Not long later, Zhuzhu stood in front of a shop. She spotted an elderly woman who was currently sweeping the floors. Beads of sweat rolled down the woman's forehead. Then the woman looked up and noticed her standing. She waved happily at Qin Zhuzhu and she waved back. The woman put on a happy face everyday but Qin Zhuzhu knew that she was pretending.
"Zhuzhu, what are you doing here?" Her mother came over once it was lunch break.
"Mom, I came here to tell you something," she hesitated. She was afraid her mother's reaction would cause her to faint if she heard of her divorce.
Qin Zhuzhu and her mother, Song Ping used to be part of the elite upper class of Shengjing. They were regarded as billionaires and treated with respect. No one dared to block their way or say anything disrespectful. Unfortunately, good times last short because now they were treated like trash and scorned by everyone.
Zhuzhu fidgeted with her fingers, looking nervous. Immediately, her mother sensed that something was wrong.
"Mom.... I....I," she hesitated and looked down.
"What is it, XiaoZhu? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Xu Meng?" Song Ping smiled kindly.
"Mom, it's about Xu Meng. I-I..." She stuttered. How was she supposed to break the news to her mother?
"What's wrong, XiaoZhu? Why do you look so pale? Are you having a fever?" Song Ping reached out to touch her daughter's forehead but Zhuzhu stopped her.
"I'm fine. I wanted to tell you that-"
"Hey, old woman! I can't believe that you are a thief! Return my necklace immediately!" A voice disrupted them.
Qin Zhuzhu turned to see one of her mother's colleagues, a girl in her twenties came striding over with an angry expression.
"I didn't take your necklace, miss," Song Ping said with a kind smile.
"What do you mean you didn't take it?! Aren't you the only one in the restroom at that time!?" The girl insisted and shouted loudly, attracting a crowd.
"I swear I didn't. I don't know how your necklace looks like,"
"What's going on here!?" A man with a beard and grey hair came out.
"Song Ping stole my necklace and doesn't want to return it!" The girl accused her.
"I'll help you get it back. Don't worry," the boss said to the girl.
It was obvious that the boss had an affair with this girl. They were often close and intimate with each other and the way they looked at each other was so flirty! He took the girl's side immediately and started to hurl threats at Song Ping.
"Return the necklace or I'll fire you!" The boss said.
"You have the motives to take it. Look at you! Both of you are poor and in need of money. You stole my necklace so that you can sell it for money, am I right?!" The girl said arrogantly and crossed her arms.
"Since you claim that it was my mother who stole it, then do you have evidence? Why don't we take a look at the cameras and come clear with this matter?" Zhuzhu said. She glared at the boss and at the girl. How dare they treat her mother like this!?
"Fine! Let's take a look. I'm not afraid!" The girl harrumphed.
The boss viewed the camera footage on the tablet. Although there was no camera in the women's restroom, there was one outside. The camera showed the first girl entering the restroom.
"Wait! Zoom in!" Zhuzhu instructed the boss. But the boss didn't zoom in. He stared at her irritatedly.
"Zoom in," Qin Zhuzhu said again, in a much more commanding and chilling tone. The boss was a little scared of the way she glared at him so he did as she was told. He hated listening to other's orders.
They zoomed in on the girl's neck and found out that she wasn't wearing a necklace. In fact, she wasn't wearing a necklace the entire day!
"Since you didn't wear your necklace, why did you say my mother took it? Based on what evidence?!" Zhuzhu demanded an answer.
"H-how would I know? I don't remember," the girl became frightened and stuttered nervously.
"I want an answer and an apology. Apologize to my mom!" Zhuzhu's eyes burnt fiercely. They dared to insult her mother's character and name, calling her a lowly thief! Zhuzhu was extremely angry!
"I think we should search for the necklace first. Then we'll talk about the apology. Is that okay?" One of her mother's colleagues suggested. The boss agreed. So they started searching the entire place.
In the end, they found the necklace inside the first girl's apron.
"How did it end up here? I thought I was wearing it and took it off in the restroom?" The girl scratched her head, confused.
Thanks to her carelessness, they blamed and almost wanted to kick her mother out or even send her to jail. Zhuzhu wasn't letting this matter slide just like that.
"I demand an apology! You called my mother a thief,"
"What? That's over now. You don't need to get so worked up, right?" The girl told Zhuzhu rudely. She refused to apologize on this matter.
However, Zhuzhu was disgusted with the girl's behaviour and attitude. She wasn't afraid to publicize this matter.
"You must apologize for wronging my mother. If not, I'll publicize this and let's see what the public will say!" Zhuzhu said confidently. White hot anger was spilling out of her. She won't let anyone bully or treat her mother unjustly.
Her mother had been cheated by her husband, Zhuzhu's father and then dumped. Zhuzhu's father was a rotten man who loved to bathe in luxury and lick the boots of others. When they became broke, Zhuzhu's father abandoned them and went on to seduce a daughter of a rich family so that he would live another comfortable life in luxury. It was on this day that Zhuzhu took up the sole responsibility of protecting her mother.
Pressured by Zhuzhu and the crowd that had gathered because of the commotion, the girl bowed and apologized reluctantly.
"I'm sorry!"
Zhuzhu scoffed at the girl. Not sincere enough!
But her boss was quick to step in and protect his 'lover'.
"You're fired! Don't ever show your ugly faces here again!"