Why didn't you scream

Offline stores are crucial for showcasing our brand image; they’re an indispensable part of the business, and they must be done right.

Lan Ruoxi was showing An Yi around the offline store in Yunzhou City.

An Yi glanced around the shop and nodded approvingly.

Whether it was the decor style or the location they’d chosen, everything was flawless.

Everything was great—except there were just too few people!

The large store felt empty, with barely a handful of customers wandering around.

The feeling was like a flat-chested girl forcing on an E-cup bra—completely hollow.

“I... I didn’t expect so few people today,” Lan Ruoxi said, lowering her head apologetically, like a child who’d done something wrong.

The Youthful Beauty Serum was a substitute for the Jade Beauty Serum.

In fact, it outperformed the Jade Beauty Serum in almost every aspect.

Ever since the rival Five Degrees Beauty Store opened across the street, the foot traffic at An Yi’s company had visibly dropped.

An Yi chuckled softly, reaching out to affectionately ruffle Lan Ruoxi’s hair. His voice softened as he said, “Don’t be discouraged. You’ve done a great job. Our company wouldn’t be this big without you—you deserve half the credit!”

Lan Ruoxi bit her lip, worry flickering in her eyes.

The company’s current predicament was her fault as the CEO.

An Yi stretched lazily and yawned, smiling as he said, “Looks like we’ve got some work ahead. Stock up more on Jade Beauty Serum—we need to keep up with inventory.”

“St-stock more?” Lan Ruoxi looked at him in disbelief, as if she’d misheard.

“Are you serious?”

An Yi grinned devilishly.

“Baby, do you know what kind of wine gets you drunk the fastest? It’s the forever and ever between you and me.”

A strange, bubbly, raspy voice echoed.

“Hm? That wasn’t An Yi speaking.”

Lan Ruoxi looked around curiously. “I... I think I just heard someone talking.”

“There’s no one here. You must have imagined it.”

An Yi smiled and, with a chuckle, pressed down on the head of Hongtian, who was playing with his phone nearby.

Lan Ruoxi instinctively took a step back, watching An Yi squeeze the big black dog.

She generally liked animals—but this dog was an exception.

The black dog was quite large, with only one eye, and looked pretty fierce.

On top of that, it gave off a weird, sleazy vibe.

“You probably just heard things. Maybe you’re too tired lately.”

Lan Ruoxi stuck out her tongue awkwardly. “I’ll go buy you some milk tea. The milk tea on this street is really good.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’m thirsty too,” An Yi said with a smile.

As Lan Ruoxi walked away, An Yi snatched the phone from Hongtian’s paw.

He flipped through the messages on his Tianxun account, frowning deeply, his voice edged with menace. “Are you seriously using my number to flirt with girls?”

“What flirting? I’m expanding your harem! Throughout history, the quantity and quality of women are the true measures of a man’s success! I’m helping you here, understand?”

Hongtian grabbed a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it with his paw.

Suddenly, a burst of flame incinerated the entire pack.

“Damn it! My cigarettes!”

Hongtian howled in frustration.

An Yi held the dog’s leash with one hand, staring coldly at him. “Outside, one—no barking, two—no smoking!”

“Pfft, you’re just a dog anyway!”

Hongtian shot An Yi a stubborn glare.

Then, obediently flopped back onto the cushion, looking quite annoyed. He flipped onto his belly and soon fell into a deep sleep.

An Yi held his phone, about to delete a contact.

But then, he caught a glimpse of a selfie the girl had sent him.

Forget it, he thought. I can’t delete it. Maybe this is a kind of fate.

There’s a predestined order in all things; don’t casually defy destiny!

“People from the An family’s company! Get out here!”

At that moment, a man’s voice rang out from the store entrance.

This was the busiest commercial street in Yunzhou.

Since it was the weekend, the street was bustling with pedestrians. Seeing the man’s aggressive stance, a crowd quickly gathered.

Curious, An Yi stepped out of the store.

The man spotted him, hurried over, grabbed his sleeve, and shouted angrily, “Hey, are you an employee of the An family’s company?”

“I’m not an employee!” An Yi answered seriously, with a straight face.

The man looked disappointed but then pulled out a megaphone.

“Everyone, help me judge this! Look at my wife’s face!”

His grief was palpable as he dragged a woman forward.

The woman wore a mask and a baseball cap, even using the cap’s brim to shield her face.

“Let everyone see her face, wife!” the man said angrily.

When she finally removed her hat and mask, the crowd went pale.

“What’s wrong with her face?”

“So ugly, it’s disgusting!”

“No way, I can’t drink this milk tea anymore.”

The onlookers all wore expressions of shock and pity.

Her face was pitch black—frankly, it was terrifying.

“Did you all see? My wife’s face is ruined like this because she used the An family company’s Jade Beauty Serum!”

The man shouted in a rage, trembling with fury.

“My wife is only thirty, just married two years, in the prime of her life. Now her face is destroyed like this. She’s always cared about her looks. How is she supposed to live from now on?”

The disfigured woman couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed quietly.

The crowd was horrified.

“No way, the Jade Beauty Serum is actually harmful?”

“Oh my God, if my face got ruined like that, I’d rather just die!”

“A few days ago they were pushing ads hard, selling the most expensive little gold bottle for a million! I really thought it was something good, but I never expected it to be such a scam!”

“My family even bought the little red bottle. I always thought it worked well. This is terrifying. I’m throwing it away as soon as I get home. I’ll never use anything from their company again.”

Public opinion turned sharply against the An family company. People looked at the store with disgust.

An Yi pinched his chin and stared at the woman’s blackened face, his eyes narrowing.

The Jade Beauty Serum could never cause such severe damage.

Judging by the scars on her face, it was more likely caused by the Youth Rejuvenation Serum from Wudu Cosmetics, which led to a buildup of toxins in her skin.

Someone’s stirring up trouble?!

A cold smile curled on An Yi’s lips.

So soon, huh?

“People from the An family company! Come out and give me an explanation! Otherwise, I’ll report you to the authorities and make sure you black-hearted merchants who feed on others’ misery all rot in jail!”

The man yelled hoarsely into the megaphone.

“Yes, unscrupulous merchants! Come out!”

Damn scoundrels! Crooked goods!

A few plants planted in the crowd joined in the shouting.

For a moment, the crowd seemed infected, all joining the cheer.

Come out!

Come out!

Come out!

The man smiled.

These clueless masses are so easy to stir up.

Without knowing the full story or the truth, they just wave their flags and shout.

Tsk tsk, indeed, there really is true sentiment among people!

Once this deal is done, he’ll never have to worry about food or clothing again.

Thinking about the hefty profits once everything’s settled, the man’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Then, he noticed An Yi standing there indifferent, so he poked his arm and snapped angrily, “Why aren’t you shouting?”

An Yi:

“Screw your shouting!”