"You’re right! The gods have indeed favored me, Gu En. They have given me a chance to catch He Zhilan off guard."
The words of Tang Tang caused Gu En’s mind to start turning. Now, with He Teng away from the capital, and Lan Li also absent, it was the perfect time for her to take advantage of He Zhilan’s isolation. Even if He Zhilan complained afterwards, there would be no evidence against her.
He Zhilan had no idea about the plotting going on between Gu En and Tang Tang. However, she felt Gu En’s constant, piercing gaze on her. After taking two dark black coffees into the kitchen, He Zhilan served two steaming cups of cocoa to other customers.
Serving the hot cocoa to the customers meant passing by Gu En’s table. He Zhilan found it difficult to do so; the way Gu En looked and smiled at her when she saw her was quite unsettling.
He Zhilan thought that at most Gu En would just scoff at her in front of the customers. She certainly didn’t expect that Gu En would suddenly stick out her foot. Zhilan, having her view obstructed by the tray she was carrying, was tripped by Gu En and two cups of hot cocoa fell from the tray onto the floor.
When the hot cocoa spilled and splashed on her hands, He Zhilan immediately burst into tears because of the sudden pain.
"I told you, dealing with people as stupid as pigs is effortless." Gu En said, laughing in everyone’s face.
Even in winter, He Zhilan’s hands are cooler than most people’s. Despite being constantly at work and moving, her hands were still stiff and unresponsive, making the hot cocoa spilled on her hands back hurt even more than being scalded by boiling water in the summer.
Tang Tang was shocked. She had only suggested that Gu En might want to take revenge on He Zhilan later, but she never expected Gu En to actually do it by directly tripping her.
"Quick! Get her to a hospital!" The manager rushed over upon hearing the commotion. He saw He Zhilan sitting on the floor crying, her hands scalded by the steaming hot cocoa.
John, who had been upstairs, immediately grabbed his car keys and personally took He Zhilan to the hospital, leaving the manager to handle the situation at the shop.
Once He Zhilan was taken away by John, the manager surveyed the group. Without him needing to ask, the regulars at the shop promptly explained what happened, pointing out that Gu En had deliberately tripped He Zhilan.
The manager would have never imagined such a scenario. He initially assumed it was an accident, and had no idea that it was an intentional act.
His immediate response was to tell someone, "Call the police! Say there has been an assault on one of our staff."
Although Gu En wasn’t a good student, she was after all a daughter of the Gu family who couldn’t possibly not understand English. She stood up and stopped the person going to call the police, saying, "What do you mean by assault? It was just an accident. Now, it’s just a matter of compensation. Let He Zhilan name her price—I, Gu En, won’t haggle over a single penny!"
Seeing that the manager wasn’t willing to compromise, Tang Tang quickly stood up and said, "It’s : she and He Zhilan are schoolmates—in fact, they share a room and bunk beds. There was no malicious intent; it was just a prank that unfortunately caused harm. We are sincerely sorry for the harm caused to your staff and the physical injury inflicted on He Zhilan due to a mere joke. The main concern now should be He Zhilan’s condition, after which we can discuss compensation."