Chapter 19: Don’t Bark Randomly

At the barbecue restaurant.

Tang Liyue glanced at Yu Qi’s figure as he left alone and curiously asked, “Isn’t he eating?”

Yu Minchuan replied indifferently, “Don’t mind him. The Yu family’s bodyguards can’t eat at the same table as their master.”

“Oh, I see.”

There are many rules in wealthy families, and Tang Liyue understood this. Since Yu Minchuan said so, she didn’t ask any further.

While waiting for the food to be served, Yu Minchuan handed the gift-wrapped clothing to Tang Liyue.

“Liyue, this is a gift for you. Thank you for taking me out to relax.”

Tang Liyue hesitated slightly, unsure, “Isn’t this too expensive?”

Yu Minchuan smiled, “It’s not expensive, it’s less than your future salary for a day.”

Hearing this, Tang Liyue extended her hand to take the gift and politely gave him a sweet smile. “Thank you! Can I open it now?”

“Of course.”

Tang Liyue smiled as she opened the gift box. Her pupils clearly widened, her expression one of surprise and admiration when she saw the clothing inside.

Seeing that Tang Liyue liked it, Yu Minchuan’s smile deepened.

“Everyone’s first time should be treated well, and the first job is no exception. I thought this outfit suited you, so I took the liberty of buying it. Consider it a wish for your future work to go smoothly and happily.”

Tang Liyue’s eyes suddenly reddened. While gently caressing the clothes in the box, she kept saying, “Thank you.”

She was deeply moved.

Moved by Yu Minchuan’s thoughtfulness, moved by his care.

Tang Liyue carefully closed the gift box and, with a smile, raised her glass. “I really like it. Thank you, Minchuan.”

Yu Minchuan also raised his glass to clink with hers. “You really don’t need to thank me. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Tang Liyue grinned. “Then I’ll treat you to this meal as a return gift.”

“Haha, sure.”

Tang Liyue and Yu Minchuan continued their meal happily.

---

Meanwhile, on the third floor.

Yu Qi, wearing a mask, stood coldly leaning against the corridor wall.

He had been staring down at his phone screen, but his peripheral vision never left the group of women in front of him.

The mall was crowded, so it wasn’t easy to act on them, and Yu Qi was waiting for the right opportunity.

Finally, when he saw the group of women heading towards the escalator, Yu Qi stepped forward to follow.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

A message from Yu Minchuan appeared at the top of his WeChat.

[Yu Minchuan: Be careful, the future is long.]

Seeing this message, the coldness in Yu Qi’s eyes eased a little.

Originally, he wanted to take the opportunity to silence these loose-mouthed women, but his young master didn’t want to escalate things for now. So, Yu Qi had to hold back, biding his time and taking some “interest” in the meantime.

The mall was packed with people, and the escalator was nearly full.

Yu Qi adjusted his mask and quickly moved through the crowd to follow Tang Xue Yao and the others onto the escalator.

The escalator slowly descended, and the pedestrians in front of Tang Xue Yao and the others gradually moved away.

Once the path was clear, Yu Qi’s eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. He quickly lifted his foot and pushed it against the back of one woman’s knee.

“Ah”

Her knee was struck, and her leg naturally lost support, causing her to kneel down.

Since they were on the escalator, when she knelt, she lost her balance and fell forward, crashing into the person in front of her, Tang Xue Yao.

“Ah!” Tang Xue Yao was caught off guard and screamed as she was knocked down.

Fearing she might hurt her face, she instinctively grabbed onto the two women beside her to cushion her fall.

In the end, the last few women tumbled down the escalator, landing in a heap and crying out in pain.

The emergency stop button of the escalator had already been pressed, and the pedestrians remained stuck on the elevator.

Before the first woman even fell, Yu Qi had already retreated and blended in with the crowd. No one knew it was him, they all assumed the women had tripped because their high heels were unstable.

The security guards arrived to disperse the crowd, and Yu Qi followed the crowd away.

It wasn’t until they were far enough away that Yu Qi looked back.

He furrowed his brows, inwardly muttering, “What a pity.”

It was a shame he had to be mindful of the safety of the onlookers and had only acted when the escalator was almost at the bottom.

He had only caused them minor injuries.

---

Upstairs, in the barbecue restaurant.

Tang Liyue and Yu Minchuan were still eating when they saw the restaurant staff rush outside to see what was going on.

The sounds of the staff could be heard from outside.

“Did someone fall again?”

“Eh? Those women look familiar.”

“Yeah, one of them is Tang Xue Yao, right? The stupid rich girl who came to eat here a few days ago and scolded all the staff?”

“It really is! Hahaha, what goes around comes around!”

Inside the restaurant, Tang Liyue caught the mention of “Tang Xue Yao.”

After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Yu Minchuan. “Minchuan, you keep eating. I want to go see what’s going on.”

Yu Minchuan lowered his gaze, then nodded. “Okay.”

Only then did Tang Liyue stand up and walk out of the restaurant, joining the staff as they peeked over the railing to look downstairs.

Downstairs, Tang Xue Yao, surrounded by onlookers, was furious, her face turning red. She was cursing at the pedestrians and even yelled at the crowd, “What are you looking at! Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

A male staff member beside Tang Liyue shouted back, “Pah! Karma!”

Though there were three floors between them, the mall was spacious, and his shout echoed across the open area.

Tang Xue Yao heard it and immediately looked up in the direction of the male staff member.

And then she saw Tang Liyue standing beside him.

Tang Xue Yao’s eyes immediately widened.

Tang Liyue bit her lip and took two steps back, avoiding Tang Xue Yao’s gaze.

But it was useless.

Tang Liyue’s phone began to vibrate wildly.

[Tang Xue Yao: Why are you here?!]
[Tang Xue Yao: If you dare to watch me make a fool of myself, you won’t live to see tomorrow!]
[Tang Xue Yao: If today’s embarrassing incident spreads, I’ll make you pay!]

“Liyue?”

A warm voice sounded beside her.

“Ah?” Tang Liyue turned to look at Yu Minchuan, who had come to stand beside her. She forced a smile. “Are you done eating?”

Yu Minchuan nodded, then asked, “Why do you look upset? What’s wrong?”

Tang Liyue shook her head lightly. “It’s nothing, I just saw Tang Xue Yao.”

“Your sister?”

The word “sister” made Tang Liyue furrow her brows. She seemed to resist the term.

But, Tang Xue Yao was indeed her real sister, and she couldn’t escape that fact.

So, Tang Liyue nodded. “Yeah, she saw me watching the commotion and is throwing a tantrum at me.”

Yu Minchuan glanced at Tang Liyue’s phone. “Let me see?”

Tang Liyue hesitated, but when she saw the sincere look in Yu Minchuan’s eyes, she couldn’t refuse and handed him her phone.

After reading Tang Xue Yao’s messages, Yu Minchuan immediately typed a reply.

[None of my business, stop barking.]

Tang Liyue’s eyes widened. “Minchuan, you…”

Yu Minchuan laughed. “Did you not expect me to swear? Or were you worried that replying like this would make Tang Xue Yao cause a scene?”

Tang Liyue nodded dazedly.

Yu Minchuan looked at her seriously and said, “Liyue, from the moment you stepped into the Yu family’s door, you have nothing to do with that family anymore. You’ve endured for twenty-two years, it’s time to stand tall.”

Though his words made sense…

Tang Liyue softly said, “Aunt Qiu still needs my parents’ money for treatment.”

Yu Minchuan’s eyes flickered. “Is that why you agreed to marry into the Yu family, for Aunt Qiu?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you don’t need to worry. They need something from you too, don’t they?”

Tang Liyue lowered her head, her mind repeatedly echoing Yu Minchuan’s words, “It’s time to stand tall” and “They need something from you.”

Yu Minchuan’s words seemed to plant a seed of “resistance” in Tang Liyue’s heart.

After a while, Tang Liyue finally smiled again. “Alright, let’s stop talking about these unpleasant things. Let’s go get some bubble tea!”

Yu Minchuan’s eyes curved into a smile. “Sure.”