C22 Birthday of Mother-in-law

"Lingyu, you…"

Zhouyang's eyes shined slightly as he walked towards Xie Lingyu. Although he wanted to talk with her, he ended up stopping in the middle of his sentence.

He couldn't ask straightforwardly if she was going to attend her mother's birth with Chen Junsheng tomorrow.

"Zhouyang, is this the real you?"

Xie Lingyu raised her head slightly with empty eyes. When she looked at Zhouyang, he could see that there was not a single sign of focus lingering in her eyes.

"Lingyu, there are some things that I can't explain to you. You just have to know that I've never lied to you before."

Zhouyang knew that it would be hard for Xie Lingyu to accept the sudden change in his identity, so he didn't force her.

"I know you're not not someone who would lie to others."

"I'm a bit tired, so I'll be leaving first," Xie Lingyu's expression was tired as her eyes filled with confusion. After she finished speaking, she proceeded to leave the Jade Lake House.

Zhouyang knew that she wouldn't be able to accept the change in him for the time being. What both of them needed the most right now was a moment for them to calm down, so he decided to not chase after her.

After the banquet ended, Zhouyang was the last person to leave the place. Before leaving, he looked behind at the Jade Lake House whose lights were still dazzling in the dusk of the night sky, and felt a sense of suspicion.

According to the manager, the owner of Jade Lake House had been paying attention to him for a long time, hinting at the possibility of him being someone related to the Zhou Group.

Although Zhouyang was curious, with insufficient evidence, he could only speculate at this point.

"..."

The next day, Zhouyang came to the nursing home early to see Mrs. Zhou.

In the past few days, he had been busy with the Whitening and Anti-Aging Factor Project commencement ceremony. Therefore, he did not have much time to go visit his mother. Now that he finally had some free time, he finally went to visit her and tell her more about his future plans.

"Little Yang, you don't need to come over to Mom's place so often. Mom knows that you are busy with a lot of things, and I'm still not at the age where I need someone to take care of me at all times."

Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhouyang with a pained expression.

"Oh yes, have you seen Lingyu recently? I remember that today seems to be her mother's birthday. Why haven't you gone yet? You are far too irresponsible!"

Mrs. Zhou suddenly thought of something as she spoke with a serious expression.

"Mom, she didn't even ask me to go back. Should I really go and tolerate her nonsense yet again?"

Zhouyang's expression sunk and spoke with with a tone indicating that he did not care.

Yesterday, Chen Junsheng said that he would go to the Xie Family house for Mrs. Xie's birthday. Simply recalling the excited expression on Mrs. Xie's face whenever she looked at Chen Junsheng made Zhouyang's heart boil.

"Child, your mother-in-law is still nevertheless your elder. Just because she doesn't ask you to go back, that doesn't mean you shouldn't go back."

Mrs. Zhou's face darkened as she urged, "Don't worry about me, hurry up and buy some gifts for your mother-in-law. If you arrive too late, she'll be extremely unhappy."

Zhouyang was chased out of the room by Mrs. Zhou and wore a helpless expression on his face.

He had yet to tell Mrs. Zhou about everything that happened recently, including the fact that he had inherited the entire Zhou Group.

Furthermore, he did not even mention to his mother how Mrs. Xie would only be happy if he never shows his face at the Xie Family ever again.

However, no matter what, it would be rude for him to still not go now that his mother had already told him to go.

Although he had spent the past three years in a pitiful state in the Xie Family, his feelings for Xie Lingyu remained incomparably sincere.

If not for his genuine feelings for Xie Lingyu, he would not have let go of his dignity as a man back then and become the son-in-law of the Xie Family in the first place.

Zhouyang knew that Mrs. Xie liked jade ornaments, especially the luxurious jade jewelry.

The Jade Pavilion was the biggest and most well-known jade jewelry store in the city.

Furthermore, the jade ornaments sold in their outlets were all of the highest quality and were targetted after the wealthy families.

When Zhouyang and Xie Lingyu had just gotten married, he had planned to buy a Jade Pavilion Necklace for Xie Lingyu. However, he never had the chance to, being the good-for-nothing he was at the time.

"Welcome!"

As Zhouyang stepped into the Jade Pavilion, the staff greeted him cordially.

This was the Jade Pavilion's flagship shop located at the center of the city. Jade jewelry here was of the highest quality and specifications, and their outlets were also close to two hundred square meters.

In this luxurious city center, the Jade Pavilion's products and service definitely live up to its reputation.

Since it was still quite early, there weren't many guests in the Jade Pavilion yet. There were only two or three customers that were looking at the jade jewels from time to time.

After Zhouyang came in, he went straight to the sales counter and asked politely.

"Excuse me. Could I trouble you to help me take out this necklace to have a look?"

Zhouyang looked carefully at the amethyst necklace on the counter and noticed that its majestic purple shade compliments Xie Lingyu's usual demeanor and appearance, making it a perfect gift for her.

"Sure, please wait a moment while I take it out."

The shop assistant working at the time was a young, cute-looking woman. Her pair of dimples on her bright smile make her look even cuter.

"Wait!"

Right at this moment, an ear-piercing female voice abruptly sounded.

When the shop assistant heard this voice, her hands stopped moving immediately and looked timidly at the person yelling at her.

Zhouyang frowned slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed when someone interrupted him.

When Zhouyang saw who it was, he realized it was the assistant manager of the shop.

"Xie Qian, how many times have I told you this? Don't show the jade jewelry in the shop to anyone else. You also have to see whether the person can even afford to purchase it first. If it breaks or gets dirty, who's going to take responsibility?"

The assistant manager's face was covered in heavy makeup.Taking a glance at Zhouyang, she then looked away in disdain.

Zhouyan, appalled by her stare, turned his head down and looked at his clothes.

The expensive suit that he had attended yesterday was in the process of being washed. As he only planned to visit his mother, he simply dressed in casual attire.

At first glance, his clothes looked as if he bought it from some random stall.

Seeing his casual appearance, the assistant manager ended up looking down on Zhouyang.

"What is it? It can't be that I'm not allowed to take even a quick glance at the jewelry, right?"

Zhouyang raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice.

"Eh? What's the matter with you? Don't you understand human speech? Do you look like someone who can afford it? Hurry up and leave. Don't be an eyesore here."

The assistant manager worked in the jewelry store all year round, so she naturally had the ability to recognize people's backgrounds based on their appearance. When she saw how Zhouyang dressed up, she figured that Zhouyang was not someone who could afford even a single piece of jewelry from the store.

Seeing Zhouyang standing motionlessly in front of the counter, she immediately reached out his hand and tried to push him away.

However, Zhouyang was a man after all. How could a woman easily push him away from his position?

"What are you doing? If you still don't leave, I'm going to call security!"

The assistant manager saw that Zhouyang was had no intentions to leave and was prepared to call the security guards.

"Isn't that Manager Zhou? Why are you here?"

At this moment, a surprised voice sounded out.

A tall middle-aged man, standing up straight, slowly walked over with a young woman in tow.

Zhouyang recognized this person. He was indeed the president of Beauty Co., Zhang Hui.

However, he did not expect that they would meet again here after just seeing each other at the banquet yesterday.

"Director Zhang, what a coincidence."

Zhouyang smiled and nodded in greeting.

"Is there some sort of trouble here, Manager Zhou?"

Zhang Hui saw that Zhouyang seemed to found himself in an awkward situation and took the initiative to ask.

Coincidentally, meeting Zhouyang was also a good thing for Zhang Hui.

If he could help Zhouyang solve a few problems, then working together on the Whitening and Anti-Aging Factor Project would undoubtedly go more smoothly and benefit his company.

"Nothing, I just happened to meet a dog looking down on me."

Zhouyang said lightly. His gaze did not even linger on the manager of the jewelry store.

At this moment, the shop assistant, Xie Qian, and the assistant manager both looked at Zhouyang in surprise.

They knew Zhang Hui, was not only a regular customer of the Jade Pavilion, but he was also friends with the head manager of the store.

However, they did not expect that this seemingly average person in front of them would have some sort of connection with Zhang Hui himself.

"Miss, can you show me this necklace?"

Zhouyang ignored their suprised gazes and knocked at the glass counter lightly, pulling Xie Qian back from her shock.

"What's going on?"

For the commotion here was certainly not small, not only did it attract the attention of the other customers, but it also attracted the attention of the store's head manager.

"Old Zhao, it seems like you still need to properly train the employees of your store. To think they would even look down of Manager Zhou."

When Zhang Hui saw the person, he chuckled and spoke sarcastically.

Zhao Tianlai was the head manager of Jade Pavilion's flagship store. He had a lot of experience and was someone who would follow through with his words.

"Little Wang, is that right?"

Zhao Tianlai glared at the assistant manager and then looked at Zhouyang.

"May I know who this person is?"

When he asked that, his gaze was towards Zhang Hui.

"This is Manager Zhou, the one from Fame Corporation, who I told you about."

Zhang Hui did not say much, but the few sentences that came out of his mouth caused Zhao Tianlai to be extremely shocked.

The incident that happened in the Jade Lake House last night had spread throughout the entire city overnight.

Anyone with a bit of status and position would certainly know or, at the very least, hear of Zhouyang's existence.

Not only did he cause the Young Master from the Shen Family to lose face, but he was also, at such a young age, the person in charge of the Whitening and Anti-Aging Factor Project that everyone had thought so highly of.

The most bewildering and important news was that the owner of Jade Lake House actually knew and had some sort of connections with Zhouyang.

Just based on that point alone, countless people had become curious about Zhouyang's true identity.

"So it's Manager Zhou. I've heard a lot about you. My subordinates have been ignorant and have displeased you. Please allow me instead to make arrangements for you!"

Zhao Tianlai smiled as he stretched his hand out for a hand shake.

Zhouyang did not say anything when he saw the head manager acting so courteous. He simply reached out his hand, and the two of them shook the hands gently before separating immediately.

"Little Wang, hurry up and show that Thousand Purple Heart Jewelry to Manager Zhou!"

Zhao Tianlai immediately regained his composure and scolded the assistant manager.

"Yes, yes."

"Yes, sir," the assistant manager replied in a hurry, preparing to retrieve the necklace.

"Wait a moment, let this lady help me with it instead. There's no need to trouble the assistant manager."

However, before the assistant manager coul retrieve the necklace, Zhouyang interrupted her and asked for Xie Qian to help him instead.

Xie Qian did not expect Zhouyang to ask for her help. Her face lit up as she looked at Zhouyang gratefully. She immediately crouching down and took out the necklace from inside the glass counter.

Zhouyang was not uncultured nor uneducated and knew that every line of work had its own rules.

In a jewelry shop, any shop assistant who manages to sell the jewelry would end up receiving a commission based on what they managed to sell.

Zhouyang wouldn't let someone who couldn't be bothered with him and insulted him to get this commission. On the contrary, Xie Qian acted in a much more friendly manner, which Zhouyang was much fonder of.

"Manager Zhou, this necklace made of amethyst is called 'Thousand Purple Heart.' It represents one's undying feelings for another party. Furthermore, it is also a one-of-a-kind item that only exists in our Jade Pavilion."

Zhao Tianlai said with a bright smile and explained it all to Zhouyang.

Zhouyang nodded in satisfaction. This' Thousand Violet Heart' is very suitable for Xie Lingyu indeed.

"Then, I'll buy this one. How much does it cost?"

"Hehe, originally, 'Thousand Purple Heart' is a treasure only attainable by the richest of the rich. It's normally priced at five million and eight hundred thousand. Since Manager Zhou wants to buy it, however, we will lower its price to only two million. Think of it as getting to know Manager Zhou."

Zhao Tianlai said with a smile.

As soon as he finished, gasps could be heard around the room.

When the people who had been paying attention to the situation heard Zhao Tianlai's words, they were flabbergasted.

The assistant manager and Xie Qian were even more dumbfounded, unable to believe their own ears.

A necklace worth over 5 million, now it was worth 2 million, and the less than 3 million, was just to get to know each other.

Who exactly is this Manager Zhou?

At this moment, the female assistant manager was filled with regret.

Xie Qian, on the other hand, was extremely excited and grateful towards Zhouyang at the same time.

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll gladly accept your kindness."

Zhouyang agreed to the purchase without thinking too much.

He knew that the other party had undoubtedly heard of what took place in Jade Lake House last night and had only paid such a huge price in order to befriend him. Furthermore, they saw it as an opportunity to get to know someone who had connections with the boss of the Jade Lake House.

Since the other party had such thoughts, Zhouyang was willing to do the same to them.

"Haha, good, good."

Zhao Tianlai laughed aloud, extremely excited in his heart.

"I also need to buy a jade bracelet to give to my elder. I wonder if Director Zhao has anything else to recommend?"

After packing "Thousand Purple Heart", Zhouyang was prepared to buy Mrs. Xie a jade bracelet as a birthday present.

"Yes, yes. Manager Zhou, this way please."

"..."

After bidding farewell to Zhang Hui and Zhao Tianlai, Zhouyang walked out of the Jade Pavilion with the two boxes of gifts and walked towards the Xie Family's house.

In the past three years, whenever the day of Mrs. Xie's birthday arrived, relatives in the Xie Family living elsewhere would always come to celebrate on this occasion.

When Zhouyang arrived at the Xie Family house, he saw a lot of cars parked in front of the door.

However, when Zhouyang saw a pure black Porsche parked amongst those batch of cars, his pupils immediately constricted in anger, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.