"Hmph, so what? If you can do it, I can talk about it."
The neighbor, Granny Liu, was so angry that she was practically hopping when Song Qiao dared to talk back to her.
"What? Auntie, what era is this? The Qing Dynasty is long gone, and you're still here with your tight bandages?"
Song Qiao sneered, mocking her dismissively.
It was clear this woman was just jealous that their business was booming now. She had clearly come to deliberately humiliate his wife. Otherwise, she wouldn't have prepared so many photos in advance. Song Qiao never showed any politeness to people who were green with envy.
"Hmph, I don't even know what kind of business your establishment is running. You'll do anything for publicity, you don't act like a big company at all."
"And you're still so arrogant."
Granny Liu, agitated, blurted out all her true thoughts.
"I say, Auntie Liu, are you perhaps a bit slow in the head? What I do is none of your business. Do you live by the sea to be so nosy?"
As Song Qiao spoke, he put his arm around Xia Yuqing, whose face was looking a bit grim, and gently patted her shoulder.
"Hmph, what are you so proud of? Your wife, that loose little *****, I don't know how many green hats she's given you behind your back."
After being continuously retorted by Song Qiao a few times, Granny Liu started to lose her temper and speak without restraint.
"Get out. You're not welcome here."
Hearing Granny Liu's words, Song Qiao's previously playful expression instantly turned cold. If it wasn't his mother-in-law's birthday today, he would have probably rushed up and slapped her twice.
"Enough!"
His mother-in-law's angry roar echoed. Her face was already extremely unsightly. She was always concerned with appearances, and now that her neighbor had humiliated her daughter in front of relatives and friends, she was already mortified.
"Xiao Song, you speak a little less."
In her anger, seeing that Song Qiao was not backing down, she immediately shouted at her son-in-law.
"Hmph, I'm doing this for your family's own good, but you don't appreciate it."
"I'm reminding Yuqing to pull back from the brink before she does something that brings shame to your family."
Song Qiao had already suppressed his anger, but Granny Liu unexpectedly said this again.
"Get out now, or don't blame me for being rude."
Song Qiao said, standing up and preparing to kick Granny Liu out.
"Presumptuous."
"Xiao Song, calm down. First, let me ask you, did you have Yuqing take these photos?"
"Since you could do something so disgraceful, you've really embarrassed our family."
His mother-in-law was a very traditional woman at heart. The moment she saw the photos, she transferred all her resentment to her son-in-law. It was Song Qiao who insisted on dragging his daughter to film commercials, and it ended up causing such an absurd situation. She was publicly humiliated by her neighbor at her birthday banquet, losing all face.
"Mom, this isn't my brother-in-law's fault. What's wrong with these photos? This old hag is just talking nonsense."
Xia Xueqing, who had a fiery temper, immediately defended Song Qiao when she saw the neighbor's behavior.
"Shut up. What do you know as a child? My face is almost lost by you kids."
As she spoke, her eyes began to redden.
"Listen to me carefully. Starting tomorrow, neither of you sisters are allowed to take such photos anymore, or you can get out of this house."
After her mother-in-law's furious reprimand, she fell silent with a cold expression.
"Mom, what did I do wrong? This is my normal job. Why can't I do it? It's clearly this Granny Liu who is framing me."
Hearing her mother's demand, Xia Yuqing immediately exploded. She had devoted all her energy to her career recently, and now her mother wanted to negate all her hard work with a single sentence. This made her, who had never argued with her mother, immediately refuse, stubbornly arguing in front of relatives and friends.
"Hmph, I see you're addicted to making quick money and can't bear to give it up."
Seeing the house in chaos, Granny Liu continued to fan the flames.
"Get out now. It's my mother-in-law's birthday today. Don't force me to take action."
Song Qiao, who was looking for an outlet for his anger, roared at Granny Liu.
"Hmph, what, now you're being protective? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you were filming commercials?"
Granny Liu was determined to argue, confident that Song Qiao wouldn't hit her, and continued to linger at Song Qiao's house. With every word she spoke, the mother-in-law's face grew uglier, until it was so dark it looked like it could drip water. Xia Yuqing was trembling with anger, her eyes red, but she managed to hold back her tears.
Just as the situation was spiraling out of control, a knock sounded at the door.
"Sister Yuqing, I saw your commercial. You're so beautiful! As soon as I got back, I rushed over to meet the celebrity in person."
The one who burst in was Granny Liu's daughter, who was studying outside. She excitedly hugged Xia Yuqing as soon as she entered. She was wearing hot pants today and was dressed even more provocatively than Xia Yuqing in the photos.
"Huh? Mom, why are you here? You don't know yet, Sister Yuqing is on TV. She's my idol!"
"Girl, you..."
Granny Liu's face turned red and white, full of embarrassment. She never expected her daughter to come home from out of town at such a coincidental moment, and clearly, she was a great admirer of Xia Yuqing. In front of so many neighbors, this behavior was essentially slapping her own face. However, her daughter didn't sense her embarrassment at all and insisted on begging Xia Yuqing for a photo.
Xia Yuqing, who was feeling down, felt a bit better after being interrupted by her.
"I say, Granny Liu, aren't you embarrassed? Don't just stand there, go home."
A relative sitting nearby couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but taunt Granny Liu.
"Yeah, this person is clearly jealous because Yuqing's family is doing well."
With one leading the charge, other guests chimed in, each thinking Granny Liu was a terrible person. With this attitude, the mother-in-law's expression finally improved a bit. At least in her eyes, her daughter's actions were not despised by these relatives and friends; it was just Granny Liu causing trouble for no reason. Even with her thick skin, Granny Liu couldn't withstand such a simultaneous attack from so many people and finally left the Xia family in disgrace.
Song Qiao shook his head disdainfully, gently patted Xia Yuqing's shoulder, and comforted her, "Wife, don't bother with people who are mentally unwell. Continue doing what you need to do. No matter when, I'll always be here to support you."