On the day of her return to China, she was tied up and coaxed by the richest man to get her marriage

Yu Jinzhao was slightly taken aback. Her slender white fingers touched it, and the touch warmed up. The familiar feeling made her heart tremble, and a deep emotion welled up in the depths of her eyes.

Seeing this enamel box brings to mind my mother's countless words of advice and instructions when she gave it to me, as if my mother were still alive.

Lost in thought, I accidentally knocked over the coffee next to me, spilling it onto the enamel box.

Yu Jinzhao's pupils suddenly contracted, and Song Jingshu immediately handed her a tissue.

She hurriedly wiped away the coffee stains spilled on the box, but was still very worried, her brows furrowing deeply.

"Jing Shu, I need to go to the restroom."

Song Jingshu nodded and pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

Yu Jinzhao strode into the bathroom and placed the enamel box on the sink. The box was sealed with a fingerprint lock.

She pressed her thumb on the fingerprint lock, and with a "ding," the authentication was successful, and the box opened automatically.

The moment the box was opened, a rich, antique fragrance wafted out, as if it came from a very distant place, mysterious yet captivating.

Inside the box lay a blue-covered ancient book, blank on the cover, with a wrapped cloth bag attached to it.

Yu Jinzhao patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief, finally calming down his anxious mood.

Fortunately, the enamel box was airtight, which protected the contents very well.

This was given to her by her mother the night before she died in a car accident, and she was told that she must keep it safe and not let it get lost.

If she breaks it, her mother will probably be so angry that she'll jump out of her coffin and take her with her.

Yu Jinzhao picked up the cloth bag and spread it out in her hand. Instantly, a golden light flashed, so bright that she slightly closed her eyes.

After a few seconds of adjustment, I opened my eyes and saw a row of golden needles, radiating a lustrous glow.

She gently stroked the tiny gold needle with her fingertips. The needle felt icy cold to the bone. The bottom of the needle was engraved with special runes, somewhat like totems, revealing its mysterious and ancient origins. Just looking at it evoked a sense of awe and reverence in her heart.

What exactly is the origin of these golden needles?

Yu Jinzhao remembers that her mother's explanation at the time was also vague.

Every industry has its own secrets that are not shared with outsiders.

Acupuncture.

As a traditional profession of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are many things that not all TCM practitioners understand.

For example, Yu Jinzhao himself had never seen such an extraordinary gold needle before.

She wrapped the gold needles up and opened the ancient book to take a look. Inside were secret techniques for practicing gold needles, and the more she read, the more shocking it became.

When her mother gave it to her, she knew that because of her limited abilities at the time, she couldn't just rush into learning this acupuncture technique. She needed to have a strong foundation in it, otherwise it would damage her foundation.

She has always been very obedient, and over the years she has studied traditional Chinese medicine diligently, taking one step at a time.

Now that she has completed her studies and returned home, she is qualified to learn the secret art of acupuncture.

She remembered her mother saying that she must learn how to use this set of gold needles, as it was very important to her.

*

At the bar, Song Jingshu remixed a coconut latte for Yu Jinzhao.

When Song Ma returned from grocery shopping, she found only her daughter in the shop, with Yu Jinzhao nowhere to be seen. She angrily slammed her hand on the counter.

"Where is Miss Yu? Did you say something wrong and make her leave?"

Song Jingshu was startled, turned her head and looked helplessly at her mother, and said seriously,

"Mom, Jinzhao is my friend. We have an equal friendship. Don't keep trying to make me take advantage of her."

"This isn't about taking advantage; it's about letting you seize the opportunity. Miss Yu treats you like a sister, and it's normal for sisters to help each other out," said Aunt Song, sounding exasperated.

"She's in the elite circle and has a wide network of connections. All you need to do is have her introduce you to wealthy young men. Marriage is a woman's new beginning. Only if you climb the social ladder and become powerful can our family rise to prominence."

Song Jingshu was numb to these words; they went in one ear and out the other.

"Mom, ordinary people should act like ordinary people. You came from an ordinary background and gave birth to a country bumpkin like me. You should understand that an ugly duckling can't become a swan. Rich and noble young men are paired with socialites. Who would want me?"

"You!" Song Ma was so angry at her good-for-nothing daughter that her face turned red and her neck bulged. She picked up a broom and was about to hit her.

At this moment, Yu Jinzhao came out of the bathroom.

Song Jingshu immediately hid behind Yu Jinzhao and grinned at Song Ma.

Song Ma had already raised the broom, but when she saw Yu Jinzhao, she awkwardly lowered her hand and just glared fiercely at Song Jingshu.

"Auntie, what's wrong?" Yu Jinchao frowned slightly and asked in a lazy voice.

Just as Song Ma was about to make up an excuse, Song Jingshu, picking her ear, spoke quickly and bluntly.

"What else can I do? My mom wants you to promote me and introduce me to wealthy young men so that our family can rise to prominence."

Song Ma fell backward and almost passed out.

That stupid daughter of hers has no brains at all; how could she just say such a blunt truth?

Isn't this blatantly revealing to Yu Jinzhao that I want to take advantage of you and use you?

"No, that's not true, it's a misunderstanding!" Song Ma smiled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed and guilty, and didn't dare to look at Yu Jinzhao.

Yu Jinzhao smiled gently and said in a graceful and dignified manner,

"Don't worry, Auntie. If I meet someone suitable, I will definitely think of Jing Shu."

Upon hearing this, Song Ma was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. She showered Yu Jinzhao with flattering words of gratitude before leaving satisfied, leaving the two best friends to enjoy the place.

Song Jingshu reached out and poked Yu Jinzhao's shoulder, her face drawn and her eyes filled with resentment.

"Why are you agreeing with my mother? I'm afraid of marriage!"

Yu Jinzhao gracefully sat back down at the bar, picked up the coffee Song Jingshu had just prepared, took a sip, and then asked curiously,

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to find your soulmate and start a family with him? Why are you resisting marriage now?"

"You said it yourself, that was in the past," Song Jingshu said, her eyes wide and her expression extremely serious.

"In this day and age, making money is the only thing that matters! Men are all unreliable; even a dog wouldn't marry one!"

Yu Jinzhao rested his chin on one hand and gave her a cool look.

Song Jingshu realized she had misspoke and quickly made amends, saying, "Of course, you're a rich heiress, so you can't compare to an ordinary person like me. If I were in a wealthy family, marriage would be a powerful alliance, a way to make a lot of money, so of course I'd get married."

“My mom always wants me to marry into a wealthy family and become a superior person by relying on you. But she doesn’t think that even if a wealthy family is willing to marry me because of you, I would be a vain and greedy person in their eyes. Not only would I not get respect, but I would also be ridiculed.”

Song Jingshu may have a nonsensical way of speaking, but she is actually very clear-headed.

Everyone dreams of wearing gold and silver and enjoying a life of wealth and luxury, and she was no exception. But the good life she gained by currying favor with the powerful and wealthy meant that she would have to be subservient to others and never be able to hold her head high.

We only live once, why live such a miserable life?

Although she is not extremely wealthy, she has enough to eat and wear and lives a life of hard work and integrity.

Yu Jinzhao respected and understood her thoughts, tapped the side of the coffee cup with his finger, and pondered.

"If you don't want to marry into a wealthy family, a promising but ordinary man is fine too. I can help you find someone anytime you want."

Song Jingshu has helped me a lot, so I sincerely hope that she can live a good life.

Song Jingshu pouted.

"You know what? I recently saw a news story about a father who fed his child McDonald's, and everyone praised him as an interesting father."

But when a mother feeds her child McDonald's, people criticize her for being lazy and not cooking for her child.

Why?

Marriage is so unfair to women. Why should it be that after marriage, women have to cook, do housework, and raise children, while men can just enjoy a peaceful life?

Having witnessed too many terrifying realities of marriage, Song Jingshu was terrified. The illusions about love and marriage that she had developed from writing too many Mary Sue novels in her youthful arrogance had been shattered.

"If I marry an ordinary person, I will face the daily grind of life, and I will have children. At that time, I will lose my job, focus on the family, have no income, and become a virtuous wife and loving mother in everyone's eyes. In the future, I will have to ask my husband for money... I have seen too many news stories like this, such a messy married life, washing my hands and cooking every day, sacrificing myself. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Yu Jinzhao pursed her lips and asked, "So you're prepared to stay single forever, is that right?"

"Being single is great. I can support myself." Song Jingshu is content and happy with her current situation. "I have a coffee shop now, and I can earn more than 10,000 yuan a month."

In addition to my income from writing online novels, I can earn about 20,000 yuan a month. I'm living a very comfortable life. If I were to get married and have children, it would definitely lower my quality of life.

As Song Jingshu spoke, she winked playfully at Yu Jinzhao, "Besides, I have you, my rich best friend, who gives me tens of thousands of yuan in tips from time to time. No other man can take advantage of me."

Song Jingshu is an online novelist. Yu Jinzhao happened to see her novel and found it quite interesting, so he followed her and gave her tips every now and then, becoming her most loyal reader.

Over time, they became friends, met in person, and became very close best friends.

Yu Jinzhao slowly curled her lips into a lazy smile and said casually, "Love and marriage are just icing on the cake. It's good that you can figure out what you want."

Song Jingshu covered her mouth in surprise, looking Yu Jinzhao up and down as if she didn't recognize her.

Yu Jinzhao slapped her forehead. "What kind of look is that?"

"Are you still the Miss Yu I know?" Song Jingshu frowned slightly, touching her chin thoughtfully.

“I felt something was off when you spoke before, and now I finally know what it is. You seem to have become calm and composed, and you no longer have that infuriating feeling that used to come out with your mouth.”

Yu Jinzhao remained calm, stirring her coffee with elegant movements, appearing noble and aloof. "Isn't this better?"

"Of course not!" Song Jingshu's tone became more serious. "Don't let my past annoyance at work fool you, but..."

She gazed at Yu Jinzhao.

The girl was as beautiful and flamboyant as ever, but her eyes were much calmer and more detached than before, lacking that arrogant and domineering air...

It's not that becoming more composed is bad, but the composure that Yu Jinzhao exudes gives her the impression of being an emotionless shell.

Such unpleasant changes are certainly not good.

She frowned. "Today, I prefer you to be carefree like before."

Yu Jinzhao stopped stirring his coffee, feeling a slight, yet painful, prickling sensation in his heart.

Even her closest relatives hated her before... How could anyone like and miss her?

*

Goodnight, and thank you to all the readers who kept urging me to update! Tomorrow's story will be even more fun and exciting!