An Instant of Deep Affection

Chapter 5: It's Just a Different Shade

The security guards arrived to maintain order.

"What's going on here? Our manager, Mr. Li, received a call from the general manager, asking the security team to come and see what's happening," one of the guards explained to Su Nianyao and Wang Xiaomei as they arrived at the scene. The first task was to disperse the crowd.

"Everyone, please clear the store if you're not making a purchase. We need to keep the area clear and avoid blocking others," the guard instructed. The manager had specifically asked them to handle the situation discreetly.

Wang Xiaomei couldn't help but sneer at the absurdity. "Mr. Li? Really? You guys are getting bolder, aren’t you? You're even preparing fake security guards now, huh?" she muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look, I’m new here, but I know well enough that the manager on this floor is named Wang, not Li. Mr. Li left the company half a month ago. Maybe next time, you should do your homework before you start impersonating people."

Her irritation was evident, but she couldn't suppress her laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. While she'd seen gang-related thefts reported on the news, a whole team mobilizing just to steal a Lego accessory seemed a bit much. If it were gold or diamonds, maybe, but a limited-edition helmet worth five thousand yuan? Who would even care?

"Who would want to impersonate a mall security guard?" one of the actual guards replied, taken aback. "If I had that kind of talent, I'd be acting, not working security!"

But when he turned his attention to Su Nianyao, he added with a knowing look, "You know, this isn’t the first time something strange has happened at your store. Last night, after the mall had closed, two people were still inside. You were one of them, weren’t you?"

"Yes, that’s because we were waiting for a late delivery," Su Nianyao explained quickly. "We had to package it for security before we could leave. We lost track of time and got locked in."

The guard nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I remember checking your store manager's badge and letting you out. If I hadn’t opened the door, you would’ve had to sleep here overnight."

Wang Xiaomei couldn't help but chuckle at the odd situation. "Now you're saying the floor manager is Mr. Wang, but I guess the security chief’s name can’t be Mr. Li, right? You're not fooling anyone with your fake security routine."

The guards stood there, visibly confused, but at least they weren’t accusing anyone of stealing anymore.

Once the guards arrived and the initial chaos calmed down, Su Nianyao felt a little more at ease. She was confident the red warrior helmet was safe now. With two guards around, she was sure the "thieves" wouldn’t get away with it.

The girl, who had been clutching onto the Lego pieces since rushing out of the store, now seemed a little less anxious. She no longer clung to the back of the man, Jiang Shiyu, and slowly stood up, though her eyes were still fixed on the limited edition Lego set.

Wang Xiaomei and Su Nianyao couldn’t help but notice the suspicious couple—Jiang Shiyu and the girl—who, despite their gentle demeanor, were clearly up to no good.

The security manager quickly told the guards to settle the matter quietly, but it was clear the two "thieves" were trying to delay things. Before the situation could escalate, the manager hoped to retrieve the Lego pieces and get confirmation from the buyer.

Just as one of the guards was about to approach the girl to take the pieces, Jiang Shiyu intervened. His calm demeanor hid his annoyance as he stepped forward, holding out the same fake card Su Nianyao had already rejected.

"Do you still think my card is fake? Let’s talk about it. You said your friend works at China Merchants Bank, right? What’s the problem now?" he asked coolly.

"Yes, that's right. My friend knows every detail about those cards, even better than I do," Su Nianyao replied confidently. She had memorized the appearance of the real cards from her friend.

"Okay, then take a picture of this card for me. You can ask your friend to check if it’s real," Jiang Shiyu continued, his voice level but firm. "If it’s real, then maybe you can use this card to pay for the Lego pieces."

Despite feeling irritated, Su Nianyao couldn't outright refuse Jiang Shiyu’s request. Something about his composed attitude made her hesitate. She agreed reluctantly and took a picture of the card.

"Here, I’ve sent it. Look at the details. Let me know if it’s real."

Su Nianyao’s message reached her best friend, Chen Mengqi, who quickly replied with an unexpected answer.

"Of course it exists! You’ve got too much time on your hands sending me messages during work. Anyway, there are different types of cards, even if it's the high-end one," Mengqi responded nonchalantly, focusing more on the time than the actual issue at hand.

But Su Nianyao was still focused on the card. "Wait a minute, are you telling me the color is different? You showed me a different card before, one where the sunflower was silver!"

Mengqi quickly clarified, "The card you showed me—yeah, that’s from a private bank. It’s for top clients only. That’s not something just anyone can get. You didn’t notice the small detail that says 'Private Banking' on the top corner of the card, did you?"

Su Nianyao was shocked. "Wait… what? This card’s from a private bank?" The truth hit her, and it made her question everything.

As her best friend excitedly shared her experience with her high-stakes job in the bank, Su Nianyao’s mind raced. "Wait, does that mean this card is… really his? And what’s going on with everything else here?"

With her heart pounding, Su Nianyao quickly realized the gravity of the situation. Was she about to lose her job over this? Or would she end up buying the whole store just to avoid the mess?

Her phone buzzed again with a reminder from Jiang Shiyu: "If you’re sure the card is real, can we go ahead and pay for the Lego pieces now?"

"Okay, okay," Wang Xiaomei finally said, taking the card from Su Nianyao and processing the payment. It was her first month on the job, and she had no idea if this would be her last day working at the Lego store.

The drama was far from over, but at least for now, they had avoided a full-blown scandal.