The Little Spoiled Brat Divorces with a Child, Driving the Big Boss Crazy - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
When Jin Beizhou walked into the pet store carrying Feibao, the three employees were gathered together talking.
They immediately fell silent at the sight of him.
“Hello. Are you here to have your dog bathed…”
Jin Beizhou swept a cool glance over them. “This is my son. It suffered internal injuries. Which one of you touched it just now?”
“…”
The three employees looked at one another. After a brief silence, one of them stepped forward. “I didn’t touch it. I had only just taken hold of its leash…”
“Security footage,” Jin Beizhou said.
“…”
“If you can’t prove what you’re saying, I’ll call the police. A pet store abusing animals would make a good news story.”
People were visual creatures, after all. Their instincts were always tempered by the need to read the situation and weigh the consequences.
The man before them was neither angry nor agitated. He was far less explosive than Lu Ying had been, yet there was something inexplicably terrifying about his presence.
To prove her innocence, the employee pulled up the security footage and explained, “I never touched your dog. It may already have had internal injuries before it came here.”
The footage was perfectly clear. Even her argument with Lu Ying had been captured in full.
Jin Beizhou’s expression grew darker and darker.
At the end of the video, Lu Ying walked out of the store with Feibao.
Another employee hurried to defend them. “We would never do anything to a customer’s pet.”
“My wife conceived the baby in her belly with me.” Jin Beizhou’s gaze was razor-sharp. “Were you conceived by your mother and a dog? Your family has technology like that?”
“…”
Jin Beizhou continued, “Were you about to hit my wife?”
“No, no.” The employee’s coworker rushed to explain. “She just lost her temper. She really didn’t mean it.”
Jin Beizhou’s gaze shifted to her. “And you two said things would be bad if this got out of hand? Bad in what way?”
“…”
“My wife let it go because she cares about my daughter,” Jin Beizhou said coldly. “That doesn’t mean I will. Now, you, your coworkers, and the owner will go apologize to my wife. Otherwise, my lawyer will be here in five minutes to sue your store for animal abuse and for insulting and assaulting a pregnant woman.”
The employee grew anxious. “But I didn’t even do anything…”
“Ma’am.” Jin Beizhou’s voice was icy. “Be smart. This is me at my most reasonable.”
“…”
It was rush hour, and the road leading to the produce market was especially noisy and crowded.
Hu Chuang scratched his head and jiggled the plastic bags in his hands, trying everything he could think of to coax her. “Would you like some fruit, little sister…?”
Lu Ying wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “No,” she mumbled.
“Then how about you stop crying?” Hu Chuang glanced toward the pet store. “Tell me what happened. Even if you don’t want to go to Zhouzi, you still have your Brother Chuang.”
For some inexplicable reason, Lu Ying’s tears began falling again.
Hu Chuang panicked. “Damn this mouth of mine… Tell me what I said wrong, and I’ll fix it, okay?”
Lu Ying sobbed, “I wish you were my real brother.”
At least then, she would still have family.
In that moment, Lu Ying suddenly understood where all this emotion had come from.
She missed her family. She missed her mother, her father, and her grandfather.
She missed having people she could turn to whenever she was wronged: people she could confide in openly and without reservation, no matter how trivial the matter might be.
Even Hu Chuang, a rough, carefree man, felt his own eyes sting.
“Then treat me like your real brother. I am your real brother.” Hu Chuang thumped his chest. “My parents are your parents!”
Lu Ying sniffled. Her eyes were red and swollen, but at least her tears finally stopped.
Hu Chuang was not very good at comforting people. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Little sister, look at it this way. Blood isn’t the only thing that makes people family. Zhouzi is all alone too, isn’t he? But he still works me like a dog. You girls are just more sensitive than men are…”
And on and on he rambled.
When your mood had sunk to rock bottom, having someone chatter beside you, even if they were talking about nothing in particular, somehow made you feel better.
The wind dried Lu Ying’s eyes, and reason gradually returned to her mind.
“Little sister, I’m telling you,” Hu Chuang rambled on, “Zhouzi has it much worse. Even those two beasts Jiao An and Luo Xing want to kick him while he’s down. And now that you don’t want him either, he’s truly been deserted by everyone!”
“Brother Hu Chuang, go check on him. Don’t let him smash up their store.”
“He won’t,” Hu Chuang said with a wave. “He’s so law-abiding these days it’s almost perverse. And you know what else? I heard that bastard Jiao An went to the Jin Family to propose…”
Lu Ying could not wait any longer. Her negative emotions had overwhelmed her earlier, and she had not explained the situation clearly. With Jin Beizhou’s foul temper, things would get serious if he smashed up someone else’s store.
Hu Chuang was still rambling.
Lu Ying started toward the pet store.
Carrying bags in both hands, Hu Chuang followed eagerly behind her.
They had just passed the fruit shop when they saw Jin Beizhou come out.
The three pet store employees and the owner trailed behind him.
Jin Beizhou quickened his pace and slipped a practiced hand beneath her elbow. “Why did you come over?”
As he spoke, he studied her expression carefully.
She was no longer crying.
She did not look as devastated as before and seemed much better.
But her eyelids were still red and swollen, and her eyes glistened with moisture. The sight made rage flare within Jin Beizhou.
“Apologize!” he snapped, unable to contain himself.
The store owner came forward first, his manner sincere. The three employees followed.
Lu Ying had never been the sort to cling to an advantage and refuse to let go. If not for her pregnancy hormones, she would never have cried in the first place.
Since they had apologized, she let the matter end there.
Once everything was settled, Lu Ying received a call from Yan Xia, who said that she and Han Xi had both arrived.
Lu Ying hurriedly said a few words. “I’m coming back now.”
“Slow down.” Jin Beizhou frowned and instinctively put an arm around her waist. “Don’t rush around so carelessly…”
Lu Ying stopped. “Take your hand off me.”
“…”
Jin Beizhou was dressed casually. Feibao had smeared a large patch of dirt across his loose black shirt, yet he still could not bear to set it on the ground and held it securely with one arm.
“See that?” Jin Beizhou complained to Hu Chuang. “The living embodiment of heartlessness.”
Hu Chuang coughed. “Little sister, I’m coming to your place for dinner.”
“…” Lu Ying paused. “Xiaxia and Han Xi are there…”
“So what?” Hu Chuang said breezily. “It’s not as if I don’t know them! Look, I bought plenty of food. We can all eat together.”
Lu Ying opened her mouth, intending to refuse.
Hu Chuang hastily added, “Just me. I’m not bringing your ex-husband.”
Jin Beizhou’s face darkened.
Why was he being excluded? Why?!
Lu Ying pressed her lips together. “Give me Feibao.”
“…” Jin Beizhou looked incredulous. “Feibao is mine.”
“I thought you didn’t want it anymore.”
“When did I ever say that?” Jin Beizhou laughed in exasperation. “I lend it to you for half a day, and suddenly it belongs to you? Even pirates aren’t as overbearing as you.”
“You never said you were lending it to me. Didn’t that mean you were giving it back by default?”
“Is there a hole in your brain, or is something wrong with mine?” Jin Beizhou argued. “Did I ever agree to that so-called default?”
Seeing a trivial matter about to escalate yet again, Hu Chuang coughed loudly. “You’re both at fault. One of you didn’t explain, and the other didn’t ask…”
The two people involved turned to look at him in unison.
Hu Chuang’s eyes darted around. Losing his nerve, he said, “Fine, fine! I’m the one at fault!”
He should have gone back to the Arctic to catch seals!
