Her scheme backfired

"I'm not afraid of being tested. Go ahead and authenticate it!"

With that, Lin Xiyue took off the necklace even more reverently and handed it smugly to Assistant Wu.

Shen Banxia smiled. Her mother looked so cool when she had her wits about her!

No wonder, when she heard Assistant Wu say hers was a fake,

she had looked surprised, but not the least bit embarrassed.

Because whichever one was genuine, she was the rightful owner of the real necklace.

Now that the necklace she wore had been identified as a fake, she was waiting for Lin Xiyue's to be authenticated as genuine.

She intended to reclaim her jewelry openly and rightfully this way, while taking the opportunity to teach Lin Xiyue a lesson.

Whether Lin Xiyue had gotten too carried away or suddenly lost her wits, she had completely failed to realize that the point was not whether the gemstones were genuine. There was only one such necklace, its design was patented, and its registered owner was Shen Shuyi.

Assistant Wu's expression soon relaxed.

"Look, this one has a laser-engraved serial number that matches the certificate.

The inscription on the diamond's girdle also matches the registration.

There's nothing wrong with the emerald's quality, either.

This is the genuine piece, the one Mr. Lu designed. It's the only one in the world.

Wait... Ms. Shen, isn't this necklace supposed to be yours?"

Assistant Wu suddenly spotted the problem, turned to Shen Shuyi and Lin Xiyue, and asked the piercing question.

Shen Banxia, who was enjoying both her snacks and the drama, nearly burst out laughing.

Sure enough, this assistant was a technical nerd with little emotional intelligence, but that question at the crucial moment struck everyone like a bolt from the blue, especially Lin Xiyue.

"This is my necklace. How could it be hers?

I just handed it to you, and you've already forgotten? Do you have amnesia or something?" Lin Xiyue snatched the necklace back and snapped.

"Ms. Shen, did you give or sell this necklace to Ms. Lin?" Assistant Wu asked again.

"No. This was a gift from my mother. How could I possibly sell it?"

Shen Shuyi smiled now, turned to Lin Xiyue, and continued calmly,

"I'd like to ask you, Ms. Lin, how you came to have this one-of-a-kind necklace my mother gave me.

After all, I've never sold it or given it to anyone."

Lin Xiyue's expression changed instantly. A moment earlier, she had been so smug she might as well have had her nose in the air.

Only now did she grasp the crux of the matter and understand what everything that had happened meant.

Still unable to accept reality, she stubbornly resisted.

"This Assistant Wu must be in cahoots with you! You're trying to swindle me out of my jewelry. I'm not falling for it!"

Just then, her phone rang. Lin Xiyue was about to reject the call when she glanced at the caller ID.

"My husband's calling. Just wait. Once I've cleared this up, I'll settle things with you. Don't think you can trick me out of my jewelry!"

Lin Xiyue stepped away and answered Xu Junshan's call.

"What is it?" Xu Junshan asked on the other end.

"That emerald necklace you gave me-wasn't it designed by a famous designer, with only one in the whole world?"

"Yes. Don't you trust me? Why are you suddenly asking?" Xu Junshan replied impatiently.

"I wore it out today, and Shen Shuyi had the same one. We just had them authenticated. Hers is fake, but she insists mine belongs to her." Hearing his answer, Lin Xiyue immediately regained her confidence.

"Who are you with?" Xu Junshan was so frightened that his voice changed.

"Shen Shuyi. Your first wife!" Lin Xiyue replied, lowering her voice.

"Don't say anything. Listen to me. Give the necklace back to her right now. Say a friend sold it to me cheaply and I had no idea it was stolen, then apologize. Whatever you have to do, you cannot let her pursue this."

"Mine is real! Why should I apologize to her?" Lin Xiyue grew agitated.

She had always lived in Shen Shuyi's shadow. Now that she finally had a chance to hold her head high, why should she give way to her?

"That necklace is hers. I had someone make a fake and swapped it for the real one to give to you.

Don't let her find out about our relationship, or we're both done for.

Our whole plan will be ruined, too." Xu Junshan had no choice but to tell the truth.

Lin Xiyue froze at his words, then broke into a cold sweat.

She had been dreaming of being with Xu Junshan openly, emigrating with their children, and living happily together as a family, instead of having to sneak around just to see one another.

But if their plan failed, they could forget about moving abroad. Both she and Xu Junshan would be in serious trouble.

Lin Xiyue returned to the living room, her face deathly pale.

Seeing everyone staring at her, she felt so guilty and embarrassed that she wished she could crawl into a hole.

After finally steadying herself, she hurriedly offered the necklace to Shen Shuyi. Shen Shuyi did not take it, merely staring at her expressionlessly.

Lin Xiyue shrank back, then forced herself to place the necklace on the table beside Shen Shuyi.

"I'm sorry, Shuyi. I got it wrong. I just cleared things up.

It turns out a friend my husband had only recently met sold it to him cheaply.

He thought the design was nice and the price was right, so he bought it for me without giving it much thought.

He never imagined it was stolen. Neither did I!"

Lin Xiyue explained pitifully, tears welling in her eyes.

"So you bought stolen property. I was wondering how my custom-made necklace had become your wedding present." Shen Shuyi looked down at Lin Xiyue with a mocking half-smile.

Cui Yushu and Chen Wanzhi both turned to Shen Shuyi. Did she really believe an excuse like that?

"I'm so sorry! Shuyi, I made a mistake. Please be generous and forgive me. The necklace is back with its rightful owner now. Please don't press charges. I'm a victim too, really!"

"Since you're a victim too, why don't we call the police and have them investigate? That would clear your name as well," Shen Shuyi suggested.

"There's no need, no need! My husband doesn't want to make a fuss, either. If people found out he bought stolen property, it would be embarrassing, and he could even be implicated in a crime. It would cause trouble for him too.

Shuyi, please be magnanimous and let us off!" Lin Xiyue waved her hands in frightened supplication, so desperate she nearly fell to her knees.

She was a completely different person from the arrogant woman she had been earlier.

"Just call me Mrs. Xu or Ms. Shen.

My parents only had one daughter. I have no sisters, so don't pretend we're family.

I can agree not to call the police, but you'll have to write me an apology explaining the circumstances clearly, then sign it and add your fingerprint. We already have witnesses here, so there's no need to bring in anyone else.

Also, you've worn my property, making it secondhand. You'll need to compensate me for its depreciation.

You can decide how much. There's no need to transfer it to me; just donate it directly to the Cui family's charitable foundation.

The amount is up to you.

If you agree, we'll consider this settled, and I won't pursue it any further."

From Shen Shuyi's manner, Lin Xiyue knew she would not let her off unless she wrote the apology and paid compensation.

She could only steel herself, write out the apology, and add her signature and fingerprint.

Then she gritted her teeth and transferred the donation-not in one payment, but two.