Chapter 96: Gift

Jiang Liangjin gestured for the bodyguard to step forward, and the bodyguard immediately understood, handing him a box.

He took out a palm-sized brocade box and handed it to Mu Youyu, saying, "Open it and see?"

Mu Youyu's eyes lit up; as her fingertip touched the clasp, Mu Xi reached out and pressed it down.

"Give it to me first."

He raised an eyebrow at Jiang Liangjin, his tone deliberately difficult: "I'm not as easily appeased as Youbao; if the gift lacks originality, your trip to Y Guo was for nothing."

Jiang Liangjin heard this, his smile undiminished: "What Xi Ge says is correct."

He gave the bodyguard a look, and the bodyguard passed over another box.

Mu Xi saw that this box was even smaller than his sister's, the wooden case looked ordinary, and his expectations dropped a notch.

Still, he reached out and took it, his fingertips lifting the lid with a casual air.

Only when he saw what was inside did his motion suddenly freeze.

Inside the box was a key, engraved with a delicate serial number.

Mu Youyu gave a gracious "Wow," asking, "A key? What does it open?"

Mu Xi lifted his gaze to Jiang Liangjin, his voice lower than usual: "... What is this?"

He was all too familiar with this key.

He knew it was a piano key; Mu Xi had been following it for a while and had even seen one!

Last year at the piano exhibition in M Guo, he had seen the same model behind bulletproof glass.

It was a piano-exclusive key handcrafted a century ago by the piano master En Yin Lun Xia Ge, each piano's wood taken from century-old trees!

The strings were also hand-forged from special material; only seven were ever made worldwide, and now only two are known to exist.

One is said to have been gifted by an anonymous collector to a world-class pianist; the other was rumored half a year ago to be going up for auction.

He had been tracking that piano's auction info for half a year, yet in the final bidding round, he was sniped by an anonymous backstage bidder.

His people wouldn't sell, no matter how much they bid.

Never expected it to end up in Jiang Liangjin's hands.

"Xi Ge, you've studied piano since childhood; ordinary pianos simply don't catch your eye..."

Jiang Liangjin spoke calmly: "This is the piano key I had my people acquire last month, handcrafted by En Yin Lun Xia Ge himself."

"The matching piano is currently domestically; once you return, I'll have it shipped to the Mu family."

Mu Xi heard this, and his fondness for him instantly rose a few points.

He put the key away, saying, "I accept this gift."

However, returning home now is impossible.

Although he wanted to see the piano, his most important sister and the brother he hasn't seen in a long time are here.

He naturally chose the latter.

Jiang Liangjin's tone remained unchanged: "If Xi Ge accepts the gift, I can rest easy."

Seeing her brother like it, Mu Youyu was also happy.

She felt her brother's gaze and began to lower her head to open her own box.

The lid opened, revealing a bracelet lying quietly on a velvet lining.

The chain was not studded with gaudy gems like ordinary jewelry; only a few tiny diamond chips were set at each link joint.

Most special was the pendant at the bracelet's center: a petite princess crown adorned with a sapphire, engraved with two intertwined letters.

"J" and "Y".

"This is..."

Mu Youyu's fingertip lightly touched the bracelet, feeling its coolness.

Her eyes brimmed with surprise: "A Jin, was this made especially for me?"

Although she said she had many bracelets, she rarely wore them; the only one she often wore was the one Mu Xin gave her.

Now that he gave her this, she liked the design at first sight.

"Hmm, privately custom-made."

As the words fell, Jiang Liangjin seized her wrist and carefully wrapped the bracelet around it.

He turned the two letters inward so they rested against her skin.

Jiang Liangjin knew she disliked flashy jewelry.

This was his deliberate sketch for the designer to implement.

Mu Xi watched, about to say "scheming,"

but then, recalling he had just accepted his gift, he held his tongue.

He turned his face away, tacitly allowing Jiang Liangjin's closeness.

Mu Youyu turned her wrist with a smile, "Thank you, A Jin—I really like it!"

"As long as you like it." Jiang Liangjin's gaze stayed on her face, not on the bracelet.

If you didn't like it, the designer would have worked for nothing.

Mu Xi on the side raised his brows: "You've got thoughtfulness."

"We're heading back, Youbao." Mu Xi pulled his sister over, bade farewell to Jiang Liangjin, "You go back too, goodbye."

Jiang Liangjin nodded, "See you."

"Bye, A Jin!"

Duke's Mansion.

Mu Youyu tidied up, lay on the bed, opened her phone, and navigated to the chat with her best friend Lin Ning.

Inside was a message Lin Ning sent an hour ago: "Hey treasure, haven't you guys sorted it out yet? From afternoon to night, I'm getting bored playing alone."

Mu Youyu replied: 【Just got back, speaking of which it's quite unexpected, revealing my identity also got me made a princess.】

The moment the message was sent, the other side almost instantly replied.

First came a bursting golden fireworks emoticon, followed immediately by Lin Ning's text popping up.

Lin Ning: 【!!!! Holy crap holy crap! Subject Lin Ning pays respects to Her Highness the Princess!】

The next second, a chubby cartoon tiger animated emoticon was thrown over, its fat tiger paws kneeling neatly forward.

Mu Youyu looked at that lovable, clumsy tiger and couldn't help curling the corners of her mouth.

She lightly tapped the screen with her fingertip, replying with two words: 【No formalities】.

Finally, she added an emoticon of an ancient-style girl holding her skirt and performing a salute.

Lin Ning grew up with her since childhood, naturally knowing her maternal grandfather is a duke of Y Guo on this side, and Mu Xin is on good terms with Prince of Y Country Jun Chenling.

So she didn't think Mu Youyu's remark 【Being made a princess】 was just joking!

She said she's a princess, so she truly is a princess!