"You little brat! I'm telling you one last time, hand over the diamond ring, or I'll beat you to death!"
The fat woman lost her patience and rushed directly to Li Jing, grabbing her shoulders.
One of the security guards, seeing Li Jing looking pitiful, intended to speak up for her.
But before he could open his mouth, the fat woman gave him a look, and the security guard immediately retreated to his original position, lowering his head.
Despite feeling a surge of fear and unease, her voice trembling, Li Jing mustered her courage and looked at the fat woman. "My mother taught me that no matter how poor we are, we must have backbone. So I will absolutely not take what belongs to others!"
"Damn it, you dare to talk back? I'll slap you to death!"
Hearing Li Jing dare to talk back, the fat woman directly raised her hand, adorned with a large golden bracelet, and swung it towards Li Jing's face.
The onlookers winced. Some, unable to bear it, covered their eyes.
Between the large, shrew-like woman and the young, delicate girl, the difference in physique was immense. If this slap landed on Li Jing's face, it would undoubtedly leave a handprint.
However, in the next second, the fat woman's wrist was caught.
"Let go! Who are you?"
The fat woman glared with dead fish eyes, her face etched with belligerence.
"Mom."
"Jingjing."
Li Jing threw herself into Li Su'e's embrace. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes could no longer be held back, streaming down like a deluge.
Seeing her daughter like this, Li Su'e's eyes also turned red with heartache.
After Li Su'e comforted her for a while and Li Jing's emotions stabilized, she recounted the entire incident.
"Oh, so you've come to help, have you? What, you think I'm afraid of you just because you have more people? My diamond ring is worth hundreds of thousands. Do you think you can get away with just a few words?"
Facing Du Fei and the others, the fat woman remained unfazed.
Li Su'e patted Li Jing and then said, "Sister, my daughter has been well-behaved and obedient since she was little. She definitely wouldn't take your things. Why don't you look again?"
As a mother, she knew Li Jing's character best. Just as Li Jing had said, no matter how poor or difficult their lives were, they would never take a single thread from others.
"That's right, sister. Jingjing is a good child, she wouldn't take other people's things. Tell us where you lost it, and we'll help you find it."
Wu Chunmei, standing beside them, chimed in.
Despite the fat woman's harsh tone, both of them spoke gently and in a conciliatory manner.
"You're bullying me because you have more people, right? Fine, I'll call someone right now, and you'll all regret it."
The fat woman took out her phone and started rambling.
On the phone, she claimed her belongings were stolen and that Li Jing had gathered a group of people to bully her, urging the person on the other end to come quickly to her aid.
Listening to the fat woman's blatant lies, Du Fei and the others exchanged bewildered glances.
However, there was little they could do. Their mouths were their own; they couldn't exactly gag them.
"Jingjing, as long as you didn't do it, no one can falsely accuse you. Don't worry."
Du Fei gently comforted Li Jing, seeing that she was still a little scared.
Li Jing looked at Du Fei and then nodded.
Without making them wait long, a burly man strode over.
"Husband! You're here just in time. These people are bullying me, especially this guy. He was just about to hit me. Hurry up and teach him a lesson!"
The fat woman's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the man. She immediately grabbed his arm and pointed at Du Fei.
Everyone present had seen that Du Fei had only grabbed her wrist and quickly let go.
Yet, in the fat woman's words, it turned into an attempted assault. She was truly capable of fabricating stories.
"My son only stopped you from hitting someone. You can't speak with a guilty conscience!"
Wu Chunmei, hearing the fat woman falsely accuse Du Fei, could not stand by and let this injustice happen, no matter how good her temper.
Li Su'e and Li Jing, the mother and daughter, felt a pang of worry when they saw the fat woman's husband.
Compared to the man's imposing physique, Du Fei appeared rather frail. And judging by his fierce expression, he was likely even more unreasonable and belligerent than his wife.
However, to their surprise, after listening to his wife, the man showed no sign of anger. Instead, he looked flustered and at a loss.
"Husband! Husband, what are you doing! Did you hear me? That guy tried to hit me. Hurry up and teach him a lesson!"
Seeing her husband's delay in action, the fat woman impatiently urged him on.
"Dong Xiaokang, I didn't expect to see you again."
It turned out that the fat woman's husband was Dong Xiaokang. Du Fei was also a bit surprised when he saw him.
Hearing Du Fei call out her husband's name, the fat woman glanced at her husband beside her, then at Du Fei.
No wonder her husband hadn't acted yet. It was because they knew each other. Otherwise, given Dong Xiaokang's temper, he would have probably already started fighting.
"Dr. Du, what a coincidence."
Dong Xiaokang hadn't expected to run into Du Fei either.
Although he felt uneasy, since Du Fei had spoken, Dong Xiaokang could only force a smile and respond.
"Husband, the diamond ring you bought me was stolen by that little girl! Since you know them, just return the ring."
The fat woman, completely oblivious to Dong Xiaokang's awkward expression, was still focused on her diamond ring.
Before Du Fei and the others could speak, Dong Xiaokang quickly said, "Diamond ring? Your diamond ring is with me. You said it was a bit loose and you were afraid of losing it, so you asked me to keep it for you."
With that, Dong Xiaokang took out a sparkling diamond ring from his pocket.
As soon as the fat woman saw the ring, she remembered that she had taken it off and left it with Dong Xiaokang before going to the restroom.
"Oh, so the diamond ring was with you."
After saying this, she acted as if nothing had happened.
Li Jing, upon hearing this, trembled with anger.
To be falsely accused of being a thief and almost slapped, she felt incredibly unlucky.
However, the truth had finally come out. Coupled with the fact that Du Fei knew them, Li Jing could only swallow her pride.
"Husband, let's go. I'm hungry."
The fat woman grabbed Dong Xiaokang's arm, intending to leave.
But before she could take a step, a figure blocked her path.
"You insulted my sister for no reason. Morally and legally, shouldn't you apologize?"
The one blocking her was Du Fei.
Hearing Du Fei ask her to apologize, the fat woman became agitated again. "What, you're not letting this go? I won't apologize. What can you do to me?"
"You won't apologize? I hope you don't regret it."
Du Fei naturally wouldn't argue with a woman in public. He cast a silent glance at Dong Xiaokang.
Dong Xiaokang, who was already feeling uneasy, was terrified by Du Fei's gaze.
He then leaned in and whispered something to the fat woman's ear.
The fat woman's expression shifted from one hue to another.
After Dong Xiaokang straightened up, the fat woman bit her lip, hesitating for a long time. Finally, she walked up to Li Jing and said, word by word, "I'm sorry. This was my fault. I hope you can be magnanimous."
Without waiting for Li Jing's reaction, she lowered her head and turned to leave.
As for Dong Xiaokang, he gave Du Fei an apologetic look, bowed slightly, and then left.
Li Jing, having received the fat woman's apology, let out a long sigh of relief. The distress in her heart eased considerably.