The man with yellow hair, enraged, swung his fist at Su Ding.
Su Ding's eyes narrowed. With precise and swift movements, she gripped his wrist and flung him back onto the seat!
"Damn it!"
Having lost face, the man grabbed a vase from the table and hurled it.
Su Ding quickly retreated, but her foot slipped on spilled coffee. Just as she was about to fall, a man stepped forward from behind and caught her arm.
"Careful!"
Su Ding was about to thank him when she saw Jin Ye, her eyes widening in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered.
Just then, the vase smashed onto the floor, its shattered pieces scattering everywhere. Jin Ye shielded Su Ding with his body, blocking the fragments.
"Ah!" other guests cried out, startled.
"You really have no shame!" The man with yellow hair glared fiercely at Su Ding, radiating a rough, defiant aura.
Jin Ye's gaze darkened. He released Su Ding and strode over.
Leveraging his height, he dominated the man with yellow hair with his imposing presence, especially given the latter's swollen face and weakened state.
"None of your business!" the man with yellow hair said, his voice lacking conviction.
Jin Ye said nothing. He grabbed the man by his clothes and, practically lifting him, dragged him out of the shop.
Su Ding hurried to follow.
The companions of the man with yellow hair quickly intervened, trying to smooth things over. "He was in the wrong. Sir, please let him go."
The man with yellow hair tried to retaliate, but Jin Ye twisted his arm behind his back.
With a "crack," the man's arm dislocated. He let out a low groan of pain, his neck bulging, "Ah—"
However, their interaction appeared less like a fight and more like Jin Ye subduing the man.
"Should we call the police?" a bystander suggested.
"No need for police, no need for police! Sir, we'll take him away now and cover the shop's losses."
The companions of the man with yellow hair clearly did not want to escalate the situation. They shot him a stern look.
The man with yellow hair quickly apologized, "Please don't call the police, big brother. I was truly wrong. Miss, I'm sorry, I was an absolute scoundrel today, utterly worthless!"
His arm throbbing with pain, the man's face contorted.
Since Su Ding was participating in a show, she looked at Jin Ye and said, "Perhaps you could let him go, and he can pay for the damages to the shop."
"Okay." Jin Ye released his grip.
Shop staff came over to tally the costs. After the man with yellow hair settled the bill, his friends pulled him away.
Su Ding glanced at Jin Ye. Her eyes held a wealth of unspoken words, but the current situation was not appropriate for them.
"Thank you, sir. I'll go change," Su Ding said politely.
"Mm." Jin Ye looked at Su Ding's disheveled state, suppressing his concern as he let out a deep, resonant sound.
Luo Zhu, carrying coffee, approached. "Boss."
Jin Ye nodded with a cold expression and turned to walk towards the car.
Luo Zhu clearly felt Jin Ye's icy aura. It was understandable, as Miss Su had been doused with coffee and bullied.
She could have stayed home as a pampered young lady, yet she came here to be harassed.
"Contact the director and ensure she's taken care of," Jin Ye ordered in a low voice.
"Understood." Luo Zhu promptly complied.
Su Ding changed and emerged, continuing to serve customers.
In the evening, after receiving her wages, she went to the designated meeting point to await the others.
However, everyone had arrived except Lu Xi.
"Could it be that Lu Xi-ge went back first?" Zhang Meng asked, puzzled.
"That shouldn't be the case. We agreed to meet here," Cao Ruxue frowned.
Chen Xi walked over, her usual cool demeanor intact. "I saw Lu Xi-ge in the park ahead this afternoon. Shall we go look for him?"
Su Ding nodded. "Let's go."
Zhang Meng, having spent the day distributing flyers, was too tired to move. "Um, Sister Cao and I will stay here. If he returns, we can let him know."
"Alright."
Su Ding and Chen Xi headed towards the park.
In the park, many elderly people were strolling. However, it was evident that a crowd had gathered ahead, and the sounds suggested something had happened.
"Lu Xi-ge's location is over there," Chen Xi pointed ahead.
The two hurried over and saw Lu Xi, dripping wet, walking towards them.
"Hey, Su Ding, Xiao Xi, you came looking for me?" Lu Xi quickened his pace.
"Yes, what happened to you?" Su Ding asked, looking at his disheveled appearance, as if he had fallen into water.
"Saved a drowning girl," Lu Xi shook the water from his hair and laughed heartily. "How was your day?"
"Smooth," Chen Xi replied concisely.
"Mine was… relatively smooth," Su Ding paused, recalling Jin Ye. She felt a strong urge to make a phone call.
As the three walked towards the car, Cao Ruxue quickly approached Lu Xi to ask what had happened.
Lu Xi explained the accident in detail to everyone.
Su Ding directly asked a staff member for a towel and handed it to Lu Xi. "Here, wipe yourself off. It's windy tonight; you might catch a chill."
Lu Xi draped the towel over himself. Seeing Su Ding's impassive face, his heart couldn't help but feel a pang.
Everyone was chatting with him, but only Su Ding had gone to get him a towel.
Su Ding appeared to be aloof, but in reality, she was very kind and gentle at heart.
Lu Xi's gaze involuntarily followed Su Ding.
Once everyone was present, they began recording their reflections on the day's work. After the recording, they could get in the car and rest.
Just as the recording concluded and Su Ding was about to get into the car, she was called back.
"The director said someone is looking for you. You don't need to go back tonight," the staff member said, turning off the microphone.
Su Ding dazedly accepted her phone and saw a WeChat message displayed on the screen.
Turning around.
— Jin Ye