Xu Tingyu hurried out of the TV station.
Her car was still under repair, so she had been taking taxis for her recent outings.
While waiting for a taxi at the entrance, she keen - eyed spotted Xie Yu getting into a black Maybach.
Her heart skipped a beat.
It was already evening. It seemed like it was going to rain, and the sky grew gloomy.
Her heart also sank, as if covered by a cold cloud.
That was Qi Shifeng's car.
The taxi she had called hadn't arrived yet, but the black Maybach had already sped away and disappeared from sight.
Behind her, some TV station staff were whispering and gossiping.
"The car Xie Yu got into isn't the one she came in. It's so nice to be rich. I'm so envious."
"Open your eyes and take a closer look. Is that something you can get just because you're rich? That's a car from the Qi Group."
"Ah? How do you know? Why is she leaving in a car from the Qi Group?"
"Come on, are you just new to the internet? She and the president of the Qi Group are childhood sweethearts. That car is a customized version. I saw it when I went to the Qi Group to visit a friend before."
"Oh my god, the world is so unfair. Why is she so beautiful and able to marry into a wealthy family!"
"Shh, keep your voice down. If she hears you, you'll be in big trouble."
"What? Can't I praise her?"
"Do you call this praise? Don't you know that President Qi is already married?"
"You mean she's a... a mistress..."
The voices of the discussion faded away.
The taxi Xu Tingyu was waiting for also arrived.
She got into the car swiftly, leaving all the noise and chaos behind.
She first went back to the Xu family's old mansion but didn't find anyone. Then she went to Xu Jianmin's cemetery, but still couldn't find the person she was looking for.
"We've searched everywhere we could, Miss. How about calling the police?"
Secretary Qian wiped the sweat off his face after meeting up with her.
Xu Tingyu had the same idea, but before she could dial the police number, an unfamiliar number called.
"Are you Miss Xu? A lady who claims to be your mother smashed up our store. Please come and handle this as soon as possible."
The caller gave the address.
Xu Tingyu and Secretary Qian didn't have time to think much and rushed there in a hurry.
On the way, Secretary Qian hesitated for a moment and then whispered, "That shopping mall used to be an asset of the Xu Group. It was sold two years ago."
They didn't know why Zhang Qiu would go there and smash up someone's store.
Xu Tingyu was a bit surprised but didn't know what to say, so she just silently looked out of the window.
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was a mess.
Then they saw Zhang Qiu, sitting slumped on the carpet, with messy hair and looking extremely disheveled.
Xu Tingyu walked over quickly, wanting to check if Zhang Qiu was injured, but before she could touch her, she was pushed away.
"You useless thing! I've been bullied to death, and you just come now. You must have done it on purpose. You wish to see me die, don't you?"
As soon as Zhang Qiu saw her, she seemed to be full of energy. She stared at Xu Tingyu with blood - shot eyes and started scolding loudly.
Xu Tingyu was pushed and staggered a few steps before she managed to steady herself.
At this time, the store manager walked over and said to Xu Tingyu, "Hello. Are you her daughter?"
"This afternoon, this lady came into the store to buy perfume. Then she suddenly lost control of her emotions and had a conflict with one of our customers."
"When our store clerk tried to stop her, she scratched the clerk's face and knocked down our perfume wall."
"We've already called the police, but this lady's mental state seems to be not very good, so we informed you."
The store manager only sized Xu Tingyu up and down once and knew that Zhang Qiu wasn't lying when she said her daughter was the second young mistress of the Qi Group.
One could fake their clothes and appearance, but one couldn't fake the aura around them.
Xu Tingyu apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry for the trouble. After we figure out what happened, we will definitely compensate for all the losses."
Since her father's accident, Zhang Qiu's mental state had indeed been a bit off.
But Xu Tingyu never thought that she would smash up a store and hurt someone.
However, they couldn't just convict Zhang Qiu based on the store manager's one - sided story.
After the police arrived, both sides sat down together to watch the store's surveillance video.
It showed that when Zhang Qiu walked into the store, her state was still normal.
But after a while, after saying a few words to another customer beside her, she suddenly became furious.
First, she smashed the perfume in her hand, then pointed at the customer and started scolding.
Then, when the store clerk came to stop her, her emotions reached the peak. She slapped the clerk twice and scratched several times without any regard.
After watching the surveillance video, Xu Tingyu looked up at Zhang Qiu.
After the police came, her emotions had calmed down a lot.
She didn't say a word now, just curled up on the sofa, looking dull, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Looking at her like this, Xu Tingyu felt a pang of heartache for no reason.
That Zhang Qiu, who always pursued elegance and cared most about her own image, how could she allow herself to fight with others in public?
"Miss Xu, the situation is very clear. Your mother provoked and started the fight first. You need to bear all the losses of our store and the medical expenses of our clerk."
The store manager put forward the requirement.
Xu Tingyu withdrew her gaze and met the store manager's eyes.
The other party had already learned her identity and knew that she was really the second young mistress of the Qi family.
But they had also heard the rumors that she was out of favor.
So there was already a bit of contempt in their eyes.
"I can compensate, but I need to know who the customer who provoked my mother is so that I can determine who really provoked first."
Xu Tingyu wouldn't side with Zhang Qiu, but she would never allow others to bully Zhang Qiu either.
The surveillance video showed that Zhang Qiu had started the fight.
But wasn't the real culprit the person who provoked Zhang Qiu?
How could that person get away scot - free after the incident?
"Miss Xu, the surveillance video is very clear. It was your mother who started the fight. It has nothing to do with our other customers."
The store manager still spoke respectfully, but there was already a bit of impatience in their expression.
It seemed to be saying: Just pay the money. What's this amount of money to the second young mistress of the Qi family? Why waste time here and keep pestering?
But Xu Tingyu insisted on finding that customer.
"You want to find compensation for the losses of the store, and I want to find justice for my mother. It's fair, isn't it?"
"I just want to know what that customer said to my mother. Is that not okay?"
The two sides were at a stalemate. Finally, under the coordination of the police, the store had to make a concession.
"It's not that we're unwilling to provide the customer's information. We just don't know the customer either. However, we can provide another surveillance video with sound."
There was more than one surveillance camera in the store. The one they had just watched was mute.
Now, at Xu Tingyu's insistence, another video was sent over.
After watching it, everyone's expressions changed.