Chapter 23 She would rather Chu Song's face...
Dou Xiao's hand, which was about to strike the ball, paused almost imperceptibly.
He looked up at Xie Tang, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which was then replaced by deep mockery.
"You?" He laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the funniest joke. "Even if Brother Song himself were to get involved, he might not be able to gain the upper hand against me, and you—"
He sized Xie Tang up and down, his eyes gleaming with a mocking light. "You still want to beat me?"
“Let me try,” Xie Tang met his disdainful gaze, her tone still calm and even, yet carrying a certain resilience. “What if… my luck is a little better than Dou Shao’s today?”
She didn't want to become Dou Xiao's excuse to attack Chu Song anymore, and she wanted to firmly grasp this malicious gamble in her own hands!
Zuo Meng stood to the side with her arms crossed, like a seemingly calm sculpture.
"Hmph!" Dou Xiao scoffed, clearly not taking Xie Tang's words seriously. "This is a bet between Song Ge and me! It's none of a woman's business!"
He stopped talking, and after scoring four goals in a row, he flicked his wrist, and the white ball softly grazed the edge of the target ball.
"Tsk, slipped!" He feigned annoyance, flicked his cue stick, and gave Chu Song a wicked smile.
"Brother Song, this share..." He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over Xie Tang with blatant humiliation, "is a handout I'm giving you out of respect for 'sister-in-law.' How about that, isn't that generous enough?"
"No need." Chu Song's voice was completely calm.
He leaned forward, his sharp eyes sweeping across the table like a hawk's, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he executed a precise low shot, pocketing the target ball and leaving the cue ball firmly in place, giving Dou Xiao an extremely tricky position.
Immediately afterward, Chu Song also seemingly "mistakenly" missed a shot, returned possession to Dou Xiao, and looked at him with a serious expression: "Play seriously. Win or lose, it's all about skill, don't bother with these superficial things."
Dou Xiao's playful expression vanished completely, and he snorted coldly, "I couldn't be happier! I'm just waiting to see Brother Song's 'heroic' posture as he bows his head to offer a toast!"
The real contest has begun.
The score was extremely close, the air seemed to freeze, and only the crisp echo of the balls colliding remained.
Dou Xiao's playing style remains wild; he uses his strength to forcefully break the ball and score two more points.
Chu Song, like a precise instrument, calmly calculated the routes of snooker defense and counterattack, steadily chasing after the opponent.
Xie Tang's heart was in her throat; every time Chu Song leaned down, her breath would catch in her throat.
When Chu Song hesitated on a crucial choice, she whispered a reminder: "Brother Song, could you use the angle of that red ball to help you pot the green ball into the middle pocket?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Song's gaze sharpened slightly. After a moment's thought, he decisively changed his hitting strategy and, sure enough, succeeded on the first try!
It was Dou Xiao's turn.
He glanced at the green ball dangling precariously from the bag's opening, then looked at Xie Tang, a malicious smile playing on his lips.
He deliberately struck an exaggerated aiming pose, the clubhead pointing towards the green ball and also towards Xie Tang's tense face.
"Little sister-in-law, watch closely!" He suddenly exerted force!
The green ball shot out at high speed, heading straight for the bottom pocket!
Xie Tang's heart sank, but she suppressed the urge to turn around and stared intently at the ball.
"Bang!" The green ball slammed into the inside edge of the pocket, bounced high, and bounced and rolled breathlessly on the table... Finally, it came to a shaky stop just millimeters from the hole!
"Fuck you! Fuck you!!!" Dou Xiao roared, his eyes bloodshot, as he slammed the cue stick into the ground with a piercing crack!
Xie Tang let out a long sigh, his clenched fists relaxed, and his palms were covered in sweat.
But she only showed a perfectly measured hint of surprise on her face.
Tang Yunsong was so excited he almost jumped up; his chance had come.
Chu Song unleashed his full power, bent down, and swung the club like a dragon!
A clean and crisp long low shot!
Two different colored balls flew into the pocket one after another like shooting stars!
This strike not only cleared away the obstacles but also reversed the tide, instantly turning the score around!
The time that followed became Chu Song's absolute domain.
Every shot was executed with icy composure, with calculations precise to the millimeter.
Their defense was impenetrable, and their offense was precise and sharp.
Dou Xiao was completely pinned to his seat, his face turning from ashen to deathly pale. He could only watch helplessly as Chu Song cleared the stage with effortless grace, never giving him another chance to get up.
The final, crisp sound of the bag dropping signaled the end of the match.
Chu Song put down his cue and walked straight to Xie Tang, shielding her to his side. His gaze, calm yet intensely pressured, fell upon the stunned Dou Xiao.
Dou Xiao stared intently at the empty pool table, unable to accept this absurd result.
Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes filled with fury at being fooled and disbelief and panic: "You, you played golf with my brother... and you deliberately lost? You always 'narrowly' beat you by one stroke?!"
Chu Song spoke calmly, with an air of knowing everything: "Your brother's skills are more than enough to beat me. As for losing to you... I think he just wanted to make you, his younger brother, happy, but didn't want to make it too obvious, afraid of hurting your pitiful 'self-esteem'."
He took a step forward, an invisible pressure surging towards Dou Xiao. "Now, fulfill your promise—apologize."
Dou Xiao's face flushed red and then turned pale. The shame of losing the game and the indignation of being exposed for "winning by throwing the game" burned together, almost making him lose his mind.
He looked at Xie Tang with resentment and unwillingness in his eyes, but when his gaze fell on Chu Song's cold eyes beside her, which seemed to be able to tear him apart at any moment, the evil fire was forcibly suppressed.
He couldn't afford to offend Chu Song, so he could only joke with him.
Dou Xiao forced a smile, his voice dry and insincere: "Sister-in-law... I was just being cheeky, I'm sorry."
He finished speaking quickly, then, as if remembering something, added, "That... the red envelope will be delivered tomorrow!"
He turned around nonchalantly and growled at Zuo Meng, "Let's go!"
Zuo Meng immediately stepped forward, letting him roughly pull her away by the waist.
Tang Yunsong watched the plague god disappear through the door, and his heart finally settled down. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
But when he turned and met Chu Song's cold gaze, his heart jumped again: "Ah Song, I swear to God! I really didn't invite that plague god! Wen Rong can testify, he insisted on coming along..."
Chu Song didn't give him another chance to explain, not even a glance.
He tightened his grip on Xie Tang's hand, his voice low yet gentle: "Let's go home."
Xie Tang nodded, feeling the arm around her waist binding her like an iron clamp, the warm palm conveying an irresistible force through the thin fabric.
She instinctively tried to create some distance, but as soon as she moved, Chu Song's hand around her waist tightened abruptly, his knuckles digging into her side, pulling her closer to him.
Unable to break free, she could only be forcefully pulled forward by him in an almost possessive manner.
This scene was witnessed by Shen Yuan, who was not far away.
She stood at the edge of the crowd, her carefully applied makeup unable to conceal the sudden loss of color from her face and the surging, almost burning, resentment and jealousy in her eyes.
She stared intently at Chu Song's hand around Xie Tang's waist, as if she wanted to burn that hand through!
Shen Yuan's heart felt as if it were being immersed in acid, or as if it were being repeatedly pierced by countless fine needles, sending waves of sharp pain and humiliation through her.
On what grounds? On what grounds does Xie Tang have?
Chu Song's undisguised protectiveness and possessiveness towards Xie Tang was so glaring that it made her heart clench.
A twisted thought, like a poisonous vine, grew wildly and coiled within her heart:
She would rather! She would rather see Chu Song defeated in disgrace by Dou Xiao's provocation!
She would rather Chu Song lose face!
I would never want to see him now displaying such a powerful aura and overwhelming his opponents in order to protect Xie Tang and that woman!
Seeing Chu Song so determined and relentless in his pursuit of another woman... it was a hundred times more painful than losing the whole world!
As the host, Tang Yunsong forced a smile and followed Chu Song and his wife to see them off.
As soon as she reached the car, Shen Yuan rushed out of the shadows, her gaze burning as she stared at Chu Song, completely ignoring Xie Tang beside her: "Brother Song! Can we talk? Just for a little while!"
Xie Tang felt a strong sense of disgust.
Shen Yuan's gaze was too naked, like that of a fanatical believer, so infatuated that she was almost melting into Chu Song's aura.
Chu Song frowned slightly, but didn't stop walking. He didn't even glance at Shen Yuan, and asked indifferently, "Who are you?"
At the same time, he opened the passenger door for Xie Tang.
Shen Yuan was only embarrassed for a moment before turning her gaze to Xie Tang, her tone commanding and unquestionable: "I have something to discuss with Brother Song alone. Please leave."
Xie Tang was stunned, almost laughing in anger.
Alone? Is there anything she, as his "wife," can't hear?
Chu Song's patience had reached its limit.
The strong, pungent perfume emanating from Shen Yuan, combined with her aggressively alluring beauty, felt like invisible needles pricking every nerve in his body.
He pulled Xie Tang into his arms in frustration, his tone cold and impatient: "She's my wife, where do you expect her to go?"
He pronounced the word "wife" with exceptional clarity.
Xie Tang's heart skipped a beat, as if she had lost her balance.
Even though I knew it was a play, the thrill and disorientation I felt at that moment felt so real.
Shen Yuan was intimidated by Chu Song's anger, but her eyes shot out a venomous glint towards Xie Tang.
"Make way!" Chu Song helped Xie Tang into the car.
Shen Yuan clung to Chu Song like a leech, her voice filled with resentment: "Brother Song, it was my fault for getting your clothes dirty last time, I'll pay whatever it costs! But please don't cancel the cooperation with Shen's because of my mistake, that's too unfair to Shen's!"
Tang Yunsong, who was standing nearby, recognized her as a relative of the Qin family and Shen Jialang's sister who was not related to him by blood. He was caught in a dilemma.
Chu Song then remembered who she was, and laughed angrily: "Are you accusing me of using my position for personal revenge?"
Shen Yuan swallowed nervously, her gaze greedily fixed on his face: "I didn't, I just... beg you to give the Shen family another chance!"
"Absolutely impossible!" Chu Song said firmly. "First, I wasn't directly involved in the collaborative project; second, the reason Shen's was disqualified is because you're reflecting on your own problems, not questioning my motives; third, thanks to your reminder, I will have someone reassess whether Shen's should be permanently blacklisted as a supplier!"
He glanced coldly at Tang Yunsong and decisively got into the driver's seat.
"Brother Song, I was wrong! Don't be angry..." Shen Yuan screamed and grabbed his arm tightly.
Xie Tang witnessed this crazy scene from the passenger seat, and a chill instantly crept up his spine.
Tang Yunsong forcefully pried her hands off Chu Song and closed the car door.
Shen Yuan frantically pounded on the car window like a trapped beast, so hard that the whole car seemed to tremble!
Tang Yunsong was terrified and used all his strength to tear the out-of-control, clingy person off the car door.
Chu Song stepped on the gas, and the car shot off like an arrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
