Mr. Zhu, the manager, greeted them with broken English, and David immediately walked up to Xu Bin and bumped fists with him. Xu Bin's fluent English left both Mr. Zhu and Yang Siying stunned.
After a brief exchange, David didn't bother asking other employees and went straight to review the store's surveillance footage.
Mr. Zhu was sweating bullets. He had just been promoted to this managerial position, and it was David who had pushed for his promotion.
David was a mid-to-high-level manager for the Asia-Pacific region and had almost absolute authority over the regional flagship stores. He could even write a report to get a store manager fired.
Mr. Zhu was just a sales manager, newly promoted and still finding his footing. He never expected that Xu Bin would call his boss over with a single phone call.
It was a coincidence that the person they met at the BBQ restaurant that night was David. Xu Bin had saved his contact information, a habit that paid off this time.
"FUCK..."
After reviewing the footage, David returned and chewed out Mr. Zhu.
Mr. Zhu's face turned pale, looking like he had seen a ghost. He probably hadn't been this obedient even in front of his own father.
"What did that foreigner say?" Yang Siying asked, her voice trembling.
She was just a temporary worker and had only seen this foreigner a few times. She knew that his presence made the entire store tense up.
Xu Bin chuckled, "David confirmed that you are indeed an employee here."
"But there are strict labor regulations. According to the rules, every employee must have a labor contract. Even distributing flyers needs to be outsourced to a qualified company."
"This trick by Mr. Zhu is both disgusting and clumsy. If this gets exposed, it will badly affect the brand. That's why David is chewing him out and stating that the company has no budget for temporary or summer workers."
"David told him to handle this himself, and if he can't, to pack his things and leave."
Yang Siying was taken aback, then bit her lip and looked up at Xu Bin with admiration. "Big brother, your English is so good, better than our English teacher. Are you a translator?"
"I'm just a unemployed bum!" Xu Bin replied with a self-deprecating smile, patting her shoulder and gesturing with his chin. "He's coming to apologize. Don't hold back, get your anger out now. If it weren't for me, you would have been taken advantage of."
Yang Siying blushed, but her eyes flashed with anger.
Mr. Zhu walked over, his face dark as he grudgingly said, "Yang Siying, your wages are 1,723 yuan. I'll give you 1,750 to settle this. Take it."
He took out his phone and transferred the money. Xu Bin sneered, "So, 27 yuan is enough to make you go away?"
Mr. Zhu lowered his voice, "Sir, we have no grudges against each other. Don't be so relentless."
"You called David over for just 27 yuan?" Xu Bin retorted.
"I won't bother with someone making a quick buck, but I can't stand someone making a dishonest one. If I weren't here, would you have kept all her summer job wages? Now you think a few words will make everything better? You don't have that much face."
Mentioning David again, Mr. Zhu's expression fell. He clenched his teeth and bowed to Yang Siying, "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I was greedy and played a stupid trick."
"As compensation, I'll transfer 4,000 yuan to you. Consider the rest a token of my apology. Please, don't hold this against me."
This apology was decent, and Xu Bin thought it was enough. No need to push further.
But Yang Siying, who always seemed so shy and obedient, suddenly hardened her expression. She raised her hand and slapped Mr. Zhu across the face.
The sound was clear, but not too forceful. Mr. Zhu's eyes widened in disbelief as he touched his face, anger flashing in his eyes.
Xu Bin quickly stepped in front of Yang Siying, surprised by her ferocity. She didn't seem as fragile as she looked.
"Yang Siying, you've gone too far," Mr. Zhu said, his eyes reddening with anger.
Everyone was watching, and he had just been slapped in front of his employees. It was humiliating.
Xu Bin frowned, thinking she had gone too far as well, but Yang Siying peeked out from behind him and spat, "How was that too far? It wasn't too far when you slapped my ass, was it? We're not even familiar with each other."
"You think I don't know you were trying to take advantage of me? That's why you deducted my wages."
Mr. Zhu's face darkened even more. Xu Bin thought that was a valid point. Harassing a summer worker for a few extra bucks was despicable.
"So, are we even now?" Mr. Zhu asked, rubbing his face and not pressing the issue further, his eyes flickering nervously towards David.
"We're even," Yang Siying replied, not wanting to push further either.
"Go change and leave," Mr. Zhu said, relieved that she wasn't pursuing the matter further. If she didn't, David would act as if nothing had happened. A few thousand yuan and a slap were a small price to pay.
He thought to himself that college girls were easy to satisfy. Any experienced woman would have squeezed him for more in this situation.
"Big brother, wait for me," Yang Siying said, acting familiar as she quickly changed and came out, her eyes welling up with tears. She had clearly taken Xu Bin as her savior.
David finally approached them, and Mr. Zhu quickly explained that the issue was resolved and that he would be more careful in the future.
"Xu, I'm leaving in a couple of days. Really not going to have a drink with me?" David said, looking annoyed. "I'm sick of that idiot translator I found. I wanted to experience local cuisine and culture, but that idiot took us to a steakhouse, saying we might not be used to the food. And at the bar, he ordered VXOP. FUCK..."
Xu Bin laughed, "Alright, but let me buy something first."
"Mr. Zhu, I need three of the latest iPads, the best configuration, and two of the highest-end models!"
Mr. Zhu was taken aback but quickly agreed and went to get the items. Yang Siying changed back into her own clothes, a fitted jeans and a blue top, her hair in a ponytail, looking fresh and cute. She was a good-looking girl with a great figure, no wonder Mr. Zhu had harassed her. She wasn't stunning at first glance, but the more you looked, the more you appreciated her features.
Xu Bin had already paid and was holding the shopping bag. He turned to David, "I have something to take care of. I'll see you at dinner."
"Okay, I'll wait for your call!" David mimed making a phone call.