Without any hesitation, Lu Zheng said, "Those rings belong to someone else."

"What?!" Old Master Shen's face flushed red instantly, and he raised his dragon-headed cane, almost hitting Lu Zheng on the head. "What do you mean?!"

In his entire life, he hated nothing more than anyone disobeying his "royal decree".

Upon hearing the news, he didn't think twice and immediately assumed that the rings belonged to his granddaughter. Otherwise, who would be worthy of Lu Zheng spending 70 million?

The rest of the Shen family were filled with envy and praise. This morning, two old friends called to congratulate him on having such an outstanding grandson-in-law.

Who knew that Lu Zheng not only refused to show it, but also claimed that it belonged to someone else. Wasn't this a slap in the face to him and Yan'er?

Lu Zheng slightly tilted his body to avoid the old man's cane, then sat up straight and slowly straightened his suit.

"The original owner of the Heart of Eternity was kind to me. Just as Grandpa Shen always told me, repaying kindness is the foundation of being a good person. I am fortunate to have these rings on the market, and I will buy them no matter the price in order to repay this kindness."

He sighed helplessly and looked innocently at Old Master Shen.

"I'm so sorry that Grandpa Shen misunderstood."

He said he was sorry, but his tone was extremely cold, and he was completely insincere.

Old Master Shen's face stung slightly. He slammed his dragon-headed cane against the coffee table, making the teacups rattle. "I'll give you 80 million. Take it to the original owner, buy back the wedding ring, and give it to Yan'er."

The commanding tone left Lu Zheng no room for rebuttal.

Lu Zheng said, "The Heart of Eternity was of extraordinary significance to its original owner..."

"Isn't 80 million enough?!" Old Master Shen interrupted sharply. "How greedy are you? Tell me who the original owner was, and I'll go and negotiate with them myself!"

Lu Zheng slowly shook his head, "It is of extraordinary significance, therefore priceless."

No one had ever dared to disobey Old Master Shen's wishes, but today they had repeatedly run into obstacles with Lu Zheng. He suddenly stood up, his aura imposing, which startled the maid who came to deliver the fruit platter, almost causing her to trip and fall.

"Lu Zheng, if this person truly did you a favor, why didn't he help you out of your predicament? And why did you come to me for help back then? Tell me honestly, who did you give the ring to!"

Lu Zheng also stood up, his height of over 1.8 meters easily surpassing that of Old Master Shen, and his cold aura was even more imposing. "It involves the privacy of the original owner, so I cannot disclose that information. Nowadays, people pay great attention to the privacy of citizens, and we should be law-abiding citizens, right, Grandpa Shen?"

As he spoke, he walked towards the gate.

"Now that the painting has been delivered, we won't disturb Grandpa Chen any longer."

Lu Zheng left without looking back. Old Master Shen was so agitated that he almost smashed the painting with his dragon-headed cane, but looking at the ethereal and dreamlike masterpiece, he managed to hold back.

"Go and find out who Lu Zheng has been with lately!" he snapped at the servant.

What about citizens' privacy? Who are you trying to scare with this talk of illegal and criminal activities?

Lu Zheng slammed on the gas and sped back to the apartment.

“Really?” he called out.

The sound echoed in the empty apartment, but no one responded for a long time.

He searched every room and saw that the food had been touched, but Qiao Zhen was nowhere to be found.

This woman actually ran away quietly, without even leaving a message?

The more he had looked forward to having lunch with her and spending a wonderful holiday, the more disappointed Lu Zheng was now; the emptiness in his heart made him anxious and restless.

"Heartless woman..." Lu Zheng thought to himself as he walked out, making a phone call. "I need to know where Qiao Zhen is within ten minutes."

While Lu Zheng was busy going to Qiao Zhen's house to find out what was going on, Qiao Zhen, carrying a heavy travel bag, came out of the subway station and transferred to a bus.

Given her current financial situation, a suburban nursing home is the best option.

The service was quite attentive, the medical staff were very dedicated, and the price wasn't too expensive. Although there were some shortcomings, those were borne by her as a child.

Once we have the money, we'll move to a better nursing home.

The mention of money reminded Qiao Zhen of Song Ruyi's order for her to hand the list to Ling Yiyi.

Without orders and commissions, she'll be worrying about money again.

Let's take advantage of Song Ruyi's lingering embarrassment and her vacation to see if there's a way to resolve the crisis.

Qiao Zhen pondered all the way to the sanatorium.

Qiao's mother was in a ward on the third floor. Her aching legs were trembling, and her fingers were marked with dark red marks from the heavy travel bag.

The medical staff coming and going were busy taking care of patients and had no time to lend a helping hand. She patted her chest, intending to rest for a while before going upstairs, so as not to get so tired that she would make her mother worry.

"Little Qiao, you've come to see your mother again?" An old lady came over in an electric wheelchair.

"Hello, Grandma Sun," Qiao Zhen greeted sweetly, taking out a box of pastries from her travel bag. "These are sugar-free and have a soft texture. They're for you."

Grandma Sun thanked her and took the box, sighing, "Alas, they say that there are no filial children at the bedside of a long-term sick person. So many elderly people here don't have family members to visit them... It's really hard on you, a young girl, to take care of your mother and raise your young brother."

Qiao Zhen smiled and said she wasn't tired.

Grandma Sun advised, "I'm telling you, it would be good if you found a boyfriend soon so he could help you share the burden."

Qiao Zhen's cheeks flushed. This wasn't the first time Grandma Sun had suggested finding a boyfriend, but the word "boyfriend" had now become one of the most sensitive words for her.

Besides, her boyfriend has no obligation to take on these responsibilities for her; it feels like he's taking advantage of her.

"Grandma Sun, I'm going to see Mom now." Qiao Zhen knew that once Grandma Sun started talking, she would go on and on, so she immediately grabbed the strap of the travel bag, lifted it up with difficulty, and slung it over her shoulder.

Suddenly, the weight pressing on my fingers and shoulders lightened.

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