Chapter 45: Something Uncommon

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Li Mu paid no mind to Hai Yan’er’s baseless ridicule and accusations. However, his father-in-law’s attitude toward him was relatively kind, always wearing a smile—after all, this young man was the lifesaver of his own father. Hai Yan’er shot Li Mu a fierce glare once more.

“Mom, there are so many people watching. Can you please not act like this?”

“What do you mean? Tell me how I ended up giving birth to such a disgrace. Look at Master Yan—doesn’t he far surpass this beggar?”

Just then, Yan Kuan happened to walk in through the door. Hai Yan’er glanced at Master Yan with admiration, then looked at the shabby figure beside her. Her face darkened completely.

“Hurry up and greet Master Yan, quickly!”

With that, she pushed Jiang Wan out, almost causing her to stumble into Master Yan’s arms. Fortunately, Li Mu caught her from behind. Due to the momentum, Jiang Wan fell entirely into Li Mu’s embrace. The onlookers’ attention was instantly drawn once again.

“Oh my, is that Master Yan? I heard he’s currently negotiating a partnership with Mr. Wu Qiming. The Yan family is about to soar to new heights!”

“That’s right, and there are rumors lately that he and the eldest daughter of the Jiang family are involved. Their union could be imminent.”

“If that happens, the Jiang family’s strength will rise even further. After all, many heads in the Xiao family and other major clans are eager to make Mr. Wu’s acquaintance!”

“By the way, Mr. Wu’s background remains a mystery to this day!”

The murmurs all reached Hai Yan’er’s ears. She had heard whispers about the incident at the Imperial Club that day, later disrupted by this Li Mu. The thought of losing a chance to forge ties with Mr. Wu filled her with fury.

“Come over here immediately! What kind of behavior is this, a man and a woman hugging each other at the villa in front of everyone?”

Jiang Wan felt deeply wronged—wasn’t it her own mother who had just pushed her out?

At that moment, Elder Jiang slowly descended from upstairs.

“Elder Jiang!”

“Elder Jiang!”

As the main figure arrived, everyone rushed to greet him, their focus naturally shifting elsewhere. Elder Jiang’s complexion was ruddy and looked much improved from before. His eyes immediately found Li Mu in the corner of the hall.

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He smiled and nodded slightly at Li Mu. Li Mu bowed faintly in return—this was their greeting. Everyone began presenting the birthday gifts they had brought. Although none were priceless treasures or particularly cheap, the pair of jade pendants sent by Bai Weiwei immediately became the most eye-catching among the younger generation.

“The Bai family really went all out. The jade material is indeed top-grade, worth about four hundred thousand yuan!”

Hearing Li Mu’s remark, combined with his performance at the auction, surprised Jiang Wan greatly. Could it be that this guy truly knew something about these things?

Bai Weiwei’s face instantly clouded over with displeasure.

“Have you ever seen the world? I actually paid over six hundred thousand yuan for this from a friend!”

Li Mu coughed softly. What a good friend—definitely a sucker!

“Since this stinky beggar is so knowledgeable about the pendants, why not let him explain?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan tugged at Li Mu’s arm again. There was no way she would let him embarrass himself.

“If Miss Bai is so humble in asking, then she should adopt a proper attitude. But judging by your current tone—”

“Enough! I think you just got lucky, caught a dead mouse by accident and don’t really know what you’re talking about. Why put on a show in front of everyone?”

“How could a ragpicker like him recognize any high-end item? Miss Bai, don’t stoop to his level!”

Bai Weiwei’s face showed arrogance as she snorted coldly.

“If you can explain what’s wrong with my jade pendant, I will personally apologize to you!”

Li Mu had no desire to bother with her, but then he remembered he still needed the Dragon Beard Grass from the Bai family. Helping her recognize a friend today was like repaying half a favor.

“Jadeite has four key qualities: purity, brightness, intensity, and uniformity. Look at your pendant—the distribution of green is uneven!”

Everyone’s gaze was drawn once again to the jade pendant. The shading on it varied noticeably at a glance. Could it be that he really understood?

The crowd murmured in astonishment. Even members of the Lu family present wouldn’t have noticed such subtle flaws.

Bai Weiwei stared at the pendant in the box, her expression shifting. Spending over two hundred thousand yuan was nothing to her, but being taken for a fool still stung. She resolved to find a chance tomorrow to get to the bottom of this.

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This was merely a minor episode, and soon everyone resumed their cheerful chatter. However, Bai Weiwei’s gaze toward Li Mu shifted slightly.

Jiang Wan grew even more puzzled—who exactly was Li Mu, and how did he know so much?

“How was it, wife? Didn’t embarrass you today, did I?” Li Mu grinned broadly, teasing. Jiang Wan frowned.

At that moment, Jiang Yusheng spoke up beside them.

“I wonder what gift Jiang Wan brought for Grandpa. Why not show us? After all, you chose such a beggar for a boyfriend—I can’t imagine what sort of present you could have!”

Jiang Wan’s face flushed red and pale in turn. She slowly took the box from her bosom and handed it to her grandfather. It was a safety jade pendant she had chosen herself, with material far better than Bai Weiwei’s.

Elder Jiang laughed heartily and wore the pendant around his neck.

“I am very happy with the gift my granddaughter gave me!”

Jiang Yusheng’s face twisted into a sneer.

“This is clearly a careless gift. Let me show you my birthday present.”

He pulled a jade-carved box from his chest. Even from the outside, it appeared priceless. The entire box was made of jade, slowly opening to reveal a dazzling light shooting out from within.

“Oh my, what on earth is that?”

“That radiant glow—is it a luminous pearl?”

“Judging by the light beam, it’s no small luminous pearl!”

Everyone stared expectantly at the jade box in Jiang Yusheng’s hand. His smug expression deepened as he looked disdainfully at Jiang Wan.

“Grandpa loves you so much, and you only prepared a jade pendant in a hurry? Unlike me, who started searching early for a proper birthday gift!”

With that, the lid of the box was fully lifted, revealing a luminous pearl the size of an apple that emitted a brilliant glow.

At the sight of the luminous pearl, Li Mu couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Hahaha, this is hilarious!”

“Stinky beggar, what are you laughing at?”