Chapter 277 Jinyu’s Little Hobby

• Jinyu figured Casper Frost had a screw loose. Even if he was dying, Casper was the kind who’d glare at the world and snarl that he was still strong. When had he ever shown weakness? Did dying once flip his personality? After Casper spoke, he watched Rhea Wood, hoping to catch a flicker of tenderness for him in her eyes. But he was disappointed. There was no tenderness—only pity. That was Rhea’s kindness talking, the way she pitied anyone who seemed miserable. She really had given up on him. Casper felt like a man clawing for hope at the edge of a cliff, reaching again and again, only to grab at air. The pain drove him half-mad, made him want to go back to his old ways—do whatever he pleased and damn the consequences. If no one cared about him, why should he care about anyone? Rhea said calmly, “When it’s time to eat, we eat. Casper, you don’t have to keep us company here. Once Jinyu’s done, we’ll head out.” The gloom in Casper’s eyes cleared for a second. He froze. Rhea stood right in front of him; he couldn’t pretend he didn’t care. He slipped back into that unreadable, shadowed look and nodded. “Mm. I’ll go grab lunch first. No rush on your end.” He turned and left. Tall, broad-shouldered, and somehow, Jinyu saw loneliness in the set of his back. She wanted to say something, but she kept quiet. She lowered her head and dug in. The food really was great—totally her thing. Jinyu polished off everything, not even a sip of soup left. She leaned back in her chair, stuffed. “No more, no more. I ate way too much. Guess I need to hit a diet later.” Rhea jumped in, reassuring her. “Don’t worry, Jinyu. The chef said everything today was low-cal. You won’t gain a pound.” The more Jinyu looked at Rhea, the more she adored her. Where else could you find such a thoughtful little sweetheart? She reached over to pinch Rhea’s cheek, then said, “Let’s see what my little sweetheart brought me.” Jinyu opened the box Rhea gave her and found a pair of gloves. Simple beige gloves with a lace-like trim at the wrist. The touch was smooth and fine—about as good as some of her custom pieces. These didn’t look cheap, and she knew how thrifty Rhea was—she’d never waste even a single dollar. Jinyu sighed. “I’ve got tons of gloves. You shouldn’t have splurged on something so pricey for me.” Rhea’s cheeks flushed. “They’re not expensive. I bought the yarn. I knitted them myself.” Jinyu’s elegant calm flipped to outright wonder. She turned them over and over, then pointed to the faintly visible characters for ‘peace’ hidden in the lace. “You did this too?” Rhea nodded. “I embroidered it with ultra-fine thread. It won’t scratch, and it doesn’t mess with the look.” “Rhea! You’re amazing!” Rhea beamed, genuinely happy. Whether it was food she made or gifts she gave, if someone liked them, she lit up. Since Jinyu had eaten too much, she insisted on dragging Rhea out to walk it off. Rhea figured Uncle Hua would send her out later anyway, so she agreed. In the car, Rhea asked, puzzled, “Jinyu, where are we going?” Jinyu waggled her brows, teasing. “You’ll know when we get there.” Rhea sat quietly, obedient, no more questions. Meanwhile, at the Mirage entrance, that middle-aged man showed up again. He paced back and forth, anxious, then bit the bullet and asked, “Excuse me, has Miss Wood come back?” “Our lady hasn’t returned.” “Then could you give me Miss Wood’s number?” The bodyguard glanced at his agitated face. “We can’t give out our lady’s number. And anyway, I don’t know it. Is it urgent? I can loop in Mr. Casper, have him let our lady know.” The man’s face changed fast. “No, no, it’s fine. I’ll wait.” The bodyguard gave the odd man a baffled look. Over on Rhea’s end, half an hour later, Jinyu brought her to a place that looked like a gallery. In the glass window were dolls—so delicate it felt over the top. Jinyu was buzzing. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll show you something pretty.” Rhea followed her in. Inside were four or five different mini-scenes, each with a gorgeous doll. Rhea’s curiosity was written all over her face. A young woman who ran the place came over. Jinyu went straight in. “Ms. Li, bring out the prettiest dolls you’ve got. And the custom one I ordered—let me take a look.” Ms. Li stiffened a bit. “Ms. Jin, about your custom piece—the crown’s main gem hasn’t arrived. There might be a slight delay.” “No worries. Bring it out so I can see.” Rhea and Jinyu were led to the VIP area. Soon two attendants came in, carrying several cases. One by one, they opened them in front of Jinyu. Every case held a doll. There were boys and girls, vintage and modern styles. The faces were stunning, the clothes lavish, the accessories distinct. Jinyu picked one up and started explaining to Rhea. “They’re all custom. You can choose hair color, face shape, even the patterns in the eyes. Gorgeous, right? In our doll circle, we ‘raise’ them—buy accessories and outfits, set up little scenes to match their vibe. What do you think? Pretty?” Rhea nodded eagerly. “So pretty! I’ve never seen dolls like this.” Jinyu’s mood soared—the joy of sharing something you love and having it appreciated. Not many knew about this little hobby of hers. When she was younger, she’d share with friends. They’d praise her to her face, then gossip behind her back—call her aloof, say she was rich and wasted it on toys. After that, she stopped sharing. By the time she’d grown strong enough to arm-wrestle business tycoons, anyone who stumbled on her hobby would just gush mindlessly. That made her even less willing to talk about it. But Jinyu knew Rhea really liked them. Didn’t you see the shine in her eyes? Jinyu, smiling, said, “I’ve got some museum-level pieces at home. I’ll take you to see them when we’ve got time.” Rhea nodded, full of hope. “Yes, yes! These tiny outfits are insanely detailed!” “Just wait. There’s an even better one. I had one custom-made—it’ll be here in a bit.” Jinyu set the dolls in their little scenes and taught Rhea how to shoot them to look great in photos. With Rhea marveling at every turn, the two of them toured the whole place. Then Ms. Li came in carrying a finer case. She set it carefully on the wooden table in front of Jinyu and opened it with extra care. Seeing her so solemn, Rhea got even more curious. The lid lifted, and Rhea saw the doll inside. Huh. Why did this one look so familiar? It kind of looked… a bit like her?