Qian Xingde stood up, his eyes bloodshot.
"Whose daughter are you, to dare cause trouble at the Qian family banquet!"
Tang Yiyi supported Shu Ya behind Qian Xingde, saying nothing. She wished Qian Xingde would unleash his fury on Tang Xiaomin and settle the score for her.
Facing a burly man, Tang Xiaomin's slender frame appeared delicate.
However, this did not hinder Tang Xiaomin's composed demeanor in the face of danger.
Tang Xiaomin tilted her chin slightly, her pride and arrogance evident, unyielding.
Tang Xiaomin glanced at Tang Yiyi behind Qian Xingde. Just moments ago, she had called her sister, and now she was pretending not to know her.
Since Tang Yiyi remained silent, Tang Xiaomin decided to help her, and in doing so, help the Tang family.
"I go by no other name, and I am Tang Xiaomin."
Tang family.
Qian Xingde quickly recalled Tang Zhongcheng's family and the daughter they had brought back half a year ago. It must be this Tang Xiaomin.
He had long heard that Tang Xiaomin was not favored in the Tang family. Even though she bore the Tang surname, Qian Xingde did not take her seriously at this moment.
"Young and ignorant, daring to cause a scene at my banquet and hitting my daughter. If you don't provide an explanation today, you won't be leaving!"
An explanation for what? If you feel wronged and have lost face, then come and fight me.
All this blustering, and soon everyone will be fine.
Tang Xiaomin said, "What kind of explanation do you want?"
"Kneel down and apologize to my daughter, then slap yourself a few times," Qian Xingde demanded.
Such arrogance.
"Heh." Tang Xiaomin let out a mocking laugh.
"Why don't you ask why I hit her and splashed champagne on her? There's always a cause and effect. You're asking me to apologize without even asking for details, what are you thinking?"
At this point, the banquet guests began to whisper amongst themselves.
"It was Qian Lili who first splashed wine on her, and she was the one who initiated the fight."
"Yes, she missed the wine and couldn't win the fight. Qian Xingde is being unreasonable by demanding an apology without even asking."
"Exactly. Tang Xiaomin didn't say or do anything at first. Who asked these people to bully her?"
"If you're not as skilled, don't provoke others."
"Indeed. She thinks she's the apple of her father's eye and the world revolves around her. She deserves the slap."
...
Qian Xingde, overhearing these whispers, became increasingly embarrassed. He said coldly,
"Even if my daughter made a mistake, you injured her like this. Your mistake is greater. If you don't apologize today, you won't be leaving!"
Right and wrong were no longer the issue. Arguing with such a person was clearly impossible.
"So you mean to say your daughter made no mistake at all?"
"'Even if my daughter made a mistake, yours is greater. You must apologize today. Even if Tang Zhongcheng were here, he couldn't save you!"
With the situation escalating to this point and Tang Zhongcheng still absent, it seemed he had no intention of helping Tang Xiaomin.
He never deigned to mention her in front of outsiders. His bringing her to the banquet today was not for a simple reason.
Tang Xiaomin was not naive enough to expect Tang Zhongcheng to help her out of this situation.
"Alright, then I'll be clear. Even if Tang Zhongcheng were here today, I will not apologize."
This...
Seeing that he had encountered a hard nut to crack, Qian Xingde was furious.
"Don't think that just because you're young and a woman, I won't dare to do anything to you. Tang Zhongcheng didn't teach you well; I will!"
As Qian Xingde's anger flared and he prepared to personally seek justice for Qian Lili, the guests at the banquet couldn't help but try to persuade Tang Xiaomin.
"Miss, you've already hit her. Just apologize."
"Yes, this is their territory. A wise warrior knows when to retreat."
...
Everyone assumed Tang Xiaomin would suffer a loss, and cast sympathetic glances her way.
Tang Xiaomin, however, was unfazed. She said calmly, "Apologizing is impossible. If you want to seek justice, then come."
Alas... such stubbornness could be problematic.
Upon hearing Tang Xiaomin's response, Qian Xingde's rage boiled over. He strode towards Tang Xiaomin and raised his hand to slap her hard.
The onlookers gasped, some even closing their eyes, unable to bear witness.
However, the expected crisp sound of a slap did not materialize.
The girl's slender wrist firmly caught Qian Xingde's descending hand.
Tang Xiaomin's lips curled into a cold smile. In the next second, she slapped Qian Xingde back, sending him flying several meters.
*Pfft...*
Qian Xingde slowly pushed himself up from the ground, spitting out a bloody tooth. A bright red handprint was starkly visible on his face.
He looked at Tang Xiaomin, who had knocked out his tooth, with utter disbelief.
...
The entire hall fell silent. They stared at the girl with astonishing strength, their mouths agape, not daring to breathe.
Fierce!
She was incredibly fierce!
Before, one might have said Qian Lili was bullied by Tang Xiaomin, and it was a scuffle between two women, where the more injured party was in the right.
But now, Qian Xingde was a large, strong man, and he had been beaten so badly. This time, no one could be blamed but himself.
"Dad!"
Qian Lili cried out and rushed to Qian Xingde's side to check his injuries.
The guests were jolted awake by Qian Lili's exclamation, and all eyes turned to Tang Xiaomin.
Tang Xiaomin, meanwhile, was calmly examining her hand.
She had used less than twenty percent of her strength to knock out a grown man's tooth. Not bad.
Seeing that the situation had escalated, Tang Yiyi finally made her move, acting as a peacemaker after the fact.
"Sister, you're so good at hitting people. You've caused trouble, and Father will be angry."
Angry?
It would be even better if Tang Zhongcheng were furious.
"Xiaomin, what are you doing?"
Tang Zhongcheng's voice sounded from the back of the crowd. After the situation had reached this point, he finally deigned to appear.
Tang Zhongcheng looked at the slap mark on Qian Xingde's face, Qian Lili's disheveled state, and Shu Ya's equally disheveled appearance. He was truly shocked.
According to his and Tang Yiyi's plan, Tang Xiaomin was bound to cause trouble at the banquet.
However, he had not expected Tang Xiaomin to beat someone to such an extent; it was far beyond his expectations.
Such violence made Tang Zhongcheng wary of Tang Xiaomin.
"Xiaomin, what are you doing?"
What am I doing?
Anyone with eyes could see. Why ask such a question when you know the answer?
Tang Xiaomin sneered.
"Can't you see for yourself!"
Tang Yiyi quickly started complaining.
"Father, Lili and Sister had a small conflict. Sister then resorted to hitting people. Uncle Qian asked Sister to apologize to Lili, but Sister even hit Uncle Qian. I couldn't persuade her..."
*Ugh...*
Tang Yiyi's blatant lies were utterly disgusting.
She had said nothing earlier, merely watching Qian Lili bully Tang Xiaomin.
She called Tang Xiaomin "Sister" with every breath, watched impassively as Qian Xingde stepped forward to hit Tang Xiaomin, and now she shamelessly claimed she couldn't persuade her.