An Instant of Deep Affection

Chapter 3: Such Bad Timing

Jiang Shiyu couldn't just stand there and watch as everyone pointed fingers at the girl. He wasn't going to yank his sleeve out of her grip again. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

The people gathered around looked on in confusion. What was going on? Was this a young couple showing off their love? Were they trying to stir up drama for attention, or were they just a couple of idiots with too much money?

Su Nianyao and Wang Xiaomei, seeing that neither of them was leaving anytime soon, hesitated. They couldn’t press any further, but the whole situation was getting weirder by the second. Wasn’t the boy the one who had just broken up with her? He hated her constant shopping, right? But now, he was offering to pay?

And then there was that weird slip-up of his—“Help buy, buy, buy...” What was that? Was he nervous?

Jiang Shiyu didn’t explain. He didn’t care about the shocked looks from the bystanders or the employees. Without a word, he took out a black card from his wallet. The card had a golden sunflower printed on the right side, with “Merchants Bank” written in bold on the front.

Su Nianyao grabbed the card, inspecting it for a moment. The first moment of confusion passed, and then it hit her. Her eyes narrowed, the anger she’d been holding back building.

She knew this situation was far from simple. She was dealing with something much more complicated than a petty theft.

"Huh, nice fake. Are you two scammers or something?" Su Nianyao scoffed, glaring at them both. "You think you can impress me with a high-end-looking bank card?"

She waved the card in front of them. "You think everyone’s so gullible, huh? Well, lucky for you, my best friend works at China Merchants Bank. And guess what? I’ve seen all their cards, including the platinum ones. Yeah, they’re black. But the platinum card has a silver sunflower, not gold. You couldn’t even get the color right. If you’re going to fake a card, at least do a better job of it!"

Jiang Shiyu’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak. The situation was already spiraling, and he didn’t want to make it worse. But now, it seemed like he was being labeled as a scammer, too.

Su Nianyao wasn’t done. "You two—what do you think? You can just cause a scene, pretend to argue, and walk out with these limited-edition Lego pieces in the chaos? Not happening!"

Wang Xiaomei, who had been silently watching, couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself any longer. "Seriously? Is this the new scam tactic? Faking a high-end bank card, creating a distraction, and then swapping the Lego pieces while no one's looking? I mean, these two are definitely clever enough to pull that off."

The realization hit her hard. The money they could lose in this store would be the equivalent of an entire month’s salary. Wang Xiaomei wasn’t going to let it slide easily.

"Let’s just swipe the card and see what happens. If it works, we’ll know it’s real. If it doesn’t, we’ll know we’ve got ourselves a scammer," Jiang Shiyu said, his voice steady but tense. He had enough of this drama. It wasn’t just about the Lego anymore; it was about putting an end to all the accusations.

But Su Nianyao wasn’t convinced. "Oh, please. Do you really think I’m going to fall for that? You're not going to scam me. I see what you're trying to do."

Jiang Shiyu let out a sigh, frustrated. "You want to check? Go ahead. But let me tell you, I’m not interested in dragging this out any longer. Either you check, or we leave."

Wang Xiaomei was starting to get anxious. She was still in her probation period and could barely afford the loss of a month’s salary, let alone the potential fines. "Maybe we should call the police," she suggested, her voice tinged with nervousness. "What if they’re in on this from the start? They could’ve swapped out the Lego pieces with fake ones while we weren’t paying attention."

Su Nianyao, still fuming, glared at her. "I think you’re overreacting, but fine. If it makes you feel better, let’s just make sure these pieces are real first."

At that moment, the girl holding the Lego sets suddenly went pale. Her hands trembled, and she almost dropped the limited edition pieces. "No! Please, don’t call the police," she cried out, her voice quivering. "I don’t want to see any cops."

Jiang Shiyu could see the panic in her eyes. This wasn’t the first time she’d been caught in a similar situation, though he didn’t know the full details. "It’s alright, don’t worry," he said softly, his voice reassuring as he helped her up. "You’re okay. I’m here for you."

The girl’s face crumpled as she buried her face in her hands. Her legs wobbled, and it seemed like she might collapse right there.

Jiang Shiyu glanced around, feeling the weight of the situation on his shoulders. The eyes of the crowd felt like they were burning into him. How had things escalated to this point?

"What happened before?" Su Nianyao muttered under her breath as she observed the girl’s breakdown. She’d heard rumors about the girl getting into trouble once before, but now, seeing her so fragile, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

"Is this the second time she’s been caught?" Wang Xiaomei whispered, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the girl. "Is she really trying to steal again?"

The girl was visibly shaking now. She’d been through this before—six months ago, in fact. The police had arrived, paramedics had been called, and if it weren’t for the quick response, she might not have made it out alive.

As the girl’s sobs grew louder, Jiang Shiyu felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest. This was a mess, and it wasn’t just her fault. It had been brewing for months, and now, it was all coming to a head in front of a crowd of strangers.

"Don’t worry," he said again, his voice soft but firm. "I’ll handle this. Just breathe, okay?"

Jiang Shiyu turned toward the entrance of the store. "Let’s go inside. I’ll take care of everything. You can sit down while I handle the rest."

The crowd followed them inside, curiosity piqued. The small Lego store was now filled with whispers and murmurs as people tried to make sense of the chaos. It seemed like the drama was far from over.

Su Nianyao still wasn’t sure what to make of all this. She had worked too hard for this job to let a couple of scammers ruin it. But now, with the girl sobbing uncontrollably in front of her, she wasn’t so sure anymore. This wasn’t just about the Lego—it was about something much bigger, something that neither she nor Jiang Shiyu could avoid any longer.