Chapter 56 - 516: I Can Be Even More Arrogant
"This younger cousin of mine is practically an orphan," Su Mei said to Wu Tao. "Back then, my second uncle died in an accident while hunting in the mountains. My second aunt abandoned her daughter and ran off with another man, leaving my cousin all alone. They had already split from my grandparents’ household and were living on their own at the time. My grandparents saw that my cousin was just a child who couldn’t take care of herself, so they took her in. While they couldn’t guarantee her a life of luxury, at least she never wanted for food or clothing."
Harboring her own selfish thoughts, Su Mei continued in a low voice, "But who would have thought that after raising her for so many years, my cousin would turn on my grandparents over some trivial matter? She caused a huge scene and turned the house upside down. In the end, my grandparents had no choice. Seeing that my cousin was old enough to support herself, they just separated her from the household again, even giving her a house and grain. But even with all that, my cousin wasn’t satisfied. She even squeezed their retirement money out of them, completely disregarding how my grandparents would get by in the future."
After listening, Wu Tao raised an eyebrow but said nothing. But inwardly, Su Mei’s words had only made him more interested in Su Qing. ’That temper... I like it. Like a little chili pepper. I’ve never had a woman like that around me. As for the scar on Su Qing’s left cheek...’ The corners of Wu Tao’s mouth curled up. ’The girl’s got a great figure. As for the rest, who’s going to see it with the lights off?’
Su Mei had no idea her words were having the opposite effect. She sighed and added, "As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m not trying to speak ill of my cousin, it’s just... with what my second aunt did back then, I’m really worried my cousin will follow in her footsteps..."
At this point, Su Mei noticed that Wu Tao wasn’t looking at her, but at something behind her.
Suddenly, a bad feeling welled up inside Su Mei.
’It can’t be.’
She whipped her head around and saw Su Qing standing right beside her. She jumped in fright. "Su Qing, you..."
Before Su Mei could finish, Su Qing picked up the bowl of soup from the table and dumped it right over Su Mei’s head.
"AHHHH—"
"GASP!"
It was Su Mei’s scream and the startled cries of the other diners.
The soup hadn’t been on the table for long and was still hot. As the entire bowl’s contents cascaded over her, Su Mei felt a stinging pain on her scalp and face. She shrieked and shot to her feet. "Su Qing, are you crazy?"
Su Qing narrowed her eyes, said nothing, and slapped Su Mei square across the face.
"Ah!" Su Mei never imagined Su Qing would dare to hit her in public. Furious, she raised her own hand to slap Su Qing back, only to be hit again by another fierce slap.
Su Qing hadn’t held back at all. Instantly, both of Su Mei’s cheeks began to swell visibly. Su Qing disgustedly took out a handkerchief to wipe her hand. ’I should have slapped her first, then dumped the soup.’
"Su Mei, next time you bad-mouth me, remember to get lost. Make sure I don’t hear you, or it won’t be this simple," Su Qing said coldly.
Su Mei was shaken by the coldness in Su Qing’s tone. Then she remembered Wu Tao was still standing right there. This was a complete and utter humiliation. She spat resentfully at Su Qing, "What bad things was I saying about you? I was just whispering with my boyfriend. What business is it of yours?"
At this moment, Su Mei didn’t dare admit she had been bad-mouthing Su Qing. If Su Qing confronted her on the spot, it would be even more humiliating. Besides, Wu Tao had no idea that her own father had gotten his job thanks to Su Qing’s father.
"You dare to say it but won’t admit it. Is that all the backbone you have?" Su Qing looked at Su Mei with contempt. "And another thing: my mother is not for you to slander. If you dare tarnish my mother’s name again, I’ll slap the hell out of you."
"Su Qing, you..." Su Mei felt like she was about to explode with rage. To be doused in soup, slapped twice, and then publicly lectured in front of so many people—and in front of Wu Tao, no less—she had lost all face and dignity.
Su Mei decided to just grab Su Qing’s clothes and start a proper fight. At least if she fought back, she could salvage some shred of dignity.
But just as Su Mei’s hand shot out, the waitress who took their order shouted, "Hey, hey! This is a restaurant, a public place! No fighting! If you keep fighting, I’m calling the police!"
After speaking, the waitress shot Su Mei a disdainful glance. Su Mei and Wu Tao’s table was close to her service window, so she had seen and heard everything that had just happened perfectly clearly.
Su Mei glared back at the waitress. ’When Su Qing was dumping soup on my head and slapping me, this waitress didn’t say a thing. Now that I’m about to do something, she starts shouting.’
When the waitress saw Su Mei glare at her, she glared right back. "What is it? You looking for trouble? Take a good look. This is a state-owned restaurant, a public place. You dare cause a scene, and I’ll dare to call the police to come and arrest you."
Su Qing could see that the waitress was on her side. Since she’d already gotten her satisfaction, she decided to stop. With a faint smile, she said to Su Mei, "My dear elder cousin, if you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to come find me in the countryside anytime. I’d be happy to ’discuss’ some life lessons with you."
"Su Qing, don’t get too cocky." Su Mei’s fists were clenched so tightly that tears of rage welled up in her eyes.
"Hmph. If you dare spread rumors about me behind my back or tarnish my mother’s name again, I’ll show you that I can be even more cocky. Try me, if you don’t believe it." Su Qing lifted her chin, spoke to Su Mei with disdain, and then turned and left the state-owned restaurant.
"Tsk, tsk. Bad-mouthing someone behind their back, and her own cousin, no less."
"No wonder she got hit. If it were me, I’d have done the same. What kind of person is she?"
"Exactly."
...
For a moment, everyone in the restaurant began to whisper among themselves, stealing occasional glances at Su Mei.
Su Mei felt utterly trapped. Her face wasn’t just stinging from the slaps; it was burning red with shame. The thought that Wu Tao had just stood by without helping her made her feel even more wronged. Suddenly, she couldn’t take it anymore. With a loud WAIL, she burst into tears and bolted out of the restaurant.
Wu Tao had been completely stunned by Su Qing’s fierce display. He only snapped out of it when Su Mei ran out crying. Hearing the whispers around him, he was too embarrassed to stay and eat, so he hurried to leave as well.
The waitress quickly shouted, "Comrade, you haven’t eaten your food! Don’t waste it!"
Wu Tao pretended not to hear and quickly exited through the door.
The waitress muttered under her breath, "What kind of people are these?"
Meanwhile, Su Mei, with soup dripping from her hair and face, ran all the way home crying.
Zheng Erlian saw her and was shocked. "My girl, what happened to you? Goodness, who hit you?"
Both Su Shengguo and Zheng Erlian doted on their daughter. Seeing Su Mei in such a wretched state, Zheng Erlian was absolutely stunned.
"Mom—" Seeing Zheng Erlian, Su Mei wailed, "Su Qing bullied me!"