93: Chapter 93 You Kneel Down
Once the seeds of distrust were sown, the previous flattery became a joke. Though they didn't say it aloud, they were all thinking the same thing: Pei Yunxiao couldn't even produce 870,000 yuan. Was his "second-generation rich" identity actually fake?
Song Zhiwei watched their reactions, the corners of her mouth curling upward. She turned back to Pei Yunxiao and said, "Young Master Pei, look. These 'obedient' classmates of yours don't seem that willing to help you."
Pei Yunxiao's expression darkened even further, and he secretly seethed with hatred for Yellow Hair.
It was all that idiot's fault for insisting on ordering that 620,000 yuan bottle of romanée-conti. Otherwise, with the remaining balance on the supplementary card and a little contribution from Ruan Shu and the others, he might have been able to settle the bill.
How could he have ended up making such a fool of himself like this? But he didn't dare show this hatred; he could only grit his teeth and try to maintain his dignity.
"Song Zhiwei, that's enough!" There was a hint of pleading in Pei Yunxiao's voice. He knew that if he kept holding out, it would only get more embarrassing. "What exactly do you want before you'll pay the bill for me? Tell me, and as long as I can do it, I'll agree!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
Song Zhiwei looked at Pei Yunxiao's flushed face, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her tone carried a playful hint of asking something she already knew the answer to: "Young Master Pei, are you begging me?"
Pei Yunxiao's fists were clenched tight, his knuckles turning white. It felt as though a ball of cotton was stuffed in his throat, and after a long moment, he managed to squeeze out a stiff sentence: "Don't push your luck!"
He still wanted to maintain the last shred of his "Young Master Pei" dignity, but the panic in his eyes couldn't be hidden. Manager Liu was already taking out his phone; by the looks of it, if this dragged on any longer, he really would contact the Police Station.
"Pushing my luck?" Song Zhiwei let out a light scoff and reached out to link her arm with Zhang Fan's, making a move to turn away. "It seems Young Master Pei doesn't really need my help after all, so I won't intrude. Zhang Fan, let's go. We haven't had our midnight snack yet."
"Wait!" Pei Yunxiao abruptly took a step forward, his voice instantly softening. Even his back instinctively bent a little. "I'm begging you... alright? Just help me settle this bill, and I promise I won't cause you any trouble in the future."
He cursed Song Zhiwei a thousand times in his heart, but he had no choice but to put on a pleading expression. Compared to being taken to the Police Station, this bit of humiliation seemed like nothing.
Song Zhiwei didn't stop, however; instead, she walked even slower. She tilted her head, crossed her arms, and shook her head as she looked at him, her eyes full of amusement. "That won't do. I don't feel any sincerity from you. This attitude of yours when begging for help isn't even as sincere as the stray cats downstairs when they're begging for food."
She paused and deliberately drew out her words, teasing him like a cat with a mouse. "How about this... if you kneel down and beg me, I'll pay the bill for you. What do you think, Young Master Pei?"
In the hallway of Zhanghua Mountain Villa, just as Song Zhiwei finished speaking, Li Na couldn't help but tug on Wang Ting's sleeve and whisper, "Hey, where do you think Song Zhiwei got so much money? She paid 870,000 without even blinking, and she even said she used to support Young Master Pei..."
Wang Ting also frowned, her eyes filled with confusion. "Yeah, didn't Young Master Pei say before that Song Zhiwei's parents were his family's maid and driver? How could a servant have so much money? And she's making Young Master Pei beg her to pay... this is too strange."
Ruan Shu happened to overhear this and immediately blew up. She took a step forward and pointed at Li Na and Wang Ting's noses, her voice as shrill as nails on glass. "What nonsense are you talking about! Song Zhiwei is just a servant in Young Master Pei's house! Isn't it normal for her to manage some money and pay bills for him? Otherwise, how do you think she could even come to Zhanghua Mountain Villa? It's all because Young Master Pei brought her!"
She glared at Song Zhiwei as she spoke, as if trying to overpower her with sheer momentum, but the panic in her eyes was impossible to hide.
When Song Zhiwei had swiped the main card earlier, Manager Liu's respectful attitude and the name "Song Zhiwei" on the bill were like slaps to her face. But she simply refused to admit it, refused to believe that the "Young Master Pei" she had been sucking up to actually had to rely on a "servant" to pay the bill.
Song Zhiwei was laughed at her words that twisted black and white. She took two steps forward and stood before Ruan Shu. Their height difference allowed her to look directly into the other's eyes without even lifting her head, her tone full of mockery. "A servant managing money for the master? Ruan Shu, do you have a brain? What kind of servant can swipe 870,000 on a main card and have the manager of Zhanghua Mountain Villa respectfully call her 'Miss Song'?"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, and her voice suddenly rose, as if she deliberately wanted everyone to hear clearly. "Since everyone is here today and the atmosphere has reached this point, I'll tell you all the truth—haven't you all been saying that I'm the daughter of Pei Yunxiao's nanny? Pei Yunxiao, don't you have anything you want to say to everyone?"
These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm pond. The gazes of Li Na, Wang Ting, and Zhao Ya instantly focused on Pei Yunxiao. Even Ruan Shu temporarily shut her mouth, waiting for his explanation.
Yellow Hair had just sobered up and hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, but he also leaned in to join the commotion. "Yeah, Young Master Pei, is Song Zhiwei really your family's servant? If she is, how is she so rich?"
Pei Yunxiao's face instantly turned pale. He instinctively looked around, his eyes darting about as he avoided looking at anyone.
How could he dare to say it? If he admitted that he was the one relying on Song Zhiwei's supplementary card to act cool, and admitted that Song Zhiwei was the Eldest Miss of the Song Family, the "Young Master Pei" persona he had built at school would completely collapse. From then on, no one would ever fawn over him or suck up to him again.
His lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word. He could only clench his fists tightly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.
Song Zhiwei looked at his cowardly state, a cold smile curling on her lips. Her tone carried an indisputable sense of pressure. "How? Don't dare to speak? Then I'll say it for you—Pei Yunxiao isn't at all..."
"Song Zhiwei!" Pei Yunxiao suddenly interrupted her loudly, his voice filled with panic, yet he still forced himself to put on a fierce front.
He stepped forward quickly, reaching out to grab Song Zhiwei's arm, but he was blocked by Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan frowned, his gaze as cold as ice. "Young Master Pei, let's talk things out properly. Don't go getting physical."
Pei Yunxiao was startled back a step by his aura. He could only narrow his eyes and lean into Song Zhiwei's ear, his voice extremely low yet carrying a threat through gritted teeth. "That's enough! Don't take it too far! If you really push me too hard, it won't be good for you!"
He had long since seethed with hatred for Song Zhiwei. Today, in front of so many people, she had made him kneel and made a fool of him, and now she even wanted to expose his identity. He would remember this debt!
One day, he would make Song Zhiwei pay it back a thousandfold and let her taste this kind of humiliation herself!
Pei Yunxiao's eyes instantly turned red, and a sense of humiliation surged up like a tide, nearly drowning him.
In all his life, he had always been pampered by others. When had he ever suffered such a grievance?
But he looked at the bill in Manager Liu's hand, then at the probing gazes of the people around him, and knew that he was truly cornered this time.
He couldn't produce 870,000 yuan at all. If he were taken to the Police Station, his fake young master identity would be completely finished.
"Fine... I'll kneel," Pei Yunxiao said through gritted teeth, each word deliberate, his voice carrying a hint of a sob.