Chen Lishu looked in the direction indicated by the two people's fingers. The first pair of trousers, around the pocket area, was torn. It was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that it wasn't ripped from being stretched, but rather cut open with a sharp object like scissors. If the fabric itself had torn, the edges wouldn't be so neat.
The other pair was even less worth looking at; it was the same old trick, not even bothering to change the pattern.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been paid to deliberately cause trouble. Everyone, please come and take a closer look.”
Chen Lishu sneered, took the trousers, and explained her findings to everyone.
“The quality of the clothing in my shop is for everyone to see. I can tolerate it once or twice, but if you think I’m an easy target, you’re gravely mistaken!”
As soon as Chen Lishu finished speaking, Liang Chengsheng arrived with Yang Shuang and another police officer.
“Who is causing trouble here?” Yang Shuang asked, his gaze falling on the two men causing the disturbance.
The two men immediately panicked.
They had only been asked by Lu Chengming to make a scene to let everyone know that ‘Shuse’ clothing store had quality issues and to ruin their reputation. The woman had tolerated and given refunds the previous two times; why had she called the police this time?
“Officer Yang, you’ve arrived just in time. These two pairs of trousers are the evidence. They deliberately damaged the clothing they bought from my store and then came to cause trouble. I tolerated it the previous two times, but there’s a limit. I run a business and operate with the philosophy of customer first, but that doesn’t mean they can slander and defame me as they please.”
Chen Lishu’s words were neither humble nor arrogant. Seeing the men’s evasive eyes and their clearly guilty expressions, everyone began to understand.
“This is too unscrupulous. What has she done to deserve this when she’s just trying to run her business?”
“Comrade, please rest assured, we all saw clearly. Your store’s clothes are of good quality. We won’t believe them if they try to cause trouble.” A man spoke up loudly, defending her.
Yang Shuang said with a serious expression, “Let’s go. You two, come with us.”
The two men, who had been clamoring loudly moments before, instantly fell silent. One of them, full of fear, stammered, “Officers, we were just helping a friend. We didn’t mean anything by it.”
Chen Lishu pressed, “What is your friend’s name?”
The man remained silent again.
Yang Shuang impatiently reprimanded, “We’re asking you a question!”
The man, shrinking back, replied, “Lu, Lu Chengming.”
Chen Lishu’s eyes narrowed dangerously. It was that scoundrel Lu Chengming!
“Officer Yang, Lu Chengming and I have no enmity. His actions are extremely malicious, severely impacting my store’s business, causing me economic losses, and damaging my store’s reputation. Such a person must be severely punished.”
Yang Shuang nodded. “Comrade Chen, please rest assured, our police will not tolerate such individuals. You two, come to the police station with us to give your statements.”
The latter sentence was directed at the two troublemakers.
…
Lu Chengming thought that by asking friends for help, everything would be foolproof, and Chen Lishu would surely be humiliated in front of everyone. He felt it was a shame that he couldn’t witness such a good show due to work.
“Lu Chengming, two police officers are looking for you.” The workshop supervisor entered, his gaze landing on Lu Chengming, who was not at his workstation during work hours but was chatting and laughing with female colleagues. His tone was unfriendly.
This kid was slick and smooth-talking, managing to fool the factory leadership with his words. Otherwise, he would have been disciplined long ago.
Now that the police were here, he must have caused some trouble. This time, it was like building a house by the sea; he was really out of his depth.
Lu Chengming was still confused when he heard that the police were looking for him, not connecting it to anything else.
When he heard that he was being taken to the police station for provoking trouble, he was stunned.
“Comrade, I am being framed. Although I know someone named Chen, this matter has nothing to do with me.”
As soon as he cried out that he was framed, he was impatiently interrupted by the other party: “The two people you hired have confessed everything. Stop dawdling. Do you want us to use force and bring you in with handcuffs before you cooperate?”
Lu Chengming fell silent.
This was happening at the factory, and if he were to be taken away in handcuffs, he wouldn’t be able to work there anymore.
Yang Shuang already had a very good impression of Chen Lishu. Furthermore, when Director Zhang heard that the matter involved Chen Lishu, he attached great importance to it.
This was not only because of Wan Liansheng’s connection. After that incident, he had subtly inquired and learned that Chen Lishu’s classmate had considerable influence. Even if he couldn’t be remembered, building a good indirect relationship was possible.
Therefore, according to provoking trouble, which could result in detention for ten to fifteen days and a fine of ten to twenty yuan, Lu Chengming and his two friends were all dealt with according to the maximum penalty.
When Lin Xiaohui received the news, her entire face turned green with anger. She hurried to the police station to plead for leniency, but they completely ignored her.
Upon seeing Lu Chengming and realizing that Chen Lishu was behind it, she immediately went to the Shuse store.
“Chen Lishu, what do you mean by this? Lu Chengming has nothing to do with you anymore, and you’re still not giving up, are you? Find whoever is causing trouble, why are you clinging onto our Chengming?”
“Are you out of your mind? If you’re sick, go see a doctor instead of biting like a mad dog everywhere. What is your man worth? Our Lishu didn’t provoke him or bother him, yet he tried to ruin our store. Detaining him for fifteen days is lenient. Someone like him should spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Wang Aixiang still had some impression of her and, seeing her this time, felt an urge to grab a mop again.
Lin Xiaohui couldn’t argue with her. Seeing that Chen Lishu wasn’t speaking, she assumed she was guilty and remorseful, so she turned and sat down on a chair reserved for customers nearby.
“Chen Lishu, go and tell those police officers right now that this matter has nothing to do with our Chengming, and tell them to release him immediately. Otherwise, I won’t leave and will come here to cause trouble every day. Let’s see how you can do business!”
Chen Lishu stood up and walked over to her. She looked down at her from a height. Just as Lin Xiaohui expected her to say something, her face suddenly hurt. Before she could react, her scalp tightened.
Chen Lishu tightly grasped her hair, forcing her to look up at her, and said expressionlessly, her voice icy, “Before you speak or act, use your brain. That trash Lu Chengming is only considered a treasure by a blind and foolish person like you. If he hadn’t provoked me, would he be in detention? I’m telling you, you should be glad he’s locked up. Otherwise, believe it or not, the consequences would have been much worse.”
Seeing the fear finally appear in Lin Xiaohui’s eyes, Chen Lishu suddenly let go of her hair. “This is my store. Get out now, or you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.”
“You, who are you trying to scare?” Although her tone was defiant, Lin Xiaohui couldn’t help but swallow nervously, her fear evident.