CHAPTER 857: CHAPTER 859: SHAMELESS

Cheng Xiaohua took it in stride and had a great mindset: "My mom always said I have a tough fate, ordinary little ghosts can’t take me down. I’ve survived this life-and-death ordeal, and in the eyes of some elders, it means ’surviving a disaster ensures future blessings,’ so my life will just get smoother from here on out!"

Jinxia couldn’t help but nod, "Right, surviving a disaster ensures future blessings!"

At the end, she added another line: "Stick with me, and there’ll be plenty to eat!"

Cheng Xiaohua nodded seriously with a solemn expression: "Right, that’s what I thought too, so as soon as I fully recovered, I came to find you."

While recuperating, she kept an eye on the entertainment circle and knew Jinxia’s film "Special Action" was a massive hit. Crossing the threshold to becoming a top-tier star was just a matter of time.

Cheng Xiaohua didn’t need Luo You to explain how influential top-tier stars are in the circle; she felt it deeply. It’s a different world from before.

It’s said that celebrities lead extremely luxurious lives, surrounded by champagne and fine wine every day, wearing the most branded clothes, carrying the most branded bags, staying up late using the most expensive night creams...

In short, once you become a top-tier star, you live a god-like life. The people and things you come in contact with are elevated, making you truly part of the elite nobility.

Cheng Xiaohua didn’t have anyone like that around her, but she was very interested in such a life. Even if she couldn’t reach it herself, she wanted to experience and feel it. After all, at this blooming age, who wouldn’t be curious about a luxurious life?

Driven by this curiosity, Cheng Xiaohua was determined to stick with Jinxia!

Moreover, her favorite actor was Jinxia’s boyfriend!

Being Jinxia’s assistant greatly increased her chances of seeing her idol, making Cheng Xiaohua even more reluctant to leave Jinxia.

Jinxia had no idea about Sister Xiao Hua’s little plans in her heart, and even if she knew, she would probably just call her cute. Sister Xiao Hua was genuinely good to her; she wouldn’t confuse fake affection with real kindness.

Seeing Sister Xiao Hua so happy, a gentle smile curled onto Jinxia’s face. She turned to look out the window. The city was a dazzling display of neon lights, radiating a sense of prosperity.

Jinxia took a deep breath, "This era is wonderful!"

Back at the shores of Dongting Lake, Mrs. He and others had returned from their trip and were gathered in the living room organizing gifts. When Jinxia opened the door and walked in, they didn’t even notice.

She rolled her eyes and snuck up behind them.

Aunt Rui was holding two long red candles, examining them and saying, "These red candles are good, with gold dragons and phoenixes carved on them. Dragon and phoenix bring prosperity, it’s a great omen, and it can be their wedding gift!"

Mrs. He said, "Who gifts candles for weddings? In our custom, red candles must be included, but as a gift, no one gives them, they mostly give red envelopes or jewelry."

Jewelry?

Aunt Rui’s eyes rolled, and a flash of inspiration hit her. She quickly rummaged through and pulled out a string of beads: "How about I gift them this string of Heavenly Pearls I bought? It has the effect of nurturing the body, and it is quite rare."

Mrs. He quickly shook her head. This string of Heavenly Pearls was bought by Ah Rui at an auction in the Tibetan Region, called "Thousand-year Pure Six-eyed Sky Bead." It cost three million. This is too valuable!

"No, Heavenly Pearls were bought for you to wear. They have the connotation of prolonging life. As a gift, it’s too expensive."

Aunt Rui waved her hand dismissively, "It’s okay. That’s exactly why I want to give it to them, because of the good meaning of longevity. I have a lot of longevity beads. Over the years, Sheng Yan helped me collect some, like sapphires, emeralds, amber, etc.

It’s said that Heavenly Pearls are hard to come by, and seeing one means you’re fated, let alone owning one. I’ll just give this string to them."

Aunt Rui raised her eyebrows and said with excitement, "I think giving jewelry is too ordinary. Sheng Yan can buy that for his wife, but these Heavenly Pearls, you can’t just buy them. It’s settled!"

Seeing her like this, Mrs. He stopped persuading and said worriedly, "I was originally planning to gift them each a set of gold jewelry. Gold can be passed down for generations, and it’s never out of fashion no matter where you put it. In times of crisis, it can be used as money to get through hard times.

But compared to your Heavenly Pearls, gold jewelry seems a bit vulgar. Maybe I should choose a different gift?"

Sigh, Heavenly Pearls are rare. Not just any treasure can match the value of Heavenly Pearls, not to mention gifts worth over a million, Mrs. He simply doesn’t have the funds available.

Jinxia’s voice suddenly emerged, "Mom, it’s okay, just give me a set of gold jewelry. I like gold jewelry. I don’t even have a set of my own jewelry yet!"

This startled Mrs. He and Aunt Rui. They leaned back, saw her, and clutched their chests, still recovering from the shock, and said:

"Where did you pop out from?"

"Why don’t you make any noise when you walk?"

Jinxia chuckled and said, "I walked in openly through the door, but you two were so busy organizing gifts, making quite a commotion, that you didn’t hear me opening the door."

Jinxia wrapped her arm around Mrs. He’s shoulder, snuggled into her embrace, and began to act spoiled, "Mom, get me a set of gold jewelry. I like gold, I love gold the most!"

Jinxia understood that Mrs. He and Aunt Rui were different. Aunt Rui had come from a wealthy family, and her usual spending wasn’t something ordinary people could compare to. Sheng Yan’s success had a lot to do with the environment he was raised in.

For Aunt Rui, giving a string of Heavenly Pearls as a gift wasn’t difficult.

But her own mom was different. Though they used to run a small shop and never worried about food and drink, they weren’t rich either, and the spending was typical for an ordinary family.

Trying to come up with a gift comparable to Heavenly Pearls was probably very hard, and more importantly, her mom’s supermarket had only been open for less than a year, and they hadn’t yet recouped the investment, still operating at a loss.

Her mom didn’t have much money, and she certainly couldn’t borrow money from her to buy something even more expensive as a gift.

So rather than let her mom struggle over this, Jinxia provided a way out by telling her mom that she liked gold.

In fact, Jinxia really did like gold. What woman doesn’t love gold and silver jewelry?

Those who say they don’t need it don’t actually dislike it, but rather can’t afford it, so they simply stop thinking about it to feel better.

Mrs. He poked Jinxia’s nose, "You’re such a grown-up, yet you still act spoiled with me, no shame!"

Jinxia continued to shake her arm lightly, "Isn’t it said that a daughter is always her mother’s little cotton-padded jacket? No matter how old I am, I can act spoiled with you. Mom, get me a set of gold jewelry!"

Pretending to be overwhelmed, Mrs. He shook her body, looked over at Ah Rui, and her face was full of smiles, "Look, she’s not even married yet and is already asking me for gifts, how shameless!"