Ten minutes later, the expert came over with precise X-ray images, excitedly saying, "There really is a piece of paper inside, and based on its size, it looks like letter paper! But the bracelet's design is very intricate—it has a one-time mechanism. Our expert team needs to hold a meeting to discuss whether we can open the bracelet and extract the letter without damaging it."
It seemed just as Qiuyun had guessed—this type of letter-hiding bracelet, which only has a small keyhole and no clasps, is essentially destroyed once opened.
"Alright, how long will it take?" she asked.
"It depends on the outcome of our discussion," the expert said, pulling out his phone. "How about this—let's exchange contact info. We'll notify you immediately once we have a situation update. What do you think?"
"Fine," Qiuyun agreed and scanned his code to add him. "I'll pay the appraisal fee now, and I need an official receipt. Also, make sure to schedule an appointment with me in advance before opening the bracelet."
"Understood, don't worry. We’ve been in business for decades—our reputation is solid!"
After getting the receipt, Qiuyun left the antique street.
She grabbed a casual lunch at a nearby dessert shop, then took a taxi to MR Entertainment Company.
Come to think of it, she hadn't seen her younger brother in over a month.
She wondered how the kid was adapting.
"Sis!" Qiu Ze rushed out of the practice room excitedly. "What are you doing here?"
Seeing that he seemed in good spirits, Qiuyun gave him a light slap on the back. "Stand up straight."
"Ouch!" Qiu Ze reacted instinctively. "You're just like our teacher!"
"How's training here? Going smoothly?"
The two walked to the small lounge outside the practice rooms. Qiu Ze grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge for his sister. "It's great! Everyone here is so focused and hardworking, just like the top students in my old class. They never gossip—it's all about discussing dance moves."
?
Qiuyun turned sideways and looked through the floor-to-ceiling window into the practice room.
It was about thirty square meters, and it was clearly break time. A few young boys were huddled together, loudly goofing off and playing mobile games.
"Don't they discuss anything with you?" she asked.
He chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head. "I just got here, and my foundation is weak. It's normal that they don't discuss moves with me."
"..."
Damn it. That kid was being isolated.
Her gaze fell on the other kids' phones, and she suddenly remembered—wasn't Qiu Ze using his dad’s old secondhand phone?
That phone had been bought five or six years ago, with an outdated model, cramped memory, and laggy performance. It couldn’t even play games—opening any app would take several seconds.
"Wait here."
Qiuyun immediately ordered two of the latest iPhones from a same-day delivery service. She might as well get a new phone for herself too.
"Sis!" Qiu Ze saw the order screen and quickly pulled a bank card from his pocket. "I’ve got food and a place to stay—I'm fine! You don’t need to buy me things! Besides, I’ve been saving up money for you. Go buy yourself some bags and makeup! Get a lot!"
"No need. Keep your savings for yourself. Your big sis has been making money—I don't lack this much." Qiuyun also ordered him a few sets of clothes. A boy of fifteen or sixteen grows fast; he'd shot up two or three centimeters in just a month.
Qiu Ze froze.
Staring at his sister's familiar face, he felt a strange knot in his chest.
His sister was beautiful, and beautiful girls were easy prey for shady men outside. As the man of the family, he'd always felt it was his duty since childhood to give his money to his sister.
But now, his sister wouldn't take his money—she was giving him money instead.
Qiuyun told him to put the bank card away. "But why are you carrying your bank card during training? I came by on a whim."
Qiu Ze snapped back to reality. "Oh, a few days ago, I ran into a kind person who gave me a gift and wanted to treat me to a meal. I didn't want to accept it for nothing, so I figured I'd treat them back after eating."
"..."
Kind person? That was clearly unauthorized fan contact!
Qiuyun rubbed her forehead in exasperation and lowered her voice. "Do your coworkers know about this?"
Qiu Ze thought for a moment and shook his head. "Probably not. I've been coming back to the dorm pretty late. Should I invite them all to go eat together?"
"Forget about eating!" Qiuyun slapped his head again. "Do you have that person's contact info?"
"Ouch!" Qiu Ze covered his head. "No, no! They only said they'd meet me after work today!"
"Don't get involved with this. From now on, if any stranger—especially an unfamiliar woman—talks to you, you refuse and ignore them, got it?"
"Got it, got it! I understand!" He always listened to his sister.
After giving him more advice about survival as a trainee, the phone and clothes arrived. Qiuyun switched out his SIM card. "Go practice. I'll wait for you to finish work."
"Okay!"
Qiu Ze rushed back to the practice room. One of his coworkers, who had never spoken to him before, couldn't help asking, "Qiu Ze, who was that? A relative?"
"That's my sister! Pretty, isn't she?"
A few of them felt a pang of jealousy—she really was beautiful, and Qiu Ze looked a lot like her. Ever since he joined the company, the front desk girls always gave him the biggest fruit platters and the best snacks.
Word around the company was that if he debuted, he'd definitely be the visual of a boy group.
Enough gossip—dance practice began.
Qiuyun watched for a bit, then lowered her head to set up her new phone. She took photos of what she'd bought at the antique market, organized them, and filled in any gaps by placing online orders.
Recently, she’d discovered something incredible: the sewing machine.
It could stitch quickly and neatly just by pressing a pedal—no need for hand-sewing!
Qiuyun immediately ordered one. It would arrive in a day or two, and then she'd be able to make clothes much faster!
Time passed quickly, and soon it was time to leave work.
On the way back to the dorm, Qiu Ze pointed vaguely toward a girl across the street, but his sister immediately shooed him away.
Qiuyun sauntered over to the young girl with a smile, sweet-talking her as "little sister" and "little beauty" until she charmed the girl into deleting the videos and messages from her clueless brother.
With that level of smarts, if it weren’t for his looks and willingness to work hard, he wouldn’t even make it in the idol industry.
It was late by the time she got home, and she still accompanied the Miss in carving some wood for a while.
That day, the Miss hadn’t brought up the topic of the "thirty-year plan" again, and Qiuyun naturally wasn’t about to mention it.
She’d pulled a clever little trick, avoiding the loss of trust that would come from keeping secrets without confessing.
But really—
Qiuyun sincerely hoped the Miss would figure out the key on her own.
In her past life, she’d risen to the position below only the matriarch of the ducal mansion. That success came from her own hard work, but it was also inseparable from the mistress’s careful guidance and full support.
In this life, meeting the Seventh Miss—who resembled that mistress in personality and temperament, and who was even a member of the Moonlight Pavilion herself—what kind of fate was this?!
Wanting to return the favor, she always felt she had to do something for the present Miss—the mistress in her heart.
The next day.
Qiuyun took out the cash she’d withdrawn and went with the Miss to visit the Eldest Young Master.
Jiang Chuling had been longing to see her future sister-in-law. Without giving Jiang Lin'an any warning, she stormed over—and sure enough, she caught him downstairs!
"Big Brother!"
Jiang Chuling trotted over, clinging to her brother’s arm and giving an exaggerated wink at the unfamiliar woman beside him. "And who might this be…"
Ambushed by his little sister, Jiang Lin'an rubbed his forehead in resignation and shot a reproachful look at the only adult behind his sister.
