The boss, who had been watching the drama unfold from behind the counter, was satisfied as he swept the sunflower seed shells into the trash, and leisurely said, "That ice cream was bought by those three people over there. The money was paid, and it was this young lady here who snatched it away." The boss's words almost nailed the woman to the pillar of shame, her face turning alternately red and white, like a palette.

"Oh my god, it's like she hasn't had ice cream in all her lives and had to steal someone else's," the guy who had just spoken out righteously shook his head, exclaiming in amazement.

Seeing how everyone's gaze towards her had changed, the woman felt panicked, her mind going blank. She opened her mouth and said with a sobbing tone, "You said that on purpose. Why are you lying to slander me? Clearly, that's not how it happened. You're all ganging up on me. What have I done to make you dislike me so much that you treat me this way?"

The woman's tears were indeed a powerful weapon. As expected, some of the people who had just been standing on Xu Ke's side couldn't help but waver after seeing her cry so sorrowfully.

"Young lady, the way your tears come on demand is unmatched even by many stars. It's truly a pity if you don't go into showbiz," the boss advised sincerely, looking at her demeanor.

"The young girl is already crying like this, there's no need to keep pressing her so hard," someone in the crowd said.

"I'm not such a vicious old woman, I too need to clear my name. See this? There's surveillance in my store. We'll all know who's lying once we watch the footage," the boss pointed to a well-hidden camera under the eaves.

The woman's face momentarily twisted uncontrollably when she heard the boss mention that there was surveillance.

"Without the surveillance, my good name would have been ruined today," the boss said, lingering his gaze on the woman for a few seconds, a faint, indiscernible touch of mockery directed at her hidden beneath his expression.

The woman had never felt so embarrassed. To be publicly humiliated like this, especially in front of the fat guy who admired her, having her lie exposed, her face felt like it had been roasted, emitting a barbecued aroma.

"You're a young girl, young and good-looking, yet you're a pathological liar? It's just an ice cream; if you want one, just buy it. Even though things at tourist spots are expensive, can you really not afford an ice cream? It's impressive that you'd lie for an ice cream," the guy was almost speechless by the absurdity of the situation, and when he came to, his gaze at the woman was different, as if he were looking at a fallen girl.

The man was momentarily stunned by the woman's expression, but he quickly snapped out of it, starting to salvage her reputation and restore her image in the eyes of the crowd.

"This must be a misunderstanding. Xiao Qian's not that kind of person. We've known each other since childhood. How could I not know what kind of person she is? Xiao Qian doesn't lie. You must have misunderstood her. She's actually not good at expressing herself," the man explained to those around, spreading his hands.

"I'm not lying, nor do I have a habit of slandering others. If you don't believe me, I can bring up the surveillance footage anytime for you to see what really happened," the boss said again calmly, pushing the woman who was trying to hide back into the public eye.

The man wanted to say something else but was interrupted by a female voice, "That's enough. You don't have to speak for me anymore. Let's just leave it at that. I don't want to pursue this any further, nor do I want to entangle with them again—it's pointless. Those who want to believe you will naturally believe you. Those who don't, even if you shout until you're hoarse, it won't help."

The woman's face became devoid of all expression, showing an air of resignation. This actually caused some of the onlookers who had always believed in Xu Ke to waver, wondering if she really did have some unspoken reason.

"Using retreat to advance is not a bad move, but let's end this farce here. I'm not expecting an apology from you two for what just happened and your recklessness. It's too hot, and we don't want to drag this out anymore. So let's just leave it at that, and I hope you won't bother us again," Xu Ke said, glancing at Yu Xia's sunburned little face, speaking with irritation.

Because of a guilty conscience, the man didn't refute Xu Ke's words. Instead, he felt relieved upon hearing them, eager for Xu Ke and the others to quickly vanish.

Partly because of his childhood affection for the woman and partly because of his feelings for her, the man understood the meaning of the woman's every expression and action perhaps even better than the woman herself. Precisely because of this insight, the man at this moment truly wished Xu Ke would immediately disappear from his sight with the two women.

At least that way, he could deceive himself for a moment.

The woman bit her lip. Although she wished Xu Ke would get lost, she didn't want to see his face anymore, the most annoying face she had ever seen, bar none.

In fact, for a long time afterward, she wouldn't want to see such a face.

And thus, the incident ended like this. On the surface, it seemed Xu Ke and the others suffered a great loss, and the woman appeared to have the upper hand, gaining some advantage. Being inexplicably stopped and watched by so many people was indeed something unpleasant.

But in reality?

The woman's lying and exploitative behavior made the man who had always acted as her protector realize that the woman wasn't as fragile as he thought, not requiring his protection at all. He had always fancied himself her knight, but in truth, everything he believed was just an illusion. In her eyes, he wasn't a knight; he was merely a sword, a sword that was always ready to charge and fight for her.

For a moment, the man felt tired, as if he had been blinded by something all along, unable to see anything beyond this woman. Fortunately, he was now freed from that illusion.

Watching Xu Ke and the others leave, the man didn't immediately greet the woman. Instead, he gave her a long, deep look before silently embarking on the path back home.

The woman who had been waiting for the man to come over and comfort her didn't react to what had happened until he passed by her.

"Hey, can't you see me standing here? How come you just walk away without saying a word?" the woman asked, stopping the man for the first time.

"Take care of yourself. I won't be your sword anymore. In short, when I'm not around, take care of yourself," the man gave the woman one last long look, pursed his lips tightly, and walked away quickly, leaving her standing there with a look of shock on her face.

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