Meng Ying had not missed a single second of Lan Jin's little act. She walked straight up to Lan Jin and mocked her without holding back.
"Never thought I'd see the day Sister Lan resorted to tricks like this. If you'd learned this earlier, maybe your husband wouldn't have ended up in my hands."
Lan Jin smiled, showing all her teeth. "If he could be taken by someone like you, that's a blessing for me. But let me correct you on something. He was never my husband—he's my ex-husband. And by the way, you're older than me. Quit calling me 'Sister,' unless you want people thinking you're trying to act young. I'd hate for them to think I'm actually that old."
"You—" Meng Ying was seething. Lan Jin's tone was so casual, like none of this mattered. Whether it was before or after the poisonous fog, Meng Ying hadn't had a single good day since she got with Ren Xing. And Lan Jin, that ex-wife of his?
Just look at her. She hadn't changed at all. It was clear she had been doing just fine all along. How could that not stir envy?
But truth be told, this was really about Meng Ying's own resentment.
She hadn't even spent any of Ren Xing's money. Everything she had—her cash, her apartment—had been left to her by family. And in the year 2121, people didn't really lack housing anymore. Kids typically inherited two or three properties from their parents. Add some savings on top, and it was no surprise she had money. It was normal.
Still, it burned.
And because her heart couldn't find peace, she turned that frustration on her own child.
Now, just look at her again—decked out and smug.
Lan Jin sized Meng Ying up from head to toe, making her squirm. Meng Ying hated that look, like Lan Jin was peering down from above.
Lan Jin, watching her fidget, thought, Really? Looking down? I was just… looking.
"What are you staring at?"
"I'm trying to figure out how someone as broke-looking as you got all this fancy stuff."
Lan Jin's eyes landed on Meng Ying's designer handbag. But one glance told her it was a fake, not even a decent knockoff. Still, the necklace around Meng Ying's neck—now that was familiar.
She narrowed her eyes, the shape and design sparking a memory. That necklace looked just like the one she had given her ex-mother-in-law as a gift back when she and Ren Xing were engaged. Why was it now hanging around Meng Ying's neck?
So even after Ren Xing disappeared, her former mother-in-law still liked Meng Ying enough to stay in touch and gift her things? That necklace, which she clearly didn't care for, had been handed down to Meng Ying?
Lan Jin took a deep breath. She wasn't jealous of how well Meng Ying got along with her ex-mother-in-law. What disgusted her was the pettiness of it all.
If the old woman didn't like the necklace, fine. Don't wear it. Sell it if you want. But giving it to her son's mistress? That was just a slap in the face.
The entire Ren family really was rotten.
In that moment, Lan Jin mentally added Ren Xing's father and mother to the list of people she now resented.
But as it turned out, she only got half the story right. Meng Ying and that old woman had indeed stayed close after Ren Xing disappeared. They had contacted each other multiple times. In fact, because the woman was so fond of Meng Ying, she even took her in when she had nowhere else to go.
That much was true.
But the necklace? That hadn't come from the mother. It was a gift from Ren Xing's father.
Not that Lan Jin knew that.
And she wasn't about to let this go. Her tone sharp, she demanded, "Where did you get that necklace?"
Meng Ying hadn't expected her to ask about the necklace. She assumed Lan Jin was just jealous of how pretty it looked. Since it was from Ren Xing's father, she puffed up with pride and began to brag.
"Oh, this? It was a gift from Ren Xing's dad. He—"
Before she could finish, Lan Jin's hand slipped, and the heavy battery she was holding nearly crashed to the ground. Thankfully, Ling Jiang reacted quickly and dropped her own things to steady it.
Lan Jin didn't even have time to thank her. She stared at Meng Ying, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Ren Xing's dad gave that to you?"
Being cut off made Meng Ying uncomfortable. But she was still riding high on the feeling of one-upping Lan Jin, especially over something tied to her former in-laws.
"Yes. He gave it to me," she said proudly.
Lan Jin took another deep breath. After thanking Ling Jiang and taking the battery back, she looked at Meng Ying again. This time, her expression was unreadable, almost playful—like she was looking at someone hilariously naive.
Because Meng Ying's little slip-up had revealed a lot.
And now Lan Jin couldn't even bring herself to look at her the same way.
"I never realized you were this kind of person. You really would do anything for money."
Meng Ying furrowed her brow. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"It's not nonsense at all. Let me break it down for you. Meng Ying, that necklace? I bought it. I gave it to my ex-mother-in-law before I married Ren Xing. Now, tell me—what kind of woman gives her daughter-in-law's gift to her husband? Even if she didn't like me, she still wouldn't pass along something from her son's fiancée to her husband. But you're saying Ren Xing's dad gave it to you. You see how messy this looks?"
She didn't need to spell it out. They were all adults. Once a thought like that was planted, it spread fast—and it didn't take much to figure out what she was implying.
Whatever Meng Ying's reaction might have been, Ling Jiang's was instant. The bag she had just picked up slipped right out of her hands again. She didn't interrupt, just gave Lan Jin a look, then glanced at Meng Ying and offered a slow, knowing smile.
It was a smile that said everything.
And smart people knew better than to ask questions they didn't want the answers to.
But that kind of smile? Everyone could understand what it meant.
Meng Ying, standing there in front of the one person she hated the most, felt like Lan Jin had just ripped the curtain off something she had tried to keep hidden. Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
She pointed a trembling finger. "Stop making stuff up. And don't get too full of yourself. I know where you live now. I'll be back."
Lan Jin rolled her eyes. "I haven't even said anything yet."
So what if Meng Ying came looking for her?
Lan Jin was actually hoping she would. Even better if Ren Xing's parents came too. They were all cut from the same rotten cloth. If they showed up at her door, she would deal with them all at once.
Still, something about Meng Ying's claim didn't quite add up. With a personality like hers, if she really knew where Lan Jin lived, would she have waited outside the co-op to ambush her?
That felt unlikely.
Which only made Lan Jin more determined to keep walking around in public. Give Meng Ying the chance to find her.
Meng Ying realized she couldn't win this one. Humiliated, she turned and ran.
Lan Jin and Ling Jiang stood in place, both with the same thought.
"Should have checked the calendar before stepping outside today."
Three arguments in such a short time. If they didn't leave now, they might get dragged into a fourth.
They quickly gathered their things and walked away from the scene.
Lan Jin didn't want to talk about personal stuff with someone she had just met, so she awkwardly changed the subject. She glanced over at Ling Jiang and said, "Didn't expect you to be older than me. I thought you were younger."