Chapter 230
Lin Mengyao looked at the woman kneeling at her feet with a complex expression. She wanted to pull her leg away from the woman’s grip, but the woman held on too tightly. Without confirming whether the woman was really pregnant, Lin Mengyao didn’t dare to make any sudden movements.
Lin Mengyao could only be passively held by Liao Yanyan.
Under the cover of her hair, Liao Yanyan’s lips curled into a smile. While she praised herself for being clever, she was also shocked by the information the mysterious person had uncovered. She had indeed interacted with Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao, but that was so long ago she had almost forgotten about it. Yet, the other party had managed to uncover all this, even though to the couple, she was just a stranger.
Many thoughts flashed through Liao Yanyan’s mind, but she quickly collected herself and focused on the scene at hand.
“Get up, don’t kneel to me.” Lin Mengyao said in a cold and hard voice, looking at the woman grasping her calf.
“I won’t get up unless you promise to leave Xu Ke and give us mother and child a way to live. Otherwise, I’d rather kneel here until I die. After all, if you don’t leave Xu Ke, we mother and child won’t survive.” Liao Yanyan said with a crying voice.
The people in the café who didn’t know the truth of the matter saw Liao Yanyan’s behavior and immediately looked at Lin Mengyao with disdainful eyes, as if Lin Mengyao had done something wrong to her. The roles were immediately reversed among the uninformed onlookers.
“If you still have any dignity and want to continue living in Luo City, you better stand up.” Lin Mengyao’s expression turned cold and hard, and her words felt icy.
“Even if you want to kill me, I won’t back down when it comes to the child. I know I am not as capable as you, but as a mother, I will not fear you.” Liao Yanyan said with a trembling voice.
“Miss, you should get up first. It’s bad for your health to kneel on the cold ground for too long. People like her, who lack morals and shame, will naturally be dealt with by others. It’s not worth hurting your body for this kind of woman.” One of the onlookers, looking at Liao Yanyan with sympathy, cast a sharp glare at Lin Mengyao and said.
“That’s right. People without morals will naturally face retribution.” Xu Ke arrived at the café in a state of dust-covered travel. Upon hearing the words of the bystander and assessing the current situation, his eyes turned cold, and he chimed in.
As soon as Xu Ke spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to him. When Liao Yanyan heard his voice, her body stiffened, and her heart became flustered, but she quickly calmed down. Things had already reached this point; she was like an arrow at the end of its flight with no choice or retreat. Liao Yanyan clenched her teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.
Liao Yanyan opened her mouth to say something, but Xu Ke, as if he had eyes on her, began to speak just before she did, even though he was walking straight toward Lin Mengyao.
“Miss, I don’t know you at all. I know I’m wealthy, but that’s not a reason for me to be forced into dealing with garbage. I think I’ve made it clear before, I will not accept someone like you as my mistress, nor do I wish to develop any relationship beyond that of strangers with you. I didn’t expect you to be so insidious, to find someone to exploit a misled relationship and take ambiguous photos to send to my wife, and further harass her behind my back.” Xu Ke said coldly, looking at the woman kneeling on the ground.
“Your behavior has caused reputational damage to me and my wife and has inconvenienced our lives. Your actions constitute harassment, and if this happens again, I believe we’ll meet in court.” Xu Ke said with a voice cold enough to freeze everything.
Liao Yanyan looked up and met Xu Ke’s gaze, her body involuntarily trembling. Just as she opened her mouth again to speak, Xu Ke preemptively spoke.
Xu Ke took out his phone from his pocket and turned on the recording feature in front of everyone, then said coldly, “I’ve started recording. From now on, you must be responsible for every word you say. Any false statements, and I have the right to sue you for defamation.”
Upon seeing Xu Ke’s stance, Liao Yanyan’s words died instantly. She had not expected that the CEO of a large company would be so shameless in front of so many people. She wanted to smear Xu Ke, but she was wary, afraid that she would actually be taken to court.
Liao Yanyan could only choose silence and looked at Xu Ke with tear-filled eyes, as if there was endless affection. It’s undeniable that her counter-move was clever; those who had been intimidated by Xu Ke’s series of actions once again sympathized with Liao Yanyan.
“Is there no justice in this world anymore? So what if he has money? Does having money allow you to bully young girls? Still consider yourself a man? Show some shame.” Said the first onlooker.
“Look at this couple putting on airs, but it turns out they’re the type to bully the weak. Really, you can’t judge people by their appearance. I feel sorry for that young woman, especially since she’s pregnant. To be made to kneel on the ground—tigers, however ruthless, don’t eat their cubs. Their character is truly appalling. Whatever company they run, I’ll never buy their products.” Said the second onlooker.
“Don’t speak too soon, perhaps you can’t even afford them.” The fourth onlooker poured cold water over the lively discussion without hesitation.
“If your acting could be put in a film, you’d probably win several Oscars. Today is the first and last time; if you continue to play your little tricks behind my back and say dubious things to my wife to disrupt our marriage, I’ll permanently blacklist you.” Xu Ke said, holding a phone in one hand and wrapping an arm around Lin Mengyao, a mocking smile on his lips.
“Also, our company does not like artists with poor morals. I’m giving you a night to decide—if you want to stay in the company, cut ties with your sponsors by tomorrow. If you can’t do that, pay the penalty fee and get out.” Xu Ke coldly added amidst the crowd’s dissatisfied expressions.
“Let’s go home. People like this are not worth our time; they’re an eyesore.” Xu Ke turned to Lin Mengyao and said gently.
Xu Ke left the café with Lin Mengyao, leaving behind Liao Yanyan and the remaining patrons.