The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

The three men lowered their heads and whispered, "Serves them right."

"Are those discrepancies in the store's accounts related to you?"

The three men shook their heads vehemently: "No, no, it was all Zhou Min from Zhou Dian who did it all. We really didn't know anything about it!"

Boss Zhang stared at them for a few seconds, then looked at Zhou Min, who remained silent.

He nodded: "Okay, I'll trust you this time, but you're responsible for what happened today. After you've paid your wages, deduct your share of the compensation, and take the rest. Don't come back again."

The girl with the ponytail looked up as if to say something, but was tugged by the person next to her.

Boss Zhang flipped through a few pages of the ledger, calculated the figures,

He took a few banknotes out of the money box and pushed them over.

"Here's your salary for this month: forty-two yuan. After deducting today's losses, you'll have to pay the shop six yuan. Here's thirty-six yuan. Take it."

The short-haired waiter took the money, counted it, his lips moved, but in the end he didn't say anything and put it in his pocket.

The other two also stepped forward, one adding five yuan and the other adding seven yuan.

The three men stood to the side, holding the money, and glanced at each other, but none of them moved.

Boss Zhang looked at Zhou Min.

Zhou Min lowered her head, her fingers twisting together.

"Zhou Min".

Boss Zhang called out.

Zhou Min slowly stood up and walked to the counter.

Boss Zhang took out a piece of paper and pushed it over: "Take a look for yourself."

Zhou Min looked down and saw an IOU.

The note read: "Because I took clothes from the store to exchange for favors, I now owe Hua Ning Textile Clothing Store one thousand yuan in payment."

The debt must be repaid within three days. If it is not repaid by the due date, the debtor has the right to seek redress from their parents, their workplace, and the local police station.

Below is the date, with a space left for a signature and fingerprint.

Zhou Min's hands began to tremble.

Is this putting her on the hot seat of the fire?

A thousand? Where did she steal so much money?

"Uncle Zhang... it's me."

"Call him the boss."

Boss Zhang interrupted her.

Zhou Min bit her lip and changed her words:

"Boss Zhang... this... this is too much, I really can't afford it."

"many?"

Boss Zhang pushed the account book in front of her.

"Ten pieces of clothing, see for yourself how much they cost. I'm charging you based on the cost price, not the selling price. It's a thousand yuan, which is already considering my long-standing friendship with your dad."

Zhou Min's tears fell.

"I...I can't come up with that much right now..."

Boss Zhang looked at her, his tone unyielding: "If you can't come up with the money, figure it out yourself. You have to write this IOU and put your fingerprint on it, otherwise, we'll go through with this legal process right now."

He took a pen out of his pocket, unscrewed it, and handed it over.

"It's your decision."

Zhou Min took the pen, her hand trembling so badly that she couldn't put it down for a long time.

Boss Zhang said, "Remember, if you still can't pay in three days, I'll go to your dad's workplace and talk to him in person."

"And by the way, ask him how he raises his daughter."

Zhou Min's hand paused.

She looked up at Boss Zhang, her eyes filled with terror.

"Uncle Zhang, please... My dad isn't in good health, he can't take this."

"Then pay back the money on time."

Zhou Min gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and signed the IOU.

After signing, Boss Zhang pushed the inkpad over.

She pressed her handprint, and the red fingerprint landed next to her name.

Boss Zhang put away the IOU, counted out her wages from the money box, and pushed it over.

"Your salary is sixty-eight. After deducting eighty for today, you still owe the store thirty-two."

"This salary will not be paid; it will be used to offset the debt. Adding this one thousand, the total is one thousand and thirty-two."

Zhou Min stared blankly at the few bills that had been taken away before she even got a chance to hold them.

His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Boss Zhang looked at Fu Hua with a questioning gaze.

Fu Hua stood to the side, remaining silent.

She looked at Zhou Min, her gaze calm, her face expressionless.

Mr. Zhang insisted, asking her with his eyes: Is this a good way to handle it?

Fu Hua nodded.

Since you're willing to pay back the money, let's just let it go.

But this person definitely cannot be allowed to stay.

Boss Zhang looked away and said to Zhou Min, "Alright, you can go now."

Zhou Min stood still, glanced at him, then at Fu Hua, and finally turned and walked towards the door.

She stopped at the door and turned back.

"Uncle Zhang... about my dad..."

"If you pay me back on time, I won't go."

Zhou Min nodded, opened the door, and went out.

The three waiters looked at each other, lowered their heads, and slunk away as they followed the others out.

The door closed behind them, and the shop fell completely silent.

Zhang Wen walked over, locked the door again, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Oh My God,"

She couldn't help but sigh, "Huahua, if it weren't for your sharp eyes and keen observation today, Dad and I wouldn't have known there was such a scoundrel in the store. He's practically a traitor."

Boss Zhang leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples, and looked at Fu Hua.

"Huahua, today's incident was due to my poor judgment in choosing the right people. Zhou Min's father was my old colleague, and I... I trusted him too much."

He sighed, "I'm sorry you had to see this."

Fu Hua shook her head: "It's okay. There's a first time for everything. This is your first time doing business too. It's inevitable. You'll understand in the future."

Mr. Zhang gave a wry smile: "That's true, but this shop..."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the darkening street outside.

"I have to go to the factory tomorrow to discuss some business, and I have to leave early in the morning. There's no one left in the shop right now, this..."

Fu Hua offered, "I can help."

Boss Zhang turned around.

Zhang Wen glanced at him and said, "Huahua, aren't you going to the research station? Besides, you've finally had some free time lately."

"The research station is finishing up these days; there are other people there, so it's not busy."

Fu Hua smiled and said, "I'll come to the store during the day to keep an eye on things, no problem."

Boss Zhang looked at her with a grateful expression.

"Huahua, this... has been too much for you."

"Uncle Zhang, please don't say that. I'm a shareholder too."

Fu Hua smiled gently, "I should do my part in helping out at the shop."

Boss Zhang nodded and didn't say anything more polite.

The streetlights outside the window came on, illuminating the "Temporarily Closed" sign at the shop entrance clearly.

As Zhou Min left the shop, her pace quickened.

The other three waiters followed behind, none of them saying a word.

As they reached the street corner, Zhou Min suddenly stopped, turned around, and blocked their way.

"Are we just going to let this go like this?"

The short-haired woman paused for a moment: "Sister Min, what else can we do? We've already lost all the money, and we've lost our jobs... I don't even know how to tell my family."

"pay?"

Zhou Min sneered, "I lost over a thousand! How much did you guys only have? What makes her, a mere young girl, think she can compete?"

The girl with the ponytail sighed, "Sister Min, let's just admit defeat. That Fu Hua is pretty and quick-witted; she's definitely not someone to mess with."

Zhou Min stared at her, her eyes darkening.

He lowered his voice: "Who said we were going to mess with her?"

The three of them looked at each other.

Zhou Min glanced around; there were quite a few people on this street at this hour.

She pulled the three of them into a nearby alley.

To get straight to the point: "Do you want to vent your anger?"

The woman with short hair hesitated, "Sister Min, do you have any ideas?"

Zhou Min's eyes lit up, and she waved, signaling them to come closer.

The four of them huddled together, and she whispered something in a very low voice.

The three men's expressions changed after hearing this.

The woman who hadn't spoken until now was the first to speak.

Her voice trembled slightly: "Sister Min, this...this is illegal, isn't it?"