Chapter 4: The Five-Carat Mockery
1993 Words
The news of her engagement hit the rumor mill like wildfire, but for Tangtang, it was just another notification on her phone.
*“Tangtang, the engagement ring I customized for you at Chaumet has arrived at the Haicheng boutique. Go take a look when you have a moment.”*
It was a message from Jiang Shixu. Tangtang stared at the screen, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. She had only agreed to the arranged marriage a few days ago. Was the ring already waiting? He must have planned this long before she even said yes.
She replied with a simple “Okay” and headed to the boutique.
Inside the plush, velvet-lined walls of Chaumet, the sales associate handled the box as if it contained the heart of the ocean. “Miss Ruan, this is the piece Mr. Jiang commissioned for you.”
The lid clicked open. Tangtang’s breath caught. It was a masterpiece—a rare five-carat blue diamond enthroned in a double halo of vivid pink and colorless diamonds. Under the gallery lights, it didn’t just sparkle; it burned with a cold, celestial fire.
“The interior is engraved,” the clerk added softly.
Tangtang lifted the band. *JSX & RCT.* The craftsmanship was intimate, deliberate. She slid it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit, the weight of the stone grounding her.
“It’s breathtaking on you,” the clerk breathed.
But the moment of peace was shattered by a voice that made Tangtang’s spine stiffen.
“Ruan Chutang? What the hell are you doing here?”
Tangtang didn’t flinch. She turned slowly to find Gu Zechuan standing there, his hand instinctively dropping the one he was holding. Chen Wan, standing beside him, looked as if she’d been slapped, her face pale with sudden irritation.
Tangtang didn't let the sight of them together touch her. She flashed a saccharine, hollow smile. “Trying on rings. Obviously.”
Zechuan marched forward, his eyes dropping to her hand. When he saw the blinding blue stone, his expression darkened into something murderous.
“Take it off,” he barked.
Tangtang tilted her hand, letting the facets catch the light, mocking him. “Why? Don't you think it’s pretty?”
“It’s hideous,” he snapped. He had always known Tangtang to be the “sensible” one—the girl who stayed in her lane and never asked for more than he was willing to give. In his mind, she wasn't even qualified to knock on the door of marriage.
Chen Wan recovered quickly, a practiced, poisonous sweetness returning to her face. “What a coincidence, Miss Ruan. Zechuan and I are actually here to look at rings today, too.”
Tangtang’s heart gave a cold, mocking thud. So that was the “urgent matter” he had to attend to. Shopping for rings with his mistress.
“Oh, it's lovely,” Chen Wan continued, her eyes narrowed as she appraised the diamond. A stone that size had to be seven, maybe eight million dollars. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You're very brave to try that on, Miss Ruan. But wouldn't it be less embarrassing to just... put it back? We both know you can't afford it.”
Tangtang ignored her. Jiang Shixu really did have impeccable taste.
“Ruan Chutang, I said take it off!” Zechuan’s voice rose, drawing the attention of other shoppers. “What is this? Some pathetic attempt to force my hand? To shame me into a proposal?”
He stepped into her personal space, his shadow looming. “Listen to me clearly: I am never going to marry you!”
Beside him, Chen Wan’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk. “Zechuan’s mother, Mrs. Meng, sent us here today. She was very specific about what she wants for her future daughter-in-law.”
The message was clear: *I have the family's blessing. You are nothing.*
“Oh. Noted,” Tangtang said, her voice as flat and indifferent as a calm sea.
The lack of a reaction hit Zechuan harder than a scream. He searched her face for jealousy, for the tears he was used to. He found nothing. Her expression was a flawless, impenetrable mask.
“Is this fun for you?” Zechuan hissed. “Did you track us here? Did you think a piece of glass on your finger would change anything? Marriage is about status, Chutang. It’s about families of equal standing. You’re embarrassing yourself. It’s pathetic.”
“Am I the one being embarrassing?” she asked softly. “We haven't officially broken up yet, Zechuan. Which makes Miss Chen here the ‘other woman’ and you... well, just another cheating scumbag. So, tell me again, who exactly is the disgrace in this room?”
Zechuan’s chest heaved. “Take. It. Off.”
“No,” she said, her tone light, almost bored.
“Fine! Wear it!” he roared, turning on his heel. “Just know that I will never pay for it, and I will sure as hell never put a ring on your finger!”
“Mm-hmm,” Tangtang murmured, not even looking at him as he stormed out. Chen Wan scrambled after him, her heels clicking frantically.
The boutique fell into a stunned silence. The clerk looked at Tangtang, bewildered. “Miss Ruan... those people...?”
“Irrelevant,” Tangtang said. She snapped a photo of the ring and sent it to Jiang Shixu. *Does it look good?*
Miles away, in the top-floor executive office of the Jiang Group, the most powerful man in the city felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at the message and a rare, genuine smile broke across his cold features.
He ignored a stack of multi-million dollar contracts to type back: *Beautiful. Do you like it?*
*I love it,* she replied.
*Then that's all that matters.*
His assistant, Lin Hai, stood frozen by the door. The “Ice King” was smiling. There were practically pink bubbles in the air.
“I’ve signed the documents,” Jiang Shixu said, his voice instantly reverting to its frigid edge. “What are you staring at?”
“Nothing, sir!”
Back at the mall, Tangtang tucked the ring box into her bag. She stepped into a luxury watch boutique next door. She wanted to buy a gift for Jiang Shixu—a proper thank you. She picked out a sleek, midnight-black timepiece that matched his sharp elegance.
“Chutang? Is that you?”
It was Jiang Yuzhou, one of Zechuan’s friends. He looked at the branded bag in her hand. “Buying a gift for Zechuan?”
Tangtang didn't feel like explaining. She just nodded vaguely.
Yuzhou sighed, pity in his eyes. “Chutang, that brand... even the entry-level pieces are five figures. You really don't need to spend months of your salary on him. Zechuan, he...” He trailed off. He knew Zechuan had spent the previous night in a hotel suite with Chen Wan.
“He doesn't need this,” Yuzhou said gently. “Don't waste your hard-earned money trying to please someone who doesn't see your value.”
Tangtang smiled. “You're right. He doesn't deserve it. And don't worry—I won't do it again.”
They parted ways, and Yuzhou watched her go, shaking his head. “Such a good girl,” he muttered. “What a waste.”
He pulled out his phone and fired off a text to Zechuan: *Bro, your girl is too good to you. I just saw her buying you a watch that probably cost her three months' pay. Treat her right, man. Don't blow this.*
Zechuan was at lunch with Chen Wan when the message came through. The anger in his gut evaporated instantly. *So, she was buying it for me,* he thought. *She was just acting out because she felt insecure. She’s trying to apologize.*
He felt a surge of smug satisfaction. He’d accept the gift and give her a graceful way out. She was so easy to manage.
“Who’s the text from, Zechuan?” Chen Wan asked.
“Nobody,” he said, tucking his phone away.
A few minutes later, Zechuan got up to use the restroom. Chen Wan didn't hesitate. She knew his password. She bypassed his lock screen and went straight to his messages.
She saw the text from Jiang Yuzhou. Her grip on the phone tightened. A gift? Tangtang was trying to buy her way back in?
Chen Wan sneered. She deleted the notification and set the phone back. Then, she pulled out her own phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, Mrs. Meng? Yes, it's Chen Wan. I’m so sorry to bother you, but I just saw Zechuan’s girlfriend at the boutique... she was trying to force him into a proposal in public. It was quite a scene...”
***
Tangtang returned to the villa, her suitcase open. She tucked the watch for Jiang Shixu into a side pocket.
The bedroom door creaked open. Zechuan stood in the frame, leaning against the wood with a look of feigned disappointment. “Are you finished packing?”
“Almost,” Tangtang said, not looking up.
“Chutang,” he said, his voice dropping into that manipulative tone. “Don't you have something you want to give me?”
Tangtang paused. “What?”
“I know about the watch,” he said, a smug grin tugging at his mouth. “Yuzhou saw you. You bought it to apologize for the scene at the boutique, didn't you? I’m back now. You can stop the act and give it to me.”
Tangtang let out a short, sharp laugh.
Zechuan’s brows knitted. “What’s so funny?”
“You are,” she said, finally meeting his gaze. “I did buy a watch. But it wasn't for you. And I have absolutely nothing to apologize to you for.”
The grin vanished. “Not for me? Then who the hell is it for?”
“None of your business.”
“None of my—I’m your boyfriend!” he roared. “You’re buying expensive jewelry for another man?”
Tangtang straightened up. “Aren't you Chen Wan’s boyfriend?”
“I told you, it’s not like that!” he stammered. “The rings... that was my mother's idea! I just didn't explain it because I wanted to see you jealous. I wanted to see you care!”
“Jealous?” Tangtang echoed. “You think this is a game?”
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m apologizing!”
“Apology noted. Not accepted,” she said. “And like I said, the gift isn't for you. It’s for my fiancé.”
Zechuan stared at her, then let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. “A fiancé? Really, Chutang? How far are you going to take this lie just to get a proposal out of me? You think if you pretend to be engaged to someone else, I’ll suddenly cave?”
He shook his head. “I thought you understood the gap between us. But this? This desperate attempt to force a marriage? It’s beneath you.”
He turned and slammed the door.
Tangtang stood in the silence. She had wanted to tell him the truth tonight—that she was the heiress to the Ruan empire. But he hadn't given her the chance. He was so convinced of his own superiority that he couldn't imagine a world where she didn't want him.
She checked her phone. A message from Jiang Shixu was waiting.
*I’ll be waiting at the airport. Come home, Tangtang.*
She closed her suitcase. It was time to stop playing the substitute. It was time to become the queen she was born to be. But as she reached for the handle, her phone rang—an unknown number from the Ruan family estate.
Her father never called this late unless something was wrong.
- Writer
