Chapter 61: The Disappearing Pendant

Deep in slumber, Meng Zexiao looked like an obedient child, curled up on one side with steady breathing, appearing peaceful and entirely harmless. Kong Lingxin stared at him intently for a long while, yet a persistent voice within her heart reminded her to remain constantly on guard—he was the one who had once caused her younger sister's death, and he was quite capable of bringing about her own demise as well!

Upon returning home, Meng Zexiao collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep. Kong Lingxin tentatively urged him to take a shower before going to bed, but like a spoiled child, he simply covered his ears with a pillow, wearing an expression that suggested Kong Lingxin was being far too noisy.

Standing by the bedside, Kong Lingxin glared at him angrily—let him sleep without washing, see if she cared!

With that, Kong Lingxin unclasped the natural lavender jadeite bead bracelet from her wrist and placed it inside her jewelry box. At the same time, her thoughts drifted back to the Meng family estate, where they had mentioned the natural lavender jadeite Maitreya Buddha pendant worn by her sister. Having gone through her sister's remaining belongings over the past few days, she had failed to find that particular item anywhere. Could her sister have hidden it in some inconspicuous corner?

Taking advantage of Meng Zexiao's sleep, Kong Lingxin tiptoed over to the wardrobe and searched thoroughly for a long while, yet she found no trace of the pendant.

Next, she moved on to the study. In this vast residence, these were the only two places where her sister's personal belongings would be kept. However, after rummaging through every single corner of the study, Kong Lingxin still could not find a shadow of the pendant.

Perhaps it was left at the Kong family home!

Seeing that it was still early, Kong Lingxin called Lu Fang to ask if she knew anything about the natural lavender Maitreya Buddha pendant.

Hearing Kong Lingxin's inquiry, Lu Fang sounded somewhat surprised and countered, "Are you saying you also have a lavender bead bracelet of the exact same quality?"

Kong Lingxin replied, "That's right. My mother gave it to me. It's the only thing I brought with me from home to B City."

Lu Fang pondered for quite a while before speaking, "Ah yes, your sister indeed had a Maitreya Buddha pendant. Back when your stepfather brought your sister back to B City from the hospital to raise her, your mother gave her this pendant as the sole token of remembrance. It looks like such an ordinary trinket, so why are people from the Meng family taking such a strong interest in it?"

Kong Lingxin was equally baffled. Logically speaking, judging by the Meng family's reaction, the lavender jadeite belonging to her and her sister must be an extremely valuable heirloom passed down through generations. Back when they were in such desperate straits during the hospital stay, her mother could easily have sold these items to pay for the hospitalization and medical expenses, and there would have been no need whatsoever to send her sister to be raised by the Kong Changdong couple. Furthermore, the two of them had lived hand-to-mouth over the years; selling the bracelet kept in their possession would have considerably improved their standard of living, and she wouldn't have had to wait until two years after starting work to finally pay off her kindergarten teacher training tuition.

Even if the jadeite had some value, surely it wasn't worth more than the antiques displayed in the Meng family's living room? Why wouldn't Meng Haoquan let her wear it out?

Lu Fang stated that ever since her sister married into the Meng family, she had never seen that lavender jadeite pendant again, nor had she ever heard her sister mention Meng Haoquan forbidding her from wearing it. As for where that seemingly mysterious object was ultimately stored by her sister, Lu Fang had no way of knowing either.

This matter hung over Kong Lingxin like an enigma. When she tried to unravel the mystery, she found herself blocked by thick fog, completely unable to discern the direction.

Unwilling to give up, though she had already memorized her sister's diary by heart, Kong Lingxin began turning its pages once more in an attempt to uncover some trace of a clue within.

Yet, after flipping through the entire diary and meticulously scrutinizing every single entry involving Meng Haoquan and Yang Shanshan, word for word, she found not a single description concerning the pendant.

What on earth had happened here?

Kong Lingxin ran downstairs and found Sister Qi. "Sister Qi," she asked, "I used to wear a natural lavender jadeite Maitreya Buddha pendant around my neck, but I can't remember where I put it. It wasn't until Mom and Dad mentioned it at the old residence today that I remembered. Do you recall anything about this?"

Hearing the Second Young Mistress ask this, Sister Qi glanced around her surroundings, looked back at Kong Lingxin, and then lowered her voice. "Does the Second Young Mistress really not remember? Last Mid-Autumn Festival, when you and the Second Young Master went back to the old residence for dinner, the Master saw you wearing that piece and felt it looked too antiquated, so he scolded you a bit. That night, the Second Young Master was feeling somewhat unwell, so the Madam didn't let you return and you stayed overnight at the old estate. The next morning, you announced that your lavender jadeite pendant had disappeared. At the time, the Eldest Young Mistress hadn't started working at the company yet, and she was mainly helping the Madam manage the domestic staff at home. Because of this, the Eldest Young Mistress even got into an argument with you, accusing you of implying that the servants had sticky fingers and took your things—"

"Ah?" Kong Lingxin was profoundly astonished. She could easily imagine how humiliating it must have been for her sister when Yang Shanshan gathered all the servants together and forced her to submit to a body search after claiming the item was missing. The servants at the Meng family estate must have harbored deep resentment toward her sister as well.

Sister Qi looked at Kong Lingxin with a complex expression. After a long moment, she continued, "To be honest, it's hard to say what really happened. The servants in the Meng family are all educated, hold degrees, and have undergone professional training. With so many valuable antiques displayed around the house, why would a single pendant vanish? There might have been more to that incident than meets the eye."

Kong Lingxin said, "Oh, I remember now. Perhaps people sometimes harbor a self-protective mechanism in their subconscious, choosing selective amnesia when faced with unpleasant events. If I hadn't asked Sister Qi, I truly wouldn't have remembered this. Thank you. By the way, I never meant to suspect that the servants had dishonest hands; if you get the chance, Sister Qi, please have a word with the staff downstairs."

Sister Qi smiled. "Naturally, old-timers like us know that the Second Young Mistress has a kind heart, but trees desire calm while the wind refuses to stop. After that incident, the Master ordered the Eldest Young Mistress to go work at the company, and household affairs were primarily entrusted to Sister Lin, the housekeeper of the old estate. Still, a few of the servants were fired over the matter—"

Hearing this, Kong Lingxin understood somewhat why her sister had failed to record it in her diary. Perhaps she had found it too humiliating, convoluted, and unclear, and since her own thoughts on the matter were not entirely distinct, she simply omitted it from her journal.

Yet Kong Lingxin, standing as an outsider, possessed her own judgment: this affair was undoubtedly orchestrated by Yang Shanshan!

Recalling how nearly every word Yang Shanshan had uttered at the old residence today seemed directly aimed at her, it was impossible for the others not to notice, yet no one had stepped forward to stop her on the spot. Perhaps they had all simply grown accustomed to Kong Lingxin being the designated target of Yang Shanshan's bullying!

And then there was Meng Zexiao, who spoke in cryptic riddles and hinted darkly that if Meng Haoquan consented, the mastermind behind the internet smear campaign could be exposed—

Whether due to her sister's influence or not, Kong Lingxin harbored an instinctive hostility toward Yang Shanshan. She persistently felt that every single issue was somehow connected to her. Moreover, how could a man as deeply artistic as Meng Zexian ever fall for a woman like Yang Shanshan, who exuded such blatant utilitarianism and snobbery? How on earth had such a couple come together?

The more she thought about it, the fewer answers she found, and the greater the number of question marks multiplying in her mind.

Urged on by Sister Qi, Kong Lingxin finally realized how late it had become. Glancing up at the wall clock, she made her way back to the bedroom.

Meng Zexiao was still fast asleep. Having enjoyed a few days of the comfortable luxury of sleeping alone in a bed, she now had to return to the life of sharing a bed with a demon. Kong Lingxin felt deeply annoyed that she hadn't properly cherished those few days of freedom, and worse still, she had actually found herself missing him occasionally!

Taking her pajamas into the bathroom, Kong Lingxin reverted to her former cautious mindset. Only after verifying that the door was securely locked did she dare to undress.

Ever since Wan Si left at noon, seeing that Meng Zexiao had remained in the study with no indication of when he would return to the bedroom, Kong Lingxin had suppressed her sleepiness and spent her time practicing martial arts in the fifth-floor gym to avoid having Meng Zexiao witness her sleeping posture.

She had prepared thoroughly for this, downloading martial arts tutorial videos onto her tablet beforehand. Those basic movements were far too simple for her, but out of an abundance of caution, she deliberately adopted the awkward, feeble stances of an absolute beginner throwing punches and kicks.

Even so, having skipped her afternoon nap, Kong Lingxin felt a lingering wave of exhaustion and inadvertently drifted off to sleep right inside the bathtub.

The water in this bathtub was maintained at a constant temperature; the moment it grew the slightest bit cool, fresh hot water was automatically injected. Thus, the sleeping Kong Lingxin was never awakened by dropping temperatures.

She had no idea how long she had been asleep when she heard the sound of Meng Zexiao knocking on the bathroom door from the outside. "Open the door right now! Don't tell me you'd rather sleep in a bathtub just to avoid sharing a bed with me!"

Kong Lingxin jolted awake. Good heavens! Just how exhausted must she have been to fall asleep while taking a bath!

Wading out of the water, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and padded barefoot across the floor to unlock the door for Meng Zexiao.

The moment the door cracked open an inch, Meng Zexiao, still clad in his daytime clothes, shoved his way inside. Expecting him to launch into his usual unreasonable reprimand, she braced herself for a confrontation, only to find that he didn't even look at her, walking straight toward the toilet to lift the lid.

Overwhelmed with mortification, Kong Lingxin realized he had simply been desperate to use the restroom.

Having tended to his urgent business, Meng Zexiao cast a glance at her. "You're done washing, why aren't you getting out? Or should I take a bath right in front of you?!"

Clutching her pajamas, Kong Lingxin bolted out of the bathroom faster than a frightened rabbit. Seeing her suddenly scurry away, Meng Zexiao was left feeling both exasperated and amused.

Just as he had stripped off his clothes and was preparing to wash, Kong Lingxin reappeared in the doorway, asking timidly, "Could you lock the door while you shower?"

Meng Zexiao asked, "Why should I?"

Kong Lingxin replied, "I need to get dressed."

Meng Zexiao retorted, "What does me locking the door have to do with you getting dressed?"

Kong Lingxin insisted, "Of course it does! What if you suddenly walk out?"

Speechless, Meng Zexiao bellowed, "You clumsy idiot, you're locked out there and I'm in here. If I really wanted to come out and look at you, do you think a simple latch would stop me?"

Mutinously, Kong Lingxin muttered, "At least locking it gives me some psychological comfort..."

Even as she argued with Meng Zexiao, however, she had already slipped into her pajamas with a flurry of swift movements.