The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Becomes The Heartthrob of the Dating Show - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Darling Wife is also Domineering

Shortly after 6:00 PM, Huo Yan personally drove Xu Jingchu to the art studio.

The moment Xu Jingchu stepped inside, he realized the atmosphere was off.

Today was a busy day, and usually, the children would already be seated and waiting for class by this time. However, there wasn’t a single child in the studio today. The owner’s wife—who was rarely seen—was sitting inside with a darkened face, while Zhang Yihui was silently sweeping the floor and packing things up.

“Xu Jingchu, you don’t need to come to work anymore.”

This was the first thing the owner’s wife said to him today.

Xu Jingchu froze. “Why?”

The lady seemed to be waiting for him to ask. Her face flushed with anger: “Why? I remember hiring you because you had a ‘clean’ aura about you and you seemed to really need the job. But what about you? Every day you’re either late or leaving early, your work is sloppy, and you only put things away if you happen to remember…”

Classes usually started at 6:40 PM, and it was only 6:30 PM now. Strictly speaking, Xu Jingchu wasn’t late. Furthermore, every time he was at the studio, he was the last one to leave; being late or leaving early was simply non-existent.

“Those are small matters. But today, I received complaints from over a dozen parents saying our teacher has poor character and intimidates the children. After checking, I found out you actually brought an unidentified person into the studio—you two even hid in the restroom…”

At this point, her chest heaved violently, clearly livid. “You are an Omega! How can you be so shameless?!”

Huo Yan hadn’t left immediately after dropping Xu Jingchu off. Standing outside the door, his handsome face darkened instantly upon hearing her tirade. He pushed the door open.

The lady looked up and saw him. Thinking he was a customer, she forced a smile: “Sorry, the studio is closed today.”

Huo Yan walked straight to Xu Jingchu, shielding him with his tall frame. He narrowed his eyes at the woman. “You are the owner of this studio?”

She sensed something was wrong but couldn’t put her finger on it. She nodded. “Yes. Sir, you are…”

“You said you ‘checked’ and found out he brought an unidentified person in. May I ask how you checked?”

The man’s tone seemed polite, but it carried an aggressive edge. The lady frowned. “I checked the surveillance, obviously…”

“Auntie, he’s the man!” Zhang Yihui suddenly threw down his broom and rushed over.

The lady’s voice faltered, and a look of discomfort crossed her face. It was clear she had been lying.

She hadn’t checked the surveillance at all. The reason she had “convicted” Xu Jingchu was entirely because of Zhang Yihui.

She and Zhang Yihui were relatives.

Huo Yan’s dark eyes gradually filled with a chilling frost. He swept a cold gaze over the two before settling on the owner’s wife. “May I ask this lady, what constitutes an ‘unidentified person’?”

Without waiting for her to answer, he continued: “In a small shop open for business, are customers not allowed to come in and look around? Are they not allowed to borrow the restroom?”

“You’re lying!” Zhang Yihui waved his hands and shouted angrily. “You weren’t there to look at the shop, nor were you just borrowing the restroom! Did you think just because the door was closed, no one would know what you two were doing in there?!”

To this, Huo Yan actually laughed. He countered: “And what exactly do you think we were doing in there?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yihui immediately recalled the half-faded bite mark he had seen on the back of Xu Jingchu’s neck. His face twisted. “You—you two really are two of a kind, both so shameless! Xu Jingchu, how much longer are you going to hide behind someone else? Do you feel no shame for your actions?”

Huo Yan’s expression turned ice-cold.

Xu Jingchu stepped out from behind the man, his expression unexpectedly calm.

He ignored Zhang Yihui. Instead, he looked at the owner’s wife with clear eyes, his tone flat: “First, during my time here, I have never been late or left early. Second, I believe I have fulfilled my duties; the claim of ‘poor character’ and ‘intimidating children’ is a slanderous lie. Third, Huo Yan is not an ‘unidentified person’; he is my friend. He was feeling unwell, so he used the restroom. If that violated a rule, I am willing to accept punishment. Fourth, I accept your dismissal. Not because I believe I did the things you claimed, but because I believe your inability to distinguish right from wrong makes you unworthy of my time.”

This string of words, delivered without much emotional rise or fall, made the lady’s face turn from blue to white with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. To be honest, she had always thought Xu Jingchu was a good kid, but her nephew didn’t like him. Plus, after receiving those parent complaints this morning, she needed a scapegoat. That was the real reason for the firing.

She couldn’t find a word to argue back. She hadn’t expected the usually quiet and non-confrontational Xu Jingchu to speak with such sharp, clinical precision.

Seeing her silence, Zhang Yihui grew anxious. “Auntie—”

“Shut up!” The lady cursed her tactless nephew in her head. Setting aside the mystery of who Huo Yan was, they were already in the wrong today. Now Zhang Yihui was shouting “Auntie” repeatedly, as if he were afraid people didn’t know they were related.

Zhang Yihui seemed to realize his mistake, but his expression remained hideous.

The lady turned back to Xu Jingchu. “Let’s leave it at that. I’ll transfer this month’s salary to your card.”

Xu Jingchu had nothing more to say. He didn’t work here for the money anyway. Since things had turned unpleasant, there was no point in staying.

He didn’t like to show off, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a temper.

“Huo Yan, let’s go.” Xu Jingchu was the first to leave.

Huo Yan cast a deep, meaningful look at the lady and Zhang Yihui before turning to follow.

As they stepped down the stairs, Zhang Yihui finally couldn’t help but rush out. “Xu Jingchu—!”

Xu Jingchu stopped and looked back, his tone so calm it was as if the argument hadn’t even happened. “Is there something else?”

Zhang Yihui clenched his fists, staring at him. “I know you’re desperate for money. If you can’t bear to lose this job, I can help plead with my aunt for you.”

Xu Jingchu’s expression became strange. “If I’m not mistaken, you were the one who pushed the owner to fire me, weren’t you?”

Zhang Yihui was momentarily choked up, his face turning a brilliant shade of green and white.

Xu Jingchu said nothing more. He pulled open the door of the black Maybach and sat inside.

Looking at Zhang Yihui standing on the steps, Huo Yan let out a light chuckle. “I know you like Chuchu. But someone like you? Are you even worthy?”

While Zhang Yihui’s face twisted again, the man elegantly stepped up the stairs. He took a business card—one capable of sending shockwaves through the entire capital—and tucked it into the other’s jacket pocket.

“Huo Yan of Tingfang Group. I look forward to your ‘advice’.”

It was a threat, a display of absolute power meant to crush and deter.