Chapter 96: Chapter 93: Is It for Looking, Eating, or Playing? (Part 1)
Qi Rui shot a glance at Xiao Qi, her expression saying, "What do you know, this is clearly an act."
And accompanying them was He Chengze, who only uttered a sound when Su Xiaomeng asked, "Why are you still here?" After that, he didn’t speak anymore.
It was only after the hotel manager entered the elevator that he explained, "Our hotel has liquor cabinets in all oversized private rooms. The wine in these cabinets is meant for decoration when guests don’t need them."
Liquor cabinet?
Qi Rui’s heart sank for a moment.
"But each cabinet contains two or three high-quality wines. After you left, the staff went to clean the room and found several bottles from the cabinet had been opened and stuffed under the table. The staff was careless and didn’t notice when settling the bill."
Qi Rui’s face turned a little pale. Those wines... weren’t supposed to be opened?
Yin Shixiu looked at Su Xiaomeng, "Did you guys drink?"
"Um... only the guys had a bit, not me!" Su Xiaomeng quickly shook her head and waved her hands.
"I thought you wouldn’t dare."
Su Xiaomeng pursed her lips. She only drinks a couple of sips when she’s with someone she likes and is in a celebratory mood.
On a night as stifling as tonight, who would drink that much? Besides... she still had two babies in her belly!
"...Later I called to have the monitoring checked, and indeed it was a girl who opened them."
The hotel manager quickly interjected.
At this moment, Qi Rui was feeling awful, her face alternating between red and white.
How would she know these wines weren’t supposed to be opened? They looked similar to the ones on their table.
If they weren’t meant to be opened, why put them in the private room?
Su Xiaomeng sighed, "Alright, let’s first see who it was, then I’ll contact the class monitor... But how much did those wines cost, to make such a big deal?"
The hotel manager smiled faintly and casually mentioned a shocking number.
"Are you robbing us?!"
Su Xiaomeng was about to exclaim but didn’t expect someone else to react more intensely!
Qi Rui regretted speaking out immediately, hastily grabbing her boyfriend’s sleeve.
Sixty-seven thousand...
That’s for just three bottles, and she only sampled a little from each...
Su Xiaomeng glanced at Qi Rui, her mind suddenly clear, "Oh dear! Qi Rui, could you be the one who’s done this foolish thing?"
Qi Rui bit her lip and glared at Su Xiaomeng, saying with complete confidence, "Classmates’ gathering, it’s AA." (split bill)
"Pfft—haha!"
Su Xiaomeng laughed ungracefully and then amusingly asked, "Would you dare to tell everyone in the group to split this sixty-seven thousand?"
Qi Rui certainly wouldn’t dare; although she was arrogant and proud, she still had basic intelligence.
Sixty-seven thousand would mean splitting it across the twenty or so classmates present tonight would be two to three thousand per person. They were all just students; who would want to pay for her mistake?
While Su Xiaomeng found Qi Rui’s idea funny, she also believed Qi Rui might find a solution.
After all...
"Your boyfriend has money, what’s there to be afraid of?"
Xiao Qi chuckled at those words, immediately saying, "Even if I have money, I’m not going to be a fool paying for this."
Upon hearing this, Qi Rui’s temper couldn’t be held back!
"Xiao Qi, what do you mean?"
Xiao Qi laughed lightly, slowly removing her hand from his clothes, "A woman who can’t tell the difference between brand-name wine and regular drinks wants me to spend big money for her? Is it worth it?"
As their group moved to the reception area, Xiao Qi didn’t follow but left one remark, "Qi Rui, I’m a bit tired; let’s break up in peace."
"Xiao Qi! Stop right there!"
Qi Rui rushed forward with reddened eyes, grabbing Xiao Qi forcefully, "Explain what ’break up in peace’ means? You said you loved me!"
"Isn’t it normal for a man to say he loves a woman in bed?"
Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow, showing a playboy demeanor.
Qi Rui raised her hand intending to hit him, but before the slap landed, her wrist was firmly grasped by Xiao Qi.
"Can you not act like a shrew? Do you really think I’d want to be with an ordinary girl like you?"
Xiao Qi squinted his eyes, "It’s just a game, little girl, don’t take it too seriously."
Qi Rui’s eyes widened, and she felt her whole body weaken.
Xiao Qi entered the elevator, and as the doors closed, he let out a long sigh.
Goodness, it’s fortunate that he had met Yin Shixiu a few times through his father; otherwise... would he be destroyed by that reckless woman without realizing it?
Such a dramatic change; who could have foreseen?
The girl who seemed worthless during the dinner was now the one who looked more worthless herself.
The hotel manager was awkward by the side, unsure whether to bring up the compensation now or wait a little longer.
He Chengze, who’s been mostly quiet, had a fairly calm personality.
Sixty-seven thousand wasn’t a small sum, but it was within his means.
Class reunions are mainly about preserving relationships.
He reached for his wallet—
"Uncle? What are you doing?!"
But He Chengze didn’t expect his wallet hadn’t been retrieved yet when Yin Shixiu handed a card to the hotel manager.
Su Xiaomeng was shocked and widened her eyes!
"The sooner it’s resolved, the sooner we can go home."
"Wait a minute, are you crazy? Even if it’s to resolve something, it’s the culprit who should pay for it! Aren’t you just splurging money right and left? Sixty-seven thousand! It’d take me forever to count that!"
Su Xiaomeng was genuinely anxious!
Not to mention the trouble Qi Rui caused, even if it was her fault, Yin Shixiu shouldn’t spend such an amount just like that!
Moreover, Qi Rui was still badmouthing her! Why should her boyfriend pay for such a spiteful woman?
The hotel manager tentatively asked, "So... Should I—"
"Swipe it."
Yin Shixiu said calmly, not changing his mind because of what Su Xiaomeng said.
Qi Rui looked at Yin Shixiu in a daze...
His hair wasn’t exactly black, leaning more towards an ancient brown, and his well-defined features appeared quite noble, his steady eyebrows and eyes exuded the irresistible charm of a mature man...
Handsome beyond belief... This adjective is exaggerated yet not exaggerated.
"Uncle! You—"
"This classmate reunion, let’s say I hosted it. This way, I also have a reason to ask your classmates to take better care of you in every aspect."
Su Xiaomeng was slightly stunned.
"At least you won’t be unable to catch a ride home alone after the reunion in a snowy night, nor will anyone say anything nonsensical to you."
Yin Shixiu spoke softly, but his eagle-like eyes inadvertently swept over Qi Rui.
Qi Rui swallowed, feeling guilty...
Su Xiaomeng pouted her cheeks, feeling somewhat unbalanced until she left the hotel.
They got into the car.
Seeing Qi Rui also sitting in the back seat, her heart was even more inexplicably depressed.
It was her who decided to take Qi Rui along out of goodwill, but once she got in, she wanted to kick her out...
They returned to the neighborhood close to eleven o’clock.
Su Xiaomeng fell asleep shortly after getting in the car, and even when it stopped, she didn’t wake up.
"Brother, my house is just—"
"Shh..."
Qi Rui had just spoken when Yin Shixiu turned to signal her to keep silent, then waved his hand, indicating she could get out.
"Thank..."
She wanted to say something more, but... Yin Shixiu’s eyebrows furrowed suddenly, looking at her with obvious impatience.
Qi Rui got out of the car.
She didn’t walk far before turning around, looking through the front car window, she saw—
Yin Shixiu wrapped his coat around Su Xiaomeng again, wearing only a thin sweater himself. He walked around to the other side, opened the car door, and carefully carried Su Xiaomeng out.
Her eyes held jealousy and envy.
Every time Xiao Qi came to pick her up, he just sat in the driver’s seat, rolled down the window, and waved at her, regardless of rain or snow...
She had never fallen asleep in Xiao Qi’s car, Xiao Qi’s driving was always fast and reckless, showing off...
When she saw Yin Shixiu tightly wrap Su Xiaomeng in a scarf and coat, then hold her in his embrace, she knew that man truly cared for Su Xiaomeng.
The entire trip too, originally the car was driving quite fast, but after Su Xiaomeng fell asleep, the speed clearly decreased, becoming steady.
She was someone who cared deeply about gains and losses...
Just one evening, all her sense of superiority in front of Su Xiaomeng vanished, not only that, it seemed the two had switched places...
She was somewhat unable to accept this disparity.
Her phone kept vibrating, she opened it...
The WeChat class group had already exploded.
Su Xiaomeng nestled against Yin Shixiu, snowflakes falling behind them, just a photo of their backs was enough to prove many things.
He Chengze, though quiet, said everything that needed to be said without missing a word.
Qi Rui closed her phone, gritting her teeth, her hand clenched into a fist...
Why is it that the one who gets everyone’s love is always Su Xiaomeng?!
"Uncle..."
Su Xiaomeng wrapped her arms around Yin Shixiu’s neck, she had woken up.
"Hmm?"
"Why did you come here?"
Su Xiaomeng looked at his chin with big eyes, mumbling.
"...I heard someone saying they missed me."
Su Xiaomeng’s face suddenly flushed, her legs swung about embarrassedly.
This shy little look... How can it be so captivating?
It made Yin Shixiu feel parched and tongue-tied.
"Alright, Uncle, put me down now, I’m sure I’m really heavy..."
Yin Shixiu’s eyebrow moved slightly, "...Were you light before?"
Yin Shixiu chuckled lightly, pecking her lips.
"Don’t sneak attack me!"
Su Xiaomeng muttered two sentences.
"Since you’re awake, wait here for me a bit."
Su Xiaomeng blinked, only to see Yin Shixiu pull a few gift bags from the car and walk over.
"What’s this?"
She asked.
Yin Shixiu didn’t reply, just gestured for her to knock on the door.
Su Xiaomeng glanced at him, the door was opened by Su Chengji, seeing the person outside was Yin Shixiu, his face was filled with delight, so happy he couldn’t close his mouth!
"Xiao Yin! Didn’t you say you were busy and wouldn’t come?"
"Fooled Xiao Meng."
Yin Shixiu said casually, little did people know how many lies he told to make this trip.
"Coming is enough, why bring stuff!"
Yin Shixiu changed his shoes, then handed a slightly heavier gift box to Su Chengji, "Uncle, this is for you."
"Oh my, my, my! Too kind, too kind!"
After saying that, Su Chengji sat on the sofa hugging the gift he received and started to unwrap it.