“P-Police?” The woman was stunned.
Jiang Fuyue casually took out her phone. “Sorry, I recorded everything.”
“R-Recorded? What for?!”
“To sue you for malicious defamation, of course. And to sue Liuxianju for unfair competition. According to Article 221 of the Criminal Law: those who fabricate and spread false facts, damaging others’ commercial reputation or product reputation, causing significant loss or other serious consequences, can be sentenced to up to two years in prison or detention, and may also be fined.”
“How long do you think you’d get?”
The woman’s body swayed. “Don’t scare me! I just said a few things—how is that a crime? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“There’s a saying—‘disaster comes from the mouth.’ Don’t believe me? Wait till the police and my lawyer speak to you,” Jiang Fuyue replied calmly.
The woman, already unsteady, panicked even more when she heard lawyer.
“You… who gave you the right to call the police?! I mean, what’s this got to do with Jiang Ji anyway? Are you insane?”
“Sorry, Jiang Ji is owned by my family.”
The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “Your family?!”
Jiang Fuyue gave a composed smile.
Suddenly—
“What’s going on here?”
The commotion at the front desk had drawn a crowd, and it quickly reached the back, alerting the boss.
The man waddled in with a large belly and a black suit. His legs were short, causing the trouser legs to bunch up and drag behind him, making him look bloated and awkward.
The woman’s eyes lit up like she’d seen her savior. She cried out, pitifully, “Brother-in-law…”
The man walked up and gave Jiang Fuyue a hostile stare. “What happened?”
The woman launched into her version of events, with exaggerated phrasing: “…She set me up! Secretly recorded me, and now she’s calling a lawyer and the police. Brother-in-law, she admitted herself—she’s with Jiang Ji. She clearly came here to make trouble!”
The man frowned deeply, his look toward Jiang Fuyue even more disapproving. “If you came to Liuxianju for a meal, we welcome you with open arms. But if not…”
Jiang Fuyue raised a brow.
He sneered coldly, “Then don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Oh? And what exactly do you mean by ‘impolite’?”
“Ever heard of Hanqing Biotech?!”
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze darkened slightly. She nodded. “The largest biotech company in the country.”
The founder and actual controlling shareholder was currently outside waiting in line to buy her candied hawthorns—how could she not know?
“Glad you’ve heard of it. Then you should know better and leave quietly, before things get ugly.”
“Sorry, I’m a bit confused—Hanqing…” Jiang Fuyue tilted her head, eyes filled with curiosity. “What does that have to do with you?”
The boss’s face twitched. He clenched his teeth and growled, “Little girl, don’t push your luck!”
“You don’t even know that?” The woman stared at her like she was an idiot. “Hanqing’s boss is a regular here! He and my brother-in-law are like brothers. Our whole place is under his protection! Surely you understand what kind of background Hanqing has?”
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin smugly. “Don’t mess with people you shouldn’t mess with!”
Jiang Fuyue blinked, feigning surprise. “Oh? Untouchable? So Hanqing’s boss would act like a thug over something this petty? Send his goons after me? Ruin my career? Drive me to ruin?”
“You—!”
“What kind of hatred, what kind of grudge, would it take to go after someone as small and irrelevant as me? Just because I’m suing Liuxianju?” Jiang Fuyue swept her eyes over them with disdain. “You think you’re that important?”
The man’s face turned green. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes.
The woman snapped back angrily, “You think my brother-in-law’s ties with Hanqing’s boss are fake?!”
Honestly, Jiang Fuyue was starting to think they were.
First, Xie Dingyuan and this greasy, bloated man were clearly not the same breed.
Second, with Xie’s personality, he’d never be so chummy with someone like this.
Tsk… if that were true, the heavens must be raining red.
And third—the woman was still acting tough, but the man was already silent and visibly guilty.
At that moment, Jiang Fuyue’s phone rang. She picked it up in front of them. “Hello, Lawyer Liu? You can come in now.”
The boss and the woman exchanged a look—she really did call a lawyer?!
Lawyer Liu had rushed straight from the firm the moment he got her call—no delays allowed.
After all, when even Wang Chengyang treated her with respect, how could he afford to slack?
“Miss Jiang.”
“I’ve sent you the recording. From here on, I’ll leave the negotiations to you.”
“Understood.”
Jiang Fuyue stepped aside, and Lawyer Liu stepped up. Quoting criminal law left and right, he launched into a barrage of cold, hard legal facts.
Every blow hit home.
The Liuxianju boss had thought it was just a petty spat—how had it escalated to this?
Standing on the high ground of the law, Lawyer Liu had him speechless and pale.
The woman was dumbstruck.
She’d thought Jiang Fuyue was bluffing, using “defamation” as an empty threat.
She never imagined she’d actually get sued—or worse, go to jail!
Now they finally realized—they weren’t the ones people couldn’t mess with. They’d messed with someone they couldn’t afford to offend!
Just as the two were being verbally cornered, Xie Dingyuan entered Liuxianju, holding the candied hawthorns he’d worked hard to buy.
Seeing the crowd at the entrance, he frowned—something must have happened.
“…Jiang Fuyue?” He scanned the room, a trace of worry—unnoticed even by himself—crept into his brows.
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
He turned instinctively—only to meet the smiling eyes of the girl.
She clasped her hands behind her back. “Looking for me?”
Xie Dingyuan’s throat bobbed. “…Yeah.”
Then he handed her the hawthorns. “Got them.”
“Thanks.”
“What happened here?”
Jiang Fuyue glanced toward the boss and bit into a hawthorn. “Recognize that man?”
Xie Dingyuan followed her gaze, shook his head. “No.”
“He says you protect him.”
“…?”
After hearing the whole story, Xie Dingyuan’s brows twitched. “I don’t know him.”
Soon, the police arrived too.
The sirens echoed through the street.
At that point, the Liuxianju boss and his sister-in-law completely backed down. With the police mediating, they sincerely apologized to Jiang Fuyue.
The final resolution: an official apology publicly posted at the store entrance for no less than three days.
“S-So… you won’t sue me anymore, right?” the woman asked nervously, lips trembling.
Lawyer Liu: “The parties have reached a settlement.”
“I don’t understand all your legal terms. Just tell me—will I have to go to court or not?”
Lawyer Liu twitched his mouth. “…Not for now.”
The woman panicked. “What do you mean, ‘for now’? Are you saying you’ll sue me later?! I already apologized—what more do you want?!”
Lawyer Liu: “This phrasing is simply cautious. My client reserves the right to pursue legal action if you continue to spread rumors or slander.”
“No, no—I won’t say another word! Please don’t sue me!”
Lawyer Liu nodded slightly. “If you can hold your tongue, so can we.”
Only then did the woman exhale in relief.
Lawyer Liu: “Miss Jiang, everything’s handled. Shall I take my leave?”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “Thanks for your hard work.”
Then, she turned to Xie Dingyuan. “Shall we… go somewhere else?”
“Sure.”
Just before leaving, Jiang Fuyue suddenly paused and turned back to the boss. “You said you’re buddies with Hanqing’s boss?”
The man’s bloated face was drenched in sweat. “We’ve… met a couple of times. N-Not that close.”
“Really?” Jiang Fuyue pointed to Xie Dingyuan. “Then why didn’t you recognize him?”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away.
Xie Dingyuan quickly caught up and walked beside her.
A while later, a chill wind swept through, and the fat boss shivered violently, suddenly sobering up.
What… what did she mean?
Could that man be…?!
His eyes widened in shock.
“Brother-in-law? Why are you just standing there? They’re gone.”
“Shut up!”
The woman blinked, confused. Did he just yell at me?
“From now on, watch what you say. We nearly lost everything this time… just barely…”
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Cold sweat drenched his back, and he trembled uncontrollably.
He would never dare lie again.
After all, what could be scarier than running your mouth— and getting caught by the very person you lied about?
