After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Lan Qingqing's words instantly angered the other party.

The little girl rushed forward, raised her hand, and was about to slap Lan Qingqing.

Lan Qingqing stared intently at the other person's palm, her gaze burning with desire, looking eager to try her hand at it.

Lan Yujuan, who was standing nearby, was startled and quickly stepped forward to pull Lan Qingqing aside.

"Don't lay a hand on me!"

Lan Yujuan wasn't worried that Lan Qingqing would suffer in a fight.

What she was most worried about was that Lan Qingqing would physically injure the other party and then be blackmailed by them.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the other people at the coffee shop on the opposite hilltop also reacted in time.

"Zhang Dan, don't be impulsive!"

Lan Yujuan originally thought that at least a few people on the other side would be able to see things clearly in a critical moment.

But unexpectedly, the other party then lowered their voice and said:

"This is a shopping mall, there are security cameras everywhere, it wouldn't be good to get caught on camera..."

Upon hearing this, everyone around was speechless.

Zhang Dan endured it all, then finally glared at Lan Qingqing and said, her voice filled with resentment:

"Hmph, don't be so arrogant. Let's see how long you can keep up this cocky!"

As she spoke, Zhang Dan's eyes flickered slightly, as if she had made a connection to something.

Then, in front of everyone else, he slowly walked up to Lan Qingqing and, in a low voice that only the people in the two cafes could hear, provocatively said:

"Don't worry, our Mountain Top Coffee will definitely make it to the finals."

"Because the general manager of this shopping mall is my uncle!"

"Do you really think you can just randomly participate in a competition and snag a bargain?"

"My uncle and his family had already decided on the top three spots."

"Our Mountain Top Coffee team is not only guaranteed to make it to the finals, but we're also committed to finishing in the top three! After all, we're opening a new store in a shopping mall later this year!"

Zhang Dan's words caused the expressions of everyone around her to change.

Some people felt indignant, but there was nothing they could do about it, since having powerful connections and influence was also a part of her strength.

Zhang Dan raised her hand and gently patted Lan Qingqing's arm, smiling smugly.

"Your name is Lan Qingqing, right?"

"Enjoy your happiness while you can. I'm afraid you won't be able to smile anymore when the finals start tomorrow."

Unexpectedly, Lan Qingqing was not intimidated by the pressure at all. She immediately raised her hand and swatted Zhang Dan's arm away, then disdainfully patted the dust off her sleeve.

"Don't even mention the general manager of this mall; he's just your uncle. Even if he were your husband, so what?"

Have you ever heard the phrase, "too bad to be true"?

"The audience has discerning eyes. Whether there's any behind-the-scenes manipulation in the competition, or who has the real talent on stage, there are always professionals who can tell."

"You don't actually think that all 300,000+ people watching the live stream are blind, just watching for the spectacle, and know absolutely nothing about coffee, do you?"

Zhang Dan was truly enraged at this point, and she rolled up her sleeves and rushed forward to shove him.

Who are you calling a piece of trash?

"I'll teach you to talk nonsense! I'll tear your mouth apart!"

The minor conflict on the side of the stage instantly attracted the attention of others in the audience, and some even started secretly taking out their phones to record it.

The two were locked in a fierce struggle, making a huge fuss.

Taking advantage of the fact that her opponent was weaker and less experienced in fighting, Lan Qingqing targeted the areas covered by clothing, pinching and punching them until they were in excruciating pain.

"What are you doing!" Suddenly, a shouting male voice rang out from the side.

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit was walking towards them with two other people, and then stopped next to them.

"Zhang Dan, what's wrong with you?" the middle-aged man asked, frowning.

Upon hearing the familiar male voice, Zhang Dan instantly burst into tears, and stepped forward, sobbing pitifully:

"Uncle, she hit me!"

Lan Qingqing, unfazed, immediately retorted, "She attacked first!"

At this moment, Zhang Dan, apart from looking pitifully wronged, had her hair perfectly in place.

In contrast, Lan Qingqing's hair was disheveled, and her face was even bruised from being scratched by fingernails.

On the surface, it's clear that Lan Qingqing is at a greater disadvantage.

It turned out that the man in the suit was the mall's general manager who had brought people to watch the game. He looked very displeased when he saw Zhang Dan causing trouble.

Hearing the people around him explaining the whole process clearly, he frowned even more.

"Stop crying, wipe your tears quickly," the man said, barely suppressing his anger.

"Instead of wasting time on this nonsense, you should use it on more important matters!"

"Now that your mountaintop coffee competition is over, you should go back and rest!"

"There's the final tomorrow, so I need to be well-rested."

Although the man's expression was unpleasant and his tone was harsh, the information he provided reassured Hilltop Coffee:

Don't worry, the mountaintop coffee will definitely make it to the finals, everything is going according to plan.

Zhang Dan, who had been looking aggrieved, burst into laughter the moment she received this affirmative answer.

Then, while packing his things, he didn't forget to make faces at Lan Qingqing, looking extremely smug!

Lan Qingqing nestled next to Lan Yujuan and hummed softly:

"It's just a spot in the finals, what's there to be so smug about!"

"We made it to the finals too, and we got there through our own hard work!"

But Lan Qingqing never expected that the moment the people from the mountaintop coffee shop left, the mall's general manager turned around and coldly said to them:

"Your 'Hidden Hill Cafe' café doesn't need to come to tomorrow's finals. Just withdraw from the competition!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all three became serious.

"Why? This isn't fair!"

"Why should we? We can't withdraw from the competition!"

"We made it to the finals on our own merit. You're forcing us to withdraw; you should at least give us a reason!"

The three of them spoke almost in unison, expressing their indignation at the unfair treatment they had received during the competition.

The middle-aged man clasped his hands in front of him and sneered:

"No reason."

"I'm the general manager of the mall, and I decide the rules of the competition!"

"You disobey the organizers' instructions, disrupt the competition without cause, and cause trouble. What's the point of keeping you around?"

Qi Lei wanted to argue his point, and said with a flushed face:

"Such a large shopping mall should at least operate reasonably, right?"

"Those who truly stir up trouble and cause chaos can directly qualify for the finals. But those of us who were passively drawn in were forced to withdraw from the competition."

"If that's the case, where's the fairness in this competition? Let's just skip the competition and give out the awards directly!"

Lan Qingqing's face was also pale, and she said angrily:

"Yeah, they clearly started it first, so why are we the only ones being punished?"

"Either Mountain Top Coffee withdraws like us, or we don't withdraw!"

The middle-aged man sneered, "Haha, what a huge joke!"

"Your ideas are so naive!"

"This is my territory. Who enters and who leaves is entirely up to me!"

At that moment, Lan Yujuan felt a chill in her heart and instantly gave up on the competition.

She gently tugged at Lan Qingqing and Qi Lei, and calmly said:

"It's better not to participate in a competition like this."

"Let's pack our things and go home!"

Chen Mo stood by her side the whole time, witnessing the entire process clearly.

As Chen Mo was leaving, he made a phone call and "casually" glanced at the general manager, who immediately became alert.

The mall's general manager watched from afar as the four figures carrying goods walked out, then turned around and asked the person next to him in confusion:

"Did you guys think that the man who glanced at me just now looked somewhat familiar?"

The two people accompanying him both shook their heads at the same time.

"I don't think I've seen it before."

"I don't know him."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man felt a little relieved.

He then sighed, turned around helplessly, and explained:

"The third place winner in the finals will also be staying at the Mountain Top Coffee."

"By the way, Zhang Dan is thinking of getting a new phone recently."

"Let's add a lucky draw tomorrow. You guys arrange it, let Zhang Dan win a phone, just to have some fun!"

The person next to him smiled and nodded, "Yes, I understand!"

The middle-aged man looked at the stage not far away, put his hands on his hips, then raised his hand to touch his head, and smiled smugly:

"If we can organize this competition well, my year-end bonus is guaranteed!"

"Who would have thought? A small coffee competition could attract such a huge amount of attention. It's like a windfall!"

However, the middle-aged man's joy was short-lived, as trouble soon came knocking!

The person in charge of the mall's live stream rushed over in a panic, saying anxiously:

"Manager, something terrible has happened!"

"Just now, all of our mall's live-streaming rooms were shut down for violating regulations!"

The middle-aged man's eyes widened instantly: "What did you say?"