The woman glared at the two sisters, letting out a cold snort: "Yes, our shop is open to customers and doing business, but you should have some self-awareness. Look at your clothes; the total cost from head to toe probably doesn't even add up to eight hundred yuan. This isn't some roadside stall where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come in and wander around. With your shabby appearance, do you think you can afford to buy anything?"
Qiu Li was young and was quite frightened by the woman's fierce appearance. Her lips trembled, her eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was about to burst into tears.
Qiu Mang noticed her sister's unusual behavior and quickly shielded the little girl behind her.
But the woman persisted, pointing her finger directly at the necklace around Qiu Li's neck.
He shouted, "Don't hide! You're so young, and you're already stealing. Don't your families discipline you? Are all your adults dead?"
The woman's words became increasingly sharp and sarcastic, like blades piercing straight into Qiu Mang's heart.
Qiu Mang felt a ball of anger burning fiercely in her chest, making her blood rush to her head. She subconsciously clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"Enough!" Qiu Mang finally lost his temper and shouted angrily.
Seeing this, the woman's lips curled into a mocking smile, and she let out a sneer: "Oh~ what? Can't stand it now? You're capable of stealing, and you're afraid of what others will say?"
The contempt in his tone made it seem as if he were looking at some lowly person.
Qiu Mang suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and tried his best to calm himself down.
She raised her hand, pointing to the necklace around Qiu Li's neck, her gaze meeting the woman's firmly: "First of all, listen to me carefully, this necklace is our own. We are innocent and have never even considered stealing from you. If you don't believe me, you can verify it. Your store should take inventory of its goods every day before closing, right? Count them carefully and see if the number of necklaces matches up. The truth will then come out."
As she spoke, she looked up and glanced at the camera above her head. "Besides, it's not difficult to check the surveillance footage. You can pull it up and take a look. Every move we made after entering the store was recorded clearly. Whether we stole or not is obvious at a glance."
After saying that, Qiu Mang turned to the side and glanced at Qiu Li, who was hiding behind her. The little girl's face was pale, and she was obviously very frightened. Qiu Mang patted the little girl's head with heartache and comforted her for a few words.
Then, looking at the woman, his tone left no room for argument: "Secondly, you falsely accused us of stealing without even asking what happened, and you also verbally abused us. My sister is still young and emotionally fragile; what you've done is truly excessive. I only hope you can sincerely apologize to my sister. Is that too much to ask?"
The woman crossed her arms, her face growing even colder: "Apologize? Impossible! You stole from the store, and as a shop assistant, it's my duty to recover the stolen goods. What's wrong with that? On the contrary, you've stolen things and yet you're so self-righteous. I've never seen anything like it before."
Qiu Mang laughed out of anger: "How many times do I have to say it? The necklace is ours. If you used your brain, you could have found out by checking the surveillance footage. Why are you throwing a tantrum here, acting like a shrew from the streets? Is that interesting?"
"Who are you calling a shrew!" The woman pointed a trembling finger at Qiu Mang, her face flushed with anger.
Looking at the other party's exasperated appearance, Qiu Mang's lips curled up slightly, forming a mocking arc: "What, you're not convinced? If you're really confident, then let's call the police. When the police come, if they find out we stole something, they'll take us away without saying a word. Theft is a violation of the law, and we'll be punished accordingly."
After saying that, Qiu Mang calmly pulled over a nearby chair, sat down gracefully, crossed her legs, and suddenly, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
"However, if we find out we didn't steal anything, and you still point your finger at us and berate us for so long for no reason, have you thought about the consequences? My sister is young, and if you scold her like that, who knows if it will leave her with indelible psychological trauma. I'm asking you to pay for her to go to the hospital for a check-up to see if she's injured. Is that too much to ask?"
If the examination reveals she's alright, then all will be well; but if she becomes depressed or withdrawn as a result…
Qiu Mang paused, then a sly glint flashed in his eyes, and he gave a wicked smile. "Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you, my sister has a heart condition. If your outburst worsens her condition and causes complications, have you thought about how you're going to handle the exorbitant medical bills?"
Although Qiu Li had recovered, she still wanted to scare the woman in front of her.
Qiu Mang's gaze was firm yet threatening, and a strange fear welled up in the woman's heart. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to refute, but then she was speechless.
Yes, she judged someone to be a thief simply because she saw that the person was wearing a necklace that was the same style as the one in her store. That's a bit arbitrary.
Even though the clothes she's wearing don't look expensive, does that mean she can't afford anything from my store? Is that reasonable? After all, that necklace only costs 20,000 yuan, which is something most people can afford.
Seeing the woman's hesitant expression, Qiu Mang stretched.
"So? Have you thought it through? If you can't bear the cost of the phone call, I don't mind calling the police for you."
As Qiu Mang spoke, he slowly took out his phone from his pocket, pretending to call the police.
"What's wrong, Qiu Mang?"
Just then, the fitting room door creaked open, and Xu Jingyan, who had already changed her clothes, came out.
Sensing something was amiss, she quickly walked over to Qiu Mang's side, her eyes filled with concern and confusion.
Qiu Mang turned her head to look at the woman who had been so domineering just moments before but now looked flustered, and snorted through her nose.
"It's nothing. Someone saw the necklace around Ali's neck and suspected us of stealing without any reason. Since that's the case, I kindly called the police for her so that they could uphold justice."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jingyan glared at the female shop assistant with resentment. "Miss, this necklace is a gift from me to this little boy. If you have any questions, tell me! Come at me with whatever you want, don't make things difficult for my friend."
As a major customer of this store, Xu Jingyan was naturally recognized by the staff.
Hearing Xu Jingyan say this, the woman, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, was now completely panicked.
"Ms. Xu, I'm so sorry, I really didn't know these two were your friends, I just..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com