...

The next afternoon.

Shang Wu dressed up carefully, brought a set of limited-edition jewelry she designed that had not yet been publicly released, and arrived at the glass conservatory at the perfect time.

The environment here is quiet and elegant, making it a favorite gathering place for wealthy ladies.

Shang Wu quickly spotted Madam Cheng from the best spot by the window.

She was chatting and laughing with several other ladies who were dressed in equally elegant clothes.

Shang Wu took a deep breath, put on a polite and friendly smile, and walked over with a calm demeanor.

"Excuse me, ladies, are you Mrs. Cheng?" Shang Wu's voice was gentle and pleasant.

Mrs. Cheng and her friends stopped talking and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Shang Wu immediately introduced herself: "Hello, Mrs. Cheng. I apologize for bothering you. I am Freya, an independent jewelry designer. I have long admired your exquisite taste in jewelry. I just happened to meet you here today and couldn't help but say hello."

"This is my latest 'Butterfly Love' series design, which is not yet on the market. I think it perfectly suits your temperament. It's just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

As she spoke, she opened the exquisite velvet jewelry box in her hand.

Inside lay a set of jewelry interwoven with diamonds and sapphires, its design dynamic and shimmering in the sunlight.

No one can resist beautiful and unique jewelry, especially when it comes personally from a renowned designer and is a compliment.

Mrs. Cheng's eyes lit up immediately, and the doubt on her face turned into surprise and flattery.

"Oh, I can't accept this! You're too kind! This design is absolutely beautiful!"

The other ladies also cast envious glances and praised him highly.

Shang Wu sat down and chatted with the ladies about jewelry and fashion.

She quickly won over the ladies, making them very happy, and Mrs. Cheng felt especially radiant.

As the conversation got more interesting, Shang Wu seemingly unintentionally steered the topic toward family.

She smiled and asked, "Mrs. Cheng is truly blessed. With such a refined air, your children must be exceptionally outstanding as well. How many children do you have?"

Mrs. Cheng was flattered by the praise and laughed, "Just two troublemakers! One son is good-for-nothing, always messing around with his restaurant, and the other daughter is young and doesn't know any better, she's spoiled..."

Shang Wu immediately showed an envious expression: "What a wonderful daughter! She's such a sweet little angel. Your daughter must be as beautiful and lovely as you. May I ask your name?"

“Call her Coco, Cheng Coco,” Mrs. Cheng replied casually.

Upon hearing this name, Shang Wu's smile instantly froze, her eyes becoming extremely complex and strange, even carrying a hint of hesitation and difficulty.

She stood up abruptly, her tone becoming hurried: "Ah, it's Miss Cheng Keke, Mrs. Cheng, ladies. I suddenly remembered I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. Please accept this set of jewelry, as a token of our friendship."

Her sudden change stunned everyone present.

Mrs. Cheng was even more baffled.

We were having a nice chat just now, so why did she change her expression as soon as she heard her daughter's name?

"Miss Shang, what is this...?" Mrs. Cheng asked in confusion.

"It's nothing, it's really nothing. I'm leaving now!" Shang Wu waved her hand, picked up her bag, and left the greenhouse as quickly as if she were fleeing.

The more she acted this way, the more suspicious Madam Cheng became.

She quickly chased after him and stopped Shang Wu in the corridor, her tone becoming more serious.

"Ms. Shang, please explain yourself! Why do you react this way as soon as you hear my daughter's name? Has Coco gotten into some trouble outside?"

Forced into a corner by the interrogation, Shang Wu had no choice but to stop, a look of extreme distress on her face.

She stammered, "Mrs. Cheng, please don't ask. It's nothing serious. I just heard that Miss Cheng seems to be pursuing a man who already has a fiancée, and it's caused quite a stir. Maybe I misheard. Please don't take it to heart!"

After saying that, as if afraid that saying anything more would cause trouble, she forcefully broke free from Madam Cheng's hand, walked quickly towards the elevator, and left in a hurry.

Madam Cheng was left standing there alone, her face turning from red to white, and then from white to green!

Pursuing a married man? You call that a small matter?

This is an utter disgrace to the Cheng family's reputation!

Madam Cheng was so angry that she trembled all over. Forgetting about her afternoon tea, she immediately took out her phone and called home, her tone stern: "Tell Miss to get back here right now!"

...

That evening, Shang Wu received a hysterical phone call from Cheng Keke, filled with vicious curses and screams.

"Shang Wu! You bitch! How dare you run to my mother and spout nonsense! You'll die a horrible death! You think you can win like this? You're dreaming!"

Shang Wu listened expressionlessly, and only spoke coldly after the other party had finished cursing: "Cheng Keke, I've given you face by not telling your mother about the dirty things you did. If you continue to harass us without any shame, I won't be so polite next time. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, she hung up the phone and blocked the number.

Lu Rang listened to the whole thing, and couldn't help but laugh as he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head: "Amazing."

Shang Wu leaned against him and snorted, "She brought it on herself."

Lu Rang seemed to remember something and said he needed to go to his study to handle some work.

As Lu Rang entered the study, the smile on his face faded.

He turned on his computer and typed "Qi Yan" into the search engine.

Although Shang Wu didn't say much about the client that evening, he still harbored a lingering doubt.

The search results came up quickly.

There isn't much information about Qi Yan, but every piece of information indicates that he has a powerful background. He has only recently shifted some of his business focus back to China, but it is mainly concentrated in first-tier cities, and he is not a native of Yecheng.

Lu Rang's brows gradually furrowed.

How could someone whose main business is not in Yecheng and who has just returned to China to develop his career find Shang Wu's studio so accurately? And why did he specifically request Shang Wu to design it personally?

Could it be that Qi Yan has only just learned about the relationship between Shang Wu and Zhou Yanci back then, and what happened to her afterwards?

Was he really just here to design a brooch? Or did he have ulterior motives?

Lu Rang's eyes darkened.

He would never allow anyone to harm Shang Wu again.

Just then, the study door was pushed open, and Shang Wu walked in, having finished showering and drying her hair: "Are you done with your work? It's time to rest."

Lu Rang instantly suppressed all his emotions and casually closed the computer browser.

He turned around and smiled, "I'm done with work, let's go."

He stood up and put his arm around Shang Wu, as if the investigation had never happened.