"You—"
The American female judge was infuriated. When she noticed the looks from the people around her, she quickly put on a wronged expression.
"I, I thought you knew it was a joke."
"Oh, I was just joking with you, too."
Although the words were like this, Yuan Meng's expression was extremely serious. It was completely impossible to tell that she was joking.
No one was stupid. Especially since this matter involved an undercurrent of rivalry between two women, everyone chose to turn a deaf ear.
Despite this, the American female judge was still very angry.
"Is it really necessary to be like this? It was just a little joke."
She thought that since it was a joke to her, everyone had to fully cooperate.
Knowing what was on this woman's mind, the others' expressions changed slightly. They were even less willing to get involved in this matter.
Yuan Meng's aloofness did make Ling Qianchen feel a sense of loss. He was also afraid of seeing disgust in her eyes, so he chose a table where he could see her but still keep a certain distance and sat down.
However, not long after he sat down, Yuan Meng was harassed.
Although Yuan Meng was capable of handling it herself, he still couldn't just sit back and watch others bully her!
So, he came over.
"Madam, please don't deliberately pick on Yueyue."
The American female judge had taken a fancy to Ling Qianchen at first sight, which was why she had been so sarcastic.
Now seeing Ling Qianchen speak coldly to her for the sake of Ai Yue, her heart was deeply hurt.
"Mr. Ling, I didn't mean that. I'm just curious about your relationship with Miss Ai Yue..."
"Curious?" Ling Qianchen sneered and raised his eyebrows. He sat directly on Yuan Meng's left and said, "Yueyue and I have known each other for a long time. We're very good friends. Isn't this common knowledge?"
The American female judge lowered her head in embarrassment and said very aggrievedly, "I, I didn't know."
"That's your problem. After all, Yueyue and I don't need to report the details to an outsider."
With these words, he completely shattered the last bit of the female judge's persistence.
At the same time, several judges at the same table wished they could dig a hole in the ground and bury themselves to avoid witnessing this battle of wits.
The organizer was very headache.
To be honest, the judges of this session were more difficult to handle than the contestants!
Why on earth did they have to provoke others? And if they had to provoke, they just had to be so blind as to provoke Ling Qianchen and Ai Yue!
Wasn't this just asking for humiliation?
Although he had complaints in his heart, since it was his event after all, he could only put on a smile again and walked over.
"Please all calm down, you three. We'll be getting along for a while. Don't hurt our harmony."
Whether it was because she was scared by Ling Qianchen's cold face or because she wanted to give the organizer some face, the American female judge didn't say anything more.
On the surface, the judges were okay, but only they knew that this war on the verge of breaking out had finally calmed down.
Although it might only be a superficial calm, it was still better than being caught in the middle and feeling awkward.
After Ling Qianchen sat down, Yuan Meng didn't bother to say anything.
Because she knew that this man's face was as thick as a city wall. Since she knew she couldn't get rid of him, she might as well just keep silent and save her breath.
Everyone had their own thoughts, and the organizer also heaved a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this celebration banquet could still go on as normal!
Successfully sitting beside her, Ling Qianchen was in a good mood.
During the dinner, Ling Qianchen served Yuan Meng the whole time, which made others envious.
Some people who wanted to curry favor with Ling Qianchen naturally said some nice things. And since Ling Qianchen was in a relatively good mood, he occasionally responded.
While responding to a few judges, Ling Qianchen suddenly had an idea. He picked up a dish that Yuan Meng usually claimed to like the most.
"Here, be careful, it's hot."
After putting a piece of sparerib in Yuan Meng's bowl, Ling Qianchen couldn't take his eyes off her anymore.
To be honest, he was in a self - contradictory state.
On the one hand, he prayed that it wasn't what he thought; on the other hand, he hoped to get it confirmed...
No matter which kind of psychology it was, it was quite tormenting.
Under his gaze, Yuan Meng generously picked up her chopsticks, picked up the sparerib, put it in her mouth, and mumbled a "thank you".
Ling Qianchen didn't look happy as before. Instead, his mind became heavier.
Was this just a coincidence?
To confirm his thought, he deliberately picked a dish that Yuan Meng usually disliked the most and put it in her bowl. Sure enough, he noticed...
Her face changed.
Having a free laborer, Yuan Meng wasn't so pretentious as to refuse. Anyway, it was someone's own will.
But when he picked the dish she disliked the most, her happy mood instantly hit rock bottom, and her delicate eyebrows frowned tightly.
"What's wrong?" Ling Qianchen, who had confirmed his thought again, deliberately asked as if he didn't know, "Is this dish not to your taste?"
Yuan Meng nodded. "Yes, I don't like this dish. It always tastes strange."
These words made Ling Qianchen stunned again.
So, were these two people actually the same person?
Before he could ask in detail, the American female judge, who had long been jealous and with red eyes, started being sarcastic again.
"Humph, some people really have the temper of a young miss."
Yuan Meng raised her eyebrows and said nothing.
So, now that they had fallen out, she didn't even bother to pretend anymore?
"What are you looking at? I'm just talking to you!"
As if she had caught some great little handle, the American female judge was extremely proud. Even Ling Qianchen's dark face wasn't enough to scare her.
"Why are you staring at me? Did I say something wrong? I'm also a woman, but I'm not as delicate as her."
Several judges didn't dare to say a word. They all lowered their heads and buried themselves in their food.
They looked as if they were so attracted by the food that they didn't have time to care about anything else.
The American female judge had long known that these people were cowards, so she didn't expect them to speak up for her.
"Mr. Ling, I..."
"I like it. Who are you to stop me?"
Knowing what the female judge wanted to say, Ling Qianchen directly retorted coldly.
If it weren't for worrying about Yuan Meng's reputation, he could have just asked the organizer to throw this woman out so that they could have some peace.
But unfortunately, he met someone who had no sense of propriety and thought she had the right to speak. She just kept chattering in his ear.
So annoying!
Having been humiliated again, the American female judge couldn't stay any longer. She covered her face and ran away directly.
This farce came to a temporary end.
The other judges didn't have such a thick skin.
At least, they weren't going to offend Ling Qianchen for someone who didn't know her place and was over - confident.
No way!
If they really offended these two big shots, they probably wouldn't be considered for any jobs in this circle.
So, they might as well just keep turning a blind eye!
Without the American female judge stirring things up, the atmosphere at the dinner table was much better than before.
Of course, this was just Ling Qianchen's personal opinion.
After the celebration banquet ended, Yuan Meng, who was full, let out a small burp and got up to leave. But Ling Qianchen, who didn't want to part with her, pestered her again.
"I'll take you home."
Before she could refuse, a pitiful female voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"Mr. Ling, my assistant has something to do and can't come in time. I wonder if it's convenient for you to give me a ride?"
The two of them turned their heads and saw that it was the American female judge who had returned and obviously put on a light makeup. Their expressions were different.
Noticing a flash of determination in the American female judge's eyes, Yuan Meng slowly hooked the corner of her mouth.
This was interesting.
She originally wanted to see what Ling Qianchen would do, but...
He ignored the American female judge at all and just stared fixedly at her.
Losing interest in watching the show, Yuan Meng waved her hand coldly and said, "No need. Let's part ways here."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Successfully getting rid of the entanglement, Yuan Meng went straight to the nearby food street.
It wasn't that she wasn't full. It was because there was still Yan Ke'er in the hotel, waiting for her eagerly.
Yan Ke'er was concerned about her and had been "locked" in the hotel room by her half - forcefully. She probably wouldn't take care of her own stomach either.
Half an hour later, when Yuan Meng returned with some food in her hand, she couldn't help but hold her forehead.
She had to admit that she was really a good fortune - teller.
It turned out that when Yan Ke'er, who was almost starving, saw her come back with some food, she didn't care about being a lady at all. She directly grabbed a piece with her hand and enjoyed it happily.
After eating nearly five or six pieces of seaweed cakes, Yan Ke'er finally remembered something very important. Her expression became serious.
"By the way, Mengmeng, you should also be careful. I always feel that that scumbag Ling has discovered something."