Chapter 60: The Violet Jade Bead Necklace

After Meng Haoquan finished saying what he wanted to say, his eldest son, Meng Zeting, and eldest daughter-in-law, Yang Shanshan, returned. A servant had just walked over to Meng Haoquan to announce their arrival when Yang Shanshan spoke up first, her voice preceding her appearance: "Zexiao and Lingxin are back? That's wonderful! It's been so long since our whole family sat down for a proper meal together."

Before even seeing her, the sound of that voice alone filled Kong Lingxin with disgust. Knowing she was about to face the woman who had repeatedly tormented her younger sister, Kong Lingxin forced herself to remain calm and endure the woman's presence for the time being.

Shortly after, the couple walked gracefully into the living room. Meng Haoquan raised his head, glanced at the two of them, and asked, "How is it that the two of you came back together today?"

Meng Zeting replied, "There wasn't much going on at the gallery, and Shanshan happened to be passing by, so we came back together."

Meng Zeting gave off a scholarly and refined aura, befitting someone who had spent time in Italy, the world's capital of art. Dressed in a white shirt paired with casual dress trousers, he possessed a distinctively artistic air.

Yet, standing side by side, the couple looked utterly discordant—one refined and scholarly, the other glamorous and alluring.

Yang Shanshan was wearing a deep blue Chanel skirt set with a ruffled hem and sported voluminous, wavy curls. She had clearly undergone plastic surgery; the overall shape of her face closely resembled that of her so-called good friends whom Kong Lingxin had seen at President Song's banquet the other night—a V-shaped, pointed chin, likely the result of a few group trips to South Korea.

It almost gave Kong Lingxin facial blindness, nearly making her forget she was currently in the Meng family's ancestral home. It wasn't until she saw Yang Shanshan release Meng Zeting's arm and walk toward her that Kong Lingxin stood up and said softly, "Sister-in-law, you're back from work."

Yang Shanshan smiled brightly, but Kong Lingxin found it thoroughly insincere. It turned out that one could indeed tell whether a smile came from the heart.

Yang Shanshan took Kong Lingxin's hand and said, "Sit down, sit down. We're all family here, why be so formal?"

Then, turning to Meng Haoquan, Yang Shanshan continued, "Dad, you must have seen today's newspapers, right? Lingxin is truly remarkable, actually able to face the media all by herself with such poise."

Of all the topics to bring up, she had to pick the most sensitive one!

Yang Shanshan knew full well that Meng Haoquan detested family members accepting journalist interviews without permission. Though it sounded like praise for Kong Lingxin, its true purpose was to remind Meng Haoquan that Kong Lingxin had accepted a reporter's interview without authorization.

Sitting next to Meng Zexiao, Meng Zeting said to his younger brother, "I heard from Mom that you went to Australia?"

It turned out that Meng Zexiao's voice was as captivating as his appearance—magnetic and warm. Sitting side by side, the two brothers were indeed a striking sight. Both tall and well-built, one refined and the other rebellious, they were each thoroughly handsome in their own right.

Yet, Kong Lingxin remained steadfast in her belief that Meng Zexiao's actions somewhat wasted such an appealing appearance.

Upon hearing Meng Zeting mention that Meng Zexiao had gone to Australia, Yang Shanshan suddenly lost interest in Kong Lingxin, casually fidgeting with the hem of her skirt while pricking up her ears to catch Meng Zexiao's response.

Meng Zexiao simply replied, "Yeah, that's right. Just got back."

Meng Zeting said, "Such a huge incident happened regarding Lingxin here, how could you just up and leave?"

So the eldest brother was speaking up for her. Kong Lingxin couldn't help casting a favorable look toward Meng Zeting. It seemed he was the only sensible person in the entire Meng family, though in the eyes of the other family members, this sensible person was merely idle and neglectful of proper duties.

Meng Zexiao was visibly displeased by his brother's remark, which practically conveyed: The affairs between my wife and me are none of your concern.

Whether restrained by Meng Haoquan's presence or because the speaker was his own brother, Meng Zexiao held his temper in check and replied with forced patience, "I went to Australia precisely to handle this matter. Eldest Brother, since you always focus solely on your painting and creation, you shouldn't casually voice opinions on matters you don't understand."

The dialogue between the two brothers instantly crackled with gunpowder.

On an impulse, Kong Lingxin stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Zexiao went to Australia specifically to deal with my affairs. Eldest Brother, saying that does him a bit of an injustice."

Seeing the husband and wife singing the same tune, Meng Zeting said no more, simply offering, "Well, that's good then."

Chen Meilan emerged, and seeing that all her sons and daughters-in-law had returned, she said happily, "Everyone is here. Let's head to the dining room for dinner."

Only after Meng Haoquan rose did the sons and daughters-in-law follow him toward the dining room. From this minor detail, Kong Lingxin could tell that in the Meng family, Meng Haoquan's position was unshakable. It seemed that if she wanted the Dingsheng Group to help Changyue Real Estate, she still had to find a way through Meng Haoquan.

The dining table was rectangular. Meng Haoquan sat at the head of the table, with Chen Meilan seated to his right. Meng Zeting sat beside his mother, while directly opposite him—on Meng Haoquan's left—sat Meng Zexiao and Kong Lingxin. Yang Shanshan was seated at the spot farthest from Meng Haoquan.

From the living room to the dining room and all the way through taking their seats, Kong Lingxin constantly felt that Yang Shanshan was staring at her. Yet whenever she looked back, she found Yang Shanshan looking elsewhere, leaving Kong Lingxin to wonder if her senses were playing tricks on her.

The sumptuous dishes failed to capture Kong Lingxin's attention, especially since she had already eaten a heavy meal at noon. No matter how appetizing the dinner might be, dining with people entirely unfamiliar to her made it difficult to relax.

During the meal, initially only Chen Meilan bustled about urging her youngest son to eat more, while the others ate in silence. There was none of the lively, bustling family dinner atmosphere Kong Lingxin had imagined. Understandably so, since each family member harbored their own agenda; even smiles were feigned, making any ordinary warmth impossible.

At this thought, Kong Lingxin couldn't help feeling a sense of sorrow for Meng Haoquan. No matter how vast his business empire, the sense of domestic happiness upon returning home fell far short of that of an elderly grandfather in the countryside surrounded by children and grandchildren.

Kong Lingxin's intuition was spot on: Yang Shanshan's gaze had barely left her. Lately, she had heard endless talk about how this sister-in-law of hers had changed dramatically. Dancing with Liu Hanyi, the most eligible bachelor in City B, at a high-profile event; clashing directly with the police chief's niece and walking away unscathed; and turning a scandal not into a loss of reputation, but rather into an appointment as the image spokesperson for the Meng family—

All these signs indicated that the current Kong Lingxin was no longer the submissive, bullied, and defenseless second young mistress of the Meng family she used to be.

As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Meng family, Yang Shanshan had remained childless after several years of marriage. Yet her sister-in-law, who had been married for only a year to a husband whose philandering girlfriend count could fill ten fingers, had actually gotten pregnant.

During those two months when she learned of Kong Lingxin's pregnancy, Yang Shanshan had suffered profound depression, losing all appetite for food and tea. When news of Kong Lingxin's miscarriage arrived, Yang Shanshan was so overjoyed she felt an irrepressible urge to leap as she walked.

Yang Shanshan scrutinized Kong Lingxin repeatedly. Outwardly, Kong Lingxin showed virtually no difference from before. Could a single miscarriage truly turn her personality completely upside down? Most fatally, current rumors suggested Kong Lingxin had indeed successfully made her notoriously dissolute brother-in-law mend his ways. Furthermore, through this online scandal, her parents-in-law held her in high regard.

The post-miscarriage Kong Lingxin gave Yang Shanshan an unprecedented sense of crisis. Having fought hard to marry into the Meng family and secure a position within the Dingsheng Group, Yang Shanshan would never allow Kong Lingxin to snatch away what rightfully belonged to her!

While mentally contending with Kong Lingxin, her eyes were suddenly drawn to the natural violet jadeite bead bracelet adorning Kong Lingxin's wrist.

Yang Shanshan remarked, "My, the natural violet jadeite bead bracelet Lingxin is wearing is gorgeous. It must be a set with that violet jadeite Maitreya Buddha pendant from before, right?"

A violet jadeite Maitreya Buddha pendant? Could her sister also possess a pendant made of violet jadeite?

Everyone's gaze converged on Kong Lingxin's wrist, causing her to instinctively pull her hand back slightly.

Yang Shanshan continued, "Dad wouldn't let you wear that piece before, but now you've switched to a bead bracelet instead. It seems Lingxin truly has a special fondness for jadeite."

Meng Zeting glared at Yang Shanshan. "Eat your food! Why so much idle chatter?"

Seeing her parents-in-law sitting with stern, silent faces, Yang Shanshan sullenly picked up a mouthful of food.

Kong Lingxin was utterly baffled. Why would someone of Meng Haoquan's status care about a jadeite pendant worn around her sister's neck?

Her mother-in-law, Chen Meilan, looked at the violet jadeite bead bracelet on Kong Lingxin's wrist and asked, "Is this bracelet part of a set with your previous pendant?"

Kong Lingxin had never even seen the pendant her sister used to wear, but since her mother-in-law asked, she had no choice but to reply, "Yes, Mom."

Chen Meilan said in a gentle tone, "It's pretty enough, but it's better to put such items away."

Though puzzled as to why they opposed her sister wearing the violet Maitreya pendant and her own wearing of the violet jadeite bracelet, Kong Lingxin nodded and said, "Understood, Mom. I won't wear it anymore in the future."

Having answered her mother-in-law, Kong Lingxin glanced secretly at her father-in-law and noticed his furrowed brow. It seemed she truly could no longer wear this bracelet in front of the Meng family.

Alas, even the sole piece of jewelry left by her mother had to be relegated to the bottom of a chest again. Feeling a wave of sadness, Kong Lingxin's mood plummeted.

Sensing that Kong Lingxin was deeply ill at ease in the ancestral home, Meng Zexiao told his parents after dinner that they would be returning to their own villa. Seeing her son's eagerness to leave, Chen Meilan voiced a few complaints before finally seeing them out to the car, admonishing them to return home more often.

On the drive back, Meng Zexiao glanced at the bracelet on Kong Lingxin's wrist that had drawn his parents' attention and asked, "How come I've never seen you wear this bracelet before?"

Kong Lingxin turned her head to look out the window and replied coldly, "You were too busy to even remember your girlfriends' names back then, how could you possibly remember what jewelry I owned!"

There was simply no talking to her!

Meng Zexiao was too exhausted to even muster the energy to argue. After a twelve-hour flight, dealing with official business upon arrival, heading straight to his parents' home for dinner, and finally finishing the meal, his wife was now giving him the cold shoulder in the car.

Just as Kong Lingxin wondered why Meng Zexiao wasn't arguing back, she turned her head and discovered he had actually fallen asleep in the car.