chapter 11
The jewelry box, made of pearwood and intricately carved, was clearly of great value just from its appearance—let alone what was inside it.
Aunt Lin recognized it instantly. It was Madam Cheng Yu’s most treasured jewelry box, usually kept locked away in the safe.
How on earth did she get her hands on it?
Aunt Lin glared at the girl furiously and shouted,
“Gu Qingning! Why is that jewelry box in your hands? Put it down right now! That’s not something you can touch!”
As she spoke, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer and lunged forward to grab it.
“Take one more step,” came a cold, flat voice, “and I can’t guarantee you’ll walk out of here in one piece.”
The chilling tone froze Aunt Lin where she stood.
Only now did she realize that something was off. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the young girl sitting calmly on the sofa.
“Gu Qingning—you—you can talk?”
A mute suddenly speaking—anyone would be shocked.
Gu Qingning’s slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the lid of the jewelry box, her dark eyes sharp and glacial.
“‘Gu Qingning’—is that name something you think you can just call out?”
“Before you entered the Gu household, no one taught you the difference between a master and a servant?”
Before the last word had even faded, a fierce, intimidating aura burst from her, filling the room.
Aunt Lin shivered; her knees went weak.
At that moment, the butler finally realized—the Gu Qingning in front of them was no longer the timid, voiceless girl they used to bully.
The sickly kitten had turned into a tiger—and a very dangerous one at that.
“Miss Qingning,” the butler said with a forced smile, “Aunt Lin just misspoke for a moment. Please don’t hold it against her. I’ll scold her later.”
“This is Madam’s room, and that jewelry box is something she treasures deeply. How about this—you put it back in the safe, and we promise we won’t say a word about today to anyone. Would that be all right?”
It seemed she really had picked the most valuable thing to take.
“I’m not being petty,” Gu Qingning said mildly, casually reaching for the large iron hammer beside her. “I’m settling accounts.”
“Call Cheng Yu. Ask her which is more important—her poker game, or her jewelry box.”
At this hour, everyone in the Gu household knew Madam Cheng Yu was either hosting a card game or out at someone else’s house playing one.
The butler, terrified things might spiral out of control, tried to persuade her again.
“Miss Qingning, if Madam finds out you touched her jewelry box, she’ll be furious. You’d better—”
Gu Qingning’s expression turned cold with impatience as she cut him off, speaking each word clearly:
“Call her. Now. Immediately.”
“She has ten minutes. For every minute she’s late, I’ll smash one piece of jewelry.”
Her words were so calm, yet so insane that both the butler and Aunt Lin were trembling with fear.
They knew that anything kept in that safe was of extraordinary value. Smashing even one piece—no, even half a piece—was more than they could afford to compensate for.
“You wouldn’t dare cause trouble! Madam will never forgive you when she gets back!” Aunt Lin shouted, puffing herself up though her voice trembled.
“Gu Qingning, I’m warning you—put that down right now! Just one of those pieces costs more than your life! You could never pay for it even if you sold yourself!”
The butler grabbed Aunt Lin’s arm roughly and barked, “Shut your mouth!”
How utterly stupid—she still hadn’t realized the situation. The Gu Qingning before them was not the same meek, bullied mute girl anymore.
If not for the fact that Aunt Lin was one of Madam Cheng Yu’s favored servants, he would’ve slapped her already.
Aunt Lin, used to throwing her weight around under Madam Cheng Yu’s protection, jerked her arm free and snapped,
“Why are you stopping me? Everything in that box is priceless! If even one piece is damaged and Madam loses her temper, both of us will—”
Her words cut off abruptly.
Aunt Lin gasped in pain as both knees buckled, her heavy body collapsing to the ground.
A small, clear glass bead fell and bounced across the floor with a crisp, ringing sound.
The butler’s heart seized as he stared blankly at the bead rolling away.
“My legs—they hurt! It hurts so much!”
Aunt Lin’s wailing filled the room, snapping the butler out of his daze. He looked down at her in shock.
