SAG -Chapter 23 Borrowing the Necklace

Zhang Ran had already considered Meng He’s warning and replied confidently, “Don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to trap myself. Besides, it’s not like I came back completely unprepared.”

Hearing that, Meng He chose not to press the matter any further.

He trusted Zhang Ran not to act recklessly.

The two men continued talking over lunch, their conversation stretching until three in the afternoon.

No one knew exactly what they discussed behind closed doors.

Even Meng Mingxuan and Meng Zixuan had been sent outside.

When Zhang Ran and Meng He finally emerged, they went looking for Taotao and Susu.

Susu looked as calm as ever.

Although she had clearly enjoyed herself, she still maintained her usual cool demeanor.

Taotao, however, was another story entirely.

By the time they found him, the little boy was drenched in sweat, shouting excitedly while running around.

Beside him was a growing pile of toys.

Obviously, Lin Meizhi had bought them all.

No wonder the two children had been so happy.

Taotao had grown up in a family that wasn’t well-off.

Being sensible beyond his years, he had never asked his parents to buy him toys.

But not asking didn’t mean he didn’t want them.

As for Susu, because of her family’s circumstances, only her mother, Zhang Siyan, occasionally bought her toys.

She rarely received gifts from anyone else.

What surprised Zhang Ran was seeing Meng Mingxuan enthusiastically playing video games with Taotao.

Meng Zixuan, on the other hand, sat off to one side scrolling through her phone.

She wasn’t particularly fond of playing with children.

When the kids spotted Zhang Ran, Taotao immediately ran over.

Susu instinctively hurried a couple of steps toward him as well before suddenly realizing what she was doing and stopping in place.

Zhang Ran noticed everything.

Smiling, he picked Taotao up in his arms before walking over and lifting Susu as well.

“So? Did you have fun with Grandma Lin?”

“Yes!”

Taotao answered loudly.

“Grandma Lin is super nice!”

Susu quietly added, “I like Grandma Lin too.”

Those few simple words nearly melted Lin Meizhi’s heart.

The two children were simply too lovable.

Meng Mingxuan protested from the side, “What about me? I played with you all afternoon!”

Taotao giggled awkwardly.

“Hehe… Uncle Meng is nice too.”

Susu merely glanced at him without saying a word.

As everyone prepared to leave, Meng He said, “Brother Zhang, I’m returning to Yangcheng tomorrow. I’ll leave Mingxuan here in Shanghai. If you need anything, just have him handle it.”

Originally, Meng He had intended to bring Zhang Ran back to Yangcheng with him.

But he had never expected Zhang Ran to suddenly regain a son, a daughter, a grandson, and a granddaughter.

Still, he wanted Meng Mingxuan to stay by Zhang Ran’s side.

Although Mingxuan constantly claimed he had no interest in inheriting the company, Meng He couldn’t allow him to idle away his life forever.

The company represented his life’s work.

After speaking with Zhang Ran, Meng He also understood that Zhang Ran had no intention of taking over the business himself.

Management would remain with the Meng family.

That meant Meng Mingxuan needed to grow up.

There had never been a good opportunity to train him before.

Now, however, leaving him under Zhang Ran’s guidance gave Meng He complete peace of mind.

Zhang Ran naturally understood what Meng He was thinking.

After considering it briefly, he nodded.

“Fine. But I won’t be doing much for the time being. He’ll mostly just be helping me with odds and ends.”

Before Meng He could respond, Meng Mingxuan eagerly volunteered.

“Uncle Zhang, don’t worry! Leave all the odd jobs to me! And I’m especially good at causing trouble. If there’s anyone you don’t like, I can have them picking a fight with us within minutes!”

Meng He: “…”

Meng Zixuan: “…”

What on earth is there to be proud of?

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ran’s eyes lit up.

“Excellent. That’s actually quite a useful talent.”

He meant it sincerely.

Meng Mingxuan grinned proudly.

“Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Zhang!”

He clearly saw nothing embarrassing about his “special skill.”

At the Hospital, during her lunch break, Liu Lu took out her phone and once again opened the photo of the necklace.

She admired it carefully.

She still hadn’t actually worn it.

Last night she had tried on nearly every outfit she owned.

None of them matched the necklace.

That left her deeply conflicted.

She desperately wanted to wear it.

She truly loved the necklace.

But spending a fortune on clothes worthy of such a luxurious piece felt unbearably wasteful.

Women like Liu Lu—frugal, practical, and family-oriented—were exactly the kind many men dreamed of marrying.

A young nurse named Wang Jiajia walked over.

“Sis, what are you looking at?”

She glanced at Liu Lu’s phone.

The moment she saw the necklace, she became completely captivated.

A masterpiece like that would attract almost any woman who loved beautiful accessories.

“Sis, where did you take this picture? It’s gorgeous.”

She naturally assumed it wasn’t Liu Lu’s.

Ever since joining the hospital, Wang Jiajia had apprenticed under Liu Lu.

Liu Lu had always taken good care of her, making them more like sisters than coworkers.

She also knew enough about Liu Lu’s family circumstances to believe such an expensive necklace couldn’t possibly belong to her.

Instead, Liu Lu calmly answered, “It was a wedding gift from my father-in-law—for my husband and me.”

Although it had arrived several years late, Zhang Ran considered it their wedding gift.

“Huh?”

Wang Jiajia blinked.

“Your father-in-law? Didn’t you tell me before that your husband’s family only consisted of him and his younger sister?”

Liu Lu smiled.

“You remember all the news about the Goddess of Destiny a while back? My father-in-law was on that cruise ship.”

“Wow!”

Wang Jiajia exclaimed.

“I can’t believe something so unbelievable happened to your family! Anyone who could afford to board that ship back then must have been incredibly wealthy.”

Liu Lu nodded.

“He probably was pretty rich back then. But after all these years… it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Wang Jiajia sighed regretfully.

“True. Even if your family had been worth over a million yuan back then, that kind of money isn’t worth much today.”

Then she suddenly realized something.

“Wait… if he was that rich, why didn’t your husband inherit anything?”

Liu Lu smiled bitterly.

“It’s complicated. There’s no way to explain it briefly. Anyway… my husband didn’t inherit a single cent.”

“I see.”

Wang Jiajia nodded.

“Still, even a million yuan would be enough for a down payment on a small apartment in Shanghai, maybe somewhere farther from downtown.”

But Liu Lu shook her head.

“My father-in-law was only twenty-three when the accident happened.”

She didn’t need to finish.

Wang Jiajia immediately understood.

Physically, Zhang Ran was still twenty-three years old.

That meant he might one day remarry and start another family.

He would need money for that as well.

Wang Jiajia sighed.

“Sis… you’re just too kind. You’re always thinking about other people first.”

A moment later, she suddenly clasped her hands together pleadingly.

“Sis… can I borrow your necklace for one day? Just one day.”

Liu Lu hesitated.

Truthfully, she didn’t want to lend it out.

She hadn’t even worn it herself.

“What do you need it for?”

Wang Jiajia began acting cute.

“A few days from now, my friends and I are doing a professional photo shoot. I just want to wear your necklace for the pictures. Just once! Please, Sis!”

Just as Wang Jiajia had said…

Liu Lu was simply too kind.

Although it pained her, she eventually agreed.

“Thank you, Sis! You’re the best!”

Wang Jiajia threw her arms around Liu Lu and planted a kiss on her cheek.

After that, however, Liu Lu no longer dared to take out photos of the necklace in public.

She had already begun to regret lending it to anyone at all.