Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

The moment the man lay down on the ground, the store erupted in chaos.

The customers in line gathered around, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

"What happened? Why is he lying on the ground?"

"I heard they were suffocated by the smell from the store and are demanding compensation."

"No way? The shop is spotless, there's no smell at all! I bet this guy is trying to scam me!"

Li Yan and several of her employees panicked. They had been trained on how to handle customer questions, but they hadn't been trained on how to deal with this kind of shameless person who lay down and threw a tantrum in public!

"Quick! Go and call Boss Luo!" Li Yan hurriedly sent a shop assistant to the back to find Luo Xinde.

Luo Xinde was directing the unloading in the backyard when he heard the news and rushed in. His blood pressure spiked the moment he saw the scene.

"What are you doing! Get up!" He pointed at the man on the ground, trembling with anger.

"Ouch! Someone's being hit! The boss's hitting someone!" The man on the ground yelled even louder when he saw the boss arrive. "Everyone come quick! This shady shop not only sells overpriced meat, but they're also ripping off customers! It's outrageous!"

His shout drew even more onlookers, completely blocking the shop entrance.

"Dad, don't argue with him!" Luo Xiyuan squeezed in at some point, grabbed the furious Luo Xinde, and pulled him aside.

She glanced at the man rolling on the ground, her eyes turning cold. She knew this must be someone Zhao Hu had sent. This tactic was too low-level, but too effective. On the very first day of the new store's opening, someone was blocking the door and causing trouble; if this wasn't handled properly, the store's reputation would be ruined instantly.

"Sister Li Yan, have you called the police?" Luo Xiyuan asked in a low voice.

"Call...call the police?" Li Yan hesitated for a moment. "Won't calling the police for something this small make things worse?"

"We're going to make a big scene." Luo Xiyuan's tone was calm. "He wants to cause trouble, right? We'll play along. Call 110 right now and tell them that someone in our store is causing trouble, disrupting public order, and is also suspected of extortion."

"Okay!" Seeing Luo Xiyuan so calm, Li Yan felt reassured and immediately took out her phone to call the police.

Luo Xiyuan walked over to the man rolling on the ground and squatted down.

"Sir," she spoke clearly, "didn't you say you had a stomachache? Perfect timing! I've already asked the staff to call 120 for you; the ambulance will be here soon. The doctor will give you a full check-up to see what's wrong. All examination and treatment fees will be covered by the store. What do you think?"

The man on the ground paused noticeably when he heard the word "ambulance." He was just there to cause trouble; he hadn't intended to go to the hospital!

"I...I don't need to go to the hospital! You have to pay me back!" he shouted, his neck stiff.

"That won't do." Luo Xiyuan shook her head, her face showing a "thinking of you" expression. "If something really happens to you and your treatment is delayed in our shop, we can't afford the responsibility. You have to go to the hospital! Besides, we've already called the police. When the officers arrive, they can witness it for us. Then, once the hospital's examination report comes out, it'll be clear who's responsible, right?"

"What? You called the police?" The man sat up abruptly, looking flustered.

He was just acting on Zhao Hu's orders to cause trouble and get a few hundred yuan as a reward. If he actually ends up in the police station and has a criminal record, that would be a huge problem.

"That's right." Luo Xiyuan said innocently, "If something happens to you in our store, we definitely have to call the police. That's the normal procedure. Don't worry, brother, we will cooperate with the police to investigate the matter thoroughly and give you justice."

The man looked at Luo Xiyuan's innocent face, but a chill ran down his spine. He felt as if he had fallen into a trap. This little girl, so young, how could she be so ruthless!

Just as he was hesitating whether to stay lying down or slip away quickly, the sirens of police cars and ambulances came from afar, growing louder as they approached.

"The police are here! The ambulance is here too!" The crowd stirred.

Upon hearing the voice, the man turned pale with fright. He sprang to his feet, dusted himself off, and tried to disappear into the crowd.

"Hey, brother, don't go!" Luo Xiyuan grabbed his arm. "The police and doctors are here, but you haven't been treated yet!"

"I...I'm fine! My stomach suddenly doesn't hurt anymore!" The man was sweating profusely and tried to shake off Luo Xiyuan's hand.

Although Luo Xiyuan's hands looked small, they were surprisingly strong, gripping him firmly like iron clamps.

"That won't do! We have to get it checked! What if it's intermittent? We have to be responsible for your health!" Luo Xiyuan said, while giving Luo Xinde and several shop assistants a wink.

Luo Xinde and his men immediately understood, and several of them rushed forward, surrounding the man and preventing him from escaping.

Soon, two police officers and two paramedics carrying stretchers squeezed in.

"Who called the police? What happened?" a policeman asked sternly.

"Officer, I'm the one who called the police." Luo Xiyuan pointed to the man who was about to cry. "This is the gentleman. He was in our shop just now, saying he had a stomachache and wanted us to pay him compensation. We offered to take him to the hospital, but he refused. We were afraid of delaying his treatment, so we had no choice but to call the police for help."

The police officer glanced at the man, then at the surroundings, and roughly understood what was going on. They were used to seeing this kind of street thug extorting money from shops all the time.

"What's your name? Show me your ID!" the policeman shouted at the man.

The man was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he stammered for a long time, unable to speak.

"Doctor, thank you for your help. Please examine him first," Luo Xiyuan said to the emergency room doctor.

Without saying a word, the two doctors stepped forward and pressed the man onto the stretcher.

"I'm not going to the hospital! I'm not sick! Let me go!" The man struggled desperately, but he was no match for two professional doctors.

"Whether you're sick or not, we'll find out at the hospital. Come with us!" After saying this to him, the policeman turned to Luo Xiyuan and said, "Your boss, send someone with you to the station to give a statement."

"Dad, why don't you go with the police officers?" Luo Xiyuan said to Luo Xinde.

And so, right before everyone's eyes, the man who had come to cause trouble was taken away by an ambulance with sirens blaring.

A crisis that was about to ruin the brand was easily resolved by Luo Xiyuan with a "making a mountain out of a molehill" approach.

The customers in the store saw the whole process clearly, and their positive feelings towards the store immediately increased several notches.

"The owner of this shop has guts! This is the way to deal with this kind of scoundrel!"

"Yes, not only is the meat good, but the people are good too, and they know how to protect themselves using the law. From now on, I'll only buy meat from them!"

As soon as the farce ended, the store's business became even more booming than before.

Meanwhile, in the farmers' market across the street, Zhao Hu listened to his underlings' embellished account of the whole incident, and in his anger, he slammed the cleaver in his hand heavily into the chopping board.

"Damn it! Where did this little devil come from! This is really weird!" he cursed through gritted teeth. He knew that this time, he had met his match.