Jewel looked annoyed and didn't even glance at the man. After speaking, she turned around and walked away.
But the man suddenly said, "I have a secret tea recipe!"
He stood up quickly from the table and hurried after her. "I can give it to you. It will make your tea business flourish—as long as you…"
"Shut up!"
Jewel suddenly turned around and shouted those two words loudly. Some of the nearby tables looked toward them.
"Get out."
She said it coldly, then turned around and walked straight to the back courtyard.
Fifth Sister saw that the boss was in a bad mood and went straight to the stunned man, her face full of impatience.
"Don't come here again. You're not welcome."
Some of the diners nearby heard the conversation, but since they didn't know what was really going on, they just guessed.
The man couldn't take the stares from everyone on the floor. Some even sneered at him with mockery. His face turned red, and he quickly turned around and left the restaurant.
He Xiaoshuang felt completely humiliated and ran all the way home with a crushed heart.
He had thought that the woman named Xie—no, Jewel—was a gentle person.
But now he realized, she had a temper just like his mother's—mean and harsh, scolding people out of nowhere…
Why? How could she give Xavi such a grand wedding but wouldn't even spare him a glance?
But just then!
While running wildly, he accidentally knocked over a bamboo basket beside a woman selling vegetables.
The tomatoes in the basket seemed to have planned it—they rolled all over the road in clusters.
Several horse-drawn carts rushed past, crushing the tomatoes into red pulp on the clean stone road before anyone could react or pick them up.
The juice sprayed all over the pavement. Just like that, their lives ended, never making it to anyone's table to fulfill their destiny as food.
The vegetable seller immediately began shouting.
"Hey! Don't you look where you're going?! Why are you running around in broad daylight?!"
She wasn't in a good mood to begin with. Some people had just haggled her down hard, so she already lost a lot of silver. Now it was even worse—some clueless boy had ruined her tomatoes!
He Xiaoshuang's face turned even redder—not from anger now, but from panic.
He had never faced something like this in the village. Instinctively, he just wanted to run.
As long as he ran fast, no one could catch him!
The woman saw him trying to escape without paying and got even angrier!
She reached out and tightly grabbed his arm, yelling as she pulled him back.
"Hey—!
Everyone, look over here!
This man knocked over my vegetables and wants to run without paying!
Come judge this for me!"
He Xiaoshuang was caught and couldn't run, so he had to face the stares of all the passersby again.
"Whose son is this? Can't even take responsibility for his mistakes, and just wants to run?"
"Hmph, a guy like him—no family would want him as a son-in-law…"
"Exactly…"
He Xiaoshuang tried to struggle free, but he couldn't escape the woman's strong grip.
Her hand was like an iron clamp, holding onto his arm so tightly he'd have to rip it off to get away.
Then he got an idea. He stopped struggling and said,
"I'll pay, just let me go."
The woman didn't quite believe him. She loosened her grip a bit, but didn't let go.
He Xiaoshuang suddenly lowered his head and bit her hand hard!
The pain made the woman scream and jump back, clutching her hand.
Of course, she had to let go.
He Xiaoshuang took the chance, pushed through the crowd around them, and ran.
Eyes shut, he shoved people out of his way as he ran. He almost knocked over a pregnant man!
The man was standing with his wife, choosing cloth for their unborn baby when he got pushed. Luckily, his wife had quick reflexes and caught him.
The wife wanted to catch the reckless guy, but her husband was frightened and weak in her arms. She couldn't let go and just focused on comforting him.
"Honey, that scared me…"
"It's okay now. Let's go home… Next time, don't come out alone. What if you run into someone else like that?"
He Xiaoshuang heard them but didn't care. He just kept running faster.
He didn't want any trouble. If his parents found out, they'd be furious. They might even beat him!
The vegetable seller couldn't chase after him either. Her bleeding hand was too painful, making her forget about the ruined tomatoes and the money she lost.
She packed up her stall while wincing in pain and rushed to the clinic to get medicine.
"Ow, it hurts so much… What a terrible day…"
But He Xiaoshuang didn't know yet—his actions today would cause big trouble for him in the future…
Back to Jewel—
Ever since that badly dressed, rude, untrustworthy, delusional man called her name, she felt like her ears were polluted!
Of course, she knew what that shameless man meant.
He wanted to use some disgusting offer to trade for her attention—his so-called secret tea recipe.
Relationships based on benefits always fall apart once the benefits end. What kind of brain does this guy have to think that would work?
The world really has all kinds of weird people!
Business is about integrity and doing your best, not relying on someone else's secret and being threatened for it.
Ridiculous!
He really thought he was something special!
…
Sometimes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news spreads like wildfire.
Word that a man had come looking for Jewel at Yanxi Restaurant soon reached Xavi's ears!