allonlinenovel Chapter 155 The Ring
Chapter 155 The Ring
That evening, after returning to the Xie family home, Huo Shen also came over for dinner. After the family had a reunion dinner, Xie Junfei entered the final sprint stage.
For two whole weeks, she completely shut herself off from everything else. Huo Shen also deliberately shielded her from some outside information: her own background, Tia's development, Lu Wanzhou's filming progress, the grandmother at the cat shelter, Lin Ning'er's new art exhibition, Robert's research progress...
Xie Junfei had no way of knowing and was too lazy to think about it anymore.
It wasn't until two weeks later, after her last English exam, that she realized, in a daze, that her youth had come to an end, when the Xie, Huo, and Zhu families were all standing outside the school, holding bouquets of flowers and waiting for her.
Zhu Lili, who didn't have to take the college entrance exam, ran forward first, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers, and threw herself into her arms with a bright smile:
"Congratulations, baby! You've finally finished your exams!"
"Now, let's enjoy life to the fullest! We'll start with male models!"
Xie Junfei laughed twice, and then Huo Shen, who had stepped forward, coughed twice. Zhu Lili then shrank her neck and remained silent.
Immediately afterwards, Xie Junfei was surrounded by several families and led to the luxury car. Chi Xu, who had also finished his exams, greeted Xie Junfei, and Xie Junfei returned the greeting with a smile.
Standing next to Zhu Lili, Zhu Wensheng became as timid as a quail upon seeing the Chi family. The once dashing young nobleman was now just a nobleman.
Because of the large number of people attending, the wealthy families chose to keep a low profile. Moreover, some members of the Chi and Zhu families were involved in politics. A row of business vehicles were parked, and each driver was a well-trained chauffeur.
The driver opened the car door for Xie Junfei, who got in with the bouquet of flowers, followed closely by Huo Shen.
The chef at Lishui Restaurant has prepared a celebratory banquet and is just waiting for the main character to arrive.
The celebration banquet lasted until late into the night.
Huo Shen's father, Huo Mingqian, was also present, chatting and drinking with Chi's father, Uncle Zhu, and Uncle Zhu's family. The middle-aged people, who had drunk too much, began to reminisce about their childhood, and seemed to have a lot in common.
Huo Shen, Duan Bingqian, Zhu Wensheng, and several of his older brothers, led by Xie Wenzhou, sat together chatting. It looked like a meeting of domineering CEOs, but in reality, each of them had a thermos cup, making them look more like middle-aged people than the middle-aged group drinking over there.
Mrs. Huo was the happiest. She and the ladies from the Chi and Zhu families set up two tables for mahjong and had a wonderful time playing.
Even Miss Chi, who had been studying in Norway for many years, perked up, staring intently at the cards in her hand, afraid that she might have misremembered the rules.
Meanwhile, on the junior group's side, Zhu Lili had somehow gotten together with Chi Xu, and Xie Ze, who had rushed back from Beijing University, was also there. The three of them were chatting enthusiastically, and they didn't even notice when Xie Junfei passed by.
Xie Junfei avoided the crowd and was just about to go to the coffee area to ask a barista to make her a latte when the manager of Lishui Restaurant hurriedly found her and whispered in her ear:
"Young Madam, just now a man in a black suit and sunglasses left a package at the front desk, specifically saying it was for you. See..."
Generally, Lishuilou does not accept luggage storage services; they will return the luggage on the spot after you explain the situation.
But since a report has been made, it means there's something unusual, and the owner needs to go and check it out in person.
Xie Junfei, not wanting to make things difficult for the working class, readily agreed:
"No problem, I'll go take a look."
Once at the front desk, Xie Junfei finally understood why the butler looked so troubled.
It was less of a package and more of a wooden box about half a person's height.
After the butler confirmed that the item was indeed intended for Miss Xie Junfei, Xie Junfei had the box moved into the hall and opened on the spot.
The wooden box was unusually heavy; once the outer wooden planks were removed, the contents inside were revealed.
It was actually a jewelry box that was half a person's height.
The box was entirely inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and looked dazzling. Upon closer inspection, the surface was inlaid with auspicious patterns of "cranes and deer in spring," and the handles were adorned with two thumb-sized sapphires, exuding extreme luxury.
The sound of dismantling wooden planks attracted several families. When the newcomers saw the jewelry box, they all gasped slightly. Only Mrs. Huo and Mrs. Zhu, who had seen too many fine things, and Mrs. Chi, who came from an art restoration background, showed no change in expression.
Mrs. Chi stepped forward to observe for a moment, then raised an eyebrow:
"Such large, heavy-duty mother-of-pearl inlays are rare. Judging from the craftsmanship, it's an old piece with some history, which makes it even more valuable."
"Besides the few families in the capital, only those in Jiangnan can afford to send so much. So who is it that is so generous?"
The families present looked at each other and shook their heads.
Only Xie Junfei and Huo Shen frowned and looked at each other after hearing the word "Jiangnan," as if they had thought of something.
Madam Chi took the gloves from the steward, unfastened the hidden clasp on the outside of the cabinet, then pressed the gemstone handle and gently pulled it outwards—
Two glass boxes then appeared before everyone.
"Holy crap!" Zhu Lili stared intently at the inside of the box, her eyes widening slowly.
The top of the box contained a complete set of gem-encrusted jewelry. The central pearl was the size of a child's palm, supported by chrysanthemum gold, trembling precariously in the center. Along with it were similar hair ornaments, hairpins, hair clips, and other accessories. Even a layman would know that it was worth a fortune.
The lower section features a dazzling diamond crown. The small crown is inlaid with a unique shield-shaped diamond in the center. Xie Junfei recognized it. Years ago, when she was in the Qin family, she attended an auction for Qin Yu'er's coming-of-age ceremony and happened to witness the auction of this crown.
Because shield-shaped diamonds are so rare, Xie Junfei took a few more glances at them.
The crown was bid on by at least three bidders and was eventually sold to an unknown buyer for HK$48 million.
But unexpectedly, they met in such a setting.
Xie Junfei felt conflicted.
Mrs. Chi pulled a letter from the glass box, glanced at the words written on it, and handed it to Xie Junfei:
“‘To my daughter Shen Junfei,’ Xiao Xie, you must be the one being addressed.”
"Shen Junfei?!" Chi Xu exclaimed in surprise, "This person is misspelled! Shouldn't it be Xie Junfei?"
"Besides, wasn't Xie Junfei born in an orphanage? His adoptive parents, the Qin family, are all dead. He shouldn't have any 'parents' anymore!"
This may sound blunt, but it's the truth.
Xie Junfei and Huo Shen's expressions turned extremely ugly.
She took the envelope, tore open the carefully sealed wax seal, and took out the letter.
The letter contained no lengthy emotional expression, not even a single word.
A pinky ring fell to the ground with a crisp sound as Xie Junfei moved.
In the instant he fell, Xie Junfei saw the clan emblem of the Shen family of Jiangnan engraved on the pinky ring in just one glance.