I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Act Fragile

Because the wheelchair shifted so suddenly, Xu Heng completely failed to halt his forward momentum. He stumbled forward awkwardly over empty space, his balance violently shattering as he nearly crashed face-first onto the polished marble floor. Fortunately, one of his quick- thinking companions reacted in time, lunging forward to grab his designer sleeve and pulling him back before he could completely lose his balance and make a fool of himself.

”Yin Jiuqi! How dare a pathetic cripple like you treat me like that?!” Xu Heng roared angrily, his face instantly turning a furious shade of purple.

Utterly enraged and deeply humiliated in front of his elite social circle, Xu Heng lost all remnants of his sanity. He strode over aggressively, reached down, and violently grabbed Yin Jiuqi by the collar of his shirt, lifting him slightly.

The elite subordinate standing directly behind Yin Jiuqi’s wheelchair instinctively took a lethal step forward, his hand twitching toward his jacket as he prepared to instantly break Xu Heng’s wrist. However, after catching the subtle, sharp flash of warning in Yin Jiuqi’s eyes, the bodyguard immediately halted his movements and silently retreated back into the shadows, maintaining his cover.

”What... What do you think you are doing?” Yin Jiuqi asked, his voice suddenly sounding fragile, strained, and weak.

His breathing became noticeably laboured and shallow, purely because Xu Heng was gripping his fabric so tightly that it was intentionally restricting his airway.

Xu Heng’s earlier enraged shout had already successfully attracted the immediate attention of the surrounding high-society diners and elite hotel guests in the lobby. One after another, people began to turn around, gathering in a loose circle to watch the dramatic commotion unfold.

From the public’s collective perspective, the narrative of the scene was completely obvious.

The arrogant, towering Xu Heng appeared to be ruthlessly bullying and physically assaulting a helpless, disabled man who was completely confined to a wheelchair.

The general manager of the high-end establishment came hurrying out of the back offices after receiving an urgent report from the front desk that a violent disturbance was unfolding in the main lobby. However, the exact millisecond his eyes locked onto the fragile figure sitting in the motorised wheelchair, his knees turned to water and almost gave way beneath him. A wave of recognition hit him. He suddenly remembered a highly classified directive regarding this specific VIP guest and immediately rushed over to intervene.

”What on earth do you think you are doing, Young Master Xu? Please release him this instant!” The manager commanded, his voice slicing through the murmurs of the crowd.

The moment Xu Heng recognised the authoritative voice of the manager, he immediately let go of Yin Jiuqi’s crumpled fabric, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. For all his arrogance, he did not possess the courage to act completely unreasonably or carry out a scene in front of the executive manager of this specific luxury establishment.

”Young Master Xu, you should know better than to cause a public disturbance on my commercial premises.” The manager stated, glaring fiercely at Xu Heng with absolute disapproval. Then, his entire demeanour shifted instantly as he turned to face Yin Jiuqi, bowing his head slightly. ”Young Master Jiu, are you injured or hurting anywhere?”

”He violently pulled me upward by my shirt.” Yin Jiuqi said, his voice dropping into a fragile, calculated tremble as he lowered his head. ”My bad leg... it is hurting terribly now.”

”You! You deceitful bastard! You actually dare to fabricate a lie like this!” Xu Heng was utterly stunned, his jaw dropping as he watched Yin Jiuqi calmly play the victim and complain about him directly to the management.

”Manager Han, please, I beg of you, don’t listen to a single word he says! He is blatantly lying to cover his own tracks!” Xu Heng hurriedly stammered, his heart hammering against his ribs as he desperately tried to salvage his crumbling situation.

”Manager Han, we all saw the entire sequence of events perfectly from start to finish.” One of the high-society onlookers in the lobby suddenly chimed in, stepping forward to explain the situation to the executive. ”Young Master Xu tried to aggressively grab the handles of the wheelchair, but Young Master Jiu merely moved out of his physical reach. Young Master Xu lost his footing, stumbled awkwardly, and nearly crashed face-first onto the marble floor, but one of his friends managed to catch his arm. Because of that public embarrassment, he became enraged, stormed back over, and grabbed Young Master Jiu violently by the collar. It genuinely looked as though he was trying to drag a disabled man completely out of his wheelchair.”

Xu Heng whipped his head around, glaring fiercely with murderous intent at the prominent guest who had dared to speak up against him.

The gentleman did not avoid Xu Heng’s hostile glare for a single second. Instead, he simply looked back at him with an expression of calm disdain, lacking the slightest trace of fear toward the Xu Family’s influence.

”Young Master Xu, you are thoroughly aware of the strict, unyielding laws of this establishment. Anyone who causes a physical disturbance or threatens our guests within these walls will be permanently blacklisted from our registry.” Manager Han stated, his voice completely flat and devoid of mercy.

Xu Heng instantly panicked, a cold dread pooling in his stomach. If his name were to be permanently blacklisted from this venue, his social reputation within the city would be completely and utterly ruined.

This was no ordinary, everyday commercial establishment. It was one of the most exclusive, prestigious gathering hubs for the highest tier of the upper-class elite. Countless multi-billion-dollar business meetings, critical social galas, and private political banquets were held here every single year. If he was barred from crossing the threshold, not only would he lose his most vital networking venue to socialise with his powerful peers, but the public ban would severely damage the Xu Family’s corporate reputation as a whole.

If his strict father ever found out about this humiliating incident, he would undoubtedly be completely furious.

The absolute worst possible outcome flashed before his eyes. He could easily be stripped of his position as the chosen heir to the Xu Family fortune.

Xu Heng’s greedy half-siblings would undoubtedly seize the golden opportunity to mock him, ridicule his failure, and strip away his corporate power because he had ruined everything through his own unbridled stupidity. He absolutely, under any circumstances, could not allow that financial ruin to happen.

”Manager Han, please forgive my lapse in judgment just this once! I simply lost my temper for a fleeting moment earlier.” Xu Heng begged with sincere desperation, his usual arrogance vanishing as he lowered his posture. ”I promise you on my honour that I will never behave in such an unseemly manner in your establishment ever again.”

However, one of Xu Heng’s wealthy friends in the group was not a native resident of Hannan City, and because of his outsider status, he knew absolutely nothing about this legendary establishment’s powerful political background. Seeing a prominent young master like Xu Heng lower his pride to beg an ordinary employee like this, he felt deeply embarrassed and irritated on his friend’s behalf.

In his uneducated opinion, a wealthy young heir from a prominent family line should never have to degrade himself by begging a common manager. To his eyes, the display looked utterly pathetic and weak.

”Young Master Xu, why on earth are you lowering your dignity to beg a low-class person like him?” The foolish friend interrupted disdainfully, tossing his head back as he sneered at the staff. ”He is just a glorified store manager. If anything, he should feel profoundly honoured that young masters from prominent old-money families like us are even willing to grace his establishment with our presence.”

The exact millisecond those arrogant words left the idiot’s mouth, the remaining colour instantly drained from his face, leaving him a pasty, sickly white. Not only Xu Heng, but nearly every single one of his local friends also turned completely pale, their hearts stopping in their chests. They knew what this outsider did not. Manager Han was backed by people who could crush them all.

”Oh... So, according to your esteemed group, I am merely a low-class person.” Manager Han let out a dry, chilling, and self-mocking laugh that caused a shiver to run down everyone’s spines. ”Fine... Fine... I understand your perspective perfectly now.”

”Manager Han, please, he is an outsider! He did not know your identity. Don’t take a single syllable of his words seriously! I am begging you.” Xu Heng hurriedly screamed, his voice cracking as he tried to save his life.

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