At that moment, Father Zhang looked at Zhang Yanyan with a smile in his eyes and added, “I know you’ve taken a liking to collecting jade recently, so your mother and I specifically picked out quite a few rough stones from Myanmar while we were abroad. We also bought a number of jade ornaments and pieces of jewelry. We had everything shipped back and stored in the underground vault. You can go take a look whenever you have time. We chose them all according to your tastes.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Zhang Yanyan accepted happily, a smile spreading across her face.
That evening, the whole family sat around the table and enjoyed a lively home-cooked dinner.
Afterward, they chatted in the living room for a while. Zhang’s parents then returned to their room to rest, while Zhang Yanyan went alone to the underground vault.
She unlocked the fingerprint security system and pushed open the door. Inside, there were piles of rough stones, while one side of the room held display shelves lined with all kinds of jade jewelry and ornaments. Every piece was of exceptional quality, with excellent color and translucency.
She raised her hand and pressed the button to shut off the vault’s surveillance system. Only after confirming that all the cameras were offline did she focus her mind and send every piece of jade jewelry and every ornament on the shelves into her personal space.
She then walked over to the piles of rough stones and carefully sorted through them, taking the ones with excellent quality and a high likelihood of containing jadeite into her space as well. She left behind only the worthless stones that contained little to no jade.
Once everything was in order, she locked the vault and returned to her room.
The Zhang family’s old residence was a considerable distance from Tengyuan. The round trip took more than an hour. Since Zhang Yanyan had classes during the day, she usually lived in a detached villa near the school and only returned to the old residence for a few days when she had no evening classes.
Zhang’s parents stayed in Rongcheng for only two days before receiving an urgent call from the Zhongzhou branch. A problem had arisen with the new-energy project, and the two of them needed to personally take charge.
Before leaving, they repeatedly reminded Zhang Yanyan to take good care of herself. They also specifically spoke with Tengyuan’s principal and the director of academic affairs, asking the school to protect her privacy. Then they boarded their private plane and hurried to Zhongzhou.
The workload of her second year at university was already demanding, but Zhang Yanyan handled it with ease. Her grades in her major courses consistently ranked among the top three in her year, and her independent study of advanced finance had even surpassed that of some third-year students. Her professors would deliberately call on her during class and held her in high regard.
The financial knowledge she had gained from the top-tier financial trading skills rewarded by the system, combined with the heightened awareness she had developed after practicing the Soul Refining Art, made these subjects effortless for her.
Her classmates looked at her with nothing but admiration.
After dinner, Su Yuan finished washing up and came over to drag Zhang Yanyan into another game.
Su Yuan sprawled across the sofa, her fingers flying over the phone screen as she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Cousin! Save me! They’ve surrounded me!”
Zhang Yanyan leaned against the other side of the sofa, her fingertip gliding across the screen as she maneuvered her character around to the enemy’s rear. In just a few moves, she took out their main attackers and said calmly, “I told you to circle around from behind. You just had to charge straight ahead.”
“I was in a hurry!” Su Yuan stuck out her tongue. When the word “Victory” appeared on the screen, she immediately cheered. “My cousin is amazing! I’m following you from now on!”
After winning the game, Su Yuan took some imported snacks from the basket nearby. The two of them curled up on the sofa, watching a movie, complaining about the plot, and chatting about amusing things that had happened at school. Their days passed in a relaxed and comfortable blur.
They often went shopping together as well. Su Yuan held a pink haute couture dress against herself and turned to ask Zhang Yanyan, “Cousin, does this look good? It’ll be perfect for the next banquet.”
“It suits you. Pink makes your complexion look brighter.” Zhang Yanyan nodded.
After trying on the dress, Su Yuan pulled her into a jewelry store. She picked up a South Sea pearl necklace and placed it around her neck, studying her reflection in the mirror.
“Cousin, what do you think of this one? My mom’s birthday is coming up, and she’s always liked pearl necklaces.”
“You have good taste. They’re natural saltwater pearls, with thick nacre and a beautiful luster. They’re perfect for your aunt.” As she spoke, Zhang Yanyan asked the sales assistant to wrap the necklace. She then casually paid for an extremely luxurious bracelet from the display beside it as well.
“Cousin, why did you pay? I brought my card.” Su Yuan froze for a moment and hurriedly protested.
“Your mother has always treated me so well. It’s only right that I give her something for her birthday. Don’t be so polite.” Zhang Yanyan handed her the wrapped necklace, her tone sincere.
Su Yuan’s mother did not come from a wealthy family. She was simply a middle-school teacher.
But according to the original owner’s memories, she had indeed treated her well. Although she was somewhat stern, she was also very patient.
“You’re the best, Cousin!” Su Yuan wrapped her arms around Zhang Yanyan’s neck and kissed her on the cheek, smiling brightly.
………………
That weekend, Su Yuan brought Su Chen along and invited Zhang Yanyan to spend the day at the Qinglan Resort in the countryside.
Zhang Yanyan had taken Su Yuan there once before. More importantly, the resort belonged to her family, so there was no need to worry about her safety there.
This time, they decided to bring Su Chen along as well. All the resort staff knew her.
Su Chen was nearly as tall as Su Yuan’s shoulder. With his handsome features and clean-cut appearance, he looked immaculate in his tailored white T-shirt and casual trousers.
The Su family was comfortably well-off, and Su Chen had studied a variety of skills under renowned instructors since childhood. Horseback riding was his favorite, but since his family had never built a stable, keeping a horse had been inconvenient, and he had never been able to own one.
When they arrived at the resort’s stables, Su Chen’s eyes lit up at once. His gaze fixed on the warmblood white horse, and he turned to Zhang Yanyan and Su Yuan with unmistakable anticipation in his voice.
“Cousin, Sis, I’ve been learning basic riding from a national-level equestrian coach for two years. Could I try that warmblood? It looks like it has a gentle temperament.”
Zhang Yanyan followed his gaze. The white horse was the finest warmblood at the resort. It had a docile temperament and was especially suitable for young riders.
She gave a slight nod and said to Manager Wang, who stood behind her, “Choose that white horse. Prepare a complete set of top-of-the-line protective gear and have an experienced horse trainer accompany him. Make absolutely sure he’s safe.”
“Yes, Miss Zhang. I’ll arrange everything right away.” Manager Wang bowed and immediately went to carry out her instructions.
Before long, the white horse was led out. The horse trainer helped Su Chen put on his protective gear and carefully assisted him onto the saddle.
Su Chen sat firmly, both hands gripping the reins. With the horse trainer accompanying him, he began with a slow trot. His posture was straight and confident—clearly, he had received proper training.
Besides, what boy could possibly resist such an attraction?
After two laps, Su Chen drew back on the reins and brought the horse to a stop in front of Zhang Yanyan. His eyes were filled with delight.
“Cousin, it’s so well-behaved. It feels incredibly steady when it runs.”
Seeing the light in his eyes, Zhang Yanyan’s lips curved into a faint smile. She then said to Manager Wang, “Put this horse under Su Chen’s name. Arrange a separate stable for it, and find an experienced trainer and caretaker to look after it exclusively. He can come ride it whenever he wants. Put all the expenses on my account.”
“Yes, Miss. I’ll make all the arrangements immediately.” Manager Wang bowed again and accepted the order.
Su Chen quickly jumped down from the horse and walked over to Zhang Yanyan, grinning as he thanked her. “Thanks, Cousin!”
Su Yuan patted him on the shoulder and said with a laugh, “You little rascal. You’ve been staring at this horse every time we came to the resort. Now you finally got your wish, huh?”
Zhang Yanyan turned to look at the brother and sister and said indifferently, “If you like it, come by often. It’s your own place, so don’t stand on ceremony.”
