“You dare curse at me!”
Su Xiao was stunned by Luo Tiantian’s sudden, aggressive retort. Her anger flared even more. “You’re a food-stealing thief, and you think you’re in the right? Fine! If you have the guts, tell me where you are! We’ll settle this face-to-face!”
The other end of the line went silent for a moment. “Face… face-to-face then. Who’s afraid of whom? East District, Riverside Park, the third bench. Come over now if you’re so brave. I’ll be waiting for you here. Whoever lies is a 🐶.”
“Fine! Just you wait!” Su Xiao hung up the phone viciously.
She immediately began rummaging through her things.
Goggles—on! To prevent herself from being recognized.
A mask was a must! Two layers! To reduce the pain if the other person slapped her face.
A hat to pin down her hair, so it wouldn’t get pulled.
Then, looking at the outdoor temperature as midsummer approached, she gritted her teeth and pulled out two down jackets from the depths of her wardrobe.
She put one on and wrapped the other around her arms and torso, securing it crudely with a rope. She instantly looked a size larger, her movements becoming somewhat clumsy. She tucked all her hair into the hat and collar, making sure not a single strand was visible.
Finally, she prepared the most crucial weapon.
She found several thick, expired newspapers, rolled them into a tube, and wrapped them repeatedly with clear tape until it felt hard and heavy enough. Then, she found an old, dark cloth to wrap the newspaper club, tying the ends tight. She gave it a few experimental swings.
It felt heavy. In the dim light, it could definitely fool someone.
Nine out of ten people who had seen gangster movies would probably think there was a watermelon knife or a steel pipe inside.
‘Perfect!’ Su Xiao looked at herself in the mirror. The reflection showed a bloated, eerie figure whose face was completely hidden.
After a moment of thought, she took out her phone and set a smart voice assistant command to trigger in one hour: “Xiao Ai Tongxue, in one hour, dial 110 and say, ‘There’s a fight near the third bench in the East District of Riverside Park. Someone might be injured. Please come quickly.'”
Once the setting was complete, she nodded in satisfaction.
‘Everything is going according to plan!’
If she won, she would give that food thief a harsh lesson and force him to admit his mistake and compensate her for the beef with enoki mushrooms and her mental distress!
If she lost or things went south, this gear could take a few hits to buy her some time.
In the worst-case scenario, if she was knocked unconscious… the police would come to save her in one hour!
Su Xiao tucked her weapon away and headed straight for Riverside Park.
***
Riverside Park, East District.
This area was relatively remote with sparse streetlights, and there were very few pedestrians at night.
The third bench stood lonely under a large tree, next to a patch of pitch-black bushes.
Luo Tiantian had no intention of actually fighting.
Meeting up for a fight with a customer who was clearly mentally unstable? He wasn’t stupid. If he won, he’d be in trouble; if he lost, he’d be even worse off.
However, he was still annoyed with the person who had docked his pay.
He had to see this shrew in person.
Even though they were both anime fans, the Su Xiao who had paid for his medical checkup this afternoon was much better.
Thus, when a fully armed Su Xiao sneakily crept toward the vicinity of the third bench, all she saw was an empty seat.
“Where is he?” Su Xiao hid behind a tree in the distance, watching vigilantly for a full ten minutes.
No one was there.
There was only the chirping of summer insects and the sound of cars from the distant road.
She waited for another ten minutes, but still, no one appeared.
“Could he… be playing me?” Su Xiao slowly stepped out from behind the tree, feeling both disappointed and strangely relieved.
She walked to the bench and looked around. There was indeed no sign of another person.
“That bastard! He actually stood me up!” Su Xiao stomped her foot in anger, her movements looking somewhat ridiculous in the bulky down jackets.
But since she was already here…
No, she couldn’t just let it go.
Su Xiao’s eyes darted around.
She walked over to the bench, raised the newspaper knife in her hand, and swung it fiercely at the air several times while muttering, “Hmph! Ha! Take this! That’s for stealing my food! That’s for cursing at me! Do you know you’re wrong now? Kneel down and apologize!”
She imagined the hateful delivery driver was right in front of her, scurrying away and begging for mercy as she struck him. The more she fought, the more energetic she became. Her bloated silhouette danced under the dim streetlights, creating a scene that was both eerie and hilarious.
She swung for a full five or six minutes until she was panting and drenched in sweat before finally stopping.
‘That felt good!’
Her excitement faded, and Su Xiao flopped onto the grass.
Even though she hadn’t hit a real person, at least she had vented her frustration.
This set of gear was actually quite fun, too.
She checked the time; there were still over twenty minutes left before the scheduled police report.
“Whatever, I’m not waiting. I’m going home,” Su Xiao decided to retreat.
As she walked, she sent a text message to the delivery driver’s number:
[Consider yourself lucky this time for hiding away. If you ever dare steal my food again, I’ll beat you every time I see you! I don’t hide my name or my identity; I am Shen Xixi! My address is xxxxx.]
Message sent successfully.
Su Xiao tucked her phone away happily.
If he came looking for trouble, he would only find that woman, Shen Xixi.
‘That’s what you get for not helping me! That’s for calling me a psycho! Hmph!’
When she reached the park entrance and felt the night breeze, Su Xiao belatedly realized how sticky and uncomfortable she felt. It was no wonder, considering she had been exercising vigorously in down jackets during the height of summer!
She quickly found a secluded corner and hurriedly untied the ropes. She took off the outer “armor” down jacket and unzipped the inner one to let the cool air in, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
“Whew… I’m dying of heat.”
Behind a nearby bush, a phone camera was pointed straight at her.
Luo Tiantian had actually arrived long ago.
He had hidden further away, using the darkness and the cover of branches and leaves to observe the situation near the bench without being easily discovered.
Initially, he just wanted to see what kind of weirdo this person was, only to witness that performance of someone swinging a weapon at the air.
‘This isn’t just a weirdo; she’s a dangerous element with violent tendencies, isn’t she?’ Luo Tiantian hid in the dark, feeling a surge of lingering fear, especially after seeing her bizarre outfit of down jackets in the summer and the object in her hand that looked like a restricted weapon no matter how he viewed it.
Luckily, he hadn’t shown himself.
This is Shrimp Fried Rice.
Luo Tiantian took several photos in a row and then dialed 110.
“I’d like to report something. In the East District of Riverside Park, near the third bench, there’s a person dressed very strangely and acting suspiciously. Just now, they seemed to be swinging something that looked like a knife, and now they’re packing up… Yes, they don’t look normal, quite dangerous… I took photos… Okay, I’ll stay safe and keep my distance… Oh, her name seems to be Shen Xixi, because I heard her muttering the name over there…”
After hanging up, Luo Tiantian retreated further into the bushes, making sure he was completely hidden in the shadows.
About seven or eight minutes later, the faint sound of sirens drifted from the distance. They grew louder and soon stopped near the park entrance. Several flashlight beams began scanning the interior of the park.
“No way…”
Su Xiao’s eyes widened. “Xiao Ai Tongxue, wasn’t there supposed to be twenty minutes left? Did you do it early? You moronic AI! I should have used a Huawei!”