Qin Lian's hand came down gently on Xu Wei's shoulder, stopping him from stepping back further. She gave it a quiet pat, steadying him, and looked up at the saleswoman.
"Is that so? Then why don't you stop the others from touching the clothes?"
Xu Shen, who had been looking at items nearby, heard the commotion and came over. He stopped when he saw Xu Wei standing stiffly in front of the saleswoman, eyes red at the corners.
His own expression went flat and cold immediately. But before he could open his mouth, Qin Lian had already spoken. So he moved to stand beside her and said nothing, just glared at the saleswoman with clear displeasure in his eyes.
The saleswoman's frown shifted slightly as she took in the woman behind the child.
Unlike the boy, who was plainly dressed and clearly not from money, this woman was different. Simple dress, no makeup, but she held herself with a sharpness and ease that gave the saleswoman a moment's pause.
She pushed it aside. She had worked this counter for three years. A state department store was not something any woman off the street could walk into.
She had earned her place here. She was not about to be lectured in the store, full of people.
She folded her arms and scoffed. "And who are you to tell me how to do my job? The other customers can touch the items because they are here to buy. This child was simply roaming around the shop with no intention of purchasing anything."
She raised her chin. "Am I supposed to let anyone walk in and touch the clothes and dirty them? Do you know how quickly things get soiled?"
Around them, a few nearby customers nodded along.
"She has a point. If anyone could just touch everything, the clothes would be ruined."
"Came in here without money and still wants to argue. What a nerve."
"The saleswoman was only doing her job. Is that wrong now?"
The woman's shoulders lifted. She looked at Qin Lian with a satisfied tilt of her chin.
Qin Lian smiled. "How do you know we have no intention of buying? Isn't it your job to sell clothes to customers?"
"Or do you judge every customer by how they look and what they are wearing?"
Qin Lian continued, unhurried. "You work here, too. Would it be acceptable for me, as the customer, to look down on you? To humiliate you in front of everyone, simply because of your position?" She paused. "After all, I am the customer."
The saleswoman's expression tightened.
From the side, another voice spoke up. "She's right. How did she know the child wasn't going to buy anything?"
A second person added, more pointedly, "I was asking about items earlier, and she barely looked at me. The moment a woman with expensive clothes came in, she was all smiles. This woman has a really bad attitude towards customers…"
The saleswoman's composed expression was cracking. The other customer's comments fueled her anger.
"You—" Her voice came out sharp and low. "What do you know about anything? Some of us work hard for what we have. We don't all get to stand around looking pretty and spend our husbands' money while calling it a day."
"You're nothing but a woman who relies on her face and someone else's wallet."
The saleswoman wasn't done. Her eyes slid to Xu Shen standing beside Qin Lian, and she scoffed loudly. "So young and already with children this old. Tsk. You certainly know how to use your body to get what you want."
She crossed her arms. "Some people open their legs to live well, while the rest of us break our backs for every penny. You don't have the right to stand here and act superior to me."
At that exact moment, the door opened.
Xu Yinchen stepped back in, Xu Hao settled in one arm. He had taken him out briefly to use the bathroom and returned to find a crowd gathered around his family. His eyes found Qin Lian and Xu Shen immediately.
The last words still hung in the air.
His expression darkened upon hearing such disgusting words.
He crossed the shop in a few strides and came to stand beside Qin Lian. He didn't look at her. He looked directly at the saleswoman; his voice was cold, and the aura of the ex-military officer surrounded him.
"What did you just say about my wife?" His voice was low but cold as ice.
The saleswoman opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She could feel the man's strong aura and stepped back a little in fear.
The crowd shifted. A while ago, they were also on the side of the saleswoman when she talked about Qin Lian's character.
Just like her, they had also judged a woman who was young and already had children this old beside her. However, they didn't dare to utter a single word, seeing Xu Yinchen's strong presence.
The shop had gone very quiet now.
Qin Lian put a light hand on his arm and smiled. "It's alright. I can handle this. Don't scare people here."
Xu Yinchen was surprised when she patted him to calm down. Somehow, all of his anger dissipated seeing her smiling face. The way she caressed his arm and asked him to calm down, it really felt like they were a true married couple.
A ripple of warmth spread in his chest, but he controlled it. His face darkened again upon remembering the filthy words of the woman. However, he didn't say anything further and simply supported her from the side.
His piercing gaze alone was enough to make people uneasy.
Qin Lian let out a low chuckle, seeing everyone scared of Xu Yinchen, who was not scary at all in reality. He was just a big, muscular man with a very sweet and caring nature. Well, at least to her.
She turned to look at the saleswoman, as though the woman's words had been nothing more than a passing inconvenience.
"Are you finished?" she asked simply.
The saleswoman's face went red. She knew she had gone too far. But things had already come to this point. There was no return now.
Qin Lian didn't bother to argue with her further. She turned to the second saleswoman behind the counter, who had been watching everything unfold with wide, uncertain eyes. "Please call your manager. I want to speak with them."
The second woman hesitated. "This... isn't really necessary, is it—"
"Just pass the message," Qin Lian said simply. "He also needs to know what kind of employees work under him."
"If the manager decides not to come, tell him I will file a written complaint directly to the department store's head office. I am sure they will want to know how customers are being treated here."
The first saleswoman's voice shot up. "Are you serious? Do you think our manager comes running every time someone who can't even afford to buy anything throws a fit?"
Qin Lian didn't even look at her. She simply smiled at the second saleswoman, a pleasant smile that somehow felt like a warning. "Please do as I say, if you don't want to lose your position here as well. Thank you."
Xu Yinchen looked at the second saleswoman and said coldly, "Call your manager. Or do you want me to include your name in the complaint as well?"
The second saleswoman panicked immediately. "I — yes, right away. Please wait here." And with that, she rushed out of the shop.
The first saleswoman stood watching her go, genuinely unable to understand how a small thing had brought a manager into it.