Chapter 128: Chapter 126: Some People Have Hard Lives But Are Unworthy of Sympathy

As Bai Cuicui was being led away, she venomously cursed at Wen Ying.

Bai Cuicui and her mother became the laughingstock of the neighborhood, the subject of everyone’s idle gossip.

When Zhang Wenliang learned that Sister Wen Ying wanted to buy some clothes, he thought about the local shops and immediately dismissed the idea. "Sister Wen Ying, let’s go into the city. I don’t think the clothes here are quite right for you."

"The last bus is at six, which doesn’t leave us much time. I’ll drive you into the city."

Zhang Wenliang went home and got his family’s car. As Wen Ying settled into the passenger seat, she found herself thinking, ’I really didn’t expect this kid to already have his driver’s license while he’s still in school.’

The drive into the city took forty minutes.

Zhang Wenliang was fairly familiar with the area. He had, after all, gone to high school in the city and spent his time after school and during holidays hanging out here.

"A new mall opened here this year. I’ve heard everything inside is really fashionable, and it’s always packed."

They parked outside Wanxi Mall, and Wen Ying and Zhang Wenliang got out.

It wasn’t clear what kind of event the mall was hosting, but it was crowded.

The mall had four floors. The first three were for clothes, toys, other products, and entertainment; the fourth was for restaurants. The first basement level had a supermarket and a food court, and the second basement level was the parking garage.

As Wen Ying and Zhang Wenliang entered, they drew quite a few stares.

They were, after all, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

Up ahead was an indoor rock-climbing wall, clearly a temporary setup for an event, but there were kids climbing on it.

It cost fifty yuan a try.

But the rock climbing alone couldn’t account for the huge crowd gathered below.

Zhang Wenliang went over to check it out and discovered they were also holding a prize drawing. Anyone who paid to rock climb got one chance to draw.

And the prizes were fantastic!

The first prize was an electric scooter worth over two thousand yuan.

The second prize was five hundred yuan in cash.

The third prize was a case of twenty bottles of laundry detergent.

There were also small gifts you could get just for adding a WeChat account.

Most people were just curious onlookers, but once they saw things being given away for free, they swarmed the area, creating a real spectacle.

A lot of people started scanning the QR code, some even handed their phones directly to the staff to do it for them.

There were five or six different small gifts to choose from, and people could pick one after the scan was complete.

Wen Ying watched from the side. ’Good heavens,’ she thought, ’is personal information this worthless nowadays?’

The most expensive of those little gifts couldn’t have cost more than four or five yuan, but when the staff took people’s phones, they scanned one QR code after another, adding nearly ten different accounts!

They even sent out some mass messages, but by the time you got your phone back, you couldn’t see what had been sent.

Only the recipients could see them.

Zhang Wenliang’s brow furrowed as he watched the scene unfold.

But it was a consensual exchange, so there was nothing they could say. It seemed everyone was susceptible to the lure of a small freebie.

It seemed to be human nature for the most part.

Just as Wen Ying was about to turn and leave, she saw a balding man, probably in his forties.

He reached out and groped the rear end of a girl in a short skirt who was standing in front of him picking out a gift.

He glanced around nervously, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he pressed right up against her and gave her a squeeze.

"AHHH! What are you doing?!"

Suddenly, the man felt his feet leave the ground!

Hearing the scream, everyone nearby turned to look. When they saw a stunningly beautiful woman holding the man up by his collar, their gossipy eyes widened, and their gossipy fingers started working their phones.

"Put me down!" The man was dying of humiliation.

"Now you feel ashamed? Why weren’t you ashamed when you were putting your ugly, disgusting, pervy hands on someone? Did you think no one would dare to do anything about it? Or did you just assume the girl would suffer in silence?"

Zhang Wenliang stood to the side. "Sister Wen Ying, nice one!"

He hadn’t seen what happened, but if Sister Wen Ying said it, it had to be true!

He’d originally wanted to help Sister Wen Ying, but now he felt it was best to just be a quiet accessory.

"Groped you? You have any proof? You might be good-looking, but with a temper like that, I wouldn’t touch you even if you were offered to me on a platter! If you don’t put me down right now, I’m going to call the police and have you arrested!"

The man bellowed.

"The police?" Wen Ying’s eyes darted. "Why didn’t I think of that? We absolutely should call the police!"

"Don’t be afraid, miss! You have to stand up to scum like him! We all support you!"

The onlookers started to voice their support for Wen Ying, some even hurling insults at the balding middle-aged man.

"Y-y-you, what do you think you’re doing, grabbing my husband! Let him go, right now!" A woman came running from a short distance away, yelling anxiously at Wen Ying. She even reached out to try and grab Wen Ying’s hand.

"Wife, help me!"

Zhang Wenliang stepped directly in front of the woman. "Your husband was groping another girl, and you want to cover for him?!"

"That’s bullshit! My husband would never do something like that!" The woman was dressed in loose, worn-looking casual clothes, her hair unkempt.

Her eyes, full of wariness, were fixed on Zhang Wenliang.

"If you people don’t let my husband go, I’ll call the police on you! With so many people watching, why aren’t you helping him? My husband is a good man!" the woman screamed, on the verge of a breakdown.

Wen Ying looked at her, wanting to feel sympathy but finding she couldn’t.

"I have proof. He groped another girl, not me."

"Then why are you sticking your nose in other people’s business!" the woman shrieked, looking completely distraught.

"Just because you’re afraid of your husband, you’re willing to let him break the law out in public? Think about it. How many times have you been beaten? And you’re still pleading for him? That broken arm of yours just healed, didn’t it? When a woman gets to your state, I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you, pity you, or just look on coldly. You could easily report him. Why do you put up with it?"

Hearing Wen Ying’s words, the onlookers were all stunned.

This was domestic violence!

This woman was a long-term victim of domestic abuse from this man, yet she was begging people to spare him?

"What do you know! Where would I go if I left him? What about my kids?" the woman shrieked hysterically. "Just let him go! I can apologize! I’m begging you, please let him go!"

Wen Ying watched the scene with cold eyes. ’Let him go?’

’In your dreams!’

"My god, this man is not only a pervert but also an abuser! Someone has to call the police!"

Suddenly, a small voice piped up. "Excuse me... was it me he just groped?" The girl who spoke had a quiet voice and looked frightened by the scene, but she still bravely stepped forward.

"You useless woman! Get me out of this!" the man roared, glaring furiously at his wife.

Spurred on by his glare, the woman charged directly at Wen Ying with her hands outstretched, but she was stopped by the crowd.

This time, it wasn’t Zhang Wenliang who stopped her, but other people in the crowd.

"You have hands and feet. How could you not survive without him? Just how much money does he make a month that you’re willing to be beaten, to have your arm broken, and still wait on him hand and foot?"