Chapter 567 - 597: A Trivial Mess
Du Liya was overjoyed. She was about to become a grandmother, so she had brought Qin Jiao to a jewelry store and told her to pick out anything she wanted.
Also, Du Liya was grateful to Su Yun for taking care of Mr. Du all these years and insisted on buying her a thick gold chain.
Du Liya’s way of showing affection was simple: ’I like you, so I’m going to buy you things!’
Moreover, she was dressed stylishly, and her clothes looked expensive. Her offer was so generous that the sales associates immediately swarmed around her enthusiastically.
Li Xiaomei and Ji Yuehong, who had been ignored, saw their expressions sour.
Li Xiaomei hadn’t seen Du Liya in a long time. To begin with, she was a few years older than Du Liya, but now, the other woman was still radiant and glamorous while she herself had already hit menopause.
The contrast made it look like she was at least ten years older than the other woman!
It was truly disheartening.
’But she, Li Xiaomei, was supposed to be the victor.’
Ji Yuehong squeezed her hand. "What does she have to be so smug about? You’re the one who’s about to become a grandmother. And besides, you’re Mrs. Shen now!"
With her cousin’s encouragement, Li Xiaomei finally regained a sliver of confidence. She nodded and walked in, composed.
In truth, Qin Jiao had seen them the moment they approached. She was quite surprised to see how much Li Xiaomei had aged. After all, she remembered from her past life that even in her fifties, Li Xiaomei had looked quite a bit younger than she did now.
’Her life must be exhausting,’ she thought.
’Just one hassle after another, with nothing going her way.’
’What was that saying again? As long as you’re miserable, it’s a beautiful day.’
So when Du Liya looked up and saw the much older Li Xiaomei, she froze for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Well, look at you. How did you get so old? You look like you’re over fifty!"
The smugness Li Xiaomei had just mustered vanished in an instant. She glared daggers at Du Liya.
Ji Yuehong stepped in from the side. "Liya, you must still hold a grudge against Xiao Mei to say something like that. Back then, you were the one who didn’t have what it takes to keep your man. You can’t blame anyone else for that."
The sales associates froze, stunned by the palpable hostility. Of course, Su Yun couldn’t stand by and watch Du Liya get bullied. She took a step forward and glared at Ji Yuehong. "You’ve got some nerve. Stealing another woman’s husband and you still have the audacity to be so shameless."
Ji Yuehong shot back, "What’s it to you? Isn’t your whole family just sucking up to Du Liya?"
But Li Xiaomei glanced at her cousin and said, "That’s enough. Let’s not bring up the past."
She didn’t want the fact that she was Shen Zhengfeng’s second wife to be brought up again and again. So, she changed the subject, looking smugly at Du Liya and Su Yun. "My daughter-in-law is about to give birth, so I came out today to browse and buy her a little something. Oh, that’s right, Xiao Jiao, aren’t you about the same age as Xiao Nian? How come it’s taken you so long to have any news? If you have health problems, you should get checked out at the hospital sooner rather than later."
Qin Jiao saw the smugness playing at the corners of Li Xiaomei’s eyes. She just smiled and said, "What a coincidence. My mother and mother-in-law are also here at the jewelry store today to buy things for my baby. But speaking of which, I really can’t compare to Lin Nian. After all, I’m only pregnant with one. Lin Nian has been pregnant a few times now, hasn’t she? I wonder... back when we were taking our college entrance exams, that baby Lin Nian had an abortion to get rid of for Shen Feng... was it a boy or a girl?"
"You!"
Over on their side, the expressions on Du Liya and Su Yun’s faces brightened. Du Liya slipped her arm through Qin Jiao’s and said to Li Xiaomei, "Your daughter-in-law is the one who’s completely dependent on your family, on Shen Feng, isn’t she? My Xiao Jiao is different. She’s just as outstanding as my Xiao Yi. Her business acumen is far better than even Shen Zhengfeng’s! If you don’t believe me, you can stop by our family’s clothing company sometime. And my own in-laws here," she gestured to Su Yun, "they’re even more incredible. Their restaurant is famous for miles around. Oh, that’s right... what about your son’s in-laws?"