Chapter 79: You Are Not Worthy to Sit in the Center

Lily, seething with anger, marched up to Xia Yu and kicked out at him. Of course, Xia Yu would not let her succeed; he dodged easily and replied irritably, “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Damn it, you useless idiot, were you trying to get me killed just now?!” Lily pointed at him furiously. After such an embarrassing moment, she needed to find some way to regain her dignity, and Xia Yu, naturally, was the most infuriating target.

“I tried to hurt you?” Xia Yu asked, confused. “I just spoke up for you.”

“You dare say that!” Lily gritted her teeth. “We admitted our mistake and they were ready to help us, but then you came along and insisted it was their fault instead. Were you helping me or deliberately making things worse?!”

“Exactly! Just thinking about it makes me angry. If you don’t know how to speak, then shut up.” Another chimed in, “Lily, you were right to try and kick him.”

The others remembered the scene and couldn’t help but get riled up as well.

“If you have any guts, don’t dodge. Let me kick you properly.” Lily, with nowhere to vent her frustration, desperately wanted to lash out.

Xia Yu frowned; he’d been trying to help and ended up being blamed. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have sent He Dong that text earlier.

“All right, Lily, stop it.” Zhao Si Jie hurried to intervene. “Yu just meant well. He was trying to help you. Don’t take it out on him.”

Wang Dong, who hadn’t noticed Zhao Si Jie before, was momentarily stunned when he saw her, as if something suddenly brightened before his eyes. He couldn’t help but whisper to Wu Tian, “She looks familiar—isn’t she Zhao Si Jie?”

“Yes, that’s her,” Wu Tian replied with a mischievous grin. “What, interested?”

“Heh.” Wang Dong smiled, not answering directly, but said, “I remember back in school, she was the most inconspicuous girl in the class. I never expected her to become so alluring now.”

“She’s the prettiest among our classmates.”

“Forget it. Didn’t you see she brought her boyfriend? Lily’s not bad, you could easily win her over,” Wu Tian teased.

“Buddy, I’ve seen plenty of women abroad. Girls like Lily, I’ve grown tired of them. But Si Jie is different,” Wang Dong said, his tone proud. “What’s her boyfriend’s background?”

“You’d never guess—he’s just a driver,” Wu Tian replied, frustrated. “I really didn’t expect Zhao Si Jie to choose someone like that. Damn, it’s like the best cabbage being eaten by a pig.”

Wang Dong was surprised; clearly, he hadn’t expected her boyfriend to have such a humble background. In his eyes, a driver was the lowest rung of society.

Indeed, for a beauty of Zhao Si Jie’s caliber now, being with him felt like a waste.

“All right, Lily, calm down.” Wang Dong, acting the gentleman, stepped forward and advised, “Si Jie is right. Even if he was wrong, his intentions were good. Let it go. Let’s keep things friendly.”

As the guest of honor, and after handling the earlier crisis, Wang Dong’s words were hard to argue with. Lily glared at Xia Yu but finally let it go.

“Si Jie, it’s been years. Don’t take it to heart. We’re all classmates—let’s enjoy ourselves tonight.” After soothing Lily, Wang Dong graciously extended his hand to Zhao Si Jie with a smile.

His courteous demeanor and attractive smile won over not just the girls but even the men found themselves warming to him.

Now that he was doing so well, a genuine returnee, yet still so approachable—it was truly rare.

But to Xia Yu, Wang Dong seemed overly hypocritical. A true gentleman wasn’t a performance, but something ingrained, expressed naturally, without any affectation.

The flamboyance in Wang Dong’s expression might fool others, but not the seasoned King of the North.

“Thank you. Welcome back to the country.” Zhao Si Jie shook his hand politely, exchanging pleasantries.

“Thank you for coming. Is this your boyfriend? How should I address him?” Wang Dong turned to Xia Yu.

“Yes, his name is Xia Yu,” Zhao Si Jie introduced immediately.

“Hmph, just a little driver,” Lily couldn’t help but sneer from the side.

Several others suppressed smiles, unable to compete with Wang Dong, so they found their sense of superiority in Xia Yu.

“Oh, hello, I’m Wang Dong.” Wang Dong naturally extended his hand to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu obliged, shaking his hand—after all, you don’t hit a smiling face. The man was just being insincere, nothing more.

But soon, Xia Yu noticed the way Wang Dong looked at Zhao Si Jie—there was something in his gaze, a hint of impurity, as if he was always glancing at her intentionally or not.

The spacious private room had its own hierarchy for seating. As the guest of honor, Wang Dong sat at the head, with Wu Tian beside him.

Lily and several other girls gathered near Wang Dong, closing in.

Whoever felt they were doing well wanted a seat closer to the top.

Xia Yu and Zhao Si Jie didn’t care much and took the available seats.

“Ugh, is this the only seat left? It’s way at the back. I don’t want to sit here. Can someone switch with me?” A girl at the furthest seat near the door complained coquettishly.

“When the dishes come out, they’ll be served from here. What if my skirt gets stained? It cost eight thousand, and today’s the first time I’m wearing it.”

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, reluctant to switch. It wasn’t just about the risk of oil staining clothes, but that the last seat was always reserved for whoever was doing the worst. Everyone knew the unwritten rules—old classmates, all wanting to save face.

“Hey, Xia Yu, what are you waiting for? Go switch seats. How can you let a girl sit there?” Lily suddenly snapped at him. “Besides, you’re the worst off here. How can you sit in the middle?”

Xia Yu glanced at her. Was she determined to make trouble for him? Why was she always targeting him?

Lily was indeed deliberately picking on him. Otherwise, why would she have asked Zhao Si Jie to bring him along?

Years ago, she had struggled, her family and connections inferior to his. How had she gotten lucky, becoming the manager of the most famous restaurant? Of course she wanted to step on her old rival—it was the only way to feel balanced.

“Yeah, buddy, you shouldn’t sit in the middle,” others chimed in.

“Yu, let’s switch. It’s no big deal,” Zhao Si Jie said, unconcerned—it was just a seat.

“Fine.”

Xia Yu didn’t want to spoil the mood, so he and Zhao Si Jie switched seats.

Wang Dong remained silent, observing Zhao Si Jie’s genuine kindness—a quality none of the other women here possessed. It made her stand out, adding an invisible charm.

Such a waste, being with that useless man…