Chapter 59: Chapter 59: I Can Solve It Myself

“Apologize!”

Just as the pot-bellied middle-aged man muttered about how “nowadays even riff-raff can get into Xuanrui Studio” and was about to leave, Xiao Yi reached out and grabbed the back of the fat man’s collar.

Then, with a single hand, Xiao Yi easily pulled the fat man back, gazing at him coldly and uttering two words.

Are you kidding me? Who do you think you are to call Empress Dowager Ye riff-raff?

If the middle-aged man had only said they were ignorant without further comment, or if it was directed solely at Xiao Yi–no matter how unpleasant it was–Xiao Yi wouldn’t have bothered.

But now that this guy was insulting Empress Dowager Ye, Xiao Yi couldn’t tolerate it.

Xiao Yi’s sudden action left everyone stunned, even Empress Dowager Ye did not expect her son to act so impulsively.

Despite being infuriated by someone calling her riff-raff, Empress Dowager Ye had no intention of responding to the man. Seeing her son take action filled her heart with warmth, yet also with helplessness.

This rascal, why so reckless? Where was the composure from when he was negotiating with Chairman Zhuang? Truly, a leopard can’t change its spots.

“Xiao Yi, what are you doing? Let go of him immediately.”

Though her heart was warm, Empress Dowager Ye still went up to pull her son’s arm, especially after seeing the other party was a middle-aged man, fearing her son might suffer a loss.

At this moment, Lin Jianguo also quickly stepped forward to shield his son while trying to pull him away. However, Xiao Yi remained unmoved, coldly watching the middle-aged fat man and saying icily:

“Apologize!”

“Humph, kid, I advise you to let go immediately, or the consequences will be unbearable for a poor family like yours!”

This time, the middle-aged fat man snapped out of his initial shock.

Being grabbed by the collar suddenly, the fat man hadn’t reacted at first, but once he did, his face was full of rage.

Seeing the family’s three members in clothes worth no more than a thousand yuan collectively, his face was filled with disdain and contempt.

“Ha! Consequences? Let me be clear, if you sincerely apologize today, we can let it go. Otherwise, I won’t mind giving you a lesson!”

Seeing Xiao Yi’s tall frame, though his face still a bit youthful, the fat man knew he couldn’t win in a direct confrontation.

But in an adult’s world, it’s not about who can fight better. In the adult world, only wealth determines a person’s status.

The fat middle-aged man sneered disdainfully:

“Hehe, truly fearless in ignorance, aren’t you? Young man, do you know who I am? Our Qinhuangdao’s largest jewelry company, Dazhu Jewelry, is owned by me. If I want, I can crush you with money.”

Finally, the commotion attracted the attention of the people around, and Xuanrui Studio’s security guards arrived promptly.

Seeing the situation, they were taken aback.

They recognized the fat man, Chairman Zhu Li of Dazhu Jewelry, who was invited by Chairman Zhuang to view jade rough stones.

As for the trio on the other side, they didn’t know them, but just saw Chairman Zhuang personally bringing them in earlier.

Thus, neither side was someone they could afford to offend, making them hesitant and unsure why the conflict happened.

The crowd’s curiosity was piqued by the commotion, and they were mostly influential figures who were familiar with the fat man. Seeing the security come over, they urged them to separate Xiao Yi.

But the security guards hesitated, only verbally urging not to escalate the conflict.

“What are you doing? I’ve been partners with your Chairman Zhuang for years! Is this how you do your job? Can’t you see this kid has his hands on my collar? Are you just standing there idle?”

Seeing the crowd growing and his collar still in the young man’s grasp, Zhu Li felt humiliated.

Especially as the security did not intervene after arriving, leaving him very displeased.

“I said before, it won’t matter who comes; if you don’t apologize today, this won’t end.”

Faced with the infuriated fat man, Xiao Yi remained calm, speaking in the same cold tone.

The security team leader, seeing this, realized he couldn’t handle the situation, signaling to one of his subordinates.

The junior security guard immediately parted through the crowd, heading out.

Just stepping out of the crowd, he ran into Chairman Zhuang Yan.

“What’s happening inside? Why is there such a crowd?”

Zhuang Yan was on a call in the rest area, hearing the noise but assuming it was excitement over a good find, hence not paying much attention at first.

As the crowd grew and security rushed over, he realized something was amiss, quickly ending the call and heading over.

“Boss, Chairman Zhu of Dazhu Jewelry and the three you just brought in had a conflict, the young man is holding Chairman Zhu by his collar demanding an apology.”

Hearing Xiao Yi was involved in a conflict made Zhuang Yan quicken his pace, splitting the crowd as he went in.

Seeing Zhuang Yan, the onlookers made way for him, and soon he reached the center of the action.

Seeing it was indeed Xiao Yi in conflict, Zhuang Yan’s brow furrowed:

“What’s going on, brother?”

Hearing Zhuang Yan’s voice, Xiao Yi couldn’t help but give a wry smile at Zhuang Yan, wondering if he was cursed to clash with people every time he came to Xuanrui Studio.

“Oh hey, Chairman Zhuang, why did you come personally? It’s nothing major, just some riff-raff. I can handle it myself.”

Before Xiao Yi could speak, the fat man, still held by the collar, addressed Zhuang Yan.

It seemed the fat man thought Zhuang Yan’s “brother” was referring to him.

Instantly, the fat man’s previously gloomy expression brightened. Earlier, Zhuang Yan called him brother, and although he was quite wealthy as Qinhuangdao’s largest jeweler, compared to Zhuang Yan’s Zhuang Group, it was day and night.

Even if being grabbed by a kid’s collar, it brought him closer to Zhuang Yan, which was worth it!

[To be continued…]

ps: A brother left a message not liking Empress Dowager Ye’s storyline, so I’ll wrap it up soon. Rest assured, after the college entrance exams, it’ll be the start of a new life, leaving the island for a new city to fight for a better future.