Chapter Eighteen: Then What Does It Matter What She Does?

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Shen Suining tapped a few times on her phone and sent a reply.
“Isn’t this tacit approval from Mother?”
Ye Pianpian saw Shen Suining’s screen and couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle.
Their little Suisui had learned how to tease too.
Sure enough, Pei Min didn’t respond to the message but instead turned to glare at Shen Suining, as if saying, “Just wait until this auction ends, you’ll regret it.”
Shen Suining pretended not to notice Pei Min’s gaze and focused her attention on the stage.
From her angle, her line of sight just happened to pass over Jiang Runlang and the others.
Unexpectedly, Shen Suining’s eyes met Jiang Jiang’s.
Jiang Jiang’s small face was full of confusion; she stared at Shen Suining for a long moment before looking away.
She was sitting on Jiang Runlang’s lap, arms wrapped around his neck, whispering in his ear, “Daddy, is that really Mom? Why does she look different from usual?”
In Jiang Jiang’s memory, Shen Suining always looked disheveled and filthy, covered in dirt and grime, making her unpleasant to look at.
Grandma often told her, “Your mother is a lowly person unfit to be seen in public!”
Jiang Jiang hated that kind of mother; it made her feel deeply ashamed.
But today, Mom was so different.
Usually, when she saw Dad and her, Mom would eagerly approach, even if they didn’t treat her kindly; she pretended not to notice and would come close, asking about their wellbeing with repeated words.
But today, Mom seemed like a stranger; even when she deliberately called Teacher Lin "Mom," Mom didn’t correct her angrily.
It was very strange.
This Mom felt unfamiliar to Jiang Jiang. Jiang Runlang looked at Jiang Jiang’s troubled little face, smiled, and gently ruffled her hair. He said warmly, “Haven’t you already chosen a new mom for yourself? Then why care about her?”
At once, Jiang Jiang’s eyes lit up with realization, and she happily kissed Jiang Runlang on the cheek, “Right, Daddy, you’re so smart.”
Jiang Runlang always enjoyed Jiang Jiang’s praise and affectionately patted her head again, gently tapping her back as he said, “Alright, sit properly. The auction is starting. Tell Daddy what you like.”
Jiang Jiang obediently sat up straight, her eyes fixed on the stage.
She loved beautiful treasures most; Daddy would surely fulfill her wishes.
Shen Suining clearly saw the shift on Jiang Jiang’s face from confusion to sudden understanding and could guess what Jiang Runlang had said without hearing it.
With Lin Yinxie as the new mother, Jiang Jiang could completely disregard her from now on.
Shen Suining’s speculation was confirmed when Lin Yinxie turned around and flashed a triumphant smile at her.
Ye Pianpian’s fists clenched tightly as she grabbed Shen Suining’s wrist, whispering into her ear, “What’s bearable and what’s not—Suisui, look at her little villainous face! It’s enough to drive me mad!”

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Shen Suining gently patted Ye Pianpian’s hand and said, “It’s none of my business now.”
Ye Pianpian pouted and snorted, “That won’t do. If you don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll really think she owns the place!”
Shen Suining sighed and comforted her.
Just then, her phone screen lit up again, immediately drawing Ye Pianpian’s attention.
The screen boldly displayed two characters: “Husband!”
Ye Pianpian blinked, then turned to stare at Shen Suining.
Before Ye Pianpian could ask anything, Shen Suining’s cheeks visibly flushed, even the tips of her ears blushed faintly.
It was the first time Ye Pianpian had seen such a reaction on Shen Suining’s face.
Immediately, Ye Pianpian grinned mischievously.
She leaned close to Shen Suining’s ear and lowered her voice to ask, “It’s him, right?”
Though Ye Pianpian was carefree and straightforward, she knew how to keep things discreet.
The news of Jiang Jin’s return hadn’t been made public yet, and she certainly wouldn’t want it spilling from her.
So, in this setting, Ye Pianpian wouldn’t even dare utter Jiang Jin’s name.
Who knew if someone who could read lips was watching them?
Shen Suining gave a slight nod, answering without words.
Ye Pianpian instantly perked up, poking Shen Suining’s side and winking.
“That's marked as ‘husband’! How could I not be excited!”
She knew that even her own eldest daughter was only marked as “Pianpian” in Shen Suining’s phone.
Ye Pianpian felt a pang of discomfort—if the occasion were different, she would interrogate Shen Suining on this double standard.
Ignoring Ye Pianpian’s resentful gaze, Shen Suining opened the message sent by Jiang Jin.
“Honey, Yinuo wants the fourth item. Can you help him get it, please?”
After reading the message, Shen Suining’s cheeks flushed even more.
She quickly tapped a reply on her screen: “Got it.”
After sending, she flipped the phone face down.

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Ye Pianpian was now so excited she felt like pinching her.
She leaned close to Shen Suining’s ear and said, “Suisui, you owe me an explanation during this auction.”
Shen Suining puffed her cheeks, considering that it might be best to just bring Ye Pianpian to meet Jiang Jin and have him explain.
After all, the notes and labels in her phone were made by Jiang Jin without her knowing.
Lost in thought, Shen Suining flipped open the auction catalog to the fourth item.
It was a rare blue diamond necklace, rumored to be a coronation gift to the Queen of the E Kingdom, with the main gem alone worth over a hundred million.
For a moment, Shen Suining deeply regretted having agreed to Jiang Jin’s request so hastily.
But now it was too late; the auction had reached the fourth item.
The auctioneer gave a detailed introduction of the necklace, and the bidding officially began.
“Starting bid: 150 million.”
“160 million.”
“170 million.”
“180 million.”
“200 million.”
Bids flew as guests raised their paddles, pushing the price to 230 million.
Shen Suining had yet to raise her paddle.
Jiang Runlang, sitting in the front row, also remained motionless.
Ye Pianpian pondered for a moment, then muttered, “Something’s off. This is really off.”
“What’s wrong?” Shen Suining asked.
Ye Pianpian said, “At this scale of auction, an item like this just shouldn’t appear.”
This was just a rather informal charity auction; frankly, the auction was a side event. The main event was the banquet afterward.
People came to casually support charity to boost their public image, but the real purpose was networking.
Given that, the presence of such an exorbitantly priced necklace at this auction was very strange.