Chapter 17: Melodramatic Drama

Chapter 17: Melodramatic Soap Opera

The woman who arrived was none other than Li Jiamu, Peng Xiaoyu's mother.

Qin Yike recognized her instantly!

After all these years, Li Jiamu hadn't changed much; she maintained herself quite well and looked relatively young. However, her clothing was excessively revealing, showing a vast expanse of skin that left the nearby onlookers, including several middle-aged men, quite dazed.

"Mom, it's nothing, I just saw a cockroach." Peng Xiaoyu made an exaggerated gagging expression. "It was just a bit disgusting."

Li Jiamu had always possessed a high sense of self-importance. She shot a condescending glance at Qin Yike and gave a light snort. "The consumer environment in this county is just like this—anyone can be let in! Little girl, if you're only here to look and not to buy, move aside so you don't get in the way of people doing business, alright?"

"Exactly. Letting just anyone in lowers the overall class of the place. A pauper like her can't afford anything; she's just wasting everyone's time."

Qin Yike almost laughed so hard she sounded like a pig!

Both mother and daughter were cut from the same cloth—their private lives were incredibly messy! Qin Yike and Peng Xiaoyu were junior high school classmates, so she knew this pair very well!

What were they trying to act so high and mighty about?

Qin Yike casually glanced at the price tags on the clothes. She noted that the prices were actually quite reasonable; compared to the clothes in Beijing's business circles that easily started at five figures, these were practically dirt cheap.

Even if they were dirt cheap, the old Qin Yike really could only afford to look, as she was too broke to buy anything.

But now...

"This one, this one, and this one. Wrap them up for me." Ignoring the mother and daughter entirely, Qin Yike turned to the sales clerk. "You should have my size. Please ring them up!"

The clerk froze for a moment, then quickly recovered, flashing a professional and elegant smile. "Certainly, please wait a moment." She then moved to take the selected items off the display stand.

Peng Xiaoyu simply did not believe Qin Yike could afford these clothes. She stepped forward, grabbed the clerk's hand, and shouted, "She can't afford them at all! Don't bother yourself for nothing."

The clerk had never encountered such a disruptive and unreasonable customer. "Madam, please do not interfere with our work."

Peng Xiaoyu was livid. "No! I was the one looking at those clothes!"

The clerk had already grown tired of her. She immediately replied, "Madam, this lady requested them first."

"I don't care! I saw those clothes first. If you sell them to her, I will file a complaint against you." Peng Xiaoyu wore a triumphant expression. "Do you know who I am? My father is the manager of this mall! If you dare offend me, watch out, or I'll have you fired!"

The clerk was stunned. She hadn't expected this arrogant person to be the manager's daughter. "You..." She looked toward Qin Yike for help, her face filled with distress.

Her father?

Li Jiamu added triumphantly, "You bumpkin, if you know what's good for you, get lost quickly and stop making things difficult for the clerk." She nonchalantly fiddled with her newly done nails, her expression full of disdain.

What kind of people were these!

Qin Yike seemed unbothered. She simply said, "I am here to spend real money. If you prevent me from buying, you aren't just affecting her sales performance, but also the mall's total revenue. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Oh? Haha, that's hilarious!" Li Jiamu laughed so hard she could barely stand straight. "Who do you think you are, talking about the mall's revenue! This is the most high-end mall in the county; we host many wealthy people every day! Keep your pennies and go buy clothes at a street stall! My husband is the manager of this mall, and it's very easy for me to make this decision on his behalf. You are not welcome here."

Li Jiamu pulled a card from her bag and said to the clerk, "Wrap up all the clothes my daughter picked out earlier. Charge it to this!"

A spectacular expression bloomed on Peng Xiaoyu's face.

Qin Yike said nothing and instead comforted the clerk. "It's fine, just go about your work."

The young girl bowed gratefully to her and went to pack Peng Xiaoyu's clothes.

"Qin Yike, you should be thanking me. If you couldn't produce the money when it came time to pay, it would have been truly embarrassing!" Peng Xiaoyu felt like a winner and was in an excellent mood.

"Peng Xiaoyu, others might not know your background, but do you think I don't? Your parents divorced back in junior high. You're lying about the manager of this mall being your father, aren't you?"

A flash of embarrassment quickly crossed the faces of both Peng Xiaoyu and Li Jiamu.

"What do you mean lying? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything."

"As far as I know, the manager of this mall doesn't have the surname Peng!"

The clerk, who was currently packing the items, was visibly stunned. It was true—their manager's surname wasn't Peng!

Seeing that the clerk was also doubting her, Peng Xiaoyu flew into a rage. "None of your business! The manager is Zhang Guang, am I wrong?"

The young girl nodded; their manager was indeed named Zhang Guang.

"He's my stepfather, is that a problem?"

So it was a blended family! The clerk curled her lip and continued organizing the clothes.

Just then, a mother and daughter pushed their way through the crowd. The older woman was somewhat stout and looked aged, while the younger one was dressed very fashionably but was quite plain, at most, merely neat.

"You say your father is the manager here?" The younger woman questioned Peng Xiaoyu with a very poor attitude.

Peng Xiaoyu hated being doubted more than anything. "What, is there a problem?"

"Zhang Guang is your father?"

Li Jiamu had already sensed that these two were up to no good. Could they actually know Zhang Guang?

To avoid trouble, Li Jiamu discreetly pulled Peng Xiaoyu aside.

"What, is there a problem? Zhang Guang is my stepfather. Do you have an issue with that?"

The younger woman held up her phone for everyone to see. "Zhang Guang is my father. We are a family of three. Who the hell are you?"

Peng Xiaoyu panicked instantly. "You... I..." She couldn't exactly admit that her mother was a mistress!

"I was wondering why Old Zhang hasn't been home lately. It turns out his soul has been snatched away by you two shameless women! You bastards... you've got nerve, a mother and daughter sharing the same man! Our Old Zhang certainly has good luck with women, you shameless creatures!" The stout woman grew angrier as she spoke. Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbed Li Jiamu by her hair, and slapped her hard twice.

"Ah!" Li Jiamu let out a scream like a slaughtered pig and began to struggle violently. "My hair! I'll kill you!"

"How dare you hit my mom!" Peng Xiaoyu had been a delinquent during her school days; fighting was second nature to her. Seeing Li Jiamu being attacked, she rushed forward to help. The four of them quickly descended into a chaotic brawl.

Terrified, the clerk rushed off to call security.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Guang was so anxious that his forehead was drenched in sweat. He wasn't suited to show his face in such a situation, so he could only send his subordinates to handle it.

Qin Yike had quietly slipped away at some point. She had absolutely no interest in such a melodramatic soap opera.

(End of Chapter)