Chapter 57 Precious Relics "If you touch her again!"

Lan Jia forced herself to sit down next to him, and was immediately enveloped in a suffocating atmosphere, as if she were in a vacuum glass dome.

He spoke such gentle words and smiled so kindly, yet his eyes held a dangerous glint, like a beast's, an intense, uncontrollable possessiveness that was slowly eroding her presence.

"What can I do for you?" She instinctively held her breath, but still maintained basic etiquette.

Meng Shiyuan smiled: "This isn't the first time we've met, why are you still so nervous?"

“If you hadn’t had the driver invite me over in such a forceful manner, I wouldn’t have had to do this.”

He stopped smiling and said to the driver in a questioning tone, "Acheng, didn't I tell you to be very polite to Miss Yi?"

Acheng with the scarred eyebrows immediately nodded in apology, appearing completely sincere.

To her, Meng Shiyuan softened his expression and explained, "He used to be a mercenary, so he's a bit stubborn. Don't take it to heart."

Anyway, they're his people; whatever they want to do, how they do it, is entirely up to him. Lan Jia didn't have time to watch the two of them put on this act and said bluntly, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now; my family is waiting for me."

Seeing that she was about to open the car door, Meng Shiyuan quickly grabbed her wrist, and for a moment, she couldn't break free.

Lan Jia was shocked that he would actually make a move. Her eyes widened in surprise, and fear gripped her entire body.

Zuo Tai, who was holding an umbrella outside the car door, looked over with eyes like a hawk, waiting for Lan Jia's order to make a move immediately.

Seeing the tense situation between the two, Meng Shiyuan released his grip and smiled good-naturedly: "Miss Yi, please wait. I have no intention of doing anything to you."

Lan Jia forced himself to calm down and waited for him to continue.

He pulled out an exquisite handbag from his side, inside which was a square black velvet box about two hands wide.

He held the box in his hands, smiled at her, and slowly opened it.

"Miss Yi, I just wanted to give you a small gift as a token of our meeting, is that alright?"

A small...gift?

Lan Jia stared blankly over and saw a Paraiba tourmaline necklace lying quietly in the velvet box. It had a floral pattern and a bright lake blue color, and it must have weighed at least a hundred carats.

Under the light, she gasped, dazzled by the brilliance of such a high-purity gemstone.

Such tourmalines are very rare, with a very limited monthly global production. Even the earrings she had spotted in the magazine that morning had individual stones weighing no more than three carats. Despite being accustomed to seeing fine things, Lan Jia couldn't call it a small gift.

So she really didn't understand why this person would so easily give her something so valuable.

Meng Shiyuan's lips always curved into a faint smile, as if he was very confident in his judgment, or perhaps secretly pleased that he had grasped the little girl's thoughts.

"This was mined many years ago in my gem mine in Brazil. I don't know much about design, so I studied it in private for a long time before I drew this design. I don't know if it looks good or not?"

"It's beautiful," Lan Jia praised truthfully.

"But I don't understand, and I can't accept it."

"Do you remember the story I told you the last time we met?"

"About the lover you can't have?" Lan Jia asked boldly.

“My love…” Meng Shiyuan smiled, as if he was particularly happy, “That’s right, it’s my love. This necklace was also specially designed for her back then.”

"Unfortunately, it couldn't be sent out in the end."

"Because she passed away?" she asked in a tone of condolence.

"But if it was made for her, why give it away so easily?" Lan Jia's gaze turned questioning, doubting his apparent affection.

“It wasn’t given away lightly,” Meng Shiyuan looked at her, as if he were looking at a precious relic, “but left to her bloodline. For many years, the regret that I could not make up for was finally fulfilled the moment I saw her daughter.”

Lan Jia was stunned for a moment, and countless fragments surged through her brain like electric currents, piecing together all the missing pieces of the puzzle.

"You're talking about...my mother?"

"Yes, little Lan Jia." His eyes were gentle; the more he looked at his lover's child, the more he liked him.

"No!" Lan Jia was still somewhat incredulous. "My mother has never mentioned you, and I've never known you. How can you prove that what you're saying is true?"

Meng Shiyuan wasn't annoyed. He took out a wallet he was carrying, opened it, and pulled out a small photograph from a hidden compartment, handing it to her.

This photo is quite old; it looks like it's been handled and rubbed a lot. The edges are fuzzy, and there's a slight discoloration.

It was a profile shot of a single person, draped in a white veil, their fingers clasped together in a prayer-like gesture. She looked like a Halloween zombie bride, but with light makeup, allowing her to recognize the young face at a glance, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

It's Mom...

Lan Jia's nose stung with tears, and she clutched the photo she had never seen before tightly, refusing to let go no matter how the people around her tried to take it away.

Helpless, Meng Shiyuan gently patted the top of her head: "Silly child, this is all I have as a keepsake, and you still want to take it from me?"

Lan Jia angrily pushed his hand away, and he took advantage of the moment to snatch it, carefully put it into his wallet, and then put it away properly.

"Even if what you said is true, Mom has never acknowledged you as a friend!" When she thought about what she had said to him before, and even felt sorry for him, she felt like she had betrayed her parents.

“What would a child know?” Meng Shiyuan said with a hint of displeasure. “Back then, we had a fight, and we were young and hot-blooded, neither of us was willing to back down. Your mother didn’t mention it because she was sulking with me. I’ve said before that your temper is very much like hers.”

He looked at her puffed-up face and still smiled: "When she was young, she was unhappy, just like you are now." Just like Hanzhen.

"Don't try to get close to me. Even if you were friends before, it doesn't mean I'm familiar with you." She was still unclear about his motives and didn't believe that he approached her just to reminisce about an old friend. Faced with such a scheming and dangerous person, she naturally wouldn't be polite.

Faced with her resistance, Meng Shiyuan, unusually, became dejected, his smile fading: "What can I do for you? I'm an old man, my temples are graying, I have no children, and I might not be around for a few more years. Your mother and I have shared a lifetime of friendship, but she left us too soon, without even a chance to apologize. Now that I've met you, I naturally want to fulfill that wish. Lan Jia, please have pity on me, give me a chance to make amends, do what I want to do, and let this old man pass away in peace, okay?"

Lan Jia was initially skeptical, but after hearing his earnest words, she believed him a little more and her tone was not as harsh as before: "You look quite healthy, but I'm afraid you won't be able to walk for a while."

Meng Shiyuan laughed loudly: "Thank you for your kind words. Now I have more time to do as I please."

Secretly, she thought: She's even more soft-hearted and naive than Hanzhen was when she was young. But that's good, she'll be easier to control in the future.

This deepened the smile lines on his face. He put the jewelry box back into the bag and said, "This is your mother's favorite gemstone. Consider it an acceptance on her behalf, okay?"

He claimed to be an old friend of Ms. Yi, and Lan Jia couldn't think of a good excuse to refuse, so she had no choice but to let him stuff the gift bag into her hands.

"Then what do you want me to do?" She still didn't believe in free gifts.

Meng Shiyuan looked at her and said, "I told you, I want to be friends with you. Xiao Lanjia, just treat me as an ordinary, older friend."

"I hope you won't be so resistant to me next time we meet, okay? When you have time, you can come to my home as a guest. I'll tell you about your mother and me, as well as many photos and objects that I'm sure you've never seen before."

"Oh, we'll talk about it another time," Lan Jia mumbled, wanting nothing more than to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Meng Shiyuan smiled slightly, his heart stirred, and he couldn't wait for her to move in with him. Hanzhen's daughter, Hanzhen's bloodline, every frown and smile, every joy and sorrow, was a reflection of Hanzhen... It was an uncontrollable excitement.

He involuntarily reached out, wanting to touch her hair one last time, but before he could move, the car door was slammed open, and the wind blew in rainwater, bringing a damp mist.

Lan Jia was also startled and turned around in surprise. She saw Meng Cenjun standing in the rain, gritting her teeth as she called out to her, "Yi Lan Jia!"

"elder brother?"

He reached out and grabbed her arm, almost pulling her down. Lan Jia's face hit his chest hard, but he quickly shielded her behind him and said sternly, "Zuo Tai, get her into the car!"

Zuo Tai, who was standing nearby, immediately held out the umbrella over her: "Miss, let's go over there."

She was taken away without understanding what was going on. She kept looking back and saw Meng Cenjun gripping the car door tightly with one hand, and, as if on cue, she questioned the person inside the car without any politeness:

"what you up to?"

Why did you approach her?

"How dare you show your face next to her?"

She hadn't seen Meng Cenjun lose her temper like this in many years.

Inside the car, Meng Shiyuan, who had been disturbed, was not annoyed. He casually pressed a finger against his temple and said with a half-smile, "It's been so many years since we last met, and your temper has certainly grown quite a bit."

"What, after staying in the Yi family for so long, you really think of yourself as a member of the Yi family? After being like siblings for so long, you really think of yourself as her real brother?"

"If it weren't for me back then, you might not be living such a comfortable life now. And you speak to your elders so rudely?"

Meng Cenjun completely ignored her warning and said, word by word, "If you touch her again, you will never have a good day again!"

Meng Shiyuan didn't take it to heart, and laughed sarcastically: "My good days ended ten years ago, so what does it matter what happens in the future?"

The car door slammed shut. Lan Jia withdrew her gaze from the distance and looked timidly to her side: "Brother... what's wrong?"

Meng Cenjun's eyes were bloodshot, her chest heaving, and she coldly and calmly ordered, "Drive."

"elder brother?"

Seeing that he still didn't answer, Lan Jia was not only confused, but also even more annoyed. She simply leaned back heavily in her chair and turned her head away, ignoring him.

No one spoke after that, and the air seemed to freeze over.

As soon as the car stopped on Anfeng Road, Lan Jia pushed open the car door, ran out, and braved the rain to go home.

"Yi Lanjia!" Meng Cenjun called out to her with a stern face and hurried over.

Upon entering, Lan Jia saw several water stains on the floor. She threw her shoes on the ground and walked barefoot forward angrily.

Meng Cenjun pulled her from behind and scolded, "Why are you running so fast? Don't you know you can't get wet in the rain?"

Lan Jia shook off his hand and glared at him: "Aren't you going to run away and wait to see your attitude?"

He didn't answer, but looked at the gift bag she was carrying, snatched it from her, and demanded, "What's this? Where did it come from? Did he give it to you?"

"Give it back to me? Who gave you permission to touch my things!" She was quick and angrily snatched it back.

Meng Cenjun was furious and tried to snatch it again: "Tell me! Did he give it to you? What did he give you that you accepted? Who is he to you? You've only known each other for a few days! How can you be so careless with someone like him?"

This barrage of questions hit Lan Jia like bricks, making her furious: "What business is it of yours? What business is it of yours whether I accept other people's things or not? Now you're finally asking questions? Where were you when I asked you earlier?" Lan Jia was determined to fight him, squeezing the bag so tightly that it was deformed, but she wouldn't give it to him.

What does it have to do with him? She knew perfectly well that he couldn't stand hearing such words, yet she still stabbed him in the heart with every single one!

Meng Cenjun said sternly, "Yi Lanjia, if you still consider me your brother, then hand this over to me!"

"Why should I always listen to you? No way! I won't give it to you!" Lan Jia used all her strength to pull and yank.

However, the next second, a crisp tearing sound came from the air, and a heavy inertial force made her take several steps back. The canvas bag that had been hanging on her wrist was also thrown off and flew to the corner of the wall. There was a dull thud, as if something had broken inside.

In an instant, the air seemed to freeze. The gift bag, torn in two, lay pitifully on the ground, completely ignored.

She looked at Meng Cenjun, her whole body flushed red at a visible speed, and her eyes filled with water.

“Lan Jia…” He immediately felt a rift between them and anxiously tried to salvage the situation.

Lan Jia burst into tears, turned around, and ran upstairs without looking back.

Author's note: They've all gone mad, let them be destroyed...