"Everyone, please judge for me. Clearly, it was this little girl who didn't hold her phone steady and then bumped into my grandson. She's reluctant to repair the broken phone screen and is trying to extort money from my grandson by claiming it was his fault. She wants us to pay for the repair."
"What's wrong with today's college students? Have they learned nothing from their books? They have no manners at all. Their parents and schools have wasted their efforts on them!"
The old lady raised her chin, her tone becoming even more sharp and unyielding.
Jiang Yuan had never encountered such an old person who would throw a tantrum in public and refuse to admit her mistake.
Her good upbringing from childhood prevented her from saying anything more offensive. She pointed at the old lady, seething with anger.
"You're talking nonsense. There are surveillance cameras around here. Once we check them, the truth will be clear. The eyes of the masses are sharp."
The old lady snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, still not admitting it! You're a college student, but at such a young age, you've already learned to tell lies with your eyes open. How much strength could my grandson have to bump into you? Besides, he's just a child. What does he know? As an adult, shouldn't you know how to avoid him?"
She was certain that the girl in front of her wouldn't check the surveillance cameras.
"Everyone, please judge for me. You all saw it. It was her grandson who bumped into me first. I was about to put my phone into my pocket."
The crowd around them whispered to each other. Jiang Yuan stamped her foot in frustration and turned to look at them, hoping that someone would stand up and explain for her.
A girl did bravely step forward to defend Jiang Yuan. "Grandma, please stop slandering others. We all saw what happened."
The old lady glared at the girl who had spoken up for Jiang Yuan.
"What do you know! Mind your own business. Maybe you're in cahoots with her, colluding to cheat an old woman like me. Girls these days are all going astray. They only know how to help outsiders bully the elderly."
The girl shrank back a little under the old lady's fierce gaze but still mustered the courage to say, "I'm just telling the truth. Everyone saw clearly that it was your grandson who ran into her. You can't be so unreasonable."
The old lady put her hands on her hips and shouted at the top of her voice, "I'm being unreasonable? You young people are just bullying an old woman like me because you're young and strong. I'll stay here and fight you today. Let's see who dares to check the surveillance cameras and who dares to help this little girl."
"That's right. It was clearly you who bumped into me. You broke your phone screen yourself. College students these days are so shameless." A clear voice rang out. It was the old lady's grandson, who also made a face at Jiang Yuan.
The girl who had been arguing on Jiang Yuan's behalf blushed and looked apologetically at Jiang Yuan. Then she chose to retreat behind the crowd, not wanting to get herself into trouble.
Looking at the reaction of the crowd, Jiang Yuan felt a pang of disappointment. Had society really become like this?
Cold and heartless, everyone minded their own business.
She was all alone and outnumbered by the old lady who was throwing a tantrum. No one came to her aid.
If she really went to check the surveillance cameras, the old lady and her grandson would definitely slip away during the time it took. She wouldn't be able to catch them.
"Grandma, let's be reasonable. The truth of this matter is very simple. Checking the surveillance cameras will make it clear. If this girl is really trying to extort money, she should take responsibility. But if it's your grandson's fault, you can't just deny it."
A deep, cold voice with a slight magnetic quality rang out casually.
Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked in the direction of the voice.
A tall and straight young man slowly walked out of the crowd. His eyelids were lowered, his nose was straight, and half of his face was in the shadow. His usually gentle jawline now carried a sharp chill.
It was Chi Xu.
Her heart suddenly started beating very fast, each beat clearer and stronger than the last, almost bursting out of her chest.
At this moment, the world seemed to be muted. The noisy whispers around her stopped.
Her fingertips began to tremble. She felt as if she was drowning in a sea of sweetness, sourness, and bitterness.
Jiang Yuan's eyes reflected only him, and she could only see him.
What did Purple Cloud Fairy say? My beloved is a heroic figure. One day, he will come to marry me on a colorful cloud.
She seemed to understand a little how Purple Cloud Fairy felt at that time.
The mute mode ended, and she returned to the real world.
Seeing a strong young man with an official attitude, the old lady felt a little scared, but she still insisted stubbornly, "I won't check the surveillance cameras. What can you do to me? You people just want to bully me. I'll just stay here and not leave today."
Chi Xu gave a faint smile, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes. Holding the camera, he said calmly, "If you don't want to check the surveillance cameras, it doesn't matter. I just happened to record a video of your grandson bumping into this girl. You can see if you've wrongly accused her."
"Coincidentally, there are so many people here, and they can also testify for her."
Jiang Yuan's heart was still pounding. She tilted her head slightly, not daring to look at him anymore. Her fingertips unconsciously tightened on the corner of her clothes.
"Wait!" The old lady panicked and quickly stopped Chi Xu from opening the video. She lowered her head and grabbed her grandson's arm. Out of sight of the crowd, she pinched him hard.
Her grandson's eyes immediately filled with tears. He ran towards Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan didn't move and looked at him coldly, wondering what he was up to.
"Sister, I'm sorry. I accidentally bumped into you just now."
The little boy tried to hug Jiang Yuan's leg, but she stepped aside and avoided him.
"I accept your apology, but what about my phone screen?" Jiang Yuan said coldly, holding out her broken - screened phone. "I've only had it for less than half a year."
This was a gift from her parents after the college entrance examination.
"What's the big deal? You're an adult. Why are you arguing with a child? He didn't do it on purpose." The old lady said with an embarrassed smile. She really didn't want to pay for the repair.
"Then we might as well call the police and let them determine the compensation. Maybe it won't just be about the phone screen then." Chi Xu said slowly and took out his phone as if he was about to dial the number.
The old lady immediately changed her attitude. Her wrinkled face was filled with a forced smile. "Don't, don't. I'll pay for the repair now, okay?"
Jiang Yuan finally understood. This old lady was a bully who feared the strong and bullied the weak. She had been bullying her, a young girl.
"Okay. There's a store nearby. I'll go with you to the store for the repair and settle the payment on the spot."
Chi Xu winked at Jiang Yuan secretly. Jiang Yuan understood and followed his lead. "This can't be considered me extorting you. The amount of compensation will be determined by the store clerk."
The old lady led her grandson reluctantly and followed them. As she walked, she scolded her grandson. "Look at what you've done. I told you to walk slowly, but you refused. Now you've caused trouble."
The little boy's crying echoed all the way.