Beauty Snake - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: A Four-Way Shura Field…

“Xie Yin…”

Ji Yunfei stood there dazed, staring blankly as Rika dashed toward the tall, black-haired woman standing nearby.

Today, Xie Yin was dressed in a black casual suit. A pair of light tea-colored sunglasses rested on her high bridge, hiding the expression in her eyes. Upon seeing Rika, Ji Yunfei noticed the corners of Xie Yin’s mouth curl slightly; the cold, unapproachable aura surrounding her softened quite a bit.

“Heh…” For some reason, the more Ji Yunfei watched, the more she wanted to laugh. So, in the end, she was the only one performing a one-woman show; the other person wasn’t affected at all. But then again, why would she go out of her way to care about a lowly employee like herself?

Ji Yunfei shook her head self-deprecatingly and took a step back, wanting to leave this den of trouble as quickly as possible. However, because her heart was in such a flutter, her foot stumbled, and she felt like she stepped on something.

“Ow! Don’t you have eyes when you walk?” A sharp rebuke came from behind. Ji Yunfei turned hurriedly, only to face a snarling countenance.

Behind her stood a wealthy-looking woman in a magnificent brocade cheongsam. The pearls around her neck were round and full, signaling her high status and wealth. But the expression on her face was anything but pleasant. Her brows were knit tightly, and her eyes wide with disgust as she glared at Ji Yunfei.

“I am so sorry!” Seeing the aggressive stance of the woman, Ji Yunfei didn’t want to argue, so she lowered her posture and apologized sincerely.

“What’s the use of an apology if we have the police? Do you know how expensive these shoes are? Have you even heard of the new arrivals from Louis V?” The woman shrieked, poking Ji Yunfei’s shoulder hard with a sharp fingernail that nearly tore her clothes. “Hmph, looking at your getup, it’s obvious you have no worldliness. Tell you what—pay me this amount, and I’ll let you go today.”

The woman rolled her eyes and held up one hand, fingers spread. “Fifty thousand.”

“Fifty thousand? You could have just robbed a bank, but instead, you’re trying to scam me for a pair of shoes?” Ji Yunfei was moved to laughter by the sheer absurdity. She had seen shameless people, but this was a first for this level of audacity.

Though Ji Yunfei was a “seasoned oil” in the workplace who usually followed the philosophy of “taking a step back to find a wider sea,” it didn’t mean she was a soft persimmon for the picking. She recognized those shoes at a glance. New arrivals? Sure—if “new” meant “from last season.”

A pair of shoes worth barely eight thousand, and she wanted fifty thousand? She really was better off becoming a bank robber.

Thinking this, Ji Yunfei crossed her arms, a hint of disdain appearing in her eyes. She curled her lip and spoke slowly: “If you’re determined to extort me… I wouldn’t mind visiting the police station with you.” She opened her phone’s dialer and waved it at the woman.

“Aaaah! Everyone, come look! How can someone step on a person’s shoes and then turn around and threaten the victim?!” The woman was so angry the flesh on her face shook. She turned and began shouting to the crowd like a common street thug.

The commotion quickly drew attention. People flocked toward them, forming a giant circle that trapped Ji Yunfei and the wealthy woman inside.

“How can a young girl bully someone like that?”

“Yeah, really…”

The onlookers began to gossip. The environment turned chaotic. People generally love a good drama and don’t mind fanning the flames; soon, a few instigators started setting the rhythm. With them leading the way, a wave of indiscriminate agreement grew louder.

Ji Yunfei was suddenly plunged into a moral low point, isolated and helpless.

“Tch…” Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Ji Yunfei felt a headache coming on. Explaining further would be useless. She pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.

“Hmph, hurry up and pay!” Bolstered by the crowd, the woman puffed out her chest and looked at Ji Yunfei with a triumphant, petty smile, looking like a victorious rooster.

Ji Yunfei didn’t want to waste any more breath; the police could handle it. But just as she was about to press the dial button, two familiar voices rang out. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm.

“Wait…”

“I’ve already called the police.”

Ji Yunfei turned and found that Su Yao had somehow found her and had called the police before she could. In the crowd, she also spotted Xie Yin. Xie Yin had looked like she wanted to step forward, but Su Yao had beaten her to it. Standing in the middle of the swarm, Ji Yunfei thought she saw a flash of… loneliness on Xie Yin’s face? She wasn’t sure.

“Shall we talk this over at the station?” Su Yao pulled Ji Yunfei behind her and waved her phone at the woman.

“You… you! Fine, just my luck!” Seeing that the police were actually called, the woman immediately stopped her tantrum and stammered out a weak excuse before trying to slip away.

Wee-woo, wee-woo— The sirens outside ensured she wouldn’t get that chance.

“Who called the police?” Two officers with steady strides entered, scanning the area and asking loudly.

After a brief explanation, the police took the rowdy woman away. Su Yao and Ji Yunfei were told to come to the station later to give their statements.

As the farce ended, the bored crowd dispersed, leaving only Xie Yin, Ji Yunfei, and Su Yao standing there.

“You…” Xie Yin started to speak, but was interrupted by Su Yao.

“A-Fei, are you okay? I should have stayed with you…” Su Yao frowned, half-embracing Ji Yunfei with deep self-reproach in her eyes.

“I-I’m fine… I was going to call the police anyway. You arrived just in time, Sister Yao.”

Being held by Su Yao in front of Xie Yin made Ji Yunfei feel uncomfortable, so she gently pushed herself away to create some distance. Because her mind kept drifting to Xie Yin, she didn’t notice the flash of hurt in Su Yao’s eyes when she was pushed back.

“This is your boss, right?” Having been distanced, Su Yao arched an eyebrow and threw the topic toward the silent, unreadable Xie Yin.

“Um… yes…” Ji Yunfei hadn’t fully recovered from the shift in the conversation, so she answered honestly.

“Nice to meet you… I am Su Yao. A-Fei’s… ‘good sister.'” Su Yao’s tone carried a hint of a challenge. She extended a hand to Xie Yin. Though she wore a smile, the deep hostility in her eyes was impossible to hide.

“Xie Yin.” Xie Yin took off her sunglasses, her expression neutral. She nodded slightly toward Su Yao, but her hands remained firmly in her suit pockets, her refusal to shake hands making her stance clear.

Su Yao didn’t seem to have much of an emotional reaction to the snub. She naturally withdrew her hand and turned back to Ji Yunfei with a radiant smile.

“CEO Xie… what a coincidence. Why isn’t Miss Rika with you?”

As soon as Ji Yunfei spoke, the air around them turned sour, as if it had been dipped into a jar of vinegar—though she herself seemed entirely unaware of it.

“You saw her? I let her go wander on her own. Just now… I was very worried about you.” Hearing Ji Yunfei, Xie Yin was stunned for a moment before hurrying to explain, seemingly afraid that if she spoke too late, Ji Yunfei would turn and leave with Su Yao.

“CEO Xie needn’t worry about me so much… or rather…”

“Xie!”

Ji Yunfei shook her head, wanting to brush Xie Yin off quickly, but before she could finish, Rika’s shout arrived. Moments later, a petite figure rushed over, physically wedging herself between Ji Yunfei and Xie Yin.

“Rika…” Xie Yin’s tone held a hint of helplessness. She tried to pull Rika to the side, not wanting to be separated from Ji Yunfei like that.

However, in Ji Yunfei’s eyes, this looked like… protective behavior.

“Miss Xie certainly has a lot of romantic luck,” Su Yao said slowly, her words like thorns intended to pierce Xie Yin. “You should treat this little beauty well. Our A-Fei… has me to take care of her. You needn’t trouble yourself.”

Su Yao maintained a faint smile, even giving a triumphant wink at the end. At Su Yao’s words, Rika finally diverted some of her attention from Xie Yin to the other two. She frowned, crossed her arms, and walked up to them, her voice displeased:

“Xie’s little employee and… who are you supposed to be?”

“I—”

“Sister Yao… let’s go. The police are waiting for us.” Seeing Rika’s high-and-mighty attitude, Su Yao’s displeasure was written all over her face. But as she started to speak, Ji Yunfei tugged at her sleeve and interrupted softly.

“Fine.” Sensing Ji Yunfei’s desperate urge to leave, Su Yao nodded, took her hand, and prepared to turn away.

“Let me drive you?” Xie Yin spoke again, her tone carrying a trace of an undetectable plea.

“Xie?” Immediately following Xie Yin’s offer was Rika’s sharp, unhappy question.

Hearing Xie Yin, Su Yao’s first reaction was to look at Ji Yunfei. Ji Yunfei’s face was calm, but her mind was a tangled mess of conflicting emotions.

“We won’t trouble CEO Xie…” The scales finally tipped. Ji Yunfei spoke with a trembling voice, then pulled Su Yao away quickly as if escaping a plague.

As they walked away, Ji Yunfei thought she heard Rika and Xie Yin talking. As for what they said… she didn’t want to hear it, and she didn’t dare to. She was just that kind of person—one who loved to escape when things got difficult.

It was a hopeless situation anyway; why bother holding onto fantasies?

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