At this point, Xiang Wan finally understood that they had either been tricked by Qin Rong or schemed against by Xiao Lan. In any case, the two of them, mistress and servant, definitely had ill intentions; they ran away without paying, leaving her and Xiang Xia to suffer.

If they had money on them, they would have paid right then and there. The problem is that both of them had their purses taken away by their maids, and since the maids weren't coming back, they couldn't leave.

At this moment, Xiang Wan was filled with remorse. If she had known this would happen, she should have kept the purse on her person after the meal. It was too late for regrets now. Xiang Wan hated Qin Rong and Xiao Lan, the mistress and servant, with a passion. Not only had they run away with her maid, but they had also stood them up. If she were to return, she would definitely not let them off easily.

“We really brought money with us. How about we pay you back in advance? We’ll definitely pay you back when we get back,” Xiang Wan said.

"Hehe, little girl, trying to be clever won't work." The shopkeeper pulled up a stool and sat down, one hand on the table, his index finger tapping lightly, the other on his knee, and said casually, "Without money, you won't get away with this. Think carefully about what you can use to pay off your debt."

Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia exchanged a glance, then took off their earrings and hairpins and placed them on the table.

"You think you can pay off your debt with this little bit of stuff? Do you think I'm stupid?" The shopkeeper slammed his hand on the table, startling the two men.

"Is this food made of gold or silver? How come it can't pay off the debt?" Xiang Wan grabbed the jewelry and said, "If you don't want it, we don't want to give it to you either."

"Hmph, ungrateful wretch." The shopkeeper sneered, grabbing Xiang Wan's hand and trying to drag her into the shop. Xiang Xia was so frightened that she quickly pulled Xiang Wan's hand back.

"No one has ever tried to renege on their debt at my restaurant. If you don't pay today, I have plenty of ways to make you pay. There's a brothel called Chunfeng Ruyi in Anyang City. Judging by your looks, you're quite attractive. You could easily make enough money there in a few days. Why bother pretending here? Who are you trying to impress?"

Upon hearing the name "Spring Breeze Auspicious Pavilion," Xiang Wan knew things were going to get bad; it was definitely not a good place. She couldn't believe that such a random restaurant could be associated with that kind of place. She guessed that Qin Rong knew about the restaurant's shady dealings, which was why she recommended it to her and Xiang Xia. The two of them had foolishly fallen into a trap. If they really went into "Spring Breeze Auspicious Pavilion" as the innkeeper said, even if they managed to escape later, their reputations would be ruined, and they could forget about ever having a good life again, let alone completing any missions.

Thinking of this, a chill gradually spread from her back to her brain, causing Xiang Wan's head to throb with pain. Something seemed to be churning deep within her mind, making her vision blur and her soul tremble, as if she were about to faint. Xiang Wan knew clearly that she was only angry at this moment, at most her cheeks would turn red with rage, but she wouldn't faint. In this critical moment, she remembered 007's words about the original owner's resentment growing, and suppressed the urge to curse. She no longer wanted to be tricked by Qin Rong, and focused on how to escape. Soon, the trembling sensation in her soul gradually subsided, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

In just a short while, Xiang Xia noticed that Xiang Wan's hands were covered in sweat. She was a little worried, but she was also afraid that the two of them would really be dragged away by the shopkeeper, so she had no choice but to grab Xiang Wan's wrist tightly.

As the three were locked in a stalemate, a voice came from behind them: "Manager Wang, why go too far? I'll pay for their meal."