I Gave Her That Necklace

After hanging up the phone, a faint shadow of worry crossed Yun Huaizhu's elegant brow.

She was truly in a hurry now… Su Yutang had given her only half an hour, and in that half hour she had to deal with that sasaeng fan.

In truth, Yun Huaizhu had started planning this two weeks ago.

The sasaeng fan's methods weren't sophisticated, and Yun Huaizhu had even seen her face, so with minimal effort she'd obtained all the woman's information.

Name: Lin Meng.

Age: twenty-four, graduated from A University.

Work history: office clerk at a publicly listed company for two years, living a simple work-home routine…

This person was so ordinary that her entire history—from elementary school to her current job—wouldn't fill two pages.

In those two years, this Lin Meng had neither kept in touch with family nor made any friends; she'd always been alone. It was hard to imagine such an ordinary person daring to plant a listening device and a tracker in the earrings she'd gifted.

Yun Huaizhu had thought about calling Lin Meng directly, but the woman had set her phone to reject unknown numbers.

Because Lin Meng's social circle was so bare—she had no friends at all—Yun Huaizhu could only contact her former classmates and organize a class reunion, just to avoid drawing Su Yutang's attention.

After all, Lin Meng had overheard something related to Su Yutang that day. If Su Yutang looked into her and made a move against her, that would be trouble.

Afterward, Yun Huaizhu found that the sasaeng fan's former university class president was quite efficient. And that person, just as she'd guessed, didn't refuse the reunion.

Everything had been going according to plan, but what ruined her seemingly perfect plan was that she hadn't expected Su Yutang to summon her today to the same hotel where she'd arranged to meet Lin Meng.

Yun Huaizhu had gone to great lengths to lure the sasaeng fan out, so this time she had to catch her—even if it meant returning a little late and being punished by Su Yutang.

She had to ask the woman what her intentions really were.

…

The moment Lin Meng stepped back into the private room, the KTV strobe lights flashed in her eyes, catching her off guard. While she'd been gone, her classmates had grown bored waiting for the food and ordered drinks to start singing.

The playlist happened to be on “My Heart Will Go On,” and the lights had shifted to a soothing heart pattern. Lin Meng took the chance to slip inside and find an inconspicuous corner to sit in.

The lights flickered on and off, and whoever had queued this song clearly couldn't sing; their voice was as off-key as a badly tuned violin.

Lin Meng felt a headache coming back. Her chest was tight and uncomfortable, and she had half a mind to put on the earphones in her pocket.

But that would be impolite at a class reunion, so Lin Meng took off her jacket first.

Just then, a waiter knocked on the door, and the clamor in the room died abruptly.

The crystal chandelier overhead lit up again, and quite a few people exclaimed excitedly, “Wow, the food's finally here! I'm starving!”

“Me too!”

When someone spotted the Australian lobsters and king crabs on the table, their face showed astonishment. “Ah… can we order this too?”

Although Wen Ting had said everyone could order whatever they wanted today, it was probably just politeness. They'd all gone to school together, after all, and everyone more or less knew each other's family circumstances.

Honestly, everyone present except Wen Ting was ordinary, earning just a modest salary each month. They couldn't take Wen Ting's politeness as an invitation to bleed her dry…

Seeing some people's hesitant looks, Wen Ting smiled quickly. “Of course! Don't let the fact that I've only been working two years fool you—I'm a supervisor now. Treating my classmates to a meal is nothing.”

The people who'd been hesitating earlier all breathed a sigh of relief at Wen Ting's easy reply, and the joyful atmosphere from before returned.

Though Wen Ting had spoken flawlessly, she couldn't help feeling a little guilty—even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford this meal.

Someone else was paying for this dinner, and that person had arranged the whole gathering because of one specific person in attendance.

At that thought, Wen Ting looked up and scanned the room. Finally, she spotted Lin Meng in the farthest corner, head down, staring into space.

Lin Meng was supposed to be the star of this gathering.

If that person found out they were all enjoying a feast while leaving Lin Meng out, wouldn't they be furious? That person had instructed her… before the “surprise” appeared, she couldn't reveal the truth to anyone present.

With that thought, Wen Ting quickly rose and headed toward Lin Meng's seat. The others who didn't know any better could eat in peace, but Wen Ting knew the whole plan—so no matter what, Lin Meng had to sit in the seat of honor!

Just as she was about to reach Lin Meng, a woman's anxious cry rang out in the private room. “Oh no! My necklace is missing! Everyone help me look—where did my necklace go?”

The moment those words landed, all eyes turned to the speaker—none other than Pang Min, who was wearing that dazzling pearl necklace today.

But the necklace she'd been wearing when she first entered was now gone.

“How could it disappear? Maybe it got knocked off while you were singing earlier. Everyone, look down!”

Once someone spoke up, everyone lowered their heads to check beneath their feet for the pearl necklace. Even Lin Meng glanced down half-heartedly.

But she found nothing.

Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Look—doesn't the pearl necklace on Lin Meng's neck look exactly like the one Pang Min's wearing today?”

Lin Meng was stunned. She hadn't even touched Pang Min since entering the room—how could she have taken Pang Min's pearl necklace? Besides, if someone really stole something, no one would be stupid enough to wear it openly around their own neck, right?

It was just common sense.

But at a class reunion, there were always a few people who lacked common sense. When Pang Min saw the pearl necklace around Lin Meng's neck—one that seemed to radiate a silky luster—a flicker of disdain passed through her eyes.

She stood up and walked slowly over to Lin Meng. Looking down at her with arrogant contempt, she sneered, “Lin Meng, I always thought you were the aloof type who looked down on everyone. I never expected you'd stoop to stealing. Did you get jealous seeing me do well, or are you just trying to get my attention?”

Lin Meng was baffled.

Although Lin Meng didn't quite follow Pang Min's logic, she still stood up to face her. “I didn't steal your necklace. This necklace is mine.”

Hearing this, Pang Min sneered again. She pointed at Lin Meng's clothes. “You're telling me you're wearing some off-brand outfit and a pearl necklace worth three hundred thousand yuan, and you think anyone here will believe that?”

After Pang Min finished, countless unfriendly gazes turned toward Lin Meng—suspicious, contemptuous, some already convinced she was a thief.

Lin Meng's first thought was—the necklace Yun Huaizhu had given her was actually that expensive?!

If she'd known the necklace cost that much, she wouldn't have dared wear something worth three hundred thousand yuan in public—she couldn't afford it even if she sold herself.

As it happened, the slight frown on Lin Meng's face as she was lost in thought looked, in Pang Min's eyes, like a sign of guilt. As if granting charity, Pang Min spoke. “Forget it, we were classmates after all. Just kneel down and say 'I was wrong,' and I won't make a fuss about you stealing my necklace.”

Lin Meng had never encountered anything like this before. Anger and panic tangled in her heart, and when she finally spoke, she wasn't even sure when she'd opened her mouth. “Why is it that only you can have a necklace and I can't? I already told you, this necklace is mine!”

Seeing her still trying to argue, Pang Min mocked her again. “Yours? You're still just a clerk at the same company you joined after graduation, aren't you? It's been what, a few years since you graduated, and you can afford a necklace like this? Do you even believe yourself when you say that?”

As if something inside her had snapped, Lin Meng's voice trembled. “It… it really is mine. A friend gave it to me.”

Hearing her come up with yet another excuse, Pang Min looked at her with amused pity. “Fine. Which friend gave it to you? Bring her here. If I've really wronged you, I'll kneel down and apologize!”

On a reckless impulse, Lin Meng nearly said the name “Yun Huaizhu,” but reason stopped her. She had given Yun Huaizhu earrings with a listening device that day—if she summoned Yun Huaizhu now, would it cause trouble for her?

No—someone like Yun Huaizhu, an idol on the big screen with legions of adoring fans, wouldn't even remember who Lin Meng was, even if she came.

More importantly… Lin Meng didn't even have Yun Huaizhu's contact information.

Lin Meng lowered her head and fell silent.

At first, Wen Ting hadn't quite believed it. When Pang Min had said all those awful things to Lin Meng earlier, she'd wanted to step in. But now Lin Meng's silence seemed to betray her guilt.

The smile on Pang Min's face grew wider. “See that, everyone? The thief is feeling guilty. I can't believe I was blind enough back then to fall for someone like you.”

She let her malice show without restraint, as if venting the fury of having been rejected years ago.

The people around them, seeing Lin Meng offer no rebuttal, began to whisper among themselves.

Lin Meng raised her head then, eyes brimming with tears, red and swollen. Her expression—humiliated yet tinged with grievance—made Pang Min, standing closest, falter for a heartbeat.

Lin Meng wiped fiercely at the corners of her eyes. “The necklace is mine, no matter what. If you don't believe me, let's go to the police station right now.”

Seeing her still stubborn even when cornered, Pang Min's expression twisted with disgust. She'd been deceived back then by Lin Meng's pitiful, quiet exterior. She stepped forward to grab Lin Meng. “I was going to let it go for old times' sake, but you still dare to argue?”

And just then, a dark, displeased voice came from the doorway—no one had noticed it open. “The necklace she's wearing—I gave it to her.”