EHTM | Chapter 11 - The Protective Jade Pendant

Fu Ling felt incredibly satisfied when she saw Shen Donghuan's pained expression.

Still, she put on a sweet, fake tone and said, "Sister, I'll leave it to you to pick the best gift for Grandma, then. Sorry for the trouble."

Hearing Fu Ling's voice, Shen Donghuan clenched her fists, a mix of unreadable emotions flickering in her eyes.

"Let's hope you're not disappointed when the time comes!"

With that, she couldn't bear to look at the two of them in the office any longer, slammed the door, and left that sickening room.

Once outside, Shen Donghuan tossed her work badge onto her desk and immediately sent a message to the company HR.

【I haven't taken a single day of my annual leave this year. Starting tomorrow, I'm taking half a month off.】

Her contract with Mr. Wu only needed Xie Yuming's signature, so she no longer had to oversee it. She handed it over to someone else to take care of.

This half-month break would give Shen Donghuan the perfect chance to handle her divorce from Xie Yuming.

After the divorce, she'd come back, resign, and finally cut all ties with him.

The leave request was approved quickly.

Shen Donghuan tidied up her things, wrapped up all her tasks, and left work early.

At the company's ground floor, she called her best friend, Lin Qingqing.

"Qingqing, is the protective jade pendant I asked you to make ready?"

Lin Qingqing was the least favored fifth daughter of the wealthy Lin family. She'd been abandoned in the countryside for years, left to fend for herself, and wasn't brought back into the family until she was sixteen.

No one in the Lin family liked her. The sixth daughter, Lin Xiangwei, hated her especially, bullying her at every turn.

One day, Shen Donghuan saw Lin Xiangwei beating Lin Qingqing and stepped in to save her.

From then on, Shen Donghuan always protected Lin Qingqing. They became best friends, while Lin Xiangwei became her sworn enemy.

Later, when the Lin family abandoned Lin Qingqing without hesitation, leaving her desperate and homeless, Shen Donghuan secretly helped her again, sponsoring her to study under a top-tier jade master.

Fortunately, Lin Qingqing worked hard. Now, at just 25, she'd become a famous but reclusive jade master with an outstanding reputation.

Lin Qingqing's soft, sweet voice came through the phone.

"Huanhuan, I've finished it. I was just about to call you and tell you to come pick it up~"

Hearing her friend's voice lifted Shen Donghuan's spirits a little.

"I'll come right now."

Half an hour later, Shen Donghuan arrived at Lin Qingqing's humble, unremarkable studio tucked deep in a backstreet alley.

"Qingqing, I'm here."

She pushed the door open and saw Lin Qingqing squatting at the back door, playing with a dog.

Lin Qingqing was petite, with a round face like a cute little bun. Anyone who saw her would instantly warm to her.

Hearing Shen Donghuan's voice, she jumped up, bounced over playfully, and threw her arms around her.

"Huanhuan, you haven't come to see me in a whole month. I've missed you so much~"

Then she buried her face in Shen Donghuan's neck, wagging an imaginary tail like an affectionate little puppy.

Shen Donghuan's heart melted. She patted Lin Qingqing's back gently and said, "I've been really busy lately. That's why I couldn't come."

She didn't mention Xie Yuming's affair. She didn't want Lin Qingqing to worry.

Lin Qingqing noticed that Shen Donghuan's eyes looked a little red, and her mood seemed off.

She asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Nothing's happened, right?"

Shen Donghuan shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's just been too much work with the Xie family and the company. Really, I'm fine."

Afraid that Lin Qingqing would see through her, she quickly changed the subject. "Grandma's 80th birthday is the day after tomorrow. I came for the protective pendant. Let me see it!"

Lin Qingqing could see that Shen Donghuan was putting on a brave face, and her heart ached for her friend.

But she'd known Shen Donghuan for so many years. She knew her temper. If Shen Donghuan didn't want to say something, not even the Emperor of Heaven could make her speak.

Lin Qingqing said gently, "Huanhuan, if there's anything you need my help with, please tell me. Don't keep it bottled up inside."

Shen Donghuan smiled and nodded. "Okay."

But still, she said nothing.

Seeing this, Lin Qingqing sighed.

Then she turned and walked upstairs. "Huanhuan, come on. I'll show you the pendant."

The protective pendant was pure white, flawless. Carved into it was a peony flower, exuding an air of elegance and prosperity.

When Shen Donghuan touched the peony with her fingertip, it felt as if the flower might come to life at any moment, the petals seeming to tremble softly against her skin.

She said in surprise, "Qingqing, your carving skills have gotten even better."

Lin Qingqing was truly gifted at jade carving. That was the only reason she'd become such a sought-after master at such a young age.

She said shyly, "Huanhuan, do you like it?"

Shen Donghuan nodded. "I love it."

Lin Qingqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Then when you give this to Xie Grandma, she won't nitpick you in front of everyone like she always does. She'll definitely be proud to call you her grandson's wife."

Shen Donghuan stroked the peony pendant, a complex emotion rising in her eyes.

"Qingqing, I've decided not to give it to her."

"Huh?"

Lin Qingqing thought she'd misheard. "You're not giving it to Xie Grandma?"

Shen Donghuan smiled and nodded. "That's right. I'm not giving it to her. Actually, this year, I'm not giving her any gift at all."

Lin Qingqing stared at Shen Donghuan in utter shock, as if she'd seen a ghost.

Ever since Shen Donghuan married Xie Yuming three years ago, she'd gone all out every year for Xie Grandma's birthday, each gift thoughtful and valuable.

And every year, Xie Grandma would find fault with the gift, complaining that it wasn't good enough. But Shen Donghuan never got angry. She just kept trying to be an obedient granddaughter-in-law.

Just two months ago, Shen Donghuan had even planned ahead, spending a fortune to bid on a top-grade white jade and specially asking Lin Qingqing to carve it into this protective pendant, intending to present it at Xie Grandma's 80th birthday banquet.

And now, Shen Donghuan was saying she wouldn't give it to her?

For the first time in three years of marriage, Shen Donghuan wasn't going to give her grandmother-in-law a birthday gift!

Lin Qingqing hesitated for a long time, then said, "Huanhuan... are you still my lovestruck bestie? Or did you get possessed or something?"

Shen Donghuan: "..."

She laughed helplessly. "Qingqing, I'm not possessed. I've just come to my senses."

"For three years, Grandma hasn't been happy with a single gift I gave her. She always says whatever I give isn't good enough. So why should I keep putting myself through that, spending so much money? I'm not doing it this year."

She didn't say the most important reason.

She didn't want to hand everything over to Fu Ling on a silver platter.

With Fu Ling's personality, if she found out that Shen Donghuan was going to give Grandma this white jade pendant, she would definitely find some way to make Xie Yuming force Shen Donghuan to hand it over, so Fu Ling could present it as her own gift.

So she wasn't giving a birthday gift this year!

As for what Shen Donghuan had promised Xie Yuming, to prepare a birthday gift for Fu Ling as well?

She already had a plan for what kind of gift to bring for Fu Ling.

She couldn't wait to see everyone's faces when they saw that gift!