At the entrance of Su Cheng's building
"Isn't there a convenience store nearby?"
Xuan Ying rubbed her stomach while looking around anxiously.
She was starving since she hadn't eaten lunch.
"Just hang in there, we'll go eat with Su Cheng later," Zhao Yan said seriously.
After all, they were waiting for Su Cheng and couldn't wander off. What if Su Cheng came back and couldn't find them?
"Alright, I'll have to endure it then," Xuan Ying replied.
"Gurgle gurgle~"
Suddenly, a strange sound reached Xuan Ying's ears.
She quickly realized it wasn't coming from her and turned to look at Zhao Yan beside her.
"Fine, go look around nearby and get something to eat. I'll wait here," Zhao Yan finally conceded.
She was very hungry too, though missing one meal wasn't really a big deal.
But they had been running around all morning which consumed a lot of energy, and it was already noon. If they continued on empty stomachs, their bodies could easily develop problems.
Hearing Zhao Yan's words, Xuan Ying quickly replied, "Okay, got it. I'll go buy something right away."
With that, she walked away.
She eventually spotted a property management staff near the parking lot and after asking, learned there was a convenience store nearby.
The store wasn't too far from Su Cheng's residential complex.
When she walked in, she found only a thin young man wearing glasses at the cashier counter.
Seeing her enter, the cashier looked up, paused for a moment, then said, "Welcome, welcome."
The cashier wore a professional smile, one of their required skills.
But for some reason, Xuan Ying felt there was something sinister about his smile, and his gaze kept wandering over her body as if trying to see through her clothes.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he continued smiling.
Xuan Ying felt a chill run down her spine at his words, so she hurriedly walked towards the shelves while saying, "No need, I'm just browsing."
"Oh," the cashier responded, but his eyes remained fixed on Xuan Ying.
Seeing his behavior made her increasingly uncomfortable, feeling like he was watching her as if suspecting she might steal something.
So Xuan Ying decided to quickly buy something and leave, but at that moment she failed to notice the cashier suddenly standing up and walking towards her.
"Ah!"
Turning around, Xuan Ying was startled.
The cashier had somehow appeared beside her, arranging items on the shelf, then looked at her apologetically: "Sorry, I'm just organizing the shelves."
Cold sweat appeared on Xuan Ying's forehead as she thought: This guy is definitely suspicious.
So she took her items and placed them on the counter without a word, just wanting to pay and leave quickly.
She didn't want to stay in this place for another moment.
"Please wait a moment."
The cashier began counting the items with practiced efficiency.
"But miss, haven't you forgotten something?"
Suddenly the cashier stopped what he was doing, looked up at Xuan Ying with an odd tone.
"Forgotten what?"
Xuan Ying asked puzzled.
The cashier smiled, "Miss, you seem very nervous. Could it be guilt?"
"What would I be guilty about? Are you crazy?!"
Xuan Ying retorted with wide eyes.
"Miss, I just saw you secretly putting things in your bag. I'm sure you must be feeling very guilty now, because I'm about to call the police!"
The cashier looked at her calmly, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't take anything, stop making false accusations!"
Xuan Ying shouted angrily after hearing this.
"Then what's in your bag?"
The cashier's voice suddenly turned stern.
"That's none of your business! If you dare falsely accuse me again, I'll sue you for defamation!"
Xuan Ying was becoming furious with embarrassment.
Although she hadn't done anything wrong, being falsely accused was infuriating.
"I'll ask you one more time, what's in your bag!"
The cashier's tone suddenly became sharp, his eyes fixed intently on her, as if warning that if she didn't confess, he would call the police immediately.
"It's none of your business!"
Xuan Ying wasn't one to back down easily, and suddenly started arguing with the cashier: "You look like a monkey, what, did you smell bananas in my bag or something?"
"Good, very good!"
Hearing Xuan Ying's words, the cashier suddenly burst out laughing: "So brazen even after stealing!"
He took out his phone as if about to make a call.
"Is calling all you can do?"
Xuan Ying maintained her defiant expression, reaching into her bag to take out her phone - she was going to contact the best lawyer and sue this cashier for defamation!
But the next second, as she opened her bag, her expression turned to shock.
Because somehow there was a chocolate bar in her bag.
She even poked it instinctively to confirm it was indeed chocolate.
How could this be?
Did it accidentally fall into her bag earlier?
At this moment, Xuan Ying's composure faltered.
"How did this chocolate get in my bag?"
"Can someone tell me what's going on?"
"Why is there chocolate in my bag?"
Could this guy have planted it there?
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Seeing the panic on Xuan Ying's face, the cashier's lips curled into an evil smile: "Since you have nothing to say, I'll just call the police now."
"Go ahead and call! See if I don't get you fired - I'd like to see if you have enough heads to bear my wrath!"
Xuan Ying shouted angrily: "Don't you have security cameras? Just check the footage!"
"The cameras were down for a few minutes which is why I was watching you so closely. They're working now, and you can't escape - everything's been recorded!"
The cashier continued: "I'm going to post this footage online, let everyone see how you steal and then act so righteous about it!"
Xuan Ying's face turned ashen.
She was being threatened.
Even if the edited video posted online wouldn't be a huge problem, it would still cause trouble afterward.
The power of public opinion is terrifying. If internet trolls manipulated the narrative, most people online would just follow the crowd. Once it reached her school and family, even if everyone who knew her believed she didn't steal, the impact would still be extremely negative.
Being troubled and being afraid were two different things.
If this reached her family.
She would just have her freedom restricted.
"What's wrong? Don't know what to do now?"
Seeing Xuan Ying frozen, the cashier revealed an evil smile: "Now that I have leverage over you, I suggest you cooperate!"
"Call the police then, hurry up and call! You think I'm afraid of you?"
Xuan Ying knew she absolutely couldn't give in, so she gritted her teeth and yelled at the cashier.
"Young lady, I'm serious."
The cashier maintained that cold smile: "I'm going to post this footage online right now, let everyone see how even pretty girls steal things. This will definitely become a viral video and trending topic."
At this point he suddenly leaned closer to Xuan Ying, his lecherous eyes fixed on her chest as he whispered: "Such a pretty young lady must have a nice figure too. Just let big brother have a feel and we can forget about this whole thing."
Seeing the cashier's gaze, Xuan Ying turned pale with fright, hugged her chest and backed away quickly, then stared at the cashier vigilantly while shouting: "Don't you dare touch me!"
"If you won't let me, then I'll post it online!"
The cashier seemed unconcerned by Xuan Ying's warning. He took out his phone and started fiddling with it, then held it up towards Xuan Ying saying: "I've already copied the footage. I'll count to three, and if you don't comply, I'll do exactly what I said. Once it's online, your reputation will be ruined!"
"You..."
Seeing the cashier's behavior, Xuan Ying quickly took out her phone trying to contact someone - she wanted this man to rot in jail for life.
"Three!"
The cashier started counting down, while Xuan Ying was becoming increasingly helpless.
"Two..."
The cashier continued counting.
"One!"
Just as he finished speaking, he actually reached out his dirty paw trying to grab Xuan Ying.
However,
Suddenly, two figures appeared at the store entrance.
"You came at the perfect time, this woman stole..."
The cashier noticed someone coming in and hurriedly withdrew his hand while calling out to the two people outside, but his words were cut short as he froze.
Because in his line of sight, a figure rapidly grew larger, and then he felt an enormous impact that sent him crashing into the wall.
"Bang!"
The cashier slammed hard against the wall.
"Ah!"
The cashier's cry of pain rang out.
This scene happened so quickly that both Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan, who had just entered, couldn't react at all.
The previously furious Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan stood dumbfounded as they watched Su Cheng sitting on top of the cashier, delivering punch after punch to his face, her fists falling like raindrops.
His glasses were shattered, and Su Cheng's fists were cut by the glass shards. Even though her fists were covered in blood, Su Cheng showed no desire to stop her assault. Instead, maintaining her expressionless face, she used all her strength to smash his nasal bridge.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
The cashier howled in agony, his face severely deformed, with red spatters flying everywhere like blooming plum blossoms.
The two women stood there stupefied, watching this scene with their hearts racing and breathing becoming heavy. They even forgot to stop Su Cheng, allowing her to wildly swing her fists, ruthlessly striking the cashier's face.
As two young ladies from privileged backgrounds, they had never witnessed such a violent scene before. They felt a wave of heat rushing to their heads, their hearts pounding, their breathing irregular, momentarily unsure of what to do.
"Don't you think it's incredibly cool to have someone by your side who acts harmless like a sheep but is actually a tiger in disguise, someone who appears innocent but can burst forth with tremendous energy when it matters most? Doesn't it make you feel super safe?"
At this moment, the two women inexplicably recalled Sister Qin's words from before, and their hearts began to pound violently once again.