After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 43: Stop Pretending Here!

Xu Bingqing had initially intended to de-escalate the situation, turning a big problem into a small one and a small one into nothing at all. From her perspective, she was magnanimously turning a blind eye, unwilling to bother with such pettiness.

Unexpectedly, this so-called manager had popped out of nowhere and was now scolding her in public. Is this any way to treat a guest? I’m one of the featured guests today, a person of status! To be treated this way, to be berated with such a tone... isn’t this going too far?

"Are you yelling at me?" Xu Bingqing glared at Xu Yang, her expression hostile.

It had to be said, her sharp question did indeed stun Xu Yang. But business was business. This woman, without knowing any of the facts, was about to drive away other important guests with just a few words. No matter what, she had to apologize for her actions.

"Apologize!" Xu Yang demanded, his voice filled with righteous indignation.

Xu Bingqing thought she had misheard. Me, apologize? In front of all these people? To Shen Fanyun and Su Xiyang? It was the most absurd joke she had ever heard. Who was she, Xu Bingqing? And what were Shen Fanyun and Su Xiyang but a couple of lowly nobodies?

Even if Shen Fanyun had the qualifications to enter the inner area, so what? Compared to her, Xu Bingqing, he was still leagues below! She truly disdained the idea of apologizing to some small fry. Even if she was in the wrong, what could they do about it? Would Shen Fanyun dare to press the issue?

"Are you out of your mind?" Xu Bingqing sneered, then raised an eyebrow at Shen Fanyun and Su Xiyang. "Even if I did apologize, ask them if they’d dare to accept it."

"Why wouldn’t we dare?" Shen Fanyun replied calmly, swirling the wine in his glass.

Xu Bingqing was speechless.

"I’m trying to be magnanimous here, Shen Fanyun. Don’t be shameless," she warned.

"If you’re wrong, you admit it. If you admit it, you apologize. That’s a basic principle of decency. Surely you’re not lacking even that, Miss Xu?" Shen Fanyun shrugged.

Xu Bingqing suddenly felt she had been backed into a corner with no way out. But being as haughty and proud as she was, she would never, ever apologize to Shen Fanyun. She had looked down on him from the very bottom of her heart—in the past, in the present, and she would in the future. Apologize to him? What a pipe dream.

"I can’t be bothered to waste my time with rabble like you," Xu Bingqing scoffed. She decided to leave before the argument could ruin her mood.

But just as she turned to go, Xu Yang pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Security, get up here."

Xu Yang was ready to go all out. The higher-ups had been explicit: Shen Fanyun was an important guest who required the warmest reception, which meant his status was surely very high. Now that he was being treated so unfairly, Xu Yang refused to stand idly by. As for offending Xu Bingqing? He could easily tell the difference between a truly important guest and a regular one.

Xu Bingqing was stunned by Xu Yang’s move, a mix of anger and annoyance flooding her. This manager is so audacious! Does he think I’m some pushover? Calling security? What for? To throw me out? What nerve!

"Do you have any idea what you’re doing?" she snarled, baring her teeth.

The commotion had already attracted a sizable crowd. As people chattered amongst themselves, Xu Bingqing’s background and connections were quickly revealed.

"Isn’t that Miss Xu Bingqing? I hear she’s best friends with Li Qiuchan, and Li Qiuchan’s fiancé is the son of the richest man in Hangcheng City!"

"This manager is too reckless. Offending Miss Xu for some guy he’s never seen before? Does he not want to make it in Hangcheng City anymore?"

A smile spread across Xu Bingqing’s face. She assumed that after the bystanders revealed her status, Xu Yang would become apprehensive and immediately apologize. To her surprise, Xu Yang remained completely unfazed. His attitude was firm: either she apologized, or he would have security escort her out.

"What’s all this, my little cutie?" Just then, a middle-aged man dripping with gold and silver pushed through the crowd and shamelessly wrapped an arm around Xu Bingqing’s waist.

The crowd immediately greeted him respectfully.

"Manager Zhao, hello."

"It’s just some clueless kids who offended Miss Xu. It’s a trivial matter, really not worth your personal attention, Manager Zhao."

The newcomer was Zhao Wenhai. A real estate tycoon, he was a prominent figure in Hangcheng City with assets in the hundreds of millions. After getting the gist of the situation, Zhao Wenhai squeezed a smile onto his fleshy face. "A man should be magnanimous," he said. "What kind of man picks on a young lady? I say we let this go. Everyone, disperse."

Xu Yang hesitated. Zhao Wenhai clearly had a lot of influence, and his relationship with Xu Bingqing was obviously not simple. If he persisted, the situation might spiral out of control.

"And you," Zhao Wenhai said, turning to Xu Bingqing with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Why are you even bothering with this riffraff? Just treat them like hot air and let it pass. Why get yourself all worked up?"

His words sparked a wave of schadenfreude through the onlookers.

Su Xiyang had initially felt there was no need to let things get so out of hand. With Zhao Wenhai stepping in to mediate, it gave everyone a chance to back down gracefully, and she was willing to take it. She never expected that Zhao Wenhai would so blatantly take sides and mock them with such snide remarks.

"It was clearly this woman with you who started trouble for no reason. So from what you’re saying, Manager Zhao, it’s our fault for being unreasonable?" she retorted. "Manager Zhao, is it? I’d like to know, can you not even tell the difference between right and wrong? Since you can’t, what’s with the act? What business is this of yours? Why did you jump in here to run your mouth?"

The more Su Xiyang thought about it, the angrier she became. It’s true what they say: the kinder you are, the more people try to bully you.

Zhao Wenhai was left speechless, and the crowd was stunned into silence.

"How dare you! You reckless-mouthed girl, how dare you speak to Manager Zhao like that!" one person shouted indignantly, stepping forward and pointing at Su Xiyang, telling her to watch her mouth.

Su Xiyang took a breath, realizing she’d lost her temper. Normally, with my easygoing nature of avoiding trouble, I would have bottled up my grievances, no matter how wronged I felt. Why am I so irritable today? That’s right... my period must be here. She fell silent, mentally counting the days. It was indeed that time, and she could already feel a telltale warmth starting to spread. No wonder my emotions are all over the place. This is really the worst time for it to start.

"Hmph." Zhao Wenhai was not one to be trifled with. Being berated by a young girl like that was a blow to his pride. "Whose daughter are you?"

Su Xiyang took a deep breath and instinctively moved behind Shen Fanyun.

"Young lady, you can be careless about what you eat, but not about what you say. Aren’t you afraid of getting into trouble with a mouth like that?" Zhao Wenhai glared, giving Su Xiyang a start.

"Now do you see why I was so angry earlier?" Xu Bingqing complained coquettishly to Zhao Wenhai, expertly adding fuel to the fire.