The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 657 - 656 Lost Jewelry

Chapter 657: Chapter 656 Lost Jewelry

The jewelry store was called Ruili. It ranked among the top three most prestigious jewelry brands in Ao City. According to some unreliable sources from the outside, Ruili’s annual sales in Ao City alone amounted to no less than ten ’small targets.’

Unlike precious metals, jewelry has a very high markup and profit margins are extremely large.

In short, this was a very, very profitable jewelry store.

As the manager of Ruili, La Shiran had run it well and naturally had reaped both fame and fortune.

...

As the two just stepped into Ruili’s main entrance, a group of people came to greet them.

Looking at their clothes and attire, most of them seemed to be Ruili’s staff intermingled with a mother-daughter pair.

The older one looked to be about fifty years old, and despite being decked in jewels, she exuded a disharmonious vibe as if her lowly origins showed through despite her fancy attire.

The younger woman by her side was similar; despite her youth, she had a certain tacky opulence about her as if she was trying too hard with her appearance.

Could this pair of ’ladies’ be professional thieves in disguise?

Shen Mingzhu was secretly speculating about the identities of the mother and daughter when she heard La Shiran call out to the older woman, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Only then did Shen Mingzhu realize that the mother and daughter were not the involved ’ladies,’ but La Shiran’s own mother.

La’s mother explained, "I brought Shiyuan here to choose the jewelry for her engagement."

La Shiyuan, standing next to La’s mother, spoke up, "Sis, what happened to the store? Did something get lost again? Manager Tang blocked the entrance, and even we couldn’t leave."

La’s mother said, "I really don’t know what’s going on with you. It hasn’t been long since you took over Ruili, and yet there’s trouble every other day."

It was during business hours, and there were quite a few staff and customers in the store. The complaints and scolding from the La mother and daughter pair clearly disregarded La Shiran’s dignity.

Seeing the awkward situation, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but speak up, "Hello, Auntie."

La’s mother glanced at Shen Mingzhu from head to toe with an unpleasant tone, "And you are?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled slightly, "Who I am is not important. Let’s have Mrs. Four take care of the problem first."

Manager Tang immediately picked up the conversation, "Mrs. Four, Mrs. Wu is still in the VIP reception room."

La Shiran nodded and headed toward the elevator. The VIP reception room was on the second floor.

Manager Tang followed closely by her side, quietly updating her on the situation in the store.

La’s mother and daughter followed along as well.

Shen Mingzhu was hesitating whether to follow or to find a place to stay out of it when she saw La Shiran motioning to her, "Mingzhu, come with us."

The group took the elevator to the second floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, they heard the sound of a cup being smashed, followed by an angry scolding voice,

"...wasting so much of my time, if I don’t get an explanation today, this isn’t over!"

Just by the voice, it was clear that the person was difficult to deal with.

Shen Mingzhu subconsciously looked at La Shiran beside her, but she had changed from the worried look she had in the car. Her palm-sized delicate face was serene and composed, showing no emotion.

...

"Mrs. Wu, please calm down. It’s my fault for being late."

Upon entering the VIP room, La Shiran immediately put on a smile.

In fact, given their respective statuses, she didn’t have to humble herself before Mrs. Wu. After all, the disparity in power between the two families was vast; ten Wu Families combined wouldn’t measure up to the Cui Family.

But La Shiran’s low posture did not assuage Mrs. Wu’s anger.

She scoffed with full force, "Fourth Lady, although our Wu Family can’t compare with the Cui Family’s size and wealth, we still spend millions every year at your Ruili. Is this how you treat a customer?"

"I came here to your store to enjoy myself, but instead of being well received, your staff suspected me of being a thief! Unlawfully restricting my freedom, this is simply intolerable bullying!"

"I was supposed to attend Mrs. Cui’s tea party at half-past ten, and now, thanks to this, I can’t make it. I’ve already called Mrs. Cui. Fourth Lady, you must be prepared to face the consequences for detaining me like this, right?"

The last statement was not just a threat; it was also full of schadenfreude.

The tea party would almost gather over half of Ao City’s socialites and noblewomen. La Shiran’s poor management, leading to another lost piece of jewelry, would soon become the laughingstock of the town once again.

La Shiran was not someone who was easily intimidated, nor would she be thrown into disarray by a few harsh words.

"Mrs. Wu, it’s not that we are targeting you personally at Ruili, but the diamond did indeed go missing, and it was after you had seen it. We are only trying to ascertain the reason for its loss, to clear your name. Like you, I do not wish for you to be unjustly accused."

"Hmph, after all is said and done, you’re still suspecting me. Fourth Lady, you’d better find something on me today; otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I will sue Ruili for defamation and unlawful detention!"

Hearing Mrs. Wu’s fierce words, the manager and staff of Ruili all turned pale.

If the jewelry could be found, that would be a cause for celebration. The fear was that in the end, not only would the item not be recovered, but they would also have to face a lawsuit, certainly damaging Ruili’s reputation and standing in the industry.

For a moment, almost everyone’s eyes were on La Shiran, clearly waiting for her to make a decision.

La Shiran’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, clearly in a dilemma.

"Mrs. Wu, my daughter Shiming is young and inevitably overlooks things. Please be generous and don’t hold it against her," said La Shiran’s mother, unable to maintain her composure, she apologized and then instructed La Shiran on what to do.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and send a car to take Mrs. Wu to the tea party."

While speaking, she pulled La Shiran aside and warned her in a low voice, "Money lost can be earned back, but we absolutely cannot afford to offend Mrs. Cui."

Offending the Wu Family might not be a big deal, but they couldn’t afford to give Mrs. Cui any leverage, or her daughter’s future prospects—and therefore her own—would be bleak.

La Shiran was irritated but didn’t want to publicly argue with her mother and be the butt of other people’s jokes. She could only suppress her anger and explain in a low voice, "Mom, it’s not about the money. I will handle this matter. Go and have some tea outside."

After saying that, she signaled a staff member to escort her mother and sister out.

However, La Shiran’s mother refused to leave, worried that La Shiran might make a mistake that could affect her (the mother’s) future of luxury and wealth.

"If you really had the ability, things wouldn’t have turned out like this today! You try to tackle responsibilities beyond your capabilities. What’s wrong with simply being the Fourth Lady instead of trying to handle business, ending up in an untenable position without gaining anything in terms of respect or benefits?"

As La Shiran’s mother spoke these words, she didn’t lower her voice, causing everyone in the VIP room to hear everything clearly.

Mrs. Wu let out a derisive laugh, "Fourth Lady, your mother’s words are crude but contain truth; it’s important for one to know their limitations. I’m easy to talk to, but had it been any other distinguished guest, would you dare to act so arrogantly and detain them for interrogation?"

Mrs. Wu’s interrogation left La Shiran speechless.

Even the always quiet Shen Mingzhu stepped forward and whispered to La Shiran, "This indeed isn’t Ruili’s strongest moment; we should first let Mrs. Wu leave."

La Shiran’s face turned unsightly, her chest heaving with suppressed anger, clearly filled with resentment and indignation—not toward Shen Mingzhu, but toward the person behind the scenes.

The Cui Family was one of the three major families of Ao City, prominent and extraordinary. A hundred Mrs. Wus combined didn’t have the power to challenge the Cui Family, but the fact that it had come to this indicated that someone had emboldened her from behind.