Maintenance

The glass door sensed someone approaching and slid open silently.

Unaware that the two shop assistants with their backs to the door were fully absorbed in humiliating Lin Xun, the two were oblivious to what was happening.

"...So, little brother, be sensible and don't make things difficult for yourself, so we won't have to put ourselves in a difficult position, right?" Senior clerk Sister Dan's last words carried a hint of insincere advice.

Just then, a voice filled with suppressed anger rang out half a step behind her:

"Difficult to do?"

Dan Jie and Xiao Wang froze simultaneously. They turned around abruptly, their expressions still bearing traces of scorn and disdain, but the moment they saw who it was, their expressions twisted into shock and barely concealed panic.

Yu Fuli stood there, upright, his gaze sweeping over their frozen faces before finally settling on Lin Xun, whose head was bowed and whose shoulders were still trembling slightly.

Without stopping, he walked straight to Lin Xun's side, reached out his hand, but instead of pulling him, he gently placed it on the boy's thin, taut shoulder.

It was a gesture full of protection and silent support.

"I'm sorry, the teacher just went to the restroom. It was only for a little while, so I didn't tell you."

The warmth of her palm seeped through the thin fabric of her new clothes, and Lin Xun trembled slightly. She didn't look up, but she didn't pull away either.

Yu Fuli then raised her eyes and looked again at the two pale-faced shop assistants.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the name tag pinned to Dan's chest, which was swaying slightly due to nervousness, before slowly moving upwards to meet her uneasy eyes.

"You just said," Yu Fuli began, "that some circles can't be entered simply by changing your clothes?"

Dan Jie felt as if something was choking her; she opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Yu Fuli didn't seem to need her answer. He tilted his head slightly, as if pondering, or as if stating a very simple fact: "This statement itself is not entirely wrong."

The two shop assistants were stunned for a moment, almost thinking that things had taken a turn for the better.

However, Yu Fuli's next words plunged their hearts into despair.

"There may be entry barriers to this industry," he said calmly, but his gaze turned cold. "But basic manners and professionalism are the bottom line that every person, especially those in the service industry, should have. It seems that your store has made significant oversights in employee training."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the store's luxurious decor and dazzling array of goods.

"Since you think that the people I brought trying on clothes from your store are degrading and dirtying your boutique counters and Italian-imported carpets..."

Yu Fuli suddenly gave a very slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, a smile devoid of any warmth, "Well then, to avoid making things difficult for you, and to save you the trouble of cleaning up—"

He took out his phone, unlocked it, tapped the screen twice with his fingertip, and then turned the screen towards two ashen-faced shop assistants.

The screen above shows a phone call being made, with a simple and direct name in the contact name: Zhou, Head of V Brand Shangcheng District 2.

"This shop is temporarily closed from this moment forward." Yu Fuli's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "All inventory is to be sealed up in place, pending auditing. As for the two of you..."

His gaze fell on them again, as if he were looking at two problematic items awaiting disposal.

"Until you receive the company's formal termination notice and my lawyer's letter," Yu Fuli said calmly, "please stay here and cooperate with the subsequent investigation. After all, leaving the scene before things are clear up doesn't seem quite appropriate, does it?"

"A lawyer's letter?" Xiao Wang exclaimed, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed.

Sister Dan was also pale, her lips trembling as she said, "Mr. Yu, this is a misunderstanding. We were just... just following the rules..."

"Rules?" Yu Fuli interrupted her, revealing a chilling sarcasm. "Your rules are that you can freely comment on a customer's clothing and background, and subject them to personal insults? If this is V brand's rule, then I'd like to have a good discussion with President Zhou about when this century-old brand's rules have degenerated to this level."

The call seemed to have gone through. Yu Fuli held the phone to her ear, but her gaze remained fixed on the two trembling shop assistants.

"Mr. Zhou, it's me, Yu Fuli. There's a small matter that urgently needs your attention..."

As he briefly described the situation, he gently patted Lin Xun's shoulder with his free hand, then leaned down slightly, leaned close to Lin Xun's ear, and whispered a question in a tone that only the two of them could hear, his voice carrying a guiding undertone:

"What exactly did they say just now? How do you plan to handle this?"

This is not simply taking the lead on someone else's behalf, but rather handing over some of the initiative to Lin Xun.

Lin Xun kept his head down, but Yu Fuli could feel that the thin shoulder under his palm seemed to be less stiff.

Yu Fuli said her last words into the phone: "My student will tell you the specifics. I hope that his feelings and suggestions for handling the situation will receive your utmost attention."

Then, he took the phone away from his ear, pressed the speakerphone button, and handed it to Lin Xun.

"Come on," Yu Fuli's voice was even lower, carrying an encouraging gentleness, echoing clearly in the quiet shop where you could hear a pin drop, and also reaching the ears of the prominent President Zhou on the other end of the phone.

"Tell General Manager Zhou, and tell me too."

"How did they try to persuade you just now?"

"And what kind of outcome do you hope to see?"

A middle-aged man's tense yet respectful voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Lin, hello! I am Zhou Mingyuan, the person in charge of V Brand Shangcheng District 2. On behalf of the company, I sincerely apologize for the extremely unpleasant experience you had at our store! Please be sure to tell us the specific details, and we will definitely handle it seriously and give you a satisfactory explanation!"

All eyes, pressure, and choices were now focused on Lin Xun.

He slowly raised his head.

Her eyes were still red, and her eyelashes were even damp, but when those eyes looked at Yu Fuli, what surged within them was no longer pure embarrassment or helplessness, but a kind of ignited light.

Then, he turned to the phone with the hands-free mode on, as if it were a trial.

His voice was initially slightly hoarse, but it quickly became clear, calm, and even carried a cold, orderly quality that was completely at odds with his current appearance.

"They said the old clothes I brought were tattered and part of my luggage, and needed to be disposed of..."

"They said that Teacher Yu might just be having a passing fancy and was just teasing me..."

"They implied that I couldn't afford to pay, and told me to go back to where I belonged..."

He repeated those harsh words word by word, his tone devoid of much emotion, yet it made Mr. Zhou on the other end of the phone breathe heavily, and drained the color from the faces of the two shop assistants in front of him, leaving only ashen despair.

After speaking, Lin Xun paused, his gaze sweeping over Dan Jie and Xiao Wang's pale faces before finally looking back at Yu Fuli. His voice was softer, but firm:

"Teacher Yu, I don't want to see them here anymore."

"As for the rest..." He pursed his lips, gently pushing the decision back to you, "You and Mr. Zhou can decide. I trust you."

He clearly expressed his dissatisfaction and bottom line, but did not overstep his bounds by giving specific instructions on how an international brand should handle its employees, thus maintaining a sense of propriety and demonstrating complete trust.

A very appropriate approach.

However, Yu Fuli wanted Lin Xun to act according to his true feelings.

He took the phone, turned off the speakerphone, and said succinctly into the other end: "Did you hear that? I hope this matter can be resolved in a way that satisfies both me and my students before sunrise tomorrow. Also, I don't want anything like this to happen again at this store during the rectification period."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Fuli didn't look at the two shop assistants who were almost collapsing to the ground.

He put his arm around Lin Xun's shoulder and turned him around.

"Let's go," he said, his voice regaining its usual gentleness. "The air here isn't good. Wear the clothes you like, and the rest will be properly delivered to your home."

Stepping out of the shop, the mall lights were still dazzling.

Lin Xun was led forward by Yu Fuli, and couldn't help but look back again.

Inside the brightly lit shop, two figures were surrounded by the mall manager and security personnel who rushed over; their backs looked disheveled and flustered.

He turned around, feeling the warm and firm strength on his shoulder and the soft, expensive new clothes on his body.

This time, the manipulated script seems to have taken a slightly different turn.

Instead of simply taking on everything, he now has the right to participate in making decisions.

Lin Xun suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head slightly, looked up at Yu Fuli, and spoke in a soft voice with a cautious inquiry: "Teacher, you seem... a little unhappy?"

Yu Fuli paused for a moment.

He never expected that his subconscious attempts to please Lin Xun and his suppressed worries about his true nature would be so keenly perceived by this seemingly naive boy.

He stopped and looked down into Lin Xun's clear yet insightful eyes. After a moment, he sighed almost inaudibly.

The sigh, tinged with complex emotions, ultimately culminated in a gentler, yet more earnest, statement:

"The teacher is a little unsure how to put it."

He carefully chose his words, "Lin Xun, I know you've always been very sensible and good at understanding other people's emotions, even too good at it."

He raised his hand and gently ruffled Lin Xun's hair, his gesture filled with tenderness.

"But I hope even more that you can think more about yourself and live for yourself. If you like something, you like it; if you're unhappy, you're unhappy; if you want something, you hate something... you can express it more directly."

"With me here, you don't need to force yourself or restrain yourself to please anyone or because you're afraid of losing something. Do you understand what I mean?"

His tone was gentle, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a still lake, creating ripples in Lin Xun's heart.

That's great, they're completely different from those other people.