Xixi now finally had a reason to see Mommy, holding her phone, she ran upstairs with her short legs.
"Mommy! Your phone rang!"
Her voice arrived before she did.
When she had run upstairs earlier and seen Daddy and Mommy, their expressions were normal, only their hands were clasped.
Xixi handed the phone over, "Mommy, it's Uncle Colin."
Shen Qingqing took it and glanced, then rubbed the little fellow's head.
"Go downstairs and play with your brother."
"Oh."
This meant she wasn't supposed to listen, and Xixi didn't insist on staying, obediently turning to go downstairs.
Only then did Shen Qingqing bring the phone to her ear.
"Ms. Shen, there's bad news. Mr. He gave that necklace to Ning Xin."
"How do you know?"
Colin's voice was grave, "I've been keeping an eye on Mr. He as per your instructions, and I saw him meet Ning Xin."
He didn't get too close, so he didn't know what the two of them talked about. However, when Ning Xin left, she was holding a rectangular box.
She even took the necklace out to examine it in the sunlight.
He wasn't sure if it was intentional.
Shen Qingqing provided the answer, "She must have known you had someone watching from the shadows."
This was a move made to provoke her.
Colin asked, "What should we do now?"
He knew how important that necklace was to Ms. Shen, and Ms. Shen certainly wouldn't want to see it in Ning Xin's hands.
However, they had just had an unpleasant encounter with Ning Xin at the auction. If the necklace fell into this woman's hands, it would be difficult to retrieve.
Colin sighed, "If only we hadn't played tricks on her at the auction earlier."
Shen Qingqing sighed inwardly. Even without the incident at the auction, the matter at the cake shop was enough to offend Ning Xin. She said indifferently, "I understand. I'll find a way to resolve this."
After hanging up, Fu Jingshu asked her, "What happened?"
Shen Qingqing told him everything she had heard on the phone. "Now I understand what Ning Xin meant by that sentence."
She probably had her sights set on the necklace as soon as she learned it had been found, and the conflict at the cake shop only accelerated her plans.
Fu Jingshu frowned, but then his brow smoothed out, and he said in a light tone, "Perhaps we should go and ask that person for clarification."
Shen Qingqing also found this Mr. He very strange.
He had refused to sell it no matter how much was offered before.
There must be an unknown reason.
"You're right. I should indeed go and ask him."
Shen Qingqing, despite understanding the principle of not jumping to conclusions before knowing the truth, was still filled with confusion by Mr. He's actions at this moment.
She turned to leave.
Fu Jingshu grabbed her wrist, "Even if you're going, it's not now. It's already dark."
Shen Qingqing then looked out the window through the clear glass and saw that it was pitch black outside.
She didn't know if it was because the sky was so dark that even the stars and moon were invisible, only a mass of dark clouds.
She could only bear with it for now.
...
Mr. He was very surprised to see Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu arrive again, but this surprise was fleeting.
He was very polite and courteously invited them in.
"Please sit."
Not only that, but he also had tea served, the same tea set as last time, but the aroma of the tea was completely different.
Shen Qingqing, however, was not in the mood to taste tea today. Without any pleasantries, she went straight to the point.
"Why did you give the necklace to Ning Xin?"
Mr. He paused, seemingly surprised by her directness. "This necklace is my collection."
Shen Qingqing's expression darkened.
She understood the implication of Mr. He's words, which essentially meant that since it was his collection, how he disposed of it was his prerogative.
No one had the right to interfere.
However, as it concerned her mother's遗物 (yíwù -遺物,遗物), how could Shen Qingqing remain calm? She suppressed the unspeakable irritation in her heart and asked, "When I came to buy this necklace from you before, you should have known how important it is to me."
"So?"
"The explanation you gave me before was a complete refusal," Shen Qingqing's anger stemmed from his broken promise. "You clearly said that this necklace was your most prized possession and that you wouldn't sell it to anyone!"
"I didn't sell it."
Mr. He said calmly, "A backer of mine, an old friend, wanted to borrow it to look at, and I naturally wouldn't refuse."
"Do you know who she is?" Shen Qingqing's face revealed a hint of coldness. She didn't want her mother's遺物 to become a tool for someone to threaten or retaliate against her.
But this person knew nothing.
He was fortunate enough to possess her mother's遗物, and even cherished the necklace. Yet, in the end, he handed it over to the most inappropriate person.
She rubbed her temples. "I shouldn't have trusted you."
The disappointment in her voice was too obvious. Mr. He couldn't pretend not to see it. "Who are you that this necklace is so important to you?"
"It's not important anymore to talk about it now," Shen Qingqing was unwilling to say more. "I just want to know one reason, why did you lend this necklace to her?"
"If you won't tell me, I'm sorry, but I can't say either."
There was genuine apology in Mr. He's eyes.
If he had been stubbornly refusing to tell her, Shen Qingqing might have resorted to harsh words. But now, she couldn't even say anything excessive.
"Fine. Since you refuse to say, then I have nothing more to ask."
Shen Qingqing stood up with a cold expression, preparing to leave.
Mr. He was still as accommodating as ever, personally escorting them to the door. Watching their retreating figures, he suddenly had a moment of daze.
It was as if he was transported back to that summer, standing at the door, watching that person's slender back recede.
That was his last attempt.
"Can you stay?"
But the woman still didn't hesitate. She merely turned her head, gave him a smile, and left without looking back.
He would never forget that smile. At that time, he had a premonition that it was the most beautiful sight he would ever see in his life.
Time proved him right.
He suddenly spoke, "Tell me, who are you?"
Shen Qingqing stopped and turned back. Sunlight streamed down from above, casting a golden halo on her, blurring her features and softening her radiant glow.
In a daze, he seemed to see that person.
Shen Qingqing suddenly smiled, but her voice was surprisingly cold. "I won't tell you, because you didn't keep your promise."
With that, she turned and left.