"Your friend?" Zhang Cuihua scoffed, but didn't dwell on it, continuing, "Qin Zhenhua is a top-tier rich second-generation from Modu, and he's also the behind-the-scenes boss of my beauty salon."
"Then you're very impressive," Lin Ye said, giving her a thumbs-up in admiration.
Zhang Cuihua lifted her chin, a look of triumph on her face. "I'm telling you this to make you understand the gap between us."
"Also, you're thirty years old and still haven't found a job. Isn't that embarrassing?" This time, Zhang Cuihua didn't bother to pretend anymore, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
Lin Ye frowned slightly, clenching his fists, then relaxing them.
She was right; he was indeed embarrassing.
"Look at him, driving a luxury car at such a young age. And you, you probably took the bus to get here, didn't you?"
Lin Ye followed Zhang Cuihua's gaze to the window, where he saw a young man emerging from a Ferrari, accompanied by a beautiful woman.
The two leaned against each other as they walked towards the restaurant.
Seeing the woman, Lin Ye's eyes narrowed, and his breathing quickened involuntarily.
The woman outside seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head.
Their eyes met.
Lin Ye quickly turned his head away, feigning indifference.
The man also saw Lin Ye and sneered, "Oh, so it's your ex-boyfriend. What, do you regret it?"
"No, of course not. I'm yours now. How could I still long for anyone else? Besides, you're better than him, aren't you?"
The woman's words pleased the man greatly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and strode into the restaurant.
Coincidentally, the man's reserved table was right next to Lin Ye's, allowing them to see each other with a glance.
"Why don't we change places?" the woman said, somewhat awkwardly.
"What are you feeling guilty about?" the man snorted, glancing at Lin Ye intentionally.
The man was the son of Lin Ye's former company's boss, and the woman was Lin Ye's girlfriend of many years.
During a company team-building event, Lin Ye had brought his girlfriend, and it just so happened that the man took a liking to her.
Lin Ye still hadn't figured out how the two of them had gotten together.
Zhang Cuihua also noticed the unusual atmosphere. After observing for a moment, she generally understood the situation, straightened up, and looked at Lin Ye, appearing as if it had nothing to do with her.
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, dishes were brought out, along with a bottle of red wine worth over two thousand yuan.
The man saw this and scoffed, "All of this put together must be over five thousand, right? Look at him, that pathetic guy, can he afford it?"
"Say a little less," the woman said, displeased.
This was not good; once she spoke, the man thought she was defending the other party. He immediately slammed the table and pointed at the woman, shouting, "I knew you hadn't forgotten him!"
"Look at that cowardly guy, no money, no job, a complete waste. And you're still hung up on such a waste?"
"I'm not, don't talk nonsense!"
The woman noticed the other diners looking at them and couldn't help but plead tearfully to the man, "Please, can we talk about this slowly when we get back?"
The man also realized he was losing his composure and slowly sat down. After all, such a thing as stealing someone's partner was not glorious to talk about.
But his not pursuing it didn't mean Lin Ye wouldn't.
The other party had practically trampled his self-respect, how could he endure it? He immediately retorted:
"Calling me a waste? Look at you, you may look human, but what you do is despicable and inhuman. If I'm a waste, then you're worse than a waste!"
At these words, the man instantly ignited, springing up and pointing at Lin Ye, cursing, "What part of you can compare to me? Your clothes and watch are knock-offs from a street stall, and you're here trying to show off by eating at this place. Can you even afford it?!"
"And the woman you brought, she looks like an escort. A waste with an escort, truly a match made in heaven."
Zhang Cuihua, who was watching the show, paused slightly. She was about to get up and curse back, but then remembered the man's identity and shrank back.
"What I wear and what I eat is my freedom. As for you, picking up other people's discards, are you lacking love or just used to being a dog since childhood?"
Slap! The man slammed his hand on the table and roared, "You f-ing dare to say that again?!"
"Oh, getting angry already? If you like hearing it, I don't mind saying it again."
"You, are just a dog, a stray dog."
"I'll f-ing kill you!"
The man yelled, as if he had lost his mind, and swung his fist, hitting Lin Ye in the face.
Lin Ye took the punch squarely, but it also awakened the killing intent within him.
His eyes gradually turned cold, a bloodthirsty urge surged into his heart, and his body instinctively grabbed the other's throat, picking up the chopsticks nearby and forcefully aiming them at the other's eyes.
"No!!!"
At the crucial moment, the woman beside them let out a scream.
Lin Ye's eyes instantly cleared, and he stopped his actions.
He had almost pierced the other's eyeball, which made him break out in a cold sweat.
The man, on the other hand, was initially consumed by fear, but once he reacted, he was instantly enraged. He grabbed a nearby wine bottle and smashed it down fiercely.
Bang—
The wine bottle shattered, and the red wine mixed with blood slowly flowed down from Lin Ye's head.
Drip, drip—
The entire restaurant was silent, and after two seconds, a chorus of gasps erupted.
"You motherf-er, what kind of thing are you?! How dare you lay a hand on me!"
The man, gripping the broken bottle, kicked Lin Ye to the ground.
Clang—
Lin Ye, along with the food on the table, fell to the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
"Don't hit him," the woman said anxiously, stepping forward to grab the man's hand.
Meanwhile, Zhang Cuihua was already terrified, clutching her bag and hiding in the crowd.
Someone wanted to step forward and stop them, but was fiercely glared back by the man.
"Don't hold me back, I'm going to kick this waste to death!"
Thump, thump—
Again and again.
Lin Ye seemed to have lost his soul, curling up on the ground, holding his head.
That familiar feeling just now made him momentarily unable to distinguish between game and reality.
The man, perhaps tired of hitting, pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and threw it on Lin Ye, "This is for medical expenses. Bah, waste!"
Zhang Cuihua's eyes widened at the sight of so much money. She immediately ran forward to pick it up and made to help Lin Ye up.
The man snorted disdainfully and turned to leave.
But just then, Lin Ye, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, "Did I say you could leave?"
He was dirty all over, his hair hanging down, and a pair of red eyes stared intently at the man through his hair.
"What? You want me to beat you up again?"
The man said, rolling up his sleeves to step forward, just as the restaurant manager rushed over and stood between the two.
"Calm down, let's talk this out. If you continue like this, I'll have to call the police."
No sooner had the manager finished speaking than a figure flashed past him, and then Lin Ye was seen punching the man in the abdomen, then kicking him flying.
Bang—
The man knocked over several tables in a row, clutching his abdomen and screaming in pain.
The woman gasped, quickly ran over to check on him, then turned and roared at Lin Ye, "Do you know what you're doing?!"
"I know," Lin Ye replied calmly, walking step by step towards the man.
"You, what do you want to do?"
Seeing the killing intent flashing in Lin Ye's eyes, the man instinctively shielded himself with the woman.
Seeing this, Lin Ye scoffed, wiped the blood from his face, and sat down on a nearby chair.
The manager didn't care what grievances these two had; he only knew that if they didn't compensate the store for the damages, he wouldn't let them leave.
"Should I call the police, or will you compensate yourselves?"
"Compensation!"
"Call the police!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously: the woman's and Lin Ye's.
The man's face was contorted in pain, unable to utter a word. He felt his ribs were broken and kept pulling the woman's hand, signaling that he wanted to go to the hospital.
The woman only wanted to send the man to the hospital, while Lin Ye had no money to compensate and wanted everything handled by the police.
Zhang Cuihua, in the crowd, did not take out the wad of cash. She quietly moved away from the crowd, wanting to leave the restaurant.
Just as she was about to step out the door, an arm blocked her way.
"You can leave, but leave the money."