NOVPUB
Chapter 12 - 12 Already the Joke of the Town
The dead silence at the scene was finally broken by a shrill female voice.
Luo Mei, Huo Qinglin's mother, immediately pointed at Lin Banxia's face and berated her: "Lin Banxia, what on earth did you give? It's the old lady's birthday, and you brought a hot water bottle? Are you trying to insult a beggar? Is this how a granddaughter-in-law should behave?"
"Auntie, please calm down. I just thought the old lady is getting older and might feel cold. This hot water bottle is practical and economical, and I figured it would come in handy," Lin Banxia defended herself with an air of righteousness.
She thought back to the six-thousand-dollar qipao she had gifted last time, only to see it languish in a closet, never worn. She decided she wasn't going to waste more money pleasing this bunch of ungrateful rich folks.
Huo Qinglin was also jolted by his mother's voice, and the next moment, he stared at Lin Banxia in extreme rage, wishing he could throw the hot water bottle she was holding right out of the room.
"Banxia, yesterday on the phone you told me you had a surprise planned for Grandma. Is this your so-called surprise?"
Huo Qinglin was fuming. Standing in front of so many distinguished guests, his girlfriend chose to gift his grandmother a hot water bottle? Wasn't this going to make them the laughingstock of the entire city?
Was Lin Banxia deliberately trying to humiliate him?
"Qinglin, I'm so sorry. I actually wanted to pick something more expensive, but honestly, I'm strapped for cash right now, so... this hot water bottle is the best I could manage." Lin Banxia wasn't afraid of embarrassment. What she wanted was to embarrass Huo Qinglin, embarrass his parents, embarrass the entire Huo Family.
The old lady's face was extremely sour, but in front of their distinguished guests, she still maintained her dignified composure.
"Qinglin, don't scold Banxia. What she said isn't entirely unreasonable. Take good care of your girlfriend in the future, or else people might think little of us. Imagine, the future granddaughter-in-law of the Huo Family hesitating half a day to afford even a hot water bottle."
Huo Qinglin's face darkened so much it looked like cast iron. His gaze bore into Lin Banxia as though he could kill her on the spot just by staring.
Lin Banxia, on the other hand, pretended to look uneasy and scared. Her delicate body trembled, and her beautiful eyes shimmered with tears of grievance.
"Banxia, your gift is truly unique and very practical. No matter what, your thoughtfulness is what matters, and Grandma is very happy." The old lady didn't want the Huo Family to lose too much face, so she chose not to erupt in anger and instead appeared magnanimous, forgiving Lin Banxia's thoughtlessness.
"Grandma, you are so kind. It's my fault for being thoughtless. I won't make the same mistake again next time." Lin Banxia knew how much the Huo Family valued their reputation. Even though she had publicly slapped them in the face today, they would still maintain the façade of grace and forgive her mistakes.
Heh, what a joke.
The Huo Family—so cold and heartless, yet they had to put on the pretense of being magnanimous and courteous in front of their guests.
It was nauseating enough to make one want to vomit.
"Banxia, come with me. Let's take a walk in the backyard!" Huo Qinglin's gaze swept across Lin Banxia's face, his voice nearly grinding through clenched teeth.
But Lin Banxia had no intention of giving him what he wanted. She immediately put on an innocent expression like someone who had no experience with high society. "Qinglin, I haven't eaten anything since I arrived this morning. Can I grab something to eat first? Once I'm full, I'll join you for a walk, okay? Is that alright?"
Huo Qinglin wanted nothing more than to strangle this oblivious woman who even dared to complain about being hungry at a time like this.
"What are you, a pig?" Huo Qinglin suddenly leaned down, hissing into her ear through gritted teeth in a low voice.
Lin Banxia froze stiff.
"Qinglin, why are you calling me a pig? I simply said I was hungry. Don't you get hungry, too? Does wanting to eat make me a pig?" Lin Banxia refused to let him whisper curses at her. Without hesitation, she raised her voice and shouted.
"Ha!" A suppressed chuckle sounded from nearby.
The source of the amused laughter was, once again, Yan Ting.
Lin Banxia's cheeks inexplicably heated up. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Huo Qinglin's expression looked as though he'd swallowed a fly, utterly revolted. At last, he stormed off, leaving Lin Banxia behind in a fury.
Lin Banxia plastered on a dry smile and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, ran off toward the food section to find something to eat.
What did she care about their stares?
Her goal was to make Huo Qinglin utterly lose face, to make him hang his head in shame in front of everyone.
A scum of a man who dared to marry her while fooling around with her cousin, who even schemed to cause her death.
Just wait and see. She would make those two scumbags experience the taste of death, too.
