Krystal was unable to perform for her father on his birthday and ended up giving him this Chinese painting, so she was a little upset.
Fortunately, she finally managed to regain confidence when everyone sang her praises.
And sure enough, Kim Qing loved the painting. “Thanks, Krystal. It was a thoughtful gift.”
So-yeon glanced at Krystal’s pine Chinese brush painting and felt she had some degree of talent.
However, So-yeon had already achieved this degree of mastery when she was just 12 years old. Even though she received far more praise than Krystal, she did not take it to heart at all. Hence, So-yeon was unable to laud praise like the rest of the guests.
If memory served So-yeon right, Master Liu was probably Liu Xueyuan. It was a fellow artist she used to know who was unable to surpass her skills. In that case, it could hardly be considered glory for Master Liu to think highly of Krystal.
After all, So-yeon couldn’t continue being an artist because of her husband’s ill health. That was the main reason Liu Xueyuan was finally able to make a name for himself in the trade.
Dong-wook also didn’t react when he saw the painting.
The moment Krystal saw their reaction, she felt they must know nothing about Chinese painting since they were from a small town. The same went for Jennie. No matter how good her work was, they were incapable of appreciating it. They probably never even heard of Master Liu in their lives.
Kai and Krystal had already presented their gifts to Kim Qing, so it was now Jennie’s turn.
After all, Kim Qing had treated Jennie well during her time in the Kim family. Kim Qing and Old Master Kim were the only people in the clan who treated Jennie like family.
Krystal raised her chin and looked at Jennie. Everyone turned to look at Jennie as well.
Jennie naturally didn’t come empty-handed. She promptly took out a perfumed bag and presented it to Kim Qing with both hands. “Uncle Qing, please accept my gift. Happy birthday.”
Kim Qing took the gift. He didn’t appear to dislike it at all as he said, “Thanks, Jennie.”
“Try to wear it or place it under your pillow,” said Jennie.
“Sure.” Kim Qing accepted the gift.
Everyone secretly scoffed when they saw the perfumed bag and felt unimpressed by the gift. Sure enough, Jennie was from a small town. How could she give Kim Qing a perfumed bag on his birthday? From the looks of it, she must have bought it online for cheap with free shipping even.
However, Kim Qing was gracious enough to accept Jennie’s gift without publicly rejecting it.
Third Aunt promptly said, “Jennie, you are a famous artist now. I heard you won a lot of money for coming in second on the show. How could you give Kim Qing just that on his birthday? Shouldn’t you take the opportunity to show some gratitude to your foster father for raising you?”
“Third Aunt, stop saying that. Jennie has always been a filial child. Jennie has been staying at the Kim residence all this time because she can’t bear to leave my parents,” defended Krystal right away.
Despite sounding like she was speaking in defense of Jennie, Krystal was in fact accusing Jennie of refusing to leave.
Third Aunt shook her head hard. “Krystal, you are too nice. How could Jennie be staying because she can’t bear to leave your parents? Can’t you tell why she is still around? Well, I certainly can. Now, even her parents are here to get cozy with us. Don’t you know why they are doing this?”
Everyone secretly nodded in agreement. Judging from the way Dong-wook looked, he probably needed full-time medical attention. If Shi Jin could get close to the Shi family and they were in a charitable mood, the Lee family could probably survive on just handouts alone from the Kim family.
Dong-wook and So-yeon certainly knew how to do their Math!
Dong-wook and So-yeon instantly looked annoyed! How could they think that of Jennie? It became clear to them the kind of life Jennie led in the Kim family!
They always knew Jennie had a hard time while she was with the Shi family, but they did not know exactly how bad it was.
So-yeon promptly wanted to defend Jennie. She didn’t care if they wanted to attack her, but they could not do it to Jennie. She was Jennie’s biological mother. How could she stand by and watch everyone treat her daughter this way?
Jennie hurriedly pressed So-yeon’s hand and patted Dong-wook’s shoulder and gestured for them to stay quiet.
Although Dong-wook and So-yeon were anxious to help their daughter, they respected her decisions, so they stopped and let Jennie do what she wanted.
Jennie proceeded to step forward. She was a natural beauty who glowed and drew attention no matter where she was.
Even Kai could not resist looking at her just like everyone else.
She looked at Third Aunt and asked mildly, “Third Aunt, why do you think I’m still living here? Do you mind sharing a pointer or two? I for one certainly don’t know what you mean.”
“I…” Third Aunt instantly stuttered when Jennie looked at her with her bright stern eyes.
After all, Third Aunt was her elder, so she had seen her fair share of family drama in her life.
She quickly composed herself. “It’s no big deal. Our family is rich and famous. Even our servants have better perks than other help. It’s no surprise you want to continue living here and be close to us.”
“Third Aunt, are you saying I deliberately refused to leave the Kim residence so that I can use the family? Are you saying that I even got my parents involved?” asked Jennie rhetorically.
“Thereabouts,” replied Third Aunt.
Everyone cast a knowing look at Jennie.
Yu Xiuhua said, “Jennie grew up in the Shi family, so it is completely normal for her to feel that way. The truth is, we can’t bear for her to leave either.”
In reality, Yu Xiuhua couldn’t wait for Jennie to leave. However, she had to continue pretending to be a doting mother to Jennie.
Jennie nodded and smiled. “Okay. Let’s talk about this then. Auntie Xiuhua, Krystal, and I were brought up by the Lee and Kim families respectively for 12 years. Has anything unfair happened? Or is there anything we should do now to make up for the other family?”
“Of course not. There is no need for you to make up for anything.” Yu Xiuhua hurriedly shook her head. In reality, the Kim family was considered new to high society, so Jennie didn’t get to enjoy life while she was residing at the Kim family.
Old Master Kim’s eyes were starting to deteriorate at the time and made a few losses when he did business, so the Kim family was not doing well. Kim Qing and Yu Xiuhua were busy trying to make up for the losses and did not pay much attention to Jennie. This was the main reason Yu Xiuhua and Jennie were never close.
By the time Krystal returned to the Shi family, it was already financially stable.
Yu Xiuhua felt Krystal brought the family good luck. Also, she was her biological daughter. Hence, she doted on her even more.
In hindsight, Krystal had a much better life in the first 12 years of her life. Although she lived in a small town, she was brought up to be poised. Also, she did well academically and had the freedom to pursue her interests.
Krystal and Yu Xiuhua felt Krystal was naturally talented and gave the Lee family no credit whatsoever.