A Gold-Inlaid Jade Bracelet Worth Two Hundred Thousand

"Year after year, this day comes around. It's like an annual show, and you're the star."

Xia Shiying came over with a mocking smile and immediately started taking shots at Zhang Yang. He did it right in front of the guests, without the slightest concern for Zhang Yang's dignity or feelings.

Zhang Yang grinned and shot back, "Others laugh at me for being mad; I laugh at them for failing to see the truth!"

"Haha... Quoting Tang Bohu now, are you? Wait... Are you calling me an idiot?"

Xia Shiying stared at him in surprise. He had never expected Xu Buwei to answer like that, and his interpretation sent the room into laughter.

"Hahaha..."

The two of them were like a comedy act. They had each said only one line, but that was enough to entertain the crowd.

Xia Shiying frowned, taken aback. Zhang Yang had never dared to talk back before. He would only stand there and take it, occasionally offering a feeble reply to a taunt. What had made him so witty today, even turning an old quote into a jab?

"Zhang Yang, mind your manners! Xia Shiying is your brother-in-law, whatever else you think of him." Cheng Dongyu stepped forward and scolded him like an elder.

Zhang Yang gave a cold smile but said nothing.

"Oh, a present? What are you giving Mom today? Don't tell me it's another bargain-bin trinket." Cheng Dongxue felt her husband had been humiliated. Spotting the box in Zhang Yang's hands, she changed the subject, certain the gift would give her a chance to get even.

"Nothing much. Just a little something I bought at the secondhand market," Zhang Yang replied honestly, holding back a laugh.

"Hahaha! That's worse than I expected. At least last year's bargain-bin gift was new. How do you have the nerve to bring something secondhand this year?" Xia Shiying seized the chance to mock him.

"Sister, brother-in-law, that's enough. Zhang Yang put thought into it, and he spent—"

"Spent what? It couldn't have cost much. Secondhand stuff is always cheap. Sometimes no one even wants it. Hahaha, this is killing me!" Cheng Dongyu cut Cheng Dongxue off.

Cheng Dongxue had meant to defend Zhang Yang and tell them what had really happened, but before she could say how much he had spent, Cheng Dongyu cut her off.

"Go ahead and laugh. It isn't worth much," Zhang Yang said, keeping himself in check. He could not control other people's mockery or contempt. But he knew better than anyone who he was now.

"Of course. What money could a jobless good-for-nothing like you have for a present? I bet your wife even pays for the groceries." Xia Shiying looked around to draw everyone's attention, then turned his full talent for mockery on Zhang Yang.

"Heh. My wife's good to me. She gives me spending money, and I save it every day. I've got quite a bit," Zhang Yang said with a grin.

"Hahaha! The Cheng Family's live-in son-in-law is a real character. Is he stupid? He can't even tell when someone's making fun of him!"

"Exactly. Why would the Cheng Family take in someone like him? A dog would be better. What a waste of the beautiful Cheng Dongxue. She must be living like a widow!"

"Come to think of it, Cheng Dongxue's still a young lady in all but name. That marriage will end sooner or later. Wonder which lucky bastard will get to marry her next."

The guests laughed and discussed Zhang Yang without a trace of restraint. Before long, Cheng Dongxue had become the focus of their attention instead.

"Zhang Yang, have you lost your mind? Say something sensible!" Cheng Dongxue's cheeks burned under their ridicule. She scolded Zhang Yang and tried to pull her hand from his arm, but he held it firmly in place.

"Don't worry. Let the guests have their fun. Today's show will give them an even bigger surprise. And don't tell them about the White Jade Hairpin yet. The harder they laugh at me now, the more they'll embarrass themselves later," Zhang Yang said confidently.

"Zhang Yang, what are you planning? This is my mother's birthday banquet. Don't ruin it." Cheng Dongxue was nervous, afraid Zhang Yang would lose his temper and make a scene at her mother's birthday banquet.

Zhang Yang replied with a cold smile, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Cheng Dongxue worried that Zhang Yang might lose his head, but Lin Xiaofei, standing beside them, did not much care. He was not her husband, after all. For now, they were simply two people who needed each other.

Still, hearing people mock him made Lin Xiaofei seethe. After all, she knew how capable that man was in bed.

"You probably couldn't afford a decent gift anyway. But what we've prepared today is no ordinary birthday present. You know your brother-in-law was recently promoted. His position and income have both gone up, so we bought Mom something more valuable. She'll be delighted," Cheng Dongxue said happily.

Xia Shiying had recently become a department manager at a publicly listed company. On the day of his promotion, he had treated the whole family to dinner. Naturally, they had made sure Zhang Yang was there too.

Zhang Yang gave them something to talk about and someone to compare themselves with. Next to him, they could always feel superior and hold their heads high.

Xia Shiying had not earned much before, but after becoming a department manager, his monthly salary reached a million.

A million a month made him a high earner in Gong City. It was an enviable income. Even Zhang Yang had once felt a twinge of envy and resentment.

But that was then. Things were different now. Zhang Yang no longer thought much of that kind of income.

"Show them. Let it dazzle him," Xia Shiying said proudly.

At Xia Shiying's words, Cheng Dongyu actually brought out the gift box and opened it.

"Wow, that must have cost a fortune!"

"It's beautiful!"

"If my son-in-law gave me that, I'd be over the moon."

Inside was a gold-inlaid jade bracelet. The Hetian Jade was a fine, pale white, with substantial goldwork around it. Heavy and finely crafted, it truly was an excellent birthday gift.

As the guests praised it, Xia Shiying and Cheng Dongxue beamed with pride. They picked up the bracelet and held it out for everyone to see.

"It cost me two hundred thousand, and that was the discounted price a friend gave me. It'll only go up in value," Xia Shiying said. He had plenty of friends in business, though those friendships were tightly bound to mutual interests. The discount was relative.

"That's a lovely bracelet."

"Two hundred thousand? Worth every bit of it."

"That's a title the Cheng Family's fine son-in-law can live up to."

Once everyone had admired the bracelet, Xia Shiying and Cheng Dongyu basked in the praise. They stood before the guests with their heads held high, thoroughly pleased with themselves.

"Second Sister!" Another fashionably dressed woman arrived. Cheng Dongxue greeted her, then noticed she was alone. "Where's second brother-in-law?"

"Oh, him? His new company just opened, so he's busy. He asked me to come ahead with Mom's birthday present. He'll be here soon."