Chapter 60: Praise!

!!!

Lu Yiqi’s heart began to race, pounding with excitement as she stared at him, wide-eyed and motionless. Inside, her emotions surged wildly. She could hardly believe her ears—he had actually complimented her!

Ahhhh, she hadn’t misheard!

Seeing Lu Yiqi standing there in a daze, Xie Xu couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Just then, a waiter hurried by carrying a tray of wine glasses. In his rush, he accidentally bumped into Lu Yiqi.

Her footing slipped, and she staggered backward. Her mind went blank; there was no time to react.

Just as she braced herself for an intimate encounter with the floor, she felt a strong grip on her wrist pulling her back. Perhaps the force was a bit too much—she didn’t regain her balance at first and instinctively reached out with her other hand, grabbing Xie Xu’s hand. Taking a deep breath, she finally steadied herself.

Still shaken, Lu Yiqi bent at the waist, struggling to catch her breath.

Xie Xu glanced at her hand, which was still holding his, his lips moving as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing.

With a sharp, scrutinizing gaze, he turned to the waiter who had bumped into Lu Yiqi.

The waiter, already flustered from his mistake, now felt a chill down his spine under Xie Xu’s fierce glare. When he recognized the young master of the Xie family—host of tonight’s banquet—his face went deathly pale, and fear overtook him. His legs and lips trembled uncontrollably.

Swallowing hard, the waiter stammered, “S-sorry…”

At his words, Xie Xu let out a cold laugh. “She was nearly knocked over by you, and now you think ‘sorry’ is enough? Let me tell you, if I hadn’t caught her in time and she had fallen, do you have any idea how serious the consequences would have been?”

Watching Xie Xu speak up for her, Lu Yiqi felt a warmth blossom in her heart.

So, in his eyes, she did have some standing after all.

Lu Yiqi turned to study the waiter.

Already shaken by Xie Xu, the waiter grew even more nervous when he realized the girl he’d bumped was looking at him too. He was too terrified to utter another word.

Seeing this, Lu Yiqi took a moment to calm her racing heart, then spoke in a clear, steady voice. “Don’t be so afraid. You were in such a hurry—was something wrong? If so, just tell us. We’ll take it into consideration, because I really was quite startled just now.”

The waiter replied, “Yes, yes—over there, Ms. Rong and Mr. Zhang were arguing… In the middle of it, Ms. Rong smashed her wine glass… I happened to be passing by, and Ms. Rong saw me. She… she lost her temper at me, told me to hurry up and bring a new glass, or she’d fire me… If I get fired, I’ll lose my job, and I still have a wife to support… So, in my rush, I accidentally bumped into you, miss. I’m truly… very sorry.”

After hearing him out, Lu Yiqi understood. It really wasn’t the waiter’s fault; he was simply caught in the crossfire, desperate not to lose his job and so had rushed without watching his path.

She found his explanation reasonable, so after a brief pause, she said, “It’s all right. Go ahead and take the wine glass to Ms. Rong.”

The waiter gave Lu Yiqi a grateful look, then nervously glanced at Xie Xu. The young master’s expression was still icy cold. The waiter looked back at Lu Yiqi, seeking some hint of reassurance…