Chapter 20: I'm Cute, Smart, and Making My Love Rival Mad
That dumb love rival deserves to make no money.
And now he still dares to ask me what went wrong?
Honestly, Lin Yibai wished that love rival would just disappear. And logically, why should she tell him anything?
She didn’t even want to look at him. “I don’t know. I don’t understand. Don’t ask me.”
She gave him the classic “don’t know” response, waved her hand, and walked away with style.
Then, Gu Xiaoxue walked over to stand next to Xia Changyu. She pointed in Lin Yibai’s direction and started talking.
It seemed like she said something like, “She’s just a low-level greeter, what could she possibly understand?”
What?!
Xiaoxue, how could you say something so insulting and full of prejudice?
A greeter, so what if she’s a greeter?
All the greeters here were carefully selected. They’re not only good-looking and well-dressed, but also very polite and capable.
And now Xiaoxue’s roommates started joining in the attack.
“She’s just some cheap greeter. Probably a girl who hasn't even finished high school or something. Xia Changyu, asking her is useless, you should’ve asked me! At least I wouldn’t give you dumb advice that messes up your business.”
“Greeter? I mean, we all know what that means.”
“I heard they’re even staying at a hotel.”
“A hotel? We all know what that means, hehe.”
Lin Yibai felt awful. She couldn’t understand why Xiaoxue suddenly looked down on greeters. The perfect image she had of Xiaoxue was starting to fall apart.
And her roommates’ words were even worse. They weren’t just mean. They were full-on malicious rumors and insults.
Seeing them get more and more vicious, Lin Yibai finally had enough. She shouted.
“Shut up! If you have a problem with me, just say it to my face. Or file a complaint if you want. But don’t insult everyone working part-time here just because of your own bias!”
“What, did I say something wrong?” Yang Yueping crossed her arms and stood like a bully, ready to fight if Lin Yibai dared to answer back.
“As for education, go look at the job posting yourself. One of the requirements was a college degree. If you have a problem, go talk to the organizers, not us! Don’t make things up and insult people for no reason. Also, when you say ‘we all know what that means,’ then tell me, what exactly do you know? Are you speaking in riddles now?”
Before, Lin Yibai might’ve held back. But now? No more patience for this nonsense.
“You—!” Yang Yueping was furious.
“You what? Let me be honest. With your qualifications, you probably wouldn’t even pass the interview.”
Lin Yibai had no intention of being polite. She was done being nice. Her words hit hard, and Yang Yueping’s face turned red with anger.
Even the veins on her forehead popped out.
Xia Changyu, standing to the side, wanted to disappear on the spot.
Why? Why did Xiaoxue have such terrible friends?
He could tolerate what happened at the restaurant before. But this time, this was a major event, with guests and businessmen from around the world.
And these girls were openly insulting and spreading lies?
What, do they want him to lose face in front of everyone?!
Sure, they were just part-time greeters, but they were hired by the city government of Fucheng.
Xia Changyu took a deep breath. He realized he had to apologize to that girl.
At the same time, his dislike for Xiaoxue’s roommates grew stronger. He even started feeling disappointed in Gu Xiaoxue herself.
But before Xia Changyu could say anything, Lin Yibai didn’t give him the chance.
She pointed right at his face and said coldly. “Also, you wanted to know why those foreigners kept leaving, right?”
Lin Yibai gave a cold snort and said, “Of course I can tell you. But I don’t want to tell someone who doesn’t even understand what their own product is supposed to be. It’s just not worth my time.”
Xia Changyu looked serious and said, “Please explain.”
Lin Yibai pointed at several ceramic items with traditional Chinese designs and said, “If I remember right, you’re in foreign trade, right? But then why do you have a bunch of traditional Chinese ceramics in your booth for international buyers? What exactly are you trying to do?”
That question made Xia Changyu freeze for a moment.
At that moment, Gu Xiaoxue looked unhappy.
She thought this was her chance to show support for her boyfriend, to look like a loyal girlfriend in his eyes.
So she stepped forward and argued, “We’re showing ceramics that reflect our culture on our own land, what’s the problem? This is cultural promotion. It shows our love for our country!”
When Lin Yibai heard this, she was speechless. It felt like her heart was bleeding.
How did she become dumb like this? Was this Xia Changyu’s influence?
Even Xia Changyu felt like dying on the spot. He thought this was the first time in his life he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.
A girlfriend is supposed to make you look better, not embarrass you like this.
And the fact that it came from Gu Xiaoxue’s mouth made it even more awkward for Lin Yibai.
In the end, Lin Yibai gave up and muttered, “I’ve said all I needed to say.”
Xia Changyu asked, “Do you have any advice?”
At first, Lin Yibai didn’t want to answer. But when she looked at Gu Xiaoxue and her friends, she suddenly felt a kind of pity for Xia Changyu.
They were both suffering, in a way. It felt like looking at her old self.
She opened her mouth, mainly because Gu Xiaoxue’s words really disappointed her, and said in a low voice.
“Since you’re in foreign trade, and you’ve got so many Chinese-style ceramics on display, I’ll assume you’re targeting Chinese people living overseas. But obviously, those people aren’t going to come to a big expo like this to shop. Your main customers should be foreigners, not overseas Chinese.”
Xia Changyu said, “Please go on.”
Lin Yibai gave him a long look and said, “I honestly doubt whether you even studied international trade. Here’s my advice, take down some of those traditional Chinese ceramics, and instead display items like statues of the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, angels, Santa Claus, stuff like that...”
“...Or even a crystal snow globe made of glass. To foreigners, that’s way more interesting than Chinese-style ceramics. They’re here to do business, to find products for people from their own cultures. Not to help you promote Chinese culture.”
After that, Lin Yibai really left.
She was afraid if she stayed any longer, Gu Xiaoxue would say even more ridiculous things that didn’t match the ‘perfect goddess’ image she used to have.
They didn’t have these problems back when they were dating. Was it just that Lin Yibai used to see her through filtered glasses?
Before the breakup, she was a flawless goddess. After the breakup, Lin Yibai started seeing more and more of her flaws.
Xia Changyu, meanwhile, opened his mouth a few times, wanting to stop Lin Yibai from leaving.
He thought the girl had made some great points. Surely they had a lot to talk about.
We could chat about the future of foreign trade.
We could talk about how to better attract foreign customers, and make money from them.
We might argue a little... But it would be fun, wouldn’t it?
He imagined himself sitting down with Lin Yibai, having deep conversations about their careers and future plans.
He was secretly smiling at the thought. But reality brought him back down to earth.
Gu Xiaoxue and her friends, after seeing Lin Yibai walk away, were all smiling like they’d just won a battle.
And then they started chatting with Xia Changyu.
“What should we eat for lunch?”
“I heard XXX restaurant is really good!”
“We just helped you chase off that annoying greeter who was trying to ruin your booth, Xia Changyu, you better thank us properly! Don’t worry, we won’t make it hard for you. Just treat us to a big fancy meal, hehe~”
“Yay, big meal!”
Xia Changyu: ……
He slapped his own face with his palm.
How did he feel at that moment?
Only one phrase came to mind.
The Mask of Pain.