Anyone could tell that, on the surface, these words were complimenting Xu Tingyu on her good taste. But in fact, they were mocking her for relying on marriage to rise to prominence at a young age without making any self - improvement efforts. And in the end, she was still kicked out of the family.
Qi Shifeng frowned slightly and was about to say something when Xu Tingyu pressed his hand under the table.
In this situation, it would be so unfulfilling if others stepped in to defend her.
She came here today for a “fight”. She didn't get a chance to show her mettle with Qian Luo, but she could have it here.
After holding Qi Shifeng back, she looked at the person who had spoken.
It was a young and beautiful girl, with a bold and unruly look in her eyes. Xu Tingyu had never seen this girl before. She smiled faintly and said, “Well, that's not necessarily true. Qi isn't exactly an obscure surname.”
Hearing this, everyone at the table burst into laughter.
Especially Qian Luo, who said, “You're right. Our President Qi here even has an older brother. I heard he's also doing pretty well in business. He's a President Qi too.”
Just as Xu Tingyu was about to follow up, Qi Shifeng took her hand in his.
She turned to look at him and saw his soft gaze fixed on her, with a hint of nervousness.
Obviously, he was afraid of hearing her praise Qi Ye.
She understood and swallowed back what she was going to say, giving the other person an out.
“Yeah, but from my personal perspective, I think no matter who you are, you should first be yourself.”
“If you have the opportunity to study more, do it. It's okay to get married later.”
What she regretted most wasn't getting married, but not continuing her studies.
If she had kept studying back then and become more mature, maybe she and Qi Shifeng wouldn't be where they were today.
Over the years, she had wanted to go back to school, but her job had left her with no time. This plan had been postponed again and again.
Someone at the table, trying to defuse the situation, picked up on her words.
“I agree with this. Studying more is always a good thing. When I have kids in the future, I'll definitely encourage them to study more.”
Everyone started discussing the benefits of studying, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.
The girl who had been snide to Xu Tingyu didn't seem embarrassed when no one paid attention to her. She just glanced at Xu Tingyu and took a sip of her drink.
Qi Shifeng's eyes were always on Xu Tingyu.
After everyone started talking about something else, he suddenly leaned over, his mood extremely low.
“You already had the idea of leaving when you came back to participate in the dance competition back then.”
Back then, he had received the recording of Xu Tingyu meeting Xie Yu.
In the recording, her tone was cold and impatient.
“Miss Xie, I've said it many times. If you're so interested in the position of Mrs. Qi, go and fight for it with Qi Shifeng yourself.”
He had listened to this sentence countless times, and each time it hurt more.
Xie Yu had told him that she recorded it because “she couldn't stand Xu Tingyu not loving him but still clinging to him”.
He didn't know if he was more hurt by the fact that she didn't love him or by the fact that even others could see it.
Then, when he went home to confront her, he saw her reading a book.
It was a full - length English novel.
He had asked her why she was reading it at that time, and she had said she was just browsing.
He hadn't suspected anything.
Now, looking back, there were actually many suspicious points.
In other words, there had been signs that she wanted to leave for a long time.
Xu Tingyu was taken aback for a moment before she remembered this incident. She smiled and said, “Yes, I was actually applying for schools abroad at that time.”
By then, she had already made up her mind to leave, but there were too many things holding her back.
Caught in a mess, she had chosen to apply for schools abroad as a way out.
But later, many things happened. She had successfully gotten into the school she applied for, but in the end, she gave it up.
She did go abroad later, but she couldn't study full - time. She only went for further studies after her life had stabilized.
Qi Shifeng suddenly bringing up this matter now felt like a cold ice - wrapped heart being thrown into the abyss.
It turned out that she had thought about leaving him so early, and he had known nothing about it.
Just as the two of them were talking, the snide girl spoke up again. “Miss Xu, your tour is next month, right?”
In response to this question, Xu Tingyu shifted her gaze from the man to the girl and replied, “Yes.”
But obviously, the girl's real intention wasn't to show concern for her tour.
“I didn't expect that so many things would happen in less than two months after Miss Xu came back. Oh, Miss Xie is still lying in the hospital. I don't know if she'll ever wake up.”
Everyone at the table knew that Xie Yu was a taboo between Qi Shifeng and Xu Tingyu.
When they got divorced, everyone had thought Xie Yu was the reason.
And this time when Xie Yu had an accident, the last person she saw was Xu Tingyu. The situation was already quite delicate.
Bringing it up in front of so many people was clearly an act of provoking trouble.
This time, before Qi Shifeng could do anything, Qian Luo spoke up.
“Come on, An Jing. Your name is such a misnomer. You're called An Jing (Quiet), but you talk so much. Why bring up someone who's not here?
“If you want to know if she'll wake up, go ask the doctor at the hospital. I've never seen you care so much about her before.”
These two sentences were quite blunt.
If it were an ordinary person, they would have known to back off.
But it seemed that An Jing had drunk too much today and couldn't control herself.
“What, can't I mention it? Is Xie Yu some kind of taboo? What are you guys so afraid of?”
“I'm going to say it. Not only that, I also want to ask, Xu Tingyu, now that Xie Yu has become a vegetable, are you happy? Are you proud?”
Her attacks were really intense.
But Xu Tingyu was already immune to such remarks.
After all, she had seen too many such comments under the news about Xie Yu becoming a vegetable.
It was as if it was her doing that had turned Xie Yu into a vegetable.
But who was Xu Tingyu?
She was a woman who had endured so much pain that her heart had been torn to shreds and her intestines wrung. Such things couldn't scare or sadden her anymore.
“This isn't the place for you to act crazy. If you've had too much to drink, go home early.”
Qi Shifeng frowned and looked at An Jing, clearly ready to protect Xu Tingyu.
After being scolded by Qi Shifeng, An Jing not only didn't back down but laughed even more excitedly.
“I'm not drunk. I just want to interview Miss Xu about her feelings. Is that not okay?”
“Your fear makes it hard not to think too much.”
Even a fool could tell what An Jing was insinuating.
Xu Tingyu didn't rush to defend herself. Instead, she looked at An Jing and said, “Are you good friends with Xie Yu? Why haven't I seen you visit her since the accident?”
No one else might know, but she was very familiar with Xie Yu's social circle.
This An Jing definitely wasn't a close friend of Xie Yu's.
It was quite interesting that she was now coming out to defend Xie Yu.
“I just happened to be out of the city and couldn't get back in time. And now I'm interviewing your feelings. Are you afraid to answer?”
An Jing was embarrassed for a moment but quickly composed herself.
“That's really a coincidence... But I have nothing to hide. Why would I be happy about Xie Yu's accident?”
“Or are you projecting your own feelings onto me? Does Miss An usually find happiness in others' pain?”
Xu Tingyu's smile faded, and her eyes turned sharp.