"Dad, Mom!" the two greeted each other warmly. The food street was bustling with people; it was school let-out time, and many people were gathered around the stalls.
"Zhili and Wanwan are here." Qin Yi's voice was gentle as she continued working.
"Didn't I say you'd go straight home after school? Why did you come all this way? Are you hungry? Go see if there's anything you want to eat." Meng Boqun handed the packed lunch to the customer and stuffed the small amount of cash in the box into Meng Wan's hand.
Meng Wan took the money, gave Meng Zhili a look, and the latter understood. He blocked Meng Boqun's view, took the money, and secretly stuffed it into the gap between the box and the car.
After stuffing it in, Meng Zhili put his hands behind his back and gave Meng Wan an OK sign. Meng Wan lowered her head to hide her smile, but when she looked up again, she had already adjusted her expression.
"I just came to see if there was anything I could do to help."
"There's nothing I can help you with. Go back and start cooking the rice. We'll head back after we finish shopping." As he spoke, the notification sound of the change arriving in his account rang out intermittently.
Most of the people coming and going are students, who will take a second look when they pass by the stall.
"Boss, one seaweed rice roll, please."
"Okay, what flavor?"
"One plain flavor, Inki, what flavor would you like?"
There was no response, so the other person called him again. Following his gaze, he thought to himself, "Oh no."
"Oh, isn't this our aloof school heartthrob from No. 1 High School? I heard your family went bankrupt, I didn't expect it to be true?" Hong Yingqi's tone was sarcastic and mean.
"Yingqi!"
"At least we were rich once, unlike you, who's been poor your whole life." Meng Wan retorted, her tone flat and even, yet her sarcasm was palpable.
"I thought it was someone else, but it's just the young lady who got kicked out of the house." Hong Yingqi's face stiffened, but he laughed when he saw Meng Wan's clothes.
Meng Zhili pulled Meng Wan behind him, a hint of anger in his eyes.
"Hey kid, how can you talk so rudely? Where are your parents?" Meng Boqun wiped his hands and came out of the stall. Qin Yi's expression was also not good, and she followed him out, silently blocking Meng Wan.
More and more people gathered around, mostly students.
"Zhili, you and Wanwan should go back first."
Meng Zhili frowned, but still nodded. Hong Yingqi had always been at odds with him, and this time it was clear that he had come specifically to cause trouble. It was good that the two of them left; leaving Hong Yingqi alone would prevent him from causing trouble in the street.
They wanted to leave, but that didn't mean Hong Yingqi was willing to let them go. His eyes darted around, and he turned his gaze to the stall.
"I saw a fly fly into the food just now! Is your hygiene up to standard?! If we high school seniors get sick from this food and fail our exams, can you afford to compensate us? No way! As a student, I have an obligation to contribute to society. How about I call them and let them come and see if the hygiene is up to standard?"
Hong Yingqi's voice was loud. The crowd that had been watching the commotion without understanding what was going on immediately assumed that the students had complained about the food because it was unclean.
Meng Boqun, having been a CEO before, remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. He knew that if this matter were resolved now, he might as well forget about doing business with them in the future.
Such baseless rumors are the most fatal blow to their small stalls. As their minds raced, Meng Wan's voice came from behind them.
The sound, neither too loud nor too soft, neither too fast nor too slow, clearly reached everyone's ears, silencing the previously noisy scene.
"Then tell me, you didn't order any food, and you didn't go near the food cart, so when did you see the fly fly into the tightly covered food bucket?"
Meng Wan stepped out from behind the two and stood next to Meng Boqun. Meng Zhili knew he shouldn't have stopped her at this moment, but despite his worry, he let go of her hand, allowing Meng Wan to express her thoughts openly.
"I saw it." He hadn't expected Meng Wan to suddenly ask him a question, so he stiffened his neck and tugged at his companion. "You saw it too, didn't you!"
My companion looked conflicted, stammering and not daring to look up.
Whispers rippled around him, and Hong Yingqi looked on with a disappointed expression.
"What, I'll open it and show you. If it's not there, you'll have to buy all the remaining rice balls as compensation for our emotional distress... Or, I'll just sue you for spreading rumors, how about that?"
Meng Wan's calm and composed demeanor contrasted sharply with Hong Yingqi's behavior.
"Why bother calling? It'll be faster to just call the police. Let's see if it's our hygiene that's substandard, or if someone is deliberately spreading rumors and slandering us."
As she spoke, Meng Wan actually made a phone call. She deliberately put it on speakerphone, and the crowd of onlookers held their breath, their eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.
Beep...beep...beep...
Hong Yingqi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally couldn't resist. Just as the third call was about to ring, he reached out to snatch Meng Wan's phone. Meng Wan was prepared; she stepped back and hung up the phone.
Upon seeing this, Meng Boqun quickly stepped in front of Meng Wan, putting his hands behind his back and using his body to block Hong Yingqi.
Anyone with eyes can tell who is lying.
Hong Yingqi had a gloomy face. His companion tugged at his clothes, but he shook him off.
"What are you all doing here? What's all the fuss about?" Peng Zhe's voice came from the crowd, forcing his way through. He stumbled and entered the encirclement.
"Ouch, who pushed me!" Peng Zhe barely managed to stand still, and was about to turn around to see which of his troublesome friends had betrayed him, but when he looked up, he met Hong Yingqi's gaze.
"Oh, the perennial third place."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
