Chapter 83: Is It for Xia Yu's Sake?

“What can you do? Even Wang Dong, with all his connections, couldn’t solve this. You’re just a lowly driver, so stay out of it!”

“Damn it, are you stupid? Get lost and stop making things worse.”

Xia Yu shot them a cold glance and said, “Aren’t you the ones making snide remarks?”

“You... what did you say?”

“Damn it, how dare a broke loser like you talk back?!”

A few of them were so angry they wanted to hit Xia Yu.

But Xia Yu brushed past them and strode inside, raising his voice, “It’s just a vase. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss and even call the police?”

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised that it was the lowly driver who spoke up.

“Yu…” Fang Yun looked at him in surprise, about to address him more respectfully, but Xia Yu cut her off in time.

“Even if it’s an antique, here in the room it’s just a decoration. If it weren’t displayed in a museum, it wouldn’t be worth nearly as much.”

“You could just buy another, even prettier ornament to put here. It would look just as nice to your guests.”

Was this even a reasonable thing to say? How ignorant could he be!

Only someone uneducated would speak such nonsense, so shallow and clueless!

Not just Lili, but everyone present wished they could kick Xia Yu out for making things worse. Was he deliberately trying to irritate everyone and make Lili’s punishment harsher?

“Xia Yu, if you don’t understand, just keep your mouth shut!” Wang Dong, still fuming from being mocked by Fang Yun earlier, seized the chance to regain face. Seeing Xia Yu say something so naïve, he couldn’t resist putting him down.

Lili was even more furious, her eyes red as if she wanted to strangle Xia Yu. This useless man was clearly trying to get her into more trouble.

But what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.

“This gentleman actually makes sense!” Fang Yun said, looking genuinely ashamed. “It’s my own fault for being so stubborn. You’re right, it may be an antique, but it’s not edible or useful—just a decorative object.”

“Placed in a guest room, it’s not worth nearly as much as people think. Young man, you have a very clear perspective.”

He really was a shrewd businessman, Xia Yu thought with satisfaction, giving Fang Yun a meaningful look and continuing, “Since that’s the case, big brother, why make things difficult for us?”

“My friend really can’t afford to pay so much. Why not make it easier for her and keep the penalty within her means?”

“Alright, I’ll consider it a good deed for the day. Miss, just pay ten thousand and let’s call it settled. But please, be more careful and don’t damage anything else.”

Fang Yun said this with a serious demeanor, not daring to go against Xia Yu. He knew these people were all with Xia Yu, and if he made trouble, would Qin Peng let it go?

Besides, the approving look Xia Yu had just given him was worth far more than the vase itself.

Everyone was too stunned to speak.

He… he actually agreed!

He fully accepted Xia Yu’s reasoning!

“Hey, you can pay ten thousand, can’t you?” Xia Yu called out as Lili stood there in a daze.

She snapped back to reality, almost dropping to her knees in relief, and sobbed with gratitude, “Pay, I’ll pay the ten thousand! Thank you, sir!”

“You’re a truly good person—good fortune will come to you.”

She immediately transferred the money to Fang Yun via Alipay.

Fang Yun didn’t say another word, simply had someone clean up the broken vase, gave Xia Yu a long, meaningful look, and left.

“That was way too close.”

“Lili, you’re so lucky.”

“Yeah, when I saw the manager refusing to budge, I thought for sure it was over. Who knew he’d be so reasonable in the end?”

Everyone crowded around, relieved for Lili.

Lili, still shaken, gradually calmed down with everyone’s comfort.

“To be honest, it was really thanks to Sijie’s boyfriend, Xia Yu, just now.”

“He got it sorted with just a few words, even though Wang Dong’s influence didn’t help at all.”

“Lili, you really should thank Xia Yu.”

Someone suddenly spoke up.

Instantly, everyone’s attention turned back to Xia Yu.

But Lili scoffed in disdain. “Thank him? I was terrified that idiot would ruin everything for me.”

“Did you hear the nonsense he spouted? What an idiot. I think that manager must be a fool, too, for believing it.”

“Exactly,” Wang Dong sneered, feeling upstaged. “The truth is, the manager just felt sorry for her. He knew Lili couldn’t pay, so he decided to be the good guy.”

“You really think it was Xia Yu’s doing? None of us believed his words, so why would someone managing such a high-class hotel?”

“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more sense that makes…”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Lili, how can you say that?” Zhao Sijie finally burst in, angry. “Brother Yu was sticking up for you just now.”

“If you’re going to talk like this, I’ll go get the manager back and see what he says.”

“You…” Lili turned pale with fear and dared not say another word, though she shot Xia Yu a vicious glare.

A loser earning a few thousand a month, and she should thank him?

“Brother Yu, let’s go—ignore them.” Zhao Sijie dragged Xia Yu away, fuming. She’d felt sorry for Lili before, but now she was just angry.

Twice today, Xia Yu had spoken up for her. Not only did Lili not appreciate it, she repaid him with scorn. How could she let them bully her boyfriend like that?

Xia Yu was annoyed as well. If he’d known they’d act like this, he wouldn’t have bothered helping.

Once Xia Yu and Zhao Sijie left, the others comforted Lili a bit more before leaving as well.

Soon, the only ones left in the room were Lili and her two close friends, Xiaorong and Xiaoqin.

“Lili, don’t you think it’s strange?” Xiaoqin suddenly said.

“Strange? What’s strange?” Lili asked, puzzled.

“Well, just now, nobody believed what Xia Yu said,” Xiaoqin said seriously. “And the manager didn’t seem like a fool—he wouldn’t have believed it either.”

“So if he didn’t believe it, why did he agree to let you off with just ten thousand?”

“That’s right, I can’t figure it out either,” Xiaorong added. “Wang Dong tried to help but was ignored. Why was it only when Xia Yu spoke that the manager relented?”

“Isn’t that odd?!”

“Well…” Their words made Lili realize something didn’t add up. The manager wasn’t someone easily fooled, so why did Xia Yu succeed?

“So what do you think the reason is?”

The two girls exchanged glances. Xiaoqin said, “Could it be that the manager was giving Xia Yu face, deliberately trusting him?”

“You mean, it was really because of Xia Yu that he only asked me for ten thousand?”

“No way, that’s impossible. He couldn’t have that kind of influence—unless he’s actually…”