"Unless she cares about her reputation, she could only accept it." Qi Jianyi said while sipping her juice. At times like this, she really wants to grab some popcorn to see how He Zejin will soothe the grievance between the two women.
Unbeknownst to Qi Jianyi, her short remarks managed to attract the attention of all men at the table. After all, they are men and do not understand women as much as Qi Jianyi. They thought the feud would end once He Zejin stepped in.
"Will that Xia Ning punch Miss Xu?" A sudden question caught everyone at the table off guard. Who would actually dare to ask that question openly?
Qi Jianyi swallowed the reprimand that was about to leave her mouth when she realised the one who asked that question was her younger brother, Qi Jinli. Qi Jinlu elbowed his brother, asked him to watch his words.
"When women fight, we don't punch each other." Qi Jianli answered while lowering her voice so only the people at the table could hear her.
She looked around and watched how everyone was waiting for her to elaborate and respond, "Do you know how we fight?"
Qi Jinlu and Qi Jinli shook their heads in unison. He Zejin's two friends also shook their heads, eager to hear the answer. Meanwhile, He Zeqing and Song Chengfeng merely stared at her, clearly also wanting to know the answer.
"We pull each other's hair till we go bald." Qi Jianyi answered with a smile and watched how their faces went from waiting to disappointment. They thought she was joking around.
Qi Jianyi laughed softly, "Just wait and later you will understand me."
As soon as she finished talking, a loud voice echoed, attracting their attention.
"Xia Ning!" Xu Mei yelled as she was splashed by the glass of wine.
Xia Ning looked at the woman who was playing victim and said, "You pushed me, I just returned it back."
As soon as she finished her words, Xia Ning walked away. However, before her steps could be taken, a hand quickly grasped the back of her hair and pulled hard.
"Ah!" Xia Ning yelled in fright. Her well done hair was ruined instantly the moment Xu Mei pulled it, catching the young woman off guard.
"Xu Mei, let me go!" She yelled while trying to save her hair from being bald.
"Such a poor woman like you is so rude, someone needs to show you who's in charge here." Xu Mei claimed smugly.
Without waiting for others' help, Xia Ning quickly reached out and grabbed Xu Mei's hair. In an instant, the two women were pulling each other's hair and cursing under their breath.
He Zejin, who had come to help, found himself caught in the middle. He tried to break up the unwanted fight but ended up trapped and attacked. His neatly combed hair was ruined, and his white suit was stained with red wine.
"Stop! Eh—stop pulling my hair!" He Zejin yelled, pushing both of them far away from him. Without hesitation, Xu Mei, who was attacking Xia Ning, slapped him in the face.
The young man who had just come of age today was stunned for a moment. It was his first time being slapped in the face. He, He Zejin—the beloved, cherished, and adored member of the He family—had been struck by an outsider.
"Ouch…" Qi Jinlu let out a hurtful tone, as if he was the one who got slapped. While Qi Jinli touched his right cheek, afraid that he would be next.
Both of them turned their heads to their sister, finally understanding her words. With a smug face, Qi Jianyi looked at her brothers and said, "See? I told you so."
Qi Jianyi held back a smile, less would people say she was heartless. She watched the scene with interest, clearly having no intention of intervening. After all, she was just a side character with no role in the script.
"Are you not going to help him?" Qi Jinlu asked softly. The more he looks at the fight, the more he becomes afraid of his sister. He was grateful that before, Qi Jianyi was only cold to them and never beat them. But one shouldn't let down their guard easily.
Shaking her head, Qi Jianyi leaned back to her chair and responded, "It's not my job to do so."
She then glanced at the birthday boy's brother, "You should lend a hand or your brother would be bald in the future."
Suddenly, his name was mentioned, catching He Zeqing off guard. He let out a cough to cover his shock and, in a staggering manner, adjusted himself to appear calm.
Unfortunately for He Zeqing, his bewildered actions were already noticeable to others at the table. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, they had seen his unprepared expression.
"I'm a man. It's not suitable for me to interfere." He said frigidly.
The obvious forced cold tone made Song Chengfeng beside him smirked. He never thought that there would be a day where He Zeqing would stumble upon something.
He Zeqing glared at his friend, who clearly wasn't going to lend a hand. He wondered why he had invited this arrogant person. If it weren't for his kindness to help boost this jerk's lowly mood before, He Zeqing wouldn't have even bothered to call him.
Diverted his attention back to Qi Jianyi, He Zeqing played with his glass before saying, "You are a woman, you should go and help him."
Qi Jianyi shook her head, "You are his brother."
"And you are his cousin." He Zeqing insisted.
"What if they pull my hair and I become bald? Hm?" Qi Jianyi retorted, eyes looking straight at He Zeqing.
This one question managed to make He Zeqing fall into a dilemma. Qi Jianyi was right. What if she got hurt in the process of dissolving the feud? What should he say to his aunt and uncle later?
He Zeqing gritted his teeth and thought for a moment. He let out a sigh, what should he do? He really needs to save that brother of his before things become worse.
"If they dare to touch a single strain of your hair, I would not let them go." He Zeqing assured her. He would really not let them go if they dare to hurt her.
Listening to the unattractive offer, Qi Jianyi rolled her eyes. Does she look like someone who needs someone else to help her settle her grievances?
"I'm a student." Qi Jianyi only uttered this sentence and said nothing else. She believes the male lead would understand her.
He Zeqing stared at Qi Jianyi for a while, then glanced at his little brother, who was still being bullied by the women. It wasn't that He Zeqing didn't want to get involved, but rather that he couldn't. If he stepped in, uncontrollable rumours would soon spread.
The eldest young master had no choice but to ask for help from his cold and quiet cousin. However, who would have thought that this cousin would ask for pocket money when the fight escalated? He could even see a few of He Zejin's hairs in Xu Mei's hand.