Chapter 33: No One Knows a Daughter Better Than Her Mother
What “go ahead and take a look” — she wished she could rip that necklace right off Gu Qinghuan’s neck!
Yu Yuan ground her molars hard.
She didn’t doubt the necklace’s authenticity — the overall design style and thematic elements were clearly consistent with the brand.
Besides, she had seen photos of that exact limited edition before — identical to the one on Gu Qinghuan’s neck.
And that only made her angrier! Something she couldn’t get even if she wanted it, Jiang Chuchu just casually took out and gifted — and to someone like Gu Qinghuan, a shallow, vain girl? On what grounds!
Gu Qinghuan secretly asked her system in her mind:
[She looks furious. Do you think she’ll realize I did it on purpose?]
[Unlikely,] the system replied. [Given Yu Yuan’s personality, she’d rather believe you’re just the type of person who would say something like that.]
“Rather believe”… now that was an interesting way to put it.
Yu Yuan might already suspect the truth, but she refused to admit it — self-deception.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t smart; she just didn’t want to admit she had lost to Yu Xin.
Yes — Yu Xin, not Gu Qinghuan.
Because in her eyes, Gu Qinghuan and Jiang Chuchu were both “Yu Xin’s friends.”
She looked down on Yu Xin, believed her own status was above hers, and now she had been slapped in the face by Yu Xin’s friends — how could she possibly admit that?
So it was easier to just think that Gu Qinghuan was pretentious, that Jiang Chuchu was foolish for giving her gifts, and therefore that Yu Xin, for befriending such people, was nothing worth noting.
Gu Qinghuan pondered: [So what you’re saying is, by devaluing everything the other person has, she’s proving to herself she’s not pathetic — right?]
[That’s a pretty sharp observation,] the system agreed.
Compared to Yu Yuan’s slightly twisted expression, Yu Jinxin’s was much calmer.
He had no eye for jewelry — he only saw Gu Qinghuan had received a necklace, so he smiled at Yu Xin: “Yu Xin, did you get one too?”
Yu Xin glanced at Gu Qinghuan, who was secretly giving her a little “Go for it!” gesture.
She nodded, pulling out the necklace around her neck. “Mm, Chuchu gave me one too — she said it’s an anniversary edition.”
Yu Yuan took one look and confirmed — she’d seen it before, in person at someone’s party. Exactly the same!
Damn it! Why couldn’t the class placements have been set differently? If anyone should’ve been in Jiang Chuchu’s class, it should’ve been her! Why was Yu Xin always so damn lucky!
Yu Jinxin didn’t notice Yu Yuan’s jealousy. He was actually surprised — he hadn’t expected Yu Xin to win Jiang Chuchu over so quickly, and for once he felt a touch of satisfaction toward her.
“Looks like you’re getting along really well,” he said with a tone of praise. “Now that I know you’ve made friends at school, I can relax.”
He wore the face of a caring brother — one that not only made Yu Xin and Gu Qinghuan feel nauseated, but even Jiang Chuchu wanted to gag.
As someone who had grown up with a truly doting brother, Jiang Chuchu found his words utterly disgusting.
He wasn’t happy for his “sister” at all — he was just pleased that Yu Xin could now serve as a bridge to the Jiang family and bring him benefits. That’s what made him happy.
Revolting. Jiang Chuchu clenched her fists; she wanted to smash Yu Jinxin’s head in.
Gu Qinghuan’s disgust wasn’t as deep, but she nearly lost her fake smile.
She coughed lightly, smoothing her expression. “Chuchu and I are both Xin Bao’s friends, of course we get along well.”
As for Yu Yuan and Yu Jinxin — this so-called “family” wasn’t worth getting along with at all.
Yu Jinxin frowned slightly. Was he overthinking it, or did her words carry an extra meaning?
He decided not to dwell on it — and indeed, as the system had certified, her “weak presence” skill was coming in handy.
After a few more polite words, Gu Qinghuan took her leave.
Truth be told, she was a little disappointed — since Yu Xin’s mother wasn’t home, she’d wanted to show her the necklace too.
Once she got in the car, she turned off the mic. Jiang Chuchu’s message came right in: [That was so satisfying!]
Gu Qinghuan, speechless, just sent back a string of ellipses.
Jiang Chuchu continued: [Just hearing it wasn’t enough — I kept wanting to see their faces. Must’ve been priceless.]
Gu Qinghuan thought back: [Not bad. Yu Jinxin didn’t react much, but Yu Yuan’s face was pretty ugly — probably jealous.]
Jiang Chuchu snorted at the text on her screen.
Jealous? Jealous of what?
Sure, she hadn’t chosen to be switched at birth, but the resources she now enjoyed had originally belonged to Yu Xin.
The Yu family already favored her, yet she still wanted to snatch the little Yu Xin had now? Jiang Chuchu wanted to curse her for being shameless.
And Yu Jinxin — that bastard — even dared to use Yu Xin’s card to shop! The thought alone made Jiang Chuchu’s teeth itch.
On top of the nauseating words she’d just heard, she couldn’t help messaging her own brother: [Jiang Yuxuan!]
[?]
[What are you so mad about?]
Jiang Yuxuan knew the signs — if his sister called him by full name, she was pissed.
Jiang Chuchu’s fingers flew over her phone. When she was angry, she didn’t send voice messages; typing furiously on the screen felt much more cathartic.
Jiang Yuxuan didn’t interrupt — he patiently waited for her rant to finish. But as he read, even he was at a loss for words.
He knew about the Yu family’s switched daughters situation, but he hadn’t expected them to behave this badly.
As a fellow brother, he couldn’t fathom how someone could treat their real younger sister like this.
Before returning to the Yu family, Yu Xin had surely suffered plenty — and now that they’d found her, shouldn’t they take good care of her?
If it were Jiang Chuchu who’d been switched… No, no, he couldn’t even imagine it. Just the thought brought tears to his eyes.
Gu Qinghuan, unaware that the Jiang siblings were united in righteous anger, was practically skipping on her way home after such an eventful day. As soon as she opened the door, she called out:
“Mom — do we have a jewelry box?”
Gu Haiyan came out of the bedroom. “You’re back? What do you need a jewelry box for?”
Gu Qinghuan unclasped the necklace from her neck and held it out proudly. “For this! Chuchu gave it to me — I want to store it properly.”
Gu Haiyan didn’t know much about luxury goods, but she could tell it was an exquisite piece. At first, she thought it was just a normal gift between friends — then she realized something.
Jiang Chuchu was the heiress of Yongchang Group. Whatever necklace she gave, it wouldn’t be cheap.
She fixed her eyes on Gu Qinghuan. “Do you know how valuable this necklace is?”
Gu Qinghuan didn’t even blink. “I know — you couldn’t buy it even if you had the money.”
Gu Haiyan studied her for a moment longer, then turned back to the bedroom. “I’ll see if I have a jewelry box. If not, go buy one yourself.”
No one knows a daughter better than her mother — she knew her daughter wasn’t the type to take advantage of others. If she accepted it, she must have had her own reason.
Since that was the case, there was no need to interfere.
