Chapter 3

The cockroaches had already been fried to a crispy golden brown in the clear hot oil.

This was definitely not something I had brought with me.

I had checked my cart several times before setting up. There was no way I could have such a hygiene issue.

Was it because we were so close to the restroom?

Or was there another possibility...

I looked up and stared directly at Marcus, who was busy with a crowd of students.

As if sensing my gaze, Marcus suddenly turned his head.

He raised his eyebrows at me triumphantly.

So it was them who did this!

Just as I confirmed my suspicion, I saw a vendor to my left seemingly receive a signal from Marcus.

The man wiped his hands on his pants and walked straight towards me.

Before he even got close, he started shouting.

"Oh my god! Your oil is full of cockroaches!"

The man's exclamation immediately drew the attention of parents dropping off their kids.

For the first time, this secluded corner became the center of attention.

"Holy crap! It's true, look at those cockroach legs still twitching!"

The man pinched his nose and changed his tone.

"What kind of person serves such filthy food to children? Who knows what other disgusting things are going on behind the scenes. Maybe he's even using gutter oil!"

"Quick! Take a picture of him! We can't let this scammer get away with it!"

Someone shouted, and suddenly a barrage of camera flashes went off in my face.

I quickly shielded my eyes and lifted up my oil container.

"This is branded oil, I guarantee I'm not using any gutter oil!" I protested.

"The cockroaches in my fryer were put there by someone else on purpose!"

My explanation barely managed to quiet the crowd when the man who started the commotion spoke up again.

"How do we know you didn't just put gutter oil in that container? And who would put cockroaches in your fryer? Are you trying to frame someone?"

I met the man's challenging gaze, knowing I had no evidence even though I knew they were behind this.

At this moment, Old Joe came over and tried to reason with the instigator.

"Come on, Sam, why are you doing this? The young man is just trying to make an honest living."

With a long sigh, Old Joe turned to address the crowd.

"Everyone, I can vouch that this young man is not what you think. I've been selling here for over a decade. If you trust me, I'll keep an eye on him for you all..."

Old Joe's words sent a wave of warmth through me. We had only just met as strangers.

But before he could finish, Sam cut him off.

"Old man, are you looking to quit this job? Or maybe you're in cahoots with him!"

Faced with Sam's blatant threat, Old Joe's weathered face turned bright red.

I gently pushed Old Joe aside, not wanting the old man to get further involved in this mess.

After a brief silence, the observing parents erupted again.

"Old Joe, don't let this guy fool you! I've never seen this vendor before when dropping off my kid. He must be some scammer from out of town!"

"Young and already so crooked! Kids have delicate stomachs, how could they handle this kind of food?"

"My cousin's child got severe food poisoning from eating at a street stall like this. They couldn't save him in the end."

"Come on everyone, let's drive him out of here!"

Seeing the crowd pushing towards me and the contaminated oil in my fryer, I knew I wouldn't be able to continue business on my first day.

Under the triumphant gazes of Marcus and his cronies, I pushed away my carefully prepared cart in defeat.

Well, well. The same old story.

Two weeks ago, I was framed at my company in a similar fashion.

A coworker, jealous of my $500,000 annual salary, deliberately sabotaged one of my projects.

Luckily I managed to fix it in time before it became a major issue.

But by then, I was already tired of office politics, so I didn't pursue the matter further and let them off the hook.

But I'm not one to always turn the other cheek. I can't keep swallowing my pride everywhere I go.

That night, I made a phone call.

"Hello, I'd like to buy all the shops on that street."