Chapter 20 He and Xiaoxue haven't been together for two hours...

The crowd slowly parted in the direction Zhan pointed, revealing the young man who had been standing silently at the back of the crowd from the very beginning.

The man looked up, somewhat bewildered, and met the gazes of the crowd.

Seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, someone next to him impatiently nudged him: "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

His upper body was pushed so hard that he swayed violently. He managed to steady himself with his legs in time so that he wouldn't fall down in front of everyone. However, he still felt humiliated, and the lines of his neck were stiff and rigid.

It took him a while to move again. He grabbed two glasses of wine from the bar and walked over to him.

"Young Master Ying, I'd like to offer you a toast."

Ying Shixue raised her eyebrows slightly but did not answer.

Xi, Bo, and Jian are the illegitimate children of the Xi family. It is said that they were the product of Xi's father's one-night stand. His mother was a prostitute from a foreign land who abandoned him after giving birth and ran away with the money.

Compared to the hardships of living with a heartless mother, perhaps a high-class family would be a better choice. Unfortunately, he also has a legitimate older brother who is quite capable and accomplished.

However, perhaps due to inheriting his mother's genes, Xi Bojian's appearance also has a somewhat exotic feel to it, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, but his pupils are like a misty gray, and his jawline is smooth and clear. Logically speaking, an abandoned child who is not valued and bullied should be somewhat timid and shrinking, but strangely, he is actually half a head taller than Ying Shixue, who is 1.8 meters tall when she grows up.

Standing face to face like this, Ying Shixue actually had to tilt her head slightly to see his face clearly.

The other person probably felt embarrassed too, and some white sweat seeped from the fingers of the person holding the wine glass due to excessive force. After a long while, as if they could no longer bear the terrible silence, they raised the glass in their right hand, tilted their head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then they placed the other glass on the high platform to the side and turned back.

Ying Shixue's gaze fell on the glass of wine he had put down. The wine was clear, not strong, and had a slightly spicy aftertaste. It should be the safest glass with the lowest alcohol content among the pile of colorful wines.

"What happened? What happened? I asked you to toast Young Master Ying, why did you come back after just having a drink?"

“Yeah,” someone said maliciously, giving Xi Bojian a nudge. “What, you don’t want to toast Young Master Ying?”

These people are well-off and idle, and their bodies are full of the bad traits that come from the excessive satisfaction of their desires. Even if they didn't have this idea at first, they are all aroused by this pretext.

"Young Master Ying, he refuses to toast you!" someone shouted.

The crowd erupted in laughter, pushing and shoving each other: "Who do you think you are, daring to look down on Young Master Ying?"

"Exactly, it's just an illegitimate child, and they're really making a big deal out of it?"

If the previous statements were somewhat veiled, this one clearly carries a distinct definite meaning.

"He's had too much to drink, hasn't he? Let's take him downstairs to sober him up!"

Xi Bojian stood there, suppressing his anger: "I didn't."

But it's all useless now. No matter how unfavored Xi Bojian is, he's still half a young master of the Xi family. Normally, even if they're arrogant, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant. But now they've used Ying Shixue's name. If they investigate later, they can say that he offended Young Master Ying, and that they only took action because they couldn't stand it.

The two young masters, both in awkward positions, are neither valued, but if their conflict escalates to the point of affecting their reputation and status, who can guarantee what the outcome will be?

After all, everyone knows that the Song family and the Xi family have been at odds for many years.

Zhan's interest grew, and the group shoved and jostled each other—thump.

A large splash of white water erupted as Xi Bojian tumbled into the pool.

Unrestrained laughter.

Xi Bojian coughed repeatedly, but fortunately the water in the pool was not deep, and he soon climbed back up by clinging to the edge of the pool.

His clothes and shoes were soaked, and water was dripping from his hair. He wiped his face, trying to shake off the water, but he still couldn't stop coughing.

Ying Shixue lowered her eyelashes and her fingertips twitched.

-

Meanwhile, in the main hall

Xi Chengxu withdrew his gaze from Song Mingli, who was surrounded by a crowd in the distance, and took a sip of wine in his glass, somewhat bored: "There are so many people here."

Those who echoed him, unable to grasp the meaning behind his words, silently raised their wine glasses.

However, it was true. Those who echoed this recalled the people they had just met: political and business celebrities, superstars, and even the central government officials sent their younger family members to offer their congratulations.

He looked at the wine in his glass with envy. Just this? ?, there must have been over a thousand bottles opened today.

And when you come in, you see rows of buildings with carved beams and painted walls inside. It is said that there is also a whole lake on the back mountain that is included in the estate.

And this is just one of the many businesses owned by the Song family.

Wealth that many people cannot achieve in several lifetimes, and people who are hard to even meet once in the world, are all gathered here tonight.

Xi Chengxu lowered his eyelids, the side light casting a dim, half-light shadow over him, the wine in his glass glowing with a faint red light, his tone both mocking and sarcastic: "A century-old aristocratic family, the Song family of Fancheng."

“My grandfather always spoke of it with apprehension, but I didn’t believe him. Now that I’ve seen it for myself, I can see that what he said was true.”

The bystanders were startled and quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard anything. Fortunately, there were few people around, so they should be fine.

Before he could even catch his breath, Mr. Xi spoke again.

"The tallest tree catches the most wind, and now, in such a precarious situation..." The crimson liquid in the glass swayed. "How long can he remain so smug after being so ostentatious?"

The people around us were sweating bullets. "Mr. Xi, Mr. Xi," they said, "we're still on their turf..."

Xi Chengxu smiled slightly and strode away into the distance.

"Mr. Song, you're truly a young and accomplished man..." "Mr. Song, I'm Li Liang from Qicheng Construction..." "Congratulations! Mr. Song, what do you think of that project in the south of the city..."

As wave after wave of people came to offer their toasts, Song Mingli maintained proper social etiquette on the surface, but glanced at his watch out of the corner of his eye.

He had been separated from Xiaoxue for two hours.

He nervously curled his fingers slightly, just about to find an excuse to go out, when suddenly a voice pierced his ear:

"President Song."

Those surrounding him turned around at the sound of the voice, and then their eyes showed surprise.

Xi Chengxu seemed oblivious, calmly taking a glass of wine from the waiter's tray: "My father originally wanted to congratulate you in person, but unfortunately he was too busy, so he asked me to convey his greetings."

Song Mingli slowly turned around and looked at him, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes: "You've put in the effort."

The two were of similar height and age, and standing face to face created a tense atmosphere. People who had originally wanted to exchange a few words exchanged glances, tacitly minimizing their presence and walking away.

Xi Chengxu exclaimed, "Ah! It seems we've driven away President Song's guests. President Song won't mind, will he?"

Song Mingli smiled slightly: "Unlike President Xi, who has many distinguished guests, I heard that the medical equipment you made a few days ago was a great success."

Xi Chengxu's expression changed. He had signed a cooperation contract with someone, but later he found out that he had been tricked by a regular customer. As a result, many people in his family took the opportunity to embarrass him.

Xi Chengxu tightened his grip on the wine glass, and after a long while, he managed to chuckle twice. Just as he was thinking about how to turn the tables, a waiter suddenly came over and whispered something in his ear.

Xi Chengxu raised an eyebrow and gave Song Mingli a slightly strange expression: "Excuse me."

-

"What are you doing!" A sharp shout suddenly came from afar, and Ying Shixue stopped in her tracks and looked over.

A hurried footstep led the waiter to help Xi Bojian up. The person in charge of this area turned pale upon seeing this and, while ordering someone to fetch a dry towel, hurriedly took out his handkerchief to wipe Xi Bojian's face.

Xi Bojian subtly took a step back to avoid the outstretched hand. Fortunately, the foreman, preoccupied with guilt and anxiety, didn't notice this detail. The group of spoiled rich kids all looked towards the source of the sound, then their eyes widened and they fell silent.

Xi Chengxu stopped five meters away from the pool, frowning as he looked at the mess in front of him.

The arrogant Zhan He who had just been standing there suddenly showed a hint of nervousness on his face. He adjusted his unsteady posture and straightened his clothes: "Brother Xu."

Why is Xi Chengxu here? Shouldn't he be in the main hall socializing with people right now? And why is he the one who arrived first...?

Xi Chengxu glanced at Xi Bojian, who was soaking wet, and his gaze swept over him: "Who did this?"

Everyone present stammered and shifted blame to each other. Although they had come with the intention of watching the show, things were different when it came to the adults. Xi Chengxu narrowed his eyes slightly. By the pool, a small puddle had already accumulated at Xi Bojian's feet.

"Bo Jian, you speak."

He might not truly want to stand up for his younger brother; frankly, his dislike for him was no less than that of those spoiled brats. But he desperately needed something to reaffirm his authority...

A cool summer night breeze blew, and Xi Bojian's face was as white as if he had been washed. All eyes were on him, but he simply shook his head and said, "I fell down by accident."

Zhan He was stunned. The group exchanged bewildered glances. Xi Chengxu's brow furrowed with barely concealed anger, yet Xi Bojian had indeed said it, repeating it again:

"I fell down by myself."

Xi Chengxu sneered, shook off the waiter who followed him, and turned to leave: "Insignificant."

"You managed to fall down at a banquet? Go back and copy the code of conduct ten times!"

He came and went quickly, leaving everyone bewildered.

The commotion subsided before it even began. Zhan pushed away his female companion who was clinging to him again, saying, "Boring." He then turned and walked indoors.

The leader left, and the rest hesitated for a moment before also leaving in small groups.

The once noisy and bustling swimming pool fell silent instantly, with only scattered wine glasses and plates indicating what had just happened.

Xi Bojian gently wiped away the water stains with a dry towel, saying nothing, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily revealed a bitter smile: "...I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Ying Shixue: "Does this kind of thing happen often?"

Xi Bojian paused, as if something painful had been touched upon. He sat down silently on a chair and spoke after a long while: "What can one do when living under someone else's roof?"

His eyelashes were long but not curled, which gave off a just-right sense of loneliness, weariness, and vulnerability when they fell down. Combined with his appearance, it made him a very convincing look.

Ying Shixue looked at him for a while, then lowered her eyes somewhat bored.

Really.