Chapter 212: The Farce is Over
When the woman emerged from the restroom, she instinctively stood behind Liu Ergou.
"Why is it so noisy? What happened?" she asked.
The moment she spoke, the color drained from Tang Jianshu's face.
"President He, let me explain!"
However, before Tang Jianshu could get another word out, the other woman who had arrived with the first one pointed at the woman behind Liu Ergou and shrieked, "Sis, this is the vixen I was telling you about! I was wondering why we couldn't find him, and it turns out he was hiding in the restroom!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the woman ignored her own pain, scrambled up from the floor, and lunged at the woman behind Liu Ergou. She moved so fast that no one had time to react.
The woman behind Liu Ergou was frozen in place, dumbfounded. She couldn't understand how she had become a "vixen" simply by uttering a single sentence.
While she was still in shock, Liu Ergou yanked open the door to a fitting room, pushed the stunned woman inside, and slammed it shut. He then stood guard in front of the door, blocking the attacker.
"Are you looking to get hit again?"
His words immediately cowed the shrew-like woman, but her mouth didn't stay idle.
"Get out of my way! This has nothing to do with you. If you don't move, don't blame me for what happens next! Do you even know who I am?"
Hearing this, Liu Ergou didn't indulge her for a second. "I don't give a damn who you are!" he cursed back. "Let me tell you something, even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up, you'd still have to obey the law! Do you think you can turn the world upside down? Now, get lost!"
Liu Ergou's retort left the woman trembling with rage. "Stop meddling in other people's business! Is she your girlfriend or something?"
Liu Ergou frowned and answered, "No!"
Hearing that, the woman's spirits instantly lifted. "If she's not, then you have no right to stand there. Move aside and stop being a busybody! What century are you living in, still trying to play the hero rescuing the damsel in distress? If you don't move, I'll teach you a lesson!"
By now, Liu Ergou's patience with this ridiculous farce had reached its limit. He swung his fist at a nearby plastic mannequin.
With a loud CRACK, the mannequin snapped into two pieces under the force of his punch and clattered to the floor.
The sudden action left the woman frozen on the spot, utterly clueless as to what Liu Ergou would do next.
"Damn it," Liu Ergou said coldly. "I just came out to buy a couple of outfits, and I run into this bullshit. My patience has run out. Get lost, now. If you don't, I can't guarantee what will happen next!"
The woman stared at the mannequin, now in two pieces on the floor, and couldn't help but swallow nervously. Even though the thing was hollow, she knew she could never break it in two with a single punch. Despite this, she showed no sign of leaving.
Instead, she brazenly retorted, "So what if you can fight? This is my family's affair! It's none of your business! If you dare to lay a finger on me, you'll be finished when the police get here!"
At that, Liu Ergou let out a cold laugh. "Heh, I'll be finished when the police get here? We'll see who's really finished!" he said sternly, pointing at her. "You know, this reminds me of a tactic human traffickers used years ago. They'd use an excuse like catching a cheater to kidnap young women and sell them off to the remote mountains! I bet that's what you people are doing, right?"
Hearing this, the woman's face turned green. She was just about to refute Liu Ergou, but he cut her off.
"Don't bother denying it. What kind of decent person storms into a clothing store in broad daylight, starts assaulting people, and tries to peep at a woman while she's changing?!"
This barrage of questions left the woman utterly speechless. The gazes of the onlookers gradually turned suspicious, and whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
Realizing she had lost the upper hand, the woman turned to leave without hesitation. But before she could take more than a few steps, the crowd of spectators formed a human wall, blocking her escape and trapping her.
The woman immediately grew anxious. "Why are you blocking my way? Don't you have anything better to do? Move aside, now! If you don't get out of my way, then don't blame me for—"
Before she could finish her threat, everyone was glaring at her with anger. The woman instantly deflated and didn't dare utter another word.
Just then, the woman from the first fitting room stepped out, her face flushed with anger. Pointing at the woman who had tried to flee, she shouted, "You think you can just leave? I've already called the police! Do you think you can get away with sexual harassment just because you're a woman? Let me tell you, you're dreaming! You can save your excuses for the police!"
At these words, the woman was thrown into a complete panic. Ignoring the people blocking her way, she tried desperately to squeeze through the crowd and escape, but her efforts were futile. The crowd stood firm like a wall, forcing her and her companions to stand there and wait.
About fifteen minutes later, the police arrived.
The store manager saw them and rushed over to recount the entire incident from beginning to end. After confirming the facts, the police unhesitatingly took Tang Jianshu and the two women away.
Only after the police had left with the trio did President He, who had been pushed into the fitting room, emerge, still shaken. She watched the retreating figures of Tang Jianshu and the others and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew… that was terrifying… I was just here for a business meeting. How did I end up being called a mistress? That was horrifying!"
Afterward, she turned to Liu Ergou and extended her hand. "Thanks, handsome, for helping me out just now. My surname is He. My name is He Mingxue. You can call me Little Snow. What's your name?"
Liu Ergou lightly shook her hand and replied, "I'm Liu Ergou, I…"
As soon as Liu Ergou said his name, He Mingxue burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, handsome, are you kidding me? Your name is actually Liu Ergou? That name is way too rustic! You might as well be called Liu Iron-Pillar! Hahaha!"
Looking at the cheerfully laughing He Mingxue, Liu Ergou just shrugged, at a momentary loss for words.