Volume One, Chapter 15: Let's See Who Dares Lay a Hand on Her

A flicker of anger crossed Yan Chu’s face, but she struggled to control her emotions, unwilling to cause a bigger scene in public. She knew that arguing with the waitress now would only make the situation harder to manage.

“You’re the one who asked me to find the cardholder, and now you’re the one telling me to leave?” Yan Chu frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Come on, just deal with her!” the waitress shouted.

The security guards were about to step forward.

Yan Chu tensed and took a step back.

At that moment, an angry male voice rang out, “Whoever dares to lay a hand on her, I’ll deal with you!”

The man was tall and imposing, exuding an overwhelming aura that commanded respect.

Yan Chu saw Gu Chenxiao and breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Chenxiao’s appearance stunned the waitress.

“He actually showed up?”

His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on the waitress, his eyes filled with undeniable authority.

“Are you accusing this young lady of stealing the black card?”

Gu Chenxiao could easily tell from the waitress’s incredulous expression that she was caught off guard by his arrival, while the others merely watched the spectacle.

“That’s right! Are you the cardholder?” the waitress narrowed her eyes. “You look decent enough, but I didn’t expect you’d be into keeping a college girl as your kept woman.”

Gu Chenxiao’s brows furrowed tightly as he stared coldly at the waitress.

The waitress trembled with fear and fell silent.

She felt like she had seen this man somewhere before but just couldn’t recall where. After all, so many people shopped at the mall every day; he probably bought something here before.

Gu Chenxiao turned his gaze back to the cashier and simply said, “Face scan.”

The cashier quickly adjusted the machine.

Payment successful!

Only then did Yan Chu finally relax.

The onlookers whispered among themselves.

“He really is the cardholder!”

“And so handsome!”

“He seems willing to grant any request from the young lady. Are they related?”

“No way. Look at the girl’s shabby clothes and his luxurious outfit. How could a rich man help a poor relative like that?”

Those murmurs drifted quietly into Yan Chu’s ears. The voices were soft, and she couldn’t catch every word, but she knew for sure they were talking about her.

Seeing Yan Chu’s displeased expression, Gu Chenxiao’s face grew stern as he looked at the waitress. “Call your manager.”

“What do you want?” the waitress thought to herself, panic rising.

This guy was probably here to get revenge for the girl.

She needed an excuse—claim the manager was out.

But Gu Chenxiao said calmly, “I want to order a custom-tailored outfit with a budget of five hundred thousand. I heard your store requires the manager’s signature for purchases over three hundred thousand, right?”

The waitress smiled brightly, nodding eagerly as if she had just seen a god of wealth.

“That’s right, sir. You must be a frequent shopper here!”

Gu Chenxiao snorted softly. “Call your manager now to sign the order. Consider it on your head.”

The waitress felt as if a huge gold ingot had just struck her at that moment.

Her smile turned obsequious as she hurriedly dialed the manager’s number.

After hanging up, she looked at Gu Chenxiao as if he were a fortune god.

“Sir, our manager will be here in five minutes!”

Yan Chu looked at Gu Chenxiao with meaningful eyes.

She had suspected that his move was no simple matter.

The waitress, the floor supervisor here, quickly instructed the other staff to serve tea and water to Gu Chenxiao and Yan Chu, even offering a cheese cake reserved for the store’s members.

They gave food and drink, fearing that if they didn’t serve well, the fortune god would leave.

“I heard someone here was about to order clothes worth over five hundred thousand?”

The manager’s excited voice came through. He entered the store and immediately spotted the most conspicuous figure in the crowd.

“Mr. Gu?!” The manager’s name was Wang Jiyie, newly appointed.

He stepped forward to strike up a conversation but was interrupted.

“Wang Jiyie, is this how you train your employees—to look down on customers with contempt and arrogance?” Gu Chenxiao said sharply.

Yan Chu smiled knowingly.

She had expected Gu Chenxiao’s intention in calling the manager was not to shop but to reprimand someone.

If he had made his purpose clear from the start, the waitress would surely have resisted the manager’s involvement.

Wang Jiyie’s face instantly turned pale. “Mr. Gu, you’re saying Wang Yan is arrogant? What happened?”

The waitress named Wang Yan was also flustered now.

“You… you’re not here to buy anything!” Wang Yan shouted. “You’re so stingy; aren’t you afraid…”

Wang Jiyie slapped Wang Yan hard across the face. “Shut up! Do you know who you’re messing with?”

Gu Chenxiao was low-profile and disliked appearing in the media. Wang Jiyie knew him because the mall belonged to the Gu family. Having seen Gu Chenxiao’s photo when he first took the job, he naturally knew who the big boss was.

But Wang Yan was different.

Trembling, she covered her face, tears welling in her eyes.

Wang Jiyie realized Gu Chenxiao’s dissatisfaction was justified and bowed apologetically.

“Sorry, Mr. Gu. She’s new here. I’ll handle it immediately…”

“New here?” Gu Chenxiao frowned, his tone icy. “Do newcomers tell waitresses to serve tea and water like that?”

Gu Chenxiao hit the mark, and Wang Jiyie wiped the sweat off his forehead in fear.

“My patience is limited.”

Gu Chenxiao’s words were like a death knell. Wang Jiyie’s legs weakened with terror.

He had just started the job and already offended the big boss. How could he survive now?

He turned a stern gaze to Wang Yan. “You’re fired!”

“What? I… You… I just…” Wang Yan stammered, unable to meet Wang Jiyie’s eyes, her tongue tied.

Wang Jiyie then turned to Yan Chu. “Miss, I promise to deal with this matter seriously. My sincere apologies.”

Yan Chu smiled slightly, accepting the apology. She didn’t want to escalate the situation.

But Wang Yan insisted on digging her own grave.

“You… you’re abusing your power! Who do you think you are? How dare you fire me…”

Before she could finish, Wang Yan received several more harsh slaps across her face.

Wang Jiyie was furious, catching his breath. “This is the crown prince of the Beijing circle. How many people have the guts to provoke him?!”

Wang Yan’s face turned pale. She finally realized she had offended someone she shouldn’t have.

Her voice trembled as she tried to defend herself. “I… I didn’t expect…”

Wang Yan’s voice quivered; she clearly hadn’t anticipated things would escalate this far. She tried to justify herself. “I… I was only doing my job, protecting the store’s property.”

Gu Chenxiao looked at her coldly, without an ounce of sympathy. “Does your job include slandering innocent customers and making baseless accusations?”

Wang Yan’s face turned ashen as she realized she might have truly crossed the line.

With a thud, she dropped to her knees before Gu Chenxiao.