014 The slap resounded loudly

The woman inquired, "Excuse me, do you have a fitting room, sir?" As she spoke, she held a set of sheer fabric in her hand.

Glancing over, Zhang Ziwen noted the ultra-thin, sky-blue lace-trimmed lingerie. After spending a day in the shop, he was somewhat familiar with the more provocative items, like the sheer thong the woman held, bold in style and outrageously sexy.

Noticing his distracted demeanor, the woman furrowed her brow. "I'm asking you a question."

"What? Oh, a fitting room, right? Yes, it's over there," Zhang Ziwen gestured towards the small door at the foot of the stairs.

Seeing his absent-mindedness, the woman gave him a displeased look.

Though the fitting room door was closed, leaving ample room for Zhang Ziwen's imagination, the faint sounds emanating from within made his heart skip a beat. Perhaps she had already donned the transparent thong. His mind filled with lascivious thoughts, imagining how seductive the lingerie would look on the occupant. The mere thought of the allure within the fitting room stirred him, causing a reaction below that even pants couldn't conceal.

Retreating to sit behind the glass counter, Zhang Ziwen feared any sudden movements might reveal his arousal. With a counter in place, at least he needn't worry about any embarrassing bulges.

After a considerable while, the woman emerged from the fitting room, still holding the set of sky-blue lingerie.

"Sir, how much is this set?" The woman had now approached the counter.

"Let me check." Zhang Ziwen opened the computer to find the price of the lingerie.

Quickly, the style of the lingerie appeared on the screen. Crafted from high-quality French brand Lise Charmel's delicate lace, the price was not cheap, at 1688 yuan.

Thinking he might have made a mistake, Zhang Ziwen hesitated. Could this sheer fabric be so expensive? It was so light, barely weighing anything. Could it really cost over a thousand? Double-checking, he found he hadn't erred.

"Hurry up, haven't you found the price yet?" The woman urged impatiently.

"Oh, I found it. It's 1688 yuan," Zhang Ziwen reported the price, feeling a bit awkward. He felt like he was running a shady business.

"Okay, here's 1700, no need for change." The woman took out a stack of bills from her purse and handed them over, then passed the lingerie to him. "Please pack this for me."

Stuffing the money into the drawer of the counter haphazardly, Zhang Ziwen was unsure how to proceed with the lingerie in his hand. How was he supposed to package it? He felt a headache coming on.

Seeing him holding the lingerie lost in thought, the woman frowned. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and pack it."

"I don't know how to pack," Zhang Ziwen apologized with a smile.

"You don't know how to pack? I really wonder how you manage as the owner," the woman grew even more impatient.

"I'm sorry, I'm just filling in temporarily. How about you take it as it is?" 

"That's not acceptable. This is intimate wear. What if it gets dirty?" Suddenly realizing her directness, the woman's face reddened slightly as she continued, "Could you open the counter? I'll find the packaging myself. There should be a box."

Zhang Ziwen pushed open the glass counter but dared not stand up, as the temptation of the lingerie in his hand was causing a strong reaction below. The counter was narrow, and as the woman bent down to search below, he caught a glimpse of her cleavage peeking out from her sundress. The brassiere was made of purple satin, its color vibrant, enveloping her full, snowy bosom, adding an air of mystery and allure. The scent of her perfume wafted over, intoxicating.

The slight hint of springiness before him made Zhang Ziwen's lower body restless. He took several deep breaths to quell the turmoil within, pondering whether another man would remain seated like him, or if he would act impulsively. Perhaps, in that fleeting moment of temptation, the line between offender and offense would blur, he thought, the actions of a would-be rapist a mere thought away.

"All right, I finally found it," the woman said as she squatted down, holding a plastic bag and an exquisite box. Looking up, she reached out her hand and said, "Give it to me."

Zhang Ziwen's eyes were fixed on the tantalizing glimpse of cleavage revealed by her sundress, lost in thoughts of sexual assault, and he failed to notice her words.

The woman abruptly stood up, snatching the provocative lingerie from his hand, her face flushed with anger as she scolded, "Where are you looking, you wretched scoundrel?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Zhang Ziwen was jolted by her scolding, blushing as he stammered out an apology, realizing he was indeed at fault.

"Hmph, you didn't mean to? Who would believe that? You wretched scoundrel," the woman cursed as she stuffed the lingerie into a plastic bag.

"I've already apologized to you, haven't I? Don't be so unreasonable," Zhang Ziwen started to feel irritated. The words "wretched scoundrel" were truly grating.

"What are you being so stubborn for? You're the one ogling, so you deserve to be scolded," the woman retorted, disdainfully casting a glance at him.

"Don't speak so harshly, will you? What 'ogling'? What 'wretched scoundrel'? What did I even ogle at?" Zhang Ziwen stood up and glared at her, his arousal from earlier now fully subsided.

"Why are you glaring like that? You say you weren't ogling?" The woman looked at him contemptuously. "Fine, I'll just call you a wretched scoundrel. What are you going to do? Dare to do anything to me? Dare to peek but not admit it? Not much of a man, are you?"

"I dare not admit it? Then tell me, what did I even look at?" Zhang Ziwen was quite displeased with her aggressive attitude, even if he did sneak a glance at her cleavage earlier, he was determined not to confess now.

"You... you rogue," the woman hesitated to accuse him directly of ogling her chest, gritting her teeth in frustration. "You scoundrel, are you even a man?"

"I'm not a man? Why don't you try me?" Zhang Ziwen retorted sarcastically, seeing a glimpse of a policewoman's authority in the woman's demeanor, he decided to be less polite with her.

"You..." The woman was infuriated, her face flushed with anger as she strode forward and raised her hand. With a resounding slap, Zhang Ziwen bore the brunt of five finger marks on his face.

Zhang Ziwen hadn't expected the woman to resort to violence without warning. His vision blurred momentarily as he felt the searing pain on his face. He couldn't believe he, with his skill, had fallen into such a trap. He chuckled bitterly, blaming his inherent sluggishness when faced with a beautiful woman. It served him right for getting slapped.

Seeing Zhang Ziwen sitting there, smiling wryly after being slapped, the woman sneered, muttering disdainfully, "Pathetic, you're not even a man."

The woman had probably vented her anger with that slap, so she slung the lingerie over her shoulder and turned to leave, shooting Zhang Ziwen a contemptuous glance.

"You... you wait!" Zhang Ziwen saw the woman about to leave the shop and felt unwilling to let her go without a confrontation.

The woman stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked back at him disdainfully.

"You hit someone and you want to leave just like that?" Zhang Ziwen confronted the woman, his speech a bit awkward when facing her directly.

"I think I'm perfectly justified, you deserve it," the woman raised her eyebrows, saying, "There's nothing more to say. I'm leaving. Don't delay the lady's shopping."

"You!" Zhang Ziwen saw her speaking arrogantly, completely disregarding him, and felt a surge of anger. He really wanted to slap her beautiful face. 

"What 'you'? Are you still unsatisfied?" The woman noticed his reluctance to let it go and challenged him, "What do you want? Do you want compensation for your medical expenses?"

"You're hitting someone and still think you're in the right?" Zhang Ziwen faced the woman, his words a bit dim-witted, "That's just ridiculous."

"I think I'm perfectly justified. You deserve it," the woman raised her eyebrows, saying, "There's nothing more to say. I'm leaving. Can the lady go now?" She looked down on Zhang Ziwen even more after seeing him retreat, no longer wanting to argue with him.