Birthday Gifts and One-Upmanship

"What a generous gift! What a devoted daughter!"

The guests called out, praising Cheng Lin's thoughtfulness.

Xia Shiying and Cheng Dongyu, meanwhile, looked livid. They had never imagined they would lose to Cheng Lin on two counts.

Their gift was cheaper than hers, and they had failed to guess the Jadeite Ring's value.

They might not have minded so much if someone else had guessed correctly. But it had to be Zhang Yang, taking a wild stab at it.

For the moment, Zhang Yang was no longer the butt of everyone's jokes. The guests crowded around to inspect the ring.

"Come on, Cheng Lin. Didn't your design company just open? Isn't this when you need a lot of money to get it running? How could you afford such an expensive gift?" Cheng Dongyu's vanity had taken a blow, and she protested bitterly.

"Exactly. That's why we didn't buy it outright. We designed it ourselves, chose the materials, and hired someone to make it. That saved us the markup," Cheng Lin said with a smile. She meant no offense and had no idea how much Cheng Dongyu cared about outdoing her.

Cheng Lin was telling the truth, but her words wounded certain people's pride all over again. Cheng Dongyu stubbornly refused to believe her. Just then, a guest who had worked in the jewelry business for years stepped forward.

"Let me see!" A man of about fifty, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, squeezed out of the crowd.

"Let Boss Ling have a look! He's an authority on this," someone called.

Ling Junsheng reached for the Jadeite Ring in Xia Shiying's hand. But Xia Shiying held on to it, afraid that Ling Junsheng would agree with Zhang Yang. Then he would have no grounds left to argue.

When Xia Shiying refused to hand it over, the hot-tempered Ling Junsheng snatched it from him. He held the ring beneath the lights and examined it closely. Then his eyes widened.

"I've had rings like this in my jewelry shop. Some sold for several million, even ten million. For this one, three hundred thousand is a conservative estimate."

Ling Junsheng sounded delighted. He glanced at Zhang Yang. The young man had spoken with surprising confidence, but everyone knew what the Cheng Family's live-in son-in-law was capable of. Since when did he know so much about jewelry?

Xia Shiying and Cheng Dongyu stood almost huddled together, their faces burning with shame.

No one was mocking them. Their own vanity and need to compete had left them embarrassed.

"Zhang Yang, you've made my eldest sister and brother-in-law look bad!" Cheng Dongxue shook Zhang Yang's arm in mock complaint.

"Don't take it to heart, you two. Zhang Yang was just guessing," Cheng Dongxue said. Kindhearted as she was, she hated to see them upset.

Xia Shiying brightened at once. "That's what I thought. How could a good-for-nothing who loafs around buying groceries and cooking all day know anything about jewelry?"

Their pride seemingly restored—or perhaps never truly shaken—Xia Shiying and Cheng Dongyu cheered up again.

Zhang Yang looked at Cheng Dongxue helplessly.

"They're my elder sister and brother-in-law. What's wrong with letting them save face? We're family," Cheng Dongxue said. Her generosity made Zhang Yang feel petty.

"I didn't say anything!" Zhang Yang protested.

"Your eyes did," Cheng Dongxue replied.

"Could you two save this for when you're home in bed?" Lin Xiaofei complained. "Hurry up, give her the gift, wish her a happy birthday, and let's eat. I'm starving." She had been standing there listening to their nonsense long enough.

"Thank you, Boss Ling!" Ling Junsheng returned the ring to Cheng Lin, who accepted it with a nod.

"You're welcome. That young man Zhang Yang seems quite interested in jewelry," Ling Junsheng said, smiling as he sounded Cheng Lin out.

Cheng Lin shook her head repeatedly. "He guessed and got lucky. He's never studied it. He doesn't know the first thing about jewelry."

Cheng Lin knew nothing of Zhang Yang's past, so what she said was not a lie as far as she knew.

"All right, let's wish Mom a happy birthday!" Cheng Lin said. At last, the interruptions were over, and she could give her mother the gift.

"Yes, it's getting late!" Zhang Yang stood tall and lifted his chin.

"All right," Cheng Dongyu said. She had lost her confidence now that she knew her gift was worth less than Cheng Lin's.

Cheng Hai, who had been greeting and attending to the guests, joined Yang Su to receive their children's birthday wishes.

The three sisters approached Yang Su together. By tradition, the daughters and their husbands should have knelt, presented their gifts, and offered a few auspicious words.

But all three stubborn sisters refused to kneel. They merely bowed as they presented their gifts.

"Mom, may every year bring you a day as happy as this one, and may you live a long life."

The first pair was the eldest daughter and her husband. Cheng Dongyu and Xia Shiying spoke almost in unison, holding out an open gift box containing the Gold-Inlaid Jade Bangle they had prepared.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" One glance told Yang Su the bangle was valuable. Beaming, she eagerly took it out and slipped it onto her wrist to show it off.

That still was not enough for her. She raised her bangle-clad wrist high so every guest could admire it.

Zhang Yang also noticed that his mother-in-law had chosen a lower neckline for her birthday. It revealed a deep glimpse of cleavage between her still-full breasts.

Yang Su was not merely showing off how well she had aged. She also wanted everyone to see the Sapphire Necklace she had secretly spent several million on.

Zhang Yang had known at a glance that the necklace was not worth the price. Yang Su had been swindled. He would see how she treated him later. If she gave him trouble, he intended to expose the truth and pay her back in kind.

While her elder sister and brother-in-law offered their birthday wishes, Cheng Lin kept looking toward the entrance. She had called her husband, and he had said he was on his way. He should be here by now. He had to be—soon it would be their turn to present their gift.

"Cheng Lin..."

Cheng Dongyu and Xia Shiying had finished presenting their gift. Seeing Cheng Lin still watching the door, someone tried to prompt her, but the banquet was noisy, and her mind was elsewhere.

"Cheng Lin! Cheng Lin..."

"Huh?"

"It's your turn!"

"Right, just a second..."

Cheng Lin stepped forward, still hoping to see her husband. Then she smiled. A travel-weary figure had appeared at the entrance.

The young man wore a suit and gleaming leather shoes, every inch a successful businessman. He strode toward Cheng Lin, nodding to people who greeted him, a polished smile fixed on his face. He was Yang Gang, Zhang Yang's second brother-in-law.

"Why are you only getting here now?" Cheng Lin chided him.

"Work was hectic. I came straight here the moment I finished. Good thing I made it," Yang Gang said with a grin, taking the jewelry box from her.