Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight-Chapter 252: You Are That Kind of Despicable Woman

Lin Zhiyi followed Liu He into the estate.

Along the way, they encountered quite a few people from the Gong Family, and Liu He greeted each one of them, but the others were aloof and even colder than before.

Lin Zhiyi frowned and said, "Mom, wasn’t the matter of the engagement gift box being switched clarified? Are they still troubling you?"

"No. I went to Old Mr. Gong and resigned from the housekeeper position," Liu He said with a bitter smile.

"Why? Didn’t you always want to prove yourself?" Lin Zhiyi was shocked.

"Zhiyi, the engagement dragged you down. I’ve come to terms with it. Anyway, as Xiao Ran will one day have to manage the household after getting married, and she’s a good person, she won’t make things difficult for me."

Liu He spoke highly of Sang Ran.

But these words pierced Lin Zhiyi’s heart like a needle, causing a numb pain, yet the wound was invisible.

It wasn’t that she was jealous of Sang Ran, but she felt guilt.

Speaking of Sang Ran, she arrived on the scene.

She wore a light gray coat with a herringbone pattern, a style that seemed very familiar.

Lin Zhiyi’s eyes flickered, remembering that Gong Chen was wearing a coat of the same style today.

Sang Ran seemed to notice her gaze and lifted her arm to touch the fabric, "How does it look? I had this couple outfit specially made."

"Beautiful."

Lin Zhiyi nodded, not daring to look directly into Sang Ran’s eyes.

Sang Ran handed Liu He and Lin Zhiyi each a box.

"Sister-in-law, this is my New Year’s gift for you."

"Xiao Ran, you’re too polite, we’re all family now."

Liu He opened the box to find a cashmere shawl, luxurious and elegant. She draped it over her shoulders, clearly delighted.

Sang Ran smiled and tapped the box in Lin Zhiyi’s hands, "Someone chose this for you; if it’s not to your liking, go find him."

"Who?" Lin Zhiyi was slow on the uptake.

"Haha, who? If my brother heard that, he’d probably cough up blood," joked Sang Ran carelessly.

Lin Zhiyi then realized and felt a bit embarrassed.

"Uh... thank you, Mr. Sang."

"Why are you thanking me? Just invite him to dinner someday, and that’ll be enough," Sang Ran suggested with a wink.

Lin Zhiyi pressed her lips together without responding.

During their exchange, Sang Ran’s gaze fixed on Lin Zhiyi’s neck.

Lin Zhiyi noticed and subconsciously touched the pearl necklace around her neck, asking cautiously, "What’s wrong?"

Sang Ran snapped out of her reverie, "That necklace is so beautiful; I wonder if Third Young Master’s gift for me is just as pretty."

"What?"

Lin Zhiyi’s hand paused, bewildered as she looked at Sang Ran.

Sang Ran’s cheeks flushed, coquettishly saying, "I overheard Assistant Chen telling Third Young Master that the pearl necklace had arrived, that it was meant to be a New Year’s present."

Upon hearing this, the blood quickly drained from Lin Zhiyi’s face.

Suddenly, the necklace around her neck felt like an iron chain bound for execution, tightly wound, suffocating, and painful.

"Zhiyi? Zhiyi? What’s wrong?"

Sang Ran noticed Lin Zhiyi’s pale expression and quickly nudged her.

Lin Zhiyi came to her senses, only then realizing that her hands were tightly clutching the necklace, causing it to strangle her neck.

That’s where the suffocating feeling came from.

This... it had happened again.

She was well aware that she was sick, but it seemed like no one else could see it.

Lin Zhiyi looked back at Sang Ran’s concerned face and immediately wore a smile, "It’s nothing. Since you like this necklace so much, I... I’ll give it to you."

She intended to say she would gift it, but the necklace should belong to Sang Ran, so what right did she have to offer it as a gift.

Having said that, she began to take off the necklace.

But the clasp was tight, and she kept picking at it, even scratching the skin on the back of her neck raw without feeling any pain.

"Zhiyi, it’s really not necessary; Third Young Master has already prepared one for me," Sang Ran declined, not wanting to take what belonged to someone else.

Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi became even more anxious.

What if Sang Ran didn’t receive the pearl necklace from Gong Chen?

How disappointed would she be?

And what right did she have to enjoy it?

Lin Zhiyi finally managed to remove the necklace and immediately put it around Sang Ran’s neck.

"It suits you better than it does me."

Sang Ran smiled and touched the necklace, "Really? Thank you, Zhiyi."

"Don’t, don’t thank me," Lin Zhiyi’s expression was awkward.

As soon as the words were out,

a cold voice sounded.

"What are you doing?"

It was Gong Chen.

Li Huan, who had come for a visit, followed behind him.

Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi turned to face the man’s dark eyes.

His gaze swept over the necklace on Sang Ran’s neck, his expression grim.

Sang Ran thought Gong Chen was speaking to her and hurriedly approached, "Zhiyi knows to give me a New Year’s gift, what about yours?"

"I’ve brought it."

Gong Chen’s voice was very faint as he signaled to Chen Jin.

Chen Jin handed over a long box.

A smile lingered on Sang Ran’s lips as she gave Lin Zhiyi a look.

It wasn’t a boastful display of triumph, but the sharing of joy from receiving a gift from a loved one.

However, when the box opened to reveal a diamond necklace, her smile stiffened.

Seconds later, Lin Zhiyi even overheard Sang Ran’s self-comfort.

"It seems I heard wrong, it’s not a pearl necklace, it’s a diamond necklace, so shiny."

Lin Zhiyi silently bowed her head, her heart twisting in agony.

She too was a woman, how could she not hear Sang Ran’s disappointment?

"I’ll put it on for you," Gong Chen stated flatly.

Sang Ran’s eyes brightened, and she smiled, lifting her hair, "Okay."

Gong Chen removed the pearl necklace from her neck and then put on the diamond necklace.

The next second, he turned around with a heavy gaze to Lin Zhiyi and held out the pearl necklace, "Take it back."

Lin Zhiyi stared at the pearl necklace but didn’t reach out to take it.

People came and went around them, and the two just stood there, at an impasse.

Worried that someone would notice something amiss, Chen Jin quickly reminded, "Third Young Master, everyone is waiting for you to start the show."

At that moment, Li Huan glanced at the red marks on Lin Zhiyi’s neck and immediately had a thought.

He whispered, "Let’s talk privately later, Miss Sang is also watching."

Lin Zhiyi heard this as well.

Sure enough.

When Gong Chen heard Sang Ran’s name, he immediately hid his threatening demeanor and, without looking back, left with Sang Ran in tow.

Lin Zhiyi stood in the cold wind, her entire body freezing.

Liu He came up and brushed aside her hair.

"It’s bleeding. Zhiyi, what happened?"

"It’s nothing, Mom, go enjoy the show. I’d like to rest for a bit."

Lin Zhiyi busied herself with her hair, her mind elsewhere.

Liu He nodded, "Okay, go ahead."

The two parted ways, and Lin Zhiyi walked in the opposite direction of the crowd.

When she reached the garden, an imposing figure blocked her path.

Old Mr. Gong.

He started speaking with a cold snort.

"Lin Zhiyi, I was right about you. You’re exactly the kind of low woman who’d seduce even her nominal uncle."

The inevitable had arrived.

Hearing these words, Lin Zhiyi felt her stomach churn.

If it had been before, she might have retorted, but now... she had confirmed these accusations herself.

She let out a cold laugh, "Then I should thank Old Mr. Gong. Without your stirring the pot, I wouldn’t have become like this."

"Heh. Really?" Old Mr. Gong mocked with profound meaning, "The thief who’d just left the Gong Family falls into Gong Chen’s hands. If he had evidence, why didn’t he produce it at the time? Why wait until you were desperate and searched for him?"

"..."

Lin Zhiyi’s face instantly turned pale as paper, her stomach cramped uncontrollably, her whole body contorting in pain. freёnovelkiss.com

Old Mr. Gong looked down at her coldly, "Figured it out? Aren’t you still being played by him? This isn’t joy, it’s merely... amusement, something all men love to toy with. What do you say you are?"

Lin Zhiyi thought of two words, "plaything."

By the time she snapped back to reality, Old Mr. Gong had already left.

She could no longer support herself and collapsed to the ground, her bright and clear eyes now empty and hollow, looking up to let out a self-deprecating laugh.

At that moment, her phone vibrated twice.

"Zhiyi, are you sure about this?"

"Sure."