After the Bankrupt Heiress Married into a Rich Family - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

A warm, alcohol-scented, damp breath brushed against the side of her neck.

Mingzhu and Rong Zhao said their goodbyes to the elders and left with their bags of gifts. As soon as they were in the car, before Rong Zhao could even ask if she was tired, Mingzhu hit the button to raise the privacy screen between the front and back seats.

Rong Zhao knew Mingzhu had something to say and waited.

Mingzhu placed the leather jewelry case—which she had carried herself the whole way, refusing even when Rong Zhao offered to help—onto the small tray table.

“Rongrong, look quickly!” Mingzhu excitedly opened the drawers. “Your mother called me to the study to give me this. She said she and your father bought it at an auction when she was pregnant with you. Have you seen it before?”

Rong Zhao was surprised that her mother had given Mingzhu this specific set. Looking at Mingzhu’s wide, beaming smile, she understood her excitement.

Mingzhu had touched up her makeup after dinner; her red lips and white teeth flashed as she laughed, her dark eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

Rong Zhao’s gaze swept briefly over Mingzhu’s smiling lips before she looked down at the jewelry and took off her glasses. “I’ve seen it. She tried to get me to wear it, but I didn’t think it suited me, so I never did. You like it?”

“I love it! Of course I do. You think it’s too high-profile and flashy, right? I think it suits me perfectly.”

Seemingly indifferent to the precious gift, Rong Zhao casually wiped her glasses. “If you like it, keep it with a clear conscience. Consider it my thank-you gift for your hard work today.”

Mingzhu’s eyes suddenly widened. She snatched the glasses from Rong Zhao’s hand, forcing Rong Zhao to look at her.

“Rong Zhao, what are you thinking? I, Bai Mingzhu, will definitely keep things I should keep, but I won’t take things I shouldn’t. This is a first-meeting gift obtained by deceiving your elders. I’m not keeping these, or the gifts you put in my bag. I’m just admiring them because I love them. Once I take some photos to show off to myself, I’m returning them to your study.”

Mingzhu placed the glasses back in Rong Zhao’s hand. “Rong Zhao, I’m a person who knows where the boundaries are. You should be grateful for that. If I weren’t, and I insisted on pestering you or intentionally seducing you to make you fall for me, think of how much trouble you’d be in.”

Rong Zhao: “…”

Grateful for her “clear boundaries”? At this moment, Rong Zhao didn’t like that trait one bit. What Rong Zhao cared about, Mingzhu didn’t; what Rong Zhao didn’t care about, Mingzhu insisted on being principled about.

Rong Zhao put her glasses back on and looked out the window at the passing withered trees. Her brow furrowed slightly as she said nonchalantly, “They aren’t particularly valuable. If you want to keep them, keep them. Don’t feel burdened. If you don’t, just leave them at my place and take them whenever you want to wear them. Just do whatever makes you comfortable.”

Mingzhu laughed. “I won’t keep them. I’ll leave them with you. I only accept the ‘acting fee’ you give me.”

“Mhm.”

Mingzhu smiled, but she still gave Rong Zhao a “resent-the-rich” glare. If gold bars and jade hairpins didn’t count as valuable, and this gemstone set didn’t either, then what did? Even when her family was wealthy, she had never owned something this expensive. The spending power of the Rong family was on a completely different level than hers had been.

“Anyway, Rongrong, did I do well today? Is there another reward?” Mingzhu leaned closer, playfully tugging at Rong Zhao’s silk scarf and blinking up at her.

Rong Zhao didn’t need to turn her head to feel Mingzhu’s chin nearly touching her clothes. Her breath hitched. She said flatly, “Not bad. I’ll top up your spending limit for this month first.”

“Great!” Mingzhu reached out to hug Rong Zhao, but pulled away a second later, sitting back with a satisfied grin.

“By the way, Rong Zhao, what’s your prescription?”

“Zero.”

“…”

So they really are just for decoration… But why was she wearing them at home that first night Mingzhu came over? For blue light protection?

Mingzhu spent the entire ride home taking photos. The first thing she did upon returning was take off her wedding ring and put it in the nightstand. Then, she spent hours in the walk-in closet changing her outfits, hair, and makeup just to take selfies with the jewelry. She was still at it after dinner, trying to capture the shimmer of the gems under natural moonlight.

Around 8:00 PM, Mingzhu finally finished and saved her favorites. She carried the leather case to Rong Zhao’s study.

Rong Zhao was wearing a silk nightgown with a soft shirt over it. She wore her rose-gold glasses, her long hair pinned up with the jade hairpin her mother had given them. She looked like a cold, elegant heiress from a turn-of-the-century mansion.

“Rongrong, I’m here to return the gifts. Take a look.” Mingzhu opened the drawers and snapped a photo of Rong Zhao with the five pieces of jewelry, then sent it to her on WeChat. “Keeping a record of the work. Just in case you open this later and something is missing, you won’t suspect I didn’t return everything.”

Rong Zhao rubbed her temples. “You’ve never worked in an office, yet you’re so afraid of being framed.”

Mingzhu patted the jewelry box. “You don’t need office experience to know you should be cautious, especially with things this expensive.”

Rong Zhao looked at the photo and scrolled through Mingzhu’s Moments. “You didn’t post the photos?”

“I didn’t.” Mingzhu looked at her reflection in the window behind Rong Zhao, vanity-checking her hair. “I just enjoyed the process. I was happy while taking them; I don’t care if others ‘like’ them or not.”

Rong Zhao remembered Mingzhu had always been like this in school—self-centered in a healthy way, self-loving, and confident. That was why she was always the most radiant person in a crowd. A faint, fleeting smile touched Rong Zhao’s lips.

Mingzhu looked down and saw a goblet on the desk. She looked surprised. “You’re drinking?”

Rong Zhao stood up to put the jewelry box in the cabinet, along with the other gifts. The cabinet didn’t even have a lock. “If you ever want to wear them out, just take them. You don’t need to tell me. It doesn’t matter if you accidentally lose them; otherwise, they’ll just sit in this cabinet forever. That’s a medicinal wine for sleep. I just got it from my father today. He had it specially formulated years ago when he had insomnia from the pressure of running the company. It has Albizia bark and tangerine peel to soothe the nerves. It’s mild. Want a taste?”

Mingzhu was curious. “I’ll try it. Give me a glass.”

Rong Zhao: “Drink directly from mine. I don’t mind.”

Mingzhu shook her head. She didn’t want Rong Zhao to act like she didn’t mind now, only to judge her later. “Give me a glass. Have you been losing sleep lately? Is it because of meeting the parents or something with the company?”

Rong Zhao’s expression darkened as she turned to get a small cup from the bar. She poured a single sip for Mingzhu. “A bit of both.”

Mingzhu took the sip. The medicinal wine was made with high-proof spirit; the taste was strange and quite strong. But since it was from Rong Zhao’s father, she couldn’t say it was bad. “It’s okay, just a bit spicy. I’ll let you get back to work then. I’m heading out.”

“Mhm.”

After Mingzhu left, Rong Zhao—who had never taken off the wedding ring on her ring finger—locked the study door. She wrapped the silk scarf Mingzhu gave her around her wrist, poured the wine into the cup Mingzhu had used, and continued drinking, placing her lips exactly where Mingzhu’s lip balm had left a faint mark.

Mingzhu went to bed after her skincare routine, but she couldn’t stop tossing and turning. Maybe she was too excited from playing with the jewelry, or maybe it was the fact that she had to share a bed with Rong Zhao again.

When Rong Zhao came into the room to sleep, she noticed Mingzhu wasn’t asleep yet. Though her eyes were closed, her breathing was uneven and her body was tense.

Rong Zhao turned off the light and settled under the covers. In the silence, she whispered, “Are you tired today?”

Mingzhu didn’t answer.

Rong Zhao: “I’m going to pinch you. You’d better not make a sound then.”

Mingzhu finally rolled over, resting her head on her folded hands. Her voice was soft. “I’m not tired. I’m not like you—you get energy from within. I get my energy from the outside. Socializing makes me happy.”

“…”

“Rong Zhao, let me ask you—why didn’t you tell me at the stables that the girl was your Third Aunt’s niece?”

Rong Zhao’s ears twitched. Keeping her eyes closed, she asked, “What did she say to you around the corner?”

Mingzhu: “Nothing much. She was just jealous your mom gave me a gift. She said a few unpleasant things.”

There was no need to tell the full truth, but she didn’t want to cover for that “cousin” either. A little tattle-tale session was just right.

Rong Zhao’s voice turned cold. “If there’s a next time, tell her to say it to my face.”

Mingzhu smiled, satisfied. “It’s fine. I can handle little tricks like that… I don’t know if I’m right, but does your Third Aunt always try to set you up with her niece?”

Rong Zhao opened her eyes. “Do you care?”

Mingzhu laughed, making the bed shake slightly. “Why would I care? Even if you actually liked her, I wouldn’t care.”

Rong Zhao: “…”

Mingzhu truly didn’t care. Third Aunt was unpleasant, but Mingzhu had an equally unpleasant Second Aunt in her own family. She was familiar with that type of person.

As for the “Lu Zi” the cousin mentioned, she cared a tiny bit—maybe 5%.

For example, before Lu Zi transferred schools, Rong Zhao had given her a custom piano music box with “Happy Birthday” engraved in Rong Zhao’s own handwriting. When Rong Zhao went to the UK for studies, Lu Zi was already there. Whenever Rong Zhao traveled, it seemed she was always following in Lu Zi’s footsteps.

Rong Zhao didn’t speak again. Mingzhu assumed the medicinal wine had kicked in and she had fallen asleep, so Mingzhu eventually drifted off too.

But not long after Mingzhu fell asleep, she felt a weight on her waist. A warm, alcohol-scented, damp breath brushed against the side of her neck. Her wrist was gripped, and the back of her hand brushed against smooth, silky fabric.