After a moment, Qin Xu seemed to have calmed himself down and chuckled to himself, "Well, what's given away is given away. It's my greatest honor that these earrings are useful to the Second Miss."

Standing behind Song Zhiyu, Lu Bai rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. How come she hadn't noticed how hypocritical this Young Master Qin was?

She noticed that when her young mistress threw the earrings to the beggar, Young Master Qin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, but now he's acting as if nothing happened.

Song Zhiyu's lips twitched involuntarily. Such patience; these people must have quite a few schemes against her.

She sneered inwardly, her expression unchanged, and deliberately added, "Oh, then, Young Master Qin, you wouldn't mind buying the rest of the jewelry, would you?"

Song Zhiyu pointed to several other pieces of jewelry on the tray, suppressing a smile as she asked.

Seeing this, Qin Xu's smile faltered slightly, almost unable to maintain it. The silver he brought was simply not enough to buy all the jewelry on the tray.

But with everyone watching, he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of others.

Seeing the atmosphere around them become slightly tense, Qin Yu thought to herself that something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward with a smile and stood in front of Qin Xu, saying, "Brother is right. Since the gift is for the Second Miss, it is naturally up to her to decide what to do with it."

Besides, we came here to apologize to the Second Miss, and my brother and I were worried that you wouldn't forgive us.

Her brother's personality was not as gentle and refined as he appeared; he was also a very proud person. She was worried that Qin Xu might ruin their plans on a whim, which would be a real loss.

"Okay, then pay up." Song Zhiyu stepped aside, her swift and decisive movements leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

Qin Xu and his sister's mouths gaped slightly, somewhat incredulous. Wasn't she going to refuse at all?

"Second sister, aren't you picking out a bit too much jewelry? Although Cousin Qin Xu said it's an apology to you, you should still be mindful of your limits and not ask for too much," Shen Jinshu said carefully.

She couldn't stand it anymore, and although she spoke tactfully, anyone with common sense could understand the meaning behind her words.

Song Zhiyu turned to look at Shen Jinshu, and deliberately raised her voice when talking about the gift, "Then why don't you pay for it, eldest sister? You haven't given me a proper gift since I returned to the manor."

Shen Jinshu's smile froze; she never expected the fire to spread to her.

Song Zhiyu has been back at the manor for quite some time now, yet she still asks her for a gift. She's really shameless.

She was about to speak when Song Zhiyu's next words startled her so much that her eyelids twitched.

"No, it's not that. The day I returned to the manor, my elder sister gave me a very generous gift. I still remember it clearly. I just don't know how good my elder sister's memory is now?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu clenched her fist tightly. The slight stinging pain brought her back to her senses. Of course, she hadn't forgotten what the "meeting gift" Song Zhiyu had mentioned was.

That was the first time she framed Song Zhiyu, and it was also the beginning of her mother and several brothers' dislike of Song Zhiyu.

Now that Song Zhiyu mentioned it again, her heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next moment Song Zhiyu curled her lips and said leisurely, "Does your glass and crystal hairpin still exist, eldest sister? If you really like that hairpin, I happen to know Master Lin from the Treasure Pavilion. You can ask him to repair it for you."

Shen Jinshu framed her with a glass crystal hairpin, causing her to be despised by everyone as soon as she entered the mansion, and she could never recover.

But she also had to thank Shen Jinshu for framing her; otherwise, how could she have seen through the true colors of those people in the Marquis's mansion?

She once held some hope for those so-called relatives, but after experiencing so much, she was completely heartbroken.

But this is for the best; at least she can leave the mess of the Marquis's mansion without feeling guilty.

"No need. It's okay if the hairpin is broken. It's not a very valuable item. Second sister, you don't need to worry about it." Shen Jinshu refused immediately. If you ignored her overly eager tone, her smiling face was somewhat believable.

If Master Lin were to repair the hairpin, her schemes would be exposed.

She never expected that even after so much time had passed, Song Zhiyu would still remember the glass and crystal hairpin.

"If it wasn't a valuable item, why did Father make me kneel in the pouring rain for three hours in front of my eldest sister's courtyard?" Song Zhiyu said in an extremely calm tone, which was incredibly shocking.

However, breaking a hair ornament resulted in such a severe punishment; this second young lady of the Marquis's mansion is indeed as unfavored as rumored.

And that Marquis Chengen was extremely cruel to his own daughter, showing her no mercy whatsoever.

Those who don't know the truth would think Song Zhiyu is his enemy, not his daughter.

Facing the astonished and disdainful gazes of the customers in the store, Shen Jinshu's smile faltered. "At that time, Father was in a fit of anger and thought you were deliberately trying to embarrass me, which is why he made you kneel as punishment. Don't hold it against him."

Second sister likes these pieces of jewelry, right? Consider it a belated gift for you. Xiuyue, pay up.

She quickly changed the subject, trying to shut Song Zhiyu up with money.

If Song Zhiyu continues talking, she might actually be able to persuade Master Lin of the Treasure Pavilion to return to the Marquis's residence.

Song Zhiyu stood there calmly, not saying anything more as she wished; it would be pointless to say everything now.

Xiuyue touched her empty purse, on the verge of tears; her young mistress's private treasury was now completely depleted.

On the contrary, Lu Bai smiled broadly, her eyes barely visible, and happily held the wrapped jewelry in her hand.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!