklace. It was of excellent quality and had a sparkling luster. Su Xingqi wore it on her neck every day to show off, and Su Xingyu had long wanted to get them back. She did not want her mother's precious items to fall into the hands of someone she hated. Now, wasn't this her chance?
She squatted down and removed the necklace from Su Xingqi's neck.
"What are you doing?!" Su Xingqi was in shock and wanted to retaliate. However, the driver had restrained her.
Su Xingyu calmly put the necklace away and gave her a sarcastic look. "You know what I'm doing, Su Xingqi. This necklace has been with you for so many years. It's time to return it to me."
"How dare you!" Su Xingqi screamed. She knew very well where the necklace came from but could not tolerate it being returned to its rightful owner. "Su Xingyu! Hurry up and return the necklace to me! Otherwise, I'll make you pay when Father comes back!"
Su Xingyu smirked coldly.
What else could they do?
She had already been framed and was withdrawn from school. Furthermore, she was about to move to Lu Shifeng's mansion. In the future, they would have nothing to do with each other. That so-called father can no longer threaten her with things like tuition fees and accommodation. She had initially wanted to endure for another two years and leave this house after graduating from university. But now, she was just acting in advance.
She got the driver to tie up Su Xingqi's hands and feet and threw her onto the ground.
After that, she brought the driver around to search for that pair of white jade earrings from Su Xingqi's room. She then subdued Liu Meizhi and searched for the remaining three jewelry pieces from Liu Meizhi's and Father Su's room.
Under Liu Meizhi's scolding, she left with the driver.
After returning to the Lu family, she took out all five pieces of jewelry. Other than the white jade earrings and pink diamond necklace, the other three pieces were a purple jade bracelet, an emerald diamond necklace, and a brilliant yellow diamond ring.
They were all valuable items.
Su Xingyu caressed them lovingly. As she recalled the scene of her mother hugging her and trying to help her put them on, a gentle smile appeared on her lips. "Mother," she muttered to herself, "Your daughter is unfilial. I can't retrieve all of your inheritance. However, I've taken back these few important things. Your soul in heaven… will be a little more gratified, right?"
She sat in her room for quite a long time.
The sun was setting.
Aunt Gui, the maid, knocked on the door. "Young Madam, dinner is ready. Please come and eat."
Su Xingyu replied and kept the jewelry. Suddenly, she realized a problem—
She had taken that pink diamond necklace from Su Xingqi's neck and she had no jewelry box to store it. The other jewelry boxes she took from the Su family were already old and worn out in many places.
She still remembered the time her mom was on the brink of death. She once said that she wanted to customize a set of beautiful boxes for these pieces of jewelry. They had completed the design. Unfortunately, her family suffered an enormous change before she could realize it.
These boxes… were all temporary.
"I'll have to prepare a new jewelry box," she fretted. Where would the money come from?
For days, she pondered over this question.
Although she was now the Young Madam of the Lu family, and Lu Shifeng had given her his bank card, she did not want to use his money. She had no choice but to marry him, but she did not want to become a person clinging on to him and losing her last bit of dignity.
She still had to find a way to earn money.
If she wanted to earn money, she naturally had to have a job. Hence, she posted many resumes online in search of a suitable job.
Since she had not graduated from university, the jobs she could do were limited. Luckily, after a few days, she was invited for an interview as an administrative assistant in a small company. She prepared herself and went out to apply for the job.
When the butler, Uncle Zhong, saw her, he said, "Young Madam, are you going out? The driver sent Young Master out and hasn't returned yet. If you're not in a hurry, can you wait for a while? Sorry to make you suffer for a few more days. Your driver will arrive next month."
Su Xingyu said, "I'm not waiting anymore. I'm in a hurry. I'll take the bus myself."
The butler was shocked. "A bus? Young Madam, how can you take that kind of thing? It's too tiring."
Su Xingyu smiled. "What's so hard about it? Before I married your Young Master, I often took public transport."
"But," the butler said with a bitter face, "this area is different. It's a high-end villa area. The bus stop is very far away." People who lived in this area were either rich or noble. Who would take a bus for no reason?
Su Xingyu said, "The weather is pretty good. I'll just take it as if I'm going for a walk."
The butler could not win against her. He watched as she walked out in her high heels and walked further away.
The interview went well. Her plain clothes and manner of speech were very likable. "The results will be out in two days. If nothing unexpected happens, you will get this job and we look forward to working with you," the employee told her.
Su Xingyu was elated. She thanked her with a smile and returned home in a good mood.
"Young Madam, you're back." The maid, Aunt Gui, welcomed her with a smile and took her bag. "You must be tired. I'll get you a glass of water. Dinner is ready. Young Master is waiting for you."
Lu Shifeng was back?
Su Xingyu was a little surprised. This man always left the house early and returned late at night. Usually, he would only come back after she had fallen asleep. In the morning, he would already be out before she even woke up. It was rare for him to be around at this time.
She washed her hands and walked into the dining room. She saw that he had already taken his seat and was reading a politics magazine.
The man was dressed in a homely outfit, and his cold eyes seemed a little hazy under the soft lighting of the dining room. His slender fingers gently twirled the paper, giving off a sense of stability. Su Xingyu stopped in her tracks slightly. For a moment, she had an urge to take a picture of this scene. He was really good-looking. It was a kind of beauty that transcended looks and was more pleasing to the eye in a higher-class sense. That kind of beauty touched her photography instincts that had long been integrated into her blood and bones.
She just stared at him for a few seconds.
Sensing her gaze, he looked up.