Chapter 474 - 414: Offending
Chapter 474: Chapter 414: Offending
A larger crowd of boys and girls surrounded Gu Shaoling. After all, she was the star of the show today. She wore a stylish, elegant red dress with a glittering, diamond-encrusted headband. Beaming with success and smiling radiantly, she looked absolutely dazzling and eye-catching.
When she saw Xiao Man, a flash of disdain crossed Gu Shaoling’s eyes. "Tang Manman, when did you get here? How come I didn’t know?"
Tian Sisi, standing beside Gu Shaoling, put on airs. "Exactly. If you came for Shaoling’s birthday, why not use the main entrance and wish the birthday girl a happy birthday? Why sneak around? Got something to hide?"
Someone behind her snickered, and another person added, "Avoiding the birthday girl and sneaking in... you didn’t just come to freeload, did you? You’re not planning on skipping the gift?"
Pang Xiaoji, who had just been cheerfully wishing Gu Shaoling a happy birthday, bristled and shot back, "The hell you say! Manman was just with Granny Gu and Grandma Tang. I haven’t even seen the birthday girl yet, but I left my gift with the staff at the door! And my mom gave a huge red envelope! There’s no way Manman would forget a gift; she definitely sent it over already... By the way, who even are you? I don’t recognize you. You’re the one who’s here to freeload!"
Tian Sisi rushed to their defense. "Pang Xiaoji, don’t talk nonsense. These are my cousins, which makes them Shaoling’s cousins, too. They came a long way to be here, so don’t go offending them."
Pang Xiaoji snorted. "That explains it. Shaoling is back after living away for a year. She hasn’t changed, but her followers are all new faces with a weird vibe. Turns out they’re not even from our circle... Well, in that case, I won’t offend you. In fact, I’d better get out of here before you offend us. Who knows what the consequences of that might be!"
As Pang Xiaoji spoke, she gave Gu Shaoling a meaningful wink. Gu Shaoling immediately recalled being punished for offending Xiao Man, and her expression instantly soured. To save face, however, she didn’t blame Tian Sisi or the others. She simply shot Xiao Man a cool glance, assuming that if she just kept quiet and didn’t cause any trouble for Xiao Man, the whole thing would blow over.
But Xiao Man had no intention of staying silent after being insulted. Coincidentally, someone in Gu Shaoling’s entourage was also eager not to miss a chance to perform. Tang Yaxuan pushed her way out of the crowd, hurried forward, and called out sweetly to Xiao Man, "Sister!" Then she said:
"Mom’s here too. Don’t worry, Sis. Our mom prepared two gifts for Shaoling, plus a big red envelope. It’s okay even if you forgot to bring a gift!"
Pang Xiaoji was a frequent visitor to the Tang Mansion and knew just how much the Tang family despised Tang Yaxuan. Seeing her dare to jump out and affectionately call Xiao Man "sister," Pang Xiaoji’s jaw dropped. ’So shameless! It’s really an eye-opener.’
Xiao Man stared coldly at Tang Yaxuan. "Are you sure you’re not mistaken? The first time, I’ll assume you have the wrong person. The second will be a warning. The third? Perhaps you’d like to leave the city? The end of the year is approaching. You should return to Gongdao Village for a family reunion. Wu Xiaowen is currently upset about her divorce, so even if you left, I’m sure she wouldn’t come looking for you."
Tang Yaxuan’s face turned sheet-white, a chill shooting from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. She reacted quickly, though, immediately bowing her head to apologize. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I mistook you for someone else... You’re not... you’re not my sister!"
Pang Xiaoji shot her a disdainful glare. "How are *you* the younger one? You’re covered in flab and built sturdier than her, yet you have the nerve to call her sister? How disgusting."
Tang Yaxuan lowered her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her teeth, remaining silent. Inwardly, she seethed, ’Pang Xiaoji, you damn snob, just you wait! You’re the one covered in flab! I’m not that fat!’
’At most, I’m just a little chubby. My mom always says it’s a good look for a teenage girl. A round face with a bob cut looks cute and pure, the very picture of innocence.’
Xiao Man’s gaze swept past Tian Sisi and landed on Gu Shaoling. She spoke coolly, "Who was it just now that said I snuck in instead of using the main entrance? Did you see it with your own eyes? Then let me ask you, where did my grandmother and I come in from? That’s right, Granny Gu herself escorted the two of us in. I suppose I’ll have to go ask her! Also, I recall my grandmother once saying that we will always attend the Gu family’s celebrations, but if someone who shouldn’t be here appears at the banquet, we will leave at once. Because once our mood is spoiled and we’ve lost our appetite, there’s no point in us being here!"
Having said her piece, Xiao Man turned and walked away. Her objective was clear: find Grandma Tang on the second floor and go home.
Pang Xiaoji looked at Gu Shaoling sympathetically, but her tone was tinged with schadenfreude. "See? Offending our side won’t do you any good, even if you are the birthday girl. I’m not trying to kick you while you’re down, Shaoling, but I’m afraid you’re going to get punished and sent back to your maternal grandmother’s to continue your studies!"
Gu Shaoling stood stunned for a long moment before it sank in. She let out a long, drawn-out shriek, "AHHHH!", to vent her fury. Tian Sisi quickly urged her to find Granny Gu and explain. The two of them hurried forward. As they passed Tang Yaxuan, who was standing frozen in the middle of the path, each gave her a kick, knocking her to the ground. Tian Sisi cursed, "This is all her fault! What a jinx!"
The surrounding crowd of boys and girls scattered with a WHOOSH. Tang Yaxuan clutched the painful back of her knee and was slowly getting to her feet when a pair of delicate, fair hands reached out to steady her arm. A soft, gentle voice said, "The floor is cold. Hurry and get up."
Grandma Tang couldn’t bear to see her granddaughter treated unfairly. The moment she heard Xiao Man say she’d seen someone downstairs she didn’t want to see and was ready to go home, she stood up, took her granddaughter by the hand, and made for the door. Not even Granny Gu’s repeated pleas could make them stay.
Just then, Tian Xueqin came upstairs to report to Granny Gu. She had just finished chatting with some guests and inspecting the dining room. Seeing the backs of the Tang grandmother and granddaughter as they hurried away, she asked for the reason and then grumbled, "If they dislike my Shaoling that much, they shouldn’t have come in the first place. Why cause such a scene!"
Seeing that she and her daughter-in-law were alone in the hallway, Granny Gu finally lost her patience. She reached out and poked Tian Xueqin’s cheek. "You shut your mouth! How many times have I told you people? Who does Aunt Tang hate and despise more than anyone? The Wu Family! Wu Xiaowen! Everyone knows to stay far, far away from Wu Xiaowen, so why are you so taken with her? And you brought that fake Xuanxuan along, too. What do you expect Manman to think?"
Tian Xueqin pursed her lips. "What’s the big deal? We’re all here for the party. If you don’t like someone, just stay out of their way. It’s not like one family owns the place. You have to let people have a chance to live, don’t you?"
Granny Gu was so angry she was about to fall over backward. Setting that issue aside for a moment, she brought up another. "And what is the deal with this birthday party? Why did you invite so many people? And telling them to bring red envelopes... Do you have any idea how bad the fallout from this will be? I never should have trusted you and given you free rein to do as you please!"
"How am I doing as I please? It’s Shaoling’s fifteenth birthday; of course it should be a huge celebration! And giving red envelopes isn’t strange, either. Times have changed. Celebrations for weddings and happy occasions have been modernized. People don’t give bolts of cloth, a few pounds of fruit, or canned goods anymore. For any celebration, they give red envelopes. It’s presentable and hassle-free, convenient for everyone!"
"Fine. I’m not arguing with you; I can never win. I can’t control this. As for what the old man will do... you can face the consequences yourselves!"