An Instant of Deep Affection

Chapter 4: Taking Without Asking Is Stealing

Su Nianyao didn’t initially intend to call the police. After all, the less hassle, the better. As a seasoned store employee with years of experience, she knew that if they called the police, she and Wang Xiaomei would have to go to the station, file reports, take time off work, and probably end up with a deduction from their paychecks.

"Don't pull on the helmet like that. I’ve been looking for this Red Warrior helmet for ages, and if you keep tugging on it, it might get damaged. I really do want to buy it today,” the girl who had been caught trying to steal said, her legs trembling, but her grip on the limited-edition Lego pieces firm.

She had no intention of letting go of the toys she’d already "secured."

Su Nianyao tugged a few times but couldn’t get the limited-edition helmet out of the girl’s arms.

"We’ve already told you, we're not selling it to you. You’d better be thankful we haven’t reported you to the police yet. We won’t take your stolen money," Wang Xiaomei snapped, her anger growing.

She had seen thieves before, but she had never encountered someone so brazen as to steal and then argue about it so confidently.

Jiang Shiyu, seeing how things were unfolding, knew that arguing further would only make things worse. One hand on the girl’s shoulder for support, he pulled out his phone and put it on speaker.

"Can you come to the Lego store in your mall?" he started, without any introduction.

"Can’t do it, bro. I’m in Malaysia right now. Why didn’t you give me a heads-up if the great Jiang was planning to visit?" The voice on the other end sounded distant, casual.

"You’re the mall’s manager, and you're in Malaysia? Shouldn’t you be taking care of things here?" Jiang Shiyu’s frustration was palpable.

"Haha, what’s the problem? Do you not want us handling business from the headquarters? I'm here for a work trip, not vacation. Big meeting, promotion, raising my salary, all that good stuff. I’ll be back soon as the meeting’s over and will be promoted to the GM of Greater China, you know?"

"Forget the promotion. I’m dealing with a situation in the Lego store where they’re accusing us of stealing some items. Get someone to handle this," Jiang Shiyu cut him off.

The person on the other end was startled but quickly composed himself. "What the hell? Who’s causing trouble? Have someone from the store get on the phone, and I’ll handle this from here."

Jiang Shiyu ended the call, switched off the speaker, and handed the phone to Su Nianyao. "The mall manager wants to talk to you."

"Are you kidding me? You think I’m going to believe this? Our toy store doesn’t even have a connection to the mall manager. Who’s even heard of the guy’s name?" Su Nianyao laughed, disbelief filling her voice. "I’ve been here for two years, and I don’t even know what the manager looks like. You expect me to believe you know him? Are you going to pull a fast one and have some ‘manager’ show up?"

She paused, shaking her head. "If you’re going to pretend to be someone important, at least do it right. If you want to get some credibility, pretend to be the store manager. At least then it might sound more believable."

Despite the obvious anger and frustration in her voice, her attention was still fixed on the limited-edition Lego helmet. In her mind, the red warning signs kept flashing: 5000 yuan. 5000 yuan. If I lose this, I’m covering it.

She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, even for a second.

"Fine. If you’re so sure about this, just get the store manager to come out," Jiang Shiyu sighed, frustration mounting. He felt he had chosen the absolute worst time and place to break up.

It had been 46 days since that awkward, emotionally draining decision to end things. He had let the toxic atmosphere cloud his mind for too long, and today, when the opportunity had finally come to end it, everything had spiraled into chaos.

"Quick on the draw, huh?" Su Nianyao said sarcastically. "The moment I mention the manager’s not here, you jump to get him? Are you going to call the manager now? Don’t think you can stall me with that nonsense. I’m not falling for it."

"I’m just a regular store employee," she added, her voice steady but firm. "I don’t want this to escalate. Just leave the Lego sets you tried to steal, and we can pretend none of this happened. But if you try anything else, I’ll have no choice but to call the cops."

She took out her phone, her fingers hovering over the 110 emergency number, ready to dial.

It wasn’t the inconvenience of having to file a report or lose a portion of her salary that bothered her. It was the thought of losing an entire month's worth of wages that made her resolve firm.

"Don’t call the police," the girl whimpered, tears brimming in her eyes as she shrank further behind Jiang Shiyu, trembling in fear.

Just then, two security guards entered the store, and the girl let out a sharp scream, practically hiding behind Jiang Shiyu as she continued to shake.

"Two security guards show up, and she’s this scared?" A random bystander, watching the scene unfold, scoffed. "This kind of thief should be taken straight to the police station."

Jiang Shiyu didn’t care about the bystanders. His focus was solely on the girl, who was now visibly terrified. He gently turned her to face him, his voice soft. "How about we leave this place? I’ll make sure to come back later and buy these Lego sets for you. Is that alright?"

"No! This... this helmet is hard to find. If we leave now, someone else will buy it, and I’ll never get it again. I’ve been searching for it for so long… for so long…" The girl’s voice cracked with emotion, her tears flowing freely as she clutched the Lego pieces tighter.

Jiang Shiyu’s heart ached as he saw the desperation in her eyes. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to buy them; it was the thought of losing the Lego set that made her panic even more than the fear of the police.

"How could you be so reckless? Just stealing when you can’t even afford something? You need to learn to have some self-respect," a woman who had been shopping with her young daughter stepped forward, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You should be teaching your daughter that stealing is wrong, not letting her see this kind of behavior."

"I wasn’t trying to steal. I really want to buy it. I have money on my phone—I can pay for it. I just... I got desperate when I couldn’t find anyone to help me," the girl sobbed, trying to explain her actions between tears.

"You can’t just take things without paying for them," the woman retorted. "If you don’t pay for it first, that’s stealing. Taking something without asking is stealing, and if you try to run after you’ve been caught, that’s robbery."

An elderly man, who had been walking with his grandson on their way to an early education center, couldn’t stand by and watch any longer. He shook his head and added, "You’re a grown girl. You should know better. You’ve got two hands and two feet—use them, get an education, and don’t waste your life chasing after things you can’t afford. You can do better than this."

Jiang Shiyu watched the girl, her face a mix of shame and fear. He wished he could take away her anxiety, but the situation was quickly spiraling out of control. He wasn’t sure how to fix things anymore, but one thing was certain—this wasn’t going to end quietly.