Chapter 13: My Former Neighbor, Big Sister

“Exactly! I knew from the start that woman wasn’t any good.”

“She acts so pure all the time, like she’s the only innocent person in the entire world.”

“I heard her family is struggling financially. Maybe she’s just after money and wants to cling to someone rich.”

Even the employees at the 4S store joined in with cold ridicule. Many of them had accepted some form of special favors from customers. But among this group of women, Song Xinran stood out like a lily in a swamp, untainted by the dirt around her. It’s no wonder they couldn’t stand her. Now they were more than happy to kick her when she was down.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Liu. We’ll fire an employee with such a lack of morals right away. We’ll also make her apologize to you.” The store manager nodded and smiled obsequiously at the middle-aged man who had been severely insulted.

He knew the type of person Mr. Liu was. But firing an employee was a small price to pay. He didn’t want to lose a big client like Mr. Liu. Hearing these jeers, Song Xinran was on the verge of tears. She shouted, “I didn’t do it! I didn’t provoke him, he was the one who started touching me!”

“You slut! How dare you speak!” Mr. Liu roared in anger. He felt this woman had just humiliated him, making him lose face today. He raised his hand and slapped her.

“Slap!”

A crisp sound echoed, and five red finger marks appeared on Song Xinran’s face. The force of the blow knocked her straight to the ground, making her previously fair face swell up immediately.

Only then did Xu Shaochen get a clear look at Song Xinran’s face. Fury instantly surged through him, turning his eyes red.

“You bastard!”

Xu Shaochen cursed furiously. He tore his hand away from Xie Wei’s grasp and kicked Mr. Liu.

“Bang!”

“Aah!”

Mr. Liu screamed in pain as the sudden kick sent him flying, crashing into the car window with a loud thud, shattering the glass all over.

“Xinran! Are you okay?”

Xu Shaochen quickly rushed forward and helped the tear-streaked Song Xinran up from the ground, his face filled with concern and worry.

“Xiao… Xiaochen, what are you doing here? Wuwuwu… I didn’t provoke him. I really didn’t. I’m not that kind of woman.” When Song Xinran saw Xu Shaochen, she froze for a moment before all her grievances poured out and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

As he listened to Song Xinran’s heart-wrenching cries, Xu Shaochen felt a mix of anger and heartache.

Song Xinran had been his neighbor when he was a kid, three years older than him. Back when they were in school, he followed her around every day, and she took good care of him. To Xu Shaochen, she was like a big sister from next door, and he had a crush on her during his adolescence.

Later, Song Xinran’s parents passed away unexpectedly, causing her to drop out of school and go to work. Years had passed since then. If he hadn’t seen her face clearly just now when she fell, Xu Shaochen might not have even recognized that she was in Jiangzhou.

Now, after a long separation, seeing Song Xinran being mistreated enraged him, and he couldn’t bear it.

“It’s okay, Xinran. Don’t cry. Everything’s fine. I’m here. Don’t cry.” Xu Shaochen hugged her and gently patted her back, trying to comfort her.

“Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, are you okay? Mr. Liu!”

The 4S store manager, still in a daze, finally rushed forward, fumbling to help Mr. Liu up.

“You two will pay for this! I’m calling the police and having both of you arrested!” Mr. Liu’s wife pulled out her phone, pointing at Xu Shaochen and yelling shrilly.

“Clatter!”

Mr. Liu slapped the phone out of her hand and glared at Xu Shaochen and Song Xinran with gritted teeth. “Don’t call the police. I’m gonna make sure they suffer worse than death! Kid, you care about this woman, right? Do you believe I can have a hundred men take turns with her, right in front of you?”

“You two are despicable! You just wait! A pair of depraved siblings—neither of you is a decent person. Your parents must be equally uneducated!” Mr. Liu’s wife cursed through gritted teeth.

“Slap!”

Before she could finish, Xu Shaochen released Song Xinran, turned around, and slapped her hard across the face. He coldly spat out, “Say one more word and I’ll strip you naked and toss you onto the street.”

“You…” Feeling the burning pain on her face, the woman was seething with anger, but she didn’t dare say another word.

“Fine, fine! You got guts, kid. But don’t think this is over. We’ll keep playing.” Mr. Liu snarled, leaving a vicious threat before turning to leave.

The 4S store manager hurriedly stepped forward to apologize, “Mr. Liu, I’m deeply sorry…”

“Get lost!” Mr. Liu interrupted him, spitting out the word before limping away without looking back.

The 4S store manager stood there, his face alternating between green and white. Then, he turned around and vented his frustration on Song Xinran.

“Do you have any idea how much you’ve cost our store?!” The manager shouted at Song Xinran, furious.

“Cost my ass! We’re done with this job anyway! It’s just a lousy sales gig, what’s so great about it!” Xu Shaochen cursed back unceremoniously, ready to leave with Song Xinran.

“Leaving? That window you broke on that car—don’t you think you need to explain yourselves?”

The manager blocked their way, pointing at the Mercedes with the shattered window and sneering. He was curious to see how these two broke nobodies would handle this.

“Exactly! The car window is broken. You must pay for it! If you can’t afford it, then let that little slut sell herself to pay it off!”

The sales team leader immediately chimed in, folding her arms as she looked at Xu Shaochen and Song Xinran with a mocking expression.

“Slap!”

The words had barely left her mouth when Xu Shaochen raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

“Ah!”

The sales team leader cried out in pain, her fair face swelling up instantly as blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

“Don’t push me. I usually don’t hit women, but I make an exception for bitches.” Xu Shaochen stared icy-cold at the sales team leader.

Standing behind him, Song Xinran felt a wave of safety wash over her, but was quickly followed by a new worry. The car cost over a million yuan. They couldn’t possibly afford it.

The sales team leader shot a venomous look at Xu Shaochen, with a hint of fear buried deep in her eyes. I’d like to see how you’re going to pay for the car.

Sensing Song Xinran’s concern, Xu Shaochen held her soft hand tightly, then looked at the manager and said calmly, “We’ll buy this car.”

Everyone was stunned by those words. Then, as if they had just heard the funniest joke of the year, they burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s hilarious! Did you hear what he said? He’s going to buy that car! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

“Exactly! Kid, you look like you’re still in school. You really have no idea how the world works, huh?”

“If this brat manages to buy that car, I’ll eat shit!”

Everyone around them sneered and ridiculed Xu Shaochen, treating him like a clown, thinking that he was speaking without thinking.

“Xiaochen…” Song Xinran tugged on his sleeve softly. Where were they going to get the money to buy a car?

Xu Shaochen smiled gently at her, “Xinran, don’t worry. Leave it to me.”

Seeing that smile, Song Xinran inexplicably felt her panic subsiding. She nodded slightly.