“Every time it’s like this—whenever we try to talk about something serious, it turns into a joke, always leaving people hanging... Hmm, what was I just about to say?” Yvonne Quinn tried to recall as she walked.

It wasn’t a regular mealtime. There were only a few late-rising employees in the dining hall, including the new hire, Evelyn Lewis.

Evelyn Lewis was naturally sociable and didn’t wait for the boss to introduce her. In just one morning, she was already chatting and laughing with the veteran staff. When she saw Yvonne Quinn walk out of the boss’s room in pajamas, her face glowing with happiness, the old employees seemed unfazed, exchanging ambiguous glances, pausing their conversation, and burying themselves in their food. But Evelyn Lewis, unaware of the situation, naively broke the silence.

“Good morning, Manager Quinn! Where’s the boss? It’s almost noon—how come he hasn’t eaten yet?”

Yvonne Quinn forced a smile at Evelyn Lewis. An employee nearby kicked Evelyn Lewis under the table and whispered, “The boss never goes out during the day—he always eats in his room!”

Yvonne Quinn shot a stern look at the employees, silently took the tray from the chef, and turned to leave. Only after she disappeared did the staff resume their conversation.

Yvonne Quinn was always strict and unsmiling with the staff. That smile she gave Evelyn Lewis wasn’t really for Evelyn Lewis, but rather for the person who had recommended her. The other employees, sensing the situation, quickly tried to curry favor by introducing Evelyn Lewis to the workings of the bar.

Wendy Lane’s family, the Lai family, and Charles Sutton’s family had been close for generations. The two patriarchs grew up together, attended the same university, and even courted the same girl—who later became Charles Sutton’s mother. Afterwards, Charles Sutton’s father inherited the family antique shop, while the heartbroken head of the Lai family entered politics. The two families remained closely connected ever since.

By all accounts, Charles Sutton and Wendy Lane should have been childhood sweethearts, growing up together and sharing a strong bond. Unfortunately, the two seemed like lifelong rivals, never seeing eye to eye since they were kids.

As a child, Wendy Lane was the model student in the eyes of teachers and parents—smart, clever, adorable, and hardworking, always growing up under the doting care of adults. But what drove Wendy Lane crazy was that her proud intelligence always seemed to fall short in front of Charles Sutton.

No matter how many lessons Wendy Lane learned from her setbacks, Charles Sutton always managed to teach her another—constantly coming up with new tricks to mess with her and ruin her “good kid” image in front of the adults.

What made Wendy Lane question her own intelligence was this: from childhood on, aside from sleeping and eating, she spent almost all her time studying. Meanwhile, Charles Sutton was climbing rooftops and trees in elementary school, sneaking out and making friends in middle school, playing around and having fun, yet his grades were never far behind Wendy Lane’s.

When the college entrance exam results came out, it was no surprise that he got into the same prestigious university as Wendy Lane. The proud Miss Lai, who had never accepted Charles Sutton, couldn’t help but blurt out the truth: “That guy—out of ten points of intelligence, he only uses nine for studying. If he’d just use that last point…”

Miss Lai didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

After more than twenty years of rivalry, Wendy Lane developed a nervous habit whenever she saw Charles Sutton, analyzing every word he said to check for hidden traps. Over time, being around Charles Sutton brought her no joy—only exhaustion, both mentally and physically.

When they entered university, they ended up in different departments. The elders back home had hoped they’d get together, but when they didn’t see each other, they’d call and pass notes, acting like a pair of young lovers. But whenever they met in person, it was like two fighting cocks, each determined to draw blood.

After graduation, the families tried to set them up, but both reacted strongly: Wendy Lane abandoned the civil service job her parents arranged, ran away from home, and preferred drifting from city to city rather than returning. Charles Sutton went even further—using the excuse of studying abroad, he stole some money from home and fled overseas.

After that, the elders gave up on matchmaking, seeing that the two were as incompatible as chickens and ducks. Things calmed down: Wendy Lane went on to graduate school, then pursued a doctorate, stayed on as a university lecturer, and chose the quiet life of academia. Charles Sutton kept wandering abroad, constantly switching schools, living the life of an “international professional student.”

Later, Charles Sutton’s parents died in a car accident. To make matters worse, Charles Sutton himself went missing in a plane crash while returning home for the funeral. With no one left in charge, the Shu family’s business attracted countless opportunists. At the time, Yvonne Quinn, as the general manager’s secretary, was struggling to hold things together. Fortunately, the Lai family stepped in to support Yvonne Quinn until Charles Sutton was found, saving the business.

The one who represented the Lai family was none other than Miss Lai herself. Her reason for supporting Yvonne Quinn was simple: Yvonne Quinn’s presence had spared her from disaster.

There was another reason the Lai family supported Yvonne Quinn in managing the Shu family’s business: as lifelong friends, they knew a secret—a secret about the Shu family.

Chapter 2 The Secret of the Shu Family’s Garden (2)

The Shu family had been in the antique business for generations, only briefly interrupted during the turbulent years. The reason the Shu family remained a pillar in the antique world, besides their inherited skills in appraising antiques, was their mastery in forging ancient porcelain.