QTEBS Chapter 14

Fu Xin didn’t know whether to move or not. Zong Yuan cleared his throat, put his hands down, and pretended that nothing had happened.

In Fu Xin’s eyes, there was a glimmer of moisture, full of affection and shyness. Zong Yuan felt a chill run down his spine and winced in pain, saying, “Could you not have that expression?”

Fu Xin looked puzzled. “You don’t like it?”

Zong Yuan made a sound and Fu Xin let out a regretful sigh. “Alright then.”

He wasn’t originally the kind of person who acted this way; he had only read online that strong and domineering people usually preferred gentle and soft personalities. It seemed that this assumption wasn’t entirely correct.

Zong Yuan glanced at the time. “Let’s go.”

Fu Xin asked, “Where to?”

“The preparations for the afternoon,” Zong Yuan said meaningfully. “Do you want to attend He Xiu’xiu’s birthday party looking like this?”

Fu Xin was wearing a white top and a pair of faded blue jeans. Although he looked clean and fresh, he couldn’t help but appear somewhat plain. Zong Yuan reached out his hand, the sharp corners of his eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of flamboyance. “Let’s go, Fu Xin. I’ll take you to dazzle everyone.”

At two-thirty in the afternoon, quite a few people had already arrived for He Xiu’xiu’s birthday party. He Xiu’xiu’s family was considered well-off in the local area. Although she hadn’t invited two or three hundred people, there were still around seventy or eighty guests.

The venue was an out-of-town villa, with sparse crowds and beautiful scenery, perfectly suited for a gathering of young people.

Zhang Zhi’liang arrived early, carrying a delicate little gift box. He affectionately presented it to He Xiu’xiu, saying, “Xiu’xiu, happy birthday.”

He Xiu’xiu accepted it with a smile, her eyes occasionally glancing toward the entrance, as she casually replied, “Thank you, Zhi’liang.”

Zhang Zhi’liang looked around. “Is everyone more or less here?”

The first floor was filled with desserts and snacks, and the crowd was bustling. However, He Xiu’xiu still hadn’t seen the figure she was eagerly waiting for. “Zong Yuan and Fu Xin haven’t arrived yet.”

Zhang Zhi’liang frowned and muttered, “There’s really no sense of propriety.” He couldn’t tell where this group of nouveau riche had come from.

Father and Mother He were standing on the second floor. “Do we really not need to go down?”

Father He nodded. “We are the elders. Even if they are from the Zong family, they are merely juniors. There’s no reason for elders to welcome juniors. Didn’t our daughter say that Zong Yuan is somewhat interested in her? We should maintain a good image and give our daughter some face; we can’t let these big families look down on us.”

Mother He looked at the large group of vibrant young people downstairs and nodded with satisfaction.

As time went on, however, those two still hadn’t arrived. Wang Li leaned close to He Xiu’xiu. “Xiu’xiu, do you think Zong Yuan might not come?”

He Xiu’xiu bit her lip, feeling uncertain. “He won’t.”

Wang Li pouted but suddenly noticed two figures appearing outside the door. She exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my, Zong Yuan and the others are here!”

Everyone turned to look in the direction of her shout.

Zong Yuan’s hair was tousled and flying, with a rebellious strand of slightly curled hair hanging over his forehead. His sharp brows and eyes, coupled with his slightly curled thin lips, added to his charm. The custom-tailored black suit he wore made him look uniquely wild and formal at the same time.

Fu Xin stood beside Zong Yuan, his gaze tightly wrapped around him like silk. His hair was meticulously slicked back, and his usually delicate features now appeared strikingly captivating. Zong Yuan draped his arm over Fu Xin’s shoulder, surveying the room like a king, and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Fu Xin, today no one looks better than you.”

Fu Xin looked at him, laughter dancing in his dark eyes. “And you.”

Zong Yuan smirked, guiding him step by step into the hall.

Being raised in luxury couldn’t be feigned.

He Xiu’xiu abandoned Zhang Zhi’liang and Wang Li at her side and fluttered like a butterfly to stand in front of Zong Yuan, her cheeks flushed. “Zong Yuan, you really came!”

Fu Xin cleared his throat, frowning. “Class Monitor, you smell terrible.”

He Xiu’xiu’s smile instantly stiffened. She shot Fu Xin a glare and forced a laugh, “Hahaha, Fu Xin really loves to joke.”

A hint of amusement flickered in Fu Xin’s eyes as he looked up at Zong Yuan and earnestly asked, “Zong Yuan, can’t you smell it?”

Zong Yuan sniffed and frowned. “Class Monitor, you must have bought a fake. This perfume smells truly awful.”

He Xiu’xiu exclaimed, “How is that possible?” She took a whiff of her own scent; it was pleasantly fragrant. Yet, as she glanced at Zong Yuan’s finely tailored suit, she felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Honestly, this was bought for me by Wang Li. Sigh, that girl probably just wanted to save a bit of money.”

Father He and Mother He walked down the stairs hand in hand. Zhang Zhi’liang greeted them, “Uncle, Aunt.” Father He and Mother He nodded, their eyes set on Zong Yuan. “Xiu’xiu, this is…”

He Xiu’xiu returned to her usual demeanor. “Dad, this is Zong Yuan and this is Fu Xin.”

Father He reached out to pat Zong Yuan on the shoulder, his eyes lighting up. “Hmm, good young man. Just call me Uncle; no need to be formal.”

Zong Yuan had seen all kinds of people and he had no intention of being polite. He shook off Father He’s hand, clearly seeing the vanity in his heart. Frowning, he said, “Call you Uncle? Ha, how dare you even say that.”

Father He’s expression turned disappointed and he sighed, speaking earnestly. “Young man, you should be polite.”

Zhang Zhi’liang watched from the side, mocking them.

Nouveau riche truly were nouveau riche.

Zong Yuan scoffed, leisurely walking around Father He. “I only give respect to those I deem worthy. Are you the director of XX bureau, or the mayor, or some big company’s director?”

He finally stopped in front of Father He, observing his increasingly ugly expression. “I bet you are none of those.”

Zong Yuan let out a regretful sigh. “You don’t even meet the minimum standard for me to call you Uncle. What kind of delusional dreams are you having? At your age, how can you still be so naive?”

Father He, furious, shouted, “What kind of upbringing does that Zong family have? What a bunch of pretentious rich people!”

“Pretentious rich people?” Zong Yuan asked him with a half-smile, “Say it again.”

Father He’s face turned bright red, but ultimately, he didn’t repeat it.

He Xiu’xiu looked like she was about to cry, appearing pitiful. She subtly leaned her legs closer to Zong Yuan under her long skirt. “Zong Yuan, please don’t be like this.”

She cleverly displayed her most beautiful side in front of Zong Yuan. “My dad’s just like that; please don’t hold it against him.”

Fu Xin suddenly interjected, “Do you think your dad is in the wrong?”

He Xiu’xiu was momentarily stunned. “N-no.”

Fu Xin seemed to smile a bit. “Then why do you want Zong Yuan not to hold anything against him?”

The two of them were like bullies, completely disregarding the dignity of her family. Zhang Zhi’liang could no longer stand by, his face serious as he said sternly, “Fu Xin.”

He was heartbroken. “How have you become so unreasonable and unrelenting?”

He Xiu’xiu appeared to have forgotten who the real instigator was, looking sorrowfully at Fu Xin. “Fu Xin, do you really hate me?”

Zong Yuan remained silent.

It was complicated.

0046 clicked his tongue. “Even with all that hatred, you still can’t compare to Fu Xin.”

Fu Xin nodded without any hesitation, the meaning in his eyes profound. “Yeah, I hate it.”

Insults, bullying, tolerance, numbness.

How could one not hate it?

He Xiu’xiu gasped in surprise, her mouth open as if she had been hurt. She lowered her head, her voice choking. “W-why?”

Around them, there was a murmur of sympathy, and strange glances surrounded Fu Xin as whispers began to circulate. Zhang Zhi’liang looked at Fu Xin in disappointment. “Fu Xin, so this is the kind of person you are.”

Zong Yuan said, “That’s enough.”

No matter how clever He Xiu’xiu was, she was still just eighteen.

Even if Father He pretended, he was still not a member of the elite.

Zong Yuan succinctly stated, “If you want to continue doing business in the capital, satisfy one of my requests.”

Father He’s eyelid twitched. “What?”

Zong Yuan tilted his chin, pulling Fu Xin to stand in front of him. “It just so happens there are many people here; let your daughter admit in front of everyone what she has done regarding Fu Xin.”

Father He wore a stern expression and said nothing.

He Xiu’xiu’s face turned pale as she forced a smile. “What have I done, Zong Yuan? Did Fu Xin say something to you?”

She looked at Fu Xin, finally revealing a hint of reproach. “Fu Xin, how can you spread rumors?”

Fu Xin sighed. “See, it’s like this again.”

His expression remained calm, without a hint of turbulence.

Zong Yuan furrowed his brows, his patience wearing thin. He had come today to resolve matters, yet now it was he who could no longer hold back. “Enough.”

He looked at Father He, his expression devoid of youthful naivety. “Mr. He, this was a joke before, but now it’s serious. I believe you know how my family will choose; you can handle it as you see fit.”

Father He grew serious as well. He paused for a few seconds, turning to look at He Xiu’xiu. “Xiu’xiu, just say what you’ve done. Apologize if you need to; you should get along with your classmates.”

“Dad—”

He Xiu’xiu couldn’t believe it. Zhang Zhi’liang, standing nearby, tried to interject. “Uncle, Xiu’xiu wouldn’t do anything; this is clearly slander.”

“Shut up.” To everyone’s surprise, it was Fu Xin who said this.

He looked at Zhang Zhi’liang and He Xiu’xiu, his tone laced with barely concealed sarcasm. “Slandering me by stealing my diary is slander. Splashing dirt on me is slander. Privately seeking others is slander.”

He stepped closer. He Xiu’xiu felt pinned in place by his dark gaze, an inexplicable fear rising within her. “There’s so much, it’s all slander.”

Fu Xin’s voice was soft, his words whispering into He Xiu’xiu’s ear. “And the word ‘slut’, I’m giving that back to you now.”

He Xiu’xiu’s pupils constricted sharply. An overwhelming mixture of anger and unfounded fear compelled her to raise her hand without a second thought.

Fu Xin quickly dodged back, his expression one of surprise and confusion. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you want to hit me?”

He looked at Zong Yuan, puzzled, but Zong Yuan, with a cold expression, pulled Fu Xin behind him, looking impassively at He Xiu’xiu before glancing at Father He. He said icily, “Very good.”

He then turned and walked outside with Fu Xin. 0046 flipped through a small notebook filled with He Xiu’xiu’s misdeeds, subtle instigations, and provocations, making it clear she had been quite crafty.

Fu Xin turned to look at the few people with unpleasant expressions, his gaze slowly settling on Zhang Zhi’liang as he revealed a hidden smile.

He had heard that one effective strategy in pursuing someone was to make them feel jealous. It seemed like someone was needed to make Zong Yuan jealous.

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