Ye Huohuo felt a wave of relief wash over her as a voice from outside the crowd reached her ears.
The suffocating pressure from the malevolent energy that had gripped her moments before vanished without a trace.
As expected of her fated son, all malevolent energy disappeared when she was bound to him in marriage.
Due to her misfortune, every time she had been wrongly accused and argued with others, she had been rendered speechless, just like before. Unable to voice her innocence, she could only be slandered, experiencing immense frustration.
Now, she finally had the chance to retort.
Li Mohan strode into the crowd, his face set in a stern frown. He was tall, and since this was a women's clothing section, most of the customers were women.
This made him stand out even more.
Behind him followed the general manager of the mall, the head of the security department, and several heads of other departments.
All of them kept their heads down, afraid to even exhale.
Upon seeing Li Mohan, the young girls and ladies around them initially widened their mouths to shriek, but seeing his icy expression, they quickly pressed their lips together, afraid to make a sound.
They all screamed silently in their hearts, thinking how handsome he was, even more so in person than in videos.
They all silently declared him their idol!
However, they also immediately noticed that his gaze had been fixed on one person from the very beginning.
It was the girl in outdated clothes, the center of the dispute—Ye Huohuo.
The previously overbearing sales assistant also sensed that something was amiss. It seemed the unfashionable woman truly knew Mr. Li, and that card was indeed given to her by him?!
Wasn't she digging her own grave?
She anxiously glanced at Sun Jinyu beside her, but the latter wasn't looking at her, her head bowed, lost in thought.
Her heart sank further!
Ye Huohuo rejoiced internally, having completely forgotten her previous unpleasant encounter with Li Mohan.
The feeling of being unable to speak earlier had been too suffocating, and she decided to "borrow Li Mohan's might."
Turning around, her nose almost bumped into a chest.
Li Mohan was more than a head taller than her. His chin rested on the crown of her head, and her direct gaze fell upon his chest.
She instinctively tried to step back, but her shoulder was held by a large hand, and then she was pulled into Li Mohan's embrace, half-held, half-embraced.
"You..."
"Weren't you quite the talker? Did someone gag you?" he murmured, his voice, low and magnetic, directly hitting Ye Huohuo's eardrums.
This posture and ambiguous demeanor made everyone present gape.
"I gave her the card. Also, I'm announcing now that her name is Ye Huohuo, and she is my girlfriend! From now on, when she uses my card to buy things, there won't be any misunderstandings, right!" Li Mohan raised his head, speaking to everyone present.
At the same time, he didn't forget to address Sun Jinyu, "Manager Sun, you know about Huohuo's situation. Today's incident could have been avoided, couldn't it?"
Sun Jinyu's face turned pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead. She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet Li Mohan's gaze. Others might not know about Ye Huohuo, but she should have known and intervened earlier to prevent the situation from escalating.
She had calculated everything, but she never expected Li Mohan to be in the mall. Now, her attempt to outsmart had backfired.
Both professionally and personally, her actions were wrong, and incredibly so.
Personally, as a long-time associate of the Li family, she should have protected those related to the Li family. Having known Ye Huohuo's connection to the Li family yesterday, failing to clarify the situation and allowing others to misunderstand the Li family was an act of disloyalty!
Professionally, as the mall manager, she failed to de-escalate the dispute promptly, allowing it to fester and even fanning the flames, an act of injustice!
Because of Li Mohan's intervention, those around who understood the situation began to whisper and point fingers at her.
"Mr. Li, it's all my fault, I didn't handle the situation properly! It won't happen again!" Sun Jinyu, having been in the mall business for so many years, possessed experience, regardless of her actual capabilities.
Just as the sales assistant was about to call security to apprehend Ye Huohuo, she felt the situation spiraling out of control.
Initially, she only wanted to embarrass Ye Huohuo, but if Ye Huohuo were actually arrested as a thief, she wouldn't be able to explain it to the Li family.
She then stepped in to intervene. Her intervention actually saved herself.
Li Mohan's gaze swept over the crowd, finally pausing on Ye Xiaowan and her mother.
"Huohuo, are they really not your family?"
Hearing his question, Ye Huohuo's muscles involuntarily tensed, and her feet shifted backward uncontrollably. This was a muscle memory caused by childhood trauma.
Although the movements were subtle, not a single one escaped Li Mohan's eyes. His pupils contracted, and his fingers, resting on Ye Huohuo's shoulder, tightened slightly.
His expression darkened further.
Seeing Li Mohan looking at her, Ye Xiaowan's heart pounded. He had always been her ideal boyfriend. But hearing him speak so intimately with Ye Huohuo ignited a flicker of jealous hatred in her heart.
Why was she, Ye Xiaoqing, who should now be called Ye Huohuo, always getting the best? It was the same in childhood, and it was the same now. Li Mohan, such an excellent man, should belong to her, and the status of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family should also be hers.
Ye Huohuo did not want Li Mohan to know about her past, nor did she want him to know about her grievances with the Ye family. That was her own affair. She married Li Mohan without any intention of using the Li family's power and status to help her.
She was merely borrowing his luck to survive this year. The debts others owed her, she would collect them one by one. It was not yet time to confront the Ye family directly; she had to be patient and wait for the opportune moment.
Ye Huohuo tilted her small face up and chuckled lightly. "They mistook me for someone else. They were looking for Ye Xiaoqing. My name is Ye Huohuo!"
"Oh? Is that so? Alright, in the future, if such a situation arises, just say you are my girlfriend. That way, there will be fewer misunderstandings!" Li Mohan said, affectionately ruffling Ye Huohuo's hair.
He discovered her hair was smooth and soft, feeling wonderful to the touch! He couldn't help but stroke it a few more times.
His casual gesture, in the eyes of others, was like showering them with affection. The women present were filled with jealousy and envy towards Ye Huohuo.
"By the way, I was saying earlier that I'd accompany you to buy some clothes and bags you like. Go pick whatever you fancy!" Li Mohan finally released his arm from around Ye Huohuo's shoulder.
Ye Huohuo felt like a pet released from its leash, finally free to frolic.
Perhaps out of a desire for revenge, she pointed to the most expensive outfits she had looked at earlier, along with a large black leather bag. "These. I'll take them all. Please wrap them up for me."
At this moment, the sales assistant who had mocked her earlier hurried over, bowing and nodding like a sycophantic dog. "Miss Ye, I'm truly sorry. I failed to recognize your esteemed status. You are a magnanimous person, I'll get them for you to try on right away!"
Ye Huohuo shook her head. "I'd prefer to use someone else. I can't trouble you!"
The sales assistant's face turned ashen. "Miss Ye, please don't be angry. You can scold me or hit me, but please don't fire me! I... it's all my fault. I apologize!"
Tears began to stream down her face, making her look like a terribly bullied little maid.
Many people watching felt that Ye Huohuo was being too harsh, taking advantage of her influence. However, due to Li Mohan's presence, they didn't dare to attack Ye Huohuo with their words as they had before.
Sun Jinyu then stepped forward. "Mr. Li, it is my poor management, but Xiao Zhang's performance has been quite good usually. Today, she truly didn't know Miss Ye's identity. Could you please let her off this once?
If there's a next time, there will be severe punishment!"
Sun Jinyu's decision to support the sales assistant was a clever move. She was already implicated in the day's events, and if she shifted all the blame onto the sales assistant, she would not only lose the loyalty of her subordinates but also make others feel that she lacked the courage to take responsibility.
It was better to admit her own mistakes, which would show her subordinates that she was a good leader worth supporting, and it would also make others perceive Ye Huohuo as more of a bully who abused her power.
Li Mohan glanced at her, then looked at Ye Huohuo. "Your matter, you decide!"
In other words, do as you wish; I am your shield.
Ye Huohuo felt a warmth spread through her heart. Her gaze shifted, and she let out a light chuckle.
"Manager Sun, you are indeed a clever person. Rest assured, I am not someone who holds onto others' mistakes. However, my calculations have never been wrong.
As I said earlier, she would be fired today, and she will be fired, but it will not be because of me!"