Zhong Ruanxing was a little surprised. "Miss Bai? What are you doing here?"
Bai Yinyue's cold, angry gaze shifted from the middle-aged man back to Zhong Ruanxing. When her eyes fell on him, her expression softened into a smile again. "I came here to play with a friend today. While we were waiting in line to interact with the cat dolls, I happened to see this family bullying a doll, so I recorded it."
The middle-aged man retorted, "Who was bullying a doll? We just wanted to take a few more photos with her! But she kept refusing, so I gave her a little push out of frustration!"
The middle-aged woman standing behind him chimed in sharply, "She's just a worker, acting all high and mighty. I barely touched her and she's making a huge fuss about it."
Behind the couple stood a 7 or 8 year old little girl, wearing cat ear headband accessories and a pink chiffon dress. She looked on fearfully at all the people in the room.
Song Shuling's colleague couldn't help but speak up, "Sir, we've reminded you multiple times that each guest has a limited interaction time with the dolls, and inappropriate physical contact is prohibited. Your family has already spent over 10 minutes with this doll, while other guests are still waiting in line. It's impossible to let you keep taking photos indefinitely. You demanded the doll make poses that were potentially risky, so we declined."
The middle-aged woman retorted aggressively, "It's my daughter's birthday. We paid expensive admission to get in here, what's wrong with taking a few more pictures? You run this theme park like this, no wonder you'll go bankrupt!"
Zhong Ruanxing had no interest in listening to these rude people any further. He asked Bai Yinyue, "Did you get footage of them pushing Shuling?"
Bai Yinyue nodded.
Zhong Ruanxing immediately took out his phone to call the police. "Hello, I'd like to report an assault. Yes, my younger sister was hit at Noah's Ark Theme Park, and we suspect she has a concussion now. We're going to the city hospital number 3."
The couple had still been arguing with the staff. Hearing the man next to them calling the police, they were stunned speechless for a moment. By the time Zhong Ruanxing hung up, the middle-aged man finally reacted, both angry and afraid. "It's just a small thing, why are you calling the police?"
Zhong Ruanxing sneered coldly, "Weren't you so arrogant and adamant you did nothing wrong? Whether you did something wrong or not, the police can make that judgment when they get here."
In fact, this couple was well aware that they were in the wrong. The man knew exactly how much force he had used to push that doll. She had fallen directly to the ground from his shove. When a staff member rushed over and took off her mascot head, the girl inside was pale, with a pained expression and drenched in cold sweat. There's no way she was pretending.
But they were used to being aggressive bullies. In situations like this, whoever yelled the loudest was in the right in their eyes. They were the types to argue stubbornly and refuse to back down, so often people didn't want to bother getting into it with them and took the loss.
This was their usual way of handling things, but today they had kicked an iron plate.
The middle-aged woman still wanted to say something, but the man glared at her, and his attitude suddenly improved. "No need to get the police involved over this little thing, it would be an inconvenience and waste everyone's time. How about this - we'll take this young lady to get a full medical exam right now, don't worry, it's on us! And to make up for her lost wages and emotional distress from this, we're willing to pay for that too!"
The couple both worked in civil service positions, so had to be cautious about anything that could tarnish their records and affect their prospects.
Before Zhong Ruanxing could respond, Bai Yinyue laughed mockingly. When Bai Xiaojie went into full attitude mode, she could be quite intimidating. She looked the couple up and down with unconcealed contempt and disdain, sneering, "Who's so lacking in money they'd need your pitiful offers?"
Bai Yinyue and her friend had been lined up right behind this couple.
The two beautiful, fashionably dressed young ladies' conversation and manners marked them clearly as wealthy socialites. The middle-aged woman in front of them had looked back at them enviously several times.
Later, when the conflict with the doll happened, Bai Yinyue had stepped up to admonish them, but they dismissed her intervention. After all, they hadn't offended her, just some young girl working a hot, exhausting mascot job at the theme park.
It wasn't until the girl's brother showed up, with an air about him just like those high class young ladies, and moreover they even recognized each other, that the couple finally realized something might be off.
But before they could think it through, Zhong Ruanxing had already called the police. Now Bai Yinyue's insult was the last straw, and the middle-aged man finally grasped they might not be simple ordinary people either. Just looking at the watch on the man's wrist, it was clearly no ordinary brand.
What was wrong with these rich people, living the good life but insisting on doing such arduous jobs!
The middle-aged man shoved his sour-tongued wife back and whispered urgently in her ear. The middle-aged woman's expression also shifted as she looked the pair of siblings up and down warily.
After calling the police, Zhong Ruanxing told the park manager, "When the police arrive, please provide them with an honest account of what transpired. We're going to the hospital first."
The manager and colleagues nodded. Ignoring the panicked looks on the couple's faces, the manager gently asked Song Shuling, "Do you feel dizzy? Does your head hurt?"
Song Shuling replied, "A little."
The manager turned and crouched down to face her. "Come on, your brother will give you a piggyback ride. Let's go to the hospital first."
Looking at the broad back in front of her, Song Shuling's eyes turned slightly red. She pressed her lips tightly together, then slowly clambered onto his back.
Bai Yinyue supported her from the side, and said softly to Zhong Ruanxing, "You guys go first, I'll stay here to wait for the police."
Zhong Ruanxing looked at her gratefully. "Thank you."
A blush flitted across Bai Yinyue's face. "It's nothing."
For a fit adult man who worked out regularly, carrying Song Shuling's weight was no effort at all. Zhong Ruanxing strode briskly out the door with long steps.
The couple wanted to hurry after them, but the park staff quickly blocked their way. "Sir, madam, the victim's family already called the police. You need to stay here and wait for them."
With her crush gone, Bai Yinyue dropped the rich lady act and sprawled casually back in a chair, legs crossed arrogantly. "Sit tight now. You're suspects, leaving now would be fleeing the scene."
The middle-aged woman couldn't help but plead, "Miss, this matter has nothing to do with you, why make things difficult for us?"
Bai Yinyue raised an eyebrow. "How is this unrelated to me? Haven't you heard of helping those in need, fair maiden to the rescue?"
She had taken a dislike to this couple from the start when they were waiting in line. If not for their egregious behavior, she would never have pulled out her phone to record them. She had only recorded for about 5 seconds when the man pushed the doll.
Anyone could see he hadn't held back much force. The doll staggered back two steps before crashing to the ground. Bai Yinyue immediately rushed over with the staffers to remove the mascot head. Only then did she realize the person inside was actually an acquaintance.
Although Bai Yinyue was puzzled why the wealthy Miss Song would be working such an exhausting job at the theme park, she didn't ask about it.
As an eyewitness, and moreover someone familiar with the victim, naturally she couldn't just leave and abandon her companion.
Then she overheard Song Shuling asking to call her brother.
Hearing that, she definitely wasn't about to leave.