44: Why has the price stopped rising in Chapter 44?

"Interesting." Su Yingxue smiled meaningfully. "A wealthy man of mysterious origin, a young lady hiding her identity—you two are quite the match."

She stood up and walked to the window, turning her back to Jiang Yan. "Do you know? Someone has been investigating Jiang Jing's background recently. It's not just ordinary curiosity, but an organized investigation."

Jiang Yan's heart tightened. "Who?"

"I'm not sure." Su Yingxue turned around, the sunlight forming a halo behind her. "But I can help you investigate, on the condition that you tell me the truth about Jiang Jing."

"That won't be necessary." Jiang Yan refused flatly. "Mr. Jiang has treated me well, and I will not betray his trust."

"Besides, I really don't know anything."

"Trust?" Su Yingxue sneered. "Jiang Yan, you are still so naive. Is there any kindness in this world without a reason? Jiang Jing taking you in might just be for ulterior motives."

Jiang Yan stood up and smoothed her clothes. "If Miss Su has nothing else, I will take my leave. The painting has been delivered, and Mr. Jiang will be very happy to hear that you like it."

Su Yingxue stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. "Fine, since you insist… Butler Zhou Shan!"

The old butler entered in response.

"See her out." Su Yingxue waved her hand and added, "Oh, and thank Mr. Jiang for the gift on my behalf. I like it very much."

Jiang Yan nodded slightly and turned toward the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Su Yingxue's voice came again:

"Jiang Yan, be careful not to repeat the same mistakes. Some people are not meant for you to provoke."

Jiang Yan's footsteps paused slightly, but she did not look back and walked straight out of the study.

Butler Zhou Shan walked Jiang Yan to the villa entrance and suddenly lowered his voice. "Miss Jiang, my mistress actually cares about you. Recently, someone has been investigating Villa No. 1, and they don't have good intentions."

Jiang Yan looked at the old butler in surprise. "Why are you telling me this?"

Butler Zhou Shan sighed. "What happened back then… is very complicated. The Su Family is not what you think. Some enemies are shared."

He handed over a business card. "If you need help, contact me anytime."

Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, but finally took the business card and put it away. "Thank you."

Walking out of the gate of Villa No. 3, Jiang Yan took a deep breath.

The midday sun was warm and bright, but it could not dispel the chill in her heart.

Su Yingxue's warning and Butler Zhou Shan's hints all signaled that a storm was coming.

She looked back at the spire of Villa No. 3. Su Yingxue was standing at the study window, watching her from afar.

The two locked eyes across the distance, neither making a move.

Jiang Yan turned and left; she needed to plan carefully to uncover the truth.

...

Zhou Wenying stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror at the Cartier boutique, her slender fingers gently stroking the diamond necklace worth 8.8 million around her neck.

Under the lights, the 5.2-carat main diamond shimmered with a brilliant radiance, reflecting on her fair skin, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Brother, is this… really for me?" Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Jiang Jing leaned against the counter, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. "You don't like it?"

"I like it! I love it!" Zhou Wenying was so excited she almost jumped up. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Jing's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Brother, you are too good to me!"

[Zhou Wenying Favorability + 15] (Current Favorability 81)

The system's notification sound rang in Jiang Jing's mind, and at the same time, 61.6 million was instantly credited to his bank card (8.8 million × 7 times cashback).

Jiang Jing felt a bit worried: This is a bit slow; there's still some distance to 1 billion…

The shop assistants stood to the side, wearing professional smiles, but the envy in their eyes was almost overflowing.

The store manager personally brought over champagne and said respectfully, "Sir, this is our store's treasured 2009 Dom Pérignon. Please, have a taste."

Jiang Jing took the glass and took a light sip. The champagne bubbles burst on his tongue, carrying a faint fruity aroma.

His gaze swept over the other jewelry in the store, and he suddenly noticed a bracelet in the corner of the counter.

"Bring that bracelet over for me to see."

The manager immediately understood and took out the diamond-encrusted Cartier Panther bracelet. "Sir, you have a good eye. This is our limited edition; only 50 were released worldwide, priced at 3.2 million."

Zhou Wenying's breath hitched.

Jiang Jing picked up the bracelet and held it against Zhou Wenying's slender wrist. "It suits you very well."

"Brother, this is too expensive…" Zhou Wenying declined verbally, but her eyes were glued to the bracelet.

"Wrap it up," Jiang Jing said directly to the manager, then pointed to the pair of diamond earrings in the center of the counter. "I want those too."

In the end, Jiang Jing spent another 5 million, receiving a cashback of 45 million.

He was still nearly 400 million away from the 1 billion mark.

Zhou Wenying was covered in sparkling jewelry, as if she were wrapped in money, exuding a dizzying radiance.

[Zhou Wenying Favorability + 3, Current Favorability: 84]

When leaving the jewelry store, Zhou Wenying held Jiang Jing's arm, almost hanging on him. She took out her phone, adjusted the angle, snapped a few selfies, and quickly posted them to her social media feed with the caption:

"Another day of being spoiled~"

In less than a minute, likes and comments exploded.

"Holy sh*t! Cartier high jewelry collection?!"

"These diamonds are worth more than my life!"

"Zhou Wenying, did you hook a sugar daddy?!"

She curled her lips in triumph, her vanity extremely satisfied.

Jiang Jing's goal was clear—take advantage of Zhou Wenying's high favorability, spend crazily, and quickly scrape together the 1 billion in funds to unlock the System Mall!

Next stop, Hermès.

"Welcome to Hermès!" The shop assistant smiled and came up to greet them. Her gaze lingered for a second on the Cartier diamond necklace on Zhou Wenying's neck, immediately judging that this was a true VIP customer.

"Bring out all the popular Birkin and Kelly bags in your store for us to see," Jiang Jing said directly.

The shop assistant's eyes lit up. "Sir, our Birkin bags require a matching purchase…"

"How much?"

"Around 1:1.5."

Jiang Jing couldn't be bothered with nonsense and took out his card directly. "Start with 2 million in matching items; I want three bags."

The shop assistant's breath hitched, and she immediately bowed. "Please wait a moment, I will arrange it right away!"

Zhou Wenying stood to the side, her heart pounding wildly. 2 million in matching items? Three Birkin bags? She had never imagined in her life that she could own one Hermès, and now Jiang Jing was actually going to buy her three?!

[Zhou Wenying Favorability + 3, Current Favorability: 87]

Soon, the shop assistant pushed over a display cart filled with silk scarves, watches, jewelry, and other matching items, as well as three Birkin bags in different colors—Sakura Pink, Classic Black, and Foggy Blue.

"Try them on," Jiang Jing signaled to Zhou Wenying.

With trembling hands, she picked up the Sakura Pink Birkin, carefully hung it on her arm, and twirled in front of the mirror, feeling like she was floating.

"Brother, this color suits me so well!"

"Then we'll take them all," Jiang Jing said nonchalantly.

The shop assistant almost dropped the POS machine in her hand. "Th-three, you want all three?!"

"Yes, swipe the card."

In the end, Jiang Jing spent 6.8 million (including matching items), receiving a cashback of 61.2 million.

Zhou Wenying had a Birkin on her left arm, a Kelly in her right hand, and the diamond necklace around her neck; she was glowing, walking with a spring in her step.

[Zhou Wenying Favorability + 2, Current Favorability: 89]

Jiang Jing frowned slightly—why was the growth rate slowing down?