Chapter Sixteen: Su Baibai's Departure

As the saying goes, clothes make the man and gold adorns the Buddha. After changing into another lovely dress, she truly resembled a little black swan. No, to be more precise, she looked like a little black demon—only missing a pair of wings.

The two of them exchanged knowing smiles and gave Su Bai a thumbs-up. With her beauty, anything she wore looked stunning.

They picked out a few more outfits, but she stubbornly refused to take off the black dress; she insisted on keeping it on.

Qian Yin and Mo Lan were a bit helpless, yet their smiles never faded. When it came time to pay, Su Bai didn't say a word, nor did she move forward; she simply fixed her gaze on the clerk.

Su Bai carried herself with the air of a young lady, relishing the feeling of having someone else foot the bill. The corners of her lips curled into the faintest of smiles, invisible to others. But in the next instant, she remembered her father, and her face fell again.

“How much is it all together?”

“1,760 yuan!” The clerk, upon seeing such a large purchase, instantly set aside any earlier displeasure, her obsequious smile blatantly insincere. After all, clerks earned commission. With so many clothes sold, she could probably take a few days off.

“I’ll pay you back for this someday.” Remembering her father, Su Bai still felt compelled to say something. With that, she picked up her clothes and moved on.

Qian Yin wanted to help, but Su Bai stubbornly insisted on carrying everything herself. The clothes weren’t heavy, but with so many bags, could her small hands really manage?

“I never asked you to pay me back.” After swiping her card, Mo Lan couldn’t help but pout, looking very much the part of a sulky young woman.

Qian Yin felt like a child tonight. Sometimes, letting go of hatred brought happiness, but if you let it go for too long, your heart would start to ache.

With the little girl’s clothes bought, it was time to shop for the “big girls.” Just then, a man rushed over, colliding with Su Bai and sending her tumbling, her clothes scattering across the floor.

Su Bai was thrown nearly a meter away. Qian Yin, walking nearby, was just quick enough to catch her. Unfortunately, the impact was too great, and both of them ended up sprawled on the ground. It hurt, to say the least. Qian Yin rubbed her hand, then quickly checked Su Bai for injuries. Only after confirming she was unharmed did she stand up.

The man staggered back a few steps, and as soon as he regained his balance, he tried to bolt. Not a word of apology—he just wanted to run after knocking someone over.

Mo Lan swiftly raised her gun, commanding the man to stop. No matter what he’d done, it was wrong to run away after knocking someone down. Even if he didn’t compensate, he should at least apologize.

“Stop or I’ll shoot.” Mo Lan’s commanding voice rang out, making the man glance back uncertainly. Seeing the weapon, he froze in place, trembling slightly.

“Catch him, he’s a thief!” Several well-dressed ladies hurried forward, the clatter of their high heels echoing on the floor.

The middle-aged man, blocked by the gun, still clutched a few brightly colored purses. He glanced around, as if looking for a way to escape. These purses were this season’s limited editions—each worth hundreds of thousands. The thief certainly had an eye for quality. But to steal in a busy shopping center, with all the surveillance cameras—he was either bold or foolish.

“I’m a police officer. Please cooperate.” Mo Lan’s expression was grim. There seemed to be more and more criminals these days—people brazenly committing theft right under her nose.

In recent years, robberies and thefts had become ever more common, and Mo Lan had no respect for such people. No matter how poor or desperate one was, there was always honest work to be done. Why choose such a path?

Many might argue, “You come from money, so you don’t know what poverty is like!” But every cent earned through honest work is meaningful. No matter how dire things get, with effort, there’s always hope. Those who make excuses are just trying to justify their own wrongdoings.

The elegant ladies, seeing that a police officer was present, hurried over to reclaim their purses. The leading woman, probably in her thirties or forties and impeccably maintained, wore an aura of nobility tinged with irritation. After retrieving her purse, she smacked the thief on the head with it.

“How dare you steal from me! Are you blind?” Her tone was oddly playful, almost coquettish, even as she scolded him. The other ladies rushed over as well to retrieve their belongings.

Normally, they were quite refined, but with anger clouding their expressions, they looked almost unruly. Still, who could blame them? Having your favorite things stolen would make anyone furious.

The leading woman turned and smiled graciously at Mo Lan. “Thank you. If not for you, we would never have gotten our purses back so quickly.”

“Yes, thank you!” the others chimed in.

“It’s nothing.” Mo Lan took out her phone and called for backup. After all, she was technically on leave, and handling cases now was a bit out of bounds.

Within ten minutes, nearby officers arrived to take over. The man wore a look of defeat—he hadn’t managed to escape, and though it pained him, he had no choice but to submit to the law.

Qian Yin quickly gathered the scattered clothes into their bags—thankfully, none were soiled.

Su Bai stood to the side, watching the man, a trace of sympathy in her eyes. She imagined most thieves must be driven by desperation. But she had yet to witness the true darkness of the world or the selfishness in people’s hearts, so she pitied the weak.

That’s human nature; people often sympathize with the weak, failing to see the effort and struggle behind the strong.

“If you ladies have nothing else, we’ll be on our way. We still have some shopping to do,” Mo Lan said politely, preparing to leave.

“What an adorable girl! Is she your sister?” The leading lady’s gaze shifted to Su Bai, her eyes kind and sparkling with fondness.

“No, she’s the daughter of a victim. She’s an orphan now, so…” Mo Lan suddenly felt awkward. Was this lady thinking of adopting Su Bai?

“An orphan?” The elegant woman fell silent for a moment, then said suddenly, “May I adopt her? I’m the wife of the headmaster at North School. I promise I’ll treat her well. I can’t have children, so I’m especially fond of little girls.”

At these words, the other women fell silent, lowering their heads, each lost in thought.