The Bullied Little Black Flower

[Your target location has been located.] The system notification sounded.

Yu Fuli glanced at the coordinates; it was located in the area where the Lower City and Upper City met, not exactly close to his current location.

Without delay, he went to the garage, selected the most inconspicuous ordinary sedan, and drove out according to the system's navigation instructions.

The car stopped on a slightly messy side of the street.

The coordinates show that Lin Xun is in the vicinity.

Yu Fuli turned off the engine and pushed open the car door when his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure—wearing a faded old coat, thin, struggling to carry a cardboard box almost taller than himself, moving unsteadily toward the entrance of a small supermarket next door.

It was Lin Xun.

Yu Fuli felt relieved. They found it so quickly?

It went so smoothly that it was almost unexpected.

However, this sense of relief lasted only a moment. He saw Lin Xun struggling to carry the cardboard box to the supermarket entrance, and before he could even catch his breath, two people walked out of the door one after the other.

In front of them was a middle-aged man with a plump build and a serious face, who seemed to be the boss. Behind him was a salesperson with quick eyes and a slightly shrewd look.

The fat boss's voice drifted over, carrying a domineering tone: "...This month you broke two bottles of drinks and damaged a shelf, so the repair costs will be deducted. Also, last week you were late handing over your shift three times, so according to regulations, you'll be deducted fifty yuan each time... All in all, that's it."

He held a small, thin stack of banknotes in his hand, his fingers moving quickly, removing most of them before handing the remaining few bills to Lin Xun.

Lin Xun stared at the few thin banknotes, his lips pressed together until they turned white. Sweat trickled down his thin forehead, dampening the soft hair at his temples.

He didn't take it immediately, but instead looked up. His eyes, which always held a hint of timidity, were now wide open, churning with confusion, resentment, and a barely suppressed anger. His voice trembled slightly: "Boss, I didn't break the drinks or the shelves, and there was the late shift handover… Last week, Brother Wang had some family matters to attend to, and I volunteered to watch the store for him for an extra half hour, three times in total. You knew about that at the time, so how can you deduct my pay for being late?"

The portly boss frowned and waved his hand impatiently: "It's your business if you volunteer, but store rules are rules! You hand over your shift at the time I tell you to, who gave you the right to act on your own? Besides, who knows if you colluded with Wang Hai? And who else could have put up the drinks and shelves if not you? This is all the money I have, take it or leave it! If you don't want it, you don't get any salary this month!"

The sales clerk behind him curled her lip and chimed in, "That's right, Xiao Lin, the boss has already been very considerate of you. Why are you fussing over such a small thing?"

At the checkout counter, Ye An'an, another young female cashier who had been silent until now, finally couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed out and shouted at the sales clerk, "Sun Qing! Have you no shame? You clearly broke those two bottles of drinks when you were counting them! You also accidentally knocked the corner of the shelf over when you were pushing the cart! I was right there watching! You did something wrong but don't dare to admit it, and you blame it all on Lin Xun. What kind of ability is that?!"

The saleswoman, called Sun Qing, turned her head abruptly as if pricked by a needle. A flash of panic crossed her face, which then flushed red. She retorted shrilly, "Ye An'an! What nonsense are you spouting! Who saw it? Do you have any evidence? You're making baseless accusations! Believe me or not, I'll sue you for defamation!"

His eyes darted around, and although his voice was loud, it betrayed his guilty conscience.

"So what if I didn't see it? Everyone knows that Lin Xun is careful and cautious in his work. On the contrary, you are always careless and negligent, and you don't do your job properly. You always think about slacking off and pushing the work onto Lin Xun."

Ye An'an pointed at Sun Qing and cursed. She really disliked this person. Not only was he lazy and good-for-nothing, but he also liked to lewdly stare at her.

"Heh, who doesn't know what you're thinking, Ye An'an?" Seeing this, Sun Qing seemed to have caught her red-handed, her tone immediately turning sarcastic and malicious. "All you do is talk about Lin Xun this and Lin Xun that, and now you're jumping out to speak for him? Could it be that you're deliberately trying to smear me to protect your shady intentions?"

"You! You're talking nonsense!" Ye An'an's face turned bright red instantly, even her ears turned crimson.

The young girl was shy, and her secret feelings were so crudely exposed in public, especially in such an embarrassing situation. She was both ashamed and angry, her chest heaving violently, and her hand pointing at Sun Qing was trembling. For a moment, she was so angry that she couldn't utter a complete sentence, and only her wide eyes were filled with tears of shame and indignation.

"Shut up, all of you! Stop making such a racket, don't you want to quit your jobs?!" The fat boss was annoyed by the chaotic scene and couldn't help but roar in a rough voice, his fat face twitching.

"But boss, it really wasn't Lin Xun who did it! You can't just deduct his pay without even knowing the facts!" Ye An'an's eyes reddened with anxiety, and she didn't care about being shy anymore, her voice urgent.

"You can't prove he didn't do it just by saying it. Who saw it? Without seeing it with your own eyes, you can't prove he didn't do it!" The fat boss waved his hand rudely, interrupting Ye An'an, his tone leaving no room for argument. "That's settled! If you argue any further, neither of you can expect your bonuses this month!"

The fat boss's roar was like a bucket of cold water, temporarily extinguishing the sparks on the surface.

Ye An'an bit her lower lip, forcing back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes. Her chest felt tight and suffocated. In the end, she could only glare at Sun Qing fiercely, turn her head and rush back into the silver counter, smashing the items with a loud crack.

Having gained the upper hand, Sun Qing dared not be presumptuous any longer. He shrank back, forced a smile, and said to the boss, "Boss, please calm down. I'll go to the back to sort the goods now."

After saying that, he slunk into the warehouse to escape the awkward silence.

The fat boss scratched his sparse hair in frustration, spat at Lin Xun, and muttered, "Bad luck."

Lin Xun clutched the money, her head bowed low, her fingers curled tightly at her sides, her nails almost digging into her palms.

"Wait a moment."

Just then, a particularly pleasant voice broke in.

The fat boss turned his head in surprise and saw a tall, slender young man in a simple jacket walk over and stand a few steps away.

The newcomer was exceptionally handsome, but his expression was somewhat cold, and his gaze was fixed on Lin Xun.

Lin Xun looked up abruptly, and the moment he saw Yu Fuli, his pupils contracted, his face drained of color, and then an incredulous astonishment and a hint of...panic surged up.

"Teacher?!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling.