This bizarre situation naturally sparked various expressions of disgust and amazement.
Ji Fei was telling the story with relish, and everyone else listened intently.
Luo Fei and Qi Li, however, were fidgeting uncomfortably as they looked at Luo Zhou. Hadn't Luo Zhou just mentioned something about borrowing money? Was this a coincidence?
At this point, Luo Zhou was already beginning to feel uncontrollably anxious. Not because he thought Ji Fei was deliberately mocking him, but because he wondered if the news about borrowing money had reached even someone as distantly connected as Ji Fei, then... could it be true?
"I heard she got a big job today that solved her urgent financial problems. So that's what it was about," Ji Fei remarked thoughtfully, then looked at Luo Zhou. "Oh, did your sister-in-law specifically seek her out? Perhaps she watched my show, liked my makeup, and approved of little Tang's skills? Well, I should thank her anyway."
Ji Fei wasn't about to stop at just targeting Luo Zhou; she wouldn't leave Xuan Yi out either.
Luo Zhou's face immediately turned several different colors, his expression rapidly changing.
Right, Xuan Yi had brought her here, and she was at the class reunion too? Was this all just a coincidence? His mind was in complete chaos, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"She even brought her down here, perhaps wanting to introduce her to more connections. Since her boyfriend is useless, she can only rely on herself to make money."
"I'll go meet her too then," Bai Xiaoxi eagerly said. "Help the poor girl stay busy so she can forget about that scumbag."
Cen Ting nodded along, seemingly also planning to make her acquaintance.
Luo Zhou's face was now covered in humiliation, his fists clenched tight.
Luo Fei finally couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "You know her?"
Qi Li also felt something was off. "Your expression changes are too dramatic. Don't tell me that this little Tang happens to be your girlfriend?"
This comment instantly silenced everyone at the table.
They saw Luo Zhou's eyes change, but he didn't deny it. Gradually, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
The situation became extremely awkward, and those who had been criticizing the "scumbag" earlier now looked uncertainly toward Ji Fei.
Ji Fei quickly covered her mouth, almost laughing out loud. Then she put on a surprised expression.
"It's you? No wonder people say little Tang's boyfriend is a freeloader. So you were pretending to be poor to test her, then letting her support you."
This statement was like a thunderbolt, making the situation even more intense. Originally, testing a friend would have been seen as a small game, and everyone at the table would have taken their friend's side.
But now that both parties knew each other, the feeling was completely different. Everyone's looks toward Luo Zhou were full of disapproval.
Luo Zhou's face had turned ashen, but he still didn't say a word, his eyes fixed on little Tang in the distance.
The atmosphere was too strange, and Jing Yan coughed, quickly trying to change the subject.
"No way, what's Xuan Yi doing? Does she know little Tang too?"
The attempt to change the subject failed.
The atmosphere at the table became even more awkward. After all, only Bai Xiaoxi hadn't yet figured out the previous relationship between Xuan Yi and Luo Zhou.
Yu Yue, knowing this information was crucial, no longer cared about brotherhood and directly shared it with Bai Xiaoxi.
Bai Xiaoxi was so shocked she almost cried out.
"So, was little Tang really brought down here for introductions?" Cen Ting calmly questioned. After all, they'd seen plenty of such situations in wealthy families.
They just hadn't expected their friend to be someone with such ulterior motives. But now everything seemed too coincidental not to be suspicious.
Before anyone could wonder further, a group of people was already walking toward them with little Tang.
What were they planning to do?
Everyone at the table watched in surprise.
In this tense atmosphere, someone spoke up.
"Luo Zhou, are you sure little Tang knows who you are? If you've guessed wrong, when you meet, you'll be exposed!"
Luo Zhou had been staring intently at little Tang, but she kept her head down, never meeting his gaze.
Originally, Luo Zhou had been speculating whether little Tang, knowing his identity, had come deliberately to seek reconciliation and create an opportunity for them to meet.
But that comment suddenly made Luo Zhou feel as if his heart had emptied, like falling from a hundred-meter cliff.
A sense of fear crept over him, but before he could react, little Tang looked up, and their eyes met for an instant.
Luo Zhou felt his throat tighten, not daring to move his gaze even slightly. But little Tang had already looked away.
Everyone else was watching the interaction between them, both nervous and excited, whispering among themselves.
"Did she see him? No surprise? Looks like she knew beforehand."
"I thought there would be a scene."
"Are you hoping to see some drama?"
While they were whispering, the group arrived.
Luo Zhou's gaze was almost burning as he looked at little Tang, and because she wouldn't look at him, he became increasingly agitated and even angry.
He wanted to ask little Tang about the truth behind the borrowed money.
But why wouldn't she look at him, why wouldn't she acknowledge him, and why did she come to his family's place?
Even after seeing him, she was ignoring him. Was she playing hard to get, or was this some kind of strategy?
Luo Zhou felt like he was going to explode with frustration. This agitation stemmed from a deep-seated unease in his heart, an unease he dared not face.
Ji Fei watched Xuan Yi standing at the front, completely unable to understand these twisted minds.
[So they came to make little Tang and Luo Zhou meet? But judging by little Tang's reaction, she probably won't acknowledge him.]
Just as she was thinking this, surprisingly, Xuan Yi's first words were directed at her.
"Ji Fei, perfect timing. We heard this makeup artist Tang Jiang has worked for you before, so we came to ask about it."
Ji Fei: ?
Little Tang had now composed herself and managed a forced smile at Ji Fei, "Teacher Ji, hello." There was still some uncertainty and awkwardness in her eyes, as this kind of name-dropping felt somewhat presumptuous.
[Why would Xuan Yi actively bring up to her sister group that little Tang was my makeup artist? And now that it's been mentioned and little Tang has confirmed it, why bring a whole group to verify with me? Does this mean they don't believe it? What's going on?]
Ji Fei immediately smiled and said, "Little Tang, you're here too! I was wondering why Xuan Yi looked so dressed up today."
Everyone: Huh? Did they mishear something? Wasn't she talking about the makeup looking good?
Ji Fei's expression was so convincing that even Xuan Yi thought she had misheard.
This almost made the troubled Qin family members spray out their drinks.
While this drama was unfolding, Mr. and Mrs. Qin couldn't come over to watch, but the younger generation had no such restrictions and gathered around with their wine glasses to enjoy the show.
Xuan Yi ignored the threatening looks from Luo Zhou's direction and turned to her sister group, saying, "I told you it was worth the price."
The sister group had various expressions on their faces.
"I still think the fee is unreasonable. We may be rich, but we're not stupid. Mrs. Qin, how much did she charge you for makeup?" the cousin suddenly asked.
With these words, little Tang's face changed instantly.
Ji Fei was also confused by this development and quickly consulted her system.
[OMG, my goodness, my brain has turned to mush, your plans are really making me mentally exhausted.]
The Qin family members: What? What? It's just asking about a price, how is that exhausting?
For one episode, even an assistant makeup artist would earn more than 10,000 yuan.
[So it turns out Xuan Yi had already told her cousin about little Tang's identity. The cousin is in love with Luo Zhou and couldn't possibly allow their relationship to continue. She's even more aggressive than Xuan Yi in wanting to force them to break up, so naturally, she wants to find ways to expose little Tang in public and damage her reputation, making her lose face completely. That's why they're putting on this show.]
[They used an exorbitant price of 200,000 yuan to take advantage of little Tang's desperate situation, forcing her to come here as a makeup artist, and now they want to use this high price against her. Because once I reveal the normal price, compared to what they're paying this time, everyone will think little Tang is price gouging, treating rich people like fools, and that she's someone who lacks professional ethics and only cares about money. With such a public problem, the Luo family would definitely not accept someone of such character.]
The Qin family members: No wonder they kept insisting on bringing little Tang down, this is actually a chain of schemes!
Qin Xian's mouth twitched. To be honest, if this level of scheming was used to help Brother Luo stabilize his business empire...
[Perhaps their main goal was to humiliate Little Tang in front of the Luo family, but if they succeeded, it would also make Little Tang infamous in the makeup artist community. Once word got out, even with excellent skills, Little Tang would never be able to serve wealthy female clients again, and it might even affect her work with female celebrities in the entertainment industry. This would completely destroy Little Tang's professional future. How vicious.]
The Qin family: Vicious, not just ordinary vicious, they're treating others as less than human. What did Little Tang do wrong? She's clearly the victim!
Qin Xian let out a cold laugh. He looked worriedly at Ji Fei, but saw his wife suddenly curl her lips into a smile.
[Don't blame me. If you try to use me to hurt others, I'll bite back.]
Qin Xian: My wife is so cute.
"If you don't know, could you help ask around?" The cousin was clearly impatient with Ji Fei's apparent daydreaming and wanted to resolve the issue quickly.
Little Tang's face had already turned quite pale. She had long understood what was happening, but she was helpless because the fee was real. At this moment, she should have sought help from Luo Zhou, but she didn't - she hadn't even thought of him.
Luo Zhou had been watching Little Tang the whole time. Though he didn't know the full picture, he sensed that Little Tang was in trouble. He thought she would seek his help - even just a glance asking for help would be enough for him to... actively give her a way out.
But Little Tang never once looked his way.
"Oh, I remember now, it's 300,000 per show."
That single sentence silenced everyone.
Little Tang stared at Ji Fei in astonishment, only to see Ji Fei raise her eyebrows and smile at her.
The group of sisters were dazed - had they misunderstood?
"Are rates really that high now?"
"So 200,000 here is normal then?"
"Maybe my makeup artist is charging too little?"
Others at the table were completely unaware, not even understanding the significance of this conversation.
"That's impossible!" The cousin almost shouted, saying in disbelief: "You must be mistaken, how could it be 300,000? It's clearly..."
Xuan Yi immediately grabbed the cousin, stopping her from speaking out of turn, though she couldn't control her own face from turning ugly.
Aliali: 6754d36dbd5e46c308a67954She looked at Ji Fei, never expecting to receive such an answer, making her uncertain now.
Their commotion had already drawn the attention of many nearby guests.
"What's wrong? This rate is perfectly normal," Ji Fei said in surprise: "Are you charging 200,000 for makeup today?"
Ji Fei raised her voice, "Little Tang, why did you lower your price? Did you give them a discount? Or is it because they're acquaintances so you gave them a better rate? Oh my, there's no need for that - they're wealthy and won't miss that amount. Giving them a discount would be insulting to them, wouldn't it? Look, you've made them so suspicious they had to come ask me about the standard rates."
Rich people dislike being cheated, but they hate being looked down upon even more.
These words immediately provoked a reaction from the Luo family.
What kind of talk was this? What did she mean? Did the Luo family need a discount from a makeup artist?
Who was she trying to insult?
Weren't they all wealthy families?
Which unworthy descendant had done this? How embarrassing!