C58 I will Humiliate Myself

Lee Baolai's expression chilled. "This little twerp, how dare he be so infuriating? Strutting around like he's something special just because he's kept by a woman?!"

With a scoff, he asked, "Is it possible? Are there really people this shameless in the world? To think, living off a woman could actually give someone a sense of superiority?"

"You hit the nail on the head," Lin Xuan replied nonchalantly. "I'm supported by a woman because of my skills, and yes, I take pride in it."

The entire table of classmates was left speechless.

They never imagined someone could be so brazen!

A son-in-law, taking pride instead of feeling shame?

But what really got to them was the envy many of the male students felt.

Pei Qiuyu had been the university's belle, after all. To be supported by such a stunning woman—how blissful that man must be!

Despite their mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment, they had to concede that being the son-in-law to a goddess was truly the ultimate life jackpot!

Lee Baolai had planned to embarrass Lin Xuan in front of Pei Qiuyu, to trample him and elevate himself.

But he hadn't anticipated Lin Xuan's retort leaving him utterly speechless.

Guo Zipeng, noticing Lee Baolai's discomfort, smoothly interjected, "Today, my friends, you're all here to show your support, and for that, I'm thrilled. Let's focus on the positives, shall we?"

"Since graduation, everyone's made great strides in their own ways. Just by looking at the gifts you've brought, I can tell. It's moments like these that really underscore the bonds of our friendship."

"To express my gratitude, I'll read out the details of the gift list. It's my way of showing I won't forget the kindness you've shown me, Guo Zipeng! Thank you all!"

The crowd wasn't surprised; they too were eager to hear about the gifts, to gauge who was outdoing whom.

"Suzanna has gifted me a gold-plated God of Wealth! My deepest thanks!"

A round of applause burst forth from the table.

"Sun Minghao sent over a jade coral sculpture! Immense thanks!"

"And Li Wanhua, you've graced me with a pair of Italian enamel vases! My heartfelt gratitude!"

"Wow, talk about lavish!" The students clapped heartily once more.

I want to give a special shout-out to Lee Baolai for the generous red envelope of twenty thousand yuan he gifted me!

None of the gifts we received before, regardless of their value, came close to five thousand yuan. But when Lee Baolai stepped up, he handed over a red envelope of twenty thousand yuan, leaving everyone in attendance absolutely stunned.

Just showing up for a meal and to show support, and he drops a red envelope of twenty thousand yuan—that's some serious generosity!

Many people were in awe of Lee Baolai, and a few of the female students even started looking at him differently.

It was as if they couldn't wait to jump into bed with him that very night.

Seeing the admiring glances from the crowd, Lee Baolai knew he had achieved his goal of impressing everyone.

He was quite pleased with Guo Zipeng's reaction as well.

While everyone was still reeling from the surprise, Guo Zipeng added, "Pei Qiuyu and her husband... they brought over an old craft painting."

An old craft painting?

The table erupted in laughter at his words.

Could they have given anything cheaper?

It was common knowledge that those old craft paintings sold at market stalls didn't even cost a couple of hundred yuan.

So an old one was worth even less!

Talk about being tight-fisted! They show up to Guo Zipeng's celebration, enjoy the lavish spread of sashimi and sushi, and their few thousand yuan gift could easily be recouped in the meal they ate.

And to think they had the audacity to bring an old craft painting as their contribution? That's just freeloading with a capital F!

Catching Lin Xuan's eye, Lee Baolai sneered, "If you can't afford a gift, better not to give anything at all. We're all old classmates here; no one would have minded."

"But to bring such junk, aren't you disrespecting Zipeng? You might not care about losing face, but Qiuyu was our school beauty. You're embarrassing her too!"

With those words, everyone looked at Lin Xuan and his wife with scorn.

Someone even whispered, "Did you see him? He can't afford a real brand, so he's wearing a knock-off suit."

"Right, I saw those going for a hundred on the street corner yesterday. I didn't even give them a second glance."

"How did Pei Qiuyu end up like this? Hanging out with such a broke loser and she seems to be enjoying herself?"

Lin Xuan simply brushed off the mockery with a slight smile, "Who says I can't pay? Do you even know what this painting is worth?"

Lee Baolai burst into raucous laughter, "Come on, isn't that just some cheap street find? It's not even new. Maybe someone tossed it out and you picked it up for a mere hundred and eighty yuan."

Lin Xuan shook his head, "I wasn't going to mention it, but this painting is worth more than all the gifts you've brought combined!"

"Aiyo, my God!" Lee Baolai couldn't contain himself, "I can't take it anymore! The gifts that Zipeng just listed are worth fifty to sixty thousand yuan!"

"So you're implying your shabby painting is worth a hundred thousand or more?"

"Less than that," Lin Xuan replied with a grin.

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Lee Baolai pointed at Lin Xuan, still laughing, "I said it was too little, and now you agree, right?"

Lin Xuan responded calmly, "I meant that your estimate was too low."

The laughter intensified, not just from Lee Baolai but from all the students present.

They all thought Lin Xuan was really full of himself!

How could he flaunt such a worthless item and claim it's valuable? Did he think they were all fools?

When Guo Zipeng unveiled the Ukiyoe, he sneered, "This? You're telling me this is worth a hundred thousand? Whose masterpiece is it, then?"

"It's not a hundred thousand, but two hundred thousand," Lin Xuan corrected. "It's by an Edo period artist, a foreigner, not too well-known."

Lee Baolai couldn't resist retorting, "Are you going to die if you don't exaggerate? This piece of junk of yours, forget two hundred thousand, if it was worth twenty thousand, I'd eat my hat!"

Lin Xuan simply nodded, "Alright, remember you said that."

"Hold on!"

Then Guo Zipeng chimed in, "Director Lee was just making a point. Do you seriously think your trash is valuable?"

"What happens if your pathetic painting isn't even worth twenty thousand?" Lin Xuan responded, "What do you propose we do?" Guo Zipeng retorted, "You'll need to bow three times to Director Lee and apologize, admitting 'I was wrong, Director Lee. I'm just a pretentious pauper!'"

"Enough, Guo Zipeng!" Pei Qiuyu interjected, standing up, "You're being excessive!" Guo Zipeng shot back, "Hey, Qiuyu, it's your husband who's asking for trouble. How can you accuse me of going overboard?"

"He should admit his mistake and apologize to Director Lee now, to avoid further embarrassment when the truth comes out!" At that moment, the other students in the room cast anticipatory glances at Lin Xuan, clearly expecting a spectacle.

They were all convinced that Lin Xuan had overplayed his hand with his charade. By brazenly confronting Lee Baolai, he was surely setting himself up for a fall.

​