After a brief moment of thought, Zhou Zixiao agreed.
From the day he was born until now, he had never suffered such a great humiliation.
Although he knew deep down that it was Tang Lize who had pulled him down.
But if Qiao Sheng hadn’t suddenly gone crazy, how could he have suffered such a misfortune?
Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor. Young Master Zhou was someone who knew how to seek revenge, and Qiao Sheng was the root cause of it all.
Seeing him nod, Tang Lize flashed a malicious smile and immediately began rubbing his hands together in anticipation, searching everywhere for Qiao Sheng.
Then, they received a result that left everyone stunned—Qiao Sheng hadn’t come.
Everyone was taken aback, including Zhou Zixiao, who appeared aloof and indifferent to everything.
He was petty-minded. Even if Tang Lize hadn’t suggested using a game to prank and take revenge on Qiao Sheng, he wouldn’t have pretended that the unpleasantness of that day had never happened.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, the truth was that from the beginning of the birthday party until now, his gaze had been wandering through the crowd, intentionally or unintentionally, trying to find Qiao Sheng’s figure.
Hearing the news that Qiao Sheng hadn’t come made his heart sink slightly.
She actually didn’t come?
He had given her the opportunity to attend his birthday party. She should have been grateful.
How dare she not come?!
Zhou Zixiao’s chest heaved rapidly a few times.
Tang Lize noticed his displeased expression and, thinking he was upset about missing the perfect opportunity to mess with Qiao Sheng, quickly speculated, “She’s probably stuck in traffic.”
The city center was the most crowded area, and traffic jams were commonplace.
At that moment, two girls who had been lingering near Zhou Zixiao, reluctant to leave and trying to catch his attention, spoke up: “We saw Qiao Sheng on our way here. She seemed to have gone into a men’s clothing store at the time, probably still picking out a birthday gift for you, Young Master Zhou.”
They didn’t understand why the lofty young master of the Zhou family would suddenly care about Qiao Sheng. Wasn’t she just a convenient maid to him?
But seeing Zhou Zixiao’s displeased expression and Tang Lize’s excited look, as if waiting to prank someone, they guessed that Qiao Sheng might be part of some entertainment planned for Young Master Zhou’s party. Eager to make an impression on Zhou Zixiao, they quickly shared what they had seen at a shopping mall and their own assumptions.
They had personally seen Qiao Sheng enter a men’s clothing store. At a time like this, who else could she be buying something for?
It must be for Young Master Zhou.
Hearing this, Zhou Zixiao’s gloomy mood miraculously eased.
He thought disdainfully, could anything she bought be worth wearing or using?
It would only lower his status.
He would never accept it.
Just like that ridiculous handmade scarf, he would throw it straight into the trash.
Zhou Zixiao snorted inwardly, sweeping away the inexplicable frustration and irritation from earlier. In high spirits, he held a wine glass and mingled among the guests, chatting and laughing, attracting a flood of admiring gazes.
Time passed minute by minute.
One minute passed, two minutes passed, ten minutes passed…
When Zhou Zixiao once again realized something and couldn’t help but glance toward the banquet hall entrance, even Tang Lize was astonished this time: “Why hasn’t that damned girl Qiao come yet?”
Zhou Zixiao lowered his head and took a sip from his glass, using the motion to hide the sudden tightness of his lips caused by his displeasure.
Why hasn’t she come yet?
Even if she knew he had thrown away the scarf she gave him and was throwing a tantrum, she should still know her limits.
Besides, does she even have the right to act petty in front of him? How laughable! She should take a good look at herself and see what status she holds!
Does she really think that just because he generously gave her the chance to serve tea and water by his side, she’s somehow superior to others?
A lapdog should know its place. If not, he’ll strip her of this opportunity in the future, leaving her with nowhere to cry.
Amidst his unpredictable mood swings, Tang Lize suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “I’ve got it! She must have arrived long ago, but she’s afraid you’re still angry, so she’s probably lingering pitifully outside the hotel right now!”
This speculation seemed perfectly reasonable.
So much so that as soon as Tang Lize voiced it, everyone who heard it, including Zhou Zixiao, was convinced it was the truth.
Some even burst into laughter on the spot.
Right in front of Zhou Zixiao, they made no effort to hide their mockery and ridicule toward Qiao Sheng.
It was simple—anyone could see that Zhou Zixiao didn’t like Qiao Sheng and only treated her as a source of amusement.
“Zhou Shao, it’s freezing outside, cold enough to kill someone. Should we call her in?” someone immediately asked.
Of course, it wasn’t out of any sense of camaraderie or concern for Qiao Sheng’s well-being. Instead, they wanted to take on the task of calling her in, eager to be the first to witness her embarrassment.
Zhou Zixiao nodded, putting on a righteous front. “I invited the entire class to my birthday party. She’s one of our classmates—how could I possibly turn her away?”
With that confirmation, the person dashed off.
“Wait for me, I’ll go with you!”
Two or three others, afraid of missing the sight of Qiao Sheng shivering in the cold while desperately longing to come inside, hurried out of the banquet hall as well.
Everyone else leisurely continued eating, drinking, and having fun.
Only a few noticed that the group calling for Qiao Sheng was taking an unusually long time.
Zhou Zixiao suddenly lost interest in entertaining his guests. He retreated to a corner by himself, occasionally glancing in a certain direction.
Though surrounded by noise and excitement, his mind remained detached, and he even felt a growing impatience. This year’s birthday felt particularly dull, and every face that approached him with flattery and sycophancy only filled him with disgust.
But he couldn’t show it.
Finally, the group who had gone to fetch Qiao Sheng returned.
Zhou Zixiao pretended to casually glance in their direction, scanning the area twice, but he couldn’t spot the figure that had always appeared in his line of sight before.
A slight chill settled in his heart.
Tang Lize, who had been waiting to start a game, couldn’t wait for the group to approach and eagerly asked, “Where’s Qiao Sheng?”
He was certain she wouldn’t miss this opportunity. Last year, she had gone to great lengths to attend Zhou Shao’s birthday celebration but failed. This year, with Zhou Shao actively relaxing the conditions, she naturally wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by.
The group had spent over ten minutes outside in the biting cold, their lips slightly blue from the chill. The warm air inside the banquet hall couldn’t immediately thaw their frozen state.
But what caught everyone’s attention was the confusion on their faces. “We didn’t see her…”
At first, when they didn’t spot Qiao Sheng, they assumed she had seen them, finally felt a sense of shame, and had hidden herself somewhere.
They patiently searched outside for a long time, only to reluctantly accept a reality that seemed utterly unbelievable—Qiao Sheng hadn’t come!
Seriously, what’s wrong with her?!
Today is Zhou Shao’s birthday—how could she possibly not show up to make an appearance?
“Did something happen to her?”
“Yes, she might be too sick to get up!”
“Hey, does anyone have her number? Give her a call and check.”