Chapter 60: Shattered

Yang Jie sneered inwardly, wearing an expression that said he was ready for a good show. "Yang Bingyu is such an idiot," he thought. "I’m obviously setting a trap for her, yet she actually jumps right in. But this is for the best. Compared to her junk, my Dongzhu will look even more precious. It will also let Grandpa see clearly who truly has filial piety."

Left with no choice, Yang Zhennan slowly unwrapped the gift. When he saw the outer box made of Golden Rattan Wood, a touch of delight appeared on his face. A gift housed in Golden Rattan Wood had to be something decent. Even if it couldn’t compare to Yang Jie’s pigeon-egg-sized gem, it wouldn’t be an embarrassment.

Off to the side, Yang Jie’s expression soured. He had assumed Yang Bingyu would present some worthless trinket just like always. He hadn’t expected her to actually spend a bit of money. Still, considering it was their grandfather’s eightieth birthday, a more valuable gift was normal. But no matter how good it was, compared to his Dongzhu, it would only be the green leaves serving to highlight the main flower.

Thinking of this, Yang Jie’s mood instantly lifted. He waited quietly for Yang Zhennan to open the box.

Yang Zhennan was mildly surprised when he saw the crystal-clear tea set, as thin as cicada wings, resting inside the box. "A tea set?"

"Grandpa, I know you love drinking tea and studying the way of tea," Yang Bingyu said with a light smile. "So I had this tea set specially custom-made as a congratulatory gift for your eightieth birthday. I hope you like it."

"Good girl, how thoughtful of you. I love this gift very much, and I will definitely treasure this tea set." Although the tea set might not be worth a fortune, it was presentable enough, and it catered perfectly to his interests. Yang Zhennan’s face bloomed into a radiant smile once more as he held the tea set, unable to put it down.

The surrounding onlookers were quick to read the room, immediately showering Yang Bingyu’s gift with praise.

"Ah, as expected, a gift must truly touch the recipient’s heart."

"Exactly! I’ll have to learn from Miss Yang the Elder in the future. You have to put real thought into a gift; just being expensive isn’t enough."

"Of course. As the saying goes, a thousand pieces of gold can’t buy true happiness. No matter how much money you spend, it’s all for nothing if it doesn’t satisfy the person."

These people were clearly elevating Yang Bingyu while trampling on Yang Jie. Hearing their remarks, Yang Jie’s face darkened. He had originally intended to humiliate Yang Bingyu, but he never expected to become the foil that made her shine instead.

"Isn’t it just a crappy tea set?" he thought angrily. "How can it possibly compare to my Dongzhu?"

Listening to the idle gossip, a flash of malice crossed Yang Jie’s eyes as a treacherous scheme formed in his mind. "Grandpa, this tea set is so beautiful. Could I take a closer look?"

For a moment, Yang Zhennan didn’t think much of it and conveniently handed the box over. Yang Jie’s eyes glinted. He deliberately reached for it a second too late, letting the tea set and its box tumble to the floor.

It happened too fast; by the time anyone tried to catch it, it was already too late. With a sharp CRASH, the teapot inside the box shattered into pieces.

A dead silence fell over the room as the crowd collectively gasped in shock. The gift had just been unwrapped—it hadn’t even been fully appreciated yet—and now it was broken? For a tea set, the teapot was the most essential piece. With it shattered, the entire set lost its value. The gift was completely ruined.

"Oh my, I’m so sorry, my hand slipped," Yang Jie said with a feigned apology, though he sneered inwardly. "Sister Bing, you aren’t mad, are you? After all, it’s just a tea set. However much it costs, I’ll just compensate you for it."

"Steal my spotlight? Not a chance," he thought.

Yang Bingyu’s face turned livid. Staring at the shattered teapot fragments on the floor, she trembled with rage. She had gone to great lengths to have Orioles design this set, only for Yang Jie to destroy it just like that.

"Compensate me?" she thought bitterly. "Can he even afford to?"

"Yang Jie! Do you have any idea how much this tea set is worth? And you just dropped it like that?"

Hearing Yang Bingyu’s words, Yang Jie laughed disdainfully. "It’s just a crappy tea set," he thought. "How much could it possibly be worth?"

"My God, is that the insignia of Orioles? Could this tea set be the work of Orioles?" Suddenly, a sharp-eyed guest spotted the emblem on the bottom of the shattered teapot and cried out in shock. At these words, all eyes snapped toward the tea set.

"That is the unique insignia of Orioles! Good heavens, if that’s the case, this tea set is priceless. What an absolute shame it was dropped just like that."

"Elder Yang loves collecting works by Orioles more than anything. With this tea set shattered, his heart must be bleeding."

"Could Yang Jie have done it on purpose? Maybe he was jealous that Miss Yang the Elder’s congratulatory gift was better than his."

Hearing that the tea set was produced by Orioles, Yang Jie went pale. Disbelief written all over his face, he picked up a fragment from the floor and examined it over and over.

"This... this is impossible... How could this be by Orioles?" When he saw the silver insignia, Yang Jie’s legs turned to jelly. He never could have imagined that Yang Bingyu would actually be able to get Orioles to craft such a tea set.

"Holy crap, it looks like it was personally designed and crafted by Old Orioles himself. Yang Jie is utterly doomed now. Over all these years, the items Old Orioles has created can be counted on one hand."

"If someone gave me a tea set designed and crafted by Old Orioles, I would enshrine it and worship it like my own ancestors."

"Thank goodness it was only the teapot that broke. If Elder Yang doesn’t want the rest of the set anymore, I’ll ask him for a price later and buy the remaining cups."

As it turned out, beneath that silver insignia was a line of vigorous and powerful English cursive. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that it was Old Orioles’ autograph. At this realization, Yang Jie was completely dumbfounded, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"You! You! You!" Yang Zhennan snatched the base of the teapot right out of Yang Jie’s hands. He was flushed red with anger, rendered utterly speechless.

"Grandpa, please don’t be angry! Don’t ruin your health over this." Frightened, Yang Bingyu quickly supported Elder Yang, patting his chest to help soothe his breathing.

"Take this bastard away! I don’t want to see him anymore!" Yang Zhennan was in absolute agony. This was a tea set personally crafted by Old Orioles, and it had been completely shattered by this bastard. If there hadn’t been so many outsiders present, Yang Zhennan probably would have slapped him across the face directly.

Having caused such a catastrophe, Yang Jie didn’t dare to linger in front of Elder Yang. Looking thoroughly disgraced, he quickly slinked away.

"I am furious! I am absolutely furious!" Carefully picking up the ceramic fragments from the floor, Yang Zhennan’s face was filled with regret. He felt his temples throbbing wildly, his stomach churning with an anger that had nowhere to vent.

"Elder Yang, it’s alright. It is just a tea set," Ye Xuan said, his gaze shifting as he watched Yang Zhennan’s heartbroken display.

Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Elder Yang paused his movements, and his eyes suddenly lit up.