Chapter 540 - 540: Get Out

Zhaoling hadn't expected Zhao Yuan to actually have a birthday gift. Whether it was expensive or not didn't matter for now; the thought alone was very nice. She thanked him profusely and teased, "Xiaoxue told me you just got back from a business trip to Huashang. This gift wasn't meant for her, was it? If you're giving it to me, what's Xiaoxue going to do?"

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "There are more gifts. I definitely wouldn't forget Xiaoxue."

Cheng Haoyu had given him several bags of local specialties, so giving one to Zhaoling was no problem at all.

Zhaoling grinned. "That's a relief. Otherwise, Xiaoxue would have complained my ear off."

Lin Xue was mortified. "Am I really that petty?"

"Hard to say," Zhaoling said, still joking as she placed Zhao Yuan's gift bag in the corner to her left. A pile of presents from her other classmates was already stacked there.

After setting the bag down, Zhaoling returned to the dining table and raised her glass to toast Zhao Yuan.

But just then, Hu Dajun suddenly got up, ran to the corner, and grabbed the gift bag Zhao Yuan had brought.

"Hu Dajun, what are you doing?" Zhaoling asked, stunned.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see what kind of 'local specialties' Zhao Yuan brought," Hu Dajun replied, putting a heavy, mocking emphasis on the word "local." "After all, this is the first time I've ever seen someone give local specialties as a birthday gift. I'm just so curious."

Zhaoling was furious and started to move forward to stop him. "That's my birthday gift from Zhao Yuan! What right do you have to open it—"

Hu Dajun moved quickly. Before she could get to him, he flipped the gift bag upside down and, with a CLATTER, dumped everything out.

He was so blinded by anger, all he wanted was to humiliate Zhao Yuan, consequences be damned.

At the sight of what tumbled out of the bag, the people in the private room first fell silent, then erupted in a series of gasps.

"Oh my god!"

"Am I seeing things?"

"This is what he calls 'local specialties'? Holy hell, I'm completely floored!"

Only Hu Dajun didn't see what he had dumped onto the floor. His eyes were fixed on Zhao Yuan, expecting to see panic, shock, shame—any of those expressions—on his face.

But he was disappointed.

Zhao Yuan just looked a little surprised, nothing more.

'This kid is really shameless!' Hu Dajun thought with a cold snort. He said aloud, "Zhao Yuan, this is your birthday gift? A pile of worthless junk, and you have the nerve to present it..."

He wasn't even finished speaking before one of the other classmates shot him down. "Hu Dajun, what are you talking about? This stuff is worthless? Are you blind or what?"

"Huh?" Hu Dajun froze, stunned. He instinctively retorted, "Isn't it just a pile of local specialties? How much could that possibly be worth?"

As he said this, he lowered his head to look.

One look, and he jumped in fright.

What he had dumped on the floor weren't the potatoes and radishes he had imagined. Instead, there was a box of cosmetics and a handbag.

Although Hu Dajun didn't know much about cosmetics or handbags, he still recognized the "LV" logo on the purse. He could only assume the cosmetics weren't cheap, either.

Hu Dajun was instantly dumbfounded.

'Didn't you just say you were bringing some local specialties? How the hell did an LV bag and designer cosmetics turn into local specialties?!'

Hu Dajun desperately wanted to roar this question at Zhao Yuan, but unfortunately, his mouth was completely dry. He couldn't make a sound.

Zhaoling darted forward and carefully picked up the handbag and cosmetics from the floor. After checking that they weren't dirtied, she breathed a sigh of relief and tried to hand them back to Zhao Yuan. "This gift is too expensive. I can't accept it. Please, take it back."

'Once a gift is given, how can you take it back?'

Zhao Yuan waved his hand. "Just accept it. Think of it as a gift from Xiaoxue." Inwardly, he was complaining with a wry smile, 'That Cheng Haoyu is so unreliable. He told me it was some local specialties from Huashang, but I never imagined it would be this stuff... What kind of 'local specialties' are these?'

Although Lin Xue was also surprised, she knew Zhao Yuan was well-off, so giving some designer cosmetics and a handbag was no big deal for him. She backed him up, helping to persuade Zhaoling. "Just accept it, Zhaoling. It's really okay."

After declining for a little longer, Zhaoling saw that Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue truly didn't seem to think the handbag and cosmetics were a big deal. She finally accepted them, thanking them profusely while her heart bloomed with joy.

The designer bag and cosmetics had to be worth tens of thousands of yuan combined. She had never imagined she'd be able to own something so nice!

At that moment, the stunned Hu Dajun finally snapped out of it.

His attempt to humiliate Zhao Yuan had failed; in fact, it had only made Zhao Yuan look good. This made Hu Dajun furious, and he seethed with rage.

A sudden idea struck him. He quickly voiced his suspicion, "A kid from some poor backwater village like you, where would you get the money for a designer bag and cosmetics? This stuff must be fake, right? Or... did you steal it?"

Before Zhao Yuan could even say a word, someone else put Hu Dajun in his place. "Fake? Are you kidding me? With this craftsmanship and this material, how could it be fake? Hu Dajun, you're just spouting utter nonsense now!"

Hu Dajun had tried to stir up trouble several times already, and by now, everyone was annoyed with him.

Zhao Yuan stated matter-of-factly, "A friend of mine gave them to me. He said they were local specialties, so I just believed him. I never thought he'd trick me by passing off a designer bag and cosmetics as local specialties."

Hearing this, everyone had the same thought: 'Why don't I have a rich friend like that? And you clearly hit the jackpot, so why do you sound so displeased? Don't tell me you actually wanted real local specialties instead of a designer bag and cosmetics? Damn, do you have to be such a show-off?'

Hu Dajun was also surprised but quickly came up with another accusation. "A friend gave you something this expensive and passed it off as a local specialty? What a joke! How come I've never met a rich friend like that? Ah, I get it now! You went to Huashang to be a toy boy, didn't you? Some sugar mama bought this for you, right?"

Zhao Yuan's eyebrow twitched.

Hu Dajun had provoked him several times, and for Lin Xue's sake, he had let it slide. He never thought the guy would actually double down. 'Does he really think I'm that easy to bully?'

However, before he could get angry, Lin Xue, who was sitting beside him, shot to her feet. With a flick of her wrist, she splashed a glass of juice right in Hu Dajun's face.

Hu Dajun was completely stunned. "Xiaoxue, you..."

Lin Xue glared at him, her voice ice-cold. "Don't call me Xiaoxue. You don't have the right. What I just threw was juice. If you don't learn your lesson and dare to slander my man again, believe me when I say I'll scoop boiling soup straight from the hot pot and throw it on you."

At that moment, Lin Xue's presence was so overwhelming that it completely silenced Hu Dajun.

She raised a hand, pointed toward the door of the private room, and commanded, "Now, get out!"