“So, you’re not planning to apologize, is that it?”

“I already said, why should we apologize? We’re customers! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The customer is always right’? No wonder people say China lags behind the West. It’s because our service industry is terrible!” Zhang Hanlin retorted stubbornly, showing no intention of backing down.

Gu Xicao smiled faintly. “In that case, don’t blame me for not sparing you any dignity.

You and your wife stole quite a few things from this amusement park, didn’t you?”

She pretended to calculate on her fingers.

“Let’s see-there’s toilet paper, toilet cleaner, and even the staff’s stationery. You two really didn’t let anything slip through your fingers.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?

Stealing? Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law. You better have evidence before you speak!” Mrs. Zhang’s face turned pale as she lashed out at Gu Xicao.

Raising an eyebrow, Gu Xicao walked over, grabbed Zhang Qiang’s backpack, unzipped it, and dumped its contents onto the ground.

The items tumbled out: three rolls of toilet paper, two bottles of toilet cleaner, along with pens, straws, and disposable cutlery.

“Aren’t those straws and forks from the restaurant?” Liu Suxiang recognized them immediately. The amusement park’s items bore the company’s logo, making them easy to identify.

She crouched down and picked up a pen. “And this pen-it’s also from the restaurant. How did it end up here?”

“There’s no need to ask. This couple stole everything they could get their hands on while eating at the restaurant. They didn’t even spare a ballpoint pen. Talk about thriftiness,” Gu Xicao remarked mockingly.

“You… you…” Zhang Hanlin was livid, pointing a trembling finger at Gu Xicao. “The restaurant’s stuff is so expensive! What’s wrong with us taking a few things? Do you have to call it stealing?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, these items are the property of the amusement park. While they may not be worth much, they’re not yours to take. What you’ve done is theft, and we have every right to press charges,” Lin Qianshi said sternly, his expression darkening.

Hearing the word “charges,” the couple finally showed signs of fear.

Mrs. Zhang muttered under her breath, “Fine, we’ll give everything back. Happy now?”

“No, you’ll have to apologize before you can leave,” Gu Xicao insisted.

The Zhangs’ faces turned ashen. Surrounded by a crowd of onlookers pointing and whispering, they had no choice but to relent.

“Sorry! Is that good enough?!” they snapped before hurriedly dragging their son away in disgrace.

After they left, Liu Suxiang thanked Gu Xicao profusely and even offered her free tickets to the amusement park.

Holding the tickets, Gu Xicao turned to Lin Qianshi and said, “Young Master Lin, I helped your amusement park solve a major problem today. Don’t you think you owe me a little something in return?”

“What do you have in mind?” Lin Qianshi asked with a smile.

After a moment of thought, Gu Xicao replied, “Treat me to a nice meal. Something delicious.”

“Xueli, take a look at this photo!”

Li Yali hurriedly approached Wang Xueli, who was sunbathing by the pool. Hearing the urgency in her voice, Wang Xueli pushed up her sunglasses and said impatiently, “What now?”

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

Li Yali took a photo out of her bag and handed it to her.

Wang Xueli’s expression darkened as she stared at the photo. It showed Lin Qianshi and Gu Xicao sitting face-to-face in a restaurant.

“Where did this photo come from?” she demanded, clutching it tightly.

“How is this possible? That woman is just a mainlander-a fortune teller with no class at all! There’s no way Brother Qianshi would be interested in someone like her,” Wang Xueli gritted her teeth. “And the Lin family would never approve.”

Li Yali said, “You never know. You know how much Grandpa Lin wants Young Master Lin to get married quickly. Maybe this mainland girl will actually marry into a wealthy family.”

After she said this, she noticed that Wang Xueli’s expression was getting worse and worse, and the corners of her lips curled up in a smirk.

“Miss, the old lady has called for you,” a maid came over to inform her.

Wang Xueli quickly sat up and followed the maid. Li Yali stayed by the pool for a while, contemplating how to work with Wang Xueli to drive Gu Xicao out of Hong Kong. But before long, she saw Wang Xueli returning in a rush.

“I have to go back to the U.S.,” Wang Xueli said urgently.

“What? What happened?” Li Yali was startled. “How long will you be gone?”

“I’m not sure. Anyway, you should go home now. I have things to deal with.”

With that, Wang Xueli left in a hurry, not bothering to explain further or even say goodbye to Li Yali.

Li Yali was furious. She slapped the cushion beside her hard.

“That little bitch Gu Xicao got away this time!”

“Cousin, why are you dragging your feet like this? You already saw me make a fool of myself before—don’t tell me you’re that shy?”

On Tuesday, after Gu Xicao had just sent off a few clients, she stepped out to stretch her legs. That’s when she saw Ma Qi forcibly pulling Ma Dali inside.

The difference in physique between the siblings was stark. Ma Dali was tall and burly, resembling a big bear, while Ma Qi was as thin as a crane. It was almost laughable watching her try to drag him along—it was like a donkey trying to pull a freight train.

“What’s going on here?” Gu Xicao asked with a smile, walking over.

Ma Qi, out of breath, let go of her brother and shook out her wrists. “Master, we’re here to get a fortune reading.”

“I don’t want a reading,” Ma Dali replied in a deep, gruff voice.

Ma Qi put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You’re just a coward! What’s so bad about getting a reading from the master?”

“I don’t need one,” Ma Dali insisted stubbornly.

Wang Laoshi stepped in to mediate. “Miss Ma, if he doesn’t want to, don’t force him. Our shop doesn’t do readings for people against their will.”

“That won’t do!” Ma Qi protested. “You don’t understand—my cousin met a girl online and started dating her. Would you believe he’s already sent her nearly 100,000 yuan?!”

“One hundred thousand?!” Wang Laoshi was dumbfounded. “Young man, are you crazy? For 100,000 yuan, you could’ve gone through a matchmaking agency and had them introduce you to a Miss Hong Kong contestant!”

“What matchmaking agency? That’s so outdated,” Ma Dali scoffed. “People my age don’t do things like that.”

“You’re still calling yourself young? You’ve got to be pushing thirty!” Wang Laoshi teased.

“What are you talking about? He’s only 23,” Ma Qi interjected with a laugh.

“Cough, cough, cough?!” Wang Laoshi looked at the burly Ma Dali in disbelief. “You’re only 23? No way! You look like you’re 33!”

Ma Dali’s expression darkened. His square face, combined with his tall and muscular build, already made him look older than his age. He grumbled, “That’s hurtful. I’m still a student. What do you mean, 33?”

“A student?” Even Gu Xicao was surprised. She looked him up and down. “So you gave your online girlfriend 100,000 yuan? Why?”

“She had some family troubles. Their house burned down, and she’s been having a hard time. Besides, she didn’t just take my money for nothing—she sent me a lot of tea in return,” Ma Dali explained. As he spoke about his girlfriend, a softness appeared on his rough, ruddy face.

Gu Xicao didn’t need to consult her gossip system to tell there was something fishy about this.

“Tea? 100,000 yuan worth of tea?”

Ma Qi immediately chimed in, as if she had found an ally. She stood beside Gu Xicao and said, “See? Even the master thinks it’s ridiculous! Honestly, our family is well-off. We’ve had the best of everything, including tea. The most expensive stuff only costs a few hundred yuan per jin. My cousin is being played for a fool! Paying 100,000 yuan for tea? He’s going to be a laughingstock if word gets out!”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Xiao Qi. Xiao Bai is just a girl trying to support her family. It’s not easy for her,” Ma Dali said, glaring at his cousin in disapproval.

Ma Qi was about to explode with frustration.

She finally understood how her mother had felt when trying to stop her from dating Dai Yong, only for her to insist on spending lavishly on him. It was maddening.

Karma truly comes full circle!

“Don’t argue. Let’s all calm down and talk this over in my office. How about some tea?” Gu Xicao stepped in to diffuse the situation.

Partly, she wanted to earn some money. But mostly, she didn’t want to see Ma Dali get scammed.

Surprisingly, Ma Dali seemed to respect Gu Xicao more than his cousin. He nodded and said, “I actually brought some of Xiao Bai’s tea with me. Let’s brew it and see what you think. If it’s good, maybe you can all support her business.”

He pulled a package of loose tea leaves from his pocket and handed it to Gu Xicao.

Unable to keep a straight face, she passed it to Wang Laoshi.

The tea was decent, but in Gu Xicao’s experienced opinion, it was only mid-range at best—worth no more than 10 yuan per jin.

These days, tea wasn’t expensive. A few hundred yuan per jin would already be considered top-quality. Spending 100,000 yuan on tea? That was absurd beyond belief.

“So, Master, what do you think?” Ma Dali looked at her expectantly.

Gu Xicao was straightforward. “The tea is alright—decent quality, mid-range at best. Do you really think it’s worth 100,000 yuan?”

“You don’t understand. Xiao Bai didn’t want to take the money at all. She even told me the tea is only worth a few hundred yuan. I insisted she accept it,” Ma Dali explained. His eyes softened again. “She’s had it rough. Her family’s house burned down, and she still has to pay rent to her landlord. On top of that, her father is a gambling addict who owes tens of thousands in loan shark debts. I found out by chance and decided to help her.”

Ma Qi rolled her eyes so hard she almost sprained her neck.

She’d heard this exact story from countless scammers before.

It made her wonder if scammers had some kind of pre-employment training, because their sob stories were always identical.

“By chance? Aren’t you two in an online relationship? How does that happen by chance?”

Wang Laoshi, being older and wiser, immediately caught the inconsistency.

“It was a coincidence. One of my college roommates knows Xiao Bai and showed me her photo. Here, take a look.”

Ma Dali pulled a small two-inch photo out of his wallet.

The photo showed a young, beautiful girl with long black hair braided neatly. Her bright eyes and delicate features marked her as a clear beauty.

Looking at the photo, Ma Qi felt something was off, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Meanwhile, Gu Xicao’s expression turned thoughtful. Her eyes deepened as a complicated smile played across her lips.