The couple was a perfect contrast: the man was overbearing and unreasonable, while the woman was timid and afraid of confrontation. Yet they both shared the same desire to take advantage of the situation, having made up their minds.

But Gu Xingzhao wasn’t about to play the fool and help them preserve their marital harmony. “Fine then, refund me the original price of the rice cooker, and I’ll give you your money back right away.”

Laughable. Who did they think they were dealing with?

Li Yong exploded in anger. “You wretched girl, don’t push your luck! You should be grateful I’m even using your rice cooker!”

The woman’s expression also changed. Not wanting to directly confront Gu Xingzhao, she shrank back and hid behind her husband.

Gu Xingzhao looked at them with amusement. “So shameless—aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”

Li Yong was highly superstitious, especially about retribution from lightning strikes. His face darkened. “How dare you curse me! Are you looking to die?”

Instinctively, Lin Ting stepped in front of Gu Xingzhao to protect her.

Gu Xingzhao glanced at the time, feeling puzzled: Why haven’t they arrived yet? As she was thinking this, a stern voice boomed from outside, “I could hear the commotion from far away. Who’s looking to die here?”

Two men in police uniforms walked in. “We received a report about a fight in the supermarket. Is it you?”

Gu Xingzhao was momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliar faces. New officers?

Just moments ago, Li Yong had been full of bluster, but now he was like a turtle retreating into its shell. He bowed his head and acted like a model citizen. “It’s a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. No one was fighting… We’re neighbors, just joking around.”

The woman finally stepped forward to back him up. “Yes, Officer! We’re all honest folks here, wouldn’t dream of fighting!”

The officer glanced at Lin Ting, noticing the blood at the corner of his mouth. No fight?

“Show me your ID cards.”

Gu Xingzhao quickly handed over her ID, tears streaming down her face. “Officer, you really misunderstood. My brother didn’t get into a fight…”

Her tears came easily, and her red, swollen eyes made anyone who saw them feel sorry for her.

Lin Ting was stunned for a moment.

Li Yong’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. This little girl knows her place. If this went to the police station, no one would come out unscathed.

Still wiping her tears, Gu Xingzhao’s voice choked with emotion as if she’d suffered a great injustice. “I’m just an honest businesswoman running a small supermarket. This woman came here earlier today, bought some items, and won a rice cooker in the raffle. Now, she and her husband are causing trouble, demanding a refund, and they even hit my brother…”

“My brother is just a high school senior, about to take the college entrance exams. If he got hit in the head and it messed him up, it could ruin his whole life!”

Hearing this, the officers frowned. A student, and a minor at that?

A weak woman and a high school senior—slowly but surely, the scales in their minds began to tip…

Even as she cried her heart out, Gu Xingzhao didn’t let it stop her from denouncing the couple.

“I thought it would be better to avoid trouble, so I agreed to refund them. But then they insisted on keeping the rice cooker they won in the raffle, claiming it was used and wouldn’t return it. So I asked them to pay for it…”

“But he refused to pay and threatened us, saying if we didn’t give him a refund, he’d beat us to death, boo hoo hoo hoo…”

The couple’s faces turned pale, and they forgot the police were even there as they shouted at Gu Xingzhao, “You little witch, what nonsense are you spouting!”

Terrified, Gu Xingzhao quickly hid behind the two officers.

The taller officer, filled with a sense of justice, stepped in front of her protectively. “What’s all this yelling? How dare you speak to a young lady like that?”

The other officer, trying to remain impartial, asked Gu Xingzhao, though his tone had softened, “Do you have any security cameras in the supermarket?”

After all, this young girl seemed so delicate, and her tears were falling like pearls.

Gu Xingzhao nodded with teary eyes. “Yes, we do.”

Lin Ting almost burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.

After reviewing the security footage, there was no need for further explanation. The officers promptly escorted all four of them to the police station.

…

The police station was only two blocks away from the supermarket.

As soon as they stepped inside, several people passing by recognized Gu Xingzhao and greeted her with a smile, “Hey, Xiao Gu! Haven’t seen you in a while!”

Gu Xingzhao replied cheerfully, “The supermarket’s been busy lately, so I haven’t had a chance to get out.”

“What’s going on here?”

Gone was the pitiful act from the supermarket. Now that she was back on familiar ground, Gu Xingzhao seemed right at home. “Oh, just some folks causing trouble at my place. We’re here to sort it out.”

Li Yong and his wife exchanged glances, unconcerned. They scoffed at the young woman’s apparent connections. Who did she think she was, trying to intimidate them?

An older officer with a thermos cup in hand walked by and stopped beside Gu Xingzhao, clearly expecting her. “Have you had dinner yet?”

Gu Xingzhao smiled, “Not yet, Uncle Lu.”

The old officer scolded her gently, “You’re grown now, but still don’t know how to take care of yourself. When you’re done with your statement, come over to Uncle Lu’s place for a bite.”

“Got it.”

The old officer didn’t spare Li Yong and his wife a single glance, instead turning to the two new officers. “Handle this properly, and be quick about it.”

The two officers exchanged looks. “Yes, Chief.”

Li Yong and his wife stumbled, their eyes wide in disbelief. Ch-… Chief?

Almost everyone who saw Gu Xingzhao acted like an old friend, and even the police chief invited her to dinner. Who was this girl?

By this point, Li Yong and his wife were already scared out of their wits. During their statements, they quickly agreed to drop the refund demand and even paid Lin Ting 700 yuan as compensation to settle the matter.

Once everything was resolved, the couple slunk away, not daring to say another word.

As Gu Xingzhao and Lin Ting got into Chief Lu’s car, the two new officers couldn’t hold back their curiosity anymore. They stopped a more experienced officer and asked, “Sister Li, who is that girl? Why does everyone here seem to know her?”

After all, Chief Lu was an influential figure. Word had it that he’d been in line for a promotion at the provincial level a few years ago but had requested a transfer back to the town.

The fact that Chief Lu treated this young girl like family, despite having no daughter of his own, was puzzling. He only had a son, who lived with his ex-wife, right?

“You mean Xiao Gu?” Sister Li smiled. “She’s the granddaughter of the previous two police chiefs. She’s practically the station’s adopted daughter. It’s no wonder you two haven’t met her before; she hasn’t been around the station much these past couple of years.”

…

“Xiao Gu, I heard your supermarket is running some promotions. Are you short on money?” Chief Lu asked.

Gu Xingzhao smiled. “Not at all. I just want to make a bit more money—it gives me a sense of security.”

The phrase “sense of security” made Chief Lu’s heart ache. “You silly child… I promised your grandfather I’d look after you, but you’ve managed everything on your own. I haven’t been much help.”

“If you ever run into trouble, just come to Uncle Lu. Don’t treat me like a stranger.”