"Hmph, what's wrong? If you can do it, why can't others talk about it."
Seeing Song Qiao dare to retort, neighbor Liu Pozi was so angry she almost jumped.
"What? Auntie, it's this day and age, the Qing Dynasty is long gone. Are you still binding your head?"
Song Qiao sneered and retorted dismissively.
It was clear that she was jealous of their growing business and had come specifically to humiliate his wife. Otherwise, she wouldn't have prepared so many photos in advance. Song Qiao never minced words with people who were green with envy.
"Hmph, I don't even know what kind of business your place is running. You'll do anything for publicity, you don't act like a big company at all."
"And you're still so arrogant."
In her excitement, Liu Pozi blurted out all her thoughts.
"I say, Auntie Liu, are you a bit out of your mind? What I do is none of your business. Do you live by the sea to be so nosy?"
As Song Qiao spoke, he pulled the somewhat pale Xia Yuqing closer and gently patted her shoulder.
"Hmph, what are you so proud of? Your wife, that promiscuous little slut, how many green hats has she brought you behind your back?"
After being retorted by Song Qiao several times, Liu Pozi started to speak without restraint.
"Get out, you're not welcome here."
Hearing Liu Po's words, Song Qiao's somewhat playful expression instantly turned grim. If it wasn't his mother-in-law's birthday today, he would have rushed over and slapped her twice.
"Enough!"
His mother-in-law roared, her face extremely displeased. She was always concerned about appearances, and being humiliated by a neighbor in front of friends and family had already made her lose face.
"Xiao Song, you say a little less."
Still angry, seeing Song Qiao refusing to back down, she shouted at her son-in-law.
"Hmph, I'm doing this for your own good, but you don't appreciate it."
"I'm warning Yuqing to pull back from the brink before she embarrasses your family with her actions."
Song Qiao had already suppressed his anger, but Liu Pozi suddenly said this.
"Get out quickly, or don't blame me for being rude."
As Song Qiao spoke, he stood up and prepared to forcefully escort Liu Pozi out.
"How dare you."
"Xiao Song, calm down. First, let me ask you, did you ask Yuqing to take these photos?"
"If you can do something as disgraceful as this, you've truly brought shame upon our family."
His mother-in-law was a very traditional woman. The moment she saw the photos, she transferred all her resentment to her son-in-law. It was Song Qiao who insisted on dragging her daughter into taking commercials, and it turned out to be such an absurd situation. She had been publicly humiliated by a neighbor at her birthday banquet, losing all her dignity.
"Mom, this is not my brother-in-law's fault. What's wrong with these photos? This old hag is just spouting 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, child? You kids are making me lose all my face."
As she spoke, her eyes began to turn red.
"Listen to me, starting tomorrow, neither of you sisters is allowed to take such photos again, or you can get out of this house."
After her mother-in-law's furious reprimand, she turned her head away coldly and remained silent.
"Mom, what did I do wrong? This is my normal job, why can't I do it? It's clearly this Liu Pozi who is framing me."
Xia Yuqing's eyes widened in disbelief at her mother's demand. She had poured all her energy into her career recently, and now her mother wanted to negate all her hard work with a single sentence. This, for the first time in her life, she argued with her mother, directly defying her in front of friends and family.
"Hmph, I see you're all addicted to making quick money and can't let go."
Seeing the chaos in the house, Liu Pozi continued to stir the pot.
"Get out quickly. Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. Don't force me to take action."
Song Qiao, who was already looking for an outlet for his anger, roared at Liu Pozi.
"Hmph, what, now you're being secretive? Why didn't you think about this outcome when you were filming the commercial?"
Liu Pozi, addicted to arguing and sure that Song Qiao wouldn't hit her, refused to leave. With every word she spoke, her mother-in-law's face grew more displeased, until it was almost dripping with anger. Xia Yuqing trembled with rage, her eyes red, but she held back her tears.
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, there was a knock at the door.
"Sister Yuqing, I saw the commercial you filmed, you were so beautiful! As soon as I got back, I rushed over to see the real celebrity."
It was Liu Pozi's daughter, who studied outside. She burst in and excitedly hugged Xia Yuqing. She was wearing a miniskirt today, dressed even more provocatively than Xia Yuqing in the photos.
"Hey, Mom, why are you here? You don't know yet, Sister Yuqing was on TV! She's my idol."
"Girl, you..."
Liu Pozi's face turned red and then pale, filled with embarrassment. She hadn't expected her daughter to come home at such a coincidental time and clearly admired Xia Yuqing so much. In front of so many neighbors, this behavior was a slap in her face. However, her daughter, oblivious to her embarrassment, pleaded with Xia Yuqing to take a photo with her.
Xia Yuqing, who had been feeling down, felt a little better after this interruption.
"I say, Liu Pozi, aren't you embarrassed? Don't just stand there, go home."
A relative sitting nearby, unable to watch any longer, couldn't help but mock Liu Pozi.
"Yeah, she's just jealous because Yuqing's family is doing well."
With this as a lead, other guests chimed in, everyone thinking Liu Pozi was a terrible person. Seeing their attitude, the mother-in-law's expression improved slightly. At least in her eyes, her daughter's actions weren't looked down upon by friends and family; it was just Liu Pozi causing trouble for no reason.
Even with her thick skin, Liu Pozi couldn't withstand such a barrage of criticism and finally slunk away from the Xia family. Song Qiao shook his head dismissively and gently patted Xia Yuqing's shoulder, comforting her, "Wife, don't bother with people who are mentally ill. Do what you need to do, I'll always support you."