C6 His Exgirlfriend

Lin Shuyu watched Lin Feng's car disappear into the distance and let out a long sigh. "It must be Grandma's doing. When we got married, aside from Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and my parents, everyone was against it... And with Lin Feng, that sneaky little man, always whispering in Grandma's ear, she's probably been wanting me to step down as president for a while now... Tomorrow is going to be like walking into a lion's den."

Deep down, Lin Shuyu felt a chill toward the Lin family. Within Lin's Group, the numerous aunts and uncles held key positions, always looking out for their own interests, never considering the company's well-being. When there were profits to be made, they all charged ahead. But as soon as the company faced a crisis, they couldn't back away fast enough. Just the other day, a bunch of relatives were even plotting to sell off the company before it went bankrupt to pocket some cash.

Lin Shuyu had poured all her personal savings into the company, desperately trying to avert disaster, only to be betrayed by her own kin. "If it weren't for the company being Grandpa's legacy, I'd be tempted to just walk away!" she said, kicking a stone across the ground. In that moment, she wasn't the commanding CEO she was known to be, but rather a helpless young woman.

Xia Ming approached her, clearly pained, and took Lin Shuyu's hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, my wife. I'm here for you."

"Okay," Lin Shuyu responded, her gaze falling on the shattered gift box on the ground. "Grandma's gift is broken. This is going to be problematic. If we can't find an identical replacement, Lin Feng will surely have more to gossip about tomorrow."

Xia Ming's mouth quirked in annoyance. "Don't stress over it. I've got this covered. By tomorrow, he won't have a word to say."

"Are you sure you can handle it? There's less than two hundred thousand yuan left in your account," Lin Shuyu said, looking at Xia Ming with a hint of doubt.

Xia Ming offered her a confident smile. "A man's got to do what a man's got to do. Trust your husband."

...

After Xia Ming dropped Lin Shuyu off at home, the clock showed it was well past six. He had a meeting at seven that evening with the head of the Xia family's southwest guard. Elder Pang had already sent the details and the location to Xia Ming's phone.

After saying goodbye to Lin Shuyu, Xia Ming hailed a cab and made a beeline for the River City Imperial Hotel.

In his rush, upon entering the hotel lobby, Xia Ming accidentally collided with a young man. He quickly turned and bowed apologetically, "Sorry, so sorry!"

"Are you blind? You ruined my clothes. Can you even afford to pay for them? Idiot!" The man berated Xia Ming furiously.

Xia Ming held back from responding, but his surprise was evident when he recognized the man and the woman with him.

Qi Jun and Qin Yao?

Both were Xia Ming's college classmates. Ironically, Qin Yao was Xia Ming's ex-girlfriend, whom he had dated for a time during college.

Back then, Xia Ming had no clue when the Xia family's restrictions would be lifted and had resigned himself to a simple life.

But Qi Jun, a wealthy classmate, had swept Qin Yao off her feet and away from him.

Recognizing Qi Jun and Qin Yao, they, too, recognized Xia Ming. "Well, if it isn't Xia Ming, our class's very own genius. What brings you to a place like this? Do you even know where you are? This is River City's premier hotel, where a meal costs no less than ten thousand yuan. Can a waiter like you really afford to dine here?"

Qi Jun was notorious for his sharp tongue, always ready to confront others during their university days.

But the real issue was the deep-seated animosity between Qi Jun and Xia Ming.

Back in college, Qi Jun had tried to coerce a girl in a classroom, only to be caught and kicked in the groin by Xia Ming, nearly costing Qi Jun his fertility.

That incident had sown the seeds of their enmity!

Since then, Qi Jun had taken every chance to belittle Xia Ming, especially after stealing his girlfriend.

"Oh, I get it now! You must be working here as a waiter, right? Haha, perfect. You can serve me during dinner! Honey, you don't mind, do you?" While speaking, Qi Jun wrapped his arm around Qin Yao's waist and planted a kiss on her cheek.

It was an overt show of dominance.

It's worth noting that Xia Ming and Qin Yao had been together for over two years, with Xia Ming working hard to buy her gifts like lipstick and a cellphone. Despite their long relationship, Qin Yao had never been more intimate with Xia Ming than holding hands.

Now, she was flaunting her new romance in front of Xia Ming!

But that was all water under the bridge. Xia Ming wasn't one to hold grudges, and he certainly had no interest in squandering his time with these fools.

"Qi Jun, I don't have time for this. I'm here to meet someone!" Xia Ming gave Qi Jun and Qin Yao a brief, indifferent look before turning to head toward the elevator.

Qin Yao, however, reached out to block his path. "Looking for someone here? Xia Ming, stop lying. You're obviously still hung up on me. Are you following me around secretly? Get this straight: you're dreaming if you think you have a chance!"

Seeing Qin Yao's smug expression, Xia Ming felt so nauseated he could almost throw up.

Stalking Qin Yao?

Was he out of his mind?

Back in college, he was drawn to Qin Yao because she seemed kind-hearted and innocent. But after she revealed her true colors as a materialistic and manipulative person, Xia Ming felt lucky to have ended things with her.

Qin Yao's voice was deliberately loud, drawing the attention of many bystanders in the lobby.

The crowd began to murmur their disapproval.

"This guy is shameful! Stalking her like that!"

"They've split up, and he's still bothering her. He's clearly a loser!"

Qi Jun looked triumphant, wrapping his arms around Qin Yao as if to taunt Xia Ming. "Xia Ming, you might as well give up! Yao Yao is with me now. Touch her, and you're a dead man!"

"Jun, it's so comforting to have your protection! Tonight, I'm all yours, do with me as you please, you won't be disappointed..." Qin Yao cooed, nestling into Qi Jun's embrace, feigning vulnerability. Xia Ming felt his stomach churn with disgust.

There were still people in this world who shamelessly sang their own praises.

"What a waste of time!" Xia Ming checked the time; it was almost seven o'clock. He needed to get a move on.

He sidestepped Qin Yao and once again made his way to leave.

Qin Yao let out a scornful laugh from behind him, "What's the matter? Struck a nerve?

So angry you can't even speak? If you're so confident, then stay. Ha... I'm truly relieved I broke up with you back then..."

Qi Jun chimed in from the sidelines, "Let it go, Yao Yao. Look at him; he's quite the sorry sight. Working as a waiter here is no easy feat! As classmates, shouldn't we lend him a hand?" He winked at Qin Yao as he spoke.

Qin Yao eagerly concurred, "Absolutely!"

Qi Jun then pulled out his wallet, extracted two red bills, and tossed them to the floor, barking at Xia Ming, "Xia Ming, come here! My leather shoes are dirty. Clean them for me, and this two hundred yuan is yours. Oh, it seems I don't have a cloth—just use your shirt..."

The crowd around them erupted into snickers.

Qi Jun was blatantly trying to shame Xia Ming!

Xia Ming, having held his temper thus far, was now visibly irritated. "Qi Jun, Qin Yao! That's enough. I'm here to meet someone and don't have time for your nonsense!"

Two hundred yuan?

As if!

Xia Ming, heir to the Xia family's vast fortune, wouldn't stoop for such a paltry sum. Was he really expected to be short of two hundred yuan?

Qi Jun, however, wasn't about to back down. "What's the matter? Not enough for you? Then I'll add another five hundred!" He said, taking out another five hundred yuan and scattering it on the ground.

Just as Xia Ming was about to lose his cool, Wang Ke, the general manager of the Di Hao Hotel, approached respectfully with Elder Pang in tow.