Chapter 102

Chapter 102

"Xiao Lei, please get the photos developed as soon as possible and bring them to me."

Jiang Yiwei figured the photos would come in handy that afternoon, so she hoped Gu Xiaolei could develop them fast.

Jiang Yiwei had a hunch that Chen Songzhi and the people behind her would probably show up to make trouble in the afternoon.

She'd need the photos Gu Xiaolei took today by then.

Gu Xiaolei immediately stood up. "I'll go now. I'll be right back."

Gu Xiaolei rushed out of the store.

She hopped on her bike, about to head home, but after riding a short distance, turned toward the newspaper's office instead since it was closer to Jiang Yiwei's shop.

Just as Jiang Yiwei had predicted,

that afternoon, Chen Songzhi barged into the shop.

Spotting Jiang Yiwei, she pointed and yelled,

"How dare you, Jiang Yiwei! I was kind enough to let you earn money, and this is the thanks I get? Look at these clothes you made!"

Chen Songzhi threw the garments at Jiang Yiwei's feet.

Other shoppers in the store watched Chen Songzhi's outburst, completely lost about what was happening.

Some asked Huang Yunxiang and the others directly, but they were just as clueless. Since it involved Jiang Yiwei, they simply shook their heads.

Jiang Yiwei stayed perfectly calm, grabbing a cup off the table and taking a sip of water.

"So what's the problem?"

"Can't you see for yourself?" What, is she blind?

"Of course I check every single piece of clothing I make very carefully."

She remembered every detail of every garment she'd made.

When Jiang Yiwei didn't pick up the clothes, Chen Songzhi had to pick them up herself, pointing at the splitting seams.

"Look at this! The seams are splitting. How am I supposed to wear it?"

She thrust the clothes toward the other customers.

"See this? Jiang Yiwei made these for me, and before I got much wear out of them, the threads are breaking. This sleeve's coming right off!"

The shoppers looked at the clothes in Chen Songzhi's hands.

"The seams are totally coming undone."

"How could this happen?"

"Seriously, how'd every single thread come loose? It's unwearable now."

Some customers seemed genuinely puzzled by the damage.

Seizing the moment, Chen Songzhi declared, "Jiang Yiwei must've done this on purpose! If clothes fall apart this easily, we'll keep running back to her for fixes!"

"But, but the clothes I had made by Ms. Jiang before were just fine."

Some clients specifically asked Jiang Yiwei to make their clothes, and those garments were all in good condition.

None had this problem like the one in Chen Songzhi's hands.

Chen Songzhi immediately shot back, "You said 'before'—maybe the clothes she makes now are all like this one of mine."

"Could be. It's been ages since I last had Ms. Jiang make clothes for me."

Because Jiang Yiwei's clothes were pricier than other tailors' in her shop, but she'd show clients designs and suggestions, making sure they got exactly what they wanted.

And they were cheaper too.

So later on, they just kept having the other tailors make their clothes.

"Don't listen to her nonsense. She clearly ruined it herself."

Zhou Hongmin, seeing some customers starting to believe Chen Songzhi, jumped in to defend Jiang Yiwei.

She was mad at these regulars—how could they believe Chen Songzhi after just a few words?

"Why would I ruin my own clothes? I spent fifteen yuan on this dress. Do I have too much money or nothing better to do?" Chen Songzhi fired back at Zhou Hongmin.

"You know exactly why you ruined the clothes, don't you?"

Zhou Hongmin had never met such a nasty piece of work.

Ruining her own clothes just to blame someone else.

Chen Songzhi let out a few mocking laughs. Her target today was Jiang Yiwei.

"Jiang Yiwei, cat got your tongue? Do you think staying silent will make this go away? Dream on."

"Listen here—today you must pay me ten times what I paid and write an apology letter to post at your shop entrance, to show everyone what a cheat you are."

Ideally, no one would ever come to Jiang Yiwei for clothes again.

Without customers, Jiang Yiwei's shop would surely go under, and she'd never be able to show off again.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I pay you or write an apology letter?"

Jiang Yiwei figured out the motive behind Chen Songzhi's actions—she wanted to run her out of business.

Writing that letter would mean admitting she'd ruined the clothes herself.

Once word got out, no one would dare come to her shop.

No customers meant no way to keep the doors open.

Jiang Yiwei walked over to Chen Songzhi, took the dress, and studied where the thread had snapped.

"Look, we only use thread from Lushan Thread Factory. Their thread's known for bright colors, durability, tight weave, soft texture, stretch, and strength."

Jiang Yiwei held up the sewing machine thread. "This is Lushan thread. Compare it with the stitching on the clothes you're wearing that we made."

"Ms. Jiang, I'm wearing your shop's clothes now. Hand it here—I'll check."

A customer compared the threads and found a perfect match. "See?"

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Jiang Yiwei held up the garment and pointed at the broken stitches, "Everyone, check this out. The broken stitches on this garment aren't the same as Lushan Thread Factory's."

After comparing, the crowd realized the broken stitches on Chen Songzhi's garment indeed differed from Lushan Thread Factory's.

"These aren't Lushan Thread Factory's stitches."

"Then what's wrong with this garment?"

"Someone must've messed with it to frame Ms. Jiang."

Suddenly everyone understood—Chen Songzhi had set this up.

Immediately, people started giving her dirty looks.

Some began yelling at her, "How could you pull this stunt on Ms. Jiang?"

"That's low."

"Why would you do this to Ms. Jiang?"

"She must be trying to extort money."

"Looks decent but trying to scam people."

Amid the accusations, Chen Songzhi shot daggers at Jiang Yiwei.

"Of course Jiang Yiwei would never own up to deliberately ruining the clothes."

Chen Songzhi covered her face and began sobbing. Those criticizing her didn't know what to make of her crying.

When the room quieted down, Chen Songzhi said between sobs, "Jiang Yiwei and I had bad blood in the past. I came to her because I was trying to be nice about our old friendship and wanted her to earn more."

"I never thought you'd still be mad at me, Yi Wei, and ruin my clothes on purpose."

That would explain things—Jiang Yiwei could've intentionally damaged the garment out of resentment.

Some wondered: Why only Chen Songzhi's clothes had issues? Could Jiang Yiwei really have sabotaged them?

"Chen Songzhi, you're mistaken. I'm a professional. I respect every customer and don't let personal stuff affect my work."

She had no hidden agenda.

Since Chen Songzhi paid, Jiang Yiwei would treat her order like any other client's.

Even with their history, Jiang Yiwei would still fulfill her professional duty.

"Talk is cheap. Who knows what you're really thinking?"

Chen Songzhi shot back. She didn't believe Jiang Yiwei—making good clothes was her job since she'd been paid.

"Whether you believe me doesn't matter. Payment means I'll do right by my customers."

She couldn't care less whether Chen Songzhi believed her. Every garment leaving her shop would be up to standard.

"Regardless, you made this. I got it from your shop—it's your responsibility."

"Quit playing dumb." Hmph! Since Jiang Yiwei made the clothes, she should make this right.

Though Chen Songzhi sensed something was off, she was dead set on pinning the blame on Jiang Yiwei.

"I didn’t make this dress."

"If I didn’t make it, I’m not responsible for it."

Since it wasn’t her work, she wasn’t about to admit fault or take the blame.

"Can you prove you didn’t make it? This dress was definitely taken from your shop."

She got it from Jiang Yiwei’s shop—no way Jiang could weasel out of this.

Like it or not, she had to own up to it.

"Hahaha."

Jiang Yiwei let out a laugh. Chen Songzhi, Zhou Hongmin, and the others exchanged confused looks at her sudden laughter.

Just then, Gu Xiaolei’s sharp voice rang out from outside the shop.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? What’re you doing skulking around?"

"Ah!"

At the sound of Gu Xiaolei’s voice, Jiang Yiwei bolted outside and saw her fallen on the ground.

"Xiao Lei!"

Jiang Yiwei dashed over and pulled Gu Xiaolei to her feet.

"Xiao Lei, you alright? You hurt?"

"I’m fine."

"I just came to your shop and saw a woman sneaking around by the door. I figured she was trouble, so I tried to grab her, but she pushed me and took off."

Gu Xiaolei rushed to explain.

A woman?

Jiang Yiwei shot a look at Chen Songzhi, who suddenly seemed shifty.

Jiang Yiwei steadied herself. "You need a hospital?"

"I’m fine. I got photos for you."

Gu Xiaolei took an envelope from her bag and handed it to Jiang Yiwei.

"Everything’s in here."

"Thank you, Xiao Lei."

"We’re friends, aren’t we? No way I’d leave you hanging."

"Once this blows over, I’ll make you a dress—my treat."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Later, she would make a dress to thank Gu Xiaolei for her help.

Gu Xiaolei chuckled, "Great, that's what you said—no take-backs."

She'd finally get another new dress.

Jiang Yiwei waved the envelope in her hand, "Do you know what's inside this?"

"How would I know?" Chen Songzhi had no idea what was in Jiang Yiwei's hand.

Jiang Yiwei guided Gu Xiaolei around Chen Songzhi and back into the shop.

After seating Gu Xiaolei on a chair, she dumped all the photos from the envelope on the table.

Chen Songzhi stared at the photos, her eyes growing wide, "Jiang Yiwei, you actually had me photographed?"

When had they been taken? She hadn't noticed anything at all.

"I was just covering my bases."

"See? Now they've paid off."

Jiang Yiwei flashed two photos.

One showed the dress she'd made for Chen Songzhi, while the other was Chen Songzhi inspecting the dress.

"Everyone, check this out—compare these photos with the dress Chen Songzhi brought. See what's different?"

They crowded around to compare but couldn't find any differences at first glance.

However, Zhou Hongmin and Huang Yunxiang, who knew their way around a sewing machine, noticed something.

"Miss Jiang, it's the hem. The photo shows pleats, but this dress doesn't," Huang Yunxiang pointed out.

Chen Songzhi's eyes widened and she lunged for the photos.

Indeed, they weren't the same.

"What kind of scam is this?"

How could this happen?

This can't be right!

"You should ask your dressmaker what happened."

Now Jiang Yiwei's smile looked downright devilish to Chen Songzhi.

"Whoever gave you this dress was jumpy when they came to my shop—wasn't paying close attention!"

Actually, after settling on Chen Songzhi's design, a woman had visited her shop. Jiang Yiwei thought she was a new client and planned to draw up some ideas, but the woman asked point-blank to see a sample. That's when Jiang Yiwei noticed something off about her.

Clients rarely demanded an exact copy of a sample.

Since she insisted, Jiang Yiwei deliberately showed her what appeared to be Chen Songzhi's dress.

Though identical at first glance, it was different—the sample Jiang Yiwei gave her was one she wasn't happy with—it looked too boxy. So she'd remade it with pleated detailing on the hem.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

She showed Chen Songzhi the wrinkled skirt, but showed the other woman an unwrinkled one.

"You... you..."

Chen Songzhi took several steps back in horror. Jiang Yiwei seemed to know everything.

"What about me? Chen Songzhi, what do you have to say for yourself now?"

Zhou Hongmin glared fiercely, looking like she was about to hit Chen Songzhi.

How dare she cause trouble in their shop? Did she think they were easy targets?

Chen Songzhi started crying. "Someone must have switched the skirts!"

"Someone must have switched them!"

Rather than admit she was trying to set up Jiang Yiwei, Chen Songzhi kept sobbing that someone else must have switched the skirts.

"Yiwei, I really didn't know! I never meant to harm you. If I'd known the skirt was swapped, I would never have come to you!"

Everyone but Jiang Yiwei was shocked.

Chen Songzhi was still telling bald-faced lies, treating them all like fools.

"Do you take us for fools?" Gu Xiaolei couldn't stand women like Chen Songzhi.

She was clearly treating them all like fools.

"Chen Songzhi, who's behind you?"

Jiang Yiwei wanted to know who was behind Chen Songzhi.

"Yiwei, I really don't know what you mean," Chen Songzhi said between sobs. "I know nothing!"

She stubbornly refused to admit she was working for someone.

"If you don't know, then I'm sending you to the police."

"This time, we've got both evidence and witnesses."

Unlike the situation with Wang Dayong last time, there were now witnesses and physical evidence.

When she heard Jiang Yiwei was going to send her to the police, Chen Songzhi started panicking.

She couldn't go to the police station.

If she didn't want to be handed over, she'd have to confess she was acting under someone's orders.

Seeing the struggle on Chen Songzhi's face, someone suggested sending her to the police anyway.

"Jiang, she still refuses to repent. Let's send her to the police and let her think things over."

"Maybe once she's there, she'll talk."

Since Chen Songzhi wouldn't say anything now, sending her to the police might finally make her tell the truth.

"No! Please no! Don't send me to the police!" Chen Songzhi couldn't go to the police - she just couldn't.

"Then spit it out! Who sent you?"

If she didn’t want to go to the cops, she better come clean.

Chen Songzhi gnawed at her lip, eyes darting nervously, debating whether to snitch. If she didn’t, that bitch Jiang Yiwei would surely haul her to the station. But if she did, the money would be gone.

Chen Songzhi was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Chen Songzhi, what’s taking so long? Time’s up."

Jiang Yiwei’s voice was like a death sentence. In the end, Chen Songzhi cracked.

"The boss at Loufu Sewing Shop put me up to it."

"She paid me to trash your shop’s name, to paint you as a ruthless shop owner. Fifty bucks was my cut if I played along."

The owner of Loufu Sewing Shop.

She knew Loufu Sewing Shop, but she never saw their boss coming. She didn’t recall any beef with them.

Then again, they were rivals in the trade. Success just rubbed them the wrong way.

"I talked. You won’t call the cops, right?"

She’d spilled everything—even ratted out Loufu Sewing Shop. Surely Jiang Yiwei wouldn’t turn her in now.

"You can’t back out now!"

Chen Songzhi watched Jiang Yiwei like a hawk, scared stiff she’d still call the cops.

"Yi Wei, we can’t let her off the hook! She helped screw us over."

Zhou Hongmin wanted both her and that Loufu Sewing Shop boss locked up for good. How dare they trash our shop’s name?

They had to pay for this.

"No way! Jiang Yiwei, I talked! You promised!"

Jiang Yiwei had said it herself: snitch, and no cops. She’d named names. No take-backs.

"No jail time, but you owe me fifty bucks."

If fifty was her payoff, fifty would be her penalty.

"Yi Wei, we’re really not turning her in?" Zhou Hongmin pressed.

Just a slap on the wrist? Zhou Hongmin thought she was getting off easy.

But Jiang Yiwei’s eyes darkened. "Fifty bucks will cover it."

"Well, Chen Songzhi?"

"You said if I talked, you wouldn’t call the cops! Why the fifty bucks now?"

Here's the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Paying fifty yuan to Jiang Yiwei was something Chen Songzhi was reluctant to do.

She'd only agreed to cooperate in the first place because of the fifty yuan and the promise that Jiang Yiwei would be publicly disgraced.

Now she had to pay out fifty yuan without getting anything in return. Chen Songzhi couldn't accept this.

She bitterly regretted ever getting involved in this scheme.

"But because of you, my shop lost half a day's work, setting us behind schedule. Isn't it only fair you compensate me?"

"Honestly, fifty yuan is already too little."

Her request was perfectly fair.

"Everything comes with risks. You failed, so this is the consequence—and it's pretty light punishment. At least I'm not sending you to the police, just asking for what you owe."

She was only demanding fifty yuan in compensation—and even felt it was too little.

"Quit stalling and hand it over."

"You were all gung-ho about causing trouble but now you're dragging your feet. Pay up now."

Seeing Chen Songzhi's reluctance, Gu Xiaolei spoke up, pressing her to pay.

With Gu Xiaolei's intervention, the customers piled on, pointing at Chen Songzhi and demanding immediate payment.

In the end, Chen Songzhi was forced to cough up the fifty yuan.

After paying, she slunk away embarrassed.

Jiang Yiwei barely looked at the cash before addressing the customers.

"Today's incident put everyone through some drama. To make it up to you, all clothing today will be 20% off."

They perked up at this.

A 20% discount might not seem like much, but saving even a couple yuan was money in their pocket.

They gushed their thanks to Yiwei.

She told them to get their names down for the discount.

Jiang Yiwei, Zhou Hongmin, and Gu Xiaolei stood watching from inside as Huang Yunxiang and others juggled customer registrations at the counter.

"Yiwei, you shouldn't have let Chen Songzhi off the hook. You should've dragged her and that Loufu owner to the station."

If it were Zhou Hongmin, she would've dragged them all to the police.

She'd never have given them a pass.

"Exactly! They belong in jail. Yiwei, you're too soft."

Gu Xiaolei was steaming mad. Even after getting walked all over, Yiwei had let them go.

"Who said I let them off?"

Jiang Yiwei had never planned to spare them—she just chose not to involve the police. There's more than one way to punish someone.

"Xiao Lei, can you do me a write-up?"

"Huh? A write-up? About what?" Wait—how'd we jump from Chen Songzhi to this? Weren't we just talking about her?