Chapter 6

At the end of the red carpet, a crowd of people had gathered.

Old Lady Bo stood at the center of the crowd. She was dressed modestly in a traditional Chinese long robe and pants, looking as if she had just returned from practicing Tai Chi in the park. Despite her gray hair, she appeared vigorous and her face looked much younger than her peers, with bright eyes and faint wrinkles. Due to her slight plumpness, her face still had some remaining collagen. This must be what they mean by having a youthful appearance despite old age, Jiang Ciyou thought.

Behind her was a gift table, piled high with various gift boxes from guests. At that moment, Jiang Xiaoxiao was opening a Western-style brocade box for presentation.

“Old Lady Bo, this is a birthday gift from the Jiang family of Rongcheng. It’s a set of QUEEN high-end jewelry, worth eight million yuan.”

QUEEN is an internationally renowned luxury jewelry brand, which, although only emerged three years ago, is highly favored by global socialites for its exquisite designs.

The old lady glanced at the jewelry in the brocade box and smiled, “Thank you, Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao continued to enthusiastically explain, “I’m glad you like it. The price is secondary. As everyone knows, QUEEN only accepts custom orders, and each piece is unique. I spent a lot of effort to obtain this necklace because I believe only QUEEN’s exclusivity matches your status.”

The old lady raised her hand to signal a nearby servant to take the gift box. Before Jiang Xiaoxiao could finish, the servant took the box and casually placed it among the other gifts, quickly disappearing from view.

“The next gift is from the Zhao family of the capital,” the old butler announced loudly.

Before entering, guests had to register their names at the entrance and present their gifts to the old lady in the order of their arrival. Jiang Xiaoxiao, who had more to say, was abruptly interrupted by the butler and had to reluctantly step aside next to Yao Shulan.

She couldn’t understand why the Jiang family’s expensive gift hadn’t caused a stir. Even the surrounding guests hadn’t said a word of praise. But soon Jiang Xiaoxiao realized the reason: the high-status families from the capital had gifted items worth a fortune—imperial green jadeite, Xuande blue-and-white porcelain, Kangxi-era red apple vases, and antique calligraphy and paintings, all worth tens of millions. By comparison, her eight million yuan jewelry seemed insignificant.

“The next gift is from the Yan family of Rongcheng.”

Jiang Ciyou and Yan Feng stepped forward. Jiang Xiaoxiao’s gaze also fell on Jiang Ciyou. As Jiang Ciyou presented her gift, a trace of mockery appeared on Jiang Xiaoxiao’s face.

Jiang Ciyou had already opened her brocade box. Inside was a neatly arranged collection of small, finger-length incense sticks wrapped in red velvet.

“Old Lady Bo, this is a birthday gift from the Yan family. I hope you like it.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao knew that Jiang Ciyou had a hobby of making incense. She thought such trivial tastes couldn’t possibly make an impression at such an occasion. How could something so inexpensive stand up to the grandeur of the other gifts?

The old lady took the brocade box, smelled the incense, and smiled clearly, “Thank you, Miss Jiang.”

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 the gift stored away, Jiang Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke up, “I heard that Mrs. Yan has a hobby of making incense. Could it be that this incense was made by Mrs. Yan herself?”

Jiang Ciyou had already noticed her.

Jiang Ciyou smiled and said, “Yes, this is just a small hobby of mine. This incense is called ‘Li Wang Flower Soaked Agarwood,’ made using rose, agarwood, and various spices according to traditional methods…”

A hint of smugness appeared in Jiang Xiaoxiao’s eyes. Before Jiang Ciyou could finish, she impatiently interrupted.

“Mrs. Yan, to present something as trivial as your homemade incense as a grand birthday gift for the old lady’s seventieth birthday seems rather disrespectful. How much could this box of little incense sticks cost—one thousand or ten thousand yuan?”

All eyes turned to Jiang Ciyou and Yan Feng. Jiang Xiaoxiao deliberately glanced at Yan Feng, “Has the Yan family fallen so low that they can’t even present a decent gift?”

Yan Feng’s face darkened. He had caught a cold from the air conditioning last night and had been feeling dizzy since morning. Therefore, he had entrusted the task of preparing the gift to Jiang Ciyou. Last night, his grandfather had said that this meeting was crucial for the Yan family, so the budget for the gift was unlimited. He didn’t expect Jiang Ciyou to present a box of homemade incense, which might offend the Bo family and jeopardize their resort project.

As Yan Feng was about to reprimand Jiang Ciyou, she spoke calmly.

“I heard that three years ago, the old lady came to Rongcheng for recuperation due to insomnia. This incense is intended to help with relaxation and sleep, hoping it will relieve the old lady’s insomnia and headaches.”

She had done some research in the afternoon and found out about the old lady’s insomnia.

Jiang Xiaoxiao sarcastically commented, “It’s just a simple incense. Mrs. Yan, don’t exaggerate it as a miraculous remedy. If incense could cure diseases, what would we need hospitals for?”

At that moment, a red-haired woman standing next to the old lady sniffed the brocade box, “This isn’t the traditional Li Wang flower-soaked incense; it seems to have a faint medicinal scent.”

Jiang Ciyou calmly responded, “I adjusted the traditional formula and added herbs like calamus and Chinese medicinal vines for calming effects, so it has a slight medicinal aroma.”

The red-haired woman smiled and said to Old Lady Bo, “Grandma, I quite like this incense. If you don’t want it, you can give it to me.”

The speaker was Bo Xinyi, the old lady’s granddaughter, who had returned from abroad specially for the old lady’s birthday.

“Who said I don’t like it?”

The old lady looked at Jiang Ciyou, appraised her up and down, and showed a benevolent smile, “This incense, just from the scent I’ve taken, makes me feel refreshed. Old Zheng, take this incense to my bedroom so no one else will be interested.”

The butler, Old Zheng, quickly complied, carefully taking the brocade box from Bo Xinyi’s hands and turning to leave.

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s face turned stiff upon witnessing this. The eight million yuan jewelry she had presented had barely received a glance from the old lady, but Jiang Ciyou’s homemade incense was specially appreciated and taken away.

Did these rich people’s minds work differently?

The gift presentation continued, but many had already left after giving their gifts. Jiang Xiaoxiao, feeling embarrassed, was about to leave when she overheard people discussing her.

“That person seems to be Jiang family’s biological daughter who was found three years ago. I heard she grew up in the countryside.”

“No wonder she has such a rustic air about her. She even had to state the price of the jewelry she gave. Doesn’t she see the old lady’s imperial green jade bracelet worth two hundred million yuan? How could she not understand that her QUEEN necklace is just entry-level? I felt embarrassed for her when she emphasized the eight million yuan.”

“You don’t know, she’s actually the Jiang family’s original daughter.”

“That makes sense. Deliberately making things difficult for someone in such a situation is really mean. Mrs. Yan, on the other hand, seems generous and elegant, with an inherent noble air.”

“By the way, that Li Wang incense really smells good. I could smell the high-quality scent from afar. This is true luxury, unlike those who only talk about prices.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s fingers tightened, turning white. Everyone liked Jiang Ciyou. But all her grace, composure, and noble demeanor were things that had been taken from her. One day, she vowed to tear away Jiang Ciyou’s refined façade and show everyone her true self.