Chapter 51: Café Chaos

Who is the fool who posted the discarded draft during the promotion? 🤣 Oh, it was me. 😭 I apologize to all readers who have already read up to Chapter 50; please read it again. (Bowing) (Heart)

A steaming cup of coffee spilled almost entirely, splashing across the trendy girl’s head, shoulders, and chest.

“Look at what you’ve done! This is my favorite outfit!”

The trendy girl tugged at her collar, glaring down at the “clumsy” maid before her.

“I finally had some time to come here, and this is what happens?”

She plopped back down, her words dripping with negativity.

The store fell silent, the hushed whispers of customers echoing in Mo Qiu’s ears, even though she couldn’t make out their words. The distant chatter seemed to surround her, making her uncomfortable.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

A staff member rushed over, taking in the sight of the disheveled trendy girl and the maid holding a tray. He understood the situation immediately.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am. She… is our temporary worker and has caused you trouble.”

The staff member motioned for Mo Qiu to step back, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“Our service has been inadequate. I’ll bring you a fresh cup right away.”

“No need,” the trendy girl replied sternly.

“I am a regular here. How can you let something like this happen? I don’t want the coffee. Call your manager over.”

“Ma’am, please…”

“I said I want to see the manager!”

Realizing he couldn’t argue with her, the staff member left, pulling Mo Qiu’s sleeve as he went. Mo Qiu’s expression remained blank, her deadfish eyes as deep as the sea. She turned to leave but was stopped by the trendy girl.

“Wait a minute.”

Mo Qiu paused, and the trendy girl pointed to her soiled clothes.

“First, bring me a towel to clean this up.”

Mo Qiu hesitated for a moment before fetching a towel. When she returned, the trendy girl told her to stop and frowned.

“This towel looks so dirty. Is it really clean?”

“Just washed.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” The trendy girl stood up, adjusting her clothes. “You can’t do anything right. I don’t know where you found someone like you; you’re completely useless!”

Mo Qiu took a step back, her lips pressed tightly together. The memory of a similar incident from her past flashed through her mind. The woman’s posture, tone, and expression all reminded her of someone she knew.

In a past life, she had been lured into an organization by that person, becoming a member. He was unpredictable, treating orders like personal commands, seeing members as tools to serve him. He found pleasure in making them beg for mercy. Fear washed over Mo Qiu like a tidal wave, and the woman’s figure blurred into that of the man. He was coming with his instruments! Don’t come any closer.

Mo Qiu struggled to breathe, her mind frozen like a stuck gear. What had she done in that past life?

Mo Qiu folded the damp towel over her arm and then—

Smack!

The sound echoed through the café, and customers gasped in shock. Mo Qiu had slapped the trendy girl, who nearly fell from her chair, dazed and confused.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

The trendy girl clutched her stinging cheek, yelling at Mo Qiu.

“How dare you hit me! Where are your manners?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you talking?”

As the trendy girl stared in disbelief, Mo Qiu hit her again with the towel.

Smack!

Now both of the trendy girl’s cheeks were red, like a monkey’s butt. “You little brat, you think you can get away with this?”

The trendy girl stood up, grabbing the towel and raising her arm. The surrounding screams jolted Mo Qiu back to reality, the slap’s wind brushing against her cheek. The trendy girl was a head taller than Mo Qiu, and a blow like that would surely send a fragile girl crashing to the floor, her petals scattering.

But the imagined scene didn’t play out. Those who had covered their eyes gasped as they lowered their hands, unable to believe what they saw. The slap had barely missed Mo Qiu’s cheek, a heart-stopping moment.

The trendy girl herself was shocked, looking at the white towel wrapped around her wrist and then at the side of the room.

“Let’s talk this out. No need for violence,” Bai Chen said coldly. Seeing the situation, he quickly grabbed a towel and rushed over to help Mo Qiu. When he saw Mo Qiu standing at the edge of danger, his heart nearly stopped. Unable to reach her in time, he threw the towel, wrapping it around the trendy girl’s arm and saving Mo Qiu just in time. The timing was perfect, and Bai Chen himself was sweating from the close call.

Standing in front of Mo Qiu, he first inspected the girl, ensuring she had no injuries. His voice grew serious:

“Why did you let her hit you?”

“It’s okay…”

What did she mean by “It’s okay”? To be hit and say it’s okay? Even if you don’t care for yourself, there’s a limit.

Just as Bai Chen was about to scold her, he noticed something was wrong with Mo Qiu. Her face was even paler than usual, and her forehead was beaded with sweat, like a helpless little animal.

Bai Chen’s heart ached, and he decided to stay quiet, turning to the trendy girl instead:

“Ma’am, if you have any complaints, we are willing to compensate you.”

“Compensate? Look at this!”

The trendy girl pointed to her face.

“See? It’s swollen. This is the quality of your staff, attacking customers without reason?”

Bai Chen observed her closely and then looked back at Mo Qiu, asking softly, “Did you do this?”

Mo Qiu nodded. Bai Chen was stunned; this was the first time he had seen Mo Qiu hit someone.

“Should I go check what your colleague did?” The trendy girl continued to show off her face. What colleague? She was just an unpaid volunteer…

Bai Chen didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he scratched his head, “I apologize on her behalf. The manager will also be happy to compensate you for your medical expenses.”

“No, you’re just trying to get rid of me?”

The trendy girl’s voice rose sharply.

“No, this can’t be ignored.”

“Ma’am, please don’t cause a scene.”

“I’m causing a scene? The mistake is all yours! You spilled coffee on me, hit me, and now you say I’m causing a scene? Is this how you treat regular customers?”

This was going to be tricky; Mo Qiu had hit first, which made it hard to handle. As Bai Chen was trying to figure out what to do, Mo Qiu leaned in, whispering something in his ear. What?

Bai Chen frowned, his gaze turning colder as he looked at the trendy girl.

“Ma’am, I have a question. Was it really her who hit first?”

The trendy girl looked confused but still stepped forward, hands on her hips, “I said I want to see the manager. Where is he? You’re bullying a regular customer, aren’t you?”

“If it was our mistake, we will apologize until you are satisfied,” Bai Chen paused, his voice low, “But what if that’s not the case?”

“What if? Don’t accuse me without proof…”

Just as the trendy girl was about to argue further, someone interrupted her.

“Wait, I have proof!”

The person waved their phone.

“The maid is innocent!”

Mo Qiu and Bai Chen both looked over, recognizing the person as one of the customers from Mo Qiu’s first real job. “Wait, don’t play the video yet,” Bai Chen stopped him, pointing to the TV playing ads on the wall, “Project it there.”

After some adjustments, the video played for everyone to see:

After ordering, the trendy girl sat with her legs crossed, constantly looking around. When Mo Qiu approached, she deliberately stretched out her leg, leaned down pretending to tie her shoe, and bumped into Mo Qiu.

The room fell silent.