"I am sorry, I am so sorry. I really did not mean to," Xu Chun's guilt-ridden voice rang out.
Although Zhu Yaya had not quite figured out how Xu Chun managed to spill milk tea all over her, things were still heading more or less in the direction she had planned.
Zhu Yaya shrieked, the thick cotton mask she was wearing doing absolutely nothing to muffle her volume. "What is wrong with you?! My clothes, my shoes, my mask, my silk scarf—they are all ruined! Thank goodness this milk tea was not hot, or else an old lady like me would have been scalded to death! Does saying sorry fix anything? If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?!"
Zhu Yaya doubled down, her complaints growing even more outrageous. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get this outfit?! I had to shove through a crowd for over an hour just to buy this discounted winter coat! And my shoes were brought back from overseas by my son! And this mask—it cost me twenty whole bucks! Twenty bucks!"
"I am sorry, I am so sorry." Xu Chun stood next to Zhu Yaya, bowing repeatedly. After her apologies, she added with a hesitant tone, "It was my mistake. But Auntie, it actually looked like you bumped into me just now... Ah, never mind, Auntie, I will pay for the damages."
Xu Chun's words really rubbed Zhu Yaya the wrong way. True, she did have a plan to do exactly that, but she had not even made her move yet!
If you are going to be like this, I am actually going to get mad!
At this point, Zhu Yaya did not even have to fake her anger. "What is that supposed to mean?! You were clearly the one who dumped milk tea all over me! Where is your manager? Get him out here right now! Let me tell you, this is far from over!"
Looking absolutely terrified, Xu Chun stammered, "I am sorry, but our manager went to restock inventory this morning and has not come back yet!"
Inwardly, Zhu Yaya was perfectly calm. Of course she knew the manager was not there; otherwise, she would never have caused such a scene. It would be terrible if the manager actually recognized her.
Feigning a muffled, stubborn voice, she huffed, "I do not care! If you do not resolve this properly right now, I am staying right here. I am not leaving!"
Xu Chun looked completely flustered. "Auntie, please do not be like this. I will pay you for the damages."
Finally, Murong Beichen could not stand it any longer. He stepped forward to defend Xu Chun.
Seeing Murong Beichen's figure approaching, Zhu Yaya felt a surge of excitement. Ignoring the milk tea splatters on the lid, she snatched up the plastic fruit container sitting on the table.
As she popped open the lid, she continued to squawk at Xu Chun, "Do you think money can just fix everything?!"
"Will this be enough?"
A thick stack of crisp hundred-yuan bills suddenly appeared right in front of Zhu Yaya's eyes. Murong Beichen held the wad of cash, speaking in a deeply arrogant tone.
How could it not be enough? It was more than enough!
Zhu Yaya's eyes practically sparkled with dollar signs, but remembering her mission, she painfully forced herself to refuse. Stealing longing glances at the cash, she hollered, "This is between me and the young lady! Why are you butting in?! Young man, are you trying to humiliate an old lady with your money? Let me tell you, I have plenty of backbone!"
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Please continue to humiliate me with your money!
Her bones were solid and genuine, not inflated with an air pump. Since there was no air in them, she naturally had no backbone to speak of.
To proceed with her drama-watching mission, she reached out and pinched a chunk of watermelon from the container with two fingers. With her other hand, she pulled her mask forward just enough to create a gap beneath her chin. Then, she shoved the watermelon up through the opening and straight into her mouth.
Murong Beichen's anger flared even hotter.
Was this wretched old woman trying to provoke him?
Very well. No woman had ever dared to treat him like this! And she even dared to bully the woman he had his eye on!
Murong Beichen let out a cold sneer. "Very well, old lady. You have successfully captured my attention! Prepare to face my wrath!"
Zhu Yaya: ...
Had Murong Beichen run out of vocabulary? Why on earth would he deliver such a classic, cliche domineering CEO line to someone dressed as an old auntie?
Eww, his tastes were way too extreme!
Please do not say those kinds of lines to her—she was actually getting scared!
To calm her nerves, Zhu Yaya repeated her earlier maneuver and shoved another piece of watermelon into her mouth.
Xu Chun's face displayed her eternal, unyielding stubbornness. "Murong Beichen, I can handle this myself! I do not need you meddling in my business!"
"No, Chun'er, a naive girl like you cannot possibly deal with a vicious old hag like this. You need my protection. Besides, I am hardly an outsider. When it comes to your affairs, I, Murong Beichen, will absolutely intervene!" Murong Beichen's heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of righteous justice.
Feeling as though a heroic halo was practically glowing around him, the self-proclaimed champion of justice raised his precious right hand, fully intending to slap the face of this stupid, tacky old woman.
It was not until Murong Beichen raised his hand that Zhu Yaya finally realized the face-slapping in her fourteenth mission meant the exact same freaking thing as it did in her thirteenth mission. He was going to hit her for real!
With her agile reflexes, Zhu Yaya could have easily dodged it, but the System suddenly chimed in without warning—
"Congratulations on successfully completing the fourteenth mission. Reward: three years of lifespan and twenty thousand RMB."
This time, the System's voice echoed with startling volume inside Zhu Yaya's head.
Distracted by the sudden interruption, Zhu Yaya completely froze.
With the watermelon still unswallowed in her mouth, she stared blankly as Murong Beichen's hand closed in on her face. In that split second, she was actually wondering if her thick cotton mask would cushion the force of his slap. If he hit her like that, the mask would definitely leave embarrassing pressure marks on her face.
She braced herself for the impact. Thank goodness she was wearing a mask, or else this would be incredibly awkward. She squeezed her eyes shut.
However, Murong Beichen's descending hand was suddenly caught mid-air by another hand. It was a hand with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles, bearing the faint calluses of someone accustomed to hard work.
When the expected slap never came, Zhu Yaya curiously cracked one eye open to peek. It was Yan Heng!
She had no idea when Yan Heng had rushed out from the back room. He stood protectively in front of her, his hand wrapped firmly around Murong Beichen's wrist.
Standing behind him, Zhu Yaya stared blankly at his broad back. She could not see the expression on Yan Heng's face, but a profound sense of security instantly washed over her.
She secretly thought to herself, he truly was her boy! He seemed ice-cold on the outside, but his heart was full of justice. He appeared ruthless, yet he was deeply compassionate.
Still, he probably had not recognized her yet!
"Yan Heng! It is you! Why are you always going against me?! You are such a busybody!" Murong Beichen spat furiously. He felt as though his wrist was about to be crushed by Yan Heng's iron grip.
"I am not just meddling," Yan Heng replied, his expression utterly indifferent.
Murong Beichen yanked his arm, trying with all his might to break free, but Yan Heng's grip would not budge. Feeling that his lofty, invincible image in Xu Chun's eyes had just taken a massive hit, Murong Beichen's eyes filled with venomous resentment.
