Volume One, Chapter 61: He Seems to... Know Who He Is!

Smack! A vicious slap landed, leaving Sang Wan stunned. Beside her, Ke Yifan and the sales clerk were equally taken aback.

The pearl necklace tumbled to the floor, scattering everywhere with a clatter.

Su Baohui raised her hand for another slap, but Ke Yifan caught her wrist, stepping protectively in front of Sang Wan.

"Sang Wan, you shameless woman! Still dare to claim you don't have a lover?" Lu Zhiyi jabbed a finger at Sang Wan's nose. "Who is he?"

Su Baohui, her eyes sharp and venomous, fixed her gaze on Ke Yifan. "So, you're Sang Wan's paramour? What do you do for a living? Did you know she already has a man? …Oh, that's right, she's divorced now. Lucky you two filthy creatures! Now you can flaunt your affair in public!"

"Madam Lu, please show some respect," Ke Yifan said coldly, already guessing her identity from her filthy words. He turned to the manager, who was hurriedly making a call. "Aren’t you calling security?"

"It's already done," the manager replied. Even as he spoke, the mall security guards pushed through the crowd outside and formed a wall between Su Baohui, Lu Zhiyi, and Sang Wan.

"Don’t touch me!" Su Baohui snapped, the memory of being taken away by the police last time still haunting her. Seeing that it was only security blocking her, she calmed slightly, then, catching sight of the crowd pressing in, she suddenly shouted, "Everyone, come see! Look at these two shameless cheats!"

If Lu Jinnian hadn’t stopped her, warning her that making a bigger scene would ultimately harm the Lu family, Su Baohui would have gone straight to cause trouble for Sang Wan the moment she was released from the police station.

But she had swallowed her rage and held back.

The Lu family gained nothing from it. Not only did they lose the city development land, but Lu Jinnian’s marital scandal made the trending news, causing the stock price to tumble for days.

Now, seeing Sang Wan with Ke Yifan, all her old and new grievances surged together.

Out of control, Su Baohui howled, "This wretch is my former daughter-in-law. Her husband’s out working hard to support the family, and instead of helping, she plays the idle housewife, seducing other men. And now, she’s thrown away her husband and son, and brings her lover right in front of me…"

"Just look at her! You can tell she’s no good! She’s following the path of Pan Jinlian! She’s a disgrace to her ancestors!"

"You never really know someone’s heart…"

"She abandoned her husband and now her son too? I’ve never seen such a heartless woman!"

…

Sang Wan’s face was swelling on one side. She glanced at the security camera in the corner.

She reached into her bag for her phone. She had just pressed ‘1’ when the manager hurried over, "Miss, we’ve already called the police. They’ll be here soon!"

"Thank you," Sang Wan replied, accepting the ice pack the manager offered. She turned to Ke Yifan. "Yifan, you should go."

"No need. I’ll stay and help you handle this," Ke Yifan shook his head, unconcerned.

Outside, the crowd watched, glancing from Su Baohui to each other, then back again.

Su Baohui repeated herself over and over—her former daughter-in-law seduced a man, abandoned her family.

Scenes of public confrontations are not uncommon: sometimes both sides tear into each other, sometimes one roars while the other explains, hoping the bystanders will judge the matter.

But this was different.

On one side, there was endless shouting and accusation; on the other, calm and composure, no struggle, no defense.

"Let’s go, let’s go," someone muttered from the crowd’s edge as a team of police officers pushed through and asked who had called.

"I did." Sang Wan stepped forward. "Hello, please check the police record for the 14th callout from Central District—Su Baohui came to my company to cause trouble, and was already taken away once for provocation, slander, and defamation."

She was a young, beautiful woman, gentle yet firm, half her face swollen, but her manner was unyielding and reasonable.

In that instant, the contrast was stark.

The onlookers glanced from Su Baohui and Lu Zhiyi to Sang Wan. Though still murmuring, their tone shifted, no longer entirely one-sided.

Inside, the police took over. Outside, the security guards held the line. The crowd soon dispersed.

Sang Wan was resolute—she would not accept mediation. If there was anything more, Su Baohui could contact her lawyer.

As Su Baohui was being led away, she shouted, "Sang Wan, you ungrateful wretch, I always knew you couldn't be trusted, if only I…"

Whatever the police said next cut her off abruptly.

Lu Zhiyi, flustered, quickly called Lu Jinnian. As she tried to sneak away, a store clerk stopped her, "Miss, please settle your bill."

"??? Why should I?" Lu Zhiyi protested, pointing at Sang Wan, "She was the one buying the necklace, why should I pay?"

The manager smiled and presented a tablet. The footage was crystal clear.

The necklace was already clasped around Sang Wan’s neck. The gloved hand of the clerk had let go. Su Baohui lunged forward, tore off the pearl necklace, and it broke apart.

"These Australian white pearls are a special grade. The necklace is valued at 280,000. Either you pay, and we’ll consider it damage to your own property, or we’ll consider it your mother damaging someone else’s property in public. At this value, the penalty is three to seven years in prison…"

If this boutique weren’t an established luxury brand, Lu Zhiyi might have suspected the manager and Sang Wan had set them up on purpose to frame Su Baohui.

She thought of Su Baohui, just taken away, uncertain what would happen next. She glanced at the police car still outside.

Clenching her teeth, Lu Zhiyi paid the bill, clutching the box of scattered pearls as she left the mall.

In the VIP lounge, Sang Wan only realized, upon looking in the mirror, that a fine cut had appeared on her swollen cheek—likely scratched by Su Baohui’s ring.

"Are you alright?" A white towel wrapped around an ice pack was handed to her. Sang Wan took it, shaking her head by reflex, "I’m fine."

When she looked up again, she was surprised. "Why are you here?"

Lou Ye’s face was dark, his jaw set in a rigid line. "Ke’er called—she said she saw you being bullied, so I came. Gu Qian’s already gone to the police station. Leave the rest to him."

"Alright." Sang Wan nodded, eyes apologetic. "Lou Ye, I’m sorry to trouble you again."

Lou Ye said nothing, but the longer he looked at Sang Wan’s bruised and injured face, the angrier he became.

"Let’s get you treated," he said, taking her by the wrist and leading her out.

They ran into Ke Yifan, who was hurrying over from the infirmary with a first aid kit.

"Sang Wan, you—" he began, but then saw Lou Ye’s sharp, stormy face and the way Lou Ye gripped Sang Wan’s wrist.

The young, handsome man never even glanced at him, but the air around him was heavy, like a storm about to break—a presence impossible to ignore.

Ke Yifan realized, in that instant, that he might finally know who Lou Ye was.