As soon as Gu Xingzhao spoke, everyone turned to look at Lei Ping.

The man’s gaze grew cold as he looked at Lei Ping. “Xiaoping, didn’t you say you hadn’t been in a relationship before meeting me?”

Lei Ping’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly tried to explain, “I really haven’t!”

She turned to Gu Xingzhao with a forced smile. “Xingzhao, stop joking around… This isn’t funny at all.”

It was as if a few words could make the man believe her.

Gu Xingzhao feigned surprise and apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you told him you hadn’t dated before.”

Realizing she had let something slip again, she quickly added, “I’m really sorry, I must have said the wrong thing again.”

She turned to the man and tried to explain for Lei Ping, “Don’t misunderstand, Lei Ping really didn’t date anyone in college, and she never stayed out all night. I was just joking earlier, don’t take it the wrong way, and please don’t argue over this.”

The man’s lips tightened as he glanced at his girlfriend.

Lei Ping, feeling guilty under his gaze, nervously dumped the meat on the table into the hot pot. “It seems like we’re low on food. I’ll order some more.”

She picked up her phone from the table but quickly opened WeChat and sent a message to Gu Xingzhao.

The WeChat notification sounded, and Gu Xingzhao glanced at her screen, surprised. “Lei Ping, why are you messaging me?”

The man immediately looked at Gu Xingzhao again, and Lei Ping’s hand gripped the chopsticks so tightly they nearly snapped.

Gu Xingzhao, puzzled, opened the message. “…I’m begging you, don’t bring up the past…”

She stopped reading aloud, then awkwardly smiled. “Oops, sorry, I didn’t realize you meant that.”

By now, the man’s expression had completely changed. He could accept a girlfriend who had a past, and even one who wanted to manage his money, but he couldn’t accept someone who was dishonest and manipulative.

Gu Xingzhao signaled to Lin Ting with her eyes and prepared to leave.

After a moment of silence, the man spoke in a deep voice, “Let’s postpone the wedding.”

Lei Ping’s face turned ashen. She knew him too well. He didn’t really mean to delay the wedding—he was reconsidering the whole thing because of what Gu Xingzhao had just said!

Gu Xingzhao was also a bit surprised at how ruthless the man was.

As she got up to leave, Lei Ping suddenly stood up and shoved Gu Xingzhao!

But Gu Xingzhao had anticipated this and stood her ground firmly.

Lei Ping, in a fit of rage, shouted, “Gu Xingzhao, are you satisfied now? You’ve always had to interfere with my relationships! I’m about to get married, and you still won’t leave me alone!”

Her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

Gu Xingzhao steadied herself and smiled. “Satisfied? Not really. Your taste in men is so poor that I wouldn’t even want to interfere, let alone take a second look.”

Lei Ping, in a rage, started to babble nonsense. “Yeah, sure, your taste is so great. Every man likes you. You used to be a sugar baby for old men, and now you’re the one paying for young guys! Who can compete with that?”

“Running a shabby supermarket and buying a car—you think people don’t know where your dirty money comes from?”

Gu Xingzhao laughed bitterly. “Lei Ping, my biggest regret is telling you about your ex-boyfriend’s cheating back in college. You two were such a perfect match—I should have kept my mouth shut.”

She recalled how her well-intentioned warning about Lei Ping’s boyfriend had only brought trouble upon herself. “At least now I can afford to buy a car and take care of someone young. Unlike you, who can only beg an old man to buy you one.”

Lei Ping’s face turned red with anger, and she raised her hand to slap Gu Xingzhao. But her reaction was too slow—Gu Xingzhao caught her wrist firmly.

Gu Xingzhao said coldly, “I was wondering who was spreading all those nasty rumors about me. I was having a hard time finding them, but now you’ve delivered yourself right to my doorstep.”

“I’m giving you until tomorrow to publicly apologize and clear up the rumors in the school group and on your social media. Otherwise, I’ll sue you for defamation.”

Lei Ping sneered, unfazed. “Go ahead and sue. You think the court cares about this kind of trivial matter?”

She grabbed her bag from the seat and glanced at her fiancé, but he showed no intention of leaving with her. She knew then that the wedding was off.

There was a flicker of resentment in her eyes. She had worked so hard to land a rich fiancé, only for Gu Xingzhao to ruin it. But at least the car she bought today wasn’t going anywhere, so it wasn’t a total loss.

As she left, she tried to bump into Gu Xingzhao again but missed.

After Lei Ping left, the restaurant’s atmosphere quickly returned to normal.

Outside, Lin Ting excused himself to use the restroom, but in reality, he went to speak with the restaurant owner and managed to secure the surveillance footage.

He knew that woman wouldn’t apologize or clear things up, and from what he knew about Gu Xingzhao, if she said she was going to sue, she would. Surveillance footage was usually only kept for a limited time, so he wanted to ensure they had a copy in case it was needed.

As the man exited the restaurant after paying, he stopped when he saw Gu Xingzhao and handed her his business card. “Miss Gu, my name is Yang. My dashcam recorded quite a bit that you might find useful. If you need it, feel free to contact me.”

There was a look in Yang’s eyes that made Gu Xingzhao uncomfortable. She recognized it well—it was the same look Lei Ping’s boyfriend had given her back in college.

At that moment, she realized just how poor Lei Ping’s taste in men really was.

Sensing her discomfort, Yang Hui quickly clarified, “Please don’t misunderstand, Miss Gu. I do find you admirable, but right now, I just want to make a friend. I heard you run a supermarket; maybe we could work together in the future.”

Hearing this, Gu Xingzhao glanced at the business card, noticing that he ran a factory specializing in fireworks and firecrackers.

As she looked at the card, an idea suddenly came to her.

She handed the card back. “We might indeed have some business to discuss. I don’t have a business card on me—let’s just add each other on WeChat.”

Yang Hui smiled and took out his phone. “Miss Gu, I’ll send you the dashcam footage as soon as I get home.”

Gu Xingzhao nodded. “Thank you.”

As they exchanged WeChat contacts, Lin Ting came out of the restaurant. When he saw Yang Hui, his expression turned cautious.

Yang Hui smiled, put away his phone, and walked to his car.

Being a man himself, Lin Ting could easily read Yang Hui’s intentions. Worried that Gu Xingzhao might not pick up on it, he warned her, “Sis, that guy doesn’t seem like a good person.”

Gu Xingzhao patted Lin Ting’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not naive. This is purely a business interaction.”

She had already caught on to Yang Hui’s intentions, but she wasn’t concerned. She had dealt with worse in the past, and if this could lead to a profitable business deal, she was willing to navigate it carefully. After all, she had her own plans and wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of her.

As they got into the car, Lin Ting still felt uneasy. He didn’t like the way that man had looked at Gu Xingzhao, but he trusted her judgment. She was strong and capable, and he knew she wouldn’t let anyone push her around.

That night, Lei Ping didn’t apologize or clarify anything. Meanwhile, the video of the store dispute spread widely on WeChat groups.

Eventually, it was shared on popular short video platforms, quickly gaining hundreds of thousands of likes and over a million views and shares.