Xia Yuqing, her eyes red-rimmed, ran into the office, only to bump into Wu Meng, who was rushing over.
"What's wrong, Yuqing? Why are you so sad?" Wu Meng asked with concern upon seeing her best friend's distressed state.
"It's all that Song Qiao's fault. All he does is make me angry every day. He can do whatever he wants; I don't care anymore."
"Let's go, Wu Meng, come home with me." Xia Yuqing, without explanation, grabbed Wu Meng and left the company.
"Hmph, Song Qiao, that scumbag. With his character of dating two women at once, he must have done something to betray Yuqing."
"Just you wait. Once my job is stable, I'll immediately expose all your disguises." Wu Meng muttered to herself, quickening her steps to catch up with Xia Yuqing.
Although Song Qiao was upset, he also felt a sense of helplessness. The misunderstanding between him and his wife was deepening, almost to an irreconcilable point. He thought it best for them both to calm down for now. After helping Ye Zhiwei resolve her difficulties this time, he would have a proper talk with his wife.
...
"Xueqing, how are your relationship with your brother-in-law? I see you with him often." Since discovering the previous incident, Wu Meng had kept it firmly in mind and seized every opportunity to probe Xia Xueqing. She wanted to learn more about Song Qiao's supposed indiscretions from her.
Hearing Wu Meng's question, Xia Xueqing immediately became vigilant. Her brother-in-law was always so outstanding; perhaps Wu Meng had genuinely taken a liking to him recently. This wouldn't do. She was so close to getting what she wanted; she couldn't have someone interfere now.
"Oh, our relationship isn't that great. My brother-in-law is a philanderer. He's unreliable in everything he does, and his relationship with Ye Zhiwei from Blue Sea is also unclear. I'm starting to suspect he's two-timing my sister. The way I act nice to him is just to test him."
Xia Yuqing's words made Wu Meng's aversion to Song Qiao grow even stronger, subconsciously labeling him a liar who never spoke the truth. She secretly planned to gather more evidence and prepare for a thorough exposé of Song Qiao.
...
A week later, the conflict between Song Qiao and Mo Ling's group had reached a stalemate. As Song Qiao's moment to strike was drawing near, it coincided with his mother-in-law's birthday. Due to last year's unpleasantness, Xia Yuqing decided to hold the gathering at a restaurant, inviting fewer people – just her family and her best friend, Wu Meng.
When Song Qiao arrived at the hotel with his family, Xia Yuqing was suddenly informed that the private room she had booked had been taken by someone named Zhou Yuan, forcing their family to dine in the main hall.
"Why? We were here first, so why did you arbitrarily give our private room to someone else?" In front of her family and best friend, Xia Yuqing was furious and immediately confronted the server and the other party.
"How should I know? It's all the same wherever you country bumpkins eat. The manager made the rules." To her surprise, the server cast a disdainful glance at Xia Yuqing's family, with a very unpleasant attitude. This made Xia Yuqing, who was already feeling down, even more enraged.
"How dare you speak to me like that? Who are you calling a country bumpkin? Did I owe you money or something? Go and get your manager for me."
"No need to call him; I'm right here." Just then, a balding middle-aged man appeared from somewhere, looking at Xia Yuqing with a hint of mockery.
"Wang Jian? How could it be you?" Xia Yuqing exclaimed in surprise. This man was her high school classmate who had pursued her back then, but she had rejected him. She never expected to run into him here today.
"That's right, it's me. Didn't expect this, did you, Xia Yuqing?" Wang Jian snorted and approached with a fake smile.
"What do you mean by that?" Seeing his attitude, Xia Yuqing's face immediately fell. She couldn't believe he was still holding a grudge and bothering her after all this time.
"It means nothing. I just think your family doesn't deserve to eat in a private room." Wang Jian looked at Xia Yuqing dismissively and replied indifferently.
"You, why don't we deserve it?" Xia Yuqing trembled with anger, sternly questioning Wang Jian.
"Your dining expenditure doesn't even come close to a tenth of what Mr. Zhou spends with us, so of course, you don't deserve it." The more Wang Jian spoke, the more contemptuous his tone became. He clearly didn't think much of Xia Yuqing's family. He had received a substantial sum of money from Zhou Yuan that morning and saw this as an opportunity to annoy Xia Yuqing, so he had no hesitation in choosing this method.
"You, I've never seen such a shameless rule. Don't you even have basic principles of first come, first served?"
"Of course not. You're just a bunch of poor beggars. Not only do you not deserve to eat in a private room, but I don't think you even deserve to eat at a table." At some point, Zhou Yuan had appeared beside them.
"Manager Wang, has my seafood platter order been prepared? Once it's ready, hurry up and make these poor devils leave. Don't be an eyesore here."
"Heh, I thought it was some Mr. Zhou. Turns out it's the one who eats leftovers off the ground. I think you're the wild dog that doesn't deserve a seat at the table."
"Come here and make a scene and bark at me." Song Qiao chuckled and stepped forward, taking over Zhou Yuan's words with a fierce retort. This incident was clearly pre-arranged, a deliberate trap set for his family.
"Hmph, you boastful fool. You can't afford a private room but come here to act tough." Zhou Yuan, his reputation exposed in public by Song Qiao, became somewhat frantic. He had never forgotten the incident where Song Qiao forced him to eat leftovers in a private room. He had come here to dine yesterday and accidentally saw the private room Xia Yuqing had booked. Immediately, he conceived this idea to get revenge. Now, he had waited specifically to mock them and make Song Qiao's family lose face.
"I'll give you one chance. Get lost immediately and give me back the private room. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll be eating your seafood feast on the floor later." Song Qiao, too lazy to bother with him, issued his final ultimatum.
"Song Qiao, say less. It's Mom's birthday today, don't embarrass us here." Xia Yuqing, seeing her husband spewing more arrogant words and attracting the attention of many surrounding customers, became even more annoyed than before. As she spoke, she tugged hard at Song Qiao's sleeve, pulling him behind her.