Jiang Xingming had just sent a message to his assistant.
He told his assistant to take his personal seal to the bank and retrieve the set of pink diamonds locked away in his private safe—the set he had planned to give Tiantian as her dowry.
The set consisted of eight diamonds in total, and there were seven in the box.
Each one was as large as a pigeon’s egg, with the purest grade and the most dazzling fire. Under the sunlight, they glittered brilliantly.
They were not only beautiful but also immensely valuable as collectibles.
Even a single one was worth several hundred million.
Jiang Xingming had gone to great lengths to acquire these pigeon-egg-sized diamonds years ago. He had only managed to obtain seven of them, while the last one remained… missing.
Originally, he had planned to gather the complete set and give Tiantian a surprise when she got married.
But he couldn’t worry about that now.
He had already instructed people to keep an eye out for the last diamond. No matter the price, the moment it appeared, they were to buy it immediately.
As for his daughter’s dowry, there was no need to rush. He could slowly build it up over time.
His future daughter-in-law’s gift for addressing him as her father-in-law, however, was urgent.
“These are priceless treasures.”
Jiang Xingming deliberately kept them in suspense.
Jiang Ruitian leaned over eagerly, her eyes fixed on the box.
Even Jiang Zongyan was drawn in by his words, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
“Dad, hurry up and open it! What is it?”
Jiang Xingming opened the box. Inside, the seven pink diamonds were secured in silver settings and nestled firmly in the red velvet lining.
Under the lights, they glittered dazzlingly.
Mrs. Jiang winced at the expense. “I told you not to spend so much money.”
“Ahem, honey, these aren’t for you…”
“Could they be for me?”
Before Jiang Xingming could finish, Jiang Ruitian eagerly reached out to take them, her eyes practically popping out of her head.
They were exactly her type. She had dreamed of owning diamonds like these. They must be incredibly expensive, right?
She swore that from now on, she would never call him an old geezer again.
Jiang Xingming slapped her hand away. “Shoo, shoo. They aren’t for you either. I got them for Suisui.”
With that, he grinned, revealing a row of bright white teeth. “They’re for my future daughter-in-law. They’re her gift for calling me Dad!”
“For Suisui?”
Jiang Ruitian covered her stinging hand and pouted.
Her position in this family was in serious danger!
But her sadness lasted only two seconds before she comforted herself: As long as Suisui became her sister-in-law, what were a few diamonds worth?
Jiang Zongyan, however, recognized the diamonds. They had once belonged to a South African princess, but after a fierce struggle over the throne, the diamonds had entered the market and been auctioned off.
There were eight in total.
It was said that over the years, whenever one of these diamonds appeared, it would be purchased by a mysterious buyer.
Who would have thought that mysterious buyer was actually his own father?
His deep-set eyes narrowed slightly, and he held out his hand to Jiang Xingming. “Give them to me.”
“They’re for my future daughter-in-law.”
Jiang Xingming refused. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I’ll give them to her.”
The moment he said that, everyone was stunned.
Mrs. Jiang was the first to react. “Son, are you serious? You’re not joking?”
Jiang Ruitian was delighted. “Big brother, you’ve finally come to your senses!”
“…”
Jiang Xingming hesitated as he handed the box to him, but he didn’t let go right away. Worried, he reminded him, “You have to give them to Suisui. Tell her they’re her gift for calling me Dad.”
Jiang Zongyan’s gaze fell on the pink diamonds. He acknowledged him, then snatched the box from Jiang Xingming’s hand in one swift motion.
Jiang Xingming’s palm suddenly felt empty, and for some reason, he felt a little choked up.
Sure enough, leather jackets were nothing but debt collectors.
Still, when he thought about how this debt collector could bring home a sweet, obedient daughter-in-law for him, even the leather jacket started to look more pleasing to the eye.
—
After Jiang Zongyan got the diamonds, he received a phone call and left the hospital as well.
His long, bony fingers held the box. As he opened the car door, he suddenly couldn’t help smiling.
That girl had really become the darling of the Jiang family.
But… if she liked them, there was no harm in giving them to her.
He took out his phone, found the right angle, and snapped a picture of the diamonds in the box.
Then he logged out of his WeChat account and signed into his private one.
He found the account with the soft, fluffy white cat avatar and sent her the picture.
At that moment, Zhou Suisui was at the company discussing tomorrow’s trip to Hai City with Zhou Sui'an.
The conference would begin at nine the morning after next, so Zhou Suisui needed to leave the day before.
“I’ll have Fu Jie go with you tomorrow.”
“Big brother!”
Zhou Suisui was speechless. She saw right through his intentions.
“Your brother doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s reliable, and he knows you well. Having him go along will make things easier for you. Besides, it won’t be just the two of you. Zhang Liang, the director of Human Resources, will be going with you as well.”
Zhou Sui'an maintained a perfectly serious expression, though there was a hint of guilt in his eyes.
Zhou Suisui knew exactly what her brother was up to, but there didn’t seem to be any reasonable grounds for refusing the arrangement.
“Fine. But don’t try anything ridiculous. If you cause any embarrassing incidents, I’m not taking responsibility for you.”
“Got it, got it, you difficult little imp.”
“Go home early today and pack your things. Your flight is first thing tomorrow morning.”
Zhou Sui'an reminded her, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the two of them. If you run into a problem you can’t handle, call your brother directly.”
“Got it.”
Zhou Suisui didn’t stay at the company much longer. After packing up her things, she went home.
When she arrived, she took out her phone and discovered that Jiang Zongyan had sent her a message.
It had been sent more than an hour earlier.
Zhou Suisui’s breath caught.
Good heavens, she really didn’t have the habit of checking WeChat all the time.
She lowered her eyes and stared hesitantly at the screen, where the row of glittering pink diamonds filled it.
Were they pictures from the internet? Or…
As the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, she had never even seen diamonds of such an extravagant grade.
Why would Jiang Zongyan send her a picture of diamonds?
Zhou Suisui sat on the sofa, her fingers tapping against her phone.
Her slender, pale fingertip pressed down on the voice-message button.
Deliberately pitching her voice sweetly and making it unbearably sugary, she began to speak.
After sending the message, she hugged her phone and collapsed onto the sofa with a laugh.
She could already imagine the dark look on Jiang Zongyan’s face when he received it.
At that moment.
Jiang Zongyan hurried to the company, where he was holding a sudden meeting with the senior executives.
His phone was connected to the projection screen.
Several messages popped up one after another.
Assistant Lin was searching for the information Jiang Zongyan needed. Before he could move the cursor away, it clicked the messages open.
Without warning, the girl’s soft, sweet voice rang out in the quiet conference room, exceptionally clear.
“Brother Yan, are you planning to give these diamonds to Suisui?”
“Brother Yan, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Suisui and want to pursue her?”
“…”
In an instant, the enormous conference room fell eerily silent.
Everyone’s eyes shot toward the man seated at the head of the table, then quickly darted away again as they lowered their heads and struggled to hold back their laughter.
Assistant Lin had heard through the grapevine that Mr. Jiang and Miss Zhou were close to getting together. Judging by this, it seemed the rumors were true.
“Mr. Jiang, I—I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.”
Lin Zhou was nearly crying from embarrassment. What was wrong with his hand?
Jiang Zongyan sat upright at the head of the table. Compared with everyone else’s astonishment, his cold, handsome face remained completely expressionless.
After two seconds, he pinched the bridge of his nose, picked up his phone, and disconnected the projection software.
His long, well-defined fingers tapped against the screen a few times before he sent a reply.
