Shen Yuan jolted.
Turning around, she saw three men stride in through the door.
The man in front wore a black leather jacket, a thick silver chain hanging around his neck, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from his lips.
The stench of cheap tobacco instantly spread through the coffee-scented shop.
Of the two men behind him, one was holding up his phone, filming the place haphazardly, while the other had a face full of flesh and scanned the room with an impatient, irritated look.
Shen Yuan’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach.
They were here after all.
The noise in the shop seemed to hit pause. Customers froze mid-motion, frowning as they turned to look.
The man in the black jacket blew out a smoke ring, swept his gaze across the counter, and shouted hoarsely, “Which one of you is Shen Yuan?”
Zhou Ning flinched and took a step back.
Shen Yuan set down the takeaway bag in her hand, pressing her fingertips hard against the cold marble countertop until her knuckles turned white.
She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the counter.
“I’m her.”
The man in the black jacket looked her up and down, then suddenly grinned. “Owe money and won’t pay, but you sure step up quick enough.”
Zhou Ning’s expression shifted. She mustered her courage and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing? This is a place of business!”
The man didn’t even glance at her. He casually flicked his ash onto the spotless floor. “We’re here to collect a debt. That’s only right and proper. What’s it got to do with you?”
Linda strode forward with a cold face. “No smoking in the shop. Put out that cigarette right now.”
The man in the black jacket shot her a sidelong glance. “Who are you? The boss?”
“I’m the manager.”
“Perfect, then.” The man suddenly raised his voice, shouting at the customers in the shop.
“Listen up, everyone! This shop’s employee, Shen Yuan, borrowed money and won’t pay it back. She’s a deadbeat! And this shop still dares to hire someone like her?”
A low murmur of discussion immediately rippled through the crowd. A few customers had already pulled out their phones.
Shen Yuan’s fingers clenched tight at the edge of her apron.
This was exactly what she feared most.
They weren’t here to talk about money.
They were here to cause trouble.
To pressure her with public opinion.
To make her lose her job, to scare her, to force her into handing over money just to shut them up.
Shen Yuan took a deep breath.
“I’ve already told you people—I asked you to provide the complete loan contract and a legal breakdown of the interest. You can’t produce any of it. All you’ve done is send me harassing text messages, one after another.”
The man in the black jacket let out a sneer and stepped half a pace closer. “Don’t give me that bullshit. A debt must be repaid—that’s only right and proper!”
“I acknowledge the principal.” Shen Yuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crisp and clear. “But those illegal snowballing interest charges, and the threats and harassment you’re pulling right now—I don’t acknowledge any of that.”
The man’s face darkened completely, a flicker of menace flashing in his eyes.
“Oh, so you know the law, do you?”
Shen Yuan met his gaze without backing down. “Not much, but I do know that what you’re doing right now—storming into a place of business and causing a scene—is more than enough grounds for me to call the police.”
“Call the police?” The man beside him holding the phone immediately shoved the camera in her face, nearly jabbing it into her nose. “Everyone, take a look at this woman’s face! Owes money and won’t pay, and she still dares to threaten the creditor with calling the cops!”
Shen Yuan turned her head away and raised a hand to block the lens.
“Filming and distributing someone’s likeness without their consent is also against the law.”
A very faint murmur rose from the crowd.
“The girl does have a point…”
“Exactly. Even debt collectors can’t just barge into someone’s shop and act like thugs.”
Hearing this, the man in the black jacket’s face turned even uglier.
Before he came, he had reviewed the file, which clearly stated: no job, spends money lavishly, and is highly vain.
Women like this were the easiest to handle—just make a scene in public, and within three minutes, they’d be crying and begging for mercy.
But he hadn’t expected that this woman, pale as paper, wouldn’t shed a single tear and could still confront him with clear logic.
Her refusal to be swayed by either soft or hard tactics infuriated him.
“Fine.” The man in the black jacket sneered, pulled out a chair, and sat down with an air of authority.
“You won’t pay? Then my brothers and I will just stay right here today. Let’s see how your shabby shop manages to do business!”
The two men he’d brought along also pulled out chairs and sat down, looking ready to fight to the bitter end.
Nearby customers frowned, grabbed their bags, and began to leave.
Zhou Ning’s eyes reddened with anxiety as she grabbed Linda’s sleeve. “Linda…”
Linda’s face was ashen as she pulled out her phone and pressed 110.
Just then, a gentle yet penetrating voice came from behind.
“Gentlemen.”
Shen Yuan turned to look.
Zhou Yan walked out from the corridor leading to the back office.
He wore a well-tailored light gray trench coat today, his pace unhurried.
There was no aggressive edge to him, but as he stepped into the chaos, the restless air around him inexplicably quieted.
“I’m the owner of this shop.” Zhou Yan stopped in front of the counter, his gaze calm as it settled on the man in the black jacket.
The man stood up, eyeing him with hostility. “The owner, huh? Your employee owes money and is dodging the debt. Are you going to handle it?”
Zhou Yan didn’t look at him. Instead, he walked over to Shen Yuan first.
He turned slightly, subtly shielding her behind him.
“An employee’s personal debts are not something I can interfere with.” Zhou Yan’s tone remained gentle, but carried an unshakable confidence.
“But you’ve been making a racket and smoking in my shop, seriously disrupting my business. That part, I can report to the police.”
The man laughed as if he’d heard a joke. “Who are you trying to scare?”
Zhou Yan pulled out his phone, flipped the screen around, and showed it to him.
On the screen, the emergency call had already been placed, with the call timer showing it was in progress.
The man’s smile froze on his face.
Zhou Yan put his phone away and casually pointed to a few corners of the ceiling.
“Also, the shop’s full-coverage surveillance has clearly recorded your smoking, insults, and disruption of business order from the moment you walked in. Once the police arrive, I’ll provide the original footage.”
The man in the black jacket clenched his jaw.
He’d been in this line of work long enough to see at a glance that this man wasn’t someone to be easily intimidated.
If this escalated to the police station, debt collectors like him were already in the wrong—he might even end up detained for a few days.
Standing behind Zhou Yan, Shen Yuan watched his tall, upright back, her heart tightening.
She didn’t want to drag anyone into the mess left by the original owner of this body.
“Boss, this matter, I—”
Zhou Yan turned his head and cut her off.
His gaze was calm and steady, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Right now, this is a matter for the shop.”