*****Rather than looking at Little Lola like a frightened child, the vendor examined her from head to toe like merchandise.Her expensive dress, polished shoes, and neatly combed hair.Satisfied, the woman nodded to herself before turning back toward the young man."Well..." she said with exaggerated generosity, "seeing that the little girl appears to come from a rich family, I suppose I don't have to be too harsh."The surrounding spectators almost choked.Several people rolled their eyes so hard they nearly saw the backs of their skulls."Not too harsh?" One old man nearly laughed from sheer disbelief."What exactly do you call everything you've been doing until now?" Another woman clicked her tongue."If this isn't being harsh, then does being harsh involve skinning people alive?""What a shameless fraud.""She's obviously trying to extort them.""Disgusting."The whispers spread rapidly through the gathering crowd.Some no longer bothered to lower their voices, and others openly

*****Nestled delicately among Little Lola’s silky hair was an exquisitely crafted gemstone hairpin.It wasn't overly flashy, yet it possessed an indescribable elegance that naturally drew one's attention the longer they looked at it.Especially the women.Several ladies couldn't help but stare for an extra second, and the more they looked, the more breathtakingly beautiful it was.The delicate craftsmanship, the sparkling gemstones, and the graceful design made it obvious that it wasn't an ordinary accessory.That hairpin had been lovingly placed there by Susan that very morning.Meanwhile, the jewelry vendor named Meno stared at the hairpin with widening eyes.Her breathing unconsciously became heavier, and before she realized it, greed rapidly swallowed every trace of reason within her.Her eyes gleamed as though she had discovered a mountain of gold lying openly before her.She swallowed audibly before nodding without the slightest hesitation."It'll definitely cover the damages,"

*****She wasn't even aware of what was happening around her anymore.Her eyes were still wet with tears, her cheeks were stained from crying, and her tiny lips remained slightly parted.She still looked like a child who had already accepted that she had been left behind.For more than two minutes, she merely stared ahead, almost as though her mind had stopped functioning.Then, slowly, her enormous, tear-filled eyes blinked several times before desperately turning toward the two familiar figures standing within her line of sight.The same two people she had been desperately searching for only moments ago, whom she feared had abandoned her, were truly standing there.The realization struck Little Lola's tiny heart with such force that her entire body trembled.Her lips quivered, and her shoulders trembled as she struggled to catch her breath.Then, before she realized it, the fear that had consumed her moments earlier slowly gave way to a fragile, overwhelming sense of relief.In the

*****The vendor initially attempted to dismiss them, rolling her eyes and throwing out several sarcastic remarks about how everyone was supposedly misunderstanding her.She tried to twist the situation once again, portraying herself as a hardworking merchant surrounded by unreasonable people who simply refused to understand her difficulties.Unfortunately for her, the crowd had already seen too much.No amount of twisting her words could erase what they had witnessed.Eventually, realizing that her attempts to manipulate them were failing miserably, the vendor scoffed.“Then all of you should continue barking,” she spat condescendingly, sweeping her gaze across the crowd as though they were nothing more than a pack of noisy stray dogs.“Bark all you want. I don’t care.”With that, she dismissed them completely and turned her attention back toward Little Lola.The little girl was still being held tightly by Grace, her small face hidden against Grace’s chest while occasional sobs escap

*****“Ahhh! Calling you shameless would be an insult to shameless people!”“This is beyond ridiculous!”“You actually prepared someone to record this so you can blackmail them with public opinion?!”“What kind of vendor are you?!”“Someone needs to report her!”The onlookers became incredibly furious again, glaring at the vendor as though they couldn’t wait to attack her.The vendor, however, merely sneered.She seemed pleased with herself, apparently convinced she had finally found the perfect weapon.Unfortunately for her, she had made one rather serious mistake.She had assumed Xavier was afraid of public opinion.Even after she pointed at the camera, his gaze never left her. didn't even look at the camera.He continued staring at her with the same expressionless face.At first, seeing Xavier’s non-reacting stance, the vendor still remained arrogant and condescending, but as time passed, she couldn’t help but feel slightly comfortable.“What?” she spat eventually. “Are you dumb?”