Chapter 168

As soon as Ophelia left, Rex, like a horse freed from its reins, hurried to take a rest on the side.

"Let's take a break. I'm exhausted!" he exclaimed.

Acting seriously was much more tiring than his random acting.

His agent promptly massaged his shoulders, while one assistant worked on his legs and another handed him some water.

It was quite incredible that Rex had worked so hard.

At a large chain supermarket, Ophelia and Sharon strolled around, chatting about all sorts of things.

Before they knew it, the shopping cart had become piled high with items.

As they pushed it to the checkout, they noticed a crowd gathering around one of the cashiers, and they were curious about what was happening.

"Still hiding it? Just hand it over! Don't make me call the police!" a woman's sharp voice came from the center of the crowd.

"I didn't steal your stuff... I didn't..." a voice barely louder than a whisper said.

Sharon, masked and wearing a hat, took a glance and saw a girl with pigtails, a well-worn baseball cap, and a large, ragged coat that was a few sizes too big for her.

The woman exclaimed, "Didn't you take it? Then how did my phone disappear from my pocket? If it wasn't you, who could it have been? You've been tailing me, lurking around. Did you wear that oversized coat just to pilfer items from the supermarket?" Sharon averted her gaze and whispered, "She should have realized her phone was stolen when she was checking out." She pushed the cart forward a few steps, noticing that Ophelia was still standing there, her eyes lingering on that scene.

The woman yelled, "Look at you! Are you from the slums or what? You thief! Give me back my phone!"

Originally standing in line behind the girl, people instantly stepped back when they heard the word "slums," looking at her as though she were something dirty.

Someone remarked, "I knew it! I kept feeling there was a bad smell coming from her, ugh."

Another person said, "She definitely stole the phone. People from the slums are despicable!" Someone else commented, "How could she steal things at such a young age?"

The woman who had lost her phone berated, "You country bumpkin, you might not be aware, but phones these days have trackers, and they can be worth hundreds of dollars! If you were to leave with my phone, it would turn into a serious matter. "The police would be after you, and even as a minor, you'd face consequences. Just give me back my phone!"

The girl retorted, "I didn't take it! What's wrong with living in the slums? I didn't take your phone."

The woman grew impatient and knocked off the girl's cap, revealing a few bald patches on her head. The girl quickly covered her head, biting her lip with teary eyes.

However, those people didn't let up. Instead, their mocking voices grew even louder, showing no hint of remorse.

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Chapter 168

Someone exclaimed, "Oh my god, is there something wrong with her? Is she sick or something?"

Someone shouted, "This is so terrifying! She definitely looks like there's something wrong with her."

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Another commented, "Oh man, can't we just put up a sign or something in public places saying, 'No poor people or dogs allowed'?"

The woman stepped back a few paces, regretting even touching the girl. The woman looked disgusted, as if she desperately needed to wash her hands right now.

Annoyed, she said, "If you want to prove you're innocent, go ahead and take off your clothes yourself to show you didn't steal anything!"

The girl looked around at the curious stares from those surrounding her, biting her lip so hard that tears filled her eyes but didn't fall.

The girl clenched her little fists tightly and said, "Fine, I'll do it!"

Just as her fingers touched the zipper of her coat to pull it down, her small, purplish-red hand was suddenly grabbed by

someone.

The girl froze, raising her tear-filled eyes, and looked up.

Ophelia picked up the cap lying next to her and gently placed it on the girl's head, squatting down to meet her eyes, and asking, "You're sure you didn't take anything, right?"

The woman shouted in a sharp voice, "Don't listen to her! No thief ever admits to stealing! She's been following me all the way."

The girl stammered, "I was following her because I overheard her mention buying cookies. I couldn't locate the place where they sold cookies, so I just...

In one hand, the girl held a gray package containing the cheapest type of energy biscuits.

In her other hand, which was poised to unzip her jacket, she clutched a 50-cent coin tightly.

As Ophelia looked at the girl, it was as if she saw herself from the past.

Back then, Ophelia went through something similar, letting people search her to prove she was innocent.

However, being forced to undress to prove her innocence was an insult. Even the police couldn't search someone without concrete evidence, let alone a regular citizen. Later, Ophelia's grandma told her, "Anyone can look down on you, but you must never look down on yourself."

Now, Ophelia said to the girl, "If you're innocent, there's no need to prove it to anyone."

Back then, no one stood by Ophelia's side, but now she could stand by others.

The woman, surprised that Ophelia was defending a girl from the slums, looked Ophelia up and down and demanded, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you stole my stuff, so I should search you," Ophelia said in an icy tone. Despite her innocent face, she carried an aura of authority.

"Who stole your stuff? Stop making things up! And who do you think you are? Why should you search me?" the woman countered.

"And who are you to make her strip to prove her innocence?" asked Ophelia.

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Chapter 168

Her words left the woman momentarily speechless.

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"I... How can you compare us? Why are you standing up for a thief? You don't seem like a good person either!" the woman snapped back.

Ophelia retorted, "If you lost your belongings, call the police. Stop throwing baseless accusations. I've recorded everything you just said-slander and defamation." Hearing this, the woman immediately clammed up, suddenly too scared to speak.

The girl tugged at Ophelia's sleeve and said, "Miss, should I take off my coat and let her search me? The police would make me do it too."

This tone of submission deeply disturbed Ophelia.

People in the slums seemed used to having their dignity trampled on.

They knew that even if the police came, they wouldn't be on their side.

This was one of the reasons why Ophelia wanted to make fundamental changes to the place.

At that moment, a voice announced over the PA system, "Attention customers, if anyone has lost an iPhone 11, please proceed to the service desk to retrieve it." The announcement repeated twice.

The once assertive woman suddenly looked guilty and glanced away, saying, "Alright, I won't hold you accountable anymore."

As the woman was about to walk away, Ophelia suddenly blocked her way.

She said, "Apologize to her."

"Why should I apologize? If she hadn't acted so suspiciously, I wouldn't have doubted her. She should be blamed for looking like a thief... Oh!" the woman shouted. Suddenly, Ophelia grabbed the woman's wrist, her grip tightening just enough to make the woman wince in pain.

The woman screamed, "Oh, damn! It hurts! It hurts... She's hitting me! Help!"

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