"Oh dear! I thought someone was eating snail rice noodles here. I was just about to ask a waiter when they started selling this. Sorry..."
The owner of the voice looked utterly innocent.
Hearing the sound, Wen Qinglian looked up. Red wine had soaked her hair, which clung to her forehead. Combined with her bright red lips, she looked like a female ghost crawling out of the water.
"It's you! Cui Qingling!"
Wen Qinglian's voice still carried a hint of hatred.
"Oh dear! Isn't this Miss Wen? I'm so sorry,"
When Cui Qingling saw that it was Wen Qinglian, she looked very surprised.
As if oblivious to the resentment in Wen Qinglian's words, she frowned, her face filled with worry, and reached out to help her up, but stopped just before touching her.
"Miss Wen, you didn't order the snail rice noodles, did you? I feel like the smell is coming from your mouth."
"What are you talking about! Who would eat something like that?"
"Oh~ so you've eaten it before." Cui Qingling's casual remark broke Wen Qinglian's guard!
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Wen Qinglian retorted, her face flushed red, ignoring her disheveled appearance.
"That's delicious, don't rush. Just remember to rinse your mouth after you finish eating, it's a lady's etiquette."
As she spoke, she stood up, but instead of helping her up, she looked down at her. Unlike her sweet voice, her expression was almost indifferent.
"Sorry, let's stop here for today." She turned to look at Tian Wei, who was sitting in front of her.
"Ms. Cui, it was a very pleasant chat today. I hope we can cooperate even better in the future." Tian Wei stood up, ignoring Wen Qinglian.
After shaking hands, Tian Wei slung her bag over her shoulder and left the restaurant.
Cui Qingling didn't linger. She picked up her bag and glanced at Tang Qi, who sat calmly in his seat, before leaving. The latter looked back at her and raised his empty wine glass.
Cui Qingling became interested and picked up the wine glass on the table to clink glasses with him from a distance, then took a small sip.
Watching Cui Qingling's slender figure disappear into the distance, Wen Qinglian's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
Several people at the next table were pointing and whispering about her, since her voice wasn't quiet and it was sharp, which naturally caused dissatisfaction.
Ignoring everything else, Wen Qinglian struggled to her feet, grabbed her bag, glared fiercely at the composed Tang Qi, and left.
After the main characters left, Tang Qi leisurely got up, straightened his suit, paid the bill, and left.
In the parking lot's trash can, a bespoke suit lay quietly inside.
As soon as I got into the car, my phone rang. It was Tang Sheng calling.
Tang Qi ignored it, turned off the silent mode, and let the phone screen go dark and then light up again.
When I returned home that evening, the Tang family's house was still brightly lit.
Upon entering, instead of receiving any warm greetings, he was greeted only by Tang Sheng's slap.
The palm strike was incredibly powerful, leaving four clear finger marks on Tang Qi's face.
"Look what a mess you've made!"
Tang Qi puffed out his cheeks, a hint of nonchalance in his eyes. But when he looked up, only indifference remained.
He stood ramrod straight, a head taller than Tang Sheng.
Unlike Tang Sheng, who was overweight due to frequent drinking and lack of exercise, Tang Qi was tall and thin. Although he was a head taller than Tang Sheng, people would subconsciously think that he was the weaker one.
"The Wen family called and said that you splashed red wine all over Wen Qinglian for Tang Wan's sake. Do you want the Tang family to go bankrupt not fast enough?"
"You know the Tang family is going bankrupt, right? It's all thanks to you. You're so eager for quick success, investing in every promising project you come across." Tang Qi responded calmly, subtly removing Meng Wan from the center of the conversation.
"You! You think you're all grown up now? How dare you question your father?" Tang Sheng was furious and was about to slap him again.
This time, Tang Qi didn't let the slap land on his face. Instead, he caught it firmly and flung it away.
"I know, you're unhappy that I arranged your marriage, aren't you?" Tang Sheng became even angrier when he saw that the slap hadn't landed, but he calmed down in an instant.
"Let me tell you, don't think you're invincible just because you've eaten foreign food for a few years. Everything you eat, wear, live in, and travel—was provided by me. Do you really think you're something special just because others call you 'Young Master' a few times?"
Tang Sheng said, letting out a cold snort.
"Just imagine what would happen if the Tang family went bankrupt! Everyone would want to kick you while you're down! Since you were born into this family and enjoy the wealth they've given you, you should naturally make sacrifices for their prosperity. It's just marriage, what does a man need all this love and romance for?"
After he finished speaking, he softened his tone.
"Whether it's you, Tang Zhiyi, or even Tang Li, being born into a wealthy family like ours means that marriage is not a choice we can make ourselves. Which of us didn't choose a suitable partner for the sake of family prosperity? It's always been like this since ancient times."
Tang Qi didn't react, so Tang Sheng patted him on the shoulder. "Listen to me, call and apologize first, then visit the Wen family with gifts tomorrow. No matter what they say, apologize and admit your mistake. I've already had my assistant buy the gifts, so just take them with you."
Tang Qi sneered, "What if I don't?"
"You!" Tang Sheng glared at him angrily, a breath stuck in his throat, almost unable to come up.
"Do you know what will happen if you don't get the bank loan?!" Tang Sheng said in a low voice, grabbing Tang Qi's collar.
Tang Qi let him pull him along, his expression unchanged, completely indifferent.
Tang Sheng looked at him with disappointment, but looking into his eyes, he suddenly felt inexplicably irritated.
"I don't care what you do, you have to get that bank loan for me!"
He ripped off Tang Qi's tie and stormed out the door, unable to stay home any longer.
Tang Qi didn't care about Tang Sheng's whereabouts. He tugged at his tie and then tore it off in a moment.
"Young Master," the new maid said cautiously.
"Throw it away." Tang Qi handed the tie to him and went straight upstairs. Only then did he notice a small head squatting on the second-floor stairwell, with a dog lying next to it.
Are you planning to sleep here?
Tang Li pursed his lips, got up, and dusted himself off.
"Tang Qi, are we going bankrupt?" The child's eyes were full of confusion.
"Yeah, what should we do?" Tang Qi suddenly felt like teasing him.
"Find Tang Wan." Tang Li didn't hesitate for a moment, and even the Tyrannosaurus Rex howled along with him.
"They need you too." Tang Qi chuckled, which displeased Tang Li.
"She will want me!"
"You're quite confident." Tang Qi ruffled his hair haphazardly, then went back to his room.
"She's going to want me anyway." Tang Li glared at Tang Qi's back with dissatisfaction, muttering to himself as he fiddled with his hair that Tang Qi had messed up.
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