Chapter 91: Exposed Relationship
Ye Ting had no interest to find out what Ning Li had prepared as a gift. She knew where Ning Li came from and heard that the girl used to work part-time just to earn enough to get by.
Given her poverty-stricken life, what kind of present could she possibly prepare? It was either a cheap gift or some artsy craft that she had made herself.
Su Yuan was a little surprised.
Given her understanding of her daughter’s character, she was glad that Ning Li even showed up, but gifts? She did not even think about it.
“I have two things I want to give you.” Ning Li then proceeded to unzip her bag and took out a small black box.
The square box was the size of her palm, but it looked rather old with one of the edges dented. At first glance, it was indeed some cheap gift.
Ye Ming did not say a word or react while Ye Ting scoffed silently.
Ye Cheng saw it and disgust was apparent on his face. “What garbage is that? How can you call this a gift? You might as well throw it into the garbage bin!”
Ye Ci had a quick glance at Su Yuan and noticed the surprise on her mother’s face.
Then, Ning Li put the box on the table and pushed it to Su Yuan who reluctantly picked it up.
When she held it in her hand, she realized that it was an accessory box, and it indeed was in a worn-out state.
Why would Ning Li give her this?
With that in mind, she opened the box.
A pearl necklace greeted her sight.
The pearl’s luster seemed standard, and its color was nothing stellar as well. It was definitely not an expensive gift. In fact, it looked rather cheap in this grand banquet hall, and it did not measure up to Su Yuan’s delicate dress and makeup.
Ning Li said, “This is the present that Dad prepared for you, but he obviously can’t make it, so I’m giving it to you on his behalf.”
Su Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized something and looked at Ning Li in shock. She finally remembered where she had seen the pearl necklace before. It was from a distant memory that she had buried away.
Many years ago, on a certain day, she had walked past a shop and saw a pearl necklace that caught her eye. She coveted it, but at that time, Ning Haizhou did not have the money for it.
Back then, she soon grew weary of being with Ning Haizhou. In their shabby apartment located near the chaotic and noisy market, every noise that she heard was irritating.
They argued constantly without end.
Maybe because she had it with her life, or maybe because her accumulated anger and grievance exploded all at once, she decided to put it all behind her. After that final argument, she packed her things and left.
That fateful day was her birthday.
The very next day, Ning Haizhou met with a car accident.
The pearl necklace was said to be found at the scene of the crash, and it was returned to Ning Li’s grandmother.
After her grandmother passed away, Ning Li got hold of the pearl necklace.
At this moment, Su Yuan’s hands were shaking. Now, with her new life and status, the pearl necklace meant nothing to her. Back then though, maybe she did not really need the pearl necklace, but it was the fuse to that argument, or maybe it was just an excuse for her to leave.
“The paper underneath the necklace is my present for you.”
Su Yuan spotted a piece of paper under the necklace, so she took it out. The paper was already yellowish; it must have been through a lot.
She opened it and realized that it was a sketch.
On the yellowish paper was a string of beautiful pearls. It was so realistic that one could feel the brilliance of each pearl.
Su Yuan’s jaw dropped, her words stuck in her throat.
Ning Li’s lips curved softly. “If you don’t like it, just throw it away.”
That day, Ning Haizhou and Su Yuan had quarreled fiercely in the living room, and Ning Li had been locked up in her bedroom.
The shouts and screams had filled her head, and she could not get them out.
In the end, she had picked up a pencil and paper and sketched the pearl necklace. She wanted to give it to Su Yuan after the argument ended. She wanted to tell her mother that when she grew up, she would buy her the world.
However, Su Yuan did not give her the chance to.
Ning Li grabbed her bag. “Now that you got my presents, I’ll be going. I still have something to do.”
Then, she got up and left.
“Ning Li!” Su Yuan unconsciously called her and the box fell out of her hand. The sketch fell to the floor as well.
Suddenly, Ye Cheng accidentally knocked over a glass.
Clank!
The glass broke and its contents soaked the sketch wet. Ye Ci had a quick glance at Su Yuan before she bent over, trying to pick the sketch up.
“What’s that? Sis, don’t pick it up. It’s filthy,” Ye Cheng ridiculed with resentment.
Su Yuan also held Ye Ci’s hand, but her eyes on the sketch seemed complicated.
Ye Ting saw the entire incident as well but did not care in the slightest bit. She gestured to the attendant and commanded, “Clean this mess up.”
The attendant nodded and swiftly came in to clean everything up. In a heartbeat, the broken glass and the soggy paper were all swept into the garbage can.
…
After coming out of Jinshen Hotel, the sky was already dark. The night breeze felt cold, so Ning Li zipped her school jersey up before she took a deep breath.
One man’s trash was another man’s treasure. In this case, it was the other way around.
Ning Li now believed that she should just throw the necklace and the sketch away. She looked around but did not know where to go, so she simply picked a direction and wandered aimlessly.
She was in the heart of the city. The lights were bright and people filled the street, hence it was quite lively given the current time of the day.
She drifted along with the crowd and the lights mindlessly. While she felt relaxed, at the same time, something felt like it was crushing her chest, so she held some tension in her body.
Moments later, she called Wei Songze.
He picked up swiftly and sounded surprised. “Yo! Sister Lili, to what do I owe the call?”
“Did you manage to get the place I told you to rent?”
“The place? That’s what you wanna know? Right, I got it, but I don’t really like the place. Why don’t I find you a better place, Sister Lili? You have the money, don’t you?”
Ning Li had told Wei Songze to find her a place in a specific location, but he did not like the location at all, so he planned to look for more choices for her.
“It’s not necessary. That one will do. I’m heading over now. Can you give me the keys?”
“Now?”
“Are you busy?”
“No, no, I’m always free for you, Sister Lili! I’m going too. Wait for me.”
Wei Songze quickly hung up the phone.
Ning Li hailed a taxi and headed to the rented apartment. Then, she received a Weibo notification on her phone.
[The nation’s first love, Xu Yini, is dating a mysterious guy! Has her relationship been exposed?!]
She simply scanned over the article, and a picture popped up.
Just when she was about to tap and zoom, her hand froze. The blurry picture showed Xu Yini and a guy standing together.
Even though it was just his back, Ning Li recognized it nevertheless.
It was Lu Huaiyu.