Chapter 22.1

◎ Grandmother has been dead for many years ◎

Combining Mr. Zhu’s words from earlier and the way Liu Xiangnian looked at her, Fan Qi recalled the gossip she had heard about the Liu family. Liu Xiangnian’s first wife had been the daughter of the Chen family from Shanghai.

She hadn’t suspected anything before, as the original owner of her memories knew that Chen Zhiqian’s grandmother had died early, and the Chen family never spoke much about Chen Zhiqian’s grandfather. The original owner also never actively sought out information about Chen Zhiqian’s ancestors, so her knowledge was limited. However, Fan Qi knew that Chen Zhiqian took after his mother’s surname.

Now, with Chen Zhiqian having her wear this priceless necklace to a social event, and Liu Xiangnian’s reaction, it was all starting to make sense.

“Damn it! Chen Zhiqian is such a piece of trash,” Fan Qi thought. “He wasn’t worried about me being looked down upon at these events; he just wanted me to show off this necklace to his grandfather!”

But something didn’t add up. Chen’s grandmother had lived a difficult life and died tragically. If Chen’s father had stayed in Hong Kong, he wouldn’t have gone to the countryside or returned with his hair completely gray at just forty—looking much older than his age—everything was Liu Xiangnian’s fault.

Even though she was under immense pressure, Fan Qi was furious. “Chen Zhiqian actually wants to acknowledge this old scoundrel as his grandfather? Not a chance!”

The book never mentioned what capital Chen Zhiqian used to rise to power. Could it have been this shameless old man? The thought made Fan Qi feel disgusted.

Fan Qi called again, “Old Mr. Liu.”

“What do you want?” Madam Feng had already regained her composure by now. There was no trace of the earlier outburst, and she carried herself with an air of calm, as if nothing had happened in front of everyone.

Fan Qi looked at her as one might look at a spoiled child who had caused trouble. “Your words and actions earlier were crude and unrefined. If I didn’t know that this charity gala was organized by Old Mr. Liu, I would have thought that the poor behavior in your family is inherited. If charity lacks respect for others, then it’s nothing but condescending charity—an insult to the very concept of charity. I refuse to believe that the organizer of this event is someone with such a narrow mind, lacking basic decency, and spewing filthy words.”

In Madam Feng’s eyes, Fan Qi was just a woman of low character, someone who played around in the circles of wealthy men. To be scolded by such a woman in front of everyone at an event like this was an immense humiliation. Madam Feng glared at Fan Qi, her face flushed with anger. “A joke. A woman wearing a dress worth only a couple of hundred and fake jewelry, who survives by selling her body—what qualification does she have to judge me?”

“This dress is from the WO’s formal wear collection. Its cut is neat, it’s comfortable to wear, and the materials are carefully selected. It’s a high-value-for-money dress, and WO is a brand that puts in effort,” Fan Qi said as she looked at Feng Xueming. “Mr. Feng, is my understanding of your brand correct?”

“Are you trying to use the clothes to flatter Xueming? How can you say you have no ulterior motives?” Old Lady Liu spoke up, “The young girls from the mainland these days are really cunning, they can turn black into white.”

“Old Lady Liu, if you think your grandson invited me to shoot an advertisement for his clothing brand in order to get closer to him, why not just bind his feet, lock him at home, and never let him step out?” Fan Qi replied.

Upon hearing this, people nearby laughed out loud, and Feng Xueming’s face turned red. “Fan Qi, what are you saying?”

Fan Qi responded with a very serious expression, “A suggestion that comes from the depths of my soul. Do you really feel comfortable with your brand, which you worked so hard to establish, being belittled by your mother and grandmother like this?”

Could Feng Xueming deny her? This was a brand he had poured his heart into, and his own mother was trashing it. He couldn’t speak up against his elders.

Fan Qi then turned her gaze to Old Lady Liu’s neck. “Your jade necklace might have had a clear price at an auction. It could have been worth millions, even tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, incredibly expensive. But my necklace has never been priced like that. For my family, it’s something that can’t be measured by money.”

She walked over to Old Lady Liu, confident in her understanding of precious items. The jade on her neck was of the highest quality, and compared to the jade beads Old Lady Liu wore, there was an obvious difference.

Fan Qi lowered her head, touched the jade, and then spoke to Mrs. Feng, “The Queen of England often wears a somewhat imperfect pearl necklace because it was a gift from her father. My necklace is similar—it was a coming-of-age gift from a father to his beloved daughter. It traveled through the ravages of war with my husband’s grandmother, carrying forward my great-grandfather’s wishes. It supported my grandmother through hard, lonely years. She gave it as a wedding gift to my mother-in-law, who, during those years, lived in the northwest while my father-in-law was in the southwest, and her young son was in Shanghai. My mother-in-law sewed this necklace into a worn-out cotton jacket. Whenever she missed her family, she would touch it through the jacket. No matter how tough things got, she held on, and eventually, they were reunited. Later, when I got married and my husband and I were preparing to move to Hong Kong, my mother-in-law handed this necklace to me, hoping that our generation would endure hardships like they did and remain unwavering.”

The original character of the story had always disliked the Chen family and Chen Zhiqian, so these words were an artistic embellishment from Fan Qi herself.

Immediately, Mrs. Feng seized on a flaw in Fan Qi’s words. “No wonder you’re an actress. When did you get married?”

“On March 22, 1985, at the Civil Affairs Bureau in Huangpu District, Shanghai. I didn’t announce it because I was acting, but now that I’ve switched to stock trading, I can reveal it,” Fan Qi replied.

“That’s a believable story. But this necklace belonged to your husband’s grandmother, right? What era was that? Did such craftsmanship exist back then to create something so authentic-looking?” Mrs. Feng tried to expose Fan Qi.

Mrs. Feng’s words made the others start to pay closer attention. The necklace did sound genuine, and everyone’s eyes turned to the jade.

Just then, Jin Xiaohui, who had been disturbed by Mrs. Feng earlier and had been trying to make trouble for her, was told by her old man about the origins of Fan Qi’s jade necklace.

She spoke up, “Mrs. Feng, you consider yourself an expert in jewelry appraisal, so how could you possibly think that Miss Fan’s jade is fake? My husband immediately recognized the origin of this jade. Didn’t you grow up in Fan Yuan? This jade gourd necklace is a collection from the old master of Fan Yuan. Didn’t you know that?”

When Fan Yuan’s former owner was mentioned, combined with Fan Qi’s story about the necklace being a gift from a father to his daughter, it made people recall that Liu Xiangnian, the wealthy man in front of them, had an interesting origin story. Though no one said it openly, everyone knew he had once been the son-in-law of the Chen family.

Liu Xiangnian, leaning on his cane, approached. His sharp eyes, despite his old age, remained full of vitality as he fixed his gaze on Fan Qi. “You say this is your husband’s grandmother’s?”

When he asked this, his voice trembled slightly.

Fan Qi met his gaze with a knowing and disdainful look. She said indifferently, “These are just side notes. The main issue is that your daughter spoke rudely and insulted me. How do you plan to handle it, Mr. Liu?”

“You answer my question first,” Liu Xiangnian insisted, even though his health was frail, his imposing presence didn’t falter.

Fan Qi stood firm, taking a step closer to him, her gaze cold, her voice pressing, “Make your daughter apologize to me!”

The crowd, witnessing Fan Qi’s audacity in speaking to Liu Xiangnian this way, particularly in light of the jade necklace and the backstory she had just shared, gathered around, watching the drama unfold.

“You’re delusional,” Mrs. Feng spoke up at this point.

“Shut up,” Liu Xiangnian snapped at his daughter.

Even though Liu Xiangnian recognized the necklace, he wasn’t about to publicly acknowledge her as his granddaughter-in-law. After all, even if it were true, she was still only his grandson’s wife.

How should he put it? This young woman had impressive confidence. She didn’t seem intimidated in front of him, which he appreciated, but given her past, it was a shame.

Liu Xiangnian’s eyes lingered on the jade, his mind racing as memories flooded back. He wondered if the girl’s hardships had led her to reflect on herself. Perhaps she was still as stubborn as before. With that thought, he softened his demeanor, offering a small smile. “Miss Fan, why not let things go? Why insist on being right?”

Fan Qi smiled in return, “Mr. Liu, you truly know how to joke. Mrs. Feng hasn’t apologized to me, so how do you know I’m in the right and won’t forgive her? As Beauvoir said in The Second Sex: ‘People lock women in kitchens or boudoirs, then wonder at their limited vision; they break their wings, then lament that they can’t fly.’ So when I saw your daughter’s remarks in the newspaper, I didn’t bother with her. But today, in this setting, she made insulting, even vulgar remarks. I sought you out because I believe you should have basic manners, at the very least I should receive an apology. Yet, you’re dodging the issue. Are you telling me that your family has passed down this lack of decorum, that wealth and power don’t equate to grace? When I say ‘wealth,’ I mean the wealth of aristocratic families.”

The crowd, now aware of the potential connection between Fan Qi and Liu Xiangnian, listened to her words. She used her eloquence, making reasonable points but failing to recognize when to stop.

Old Lady Liu, standing next to Liu Xiangnian, had turned pale, her hand gripping her handbag tightly, her knuckles turning white.

The two of them, an older man and a younger woman, were still at a standoff, with Fan Qi even raising an eyebrow to inquire about Liu Xiangnian’s response.

Liu Xiangnian struggled to keep his composure and said, “Did your elders not teach you to leave a line of retreat in any situation, so you can meet again in the future?”

“My elders taught me to be humble and polite, but not to be meek or cowardly. It seems, Mr. Liu, that you don’t intend to make your daughter apologize, as I said earlier—if charity lacks respect for others, it becomes a form of condescending charity,” Fan Qi glanced at the charity event’s logo, “Then, this charity becomes hypocritical. I won’t be attending this event anymore. Excuse me.”

Fan Qi turned to Liao Jiqing and said, “Mr. Liao, thank you for your kindness. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Yazhe, it’s not safe tonight. Please see Fan Qi out,” Liao Jiqing instructed his son.

“Okay,” Liao Yazhe nodded and walked beside Fan Qi as they left together.