I was working a summer job at a KFC. After my shift, I was still in my uniform when I went to the noodle shop next door and ordered a bowl of wontons. I was about to add some of the free toppings from the self-serve bar when the owner blocked my path. “The $5 promotional bowl doesn't include the free toppings.” Wanting to avoid trouble, I didn't argue and went back to my seat. But when I reached for the vinegar on the table, she snatched it away. “This bottle of vinegar costs thirty dollars. It’s not for poor people like you to drink.” “You’re a service worker yourself, you should know these things.” “Tomorrow, I’m going to talk to your manager and have you fired.” I couldn't take it anymore. I flipped the table. The bowl, chopsticks, and condiment bottles shattered on the floor. The owner, seeing my fury, threatened me. “I’m warning you, my son-in-law is from one of the richest families on the East Coast. If you mess with me, I’ll make sure your whole family pays!” She pulled out her phone to make a call, but I suddenly froze. That emerald bracelet on her wrist… why did it look exactly like the one I gave my girlfriend last week? 1 I was exhausted and starving. Luckily, with all the delivery apps in a price war, I’d gotten a $30 bowl of wonton soup for a $5 promotional price. The shop’s self-serve bar had a huge "Free Toppings" sign, with all sorts of garnishes and an extra soup pot. But as I reached for the chili oil, the owner stopped me. “The $5 promo doesn't get free toppings.” I pointed to the sign. “But it says 'Free Toppings' right there.” She sneered. “Not for promo customers. I’m already losing money on a $5 bowl. You think I can let you take toppings, too? How am I supposed to stay in business?” Fine. I’ve always been easygoing, and I could even see her point. I went back to my table, deciding to just eat the plain wontons. I saw the bottle of black vinegar and figured adding a splash wouldn't be a problem. The second I picked it up, she rushed over and grabbed it out of my hand. “That vinegar costs thirty dollars. It’s not for poor people on a $5 promo.” I started to get angry. “You’re the one who set up the promotion. Now I can’t even use the table vinegar?” She looked me up and down, sizing up my KFC uniform. Her spittle nearly landed in my bowl. “Do you know how hard it is to run a business? You’re just a service worker, you should understand! In fact, I don't think you should be a service worker at all. Tomorrow, I’m going to your manager and getting you fired!” Stepping back only makes you angrier. I was done being patient. I stood up and, with a loud crash, flipped the entire table over. “If you’re so cheap you have to guard a bottle of vinegar, why are you even running a restaurant? You should be begging on the street!” “And you’re going to pull rank on me? We’re both service workers. The second I clock out, I’m a customer. You’re the one who can’t afford to honor your own promotion. You’re pathetic. You deserve to fail.” She was stunned by my outburst and staggered back. “I’m warning you! My son-in-law is an heir to the Gu family! If you trash my store, I’ll have your entire family ruined!” Hilarious. My family is the Gu family. The only reason I was working at a KFC was because I’d made a bet with my older brother. If I could hold a normal job for two months, he’d pay for my trip to Barcelona. I had no idea this kind of blatant class discrimination still existed. She was dialing her phone, furious. I was about to call my own backup, but my eyes locked onto her wrist. That bracelet. Why did it look exactly like the one I gave my girlfriend, Jessica, last week? 2 I frowned. I remembered Jessica asking for it, saying her mom’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to get her something nice. She said her mom worked so hard running a small restaurant. I sympathized, so I bought her the $300,000 emerald bracelet. To make it special, I had a master engraver carve her mother's initials on the inside. I remembered the letters: "S.Z.Y." The owner’s call didn't go through. She glared at me. “My daughter is busy right now. You just wait. You better start thinking about how you’re going to pay for this!” I ignored her, stepped forward, and grabbed her wrist to see the inside of the bracelet. She shoved me off. “Don’t you touch my bracelet with your filthy hands! This was a gift from my son-in-law!” “Do you know how much this cost? $300,000! You could sell yourself and not afford it!” What a coincidence. Also $300,000? “What’s your daughter’s name?” She looked at my uniform and sneered. “None of your business. Even if I told you, my daughter would never look at a broke loser like you.” Me? Broke? I had to laugh. That was a first. Our argument had drawn a crowd. People were filming, some were even live-streaming. The owner saw her audience and immediately burst into tears, wailing. “Everyone, look! This young man is attacking a 60-year-old woman! He smashed my store, and now he’s trying to rob me! He tried to steal my bracelet! Is there any justice in the world?” The crowd started murmuring. “Kid, what’s wrong with you? Attacking an old lady?” “Young people are so impulsive. Just smashing things up. I’d never hire someone like that…” I was done arguing. I just looked at the owner. “Fine. How much for the damages? I’ll pay.” Her tears vanished. A smug smile spread across her face. She started counting on her fingers. “This is a solid rosewood table. That’s $8,000.” “The bowl was high-grade porcelain. That’s $200.” “The vinegar, chili oil, and napkins… $30.” “And all the toppings you wasted at the bar... let’s call it $500.” “Total: $8,730. How do you want to pay?” I frowned. “That table is 'solid wood'? I flipped it with one hand. I run a 10-minute mile and you think I'm Hercules?” She crossed her arms. “I don't care. You owe me at least $8,000!” “And I haven’t even added my mental distress! If you can’t pay, you can go to jail!” A regular customer at a nearby table finally spoke up. “Come on, Susan. That table isn’t worth that much. He’s just a kid working a summer job. Don't be so hard on him.” The owner turned on him, spitting fire. “Are you blind? I’m the victim here! If you feel so sorry for him, you pay for it!” She turned back to me. “If you really can’t pay, that’s fine. Get on your knees, kowtow three times, and apologize. I’ll forgive you. My son-in-law is rich. I don’t need the money.” I didn’t say anything. I just pulled out my phone. Someone in the crowd whispered, “Kid, just apologize. It’s not worth it.” I shook my head and smiled calmly. “No need.” “$8,000? That’s not enough.” “I’ll give you three million. I’m buying this restaurant.” 3 The crowd went silent. The owner stared, then burst out laughing. “You? Three million? Are you insane?” People in the crowd started whispering again. “Kid, don't do something crazy. It’s not worth it.” I sighed and opened my banking app, showing them the balance. Just over $3 million. “My brother has a limit on my main accounts. This is just what’s in my checking.” If I hadn't just bought that bracelet for Jessica, it would have been more. The silence was deafening. The owner’s face went pale, then red, then pale again. “Th-three million isn't enough! This is prime real estate! It’s worth eight million!” The customer who had spoken up before scoffed. “Susan, you bought this place thirty years ago for eighty thousand, tops. Eight million?” “You shut up! Property values are through the roof! I say it’s eight million!” But my attention was on what the customer had called her. Susan. Jessica’s mother’s name is Susan Zhang. She's "Susan," she has a $300,000 emerald bracelet, and a daughter... The coincidences were piling up. I asked, “Ma’am, is your name Susan Zhang?” “None of your business!” she snapped. I kept going. “Is your daughter’s name Jessica Jiang?” She suddenly sneered. “What? Are you one of her pathetic admirers?” “You look decent enough. If you’re really that obsessed with my daughter, I guess I could let you be her side-piece.” I couldn’t believe it. This woman was actually my future mother-in-law. I wasn’t even married to Jessica, and her mom was already calling some other guy “son-in-law.” “Side-piece? Ma’am, I’m your daughter’s boyfriend.” She looked at me like I was something she’d scraped off her shoe. “Kid, if you’re crazy, go get help! My daughter’s boyfriend is the heiress to the Gu family, a real big shot. Not some loser in a KFC uniform.” Note: The user's original text has a gender-swap for the girlfriend/boyfriend. I will stick to the original's final intention: The protagonist is male, the girlfriend (Jiang Ruyan) is female. The owner's line about "Gu family heiress" (顾家大小姐) seems to be a mistake in the original text, as the protagonist (顾清风) is male. I will correct this in the adaptation to "heir." I sighed and crossed my arms. “I am the Gu family heir, Alex Gu. Want to see my ID?” “Plenty of people have the same name! Stop trying to fool me! My son-in-law is probably on a date with my daughter right now!” I shrugged. “Why don’t you call her and ask?” “Fine, I will!” She dialed again. This time, it connected. Jessica’s voice came through the speaker. “Mom, what’s up? I’m on a date with my boyfriend!” 4 My stomach dropped. I frowned. Susan shot me a triumphant look, then put on a tearful voice. “Honey, my restaurant got smashed! This guy came in, he was totally crazy, said he was going to buy the whole place just to smash it!” “Who?! Who would dare! Mom, you wait, I’m coming over right now!” “It’s some service worker from the KFC next door. He even said he was your boyfriend!” Then, a man’s low voice came from the phone. “Jess, what’s wrong? Someone messing with your mom?” My blood went cold. I knew that voice. It was Leo Shang. Jessica’s ex. When we first started dating, I found a bunch of saved voice memos in her phone from a strange guy. It was a bucket of ice water on our new relationship. I froze her credit cards and we fought. She kneeled outside my apartment for three days in the rain until she collapsed with a fever. I finally caved and let her in. She cried, explaining he was just an ex, that they were done, she’d just forgotten to delete the messages. Her phone was clean otherwise. She begged, and I forgave her. But I never forgot that voice. And the man on the phone with her was Leo. She had been lying to me. She was cheating on me. My mind went blank. I stalked forward and snatched the phone from Susan’s hand. “Jessica, you dare cheat on me?” The line went dead. She’d hung up. Susan tried to get her phone back, but I was so furious I just shoved her. She stumbled and fell, and the bracelet on her wrist hit the tile floor and shattered. She let out a piercing scream. “My bracelet! You broke my bracelet!” “You little bastard! That was a gift from my son-in-law!” She scrambled up and lunged at me, raking her nails across my face and pulling my hair. My scalp and cheek were on fire. I wasn't going to just take it. I kicked her hard in the stomach. The crowd surged forward to pull us apart. I collapsed onto the floor, the anger, humiliation, and betrayal hitting me all at once. I was exhausted, starving, and now I’d been insulted, cheated on, and assaulted. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my brother, Damien. [Bro, someone’s beating me up. Help.] His reply was instant. [Address.] He was supposed to be slammed with work. That’s why I had to do this stupid KFC bet in the first place. How was he replying so fast? The wave of self-pity got stronger. I sent him the address, along with a picture of my scratched face. [? On my way.] I put my phone away and took a tissue from a bystander. “Kid, you’re just a worker, you can’t win this. Just apologize.” Before I could answer, Susan shrieked again. “Apologize? I’m not accepting an apology!” She stalked over to me, looking down. “You smashed my store. You broke my bracelet. You’re not leaving. When my daughter gets here, she’s going to teach you how to be a human being!” I just laughed. “Your bracelet? You mean the one with the 'S.Z.Y.' engraving on the inside, from the master carver Fang?” Susan frowned. “How did you know that?” “Because your daughter begged me for it last week, as a birthday present for her mother!” Susan paused, then sneered. “You just saw the engraving on the broken pieces. Nice try. You really want to be the Gu family heir, don't you? Look at yourself. You’re not worthy.” I was done talking. My brother would be here soon. A car screeched to a halt outside. It was my family's Maybach. But before I could stand, Susan was already rushing to the door. A man in an expensive designer suit stepped out. With him, a woman carrying a Birkin. It was Jessica and Leo. Susan was crying. “Honey! Son-in-law! You’re finally here!” She held up the broken bracelet. “I’m sorry, Jessica, the store was smashed, and this guy attacked me... he broke the bracelet you gave me…” Leo put his arm around Susan. “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll just buy you a new one.” Jessica’s eyes scanned the room, landing on me. She stormed over. “Who did this? I’m going to skin them alive!” Susan pointed at me, still sitting on the floor. The crowd parted. “It was him! That little bastard attacked me!” The moment Jessica saw me, her face went white.
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