Chapter 70: The Crowd’s Speculations

Su Zheng sensed Chen Muxue’s feelings of inferiority and decided to take out the ring Li Yanze had given him. He had originally planned to surprise Chen Muxue with it after the banquet at home, but seeing the current situation, he resolved to offer her a bit of comfort now. Regardless of the ring’s actual value, at least it might lift her spirits a little.

As she looked at the ring in Su Zheng’s hand, Chen Muxue raised her head, a hint of surprise flickering in her beautiful eyes. She hadn’t expected Su Zheng to be so thoughtful; in the two years they had been married, he had never given her a gift before.

Everyone else at the table was stunned as well, their gazes all drawn to the ring in Su Zheng’s hand. Having witnessed Chen Wenli’s earlier display, everyone knew that Su Zheng’s family wasn’t wealthy. Now, seeing Su Zheng produce a ring on the spot, they were naturally quite curious, strange and knowing smiles appearing on their faces.

“Oh my, am I seeing this right? That ring looks a lot like the ‘Stellar Brilliance’—I’ve seen the award-winning ‘Stellar Brilliance’ ring from Longfengyuan Jewelry online, and it looks nearly identical!”

Someone with a sharp eye had gotten a good look at the ring in Su Zheng’s hand and couldn’t help but comment.

A few people couldn’t help but burst out laughing at this.

In their eyes, there was no way Su Zheng’s family could afford the real ‘Stellar Brilliance’. The only possibility was that this was a knockoff. In other words, it was a cheap trinket from a street vendor.

After all, real brands would never produce counterfeits, especially not a prestigious piece like ‘Stellar Brilliance’ that had won awards overseas. That would be illegal, and no jewelry company would risk it. Only small workshops making crafts would try to imitate it with other materials, costing perhaps a few bucks to make and selling for a hundred or two, pocketing the difference. Just like with luxury watches, you could always find fakes at street stalls—cheap, and perfect for those seeking a bit of vanity.

A woman tittered, “Isn’t that Longfengyuan’s ‘Stellar Brilliance’? Muxue, you should put it on! That ring must be worth at least tens of millions—Su Zheng must be loaded, to buy you something so extravagant!”

Chen Wenli laughed so hard she was nearly falling over, deliberately urging Chen Muxue to wear it, then added in mock surprise, “Oh, silly me! I heard that after the ‘Stellar Brilliance’ ring won its award abroad, it was bought by a mysterious collector. Could it be that the buyer lost it somehow, and you picked it up off the street?”

The whole table erupted in laughter at her words, every note dripping with mockery. People began to talk amongst themselves, pointing and jeering.

“I’m dying! Turns out it’s just a street-stall fake. Even our housekeeper wouldn’t stoop to buy something like that.”

“Must be because they’re poor—no money, but still want to save face, so they buy fakes from the street!”

“They really shouldn’t show up to places like this if they can’t afford it. I feel embarrassed for them!”

“Hmph, how did a family of paupers even get into such a high-end banquet tonight?”

None of these people cared in the slightest about how Chen Muxue’s family felt. They gossiped loudly, their faces all but emblazoned with the words: ‘We look down on you.’

At that moment, the feeling of inferiority on Chen Muxue’s face grew even stronger, mixed with resentment for Su Zheng. It didn’t matter if he got her a cheap trinket—she knew he had no money—but why did he have to give it to her in front of so many people? Wasn’t he just giving everyone a reason to laugh at them?

“Su Zheng! Put away that junk of yours right now. Does my daughter need you to buy her gifts? And can’t you use your head for once? Can you?! With that street-stall trash, who are you trying to insult?!”

Chen Jianguo couldn’t take it any longer. Surrounded by ridicule and mockery, he wished he could disappear into the floor and now finally lost his temper, shouting at Su Zheng.

“That’s right, Muxue, don’t take it. This useless man gets you a ring worth a few bucks from a street vendor—could we be any more humiliated?”

Lü Hongmei’s face was cold as she snapped, her expression filled with anger.

Even Chen Muxue herself was flushed with anger. Calmly, she looked at Su Zheng and said, “Keep it for yourself—I don’t want it.”

Su Zheng’s hand froze in midair, at a loss for words. He didn’t know the ring’s actual value, but with the Li family’s wealth, there was no way they’d give him something worthless. Still, seeing the embarrassment on Chen Muxue and her parents’ faces, and hearing the mocking laughter all around, he decided not to bother explaining. He could always explain it to Chen Muxue later—or, better yet, pick out a gift for her himself.

After all, he now had a hundred million transferred to his account by A Biao—buying a present for Chen Muxue was hardly a challenge anymore.

“Look, look—trying to fool people again with a fake! Now I can say with certainty that your so-called ‘Wanjin Token’ is definitely stolen as well!”

Feng Qingyuan, who hadn’t spoken in a while, pointed at Su Zheng with disdain and declared with utter conviction.

“It’s true what they say—poverty breeds cunning, while wealth fosters virtue!”

“People like this don’t deserve to sit at a table with us. What a joke!”

“As soon as Mrs. Feng took out her Longfengyuan jewelry, they couldn’t wait to show off too—without considering whether they even belonged in the same league!”

“Heh, I hadn’t even noticed this family before. If they’d just eaten quietly and slipped away, all would be well—but no, they just had to show off and now they’ve been exposed!”

Everyone at the table was jeering loudly, their eyes full of contempt and disgust.

Chen Wenli was in high spirits, positively gloating as she watched Su Zheng and Chen Muxue’s family being humiliated. Sitting next to her, Chen Xiong and his son Chen Peng were equally delighted, grinning from ear to ear.

Weren’t they acting so high and mighty before? Thought they’d really transformed overnight, but look at them now—just a few words from Wenli and the whole room is turning on them! I’m embarrassed for your whole family! Chen Xiong cheered silently, feeling a rush of satisfaction.

Just then, a refined middle-aged man entered the room with a gentle smile. He looked around and quickly spotted Su Zheng, approaching him respectfully.

“Excuse me, are you Mr. Su and Mrs. Su?”

Dressed in a professional suit, the middle-aged man looked every inch the consummate professional—his smile courteous and warm.

“Yes, that’s us. What is it?” Su Zheng replied coolly.

“Hello, Mr. Su, Mrs. Su. I have a small gift here that your friend asked me to deliver to you personally. If you’d be so kind as to sign for it, please.”

The man politely took out an exquisite gift box from his bag and placed it on the table.

A collective gasp went up: “It’s from Longfengyuan Jewelry!”

“That… that’s…”

“No way! The manager of Longfengyuan Jewelry delivering it in person? That’s unbelievable!”

“Quick, open the box—let’s see what it is!”

The guests were all dumbfounded. When they saw the Longfengyuan emblem on the box, shock and disbelief swept across their faces.

Especially since they had also noticed the name badge on the middle-aged man’s suit—it clearly read: Xu Xiang, Manager of the Longfengyuan Flagship Store.