ITAGBFIVD Chapter 39

‘Five… five million!’

It was like a nuclear bomb exploded in He Xiaoxiao’s mental world. Every building collapsed with a thunderous crash, leaving behind only a wasteland and ruin. In an instant, the entire world turned gray.

Where was she supposed to get five million? Although her father had made a lot of money in investment banking, if they took that much out, their family would return to scraping by.

Looking at Wang Muguang who was smiling as warmly as a spring breeze…what use was it?! Why wasn’t her special ability working on him? The cold early spring felt like it had turned into the South Pole with just a few of his words.

She didn’t believe it. He Xiaoxiao lifted her head and tried her best to look directly into Wang Muguang’s eyes.

It was impossible. He would definitely fall for her. No matter who Wang Muguang had liked before, that place now belonged to her and her alone.

She had never felt happy about this skill since she was young, after all, what was so great about being liked by men? She never cared. But after, she was truly grateful to have this special ability that could help her get through crises.

Sure enough, the next second she saw Wang Muguang’s eyes filled with deep affection and staring straight into hers, full of love.

He Xiaoxiao’s heart fluttered. It worked.

“Young Master Muguang, the five million…”

“Not a single cent less?”

“Huh?” He Xiaoxiao froze. “N-Not a single cent less?”

The corners of her mouth twitched. Then why was he staring at her so affectionately?

The next second, she saw a strange expression in Wang Muguang’s eyes. His eyes narrowed, then he lifted his hand to brush back the hair on his forehead.

He Xiaoxiao: “…”

He was using the reflection in her pupils to look at himself. So vicious.

How could there be someone this narcissistic in the world?

He Xiaoxiao was completely shocked. Seeing that Wang Muguang was holding on to He Xiaoxiao and refusing to let go, Lu Ming got up from the ground angrily and shouted in his direction, “Who gave you permission to touch her?!”

“I can’t even bear to touch a single strand of her hair!”

Bai Shuijin meowed and covered his ears, already beginning to lay the foundation for a big castle under his feet.

Wang Muguang frowned as he watched Lu Ming striding over. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think he had done something to He Xiaoxiao. He had always thought his personality was already very arrogant in their circle, but he didn’t expect Lu Ming to be even more arrogant.

This scruffy girl had popped out of nowhere and ruined Zhenzhu’s cake, and his anger hadn’t even subsided yet. But the first thing the other party said when he ran over wasn’t an apology for ruining Zhenzhu’s birthday, it was to ask if the scruffy girl was hurt.

Wang Muguang was so angry he actually laughed.

The moment Lu Ming rushed over, Wang Muguang casually flung He Xiaoxiao toward him.

He Xiaoxiao was horrified and hadn’t even recovered before she was already airborne. Her feet left the ground for a few seconds, and Lu Ming only saw a huge shadow flying toward him. The next second, He Xiaoxiao crashed into him and knocked him to the ground again. The two rolled into a heap and landed flat on their backs in the remains of the cream cake.

Bai Shuijin’s eyes widened in shock. Wang Muguang actually wasn’t a thin dog!

Even though his build was perfect, after all, he looked slim in clothes but muscular when shirtless, he stayed at home all day reading his trashy novels.

Bai Shuijin had assumed Wang Muguang had already degenerated into a yellow-brained idiot villain. He never expected him to have this kind of strength.

Bai Shuijin: Wang Muguang’s muscle lines are so handsome.

“Xiaoxiao!”

Mei Yunjia, who had been wiping cream off her skirt, saw He Xiaoxiao fall too and rushed over to help her up. Seeing the tears welling in He Xiaoxiao’s eyes, her friendship DNA exploded. “Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!”

“How could you treat Xiaoxiao like this! This is pure bullying!”

Lu Ming also went to check on He Xiaoxiao, only to see the girl he liked with tears falling down her cheeks. “You all! You’re going too fa…mmph!!!”

Bai Shuijin grabbed a handful of cake from the ground and stuffed it into Lu Ming’s mouth.

Everyone present was stunned for a moment. Even Wang Muguang looked surprised, while Wang Zhenzhu covered her mouth in shock.

To be honest, this was the first time any of them had seen such rude behavior since childhood.

So crazy.

Doing this in a formal setting was completely out of line, but Bai Shuijin didn’t care at all. His hands were still sticky with cream. “I told you to apologize! If anything else comes out of that mouth besides ‘sorry’, I’ll shove every last piece of cake on the floor into it!!!!”

His tone was vicious, and even his nose wrinkled in disgust as he delivered the threat.

So much nonsense, and still not a single apology.

“Apologize! Apologize to our Zhenzhu! Apologize!!!!”

The Rose Pavilion fell completely silent. No one made a sound, not even the sound breathing.

Mei Yunjia didn’t dare make a sound either after Bai Shuijin shoved cake into Lu Ming’s mouth. She was scared he would stuff cake into her mouth too. The other party had already forced her to sit down on the cake, he would definitely treat her like Lu Ming if she dared to open her mouth.

She tried to crawl away from Bai Shuijin, but the skirt of her dress was pinned under He Xiaoxiao, and she fell down in an instant, her chin and nose smashing into the cake. It was very humiliating.

Fury and embarrassment surged up, and she completely forgot about friendship. She turned back and shouted, “Get off my skirt!”

Everything was ruined. The custom gown her mother had made for her was destroyed. She had planned to dance with the boy she liked tonight, and now things had come to this. Everything was ruined.

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

He Xiaoxiao said awkwardly, “Yunjia…”

“Don’t talk to me!”

But Mei Yunjia didn’t dare to cry too loudly, afraid Bai Shuijin would shove cake in her mouth too. She had never met anyone like him before, with no manners or upbringing, shouting and making a scene in public just for a casual apology.

Wang Zhenzhu was a rich and proper young lady who has had everything since she was a child. She wouldn’t care about the cake, at most she would just feel embarrassed. If she had handled the situation gracefully and made peace with Wang Zhenzhu, the circle would actually praise her for being generous and mature beyond her years.

But now things were going completely off-script.

Looking at the young man who was still grabbing cake with one hand and shoving it into Lu Ming’s mouth with the other hand, Mei Yunjia trembled with fear. Where did this person come from?

“I’m going to pry your damn mouth open today!” Bai Shuijin and Lu Ming were practically fighting. He was gripping Lu Ming’s jaw with both hands, the intention clear; either apologize or eat cake.

Wang Zhenzhu looked at Bai Shuijin, whose body was also covered in cream, and tears streamed down her face, falling like rain.

She didn’t expect Bai Shuijin to go this far for her. They had only just met not long ago, but he was willing to embarrass himself in front of everyone just to get an apology on her behalf.

And the person she liked… instead defended the girl who ruined her birthday, without even saying sorry.

Wang Zhenzhu felt like she must have been blind to ever like Lu Ming.

When Wang Huanxiu strode forward to pull Bai Shuijin away, the other party was already exhausted from the struggle, but he still had a handful of cake he hadn’t shoved in yet.

Seeing Wang Huanxiu approaching, he called out, “Laogong-ge, get me a crowbar.”

“…”

Everyone: “…”

He’s completely lost it.

Wang Huanxiu reached out with his big hand and picked him up. Bai Shuijin was still unwilling and flung the cake in his hand like mud, and it landed squarely on Lu Ming and He Xiaoxiao.

Lu Ming: “…”

He Xiaoxiao: “…”

Being treated like this, Lu Ming finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and his eyes turned red. From childhood until now, no one had ever humiliated him like this, prying his mouth open to shove in cake.

Lu Ming raised his head with a vicious glare, only to see Bai Shuijin leaning against Wang Huanxiu and making a face at him.

‘Aaaahhhhhh!’

He was about to explode from rage! Lu Ming now had cream all over his hair and face and you couldn’t even tell who he was anymore. Mei Yunjia didn’t look much better.

At that moment, the doors to the Rose Pavilion banquet hall were pushed open by the staff, and Lu Zhengfeng hurried in with his wife. The two had been having dinner at home when they received a call from the Rose Pavilion.

His heart skipped a beat and he knew something bad had happened.

When he rushed over, he saw Lu Ming sitting on the ground covered in cream, with a girl in the same sorry state beside him.

The moment Lu Zhengfeng saw Lu Ming like this, his first instinct was to protect his own. No matter what, Lu Ming was his son, and blood was thicker than water. “Who did this? Who the hell did this?”

Wang Huanxiu reached out to shield Bai Shuijin behind him, but before he could even make a move, Bai Shuijin had already jumped forward like a rabbit.

“Me! Bai Shuijin!”

Lu Zhengfeng’s face turned dark. “Which rock did you crawl out from to dare treat my son like this!”

Even if their amusement park project had been scrapped, there were still other business connections with the Wang family’s older generation. Wang Huanxiu’s third uncle, Wang Wang, had ongoing interactions with their company, so they didn’t necessarily need Wang Huanxiu! The Wang family’s roots ran deep; anyone from the tree could be useful.

Before, Lu Zhengfeng had been eager to get Lu Ming to curry favor with Wang Zhenzhu’s side. But now that he had suddenly made contact with Wang Wang, he felt more confident.

If Wang Huanxiu wouldn’t cooperate, they still had other options within the Wang family.

But Bai Shuijin stood there full of arrogance, completely unafraid. “Yes I dare. Who told him not to apologize!”

Lu Zhengfeng was so angry his face turned green. “Okay, okay…do you know who I am?”

“Do I care who you are? Even my laogong-ge has to knock before coming into my room, who do you think you are?!”

“…”

Gasps rippled through the venue as everyone turned to look at Wang Huanxiu, curiosity bursting from their faces.

Wasn’t Bai Shuijin just someone Wang Huanxiu had married on a whim? Why did it sound like he actually had high status in the household?

Some people still had no idea what was going on and asked their friends, “Who is he? Who is his laogong-ge?”

They had never seen him at any banquet before.

The friend was surprised, “You don’t know? That’s Bai Shuijin, the one who married Wang Huanxiu.”

The man was shocked. “What!!! Wang Huanxiu even knocks before entering Bai Shuijin’s room?!”

This one shout echoed across the banquet hall.

“Fuck! Keep your voice down!”

The friend hurriedly covered his companion’s mouth.

‘Good friend, you want me to lose face for the rest of my life.’

If everyone thought they had misheard what Bai Shuijin said just now, the affirmation from these two now directly imprinted these words in the minds of everyone in the Rose Pavilion.

Impossible! Who was Bai Shuijin, exactly? A big shot like Wang Huanxiu whom everyone here had to speak to so respectfully in order not to offend him actually had to knock before entering Bai Shuijin’s room? Wasn’t this a joke?

Everyone looked at Wang Huanxiu.

And the man’s silence only seemed to confirm it.

No way! No way!

Even Lu Zhengfeng was dumbfounded.

Bai Shuijin turned around and raised his voice, “Laogong-ge, tell them, isn’t that right!”

He was full of arrogance, and unlike his usual demeanor at home, now that he was angry, he looked like a fierce ocelot in a coliseum.

Wang Huanxiu’s ears were filled with the sound of his own heartbeat, but his expression was as cold as usual.

There was silence in the air for three seconds, then…

“Yes.”

Oh my God!!!!!!

Bai Shuijin raised his chin toward Lu Zhengfeng, his face full of “what are you going to do about it?”

Lu Zhengfeng stood dumbfounded, at a complete loss for words.

He had been hoping for a bit of luck. After all, in their social circle, interests came first. He hadn’t directly demanded justice from anyone in the Wang family. When Bai Shuijin stepped forward and admitted it was him, he was secretly relieved as it meant he didn’t have to offend Wang Huanxiu directly.

Who would’ve thought Wang Huanxiu actually treated this rude, uneducated Bai Shuijin like an ancestor and even knocked on his door before entering.

Bai Shuijin’s question just now was equivalent to giving a way out to Wang Huanxiu, but the latter actually indulged him.

Lu Zhengfeng’s hands trembled with anger. For a moment, he didn’t even know how to seek justice for Lu Ming.

He had already looked into the situation before coming. It was indeed Lu Ming who was in the wrong and they had lost all credibility.

Lu Zhengfeng’s wife looked down at Lu Ming, who was sitting on the floor in complete disgrace, and her heart ached. She moved to help him up, only to catch sight of the tiara on He Xiaoxiao’s head.

The yellow diamond shimmered in her eyes, and the more she looked at it, the more familiar it felt.

!

Wasn’t this the yellow diamond she had kept locked away in her antique jewelry box?

She has always been reluctant to wear it herself and just kept it safely tucked away, occasionally taking it out to admire and wipe with a cloth, saving it for her future daughter-in-law.

However, at this moment, the yellow diamond was on the head of a girl she had never even seen before.

She looked at Lu Ming on the ground, then at the girl. Recently, she’d heard from the housemaids that Lu Ming had ordered a dress and jewelry for a classmate.

She hadn’t paid much attention at the time. After all, eighteen or nineteen was the age of innocent crushes. She’d even been open to letting him bring the girl home to meet them.

She was not an old fashioned person. If the child truly liked someone, she’d accept it no matter the family background as long as the girl had a good heart.

But now? She hadn’t even met the girl, and the yellow diamond was already on her head!

Jing Yue’s vision darkened, and she felt her blood pressure rising.

She glared at Lu Ming and pointed at the yellow diamond on He Xiaoxiao’s head. “Lu Ming, what’s the meaning of this!”

He Xiaoxiao trembled under the woman’s overpowering aura, and obviously realized that the diamond she was wearing was a family heirloom of the Lu family.

“Why is the yellow diamond on this girl’s head?”

Even though Lu Ming’s face was covered in cream, one could still see the guilt on his face. “I… I gave it to her.”

“You little bastard!” Madam Jing Yue slapped Lu Ming across the face. “You give girls gifts…and you use the family heirloom?!”

Lu Ming had no strength to argue back after being slapped.

Jing Yue turned to He Xiaoxiao, restraining her fury. “Do you know that’s our family’s heirloom?”

He Xiaoxiao trembled. She did know. Mei Yunjia had told her as soon as she put it on, but she didn’t take it off.

Seeing that she couldn’t refute, Madam Jing Yue understood that the girl was aware, and she pulled the tiara off He Xiaoxiao’s head.

“Since you knew, why did you still wear it!”

This was meant for her daughter-in-law! Everyone in the circle knew that the yellow diamond belonged to her. If she didn’t acknowledge someone, then it still belonged to her.

Anyone who knew the significance of the yellow diamond would not wear such a precious item and would refuse it immediately. After all, something with such an extra meaning was equivalent to a burden.

But He Xiaoxiao had no scruples at all. She wore it complacently and flaunted it around!

Jing Yue was so angry she couldn’t even speak. After holding it in for a long time, she finally said, “I’m taking the yellow diamond back to inspect it. If there’s even a scratch, you’ll pay compensation.”

Another debt was added to the list, and He Xiaoxiao panicked. “Lu Ming gave it to me! Why should I pay for it!”

For a moment, Lu Ming couldn’t believe his ears. She was shifting all the blame to him and his eyes went wide with shock. It was obvious that He Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with the tiara and was wearing it happily.

Jing Yue laughed coldly. “You’re right, Lu Ming is also at fault. Then the cost will be split fifty-fifty. Don’t tell me you can’t afford it, when you were parading around with the yellow diamond on your head, why didn’t you think of this? We’ll just consider the other half as payment for a lesson!”

Then she shot Lu Ming a cold look. “Now do you see the kind of person you like? Worthless.”

Lu Ming looked at He Xiaoxiao with hurt in his eyes. Because of her, things had spiraled into a mess. He had been pushed to the ground and force-fed cake, and she had done nothing, she didn’t even step forward once. Now she was pinning all the blame of the yellow diamond on him too.

He Xiaoxiao was so terrified and overwhelmed. Looking at Lu Ming’s angry eyes, she fainted on the spot in despair.

In the end, Lu Zhengfeng bowed his head and brought Lu Ming to apologize to Wang Zhenzhu, then dragged Lu Ming away in disgrace.

As for He Xiaoxiao, she was carried off to the side to wait for her father to come get her. Mei Yunjia didn’t even bother to look at her and just fled the scene like her life depended on it. She couldn’t stay here for another second, and she certainly didn’t have the energy to care about He Xiaoxiao.

She tried to go find the person she liked and complain, but who would’ve thought the other party avoided her like the plague.

This was the most embarrassing, most terrible day of her life.

After the group left, Rose Pavilion fell into silence. Wang Zhenzhu wiped her tears and went up on stage to give a speech to everyone.

“I’m sorry, everyone. Something unexpected happened tonight, and you didn’t get to enjoy a beautiful evening.”

At that moment, a girl in the crowd stood up.

“What are you saying, Zhenzhu! Tonight was crazy!!”

“Exactly, I’m so excited watching this! I didn’t know there’d be this kind of program!!”

“Why are you apologizing! They’re the ones who should apologize!”

“Don’t be sad, Zhenzhu! They were the ones in the wrong! Even though the birthday cake is gone, the banquet goes on!!!”

“Wang Zhenzhu, happy eighteenth birthday!”

Wang Zhenzhu was the class monitor. Although she had a bit of a tsundere personality, she always helped whenever classmates had trouble. She was well-liked in the class. During the monitor elections, she had won by an overwhelming margin, a whole fifteen votes more than second place.

“Zhenzhu, start the dance already, I can’t wait!”

“Yeah! I want to dance with Liu Youyou. Sister, say something! You’re my real sister!!”

The girl called Liu Youyou blushed. The two of them were the class’s officially recognized couple.

In an instant, the previously stifled birthday banquet became lively once again.

Wang Zhenzhu wiped away her tears and said, “Okay! Let the banquet begin!”

“Yeah!!!”

The boys and girls welcomed another carnival tonight.

The cello’s melodious sound rang out, and the conductor raised his baton and led the orchestra into the night’s first musical performance.

Seeing the birthday banquet come back to life, Bai Shuijin quietly stood beside Wang Huanxiu, while Wang Zhenzhu went upstairs to change her dress.

He opened his hands and looked at the sticky cream on them, not knowing where to wipe it. Maybe he should go wash up.

As a result, as soon as he looked up, he saw Wang Huanxiu looking at him.

Bai Shuijin still had cream on his face, not much, just on his cheek, and a bit on his formal wear too, but it wasn’t serious.

He blushed under the man’s gaze. “What’s wrong, laogong-ge?”

Wang Huanxiu looked at his evasive eyes and asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Bai Shuijin scratched his head. “Nothing.”

But he was still uneasy about hitting Lu Ming.

“Laogong-ge.” He lowered his head and rubbed his flushed face. “Did I embarrass myself?”

He had studied ballroom dance and took etiquette seriously too, but he just lost his mind a bit earlier.

“No.”

Wang Huanxiu’s voice was like a clear mountain spring. “Very manly.”

Bai Shuijin was so pleased with himself when he heard this that his tail was about to rise to the sky. “Right? I thought I looked very cool just now too. You agree, right?”

“Mm.”

“That’s it? Just ‘mm’?”

Wang Huanxiu’s expression didn’t change. “I almost fell in love with you.”

Bai Shuijin didn’t expect Wang Huanxiu to say something like that. He knew his laogong-ge had a sharp tongue, and he laughed so hard he bent over.

Just then, a girl in a purple dress walked toward them.

“B-Brother Huanxiu…, can I have a dance with you?”

Bai Shuijin’s bared teeth instantly disappeared. Maybe he was a bit in the way here.

Wang Huanxiu looked at the girl’s outstretched hand. “Sorry, I’m a bad dancer. I’ll step on your feet.”

The girl blushed, catching the rejection in his words.

All the classmates knew about Wang Zhenzhu’s elder brother. Some even bought magazines just to see him when he appeared. He was really handsome, like a dream lover.

Before coming, they’d even chatted together, saying how great it would be to dance with him.

The girl looked a bit embarrassed.

Seeing her blushing face, Bai Shuijin said, “I don’t step on feet when I dance. How about you dance with me instead?”

The girl froze. “Ah?”

Wang Huanxiu’s pupils shrank, and he immediately turned to look at him. For the first time, he was really speechless. “You!”

The girl looked at Bai Shuijin as he wiped his hands clean, and said, “O-okay, sure.”

Bai Shuijin stuffed the handkerchief into Wang Huanxiu’s hand. “Laogong-ge, hold this for me.”

Wang Huanxiu: “…”

“Excuse me, I have some cream on me.”

Girl: “It.. it’s fine.”

Bai Shuijin took her hand and led her to the center of the dance floor. “What would you like to dance? One of the regular social dance steps?”

The girl was a bit flustered. In fact, her brain has gone blank after being rejected by Wang Huanxiu, and she had no idea what she was saying or doing.

“I… anything’s fine. I’ve been learning a bit of ballroom lately. Latin, cowboy, quickstep, that kind.”

‘Oh, that works.’

Bai Shuijin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her. Waltz and quickstep were both part of modern ballroom, and he was good at Latin too. He considered for a moment. “How about cowboy? It’s more lively.”

“Okay!” The girl’s eyes lit up. She had just practiced that recently. But cowboy dance had a fast rhythm and required good coordination. She was worried she’d mess up. “I might make mistakes.”

“It’s okay. I’ll lead.”

Bai Shuijin took her hand, and the two of them got into position. Their dancing posture formed instantly, and the cheerful and infectious steps came to life, catching the conductor’s attention immediately.

The orchestra quickly adjusted. The originally elegant music turned into an arena-like rhythm, full of energy and spirit.

Everyone around also noticed the pair and stopped to watch.

The two of them were like butterflies dancing together, their footwork neat and movements light. You could feel the beauty of the human body and the power in every step.

They were full of passion. Their fast-paced dance steps galloped like horses, making everyone’s mood soar just from watching.

Bai Shuijin held the girl by the waist to lend her strength. In his ears was the joyful, rhythmic music, the beat vibrating in his eardrums.

The girl was swept up in the moment, and her face was glowing with excitement. She made a misstep, but Bai Shuijin bent down and dipped her in a spin, smoothing it out flawlessly.

The girl apologized instinctively. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Bai Shuijin smiled. “It’s our first time dancing together. It’s normal to mess up.”

The girl blushed.

The two of them were like light swallows in spring. Bai Shuijin’s waist was flexible yet sharp, and the cream on his face and suit became playful symbols in their joyful dance.

The atmosphere of the whole banquet was lifted by the two of them, and when the song ended, the applause erupted instantly.

“Damn, that was so cool!”

“So amazing!”

“Lan Qintu is so pretty! Let me borrow your partner for a dance!”

“You two have that dance god syndrome!”

“Fuck, I feel like I could do it too. Lan Qintu, let’s dance a round!”

“Me! Me! Mr. Bai! I’m Zhou Jinbei, would you like to dance with me?”

“I asked first!”

Before the two of them could even leave the dancefloor, they were already surrounded by people asking for the next dance.

Wang Zhenzhu came down from the second floor, having changed into a Greek-style short dress, perfect for a spicy Latin dance later.

She had planned it all out. She was going to dance with Bai Shuijin. He’d mentioned before that he’d learned Latin and she knew a bit too, so they could do it together.

Who would’ve thought that as soon as she came downstairs, she’d see Bai Shuijin already swarmed by people asking him to dance.

Wang Zhenzhu was dumbfounded: !?

What’s going on!