You're really crazy!

"If you don't want to go to Jiang Chengjing's birthday party..."

When Jin Yanzhi stammered out those words, it was already noon the next day. They were eating a hot pot of fresh yellow beef around the table amidst the pattering rain. The kitchen's secret dipping sauce was perfectly seasoned, and paired with the meat that had just been delivered that morning, it warmed everyone up from head to toe.

The person opposite him, engrossed in eating meat, clearly hadn't realized he'd suddenly brought up such an unpleasant topic. After struggling to swallow the mouthful of wide rice noodles that he'd almost choked on, he replied irritably:

"Everything's been settled, so let's not talk about it anymore and just enjoy these next few days."

The hot soup, combined with the comfortable warmth of the heating in the room, gave the woman's face a just-right rosy glow. She had no plans to go out today, and she was only wearing a white, fluffy knitted dress. Her hair was simply braided into a black plait and draped over one shoulder. She wore no jewelry, which gave her a clean and simple beauty.

After staring at his wife's face for a long time before reluctantly lowering his head to continue eating, Mr. Jin felt his heart pounding in his chest again.

For the next few days, the two spent their time either relaxing in the hotel or strolling around the neighborhood eating. On sunny days, they went out to bask in the sun, and on rainy days, they stayed indoors listening to the rain and soaking in the hot springs. The days were so leisurely that they didn't realize their short vacation was already counting down.

"This sweater also has fridge magnets. Bingbing and I each have one. I'll give it to her when she comes back the day after tomorrow."

As Lin Zhen'er packed her luggage, she excitedly showed off her spoils to the man by the window—trinkets she had collected from various shops during her trip. She had just received news that morning that her childhood friend was returning from Italy. While she had more friends than Jin Yanzhi, this was her only true childhood friend.

Unfortunately, her most important friend was studying directing and had been frantically preparing for her graduation project for the past few months. She couldn't even attend the grand wedding, only managing to inquire about the gossip of a wealthy CEO's courtship over the phone before turning around and staying up all night editing her film.

Thankfully, after much anticipation, my best friend, who had just graduated, bought a plane ticket and rushed back as soon as she received her diploma, eager to see how her new married life was going.

"When she comes back, we'll treat her to a good time for a few days. Her Chinese stomach can only truly enjoy its food when she's back home."

Were you a glutton when you were little? Would you eat something delicious with her after school near the school gate?

Watching the person squatting on the ground bustling about, the man felt a surge of joy, a feeling of affection extending to everything connected to her. He had been swamped with work lately and rarely felt this happy. He hadn't met her friends, nor had he been a part of her childhood, so he was filled with curiosity about everything.

The woman, her eyes crinkling with laughter, carefully rolled up the glass refrigerator magnet in her pajamas, exuding a relaxed ease that comes with the passage of time.

"Yes! Back then at school, she always looked after me. Her maternal grandfather was the school principal. Ordinary teachers' children could only have their tuition waived, but her family also waived my snack money during breaks."

During the difficult times at home, relatives refused to lend us money, so it was her grandfather who gave my mother an overdraft of her salary. When I came home from school, we could only turn on one desk lamp all night for homework. To save electricity, after I finished, I would go to her house to watch TV. Her TV was huge, and she had lots of snacks; my bags were always bulging when I came home…”

Before she could finish speaking, the man pulled her into his arms. The person beside her seemed deeply saddened by the recounting of those difficult years, holding her tightly against him as if struggling to control his emotions.

But when Lin Zhen'er recounted these memories, she didn't feel bitter. Her mind was filled with her loyal friend, the delicious food and fun toys she brought, the laughter of chasing each other during breaks, and the huge cherries in the fruit platter.

Or perhaps, for her, the years of tuition waiver weren't really that tough.

Later, when I went to college, I handed out flyers and sold yogurt in the sweltering summer. I even fainted from the heat in front of a bakery while wearing a heavy mascot costume. The path I've walked since childhood seems as distant as a past life, yet it's always so clear in my memory as if it happened just yesterday.

Handbags worth hundreds of thousands, jewelry worth millions, houses worth half a billion, and gardens with swimming pools—these things originally had nothing to do with her life.

It was this resolute man in front of her who led her into a world she had only ever seen on television, so even today, she often feels dazed when faced with those luxurious objects.

"I was just thinking, if only I had met you back then, I could have shared everything I had with you much earlier."

But upon reflection, it seems I didn't have a good time during those years. My father had just passed away, and my mother was weak. Teenage boys have an incredibly strong sense of pride, and no matter how much my uncles pressured me, I refused to give up my shares and go abroad to become a wealthy idler.

Fortunately, no one in the Jin family dares to ridicule me or my mother anymore. Although I still don't think my father and Chengxu's deaths were accidental, the truth will be revealed someday.

The tall man before her had almost never mentioned his father, just as she herself had never spoken of her home in Xijiang. This heartfelt conversation today deepened the doubts in the woman's heart, who was afraid to touch upon that memory.

I already know pretty much everything about Jiang Chengxu's tragedy, but how did that old boss Jin, whose photo I've never even seen, leave this world?

"When my father was in the third year of junior high school, he was on a business trip when a log that rolled off a truck pierced his chest and killed him. The log went through the windshield and the entire truck, killing both the driver and my father instantly."

But both he and the driver were very cautious people. I really can't understand why, when they weren't in a hurry, they would drive behind such a potentially dangerous large vehicle, and how they couldn't sense the danger and didn't even try to avoid it.

Accompanied by sobs, hot liquid dripped into her collar, and the shoulder of the person beside her trembled slightly. Lin Zhen'er sighed, and in the end said nothing, ran her hand through her lover's short hair, gently rubbing his head, waiting for this lingering breeze to slowly pass through the room.

She had always thought that her husband's world was the most solid fortress, the heir to a wealthy family, and that his upbringing was free from the pain she had experienced, without any cracks or flaws. But she never imagined that at an age when her peers were carefree, that boy born into wealth, like her, had his most sensitive and fragile heart repeatedly roasted over a raging fire during adolescence.

It turns out that even though everyone is vastly different in terms of wealth, they are all equally helpless in the face of fate.

The sun shone brightly outside the window, but the atmosphere inside was somewhat gloomy. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman, trying to make conversation, cautiously spoke:

"The owner of the jade shop is downstairs. Let's go pick out a gift for us in a few days."

Mr. Jin gave a soft "hmm" and followed her downstairs like an obedient child.

The contrast between his obedient expression and tall stature was striking. The jade artifacts, laid out in advance, were neatly arranged on a plate, their jewel-encrusted pieces and vibrant green jadeite captivating the eye.

Unfortunately, neither of them were in the mood today. On the shop owner's recommendation, they picked out a glass-type beaded necklace and quickly ended their shopping trip.

The return trip and Jiang Chengjing's birthday both came quickly. After arriving home and dealing with a day's work, she sat in the RV early to do her makeup, letting the makeup artist work on her face for several hours. Resignedly, she put on the jewelry that made her neck and ears ache, sucked in her stomach, and squeezed herself into a dress with six fish bones.

The Jiang family has always been wealthy, and today is the birthday of their eldest daughter who married into the family. Sitting in the car, she could see from afar the lawn piled with flowers and various socialites dressed in gorgeous clothes taking pictures in front of the backdrop at the entrance.

Determined to make today a success, Mrs. Jin adjusted her smile and the fur coat draped over her shoulders, then quickly got into business mode, arm in arm with her husband. Photos, registration, gift-giving—before parting ways with Jin Yanzhi for other engagements, she felt today would be a relaxed day.

Lin Zhen'er suddenly felt helpless when her husband was called away to chat with several business executives he had worked with and forced to sit on the sofa where the wives were sitting. The women around her were not looking friendly, it seemed that Miss Jiang had already warmed up their dislike for her in advance, which had already aroused their resentment.

I really like the necklace you gave me this time; it goes perfectly with the last traditional Chinese style dress I'm wearing tonight.

"Oh dear, I thought the 'Floating Light Brocade' was sold out, but who would have thought that intangible cultural heritage master would specially fly over to take my measurements? Mrs. Jin, the necklace was a gift from you; could you please help me choose a bracelet to match it?"

Jiang Chengjing swayed in, her makeup exquisite. The elongated eyeliner and the curve of her lips were very alluring, and a fragrant breeze wafted as her fishtail skirt swept by. She lightly raised her wrist, signaling her assistant to hand her a piece of jewelry with feigned indifference, her face full of deliberate flattery.

Already incredibly bored, and now being put in such a difficult position by this person, I rolled my eyes countless times in my mind. I casually pointed to one of the bracelets that all looked similar, considering it as helping the other person choose, and prepared to get up and avoid the scene.

Who knew that the birthday person seemed to be deliberately trying to embarrass him in front of everyone, and started to chuckle softly from behind:

"How come there's a piece of jade in here? And why did Mrs. Jin have to pick it? If you do things like this, you don't need to come tomorrow. Do you expect the wife of a billionaire family to be embarrassed because of your mistakes?"

Anyone with even a little knowledge of jewelry can tell at a glance that these two types of jade have different structures. Are you all so busy today?

The people behind her were clumsy in their tricks, and the noblewomen who deliberately laughed were utterly bored. But Lin Zhen'er today was not the same person she was a few months ago. Being repeatedly provoked made her begin to regret that rainy night a few days ago when she had agreed to come out of concern for her husband.

She turned around with a smile, decisively picked up the jade pendant that had just been chosen, and smashed it hard on the ground. The sound of the jade shattering was crisp, and the fragments that broke into pieces elicited gasps from the women around her.

The person who had made up their mind to break off relations spoke loudly:

"That's right, how could Water Jade be worthy of you? We might as well smash it and everyone will be happy."

After saying that, the person who turned and walked away without looking back never expected that Jiang Chengjing would have the nerve to follow. That usually sweet voice, now devoid of affectation, ran ahead of its owner with a somewhat sharp tone:

"No wonder he was detained at the age of nineteen; he can be ruthless and vicious when he gets angry."

The sounds of toasts and music in the distance faded into the background in the face of those words. The fur coat she was wearing was clearly the best purple-gold mink of the new season, but the woman, whose past had been brought up, felt as if she had been plunged into ice water, so cold that her teeth chattered.

She touched the heavy Kashmir sapphire around her neck, then quickly turned to face the man with a face etched with resentment:

"You, surnamed Jiang, are truly a madman!"