Don't Say You're Heartless (Modern Edition)

95 Gift

On the day of the birthday party, Shen Qiuhua dressed appropriately. It was neither overly formal nor casual, ensuring she didn't outshine the birthday girl. This was something she had grown accustomed to during her past life in the imperial harem, requiring little effort now. Carrying a gift, she arrived at the party venue, driven by Yang Qiong. The party was being held at a well-known hotel.

Liu Manzhi had booked three private rooms on the third floor. The rooms in this hotel had a unique feature: they were separated by sliding doors, which could be opened to create one large space. Once the partitions were opened, it formed a spacious area, perfect for a lively gathering.

Liu Manzhi wore a sky-blue evening gown that day. She was naturally beautiful, and with her extra effort in dressing up, she truly dazzled, catching the eyes of many men in attendance.

Shen Qiuhua's arrival also turned heads.

"Cousin, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you," Liu Manzhi greeted her warmly, though it was just polite chatter. She held Shen Qiuhua's hand affectionately.

The sight of two beautiful women holding hands immediately captured the attention of the many men in the room.

Shen Qiuhua wore light makeup, though even without any makeup, her beauty would still shine through. The saying 'whether wearing heavy or light make-up, she's always beautiful' seemed to be made for her. Standing next to Liu Manzhi, she didn't appear any less dazzling.

"Manzhi, happy birthday," Shen Qiuhua said with a mild smile-polite, but not overly enthusiastic. She was there to show support, not to get too involved.

She handed Liu Manzhi a small purse containing a bracelet. Liu Manzhi glanced at the shape of the bag and immediately knew it wasn't the calligraphy scroll she had hoped for. Her face fell slightly. "What gift did my cousin bring for me?" she asked loudly, purposely raising her voice to draw the attention of the crowd.

"Why don't you open it and see?" Shen Qiuhua smiled, her expression unchanged.

Liu Manzhi had been waiting for this opportunity. Since her cousin was being so stingy, she wouldn't bother being polite. She had originally planned to sell the calligraphy her cousin would give her. Twenty thousand yuan would cover the costs of the party and leave her with a tidy profit. But what was this? If she'd known Shen Qiuhua wasn't going to gift her calligraphy, she wouldn't have rented such a fancy hotel.

She pulled out a box from the small purse and opened it, revealing a pure gold bracelet. The shiny gold was blinding. The attention of the crowd was instantly drawn to it, and there were murmurs of admiration. It wasn't often that someone gifted solid gold at such an event.

The complaints that Liu Manzhi had been about to voice were stuck in her throat. Anyone who saw this bracelet would be unable to complain about the gift being too light. "Cousin, why did you give me such a precious gift?"

Shen Qiuhua's smile grew even sweeter. "We're family. There's no need to distinguish between light and heavy. As long as you like it."

A group of Liu Manzhi's friends gathered around to admire the bracelet. "Your cousin is so good to you! This must have cost at least a few thousand yuan, right?"

Shen Qiuhua said nothing and took the opportunity to retreat to the corner of the room, with Yang Qiong standing one step behind her the whole time.

"I finally understand why you bought her the gold bracelet," Yang Qiong said. Now she realized that spending a bit more money had saved them a lot of trouble.

"Gentlemen value righteousness, while small people value profit. The world has always been like this," Shen Qiuhua said with a smile. She never feared dealing with blatant opportunists. In fact, she found them more tolerable than hypocrites.