Chapter 54: So tiny... who would want this?

"Auntie, I have far too many clothes already. Let's skip the apparel and buy some gold instead."

Gold, after all, was the ultimate store of value.

"Alright, buy whatever your heart desires! Auntie knows you've been having a tough time. I won't let you leave today until you've bought enough to make you smile!"

Perhaps it was Lin Xianxian's sweet address of "Auntie" that pleased Madam Shang. Beaming with joy, Madam Shang pulled her over to the jewelry counter and enthusiastically instructed the staff to display the gold accessories.

Lin Xianxian offered a gentle smile and pointed casually, instantly claiming an entire row of solid gold bracelets.

No matter the fluctuations, gold always held its worth. This single row alone totaled hundreds of thousands, yet to Madam Shang, it barely amounted to the cost of a few of her everyday outfits.

She felt it was nowhere near enough.

Consequently, Lin Xianxian picked out a pile of necklaces and decorative ornaments as well, deliberately avoiding the rings.

Madam Shang failed to notice this omission. She was already overjoyed simply because Lin Xianxian was willing to call her Auntie and accept her gifts.

After all, the fact that Lin Xianxian was not siding with Shang Yang was already a massive favor to her.

Little did she expect that midway through their shopping spree, they would run into acquaintances.

Qin Xinxia and Li Tiantian.

Qin Xinxia was also there to buy gold jewelry. With her mother's birthday approaching, the older woman had already dropped heavy hints that her "future son-in-law" should show some filial piety.

Not only that, Qin's mother had dropped subtle cues, mentioning that the daughter of an old friend had received a massive gold bracelet, while pointedly mocking Qin Xinxia for her bare wrists.

Knowing her mother all too well, Qin Xinxia understood instantly that her mother wanted Shang Beiming to buy her gold jewelry—preferably a gold bracelet.

Ever since acquiring such a wealthy future son-in-law, her family had constantly schemed to squeeze whatever they could out of Shang Beiming.

Though Shang Beiming certainly wouldn't consider it a big deal—a single word from him would have his assistant handle it immediately—Qin Xinxia did not want her boyfriend spending money on her family. Furthermore, doing so would taint the pure love between them.

It would also make her feel inferior to him.

Therefore, most of the time, Qin Xinxia chose to turn down her family's requests.

However, this time was her mother's birthday, and she couldn't keep refusing forever. If she kept pushing back, Qin Xinxia feared her mother might grow truly resentful of Shang Beiming and perhaps even go behind her back to cause trouble for him.

It would be better to simply buy her mother a gold bracelet to keep her happy and prevent her from harassing her and Shang Beiming.

Besides, she did have some personal savings and could afford a gold bracelet.

That was why Qin Xinxia had sneaked out to buy it.

She had placed the order a few days ago, and today she had brought Li Tiantian along to pick it up while doing some casual window shopping.

Never had she expected to run into Madam Shang and Lin Xianxian.

Upon seeing Madam Shang, Qin Xinxia felt a flutter of nervousness, well aware that Madam Shang loathed her.

Though she didn't care much for Madam Shang either, Madam Shang was, after all, the mother of the man she loved...

Naturally, she found herself in a position of inferiority and had to treat Madam Shang with utmost deference.

What upset Qin Xinxia even more, however, was why Madam Shang was hanging out with Lin Xianxian.

Lin Xianxian had just finished her wedding ceremony with Shang Yang yesterday. Given Madam Shang's deep distrust of Shang Yang, it hardly made sense for Madam Shang to be out shopping with Lin Xianxian at a time like this.

Qin Xinxia's heart sank quietly.

Seeing her, Lin Xianxian quickly slipped into character.

With a cold snort, Lin Xianxian watched as Qin Xinxia found herself unable to maintain any semblance of pride before Madam Shang, respectfully offering a polite "Auntie."

Madam Shang still hadn't accepted Qin Xinxia and completely ignored the greeting.

The clerk standing behind the counter noticed Qin Xinxia and greeted her enthusiastically:

"Miss Qin, the bracelet you ordered has been transferred here. Would you like to inspect it?"

Qin Xinxia had indeed placed the order a few days prior, but the store hadn't had her mother's size in stock at the time, leaving her no choice but to reserve it and pick it up today.

She never anticipated running into Madam Shang and Lin Xianxian here.

Since the bracelet was already ordered and her mother's birthday was tomorrow, Qin Xinxia couldn't simply walk away without it.

Thus, right in front of Madam Shang and Lin Xianxian, Qin Xinxia braced herself, inspected the bracelet, verified it, and paid the remaining balance.

While Madam Shang initially paid little attention, Lin Xianxian decided to push the plot forward.

Glancing at the bracelet, she remarked with a mocking tone:

"Such a pattern... doesn't really look like something a young person would like."

Intentionally, Lin Xianxian added:

"Auntie, is this perhaps meant for you?"

Hearing this, Madam Shang glanced down at the gold bracelet and said with disdain:

"Such a tiny thing... who would want it?"

Inwardly, she couldn't help but sneer. True to her humble background, Qin Xinxia couldn't even buy a gold bracelet of decent size; she had no shame at all.

If someone actually tried to gift her something like that, she wouldn't even want it—wearing it out in public would be a blow to her dignity.

Qin Xinxia's face flushed alternately red and pale. Yet, with Lin Xianxian putting it that way, she couldn't possibly blurt out that the bracelet wasn't for herself, but for her own mother...

Madam Shang already disliked her enough as it was; if she said that...

Gritting her teeth, Qin Xinxia contemplated simply offering the bracelet to Madam Shang. She figured Madam Shang would surely refuse it anyway, and she could just repurpose it as a gift for her mother afterward.

Her mother only had eyes for money anyway; receiving a gold bracelet was more than enough for her. Would she really care if it was originally intended for someone else?

At worst, she could just supplement it with another small gift.

Just as Qin Xinxia was thinking this, the clerk behind the counter chimed in with a bright smile:

"Ah, so you must be Miss Qin's mother! You truly look like mother and daughter—both so gorgeous, and you share such wonderful taste!"

Qin Xinxia's eyes widened in horror, and she desperately wished she could cover the clerk's mouth.

Madam Shang's expression shifted instantly.

Even if the bracelet had been intended for her, she would have flat-out rejected it and ridiculed Qin Xinxia in the process.

Now, according to the clerk, this bracelet was something Qin Xinxia planned to give her own mother...

And by cutting in earlier, she had made herself look like she was trying to snatch away the gift Qin Xinxia had prepared for her mother?

Madam Shang felt as though she had just been slapped across the face, her irritation mounting.

Gritting her teeth, she sneered:

"Whose mother? I have no relation to this person whatsoever, and I don't even know her! Nor will there ever be any connection between us in the future!"

She directed these words at both Qin Xinxia and Lin Xianxian.

She wanted to put Qin Xinxia in her place, making it clear that she would never accept her gift, let alone attempt to steal the one meant for Qin's mother. At the same time, she wanted Lin Xianxian to understand that even if she married Shang Yang, she, Madam Shang, would never accept a woman like Qin Xinxia as her daughter-in-law!

Suddenly, Madam Shang felt that running into Qin Xinxia today wasn't such an ominous stroke of bad luck after all.

At the very least, it allowed her to demonstrate her unwavering resolve to Lin Xianxian.

After all, no one knew better than her just how much Lin Xianxian despised Qin Xinxia.

Lin Xianxian shook her head inwardly.

*(Qin Xinxia is truly cursed by misfortune. Buying a simple gift for her mother leads straight to a run-in with Madam Shang... Then again, it's only natural. Who else could she be, if not the female protagonist—disliked by the male lead's mother and despised by a vicious female supporting character like me? Crossing paths with Madam Shang and me at any given moment is simply part of the script.)*