CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 36: HOW GREAT IT WOULD BE IF YOU WEREN’T A BEGGAR

The woman who appeared before Lin Xiao was a seductive vixen.

Who else could it be but Zhao Qingqing?

When Su Qingning laid eyes on her, her stunningly beautiful face instantly turned ashen. Her peach blossom-like eyes, however, blazed with a towering hatred. Indeed, Su Qingning couldn’t afford to offend Zhao Qingqing right now, but that didn’t mean she would forgive her for what she did yesterday. If it weren’t for her, how could my life have taken such a drastic turn? If it weren’t for her, would I have become the laughingstock of all of Jinling City?

Lin Xiao suddenly asked, "Zhao Qingqing, did you forget to brush your teeth this morning?"

"Bullshit! Do you think I’m some stinking beggar like you?" Zhao Qingqing retorted with disdain.

"You’re the one spewing bullshit. Your breath is so foul, it’s obvious you didn’t brush." As he spoke, Lin Xiao theatrically covered his mouth as if the stench was overwhelming.

For some reason, a flicker of smug satisfaction surged in Su Qingning’s heart.

"Damn it! You filthy beggar, are you looking for death?" Zhao Qingqing roared.

Lin Xiao shot her a dismissive glance. "What’s wrong? Didn’t Shao Mei’er treat you well enough last night?"

At the mention of that name, the arrogant Zhao Qingqing instantly deflated. She couldn’t help it; Shao Mei’er was the most distinguished young lady in all of Jinling City. She absolutely could not afford to provoke her. Although I don’t know why Shao Mei’er decided to put me in my place last night, just the memory of it makes a wave of fear rise from the depths of my heart.

"Hmph! You filthy beggar, you’d better hope you don’t fall into my hands!" After spitting out the threat, Zhao Qingqing turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" Lin Xiao said coldly.

"Filthy beggar, what do you want now?"

"Apologize to my wife!"

Zhao Qingqing instantly exploded with rage. This stinking beggar actually wanted her to apologize to that bitch, Su Qingning? What the hell? She was the esteemed daughter of a first-tier family in Jinling City. Why on earth should she apologize to a down-and-out wretch like Su Qingning?

Zhao Qingqing glared at Lin Xiao with extreme arrogance. "Filthy beggar, is your brain full of water? Or did a donkey kick you in the head? Do you really think I would apologize to a nobody like Su Qingning?"

"Well, well, Miss Shao, what are you doing here?" Lin Xiao suddenly called out, looking past Zhao Qingqing.

BOOM.

A violent shudder ran through Zhao Qingqing’s body. Her face turned paler than if she had eaten shit. No, eating shit wouldn’t make one’s face this pale. Su Qingkun had already verified that point quite well. It was pure, unadulterated fear. The terror rising from the depths of her soul drained all the color from her face as her body trembled violently.

Without another word, Zhao Qingqing hastily turned and said in a shaky voice, "Qingning, I was out of line just now. Please don’t take my foul mouth to heart. I apologize!"

Lin Xiao let out a cold sneer.

Zhao Qingqing suddenly realized she had been tricked. This stinking beggar was bluffing.

"Stinking beggar, you just wait!" she snarled, then swiftly turned and fled.

Lin Xiao turned back to Su Qingning with a smile, about to speak, but froze the next second. He saw that Su Qingning’s beautiful, peach-blossom eyes were now completely red, though he couldn’t tell if it was from humiliation or sorrow.

"Qingning, are... are you okay?" Lin Xiao asked softly.

Su Qingning wiped away her tears. "Thank you for what you just did."

Although Zhao Qingqing’s apology was only because of Lin Xiao’s trick, for Su Qingning, just hearing those words from her lips was enough to soothe the heart that had been plunged into despair since yesterday. The apology couldn’t make up for all the harm she had caused, but Su Qingning was still deeply moved. Of course, it wasn’t Zhao Qingqing’s apology that moved her, but what Lin Xiao had done for her. She had assumed he would be like her, forced to silently endure Zhao Qingqing’s humiliation. To her surprise, not only did he not tolerate it, but he actually made Zhao Qingqing apologize to her.

Lin Xiao looked at the dazed Su Qingning. "What’s our relationship? Or to be more precise, what am I to you?"

"You’re my husband," Su Qingning replied calmly.

"Exactly. And since I’m your husband, isn’t it my duty to protect you and make sure no one ever hurts you?"

His words stopped Su Qingning’s thoughts cold and made her heart skip a beat. It was such a simple sentence, yet it moved her even more than when he had forced Zhao Qingqing to apologize.

Su Qingning stared at Lin Xiao, dumbfounded.

"My husband... are you crying now? And why are you looking at me like that?" she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

Su Qingning snapped back to her senses. She shook her head and said, "No, it’s nothing. Let’s go eat!"

"Sure!" Lin Xiao said with a smile.

As she turned away, Su Qingning sighed softly and muttered to herself, If only you weren’t a beggar... how wonderful that would be.

Though her voice was quiet, Lin Xiao heard it. He just shrugged with a smile.

Led by a server, the two entered a private room.

"Order whatever you like," Su Qingning said coolly. When we came in, I already decided. No matter what he orders today, I’m picking up the tab.

Lin Xiao didn’t hold back, ordering all the most expensive items on the menu: king crab, Australian lobster, geoduck, black gold abalone. To top it off, he ordered a pricey bottle of red wine. He did all this without once glancing at the menu, ordering with the familiarity of a regular.

Could this man really be a beggar? Su Qingning couldn’t help but wonder.

But she had no idea that back in Kunlun, though Lin Xiao dressed modestly, his dining experiences were fit for an emperor. To put it simply, he had even eaten dragon before. So-called top-tier delicacies like king crab were things he had long since grown tired of. If not for wanting to treat Su Qingning to a proper, nourishing meal, he would have opted for street food.

But Su Qingning didn’t know any of this. She just felt the sting in her wallet. Ever since her father passed away, she and her mother had not lived well, and she had grown accustomed to a frugal lifestyle. It had been a long time since she had tasted such exquisite food.

Oh, what the heck. I’ll splurge just this once, as thanks for him getting me out of that jam. With that thought, Su Qingning began to eat with gusto.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, she uncharacteristically drank a little of the red wine. The alcohol brought a lovely scarlet blush to her fair cheeks, making her look enchantingly delicate.

The sight made Lin Xiao’s heart race. How can such a beautiful woman exist in this world? he marveled to himself once again.

When the meal was nearly over, Lin Xiao got up and left the private room. He was going to pay the bill. I know that if I don’t pay now, Su Qingning will definitely try to pay later. I said it was my treat, so there’s no way I’m letting her spend her money.

Arriving at the front counter, he said, "The bill for Room 8808, please."

The cashier smiled professionally. "One moment, sir." As expected of the best restaurant in Jinling City, the service was impeccable.

"Hello, sir. Your total comes to 117,643 yuan. We’ll round it down for you to an even 117,600 yuan."

Lin Xiao nodded and took out the card Shao Mei’er had given him. It was a plain, unadorned card with only a single digit "1" on it. But when the cashier saw it, her expression changed completely. She was just about to accept the card with both hands when another voice cut in.

PFFT!

"You stinking beggar, you’re going to make me die of laughter! If that pathetic card can actually pay this bill, I’ll kneel and kowtow to you three times!"