Eighteen

The street was bustling with people, busy dealing with their own deeds. The cozy and warm, late afternoon sunlight illuminated a bustling area lined with shops, malls, and towering industrial buildings. Inside one of the malls, Jiang stood in the women's clothing section, sifting through racks. It was his mother's birthday the next day, and he was determined to choose a gift for her himself. But after searching for a while he sighed as nothing seemed to fit.

"Why are these all so tiny? Winter's almost here. Shouldn't they have their winter collection out by now?" he muttered, frowning as he continued his search.

"Can I help you, sir?" A young, cheerful salesgirl approached him with a polite smile.

"No, thanks! I'll browse on my own." Jiang replied curtly, his irritated tone causing the girl to retreat awkwardly.

After another fruitless attempt, he sighed. "Forget it. I'll come back later." Just as he was about to leave, the same salesgirl returned, clearly determined not to let him go empty-handed.

"Would you mind coming and taking a look at our leather bag collection? I guess you're looking for something special for your special person, right?" she suggested with a bright smile, acting as if she had no ulterior motives behind it.

"Oh, sure. Where are they?" Reluctantly, Jiang decided to give it a quick look and then go back.

"Follow me, please." She led him to the bag section, her business smile firmly in place.

She picked up a pink bag decorated with cartoon designs.

"Take a look. What do you think about it?"

Jiang raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have anything simpler? For an old lady?" He asked, scanning the place filled with ladies handbags.

"Yes, we have! How about it? Its color is perfect for a lady as old as your mother. And for the quality…." Before she continued, Jiang took the bag, checking it upside down. He nodded slowly as he liked it.

"You have good eyes! This is our new collection. It's made of pure and premium quality leather. And as for the durability, it'll last longer than any other bags no matter how rough you use it." She kept promoting the bag as all she had to do was satisfy the customer and sell it.

Jiang inspected the bag closely again as he noted the quality.

"Hmm…should I just get it now? What if mom won't like it? No, she likes brown color and the design is also simple yet classy..." He deliberated while the salesgirl watched him expectantly.

"Alright, I'll take it," he finally said, much to her relief.

"Great! Would you like to see something else? Like jewelry or shoe items?" She asked professionally, even though she was screaming internally as it was her first sale in the whole week.

"No, thanks." Jiang offered a brief smile before heading to the cashier.

When he stood before the cash counter, the cashier declared the total amount he had to pay. Jiang took out his debit card and handed it to the cashier.

Moments later, the cashier frowned. "Sir, it seems your bank rejected the transaction."

"What?" Jiang's eyes narrowed.

"Why don't you try by putting the pincode?" He took out a different machine and put it in front of him. Jiang keyed in his code, but the machine beeped. "Incorrect PIN."

"What the—" Jiang gritted his teeth as he was sure he entered the correct code.

"One more try, and the card might get blocked. Would you like to pay in cash instead?" the cashier suggested cautiously.

"No, I'll use KKOpay." Jiang forced a smile, annoyed at the hassle. "Have to go to the bank and see what's wrong with this one!" He looked at the card while putting it in his purse. After completing the payment digitally, he left the mall. He looked at his phone to check the time whether he could go to the bank or should just go back to his office although the daytime was almost over.

"I'd better deal with this now before I forget," he muttered, heading to the bank's location.

The building of the bank was high, and the bank consisted of only the first three floors. As Jiang stood on the opposite side of the road, he waited for a perfect time to cross the road.

______________________________

Ma Ri and her friend, Kim Bora stood in a line, inside a coffee shop to place their order. They just came back from martial art training. The class was still ongoing, but Bora wasn't feeling well, and Ma Ri also left the class to accompany her.

"A tangy lemonade and a boba milk tea, anything else?" The guy taking orders, repeated to confirm.

"No, that's all." Ma Ri replied smilingly.

"Please have a seat; your order will be ready in ten minutes," the barista said, throwing a warm smile at the ladies.

Ma Ri guided Bora to a table. "Are you feeling okay now?"

"Um. It's just cramps, so I think it'll be fine." Bora forced a smile, but Ma Ri understood as her face looked pale right then.

"You should've gone home. Why did you come for practice instead?" Ma Ri nearly scolded, her concern evident.

"Maybe. But, I'd have been bored at home. Besides, I'm getting free boba tea, hehe." Bora grinned, which made Ma Ri whipped and pinch her cheeks as she couldn't resist her cuteness.

"Ah, right! Should I go and tell them not to put ice on your tea? You shouldn't drink icy cold things now!" Ma Ri stood up, gasping as she forgot to order it without ice.

"No! It won't be tasty without ice! It'll be okay. I'll drink slowly." She urged, pulling her hands to make her sit back.

"Don't blame me later." Ma Ri sat down obediently.

When their drinks were ready, they stepped outside, chatting and sipping as they strolled back to their training hall.

"Should we wait for Ms. Jihan?" Bora asked as she halted in front of the gigantic building.

"No, she said she'll be late today." Ma Ri replied. Right at that moment, a man darted past, snatching Bora's bag.

"Hey! My purse!" Bora shouted, frozen in shock.

"Hold this!" Ma Ri handed her drink to Bora and took off after the thief. "Stop him! He's a thief!" she yelled, her voice ringing through the street.

Soon, hearing her loud voice, some people around the place gathered and chased after the guy to help her.

______________________________

Jiang stood across the road from the bank, waiting for a gap in traffic. When he got the chance, he prepared to cross the road. At that moment, the thief, fleeing Ma Ri, barreled straight into him. Both men hit the ground.

"What the f*ck—" Jiang started, but the shouting crowd quickly clued him in.

"That's the thief! Catch him!" someone yelled.

The thief scrambled to his feet, only to find himself blocked by onlookers. As Ma Ri arrived, she grabbed Bora's bag from his grasp.

"This is supposed to be my friend's." Ma Ri came to the guy, she sneered, glaring at him.

After standing up, Jiang spotted Ma Ri in the crowd. He made his way into the crowd, to see what was going on. As he got the chance to see, he was astounded by the sight in front of his eyes.

"If I tell these people to beat you up, you know, you won't be alive anymore, you know that, right?" She said, her voice was firm.

The thief swung a punch, sensing he'd get into big trouble if he couldn't escape right then. But Ma Ri dodged effortlessly, retaliating with a swift blow to his face. "THIS IS FOR LOOKING DOWN ON A LADY!" As soon as she threw the punch, blood gushed from his nose as he crumpled to the ground.

Jiang, watching from the crowd, winced. "Ouch," he mumbled, imagining the pain of that punch. He gulped, thinking how strong this girl was that her single punch made a man unconscious.

"Uh... I didn't mean to hit him that hard," Ma Ri said sheepishly, noticing the stunned expressions around her.

"We'll hand him to the police, you should take your leave." They held the guy up, ready to send him to the hospital before handing him to the police. As Ma Ri turned to leave, she spotted Jiang trying to slip away unnoticed.

"Oh! Hey! Mr. Jiang!" She waved, grinning, but to him, it was more like a smile of a devil. He regretted waiting and witnessing the scenery. He turned back, throwing his fake business smile, "Han Ma Ri! What a coincidence, Haha!" He was scared by the sight just now. What if she's still angry at him and throws a punch just like that? His mind raced with excuses to escape before it's too late.

"What did you do this time?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"Huh?" Jiang blinked, trying to hide his rising panic as he kept his safety distance from the young lady.