Chapter 172: A Woman Scorned
Zheng Haoyu was not the only one who was dumbstruck at that moment. Even Mrs. Qin and Chen Yan did not know how to react.
“What’s… going on?” Chen Yan was horrified. She turned to speak to Mrs. Qin, “Which one of your relatives is he?”
She immediately thought that Tang Hao was perhaps one of the younger cousins of the Qin family.
‘He’s too young! He can’t be more than eighteen! He can’t be Qin Xiangyi’s boyfriend!’
“He’s not a relative! I’ve never seen him before!” Mrs. Qin was also confused.
Zheng Haoyu’s face darkened. His eyes flashed with jealousy as he saw the couple holding hands.
“Who are you?” He asked Tang Hao coldly.
Qin Gang coughed lightly and said somewhat awkwardly, “Mom, this person is called Tang Hao. He’s Xiangyi’s boyfriend!”
The three people were shocked when they heard that.
“What? Boyfriend?” Mrs. Qin said incredulously. Her face turned gloomy as she inspected Tang Hao.
‘How old is he? He’s still a teenager! He looks somewhat handsome, but he’s too young! How is that appropriate?
‘He’s too young to have a career. His income must be unstable and he isn’t mature enough. Marriage is definitely out of the question!’
Mrs. Qin’s expression turned ghastly, as though dark clouds gathered on her face.
She could not comprehend it. Her daughter had always made mature and wise decisions, but now she seemed to be utterly confused. Bringing that boyfriend home would bring shame to the Qin family!
Chen Yan came to her senses and laughed. “Haha! You’re such a prankster, Xiangyi. That must be a pretend boyfriend, right? You should at least look for someone your age even if you want to bring a pretend boyfriend home.”
Zheng Haoyu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. He thought that Tang Hao was too young and it was impossible that Qin Xiangyi liked him.
“Xiangyi, I know that you don’t like me, but you don’t have to look for a pretend boyfriend just to placate Uncle and Auntie! They won’t believe you if you look for someone so young!”
Zheng Haoyu smiled and walked toward her.
Qin Xiangyi glared coldly at him, then at her mother. “He’s really my boyfriend, Mom!”
Her hand gripped Tang Hao’s hand tighter as she spoke.
Zheng Haoyu’s smile froze on his face, while Mrs. Qin looked gloomier than ever.
The three people could see that Qin Xiangyi was serious, that the kid she brought along was really her boyfriend!
Chen Yan frowned. She had expected Qin Xiangyi to bring a pretend boyfriend back to placate her parents but did not expect that she really had a boyfriend.
Her plan was in shambles.
How was Xiangyi going to marry Haoyu, now that she had a boyfriend?
Fortunately, that boy was too young, and the Qin family would not agree to it.
Haoyu would still stand a chance as long as she could separate the kid from Qin Xiangyi.
Her eyes flashed with malice. Suddenly, she spoke loudly, “Ah, Jiahui, look at this. Don’t you think that Xiangyi made a bad decision? How is it proper that she has such a young boyfriend?
“People will definitely gossip if they see the two together.”
Mrs. Qin’s face became even ghastlier when she heard that.
“Ah, Xiangyi, you must be muddled. Were you deceived by that kid’s flowery language? He doesn’t look like a good person at first glance. He should be a sweet-talking playboy. He’s probably just playing with your heart and won’t be genuine to you. He might want your money too!
“Let me tell you, Xiangyi, you’re not young anymore, and you should be looking to go into a serious relationship. Look at how good my Haoyu is! He’s mature and enterprising,” Chen Yan said loudly.
Qin Xiangyi furrowed her brows and her eyes flashed with disgust.
She ignored Chen Yan and pulled Tang Hao over to her mother.
“Mom!” She greeted her mother softly.
Mrs. Qin’s face was still gloomy. Her eyes that stared at Tang Hao were filled with hostility.
In her eyes, that kid must have scammed her daughter.
“What is your name? How old are you? Where are you from? What are your academic qualifications? What is your job?” Mrs. Qin asked with a sullen face.
“Pleased to meet you, Madam. My name is Tang Hao. I am eighteen years old this year, and I am from Tang Village,” Tang Hao answered honestly.
“Tang Village? I know the place! It’s a backwater village next to a mountain, and it’s filled with unruly peasants!” Chen Yan shrieked loudly.
Mrs. Qin furrowed her brows when she heard that.
That kid was a peasant from a mountain village.
“As for my academic qualifications, I dropped out of high school and didn’t go to college,” Tang Hao said.
“Oh! So he’s an uncultured idiot! My Haoyu has a master’s degree from a prestigious university,” Chen Yan shrieked.
She felt more and more amused as Tang Hao spoke. ‘This Xiangyi must be out of her mind! Why did she find a useless, low-class man? How can he compare to my precious son?’
In her eyes, a person who did not graduate high school was the scum of society. The kid was too young and too skinny to perform menial labor. As for her son, he was an elite of society, and there was no comparison.
Tang Hao furrowed his brows and looked at her. “I’m running my own company now!” He said.
The three people were stunned. They could not believe what they heard.
According to that kid’s self-introduction, he should be an uncultured and poor person from a mountain village. Where did he have the money to run his own company?
Chen Yan smirked coldly. “Oh, Xiangyi! Don’t tell me you gave him money? You’re so generous!” She shrieked.
“He started the company himself, Mom, I didn’t give him a single cent,” Qin Xiangyi said.
“Pah! Who are you trying to deceive? Can he afford to start his own company? I say, Xiangyi, have you been duped that hard? You’re a college graduate, too!” Chen Yan laughed.
Mrs. Qin’s gaze on Tang Hao was filled with hostility.
She was getting more and more unimpressed by that boy.
With a sullen face, she pulled Qin Xiangyi over. “Come here. Let me tell you, your father and I will not agree to this. How is that appropriate? Don’t you know that you’re bringing shame to the family?
“And you dare to bring him home too? We’ll have to go to Grandpa’s birthday celebration later. How would our family friends look at you? Don’t you know any shame?” Mrs. Qin said sternly.
“What do you mean, Mom? He is my boyfriend, and that is final. Why should I care about how other people look at me? I should be able to look for a boyfriend without having to be concerned about what other people think. Am I the one looking for a boyfriend, or are they?”
Qin Xiangyi was furious. She spoke louder and louder.
“You… How dare you speak like that?” Mrs. Qin said sternly.
“Do you think I’m bringing shame to you, Mom? Alright, I’ll leave then. There’s no need for my presence at Grandpa’s birthday celebration anyway!” After that, she turned around and prepared to leave.
Mrs. Qin was immediately flustered when she saw that.
Even Chen Yan and her son were flustered.
If Qin Xiangyi left, they could not proceed with their plan.
“That’s enough!” A low roar was heard from within the house.
A middle-aged man stepped out.
He was slightly tall and slim. He wore a pair of glasses and looked somewhat bookish.
He scanned the crowd in front of him and furrowed his brows when he noticed Tang Hao.
Then, he looked toward Qin Xiangyi. “Why are you leaving, my daughter? Come here! It’s your grandfather’s birthday celebration today. How can you be absent? And you too, my wife, you should go easy on her! Xiangyi is rarely back home, and now you want to see her leave again?”
“But…” Mrs. Qin was still angry.
“That’s enough. I don’t like that kid too, but what else can you do? We only have two daughters. One of them doesn’t want to come back, and the other is finally home after a long time. Are you sure you want to drive her away again?” Mr. Qin said.
Mrs. Qin was at a loss for a reply.
Mr. Qin nodded, then grunted to display his dissatisfaction.
“Let’s come in and have a seat!” Then, he went into the house.
Everyone went inside and sat down, though the atmosphere was rather awkward.
Soon, Chen Yan and her son found an excuse to step outside.
“What should we do, Mom?”
“Don’t worry, my son. He’s just a village kid. He’ll be a pushover. As long as he’s out of the way, Xiangyi and her money will all be yours.”
Tang Hao’s face darkened as he heard the mother and son talking outside.