Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Such an Expensive Gift Makes You an Easy Target

Wu Zicheng opened the gift box, revealing the present inside.

"Oh! A Jade Guanyin pendant. The quality looks pretty good. Let me see..."

Wu Zicheng picked up the Jade Guanyin and held it close to examine it.

"The moment I touched it, I knew it was real. Looking at the clarity, it must be ice-grade, and the color is a vibrant green..."

"Whoa! I’ve hit the jackpot! I wonder which friend sent this. Are you willing to reveal your name?"

Wu Zicheng was genuinely surprised. For people like them, who threw birthday parties every year, the gifts they received weren’t exactly cheap. But aside from a few close friends, the price of a gift topped out at 100,000 yuan.

But this ice-grade, vibrant green Jade Guanyin pendant, based on Wu Zicheng’s expert opinion, was worth no less than 500,000 yuan.

’Who was it? Who’d be so generous with a gift?’

First, he ruled out his close buddies. If they gave him a gift worth over 100,000, he’d never hear the end of it. A 500,000 yuan pendant? No way they’d be this quiet.

Next, he ruled out the familiar faces who weren’t close friends but showed up at every party. He knew exactly what kind of gifts they’d give; they wouldn’t spend more than 50,000 yuan, tops.

Then, he ruled out the party-crashers from minor families. Their monthly allowance was probably less than a million yuan; they wouldn’t spend 500,000 just to buy him a gift. That would be completely insane.

Finally, Wu Zicheng’s gaze fell upon Yun Zijin and Su Mengyao.

Su Mengyao was a familiar face, though she didn’t attend every gathering. The young miss of the Su Family, one of the eight great junior families. Arrogant, willful, and rich.

Yun Zijin, someone Sheng Yang addressed as "Sister," couldn’t be a simple character. Although he wasn’t sure about her financial situation, the watch on her wrist was easily worth at least a million yuan.

These two ladies were the most likely candidates.

Sheng Yang was thinking the same thing as Wu Zicheng.

Sheng Yang leaned closer to Yun Zijin. "Sister Yun, this wasn’t... from you, was it?"

’What kind of freakish luck does this guy Wu Zicheng have, getting such a precious gift from my Sister Yun?’

’I’d have said 100,000 yuan was already too good for him. This ice-grade, vibrant green Jade Guanyin pendant just blows everything else out of the water.’

"Yeah. I didn’t go back to Xingyu Mansion, so I had my bodyguard go pick something out. It’s not... too over the top, is it?"

This was Yun Zijin’s first time attending a rich kid’s birthday party, and her first time giving one a gift. Her idea at the time had been to pick something that wasn’t cheap, but not too expensive either.

500,000 yuan seemed like a reasonable price point in her mind. Ling Qi certainly knew how to choose.

’Besides, "men wear Guanyin, women wear Buddha." That should be a safe bet, right?’

"Sister Yun, you really let this kid get away with a huge bargain! He has a birthday every year and throws a party every time.

If we give gifts worth hundreds of thousands every time... we’re just living on allowances! How can we afford to be fleeced like that?! 100,000 yuan is the absolute limit!

Don’t give something so expensive next time, Sister Yun. You’ll make yourself a target!"

’Once they know Sister Yun is a big spender, they’ll all start sending her invitations—one for a birthday today, another for an anniversary tomorrow.’

’And if you receive an invitation, even if you don’t go, you still have to send a gift, right?’

’That’s how they’ll fleece you.’

"Um... I don’t live on an allowance."

’She lived on rent money.’

Yun Zijin’s single sentence completely shattered Sheng Yang’s composure.

’Doesn’t she know how deeply that wounds a 1.8-meter-tall, second-generation rich kid who has never earned a single cent with his own two hands?!’

T_T

At that moment, Su Mengyao felt the exact same way as Sheng Yang.

’She lived on an allowance, too.’

Looking at the gift Yun Zijin gave versus the ones they gave, the difference between them was starkly clear.

They would feel the sting of spending 500,000 on a gift, but to Yun Zijin, it was just a normal price for a present.

Wu Zicheng was still trying to find the person who gave him the Jade Guanyin. To avoid being found out, Yun Zijin had Sheng Yang block his line of sight.

When no one came forward after a long time, Wu Zicheng finally gave up. He had, however, noticed the subtle exchange between Sheng Yang and Yun Zijin, but he chose not to expose them.

’It’s not like he could tie Yun Zijin up and drag her over to claim it.’

With the gift-opening segment over, the birthday party officially kicked into full-on rave mode.

Wu Zicheng cranked up the sound system he’d spent a fortune installing in the villa, and the professional lighting artist he’d hired began to work their magic. In an instant, the birthday party turned into a nightclub.

Yun Zijin had been about to head back to the macaron-themed lounge area, but Su Mengyao pulled her onto the dance floor.

Su Mengyao had clearly forgotten her original reason for coming to the party; her only goal now was to become friends with Yun Zijin.

Sheng Yang stared at the empty space beside him, a look of utter confusion on his face.

’When did those two get so close? Am I the third wheel here?’

"Well now, what’s wrong with our Second Young Master Sheng? You don’t look too happy."

Wu Zicheng had appeared at Sheng Yang’s side at some point, holding a glass of champagne.

’He’s probably the only one who would turn his own birthday party into a rave.’

"Do you think friendships between girls happen way too fast?"

’Sister Yun clearly came with me, but in the end, it was all for Su Mengyao’s benefit.’

Wu Zicheng couldn’t answer that question for Sheng Yang; after all, he was a guy, too.

Yun Zijin, for her part, had no idea that her growing closeness with Su Mengyao had given Sheng Yang a sense of crisis.

"By the way, how’s that bar of yours coming along? First off, it’s not that I don’t support you, but you know I don’t dare to cross your brother!"

Sheng Hao had personally called each of them, strictly forbidding them from lending Sheng Yang money to open a bar.

He didn’t just call them; he called their parents too. Anyone who disobeyed could kiss their allowance goodbye.

Once Sheng Hao laid down the law, their parents, of course, readily agreed and came home to drill it into their heads.

"Hmph! I’ve already found a new investor. You guys might be afraid of my brother, but my Sister Yun isn’t."

’Sister Yun managed to snatch a plot of land right from under Lu Yunque and his people. Of course she wouldn’t be afraid of offending my brother.’

"You mean, you got Yun Zijin to invest in you? How much did she give you?"

"Three million. And that’s just the initial investment. If I succeed, Sister Yun will definitely invest more!"

Sheng Yang was extremely confident in his bar.

"Three million? That sounds pretty good! While I can’t lend you any money, I’ll definitely be there to support you on opening day!

We can throw a huge party there, and it’ll definitely get the place buzzing."

If there was one thing he was an expert at, it was clubbing.

"Deal. You’re paying for the drinks."

’Nothing’s free. Even blood brothers settle their accounts. And since we’re not even related, we definitely have to keep things clear!’

Wu Zicheng shot Sheng Yang a look. ’Listen to this guy. Do I look like the kind of person who skips out on his tab?’

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Why are you so stingy all of a sudden?"

Wu Zicheng couldn’t understand when Sheng Yang had become like this.

’It’s just a little money for drinks. Is he really that hard up?’

"Running a bar has costs. If I treat you all to drinks, I won’t even cover my expenses. Wouldn’t that be a loss? You can’t go into business aiming to lose money. I’m counting on this bar to make me a profit so I can become a rich kid who’s financially independent without an allowance."

Sheng Yang said it all so matter-of-factly that Wu Zicheng actually thought he had a point.