Xia Hau is no longer the silly Little Fatty he once was. After Eddie and Bali’s elite training, his somewhat introverted personality gained a touch of shrewdness. He could tell Zhang Liang’s words were sarcastic, so Xia Hau frowned slightly and ignored the petty guy.

However, Zhang Liang didn’t plan to let him go.

"By the way, I heard recently that something happened in your family. What’s going on? Need help?"

Xia Hau shook his head and replied solemnly, "No need, thank you."

"What happened? What’s going on with Xia Hau’s family?" Lin Dazhi cooperated with Zhang Liang, shouting exaggeratedly.

Others who were chatting heard it and all looked over, opening their mouths one after another. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"I remember Xia Hau’s family runs a chain restaurant, right?"

"Yeah, pretty well off, a rich second generation!"

"That’s right, what’s going on with Xia Hau’s family?"

A few nosy people opened the floodgates, bombarding him with questions regardless.

Xia Hau frowned, and his mood started to sink.

Zhang Liang glanced at Xia Hau with a smile, "Seems like your uncle and aunt had some trouble, and the Xia Family Restaurant has closed down. Xia Hau, if you need help, don’t hold back, be sure to say something!"

Xia Hau stared at Zhang Liang for a moment, saying nothing.

The others didn’t speak either, but many girls showed disappointed expressions.

They originally thought Xia Hau had become handsome, had money at home, and they could make a move. Unexpectedly, his family had such issues.

No matter how handsome one is, what’s the use? Without money, they’re still a poor loser!

Several girls who were being friendly to Xia Hau just now quickly shifted their attention, leaving him out in the cold.

Zhang Liang, Lin Dazhi, and several other boys exchanged smiles. Xia Hau attracted the attention of all the girls as soon as he walked in, which made them feel annoyed long ago. Now looking at it, what’s the use of being handsome? It’s still important to have money!

The crowd no longer cared about Xia Hau, and Xia Hau sought some peace, waiting alone for An Yiqing’s arrival.

At this moment, a girl at the table suddenly said, "No wonder she’s the noble lady, keeping a whole table waiting."

The crowd was stunned, then immediately realized she was talking about An Yiqing.

Li Shuai frowned, a bit displeased, "An Yiqing just finished shooting the wedding photos and rushed over. We all know the traffic in Qingning City, being late isn’t a big deal. Besides, we didn’t wait for her to arrive to start eating, everyone eats while waiting, isn’t that nice?"

"Class president, you shouldn’t say that." The Class Flower, who was joking with Lin Dazhi earlier, raised an eyebrow, "An Yiqing is a noble lady now, who knows if she really went to shoot wedding photos, maybe she said that to put on airs purposely. Don’t be too naive, the aristocratic family now have plenty of schemes."

Li Shuai hesitated a bit, "Can’t be, right? An Yiqing has always been low-key and steady, not like that at all."

"Tsk! Who knows for sure? Can a low-key and polite person start a company from scratch? If it’s the simple girls in our class, who could do it? Without deep scheming, could she climb up to the An Family and then acknowledge her lineage?" Another girl said sourly.

Hearing this, the crowd felt it made sense and immediately began discussing An Yiqing.

Xia Hau’s face immediately sank.

"We’re all high-quality people, how come everyone’s behaving like gossipy wives, talking behind people’s backs?" He slammed the water cup on the table, "Just because you can’t do something doesn’t mean others can’t. How much effort did she put in, how much do you know?" Xia Hau was furious, and his chest was tightening with anger. An Yiqing had told him about her experiences since childhood long ago. Later in Xuandu City, An Yiqing was busy every day, barely able to sleep well. Her friends around her felt her pain. How did she end up being seen as scheming by these people?!

Xia Hau’s sudden outburst made the room quiet. Then, a sneer came from Zhang Liang.

"I say Xia Hau, your close relationship with An Yiqing was centuries ago. Now that she’s not here, why are you so petty? Everyone’s just making casual remarks. Besides, you haven’t been in touch with her, is it worth it?"

"Yeah! Even if you defend her, she’s not contacting you at all! Don’t trouble yourself to fit into her world!" Lin Dazhi added fuel to the fire.

Others burst into laughter, and the Class Flower and the girls began discussing again.

"I’ve heard the sons and daughters of aristocratic families are not very discreet in their private lives, do you think An Yiqing is the same...?"

"Probably not? She seemed quiet and gentle when we were in school, not like that!"

"Tsk! You can tell someone’s face but not their heart, right? Let me tell you, the quieter a girl looks, the wilder she behaves. I bet her starting a company from scratch was probably because she slept with a few men to get her hands on it!"

"Enough!" A shout rang out, and the soup and water on the table spilled everywhere.

Everyone was startled and looked at Xia Hau, who slammed the table and stood.

"What’s wrong with you? It’s not even about you!" The Class Flower patted her chest, looking aggrieved.

The others also looked at Xia Hau with reproach, while those who didn’t participate in the gossip wore faces ready to enjoy the show.

Xia Hau took deep breaths, trying to calm his emotions.

"I’m telling you, if anyone talks bad about Xiao Qing again, don’t blame me for being rude! Did you sign up for the gossip program in college? You’ve all learned how to be paparazzi? You’re full of gossip about others, have you looked at yourself? If I had known the class reunion was like this, I wouldn’t have come!" Xia Hau rarely spoke articulately, rattling off words that left everyone dizzy.

The Class Flower was the first to react, her eyes reddened, "Xia Hau, what do you mean? I’m not even talking about you! Do you have something going on with An Yiqing or what? Why are you shouting?!"

"Xia Hau, you’re a bit overboard." Zhang Liang chuckled, his eyes full of ridicule, "It’s just a simple class reunion, everyone’s gathered here to chat, what’s the harm? The person in question isn’t even here, who hasn’t talked about someone behind their back? Is it worth it?"

"Exactly! She’s not contacting you anymore, yet you act like her lapdog, got a screw loose or something?"

The situation escalated, and Xia Hau tightly clenched his fists, about to hit someone.

Li Shuai frowned, he didn’t want the class reunion to end up like this.

"Everyone, let’s say less, come on, we’ve finally gathered here from all corners, why are we behaving like this?" He stood up and knocked on the table, then pushed Xia Hau back into his chair, "Let’s talk about something else, discuss finding jobs and dating in the future. Let’s move past this and not mention it anymore."

As Li Shuai spoke, the Class Flower called out.

"Move past it, class president? Look at my clothes, the soup has spilled all over my dress! It cost over eight hundred bucks, who’s going to pay for it?!"

Li Shuai got a little angry too, "So what do you want? At worst, Xia Hau and I can split the cost and buy you another dress just like it!"

"Give me a break, class president!" The Class Flower laughed disdainfully, "Xia Hau has issues at home, I wouldn’t dare take advantage. Xia Hau, since you’re defending An Yiqing so much, is your relationship still particularly good? Why didn’t she come with you today?"

A few other girls nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, you’re defending her so much, why didn’t she come with you?"

"She probably forgot who you are ages ago, right? The noble lady knows so many rich young guys, would she still remember who you are?"

The crowd noisily clamored, Li Shuai shouted to calm them, and Xia Hau was about to explode.

Squeak—

The door suddenly opened, and a girl in a white dress slowly walked in. Her white skirt rippled with her movements, resembling large blooming lotus flowers, and you could almost smell the fragrance in the air.

"Haozi, why is your phone not connecting? Where are Eddie and Bali?"

The room went silent, everyone stared at the graceful figure that came in.

Only Xia Hau, hearing the voice, instantly had his rage disappear. He turned around dumbfounded and reached into his pants pocket to take out his phone and had a look.

"It’s out of battery..."

An Yiqing rolled her eyes helplessly, "Xiao Xue and I thought something had happened to you, where’s those two guys? Their phones wouldn’t connect either? Out of battery too?"