C10 Who Dares to Make a Move?

No sooner had the manager spoken than two clerks, who had been eyeing the group for some time, fearing theft, quickly approached.

Luo Xiaoman and Qi Yun were mortified by the treatment and wished the ground would swallow them up.

Luo Xiaoman internally scolded Qi Xiao, regretting not heeding her advice to return the clothes and leave earlier. Now, they were about to be thrown out!

Tang Yue couldn't hide her smug grin as she watched Qi Xiao.

Yet Qi Xiao remained unflappable, leisurely pulling out a card from his pocket and slamming it onto the table with a snap.

The manager, irked by Qi Xiao's audacity, snapped, "What, you think you can waltz in here and buy something just because you have a little cash? Are you blind? Look at the price tag! You can't afford it!"

Qi Xiao, unaccustomed to such nagging, was visibly impatient. "Charge it to the card!"

The manager, taken aback by Qi Xiao's confidence, wondered if he might actually be wealthy.

After swiping Qi Xiao's card at the POS machine, the manager was left speechless.

"This... You're telling me they're beggars? Am I lower than a beggar?"

The manager was frozen in shock, but the cashier was not. She promptly printed the receipt and handed it over with utmost courtesy.

"Hello, your total comes to 210,000 yuan. Here is your receipt."

Tang Yue was floored by the revelation. Impossible! They were all destitute, with Qi Yun and her brother even living in subsidized housing! How could they afford such an extravagant purchase? 210,000 yuan? It simply couldn't be!

She snatched the receipt, saw the figure of 210,000 yuan, and realized his card did indeed hold that much money.

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected the shabbily dressed Qi Xiao to drop a whopping 210,000 yuan in one go. The manager's astonishment suggested the card's balance was far from modest.

Qi Yun and Luo Xiaoman stood there, dumbfounded, gazing at Qi Xiao in disbelief.

Now it was the manager's turn to cast a reproachful look at Tang Yue. To think he had been told this wealthy individual was a beggar! Wasn't this a deception?

"No way! How could your family possibly have that much money? You definitely stole it!"

Tang Yue, red-faced with anger and embarrassment, pointed accusingly at Qi Xiao's nose as she raised her voice.

Indeed, theft or deceit seemed the only plausible explanations for how the impoverished siblings, Qi Xiao and Qi Yun, suddenly came into a substantial sum of money.

Qi Xiao regarded Tang Yue with a silent exasperation, his estimation of her relentless nagging reaching new heights.

The manager, too, cast a skeptical glance at Qi Xiao, scrutinizing him once more.

Clad in faded, cheap market clothes, Qi Xiao certainly didn't look the part of a wealthy individual.

"Ahem!" the manager interjected with a cough, "Sir, given our esteemed customer's accusation, you're obliged to disclose the origin of this money before we can proceed with selling you these garments."

Qi Xiao had never encountered such an absurd demand before. It seemed that wealth and influence truly did grant one the power to dictate terms.

Luo Xiaoman, unable to contain her indignation, retorted:

"On what grounds? Do you have any evidence to accuse us of theft?"

"You're all as poor as church mice. If the money wasn't stolen, then where did it come from?"

Tang Yue was equally confrontational.

Qi Xiao responded calmly:

"This mall is part of the Qian Sheng Group, isn't it?"

The manager gave him a puzzled look, unsure of what Qi Xiao was implying.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Well, isn't that fortunate. Your president personally gave me this money."

The president? Gave it to you?

Aside from Qi Xiao and his companions, the crowd erupted into exaggerated laughter. The manager doubled over in mirth, tears nearly streaming down his face, as he pointed at Qi Xiao's nose and jeered:

"Hahaha, you've got to prepare a better story if you're going to boast! Just look at you—our CEO is a man of stature. Have you even met him? And he's giving you money? Why not claim the chairman of Lin's Group is your father-in-law while you're at it?"

Tang Yue scoffed at Qi Xiao, adding disdainfully:

"Absolutely shameless, ugh!"

Qi Xiao felt a sense of resignation; he knew the truth would be met with disbelief, but what else could he do?

Just then, the rhythmic click of high heels approached.

"Qi Xiao? Qi Yun? What are you two doing here?"

Everyone turned to see a raven-haired beauty with long legs, clad in office attire. It was none other than Lin Suxin.

Lin Suxin, who was in the vicinity, initially had no interest in the disturbance. However, hearing Lin's Group mentioned piqued her curiosity, and she decided to investigate, only to encounter a familiar face.

The manager, recognizing Lin Suxin, was startled and hastened to apologize:

"Oh, Miss Lin! My apologies, I was merely joking. I had no intention of offending Lin's Group."

Lin Suxin barely gave him a glance, her eyes fixed on Qi Xiao with a furrowed brow. The store was known for its high prices; how could these siblings afford to shop here?

Qi Xiao, spotting Lin Suxin, was taken aback but not overly so.

"We're just here to pick out some clothes for Yun, but I've been wrongfully accused of theft."

"Clothes?" Lin Suxin echoed under her breath. A memory flashed in her mind—the five million yuan she and Lin Cheng had delivered to the Qi family.

Could it be that he feigned burning the money, only to extinguish the flames once they'd left, using it to fund their shopping spree?

[It had to be the case. How else could they afford these clothes? And that five million—impossible to burn through so quickly.]

Convinced she'd unraveled the mystery, Lin Suxin's disdain for Qi Xiao grew. She informed the manager:

"They didn't steal the money; it was a gift from me."

Her words left Qi Yun and Qi Xiao momentarily speechless. Qi Yun was clueless about any recent financial help from Lin Suxin, while Qi Xiao quickly grasped the root of her misunderstanding.

Lin Suxin turned to Qi Xiao with a sneer:

"I would have never imagined you'd stoop to pretending to burn money just to save face. I'm relieved I'm not bound to marry you; otherwise, you'd have been the ruin of my life!"

She regarded Qi Xiao with contempt.

"Qi Xiao, let me tell you, being poor isn't shameful. What's truly disgraceful is being poor and yet desperately clinging to pride!"

With that, Lin Suxin spun on her heel and strode away, eager to leave the scene behind.

The crowd grew even more bewildered. What in the world was happening?

Lin Suxin had long since departed, leaving Tang Yue to ponder for quite some time before concocting a "reasonable" explanation. She resumed her scornful demeanor, sneering at Qi Xiao and the others, and said:

"I'm terribly sorry, it turns out your money wasn't stolen after all. But who could have guessed..."

Tang Yue stifled a laugh behind her hand.

"Who would've thought Qi Yun's brother is nothing more than a pretty boy kept by someone else! Hahaha!"

Her words set off another wave of raucous laughter among the onlookers.

Truth be told, Qi Xiao was quite handsome, but his lack of exercise left him somewhat frail, and his indoor lifestyle had given him a pale complexion. He did indeed resemble the stereotype of a kept man.

"Let's just drop it. If they've made their money by 'sacrificing' themselves, it's none of our business. Let's head out!"

With a victorious air, Tang Yue strutted off with her entourage, casting one last contemptuous glance at Qi Yun and Luo Xiaoman.

Luo Xiaoman was fuming, her face flushed with anger, yet she found herself speechless. She didn't believe for a second that Qi Yun's brother was being kept, but she was clueless about the actual situation.

The manager, who had initially gone pale with fear upon hearing Lin Suxin claim the money came from her, had thought Qi Xiao was somehow connected to the Lin Group. The idea that Qi Xiao was merely a kept man emboldened him.

"So, you're not a thief, but a gigolo!"

Qi Xiao almost burst into laughter at their bizarre assumptions, struggling to keep his composure.

The manager, interpreting Qi Xiao's silence as confirmation, looked down on him with disdain:

"I'm sorry, but our store doesn't cater to gigolos! Kindly return the clothes, and we'll refund your money. We're too embarrassed to keep it!"

Luo Xiaoman and Qi Yun were in a panic. Were they really going to have to return the clothes?

Finally, Qi Xiao composed himself and spoke calmly:

"The clothes are mine to keep."

Upon hearing Qi Xiao's haughty tone, the manager let out a derisive chuckle and remarked:

"Turn down a toast and you'll have to face the penalty drink. Watch it, or I'll have you thrown out!"

Just then, a commanding voice erupted from outside the establishment.

"Let's see, who has the audacity to lay a hand on me?"