A store clerk suddenly blurted out, "Miss, you're not playing us, are you? You've been trying on clothes for over an hour and don't want to buy anything?"
"No, my friend suddenly had something come up and had to leave," Qiao Xi explained.
"Oh, so the mistress failed to take over and wants to get the man to pay the bill?" another clerk said sarcastically.
"What did you say!" Qiao Xi was angered, "Is this the service attitude of your brand?"
"What? If you can buy all these clothes, I'll personally serve you tea, pour water, and kowtow to apologize right now. If you don't have the means, don't waste our time here!"
"Looking at your poor appearance, can you even afford one piece?" The store manager looked her up and down with disdain.
Qiao Xi glanced at the business suit she was wearing. Although it wasn't a top-tier brand, it cost over seven thousand yuan, and it was elegant and decent. How could she be considered poor?
The store manager gave a look.
Two clerks immediately stepped forward and roughly pushed her towards the door.
She lost her balance and fell awkwardly onto the polished floor.
The next second, her handbag was also thrown out of the store, hitting the ground beside her, and her lipstick rolled out.
Qiao Xi got up from the ground, her fingernails digging deeply into her palm.
She mustered her last bit of dignity and said, word by word, "Pack all these clothes for me and send them to Tianyu Group! I want you to apologize immediately!"
The store manager acted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"You've been messing with us for so long, and you still want us to apologize? Let me tell you, we don't do credit. Either pay by card or in cash. If you don't have money, don't pretend to be rich here!"
Qiao Xi gritted her teeth.
She only had seventy to eighty thousand in her card, which wasn't even enough for a fraction of the cost of one piece of clothing.
She knew that arguing further would only be humiliating herself.
"What, still not leaving? Do you want us to take a picture of your sorry state and post it online!" A clerk took out her mobile phone and pointed it at her.
Qiao Xi quickly covered her face with her hand, turned around, and quickly left.
Tears finally welled up uncontrollably. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let them fall.
Shang Beichen's sudden departure had led her to experience the most disheveled and humiliating moment of her life.
Not far away, Shen Xiran, arm in arm with a sexy beauty, was shopping in the mall and witnessed this scene with surprise.
It was truly embarrassing.
Was Secretary Qiao out of money and got thrown out?
Shang Beichen was too stingy; how could he not give her pocket money?
A woman doesn't need a lot of love, but she must be spoiled with money.
Qiao Xi composed herself and returned to the company.
Shang Beichen had not returned.
She suppressed her overwhelming anger and grievance, finishing the work at hand.
As soon as work ended, she rushed out of the company, picked up Little Bean first, and then took a taxi to the hospital.
Her small car had been sent for repairs and hadn't been returned yet.
Today, her mother could be discharged from the hospital.
The hospital was bustling with people.
As Qiao Xi was queuing to process the discharge settlement, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure.
Shang Beichen was holding a woman and rushing towards the emergency channel.
The woman had injuries on her hands and feet, and her face was as pale as paper.
Qiao Xi saw clearly; it was that woman named Nan Xing.
So, he had gone to rescue the damsel in distress.
Qiao Xi's eyes instantly turned cold.
It seemed that this Nan Xing was a thousand times more important to him than she was.
However, what did that have to do with her?
She would no longer humiliate herself; from now on, she would stay far away from him.
Shang Beichen settled Nan Xing in the emergency room and took out his phone to pay, only to find eight missed calls, all from Qiao Xi.
The incident had been sudden, and he had indeed not had time for her.
However, the black card he gave her had a balance of over fifty million and no password; she could pay for it herself.
He casually called her back.
On the other end, no one answered.
Inside the car, the phone rang stubbornly.
Qiao Xi stared at the name flashing on the screen, motionless.
"Mommy, your phone is ringing," Little Bean reminded her in a milky voice.
"Don't bother it, pretend it's not ringing! Can't you hear?" Qiao Xi replied irritably.
"How can you talk to a child like that?" Chen Xiuhua saw the explosive temper and immediately protected the baby, "Don't scold my little darling."
Qiao Xi took a deep breath, knowing she had gone too far.
As she got out of the car, she voluntarily squatted down and hugged the little one.
"Baby, Mommy was wrong. I'll make you strawberry ice cream tonight, okay?"
"Mhm! Then I want two, big ones!"
"Okay," Qiao Xi smiled, kissed her twice on the cheek, and then let her run off on her own.
She supported her mother and slowly went upstairs.
Just as they reached the entrance of their home, the door of Aunt Jiang's apartment opposite opened, and the aroma of food wafted out.
Jiang Si happened to be walking out.
"Director Jiang," she greeted him.
"You're back? I just finished cooking. Why don't you and Auntie come over and eat with us?"
Qiao Xi's heart warmed, but she politely replied, "No need, Director Jiang, it's too much trouble. I'll just make something myself later."
Jiang Si smiled.
"Don't you want to try my cooking?"
He lowered his head and winked at Little Bean, "Little Bean, are you hungry?"
"Mhm mhm mhm! Bean is hungry! Teacher said we shouldn't eat too late!" The little one immediately switched sides.
Qiao Xi couldn't refuse and ended up taking her mother and Little Bean into the apartment opposite.
As soon as she entered, she was stunned.
A table full of dishes, sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy chicken, and several light, non-spicy stir-fries... they were all her favorites.
"Aunt Jiang," she saw a gentle woman and quickly greeted her. As soon as she spoke, she realized something was wrong; the generation was off.
Jiang Yi, Jiang Si's sister, smiled and said, "Just call me Sister Jiang from now on."
"Okay, Sister Jiang."
The meal was exceptionally warm.
Jiang Si kept putting food into her bowl; his cooking skills were astonishing.
Qiao Xi felt that she might not even have such skills.
This man was truly very good.
After the meal, Jiang Si personally made two large strawberry ice creams for Little Bean, making the little girl so happy she spun around.
Little Bean clung to them again, and Jiang Si, as usual, escorted them home.
Meanwhile, at the city's most upscale club, Dynasty.
Shang Beichen was clinking glasses with Shen Xiran.
"I've already had someone take care of Nan Xing," Shen Xiran said. "Her so-called sister bullied her since childhood. If it weren't for her brother protecting her, she would have been completely devoured long ago. It's a pity that the eldest young master of the Nan family disappeared five years ago, and then her sister became arrogant again."
Shang Beichen swirled his wine glass, his eyes deep.
Nan Xing was the adopted daughter of the Nan family. Ever since the Nan family found their true daughter eight years ago, her life had been difficult.
But she had been kind to him.
His first startup capital, a full hundred million, was found by Nan Xing.
This led to his later multi-billion dollar Bei Qiao Capital, and she was one of Bei Qiao's shareholders.
Over the years, he had always treated her as a business partner and confidante, like a younger sister.
"That woman from the Nan family," Shang Beichen said coldly, "it's time to deal with her."
Shen Xiran smiled and changed the subject, "You should pay some attention to your little secretary too."
"What do you mean?"
"I ran into her at the mall today," Shen Xiran clicked his tongue twice. "She didn't have money to pay and was thrown out of a clothing store. The scene was so embarrassing. The little girl gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes but not falling, looking so pitiful."
"What?!"
Shang Beichen shot up from the sofa, his face ashen.
He turned and strode out, making a call as he walked, "Anyone who bullies my people is seeking death..."
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