novelz
Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Zhou Qingyu, eager to hurry Yan Xi along, had already reached the study’s doorway when Zhou Yanci’s sudden move caught even her off guard.
Zhou Qingyu rushed up to Zhou Yanci, pointing at him accusingly. "Y-you… you… don’t you have hands of your own?!"
Zhou Yanci shrugged. "The glass was too cold."
Zhou Qingyu: ?
"What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?!"
She then turned to Yan Xi. "Did he hurt you? Did he just…" take advantage of you?
Yan Xi blinked, still processing what had happened, a strange fluttering in her chest.
"It’s fine."
It was just a handshake—it wasn’t like they’d never touched before. She’d even grabbed his wrist once.
Zhou Qingyu sighed in exasperation.
She grabbed Yan Xi’s hand. "Come on, let’s go work out. Ignore this old schemer!"
The study fell quiet after they left.
Zhou Yanci idly twirled the glass in his hand, realizing how pleasing its simple design was.
Aunt Zhang came in to clear the fruit platter and noticed his expression. "Young Master, what are you grinning about?"
"Nothing," Zhou Yanci replied. "Just thinking how sweet this water tastes."
---
The night was ink-black, a gloomy haze shrouding the villa.
In the living room, Meng Xuanyu lounged on the sofa with a cigarette dangling from his lips, scrolling through videos of seductive women on his phone. Meng Yingrong paced back and forth beside him.
"Have you lost your mind? Selling counterfeits as genuine—what if we’re caught?!"
A routine internal quality check at Meng Corporation—usually just for show—had unexpectedly uncovered issues with this year’s autumn collection.
Meng Xuanyu had overseen the collection, and before the findings could reach Meng Huaigu, Meng Yingrong had urgently summoned him. To her horror, she discovered that a significant portion of the new products were high-quality fakes.
"Mom, you’re overreacting. These replicas are practically indistinguishable from the real thing! And let’s be honest—people buy our brand just to flaunt their status. As long as they’re buying from our stores, they’ll believe it’s authentic!"
"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst!" Meng Yingrong hissed through gritted teeth. "We have to recall these products immediately!"
Meng Xuanyu leaned back lazily. "They’ve already been on sale for two days."
Meng Yingrong’s eyes widened. "Tell me the truth—how much of this batch is counterfeit?"
"Uh… about a hundred million’s worth."
A hundred million!
Meng Yingrong nearly fainted.
"Mom, relax! We mixed them in with the real ones. No one will notice!"
Meng Yingrong staggered, bracing herself against the sofa.
How could this not blow up? This was a ticking time bomb! If exposed, Meng Corporation’s stock would plummet! They might make a quick hundred million now, but the losses later could be catastrophic!
"At least tell me you kept records of the counterfeit serial numbers?" Meng Yingrong demanded.
Meng Xuanyu smirked. "Of course. I handled everything myself."
Meng Yingrong took a deep breath. "I’ll cover this hundred-million hole for you. But we’re recalling every last item!"
For ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????unsold stock, they could discreetly instruct store managers to pull them using the counterfeit codes. As for the sold items—luxury stores kept customer records. They’d offer exchanges to retrieve the fakes.
The most expensive piece among the counterfeits was a pink diamond bracelet, priced at 22 million—accounting for a fifth of the total fake inventory.
As her assistant sorted through the buyer records, Meng Yingrong leaned in. "Please tell me the bracelet hasn’t been sold yet?"
At that price point, it shouldn’t have moved so quickly.
The assistant hesitated. "It… already has."
Meng Yingrong’s blood ran cold, a vein throbbing at her temple.
Anyone who could afford that bracelet was either wealthy or influential—not someone easily placated with a simple exchange!
"Who bought it?"
The assistant checked the system and exhaled in relief.
"It was President Zhou."
"Yanci?"
As CEO of Zhou Corporation, Zhou Yanci often engaged in high-society networking. If he’d bought it as a gift, he’d typically select jewelry from M brand.
But even for business connections, a million-yuan piece would be extravagant. A 22-million bracelet? Unheard of.
Meng Xuanyu whistled. "Well, well. Zhou Yanci’s finally got a love life? A pink diamond bracelet? That’s definitely for a woman!"
Meng Yingrong frowned.
She’d suspected something when Zhou Yanci refused the arranged match with Lu Wanning. Now it seemed he’d fallen for someone else!
Stepping onto the balcony, she dialed Zhou Yanci’s number. "Yanci, Assistant Xu mentioned you bought a bracelet from M brand today. Who’s it for?"
Zhou Yanci, having just left the study, walked slowly toward his room with his cane.
"That’s my business."
Meng Yingrong’s lips twitched. She’d admit that after divorcing Zhou Hongsheng, she’d neglected Zhou Yanci. No matter how kindly she treated him now, he remained distant—like a stranger under her roof.
"What’s wrong with Wanning? Is there really someone better suited for you?"
Zhou Yanci paused.
Had Yan Xi not appeared, he might’ve agreed to a marriage of convenience with Lu Wanning.
But Yan Xi had.
"Lu Wanning is fine," Zhou Yanci said coolly. "But I’ve already found someone I like."
Meng Yingrong bit her lip. "Who? Did you give her the bracelet?"
"Yes."
His tone carried a hint of impatience.
Meng Yingrong sensed his irritation and felt a flicker of unease. Sometimes, his aloofness made him seem like a different species.
With the Lu family preoccupied searching for their missing daughter, the marriage talks could wait. The counterfeit crisis took priority.
"That bracelet… has a minor issue," she said carefully. "Find a way to get it back from the girl. Tell her it needs repairs."
A barely perceptible flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Yanci’s eyes, but his voice remained steady. "Understood."
Hanging up, he reached his room.
The wound on his ankle had scabbed over. While walking was manageable, running or strenuous activity would reopen it. He’d have to wait a while longer.
Entering, he called Assistant Sun.
"Investigate M brand. Something’s off recently."
After a pause, he added, "Start with Meng Xuanyu. He’s probably behind it."
Assistant Sun: "On it!"
---
Meng Yingrong returned to the living room, some weight lifted from her shoulders.
At least the bracelet was with someone Zhou Yanci knew. Even if the truth came out, his involvement would likely prevent a scandal.
Still, her head throbbed. Since when did Zhou Yanci have a love interest? Who was this woman?
Meng Xuanyu, engrossed in his mobile game, suddenly chuckled. "Bet Zhou Yanci’s into some foreign girl~"
Meng Yingrong startled. "How do you know?"
Meng Xuanyu was entirely absorbed in his game, distractedly answering Meng Yingrong’s question. "A few days ago, I ran into Zhou Yanci at the airport. That guy skipped a crucial meeting and flew to Han City—even went to Yunbai Mountain to see the snow."
"What kind of work requires taking a client to see snow at Yunbai Mountain? Clearly, he went to Han City to pick up a girl and then whisked her off to the mountain! I always thought Zhou Yanci was all about work, but turns out he’s quite the charmer!"
Meng Yingrong’s frown deepened. Someone actually made Zhou Yanci abandon work to accompany her to see snow? Even on her birthday, he’d brush her off with excuses about being too busy!
An assistant chimed in, "If this happened a week ago, Mr. Zhou might’ve gone to see Miss Zhou. She was in Han City recording a show at the time!"
"So it wasn’t for a girl?" Meng Xuanyu sighed dramatically. "Damn, that’s brutal! The guy actually went for work?"
Meng Yingrong’s expression shifted. Given Zhou Yanci and Zhou Qingyu’s relationship, they wouldn’t be that close—but Zhou Qingyu had that meddlesome best friend.
Meng Yingrong asked, "Xingyao appointed a new VP a week ago, right? What was her name again?"
The assistant replied, "I think her surname was Yan—Yan Xi."
Since Zhou Qingyu was still the spokesperson for M brand, the Meng family had interacted with Yan Xi before.
Meng Yingrong pressed further, "Was she in Han City at the time?"
The assistant paused, quickly pulling up records on the computer—and sure enough, Yan Xi had been there too!
Meng Yingrong finally understood.
Back at Blue Studio, when she’d dropped her sleep mask and Zhou Yanci picked it up, she should’ve realized something was off. How many girls had thrown themselves at Zhou Yanci before? What gifts hadn’t they given? Yet he’d toss everything straight into the trash without a second glance. But that time, he’d kept it?
That little schemer. Using some cheap trinket worth a few bucks, yet she’d swindled a diamond bracelet worth twenty million from her son!
Meng Xuanyu finished his mobile game and glanced at Yan Xi’s photo on the screen. "Hey, she’s quite the looker! Zhou Yanci’s got good taste!"
Meng Yingrong scoffed. "She’s just another gold digger! Yanci’s too inexperienced—that’s why he’s being fooled by women like her."
But Meng Xuanyu narrowed his eyes, studying Yan Xi.
Unlike Zhou Qingyu’s striking, bold beauty, Yan Xi was the delicate, innocent type. Yet in that summery floral spaghetti-strap dress, her skin glowing, she exuded an inexplicable allure—pure yet seductive.
Meng Xuanyu licked his lips greedily. "Mom, let me handle this."
Meng Yingrong didn’t respond, only giving him a long, measured look.
Meng Xuanyu might be a slacker, but he had a way with women. If he could reel Yan Xi in, she’d technically become Zhou Yanci’s aunt—how could he ever be with her then?
Meng Yingrong said coldly, "Just have your fun. Don’t go too far."
"Relax, I know my limits!"
---
The next morning, Yan Xi woke up as usual.
Normally, she’d only see Zhou’s Father returning from his tai chi session, while Zhou Yanci left earlier for work and Zhou Qingyu slept in. But today, both Zhou Qingyu and Zhou Yanci were present.
Yan Xi sipped her sweet soy milk quietly. To her left, Zhou Yanci meticulously cut into his bacon and eggs, while to her right, Zhou Qingyu stabbed her salad aggressively with a fork, glaring at Zhou Yanci.
The carnivore and the herbivore, clearly at odds.
Yet Zhou’s Father beamed. "Good! Good! The family’s all together—just as it should be!"
Yan Xi was utterly lost.
Hadn’t their relationship improved recently? Sure, they’d clashed briefly after Qu Yan showed up, but she was gone now! Why were they at each other’s throats again?
She glanced at Zhou Yanci. He’d woken up later than usual, so he seemed well-rested. Then she looked at Zhou Qingyu, who was yawning, swaying drowsily before jerking upright to glare at Zhou Yanci again.
Like… a kitten guarding its food.
Yan Xi whispered, "Shouldn’t you go back to sleep? You’ve got dark circles!"
Zhou Qingyu gasped, covering her eyes and grabbing a tea egg to press against them. "Really? I have dark circles now?"
"Just a little," Yan Xi said. "But you went to bed at ten after your workout last night, right?"
Zhou Qingyu: "..."
She had gone to bed, but the thought of Zhou Yanci eyeing her best friend kept her awake!
Usually, she’d sleep till ten, but today she’d woken at seven, heart pounding. When she came to the dining hall, sure enough, Zhou Yanci was there—deliberately delaying work by an hour!
That cunning man!
Yan Xi tried to persuade her. "Go rest. Your shoot isn’t until the afternoon."
"No!" Zhou Qingyu insisted. She wouldn’t leave until Zhou Yanci went to work!
Zhou Yanci had delayed his schedule mainly because of the bracelet. If it were a minor issue, Meng Yingrong wouldn’t have called him late at night. And according to Assistant Sun, M brand’s stores had suddenly worked overtime—likely due to a product defect.
After breakfast, Zhou Qingyu could barely keep her eyes open, having only taken a few bites of her salad before slumping onto the table, half-asleep.
Yan Xi called Aunt Zhang over to help Zhou Qingyu back to her room.
Zhou Yanci waited silently.
Honestly, asking for a gift back was embarrassing. But if the bracelet was defective, it’d be worse to leave it be.
"Yan Xi," he called, avoiding her gaze. "M brand’s designer contacted me. That bracelet was unfinished—it’s missing a step in production..."
Yan Xi feigned surprise. So Meng Yingrong already knew? Faster than she’d expected.
But Zhou Yanci’s evasive look told her Meng Yingrong hadn’t been honest with him.
Yan Xi deliberately pouted. "Zhou Yanci, do you regret giving me such an expensive bracelet?"
"That’s not what I meant..."
"But I love it! It’s the first time I’ve gotten such a beautiful gift..." Sorry, Miss Zhou! I’ll have to throw you under the bus for now!
Zhou Yanci froze, his heart skipping a beat.
She said she loved it...
His lips pressed together, a faint smile tugging at his eyes.
Yan Xi was wearing the pink diamond bracelet, its sparkle complementing her fair skin. She protectively covered it, as if afraid he’d snatch it back.
Zhou Yanci sighed. "I’ll get you an even prettier one."
"Men’s promises are lies. I don’t believe you!"
"I mean it. No tricks."
"Then bring me the new one first, and I’ll return this!"
Zhou Yanci considered. Even if the bracelet had defects, they probably weren’t harmful—just subpar diamonds. She could keep wearing it for now.
"Once I have a better one, we’ll swap."
Yan Xi’s eyes gleamed. For someone like Zhou Yanci, getting another fancy pink diamond bracelet on short notice wouldn’t be hard.
This is crucial evidence—she needed to stall until the quality inspection was completed.
"I heard red bracelets are prettier. I want one with red diamonds!"
Zhou Yanci smiled and nodded. "Alright."
Yan Xi pointed at the pink diamonds on the bracelet. "They can't be smaller than these, and there must be at least ten of them!"
Zhou Yanci ruffled Yan Xi's hair. "Whatever you say."
Later, Zhou Yanci left the family estate for work.
Watching his retreating figure, Yan Xi let out a sigh of relief.
Lin Zhi would be arriving soon to take the pink diamond bracelet for inspection. If Zhou Yanci had taken it back now, half of their acquisition plan would have been ruined.
The system sighed internally: [Host, do you even know how rare red diamonds are? A one-carat red diamond is worth tens of millions! There are only about 20 high-quality red diamonds circulating in the market!]
Yan Xi blinked. "Red diamonds are that expensive?"
[Exactly that expensive!]
Then the system added, [But you were just trying to stall him, right? Well, mission accomplished!]
Yan Xi sighed. "Miscalculation. Zhou Yanci probably figured out our plan."
[Why?]
"I thought a red diamond would cost around three to five million at most—enough to make unreasonable demands and delay him for a few days. But if one costs tens of millions, and I asked for ten? That’s obviously not a normal request. I didn’t know the price, but Zhou Yanci definitely does."
"Several billion is way too much. He’ll realize I don’t actually want a red diamond bracelet—I just don’t want to return M Jewelry’s piece to him."
The system groaned. [I should’ve reminded you earlier!] Then it teased, [But what if he doesn’t overthink it and actually gets you one?]
Yan Xi scoffed. "He had a tumor removed from his ankle, not water in his brain!"
...
Half an hour later, Lin Zhi arrived at the Zhou residence.
Yan Xi carefully packaged the pink diamond bracelet and handed it to her.
The night before, she had instructed Lin Zhi to disguise herself as a regular customer, purchase M Jewelry’s new collection, and send it for inspection—all recorded to ensure authenticity. But since it was late, the institutions were closed, so testing only began today.
Lin Zhi: "Yao Chi and I visited multiple boutiques, but not all stores had full stock. Some limited editions weren’t available in Hai City, and with them mixing fakes with real pieces, we can’t even be sure what we bought is genuine."
"It’s fine—we still have this bracelet!" Even if Zhou Yanci found out now, it’d be too late for him to help M Jewelry.
Yan Xi asked, "When will the results be ready?"
Lin Zhi: "The institution said they’d likely finish by the end of the day."
...
Inside the Rolls-Royce, Assistant Sun briefed Zhou Yanci on the information gathered overnight.
"Aside from temporarily pulling their new collection, M Jewelry has also been contacting customers who recently purchased their products. It’s highly likely this batch has issues."
Zhou Yanci flipped through the documents. "What about Meng Xuanyu?"
"Young Master Meng went to Macau recently and lost 100 million in the casinos. But the two incidents don’t seem related."
Zhou Yanci said coolly, "M Jewelry’s autumn collection was overseen by Meng Xuanyu."
Assistant Sun’s eyes widened. "So he gambled, lost money, and cut corners to cover his debts—resulting in defective products?"
Zhou Yanci knew it wasn’t that simple—Meng Xuanyu’s trip to Macau last month wouldn’t have given him enough time to meddle with production—but the general direction was correct.
For one night’s work, Assistant Sun had done well. Zhou Yanci had only vague suspicions earlier, but Yan Xi’s behavior this morning confirmed M Jewelry’s problems were serious.
She must have known and planned to exploit this.
Zhou Yanci: "Any movements from my father?"
Assistant Sun made a quick call, then reported, "Chairman Zhou is playing golf with his financial advisor."
Still confused, Assistant Sun asked, "But what does Chairman Zhou have to do with M Jewelry?"
Zhou Yanci didn’t answer. A smirk curled on his lips, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
Little girl, you’ve got quite the appetite.
How old was she? And already bold enough to swallow a company like Meng Corporation?
Assistant Sun ventured cautiously, "Should we intervene to help the Meng family?"
"That’s their own mess," Zhou Yanci replied indifferently. He had no intention of cleaning up after Meng Corporation again.
"Keep an eye on auction houses for me. I need a few red diamonds."
"A few?"
"Ten."
Assistant Sun gulped. These things were insanely expensive—and Zhou Yanci wanted ten?
"Are you sure, sir?"
Zhou Yanci confirmed, "Ten. Each over one carat."
...
Back at the Zhou residence, Zhou Qingyu had taken a nap and woke up at 10 a.m.
She had a fitting scheduled for M Jewelry’s gowns in preparation for the upcoming Weibo Night. She’d already tried them once at Blue Studio—limited-edition pieces tailored to her measurements afterward.
Because of this, Yan Xi stayed home instead of going to Starlight Entertainment.
At 10:30, M Jewelry’s staff arrived with the altered gowns—one for the red carpet, another for the awards ceremony.
Usually, only the designers came for fittings, making adjustments on-site if needed.
But today, Meng Xuanyu tagged along.
Lounging on the sofa in the dressing room, he gestured at the jewelry on the designer’s tray. "These pieces are worth over 50 million. Of course I’d deliver them personally!"
Zhou Qingyu glared at him.
"Meng Xuanyu, behave yourself. Don’t cause trouble."
Meng Xuanyu blew her a kiss. "Would I ever?"
The moment Zhou Qingyu stepped into the fitting room, he sidled up to Yan Xi.
"Haven’t seen you before, sweetheart~ You’re adorable!"
His hand slid onto her shoulder, fingers brushing her smooth skin.
Yan Xi, reviewing documents on her laptop, glanced at him.
Meng Yingrong’s genes had blessed Meng Xuanyu with good looks. The same gesture that would’ve been sleazy from an average man came off as flirtatious from him.
"Young Master Meng, I’m working," Yan Xi said, shrugging him off.
Unfazed, Meng Xuanyu kept his arm around her. "Work’s exhausting. How much do you even make? Stick with me—I’ll take care of you."
"I’ll take care of you"—those words carried undeniable charm, especially from a handsome, wealthy man.
Meng Xuanyu had always been this direct with women, and it usually worked.
Yan Xi realized then—he wasn’t here for the jewelry.
He was here for her.
Why? Because Meng Yingrong found out that she had been concerned about Zhou Yanci? Did Meng Yingrong suspect her motives? Or did Meng Yingrong discover that Zhou Yanci had gifted her a 20-million-dollar bracelet and now wanted to drive her away from him?
Probably all of the above—the classic rich-family-mother-versus-Cinderella trope.
Except in novels, wealthy mothers usually write checks to get rid of Cinderellas, but Meng Yingrong was trying to use her eldest son, Meng Xuanyu, to deal with Yan Xi.
Yan Xi propped her chin on one hand and smirked. "Young Master Meng, anyone can say ‘I’ll take care of you.’ But that’s just an empty promise. Did you really think you could win me over with just that? I must be way too easy to impress."
Meng Xuanyu grinned.
He didn’t mind Yan Xi being so blunt. Women approached him for two things—his money and his looks. Life was simpler when people were straightforward.
Leaning closer, he murmured, "Sweetheart, what do you want? I’ll get it for you!"
Yan Xi smiled sweetly while frantically calling out to her system in her mind: "System! Contact Lin Zhi for me! Check if there are any new luxury items she hasn’t gotten her hands on yet! This is the perfect opportunity!"
The system was dizzy with confusion. It couldn’t understand how its host had suddenly started flirting with Meng Xuanyu, but it still took control of Yan Xi’s phone and sent a message to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi replied instantly.
The system relayed the message directly into Yan Xi’s mind.
Her smile grew even sweeter. In her eyes, Meng Xuanyu was no longer a playboy—he was a big, fluffy sheep that magically spat out cash!
"Young Master Meng, I heard the new M-brand collection has a gorgeous pebbled-leather bag, and that lizard-skin crossbody is to die for. I went to the boutique first thing this morning, but they were already sold out. Could you get them for me, pretty please?"
Her voice was sugary and soft, dripping with charm—enough to make Meng Xuanyu’s head spin.
Damn!
No wonder Zhou Yanci had fallen for her. She was so sweet, so obedient—even he was starting to feel tempted!
Besides, slapping fake authenticity codes on knockoffs was easy. A country bumpkin like Yan Xi wouldn’t know the difference anyway. What harm was there in giving her a few more?
Meng Xuanyu was thrilled. "Just wait, I’ll have someone deliver them to you right away!"