"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you believe I won't have someone tear your mouths apart?"
Hearing the bystanders' remarks, Lin Xiaoxiao was furious.
She did not understand that a chorus of slander could melt gold. Or perhaps she was simply so accustomed to being spoiled that, even if she understood, she would not have cared.
"Xiaoxiao, step back." Tu Mingshan's expression changed slightly when she berated the crowd, and he spoke with a frown.
"Mingshan!" Lin Xiaoxiao still wanted to wheedle him, only to meet his stern gaze.
Lin Xiaoxiao froze for a moment.
She and Tu Mingshan had been childhood sweethearts and were usually very close. No matter how willful and spoiled she became, he always indulged and coaxed her without complaint.
But on the rare occasions when he looked at her like this, his heart truly turned to iron and stone. Nothing could change his mind.
Lin Xiaoxiao did not dare defy Tu Mingshan when he was like this. She could only fall awkwardly silent, though her cheeks remained puffed out in clear defiance.
Tu Mingshan paid no attention to the others either. Keeping a smile on his face, he said to Fang Qianyuan, "Since you say so, Young Master Fang, I believe you. There must be some misunderstanding here."
Then he changed tack. "However, Xiaoxiao is my fiancée, so I must listen to what she says. I wonder whether you would do me the courtesy of explaining this matter clearly? This is no place to talk. If you are willing, there is a fine teahouse just past this intersection. I would be happy to treat you to tea."
"Oh?" Fang Qianyuan was slightly taken aback. He had not expected Tu Mingshan to be so modest and courteous.
But the man was formidable indeed. In just a