Chapter 104 - The Extraordinary Greeting Present

Chapter 104: The Extraordinary Greeting Present
Shangguan Ning’s shut the box and held on to it tightly.
She was in a daze and it seemed as if she would faint. Jing Yichen instantly held on to her and supported her. He asked,his voice full of concern, “Ning, what is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
It took a while for Shangguan Ning to get a hold of herself. She still looked pale. She asked Zhang Rong, “Please, Mrs. Jing, would you please tell me where did you get this necklace from?”
Zhang Rong subconsciously turned towards her son, Yiran.
It was Jing Yiran who had decided to present Shangguan Ning with this necklace. His mother had no idea why did Shangguan Ning feel sick after seeing the present. Zhang Rong had had no time to get Shangguan Ning a present. Her visit was so unexpected. When Jing Yiran showed his mother this necklace and suggested that she should gift this to Ning, she had agreed immediately.
What on earth was it that frightened Shangguan Ning to this degree?
She didn’t want to embarrass Jing Yichen’s wife at their first meeting and that too in front of her husband and her in laws. Honestly even if Zhang Rong did have any plot up her sleeve, against Shangguan Ning, she wouldn’t bring it to play,in this crude manner. She would do it discreetly and on the sly.
Jing Yiran’s heart was satiated seeing Shangguan Ning’s reaction. He looked at her and said menacingly, “Oh yeah? Did you like it? The gift was my idea.”
Jing Yichen frowned. He was mad at Jing Yiran. He wished he could tear him apart.
Shangguan Ning turned to Jing Yiran and asked with a trembling voice, “Where did you get this necklace from?”
“This necklace cost me a great deal of money. As for where it is from… I will tell you when I am in a better mood. I’ve been punched by someone repeatedly, so I haven’t been in a good mood lately. Maybe I’ll feel better if someone pampers me. That’s the only way my brain will work well enough to remember it.”
Shangguan Ning so wanted to force Jing Yiran to answer her question right away, but she knew she had to be patient because he wasn’t going to tell her so easily.
She mumbled under her breath, “I will definitely find out the answer.”
Seeing Shangguan Ning bite her lips, Jing Yichen felt his heart ache. He knew she was upset but he had no idea why. Why was the necklace so important to her. He had had enough. He went up to Jing Yiran and pulled him by his collar. He warned him, “You better come up with the answer, otherwise you will have to lie in bed for the rest of your life…”
“Stop it, Chen, what are you doing?! Why do you two brothers fight, whenever you meet each other? Let go of your brother! Are you trying to strangle him to death?!”
Mo Lan stopped Yichen immediately.
Zhang Rong, who was standing there, couldn’t bear to see her son being bullied by his older brother,and that too in front of everyone. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her son was her weakness.
Jing Tianyuan and Jing Zhongxiu didn’t say a word but their bitter expressions spoke a thousand words. They were both upset seeing the brothers break into a fight, yet again.
The relaxed and jovial atmosphere of the day was ruined, all because of a necklace.
Shangguan Ning instantly grabbed hold of Jing Yichen arm and pleased, “Please, Yichen, let him go. All the seniors are here. I can ask him about it later.”
The last thing she wanted was that Jing Yichen have conflicts with his family, because of her.
She knew that Jing Yiran must have planned to give her the necklace today, in order to annoy her and Jing Yichen.
Had he guessed that she was definitely to ask him about this necklace?
Of course she wanted to know where the necklace was from, but this wasn’t the right time for it. She felt so nostalgic and emotional having seen the necklace, but she had to keep her emotions in check and wait for a little while longer.
Hearing what Shangguan Ning had to say, Jing Yichen held himself back. Jing Yiran, who had got breathless when Yichen held him by his collar, could finally breathe again. He couldn’t help feeling victorious because his devious plan had worked.
Zhang Rong’s eyes were full of hatred when she looked at Jing Yichen but she wiped her tears and smiled. She invited everyone to the dinner table. Shangguan Ning could feel the conflict in Zhang Rong’s heart.
She looked at Zhang Rong. She realised that she was actually quite familiar with Rong’s behaviour, because she too had lived with a step mother, until a few years ago.
The servants soon arranged the table and the entire family gathered around the western-style table for dinner.
Shangguan Ning had no appetite for any food.
At Family Jing’s table, the family members preferred enjoying their meal in silence. This was an old tradition,which they followed religiously.
Jing Yichen hadn’t planned to eat at Family Jing, especially since he hadn’t eaten a meal here for over ten years. He just found the vibe at the house to be very cold and unwelcoming.
Since it was Shangguan Ning’s first time here and he didn’t want them to leave abruptly, he made an exception and joined the family for dinner. She was, after all, the lady of the house. She would be the future hostess of Jingsheng Enterprise. She ought to be part of this family dinner.
Jing Zhongxiu was happy to see his older son and daughter-in-law, both eating dinner with the family. His son hadn’t been home for many years.
He was sure that Jing Yichen had made the right choice by choosing Shangguan Ning as his life partner. Jing Yichen had changed tremendously. Though he was still cold and distant, yet he was more human like now rather than a walking corpse. He cared a great deal about Shangguan Ning, which meant that this relationship was important to him..
He had thought that his son had only ever cared about Tang Yun. He hadn’t met her in ten years. It finally seemed that Jing Yichen was over all that and had moved on with his life.
Jing Zhongxiu was aware that he had always deprived Jing Yichen of his love. Zhang Rong, had repeatedly asked, requested and sometimes even coaxed Jing Zhongxiu to give her son, Jing Yiran, his share of Jingsheng Enterprise. Jing Yiran made enough money to fund his fun escapades and his father had come to accept the fact that he may have to eventually finance’s Yiran’s lifestyle.
Family Jing held a lot of real estate. Maybe Jing Yiran could handle that portfolio someday. That being said, Jing Yiran had no right over any part of Jingsheng Enterprise. It belonged wholly and solely to Jing Yichen.
Jing Zhongxiu had made a promise to his first wife, Jing Yichen’s mother, that Jingsheng Enterprise would belong to Jing Yichen alone.
He didn’t care to admit it yet but Jing Zhongxiu was relieved, now that his older son had settled down and found himself a woman, who cared for him the way Shangguan Ning did. Jing Yichen now had his own family.
After dinner, Mo Lan chatted with Shangguan Ning for a while, urging her to give her a great grandchild as soon as possible. Shangguan Ning was very embarrassed, yet nodded along.
Jing Yichen and Jing Zhongxiu were in the study, discussing work. When they were done, Jing Yichen came out to find an embarrassed Shanguan Ning listening to Mo Lan speaking of advantages of having children within the first few years of marriage.
Shangguan Ning’s eyes saw Jing Yichen and she looked at him, as if pleading to be rescued from this discussion.
Jing Yichen smiled. He nodded at Mo Lan who understood that she had said too much, thereby saving Shangguan Ning the torment of having to listen to all the unsolicited advice his grandmother had to offer.