"Enough of this! Are you going to buy it or not?!"
The pawn shop owner agreed to buy it. "The fabric and the gemstones are both very valuable, so I can only give you a down payment now. I will need to have it appraised before I can offer a full price. Young man, even though you found these, they're too valuable. While the appraisal is happening, you should go back to where you found them. The owner might come looking for them, and it's better to return them if they do."
Qin Lily remained expressionless. Go back to that place?
If someone did find them, what kind of look would they give her?
She would just be a pervert who only picks up other people's underwear!
Qin Lily nodded in response, leaving one pair for appraisal and quickly leaving.
After making such a huge blunder, Qin Lily now felt awkward with the remaining two pairs of underwear she had.
Sitting by the pond, she took out the remaining two pairs, pried the gemstones off, and then wadded up the underwear and tossed them into the pond.
Looking at the two gemstones in her hand, she couldn't help but twitch her lips. "What a joke… 'waist full of wealth.'"
But thinking about the size of those underwear… Qin Lily clicked her tongue. They were actually quite big.
Just as she was thinking, she heard whispers from the street nearby.
"Look, isn't that Qin Lily, the daughter of the former Qin Kori? Her madness is actually cured?"
"I heard that the current Qin Kori is the one who cured Qin Lily. A couple of months ago, Qin Lily suddenly seemed possessed and became a fool. Everyone thought she was beyond cure, and even Qin Kori couldn't help her. Who would have thought that she would actually be cured? The current Qin Kori's medical skills are indeed extraordinary!"
"Qin Lily is so lucky. Do you see who's with her? Ni Yan! The eldest son of the Ni family!"
"Exactly. Qin Lily's illness is cured, and now she's engaged to Young Master Ni. He's the dream lover of so many young ladies in Tang City!"
Qin Lily followed their gazes and saw a luxurious open carriage coming down the street.
In the carriage sat a man and a woman. The man was graceful and charming, and he looked quite handsome.
And the woman—she looked exactly like Qin Lily!
Qin Lily narrowed her eyes. When they had escaped from the dungeon, her older brother had mentioned that their third uncle had found a person who looked just like her to pretend to be her. They had used this impostor to publicly announce that her illness was cured by their third uncle to prove that his medical skills were superior to her father's, thus legitimizing his takeover of the Qin Kori clinic.
Qin Lily furrowed her brows, deep in thought. As a gust of wind blew up the curtain of the carriage, her eyes fell on the fake Qin Lily's neck. There, a faint pink scar caught Qin Lily's attention.
"Qin Xin??"
Her third uncle had two daughters and one son. Qin Lin and Qin Qing, who were the legitimate children of her third uncle, were responsible for causing her older brother to fall off the cliff. Qin Xin, on the other hand, was the illegitimate daughter of her third uncle.
When Qin Lin discovered that their father had an illegitimate daughter, he had brought Qin Xin to their third uncle, threatening to kill her with a knife.
Fortunately, Qin Xin was saved by Qin Lily's father, but she had been left with a long scar on her neck for the rest of her life.
Over the years, due to Qin Xin's status as an illegitimate child, she was not accepted by Qin Lin and Qin Qing, the legitimate children of the Qin family. She had always been mistreated and bullied within the Qin family.
Only their own family had been sympathetic, often giving Qin Xin some food and clothing.
Who would have thought that Qin Xin was now impersonating her!
A cold, vengeful light burned in Qin Lily's eyes as she wanted to drag this ungrateful person down from the carriage!
As if sensing this intense killing intent, Qin Xin involuntarily looked in Qin Lily's direction but saw nothing.
Ni Yan asked gently, "Lily, what's wrong?"
Qin Xin shook her head and said softly, "I don't know. It feels like someone is staring at me."
Ni Yan smiled, "Your beauty is unparalleled; of course, many people will look at you. They're just admiring you."
Qin Xin lowered her head in embarrassment, her voice slightly shy, "Brother Yan, don't tease me…"
Ni Yan embraced Qin Xin, speaking softly, "I'm not teasing you. To me, Lily, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I wish I could marry you right now."
Qin Xin leaned into his embrace, and for a moment, her gaze shifted.
Feigning a pout, she asked, "Does Brother Yan only like Lily for her looks? If I were not beautiful, would you not like me?"
From Ni Yan's unseen angle, Qin Xin's gaze was somewhat cold.
Her own appearance could not compare to Qin Lily's. She did not have Qin Lily's background, nor the loving family of Qin Lily's father and brothers.
Even though she was smarter than Qin Lily, she still could not surpass a fool like Qin Lily!
Thus, when her father found her and asked her to impersonate Qin Lily, she immediately agreed.
Regardless of the purpose, all she knew was that she could now stand proudly before everyone and no longer be bullied by Qin Lin and Qin Qing, the legitimate children of the Qin family.
Once she married Ni Yan, she would become the legitimate wife of the Ni family, and no one would dare to look down on her.
Ni Yan comforted his beloved, smiling as he said, "How could that be? I admit that when I first saw you, I was indeed struck by your beauty, which is why I noticed you. But what I truly love about you is your character, your mannerisms. Lily, don't overthink it. Trust me, even if your appearance were to change, I would still love you for the rest of my life."
Qin Xin's eyes glowed with joy. She grasped Ni Yan's hand and said softly, "This is what Brother Yan promised. I will remember it, and you mustn't go back on your word."
Ni Yan smiled, "Of course I won't. Look, have I ever broken a promise to you before?"
Qin Xin also smiled and then pretended to be troubled, "It's a pity that my brother hasn't been found yet. I really don't know what he's thinking—suddenly becoming so terrifying, not only killing many people from the Qin Medical Clinic but also stealing the divine medicine left by our father… The elders in the clan are very angry, and I don't know where my brother could be now."