The paparazzi at that table saw Wei Yumeng approaching and were about to get up and leave. However, Wei Yumeng had already reached them, placing a hand on their shoulder and pushing them back into their seat.
"Bai Qing sent you to follow me, didn't she?"
She didn't want to beat around the bush. These paparazzi had no personal animosity towards her; at most, they were just doing a job for money and hoping to grab a headline. Frankly, it was all about making a living.
For now, any problem that could be solved with money wasn't really a problem.
The paparazzi lowered their head, remaining silent, clutching their camera tightly.
Seeing this, Wei Yumeng took out a card from her bag. "There's fifty thousand here. It's to buy the photos on your camera. Is that enough?"
Upon seeing the card, the paparazzi wavered. She only got twenty thousand for taking these photos for Bai Qing. What Wei Yumeng was offering was certainly more than enough.
Noticing her hesitation, Wei Yumeng pushed the card forward and took the camera from her hands.
This time, she didn't resist and instead took hold of the card.
Looking at the photos in the camera, they were mostly of her meeting with various men. Even the clients she had met with a couple of days ago were included. Due to the camera angles, the photos made her appear overly intimate with these men. While it wasn't definitive proof of infidelity, if released, it would be enough to cause her considerable gossip.
Wei Yumeng sneered and casually deleted all the photos.
"I've deleted the photos. This fifty thousand, after deducting your original payment, will be considered your hardship fee. Now tell me, was it Bai Qing who asked you to do this?"
By taking the card, the paparazzi had sold the photos to her. How she chose to deal with them was her prerogative.
Therefore, the paparazzi didn't make a fuss and answered all questions.
"It was indeed Miss Bai who asked me to follow you. She also told me to make the photos look ambiguous, saying she wanted to show them to Mr. Zhan."
This girl was quite honest. Wei Yumeng, having gotten the answer she wanted, naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her.
"This meal is on me. Leave after you're done."
When she returned to her seat, she noticed that Huo Xiao hadn't touched his food. His eyes had been fixed on her the entire time. Seeing how quickly she resolved the situation, he couldn't help but praise her.
"Master, you're amazing! Money is so useful; there's nothing it can't solve."
Although this statement was a bit of an oversimplification, it was fitting for the situation. Wei Yumeng simply smiled faintly and said, "Eat up. There's more good stuff coming later."
After they finished their meal, Huo Xiao became impatient. "Master, what's this good stuff you were talking about?"
To maintain a sense of mystery, Wei Yumeng intentionally didn't tell him. "Come with me to the coffee shop across the street for a cup of coffee, and you'll find out."
They went to the coffee shop. Wei Yumeng directly sat down opposite Bai Qing, who was already twirling a voice recorder in her hand, clearly expecting her.
Since they had already fallen out, there was no need for pleasantries.
Bai Qing directly threw the voice recorder at Wei Yumeng as if interrogating her. "Mrs. Zhan, you've got some nerve resorting to recording conversations now. But the person you chose was too stupid; they couldn't fool me at all. I've already deleted the recording, so your plan has failed."
Seeing this, Wei Yumeng picked up the voice recorder. "Oh really? Coincidentally, I have some news for you too. The photos you had someone take were also deleted by me."
"You!"
Bai Qing didn't seem as calm as Wei Yumeng. However, to maintain some semblance of dignity, she held back from erupting.
"Heh, so what if you deleted them? My appearance is simply to tell you that your position as Mrs. Zhan is unstable."
She was quite confident. Wei Yumeng didn't get angry.
"If you're so confident, then I'll wait. But I'll say this now: even if I do nothing, you'll never become Mrs. Zhan. Your position is that of a child bride raised by the Bai family in the mountains, a wolf who bites the hand that feeds it."
Knowing that her identity as a child bride was what bothered Bai Qing the most, Wei Yumeng deliberately brought it up.
Since Bai Qing had no moral compass and insisted on disrupting other people's families, why should Wei Yumeng, the primary victim, let her off the hook?
"Shut up!"
Enraged, Bai Qing grabbed the coffee cup from the table. At the same time, Huo Xiao, who was sitting next to Wei Yumeng, stood up, snatched the cup from her hand, and poured the coffee directly onto her face.
"Hehe, Master, did I do a good job?"
He sat down, seeking praise, and nudged his chin towards Bai Qing, who was now covered in coffee.
On their way, Wei Yumeng had already instructed him. Having coffee was secondary; the main mission was to protect her.
The young man reacted quickly. Not a single drop of coffee splashed onto Wei Yumeng; it all went to Bai Qing.
Wei Yumeng also played along, praising, "Great job. It's good that Master brought you along."
Seeing the two of them mock her so openly, Bai Qing, disregarding her image, slammed the table in anger and stood up to curse, revealing the shrewish nature deep within her.
"Wei Yumeng, you dare mock me? You and this little apprentice of yours must have an improper relationship, right? Mr. Zhan definitely doesn't know you're such a promiscuous woman. You don't deserve him at all!"
Wei Yumeng remained leisurely and even patted Huo Xiao's head.
"Does it matter to you what kind of relationship I have with anyone? It doesn't matter if I deserve him or not. I'm already Mrs. Zhan. Even if you think you deserve him, who are you to say so?"
Facing this woman who had repeatedly tried to sow discord in her marriage, Wei Yumeng's words also became sharp.
"I think you'd better go back to being your child bride. In that small mountain village, you might be unparalleled and satisfy your strong sense of superiority."
"Shut up!"
Bai Qing shrieked and lunged forward, wanting to tear Wei Yumeng's face apart, preventing her from repeatedly uttering the words "child bride."
But Huo Xiao was sitting nearby. No matter how young, he was still a man, stronger than a woman. Before Bai Qing's hands could reach Wei Yumeng, Huo Xiao pushed her to the ground and made a funny face at her.
"I think you're wasting your energy. With me here, I won't let you harm a single hair on my Master's head."
As he spoke, he also gave Bai Qing a middle finger.
Bai Qing seemed to have twisted her ankle and couldn't get up from the ground.
Wei Yumeng, resting her chin on one hand, looked at the disheveled Bai Qing. She tilted her chin, indicating for her to look behind her.
Bai Qing turned her head and saw Bai Yan looking down at her. Before she could react, Bai Yan grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up from the ground.