Inside the World Plaza.
Two women are strolling along the street, chatting and laughing.
Bang!
Someone gently bumped into the two from behind. The two turned around and only saw a back view, so they didn't pay any attention.
Universal Plaza!
In 2014, it was extremely popular in Songjiang and was a must-visit for many people to shop for clothes and go shopping. In particular, middle-class people or ordinary people who wanted to broaden their horizons would come to Huanyu Plaza to stroll around.
One of the girls said, "Xiaomei! Your lipstick is a bit faded, do you want to reapply it..."
"Ah... okay!"
The girl immediately opened her bag to take out her lipstick to touch up her makeup, but she froze as soon as she opened it to find that her lipstick and several other cosmetics were all gone...
"Where are my cosmetics...?"
"You didn't forget to bring it, did you? Use mine..."
"I didn't forget to bring it, and I just touched up my makeup! How could it suddenly be gone..."
"Could it have been stolen?!"
"Impossible! This is the Huanyu Plaza shopping mall; no thief would dare come to a mall like this..."
"But where did the things go..."
"It probably fell out when you were getting something else..."
"Is that so..."
Xiao Mei was still full of doubt and confusion. She didn't remember taking anything out of her bag, but she didn't insist that it had been stolen. After all, the things in her bag weren't valuable cosmetics; they were all ordinary.
At that very moment.
Sudden.
Argumentation could be heard coming from a nearby shop:
"You didn't even bring your wallet? So forgetful! How could you forget something like that? Now you can't buy clothes, what are you going to say..."
"I definitely brought it..."
"You brought it, of course you brought it... You lied to me..."
"Why would I lie? Wait... I just remembered someone bumped into me, he must have stolen my wallet... Damn it! There's a pickpocket in your mall... A pickpocket... Call the police immediately..."
"Sir, don't panic! It's possible it fell somewhere. Don't call J yet, let us help you look for it..."
"Then go ahead and look for it..."
...
now.
Xiao Mei and her companions all frowned.
Xiaomei: "Did you hear that? It sounds like he got robbed too? Could there really be a thief?"
"No way! It's probably just a coincidence..."
Is it a coincidence?
Xiao Mei doesn't really think so!
therefore.
They couldn't help but stop and watch.
...
Two minutes later.
The man had lost patience and wanted to report J again.
now.
The mall manager rushed over to stop him: "Sir, don't report it yet. We can't be sure if it was stolen right now. We have CCTV cameras in the mall. I'll have someone check the footage to see if it was dropped there. Maybe someone has already picked it up and put it in the lost and found."
Man: "Fine! I'll give you ten more minutes for your sake. I think it's the same guy who bumped into me who stole it... You're responsible for thieves you encounter in your mall, you know that..."
Mall Manager: "Sir, rest assured! We guarantee that we will never shirk our responsibilities. Huanyu Plaza has a good reputation."
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man calm down. After all, if a pickpocket appeared in the square and the security guards had to come, it would definitely have an impact, and he, as the manager on duty, would also be implicated. When he encountered this situation, he would definitely try to calm the man down as soon as possible.
Let's downplay this!
Let's make a small matter go!
Given the limited funds available, the mall manager has decided to offer some coupons as compensation to see if that resolves the issue.
Indeed!
Just as he was thinking this to himself.
Sudden.
A gasp came from downstairs:
"Oh no... a thief? My wallet is gone... it contained the only photo my grandmother ever left me..."
"Waaaaah..."
There's a thief!
That sound was very sharp.
These three words immediately caused a stir.
Many people instinctively checked their bags and belongings, and then gasps of surprise rang out:
"Oh my god? Where did my takoyaki go? I was just holding it in my hand..."
"I just bought these underwear at the store?! They steal underwear too... Have they no humanity...꒰╬•᷅д•᷄╬꒱..."
"Where's my hat? I was just wearing it..."
"My employee ID is gone? Who would steal that thing...?"
"Ah... my bag zipper is open too... who stole my tissue for blowing my nose... (ಠ.̫.̫ ಠ).."
In a short time.
The screams of those who had been robbed were deafening, filling the entire mall with shouts.
This time:
The entire mall's customers were in an uproar.
Everyone is on edge!
Everyone instinctively clutched their bags tightly, afraid of being stolen, since there were at least a hundred people who had just exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone is afraid of becoming the next victim!
Shopping mall manager: »ू(͒ˑ•᷄͡ꇵ͒•᷅͒)ू?!
He listened to the cries of alarm from those being robbed, his head buzzing, feeling utterly incredulous.
How is that possible?
So many people were robbed?
What's wrong!
A gang of thieves broke in?
The manager was at a loss. This large-scale theft was something he couldn't suppress or handle. He hurriedly contacted his superiors. Actually, he didn't need to contact the mall's general manager, who had already been drawn out by the commotion. Upon receiving the news, he immediately knew that a theft gang had arrived.
His face darkened.
Damn it!
They've dared to bully them in their own backyard?
He had heard of similar situations: some shopping malls would be targeted by theft gangs when they opened, causing panic among customers and resulting in a significant decrease in foot traffic. In order to reduce the loss of foot traffic and maintain the reputation of the mall, many shopping malls had to compromise with those theft gangs and pay them a certain amount of money.
But that applies to small shopping malls!
What is their Universal Plaza?
That's a behemoth! In Songjiang, they're a respectable person; when did it become the place for lowlifes to threaten them?
This is outrageous!
The mall manager picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered: "All security personnel assemble. No one is allowed to leave the mall at this time. Deploy security personnel immediately to check suspicious persons in the plaza."
After saying that.
He took out his phone and called the captain, whom he knew well in the security area.
...
The entire square is closed off!
A large number of security personnel gathered and began to search the building, making the customers who came to buy things look a little flustered.
In response to this.
The mall's general manager announced over the loudspeaker: "Dear customers: I am the general manager of the mall. I sincerely apologize for the theft that has occurred in the mall, resulting in many customers having their belongings stolen. However, I assure you that the police have been notified and we will assist them in catching the thief and recovering your lost items. Huanyu Plaza will take full responsibility!"
He spoke with conviction and a strong sense of responsibility.
Regarding this!
Many of the customers who had been robbed quieted down, and the commotion in the mall was temporarily brought under control.