Song Xi had only been sitting for a few minutes when a server suddenly burst into the lounge, looking frantic and clearly distressed.
"Where is Song Xi? Is Song Xi here?"
Song Xi, who had been slacking off in the corner, raised her hand timidly, her face full of worry. Had her laziness been discovered? She had only been sitting for a few minutes—even if she were a beast of burden, surely she deserved a break?
"Sister Chen has been looking everywhere for you! Come with me to Private Room 1, now!"
"Private Room 1?" Song Xi had not expected this to be about that room again. She had tried so hard to stay as far away from it as possible.
The server didn't have time to explain; he rushed over, grabbed Song Xi by the arm, and pulled her toward the door. "Just hurry up! Things have gotten very ugly, and Sister Chen is about to explode with rage!"
Song Xi was even more confused. Did this really have anything to do with her? She hadn't even stepped foot in that room today. As she was dragged along, she didn't forget to pull her mask back onto her face.
When they finally arrived at the entrance of Private Room 1, the server pushed her inside before she could even prepare herself.
*Song Xi: ???*
Not even a second to compose herself?
The air inside the room was heavy and suffocating. Before Song Xi could figure out what was happening, the shift manager, Sister Chen, grabbed her and hauled her into the center of the room.
"Song Xi, explain this to President Xie and Lord Shang. I clearly had someone call for you—why was it Sun Xiaoyu who showed up instead of you?"
Only then did Song Xi notice Sun Xiaoyu slumped on the floor. Her mask had been ripped off, revealing a distinct slap mark on her face. Song Xi was completely stunned, especially by the manager's words.
"I have no idea..."
Before she could finish, Sun Xiaoyu scrambled to cut her off. "We told you! You were the one who didn't want to come and begged me to help you! And now you're going to act like you don't know? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If you hadn't begged me, how would I have dared to come in your place?" Sun Xiaoyu looked at Xie Qian and Gu Lishang. "It really was her request. She told me that since everyone was wearing masks, nobody would recognize us, so it wouldn't matter. I didn't think it through and agreed, but now I regret it so much! I never should have done her this favor!"
Sun Xiaoyu was trying to drag Song Xi down with her. The situation had been exposed and the consequences were severe; her only way to survive was to pin the blame on Song Xi.
"That's completely untrue! Nobody told me anything, and I never said those things to you!"
"Oh, so it's 'untrue'? Plenty of people in the lounge can testify for me!" Sun Xiaoyu sounded firm and certain, as if she were speaking the gospel truth. She usually got along well with the other girls and was certain they would back her up. Big shots like Xie Qian and Gu Lishang had such precious time; how could they possibly waste it digging for the truth? They would naturally believe whoever had more people on their side. Song Xi was finished!
Song Xi hurried to defend herself. "I haven't even seen her or spoken to her today! If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance cameras!"
"Check the cameras? Do you think President Xie and Lord Shang have nothing better to do than waste their time on you? Everyone can vouch for me—why go through all that trouble?"
"You don't want to check because you're lying, aren't you?"
"I'm not lying! I'm telling the truth, and there are many people who can prove it. Can anyone prove your side of the story?"
Seeing Xie Qian's face growing darker and his patience wearing thin, Sister Chen shouted, "Enough! Both of you, shut up!"
After scolding them, the manager bowed respectfully to the two men, her apology sincere. "I am truly sorry. This happened because I didn't manage things properly. I apologize to both of you, and tonight's drinks are on the house."
Xie Qian scoffed. "You think you can just treat us like fools and settle it this way? Do you think we care about the price of a few drinks?" While their daily spending was in the hundreds of thousands, such a gesture was a mere drop in the bucket for them.
"I understand," the manager said. "The drinks are just a gesture of our attitude. I will fire Song Xi immediately to ensure this never happens again."
To the manager, the cunning Sun Xiaoyu was a valuable employee with high sales figures, while Song Xi was just an average server with no social intelligence. Regardless of who was right or wrong, anyone would choose to keep Sun Xiaoyu and sacrifice Song Xi.
"Fire that woman?" Xie Qian glanced at Gu Lishang. He didn't care who was fired; he just wanted someone to answer for the slight. But Gu Lishang had come specifically for this woman, and Xie Qian was curious about his stance. "Brother Shang, what do you think?"
Gu Lishang glanced at Song Xi, his expression indifferent, giving nothing away. "If you had been notified, would you have been willing to come?"
Song Xi bit her lip. Honestly, she wasn't willing at all, but she had to protect herself. Regardless of whether it was the truth or a lie, if she said it, it was the "truth" now.
"Of course I would have."
"Good." Gu Lishang nodded. "I believe you."
*Xie Qian: ?????*
That was it? Just like that?
"Brother Shang," Xie Qian asked, "I didn't realize you were such a hasty person."
Gu Lishang only raised his chin slightly. "Handle it."
Xie Qian immediately took charge, finally finding his purpose. He looked down his nose at the manager. "Didn't you hear him? Handle it quickly. This... Song... what was her name?"
"Song Xi," Gu Lishang prompted.
"Right. Song Xi is telling the truth, and the other one was lying to us, treating us like fools. You should know better than us how to handle this!"
With Xie Qian and Gu Lishang fully backing Song Xi, the manager didn't dare touch her. To resolve the matter, she had to cut into Sun Xiaoyu.
"Get out of here right now! Don't bother coming to work ever again."
Sun Xiaoyu never expected to lose her job just like that. This job was everything to her—her rent, her food, her credit card bills—they all relied on her salary. If she lost this stable income, she would fall into a financial crisis. And if that wasn't bad enough, her boyfriend... he would definitely leave her!
Sun Xiaoyu knelt on the floor, still trying to bluff her way out. "I'm not lying! It was Song Xi who lied! I'm telling the truth! Sister Chen, don't listen to her one-sided story! Please don't fire me, I really need this job!"
*SMACK!*
The manager slapped Sun Xiaoyu across the face so hard a red mark appeared instantly, intersecting with the previous one. Based on the size of the mark, it was clear who had slapped her the first time.
"Shut up! If you dare say another word, forget about losing your job—you'll lose every penny of your bonus for this month!" The manager looked toward the door. "What are you standing there for? Drag her out! Don't let her ruin the guests' mood!"
Security quickly moved in and dragged Sun Xiaoyu away. After bowing again, the manager hurried out. The room finally went quiet, leaving Song Xi standing in the center, feeling completely lost.
Gu Lishang said, "Sit next to me."