"Shiyue, you just got home and don't really know the situation yet. Yunyun has been pampered since she was a child—there's no way she'd lower herself to squeeze onto a train or take a bus. She can't handle that kind of hardship."
"Exactly, she even complains that high-speed rail is uncomfortable. How could she possibly take a regular train?"
"Sister is so lucky. Being a daughter of the Qiao family is truly fortunate. I really envy her." Qiao Shiyue started up with her tea-scented words again.
The Qiao family felt quite pleased hearing what she said.
They all thought Shen Yunyun was ungrateful and didn't know how to appreciate what she had.
Ungrateful, a thankless wretch.
At the same time, Qiao Shiyue's words reminded them—could she really have left by train or bus?
Qiao's second brother went to ask someone to pull up the data again, and that's when they discovered that on the day Shen Yunyun left the Qiao family, she bought a standing-room ticket to Goose City.
Goose City was a remote little town in Zhongzhou Province, over a thousand kilometers from Haicheng.
Why would she go to such a far-off, unfamiliar place?
Was she really abandoning them?
Qiao Penghua felt a knot of unease in his stomach and shared the findings with his older brother.
Qiao Pengyu pulled some strings and asked connections to help find her.
The connections were strong enough that they quickly found out Qiao Yunyun had changed her surname—she was now called Shen Yunyun.
The Qiao family was dumbfounded. She'd even changed her surname?
They all realized that Shen Yunyun wasn't just throwing a tantrum or speaking idly—she genuinely didn't want the Qiao family anymore.
.
Shen Yunyun had no idea the Qiao family was searching everywhere for her. She slept beautifully, waking up naturally.
After getting up and washing up, she heated a glass of milk, tossed her clothes into the washing machine, and did some light stretching.
Lunch was simple—braised rice with ribs, a bit of hot pot seasoning added, and it was delicious.
In the afternoon, she grabbed a shared bike and rode along the riverside road until she worked up a light sweat, then headed to the University of Finance and Economics to eat at the cafeteria.
The university had six cafeterias, all tasty and affordable—perfect for her.
After politely declining a few male college students who asked for her WeChat, Shen Yunyun got up and headed home. She took a quick shower and then made her way to the antique market.
The antique market was nearly empty, but rows of shops lined the streets, each one dealing in antiques.
This kind of business was all about going half a year without a sale, then making enough from one sale to last half a year.
Shen Yunyun went to see Boss Gu, who had helped her pull strings to change her surname before.
"Little girl, you're here?" Boss Gu was rolling two walnuts in his hands and immediately waved her over.
Shen Yunyun didn't hesitate and sat down directly at the tea table.
Boss Gu poured her some tea and asked, "Got something good again, little miss?"
Shen Yunyun extended her wrist and asked, "See this?"
Boss Gu was in the antique business, so of course he knew jade. His eyes lit up the moment he saw the jade bracelet, and he quickly asked, "Can you take it off and let me have a look?"
"Of course."
Boss Gu promptly used professional instruments to examine it. After the inspection, he turned on a light to study the bracelet more closely.
Shen Yunyun calmly sipped her tea, not even glancing at Boss Gu's expression.
This was something taken off a queen's wrist—it had to be a tribute, the finest of the finest.
"Are you looking to sell it?"
"If the price is right, I will."
"One million." Boss Gu didn't hesitate to make an offer.
Shen Yunyun's heart stirred, and she said, "Take a closer look."
Boss Gu was puzzled.
Shen Yunyun didn't dare explain clearly, since she still didn't know which dynasty the queen she had saved belonged to.
Or maybe it wasn't from their timeline at all—perhaps a parallel universe or a fictional world.
Judging by those unreliable wishes that looked like bullet comments, she knew that the multiverse trading hub she was connected to could link to more than just their own dimension.
So whether this jade bracelet counted as an antique, she couldn't say for sure.