At the end of the red carpet, there were many people gathered.
Old Lady Bo stood at the center of the crowd.
She was dressed simply, in a traditional Chinese long tunic and pants, resembling someone who had just finished practicing Tai Chi in the park.
Although her hair was gray, she looked energetic and much younger than her peers, with bright eyes and only faint wrinkles at the corners.
Her slightly plump face still had some youthful collagen.
This must be what they call a youthful appearance despite gray hair.
Jiang Ciyou thought.
Behind her, there was a gift table piled high with presents from guests, a mountain of various gift boxes.
At that moment, Jiang Xiaoxiao was opening a square brocade box to present a gift.
"Old Lady Bo, this is a birthday gift from the Jiang family of Rongcheng—an entire set of QUEEN haute couture jewelry, worth eight million yuan."
QUEEN is an internationally renowned luxury jewelry brand that emerged three years ago, celebrated for its exquisite designs favored by wealthy women worldwide.
Old Lady Bo glanced at the jewelry inside the box and smiled, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Xiaoxiao continued to enthusiastically introduce the gift: "I'm glad you like it, but the price is secondary. As everyone knows, QUEEN only accepts custom orders, and each piece is unique. I spent a lot of effort acquiring this necklace because I believe only QUEEN's one-of-a-kind pieces are worthy of your status."
Old Lady Bo raised her hand, signaling the attendant beside her to take the gift box.
Before Jiang Xiaoxiao could finish, the attendant had already taken the box away and casually placed it among the other gifts behind her, where it was quickly lost in the crowd.
"The next gift comes from the Zhao family of the capital," the old butler announced loudly.
Before entering, everyone had to register their names at the entrance and present their gifts in order of arrival.
Jiang Xiaoxiao still had much to say, but was abruptly interrupted by the butler.
She could only reluctantly retreat to the side of Yao Shulan.
She didn't understand why the Jiang family had prepared such a lavish and valuable gift, yet it failed to stir any excitement.
Even the guests around them didn't seem to utter any words of praise.
But soon, Jiang Xiaoxiao understood.
The gifts from the high-society families of the capital were all worth their weight in gold.
What with imperial green jadeite ruyi, Xuande blue-and-white porcelain, Kangxi-era red apple vases, and various antique paintings and calligraphy—each worth tens of millions—her eight million yuan jewelry paled in comparison.
"The next gift comes from the Yan family of Rongcheng."
Jiang Ciyou stepped forward alongside Yan Feng.
Jiang Xiaoxiao's gaze fell on Jiang Ciyou.
As Jiang Ciyou presented her gift, a hint of mockery appeared on Jiang Xiaoxiao's face.
Jiang Ciyou opened her brocade box.
Inside, wrapped in red velvet, were small sticks of incense, each about the length of a finger.
The entire box was neatly arranged.
"Old Lady Bo, this is a birthday gift from the Yan family. I hope you like it."
Jiang Xiaoxiao knew Jiang Ciyou had a hobby of making incense.
How could these trivial little hobbies hold up in such an occasion? She was too full of herself.
What gifts had Old Lady Bo received that weren't worth a fortune?
How could something so inexpensive take the stage?
Old Lady Bo picked up the brocade box, brought it to her nose, and smiled broadly, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
But Jiang Ciyou was slightly taken aback.
How did the old lady know her surname? She had clearly registered as Mrs. Yan.
Just as Old Lady Bo was about to have someone put the gift away, Jiang Xiaoxiao suddenly stepped forward: "I heard Mrs. Yan has a hobby of making incense. This incense must be something she made herself, right?"
Jiang Ciyou had already noticed her.
Jiang Ciyou smiled, "Yes, this is just a small hobby of mine. This fragrance is called 'Li Wanghua Immersion' and is made using roses, agarwood, and various spices according to ancient methods..."
Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes glimmered with pride.
Before Jiang Ciyou could finish, she eagerly interrupted.
"Mrs. Yan, to casually give your handmade trinket as a birthday gift for the old lady's seventieth is rather disrespectful, don't you think? How much could this box of incense possibly cost—one thousand or ten thousand?"
In an instant, all eyes turned to Jiang Ciyou and Yan Feng.
Jiang Xiaoxiao intentionally shot a glance at Yan Feng: "Has the Yan family fallen so low that they can't even present a proper gift?"
Yan Feng's expression soured.
He had caught a cold from the air conditioning last night and had been dizzy since morning.
So, he had left the task of preparing the gift for Old Lady Bo to Jiang Ciyou.
Last night, his grandfather had emphasized that this meeting was crucial for the Yan family.
So there was no budget limit for the gift.
He hadn't expected Jiang Ciyou to bring a box of her homemade incense to fool everyone.
If the gift was too trivial and offended the Bo family, their resort project would be in jeopardy.
Yan Feng's face turned serious, and he was about to voice his discontent when Jiang Ciyou calmly spoke.
"I heard that the reason the old lady came to Rongcheng for recuperation three years ago was due to insomnia. This incense is perfect for calming the mind and aiding sleep, and I hope it helps alleviate your insomnia and headaches."
Earlier that afternoon, she had done some research at the company and learned about the old lady's sleep issues.
Jiang Xiaoxiao sneered, "It's just a piece of incense; Mrs. Yan shouldn't boast about it as if it's a miraculous cure. If incense could cure illnesses, why would we need hospitals?"
At that moment, a red-haired woman standing beside Old Lady Bo leaned in to sniff the brocade box: "This isn't the traditional Li Wang immersion, it seems to have a slight medicinal fragrance."
Jiang Ciyou replied calmly, "I altered the traditional formula and added herbs like calamus and sour jujube, which have calming properties, hence the medicinal scent."
The red-haired woman smiled at Old Lady Bo, "Grandma, I really like this fragrance. If you don't want it, just give it to me."
The speaker was Bo Xinyi, the old lady's granddaughter, who had returned from abroad for her grandmother's birthday.
"Who says I don't like it?"
Old Lady Bo looked at Jiang Ciyou, assessing her from head to toe, revealing a benevolent smile: "This incense, I just took a whiff and feel refreshed. Old Zheng, take this incense to my bedroom, so no one can covet it."
Butler Old Zheng quickly complied, carefully taking the brocade box from Bo Xinyi's hands.
He turned and left.
Jiang Xiaoxiao watched this scene, her face freezing.
The eight million yuan jewelry she gifted received no attention from the old lady.
Yet Jiang Ciyou's homemade incense had caught the old lady's favor and was even kept separately.
Did these wealthy people have their heads on straight?
The gift presentation continued, but many guests had already dispersed after presenting their gifts.
Having just embarrassed herself, Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't want to stay any longer.
She turned to leave, but soon heard people discussing her.
"That seems to be the Jiang family's daughter they found three years ago. I heard she grew up in the countryside."
"No wonder she has such a rustic demeanor. She had to explain the price of her jewelry. Can't she see the imperial green jade bracelet on the old lady's wrist is worth two hundred million? Anyone can see that her necklace is just entry-level QUEEN jewelry. When she emphasized eight million, I felt embarrassed for her."
"You might not be from Rongcheng, but the one who just presented the incense is the real daughter of the Jiang family."
"That explains it. It's really mean to intentionally make things difficult for her in such a setting. Mrs. Yan seems so graceful and elegant, naturally possessing the air of nobility."
"Speaking of which, that Li Wang incense smells wonderful; I could smell its high-end fragrance from so far away. This is true luxury, unlike some people who only know how to talk about prices."
Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao's fingers turned white from clenching them.
Everyone seemed to prefer Jiang Ciyou.
But everything about Jiang Ciyou—her elegance, her composure, her air of refined nobility—was something Jiang Xiaoxiao felt had been taken from her.
One day, she would tear away that beautifully crafted facade, so everyone could see her true self.