WBSGVS Chapter 263 Part 2

Wei Xuwei stared at her in silence.

“I think you probably don’t see it as embarrassing, right?” Qingli said with a feigned silly smile.

Wei Xuwei hesitated but didn’t respond.

She didn’t find it embarrassing—but still, wasn’t it a bit inappropriate? And what exactly was her daughter planning?

Qingli showed no guilt at all. “Mom, don’t look at me like that. I want some grilled chicken wings!”

Wei Xuwei hesitated a few seconds longer, but in the end didn’t try to stop her. Forget it—her bond with her daughter mattered more. After all, she wasn’t the one in the wrong, so why should she cover for him? And besides, if Su Qiu dared to do it, then she could face the consequences herself.

She went to get her daughter some barbecue.

Qingli found a seat and sat down.

She had already finished all her preparations; there was no need to rush around at the last minute.

Wei Xuwei returned quickly. Seeing her daughter lounging so casually surprised her for a moment. “Here you go—freshly grilled. I added extra cumin. Eat up.”

“Thank you, Mom!” Qingli accepted happily, blew on the golden, crispy wings until they cooled a little, and then took a careful bite.

Not long after Qingli finished her chicken wings, Grandpa Shao took the stage. The birthday banquet officially began, starting with his speech about how his granddaughter had grown up.

In fact, the reason the original host’s birthday banquet had been arranged at this time was to line up new partners for a major upcoming project by the Shao family. The whole event was essentially a business showcase.

Qingli knew perfectly well she was just a prop. After Grandpa finished speaking, she wiped her mouth and was ushered onstage to cut the cake.

The final part of the program was for everyone to eat cake while a slideshow played on the projector. With Grandpa Shao narrating, the guests watched as photos traced the journey of a baby growing into the girl standing before them now.

His formal speech was heartfelt, and as one photo after another appeared, the guests seemed to fall into the mood nicely, letting themselves be drawn in.

Only Su Qiu, staring at the huge screen, couldn’t even pretend to be touched. Her beautiful face was expressionless, her brows faintly furrowed, her eyes tinged with disdain.

She didn’t like this girl.

At the amusement park that time, she had clearly felt that the girl didn’t like her either.

The reason why… well, they both knew.

Su Qiu had dressed to impress today for one reason: to see Shao Mingxuan. If it weren’t for the fact that leaving right after would make a bad impression on his parents, she would’ve been gone long ago.

But Shao Qingli’s presence was a constant reminder of her own foolishness. If only she’d been reborn a little earlier, before either of them had gotten married—how wonderful that would have been.

Instead, here they were—having confessed their feelings in subtle back-and-forth exchanges, yet unable to even meet one-on-one.

Her reckless choice in youth was a thorn in her throat, one she regretted bitterly.

Thankfully, Shao Mingxuan was already considering divorce. But right now, the Shao family’s major project was too big to handle alone; they needed outside investors. If things dragged on and negative publicity broke out, it could be disastrous.

Just then, the slideshow flipped to the next slide.

But instead of the expected childhood photos, a massive picture filled the screen—of two people kissing.

The pair in the photo was at an amusement park, lips clearly pressed together. The shot was even rather artistic. If not for the occasion—and if it hadn’t been the wrong people in the picture—it could almost have been called beautiful.

The entire room fell silent.

Someone, not grasping the situation, broke the stillness with a laugh. “Oh wow, even at your kid’s birthday, you two still have to show off the PDA, huh?”

Then someone tugged at his sleeve.

He blinked. “What?”

“That’s not Shao Qingli’s parents!” the other hissed.

“…???”

The mood shattered instantly.

No one dared say anything aloud, but the tech staff in back apparently hadn’t realized anything was wrong—the photo stayed frozen onscreen, glaringly obvious.

Once someone explained, the uneasy quiet erupted into shocked whispers. Grandpa Shao, stunned onstage, snapped back to himself and barked, “Turn it off! Shut it down!”

A loud click—and the screen went black.

But the dimmed lights couldn’t smother the waves of murmurs that filled the hall.

Standing below the stage, Shao Mingxuan’s face shifted from polite composure to horrified panic. The very next second, his gaze shot to Qingli on stage, his expression darkening to a sickly green.

That angle. That scene.

Only Shao Qingli could have taken that photo!

On stage, Qingli tilted her eyes and smiled sweetly at him, nearly making Shao Mingxuan tremble with rage.

Su Qiu, still craning her head up, suddenly came to her senses. The instant she realized what had happened, the blush on her cheeks drained away, leaving her pale as paper. Her mind went blank.

It was over!

Her legs nearly gave out. But this wasn’t the time to fall apart. She ducked her head, letting her long hair fall to hide her face, grabbed her son’s hand, and tried to bolt.

In her rush, she bumped into someone.

She stammered a quick apology and fled even faster, as if wild dogs were snapping at her heels.

Not until she burst outside did she finally breathe—

Only for her son, still dazed, to ask: “Mom, was that you in the picture?”

The words hit her like a blow. Her face flushed crimson again—this time from sheer humiliation.