Huh? Are villainous bosses this easy to flirt with?

Chapter 199 is too glaring!

A few minutes earlier, Bai Xiaoran and Gu Yan were drawn by the sound of a glass shattering.

Bai Xiaoran glanced over casually, but his pupils contracted slightly when he saw a familiar face.

Two years ago, at Old Master Bai's birthday banquet, he met Huo Yunting, a good friend of his elder brother and the head of the Huo family. The man was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, with an assistant following him closely.

But now, this assistant is always by Xie Qing's side.

Bai Xiaoran wasn't stupid; he quickly figured out the key point—the other party was very likely the male wife that Huo Yunting had married.

What's even more troublesome is that I had previously offended him without even realizing it.

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaoran lost the will to fight with Gu Yan and wisely came over to apologize.

Xie Qing let out a short, soft chuckle, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes. "Then tell me, what wrong things did you do before?"

Bai Xiaoran's voice carried just the right amount of regret, "I was misled and believed the other party's slander against you, and I acted directly without verification, hiring online trolls to stir up trouble online... I am truly sorry."

In just a few words, he absolved himself of all responsibility, appearing as an innocent victim who had been deceived, rather than an accomplice who had fueled the flames.

Xie Qing wasn't so easily fooled. With a half-smile, she asked, "Is Bai Ruizhe your older brother?"

Bai Xiaoran was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Yes."

"So easily swayed, it seems the Bai family's discipline is still too lax."

Xie Qing looked up at him, her tone growing colder, "I'll talk to your older brother about this later, and he'll teach you how to distinguish right from wrong."

Bai Xiaoran stiffened, but still maintained a respectful posture.

It seems he can't escape this punishment, but he doesn't intend to. He came here specifically to quell this man's anger.

Bai Xiaoran's smile remained unchanged. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Xie."

Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, a hint of scrutiny flashing in her eyes—the composed and easygoing Bai Ershao before her was far removed from the love-crazed playboy image in the original book; Bai Xiaoran was clearly a smart man.

It seems that the world in this book is far more interesting than he imagined.

"Oh, right, please wait a moment."

Bai Xiaoran suddenly turned around and waved towards the booth, "Nono, come here."

Following his gaze, Xie Qing was surprised to see Xie Nuo and Gu Yan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

He didn't realize anything was wrong, and even thought, "No wonder they're the official couple in the original book. Even though the plot has been completely distorted, these two are still together."

He glanced at it briefly, then looked away, as if it were a tiny speck of dust being brushed away.

The moment Xie Qing's gaze swept over him, Gu Yan subconsciously lowered his head—for some reason, he didn't want Xie Qing to see his disheveled state.

As for Xie Nuo—from the moment Xie Qing appeared, his gaze was like a poisoned steel nail, cold and ruthless, fixed on the other party, wishing he could pierce through him.

It's too bright!

The halo surrounding Xie Qing burned his eyes, and that innate, effortless brilliance felt like slaps to his festering pride.

Since retiring from the entertainment industry, he has deliberately avoided all news related to Xie Qing.

But Xie Qing keeps trending on social media – for awards, interviews, endorsements… even his birthday celebration two weeks ago that caused a sensation across the internet. The overwhelming coverage left him with no way to avoid it, and he couldn’t even deceive himself.

Xie Nuo gritted his teeth, a metallic, metallic taste rising in his throat—why, why could Xie Qing stand so glamorous on a cloud, while he was so pathetic?!

It shouldn't be like this, Xie Nuo always felt it shouldn't be like this... Hatred filled his mind, causing him to ignore Bai Xiaoran's voice.

"Xenuo, come here."

Bai Xiaoran raised his voice and spoke again, his tone carrying a faint threat.

Xie Nuo instinctively flinched, then slowly walked over, staring at Xie Qing with hostile eyes, wishing he could tear that face to shreds.

Upon seeing this, Chu Luo cautiously took half a step forward.

Bai Xiaoran's expression softened again, and he affectionately put his arm around Xie Nuo's waist. "Come on, Nuo Nuo, apologize to Mr. Xie."

Xie Nuo's pupils constricted sharply, and his nails dug deep into his palms, almost drawing blood—was he apologizing to Xie Qing?

This is tantamount to killing him!

Xie Qing, sitting opposite, glanced at the two of them in a somewhat surprised manner, and then subtly glanced at Gu Yan sitting in the booth.

What... is going on?!

"Nono, you're being disobedient again?"

Her voice carried a gentle smile, as if she were soothing a sulking lover.

Xie Nuo was stiff all over, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out on his back—the last time Bai Xiaoran spoke in this tone, he had been kneeling on broken glass for two whole hours.

Xie Qing clearly saw a bead of cold sweat slide down Xie Nuo's pale cheek—Xie Nuo, who had done countless bad things in the past, was actually afraid!

Does this mean that evil people will eventually be punished by other evil people?

He straightened his cuffs and broke the suffocating silence at the opportune moment, "I have to go now, you guys keep on your business."

Xie Qing didn't care for reluctant apologies, especially since the other party's reluctance was written all over their face, which only made her feel uncomfortable.

*

Stepping out of the bar, the streetlights on both sides of the road were so bright that they were almost blinding.

Chu Luo went to get the car, and Xie Qing stood by the roadside waiting.

Just then, a dejected figure sauntered out from the bar entrance—it was the "GPS tracker" who had splashed the drink on Xie Qing from a distance.

The other person hung their head, let out a barely audible sigh, and looked up again, unexpectedly meeting Xie Qing's gaze.

Xi Rui's lips trembled, "Teacher Xie, you are..."

"Waiting for the bus."

Xie gave a brief reply.

Xi Rui awkwardly uttered an "Oh," his emerald green pupils darting around as if he were plotting how to slip away unnoticed.

Xie Qing's gaze lingered on Xi Rui for a few seconds before she suddenly spoke, "Aren't you in the entertainment industry? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, oh."

Xi Rui was a beat slow to realize that the other person was talking to him, "Um... I can't make it here anymore."

After slipping away from the fashion gala that day, he subtly mentioned to his agent that he seemed, possibly, or probably had offended the Huo family.

Without saying a word, the agent threw him and his luggage out of the company dormitory, as if the entire company would go bankrupt if he was delayed even a second longer.

Xie Qing vaguely guessed that this matter might be related to Huo Yunting, while Huo, who was suspected by his wife, said: "I'm innocent! I didn't do anything!"

Huo Yunting initially intended to get back at Xi Rui, but the next day, an investigation revealed that Xi Rui had voluntarily resigned, showing a good sense of pragmatism, so he did nothing.

Of course, he himself knew that he was the biggest culprit in the conflict that night.