I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 4

Before the words had even faded, a dark shadow lunged forward, colliding head-on with Qi Beixing just as he had regained his footing.

“Thud!”

Water splashed everywhere.

Icy pool water instantly flooded into Qi Beixing’s mouth. “Help… help me… I can’t swim!”

“Quick, save him!”

Someone on the bank shouted, and the surrounding crowd finally gathered around—mostly spectators, none of whom wanted to get involved in the mess.

[What’s going on? Who is this, rushing out so recklessly?] [Right? But wait, the pool is only a meter deep. What’s up with Qi Beixing? Is he a drama queen?] [Tsk, don’t guess blindly. If someone loses their footing in the pool, that’s just how it happens.]

Qi Beichen reacted immediately, crouching down and reaching out to grab Qi Beixing’s hand. “Beixing, hold on tight, get up quickly. It’s winter; not suitable for swimming.”

Qi Beixing grabbed Qi Beichen’s hand reluctantly, splashing even more violently, as if he wanted to drag Qi Beichen into the water with him. Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beixing, who was struggling incessantly in the water.

“Brother Muxuan, I… I can’t swim!”

Qi Beichen only felt Qi Beixing refusing his pull, his palm pinched until it turned red—a true master of dramatics.

“Beixing, the water here is only a meter deep. Just stand up properly, then go change your clothes.”

Seeing that the performance wasn’t having the desired effect, Qi Beixing feigned a few more splashes before finally coming ashore with Qi Beichen’s help. Sopping wet and dripping with water from his hair, he looked like nothing more than a drowned rat.

“Beixing, go change your clothes immediately. In weather this cold, you’ll catch a cold. By the way, Mom ordered Mother Wu to stew some brown sugar ginger tea at the start of the banquet; remember to drink some.” Qi Beichen was full of concern, while his heart was blooming with joy.

[Look at that, these two brothers really have a bond that shakes the heavens and earth.] [Really? Just now, it seemed like something else happened. Did you hear what was said earlier?] [No, what happened here? I want to listen to the second course of gossip.]

Qi Beixing shot an unwilling glance at Qi Beichen; a cold breeze blew, giving him goosebumps all over.

“Then, I’ll go change my clothes first and come back in a while.”

Qi Beichen was delighted; this was called “reaping what you sow.” But he still patted Qi Beixing’s shoulder with concern. “Beixing, falling into the water can be big or small—colds, pneumonia, fever, all possible…”

Qi Beixing’s face turned even paler, as if suffering from post-falling-in-the-water syndrome.

“Brother, then…” He leaned close to Qi Beixing’s side. “This time, consider yourself lucky.”

Qi Beichen raised an eyebrow. “My luck has always been exceptionally good.”

“Brother Muxuan, then, I… I’ll go change first.”

Although Qi Beixing left, the farce here was far from over.

Standing on the bank was a fashionable woman with red curly hair and skyscraper heels, pointing her finger at the man who had fallen into the water. “Tell me, what kind of unspeakable things have you been doing outside all these years?”

Qi Beichen stood on the bank, even wanting to find a chair and crack open some sunflower seeds to see how this would play out.

The woman’s voice even carried a hint of sobbing. “Xie Shiyu, how could you betray me! Now even your ‘little mistress’ has shown up at our door!”

Explosive! Scandal at a high-society reunion banquet! Qi Beichen even thought of a trending search title for the event it was simply fascinating.

The crowd’s attention shifted instantly from Qi Beichen to the man in the water. Qi Beichen felt the wind around him quiet down; at some point, two people were standing on either side of him—the same two he had met earlier.

“Are you two here for the gossip?”

Young Master Liang and Young Master Su stood on Qi Beichen’s left and right, looking exactly like two guardian statues.

They spoke in unison: “Yes.”

Hah, the essence of humanity is a mixture of a repeater and a gossip machine.

Qi Beichen handed out some sunflower seeds from his pocket. “Here, have some seeds. I didn’t bring any mineral water, so make do.”

Young Master Liang and Young Master Su looked at each other, somewhat awkwardly accepting the seeds from Qi Beichen’s hand.

“I’m telling you both, this type of gossip is the tastiest. Who knows, it might even lead to some illegitimate children or something like that.”

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him large, fair, and wet.

Qi Beichen looked up. Whoa, this was “the thigh” himself reaching out; the level was completely different, requiring extreme importance.

Qi Beichen immediately placed the seeds in his hand into Bai Muxuan’s palm. “Here, that’s all I have. If I’d known, I would have brought more. Who would have thought there would be such good gossip in a place like this?”

“Gu Ting, don’t push your luck! This isn’t home. If you don’t mind making a spectacle of yourself, I still care about my face!”

People nearby and far away were watching this soapy drama, perking up their ears to hear what it was all about. Gu Ting grabbed Xie Shiyu’s ear and dragged him onto the bank.

Immediately after, a girl in a yellow dress appeared on the bank, looking pure and innocent.

Gu Ting was so angry she was about to explode. Even though it was nearly winter, her face was flushed red. “Xie Shiyu, do you have any shame? At an event this big, you brought a ‘little mistress’ and introduced her with such fanfare. And that’s your secretary!”

Xie Shiyu grabbed the woman’s arm. “Stop with the endless nagging! It wasn’t because you were on a business trip that I needed a dance partner? I had my secretary step in. What ‘little mistress’ or ‘number four’? Wash your mouth out. You’re a noble lady; you should be sensible and reasonable.”

“I’m reasonable? What is she then! It’s one thing to play around outside normally—you little white lotus! You dead green tea bitch! Xie Shiyu, don’t forget, everything you’ve achieved today is because I supported you!”

Qi Beichen nudged Bai Muxuan with his elbow. “Hey, do you like gossip too?” He looked exactly like a groundhog in a melon field.

“…Yes.”

“Gu Ting, whatever the matter, let’s talk about it at home. In a place like this… besides, this isn’t an ordinary banquet.” Xie Shiyu backhanded and wanted to drag Gu Ting away.

Gu Ting fiercely shook off Xie Shiyu’s hand, then slapped the ‘little yellow flower’ on the side. “You little white lotus, seducing men to get ahead! What are you? Daring to show your face in a place like this—you think you’re worthy?!”

The little yellow flower looked innocent, covering her face and squeezing out two teardrops that hung on her cheeks. “Mrs. Xie… I am just President Xie’s secretary. He and I have no relationship at all… You are slandering me.”

Xie Shiyu rubbed the little yellow flower’s face with heartbreak, glaring fiercely at Gu Ting. “Gu Ting, if you make any more unreasonable scenes, we will divorce! Save yourself from coming up with a new story every day—first a mistress, then a little mistress!”

Gu Ting’s gaze fell on Qi Beichen. Qi Beichen suddenly felt a chill travel up his spine. Then, Bai Muxuan’s gaze also landed on Qi Beichen, heavy with meaning.

The reunion was already a huge piece of high-society news, but now there was gossip within gossip. It was simply explosive. Tomorrow’s headlines would definitely be monopolized by the Qi banquet; maybe the stock market would soar.

“You… all looking at me what’s the meaning of this? I don’t have this much messy drama in my life.”

Qi Beichen covered his mouth the moment the words left his lips. Damn it, why was he so careless?

Gu Ting’s target shifted instantly to Qi Beichen. “Oh, isn’t this the young master of the Qi family? I heard that when he was first recognized, there were flocks of young women and men swarming around him!”

Qi Beichen felt this was truly an undeserved disaster. Whose bad luck had he stepped on?

“Um, Ms. Huang, things aren’t what you think. Besides, what do your family affairs have to do with me…”

The crowd began chattering.

[Ms. Huang does that mean she’s a fading ‘yellow-faced woman’?] [This Qi young master is interesting. Does this count as setting himself on fire?] [He’s today’s protagonist, after all. And Gu Ting is something else if she wants to pick a fight, she picks it with Qi Beichen.]

Gu Ting’s face changed instantly, turning from green to white. “Who did you call Ms. Huang! Who are you talking about!”

Bai Muxuan pursed his lips, clearly struggling with the urge to laugh. Young Master Liang patted Qi Beichen’s shoulder. “You’re really something.”

Qi Beichen didn’t back down. “Ms. Huang, if I said anything wrong, please correct me. This truly wasn’t my fault. You pointing your finger at me for no reason—I’m wronged to death.”

“With so many young masters, if that isn’t a chaotic private life, what is? Who knows if you returned to the Qi family by relying on some other method!”

Qi Beichen was about to explode. Even if he was a bit handsome, he clearly wasn’t the type to get ahead by such means.

“Ms. Huang, that is slander. My father sponsors the Jiangcheng Orphanage. I just happened to go back to see Mother Dean, and we looked so similar that we found out my background. I came out of the orphanage, fair and square. Afterward, we conducted paternity tests—three rounds in total. My test results are at home, written in black and white: I am a member of the Qi family. As for those young masters you mentioned…”

Qi Beichen grabbed Bai Muxuan. “Brother Muxuan, you have to testify for me. When I contacted you, I had no such intentions.”

Bai Muxuan froze for a moment, and Qi Beichen froze right after, suddenly remembering what relationship did they even have? The WeChat screen was still stuck on “I have accepted your friend verification request, we can now chat.”

Damn it, how was he going to explain this?

Bai Muxuan nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. Young Master Qi invited me to play tennis, but I didn’t have time this weekend, so we scheduled it for next weekend.”

Whew… Qi Beichen breathed a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, Bai Muxuan didn’t expose him in public.

Qi Beichen glanced at Young Master Liang. “Young Master Liang, didn’t I say back then that we were going to grab a meal? That’s normal interaction. As for bumping into you, that was an accident; it didn’t violate any rules, right?”

Young Master Liang was called out, his cheeks clearly stained with a touch of red. “Yes, Young Master Qi only invited me for a meal. As for bumping into each other, that kind of accident can happen while walking; it’s crowded, it’s normal.”

“Ms. Huang, I am exercising my normal social rights. No matter what is rumored outside, perhaps it’s people jealous of the friendship between my friends and me, and that’s why such improper remarks are spread. Wise people let rumors stop with them—you should be a wise person.”

It had to be said that Qi Beichen’s tactic was truly effective; even the surrounding whispers grew quieter.

[That’s true. Business is hard to do these days; him connecting with a few children of family friends to build relationships is standard.] [Gu Ting is married. Has any of you heard of these young masters having friends?] [Not really. Casting a wide net to catch big fish—he’s got guts!]

Gu Ting’s face turned from green to red, and now it was white. “Do you really think this isn’t shameful, Xie Shiyu!”

Xie Shiyu found his confidence. He glanced faintly at Gu Ting. “What’s shameful about it? What’s wrong with a man playing around a bit?”

The atmosphere that had almost died down was instantly reignited by these words. Gu Ting reached out, intending to pull the ‘little yellow flower’s’ hair, but Xie Shiyu blocked her directly. “I’m telling you, Gu Ting, if you make any more unreasonable scenes, we will divorce!”

Qi Beichen had eaten enough gossip. He didn’t want to stay in such a place of right and wrong for another second, fearing that something else chaotic might fall on his head. Sitting at home and having a pot fly onto his head—that’s what just happened.

“Everyone, my brother fell into the water just now. I need to go check on him. If there’s nothing else here, let’s disperse.”

Having eaten their fill of gossip, naturally, the young masters and ladies were willing to leave.

“Let’s disperse, let’s disperse. I’ve seen enough of this farce—it’s getting boring.” Young Master Liang patted Qi Beichen’s shoulder.

“Let’s go. I don’t know how Second Young Master Qi is doing; let’s hope he doesn’t really catch a cold.”

Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beichen.

“Brother Muxuan, thank you truly for coming to my rescue just now.”

Bai Muxuan put one hand in his pocket. “I just couldn’t stand it.”

“Then you also said you’re free next week. Let’s grab a meal or go play somewhere consider it my thanks.”

Bai Muxuan smiled. “Fine. It’s up to you.”