Not only was Xu Ke refusing to give them money, he actually wanted them to pay him back? Wasn't that going too far?

Just then, Xu Ke shouted to the waiter outside the door, "Waiter!"

Nie Qinghe's face went white. When he had come over from his team-building dinner, he had specifically added several expensive dishes to the order. If he really had to pay for this meal, he would be taking a massive loss!

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Weren't you just saying how much you regretted not being able to treat us? I'm giving you the chance now, so why aren't you paying?" Xu Ke raised an eyebrow.

Nie Qinghe snarled through gritted teeth, "Don't push your luck!"

Xu Feng'an wailed, "Xu Ke, you're so rich! Why do you have to make things so difficult for us?"

Why didn't I just stay seated? Xu Zhenmin thought, filled with regret. Then I wouldn't be getting forced to pay right now.

"Make things difficult? I wouldn't be forcing you if you hadn't offered to treat us in the first place," Xu Ke said, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Now, no one was speaking up for Nie Qinghe.

The waiter approached. "Can I help you with anything?"

Xu Ke pointed at Nie Qinghe. "This gentleman would like to pay the bill!"

"Pay the bill?" the waiter asked, looking at Nie Qinghe in puzzlement.

The direct question made Nie Qinghe's face turn deathly pale. A wave of humiliation washed over him, causing his ears to burn red.

But the waiter's next words stunned him. "The bill for Room 208 has already been paid! You don't need to settle up." After saying his piece, the waiter turned and left.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

Paid already? Did Xu Ke pay for it?

Xu Ke, who was near the door, frowned. The bill's been paid? How could I not know?

Seeing the expression on Xu Ke's face, Xu Feng'an instantly realized he hadn't been the one to pay. She immediately scoffed, "Xu Ke, you're truly judging a gentleman by your own petty standards."

"Do you really think everyone is as stingy as you, unable to even afford a single meal?"

"Let me tell you, Qing He is the most generous one here!"

Nie Qinghe also scrambled to take credit. "That's right! I went ahead and paid the bill when I came over."

"I wasn't going to mention it, but since you tried to force my hand, I have no choice but to admit it!"

"Xu Ke, you should take a good long look at yourself. Ask yourself why you're so petty, while I, a mere intern, can be so generous!"

"This is what you call character!" Nie Qinghe began lecturing Xu Ke.

Xu Zhenmin also chimed in, "Xu Ke, you should learn from Qing He. Look how magnanimous he is!"

Xu Zhenguo and Xu Zhentai exchanged uneasy glances. They hadn't expected Nie Qinghe to actually pay the bill. It looked like Xu Ke was about to be humiliated again.

But Xu Ke was completely unfazed. "Fine. Since you've paid, you can go."

"What's with that attitude!" Xu Feng'an fumed. "My son just treated all of you to dinner! Aren't you going to apologize, admit you were wrong, and give us a house as compensation?"

Xu Ke replied flatly, "Aunt, I'd stay indoors during a thunderstorm if I were you. Be careful not to get struck by lightning."

Nie Qinghe shouted angrily, "I treat you to dinner, and you curse my mother?"

"If you don't get out of my sight right now, I will get physical," Xu Ke said with a smile, but his words were chilling.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Nie Qinghe snarled through gritted teeth. "You dare threaten to hit someone in public!"

"So what if you have money? Is being a kept man something to be proud of?"

"Can you even get a real job? Is any job you could get as glamorous as mine at Hengxin Media?"

"Pah! You're nothing but trash!"

Xu Ke stopped talking, preparing to stand up and physically escort them out.

Just then, a furious shout erupted from outside the door. "What job? You're fired from Hengxin Media!"

At these words, everyone froze and looked toward the door.

Who's here?

Upon seeing the newcomer, the color drained from Nie Qinghe's face. "Pres... President Yuk?!"

"President Yuk my ass! I'm not your president!" Yuk Dalong roared.

Just a moment ago, after saying a few words at his own table, Yuk Dalong had decided to come over for a look. He also planned to use the opportunity to curry favor with Xu Ke. There was no way he would let Xu Ke remain unaware that he had settled the bill for him. Otherwise, wouldn't his good deed have gone to waste? But as he approached, he heard Nie Qinghe spouting disgusting insults at Xu Ke. As a company president, it didn't take a genius for him to figure out the relationship between Nie Qinghe and Xu Ke. Making a snap decision, Yuk Dalong immediately fired Nie Qinghe to ingratiate himself with Xu Ke!

Seeing Yuk Dalong personally arrive to fire Nie Qinghe, everyone present, except for Xu Ke, was dumbfounded.

Wasn't Nie Qinghe their best intern? How could the president of Hengxin Media fire him just like that?

As Yuk Dalong entered the private room, Nie Qinghe hurried over to him. "President Yuk, you don't have to be afraid of him!" he whispered. "Doesn't our company have the backing of the Ye Family?"

Nie Qinghe assumed Yuk Dalong was afraid of offending the Wang Family and was only firing him for show in front of Xu Ke.

But Yuk Dalong just roared with laughter. "Afraid? Get lost! The truth is, you're incompetent, and I've wanted to fire you for a long time. You got a problem with that?"

Nie Qinghe's face was ashen. He simply couldn't accept what Yuk Dalong was saying.

Xu Feng'an couldn't accept her son being fired either. "President Yuk, my son is the best intern at Hengxin Media! If you fire him, where will you ever find such a talented person again?! You're paying him a salary of fifteen thousand, who else could possibly command such a wage?"

At her words, Yuk Dalong stared in shock. "Fifteen thousand?" he barked. "Nie Qinghe, why don't you just go rob a bank? You're ranked second to last in this year's internship assessment! Fifteen thousand my ass! I wouldn't even pay you two thousand five hundred a month!"

A suffocating silence fell over the room. At this point, if anyone still couldn't figure out that the "best intern" story was a complete fabrication, they had to be an idiot.

With his lies so thoroughly exposed, Nie Qinghe's face burned with shame.

Xu Feng'an staggered back a few steps, unable to believe it. Her son… had been lying to her from the very beginning!

And just then, something even more astonishing happened.

Yuk Dalong strode forward until he stood before Xu Ke. Under everyone's stunned gaze, Yuk Dalong slowly bowed and said respectfully, "Mister Xu, I took the liberty of paying your bill earlier. Please, let me know if there's anything else you'd like to eat. I can have the kitchen prepare it immediately. What do you think?"

At his words, jaws dropped around the room.

So that was it! It wasn't Nie Qinghe who had paid the bill! It was Yuk Dalong, who had paid in advance simply to curry favor with Xu Ke!

In that instant, furious glares shot toward Nie Qinghe and Xu Feng'an. That mother and son duo had been acting and trying to take the credit right to the very end. If Yuk Dalong hadn't shown up, they would have all been deceived!

Xu Zhenmin was filled with a furious regret. Why on earth didn't I side with Xu Ke from the start? Second Brother got ten million! I could have at least gotten one million!

"That won't be necessary. My parents have had enough to eat," Xu Ke said with a wave of his hand. "Thank you, President Yuk."

But what truly blew everyone's minds were Yuk Dalong's next respectful words. "Mister Xu, there's no need to be so formal. Please, just call me Xiao Yu."

The big boss of a media company was referring to himself as "Xiao Yu" in front of Xu Ke?

Nie Qinghe stood as if turned to stone, his mind reeling in disbelief. When President Yuk dealt with Ye Chen and Ye Fan, he was never this cautious. So why is he being a hundred times more respectful to Xu Ke than he is to the Ye Family's eldest and fourth young masters? Is this really the same Yuk Dalong who once swore he'd ruin Xu Ke?!

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