America's Greatest Villain: I Defeat Magic with Magic

The lawyer arrived quickly and left quickly.

As a roar came from Huang Fugui's office, Lao Ma, who should have been washing dishes in the kitchen, rushed to the front hall in a panic.

"It's terrible! That white lawyer just said there's something wrong with the fried chicken we sell, causing a customer to suffer severe food poisoning, and he's demanding three million US dollars in compensation!"

Old Ma's words made everyone except Chen Yuan gasp in shock.

What a huge appetite!

Three million US dollars—most people present wouldn't earn that much in their entire lives.

"Oh no! This is it, we're doomed!"

Old Ma muttered to himself, pacing around in circles, his hands nervously rubbing against his greasy apron.

Old Cao, the chef who came out with him, couldn't help but say:

"I think he's probably trying to scam us. He's just trying to extort money from us because our snack business has been so good lately. Otherwise, we sold so many servings of fried chicken today, and all the other customers were fine, so why is he the only one who got sick? And even if he really did get sick from something we sell, we shouldn't have to pay so much."

"Old Cao, you don't understand!" Old Ma was jumping up and down in frustration. "You have a green card and a skill; if this restaurant closes, you can just find another one. But I'm working illegally! If the boss really gets into trouble and the immigration authorities come, I could be deported to South America to mine!"

Old Ma's words made Hu Dan and Su Nian, who were standing nearby, nervous as well. Although they were international students, they were working illegally, and if they were found out, they would also face the huge trouble of visa revocation and deportation.

Just as the employees were filled with worry, Boss Huang walked out of the corridor with a dark expression on his face.

After all, being extorted for three million US dollars is a huge sum of money that no one would be happy about.

He glanced at the empty front hall, his lips twitched for a moment, then suddenly turned his gaze to Su Nian standing at the window and asked:

"Xiao Su, were all the ingredients you used for lunch okay? Did anything unclean accidentally get mixed in?"

Su Nian was slightly taken aback, then replied with a hint of grievance:

"The ingredients are the same as usual; they were all delivered from the kitchen and I just put them in the pot."

"What about the production process? Was there anything wrong with it? With so many customers at lunchtime, you were so flustered, did you put something in the wrong place?"

The barrage of obviously leading questions from Boss Huang made Su Nian's face turn slightly pale.

Before she could answer, Hu Dan quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"Boss, the process is exactly the same as usual. I even went to the food area to help out during peak hours and kept a close eye on things. Su Nian is very meticulous, so there won't be any mistakes."

Boss Huang's gaze remained somewhat unfriendly. He turned to Chen Yuan and asked again:

"Did you notice anything unusual while you were keeping watch in the front hall?"

Chen Yuan shook his head and answered truthfully:

"Aside from having more customers than usual today, Su Nian and Hu Dan's work processes are running smoothly."

After listening to Chen Yuan's words, Boss Huang gave him a gloomy look.

At the same time, a red information panel suddenly appeared above Boss Huang's head:

[Target: Huang Fugui, 58 years old, owner of Rongdingge Chinese Restaurant in South Los Angeles]

[Recent criminal acts: Due to suspected food poisoning of customers caused by fried snacks sold outside the restaurant, in order to avoid huge civil compensation, the restaurant is planning to file a police complaint against the waiter Su Nian for illegally selling toxic and substandard meat.]

Looking at this shocking information, Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

Boss Huang, with a gloomy expression, waved his hand and said:

"Business hasn't been good these past few evenings, so everyone should leave early. And nobody is allowed to talk about what happened today!"

After saying that, he left the restaurant without looking back, most likely to go and discuss countermeasures with a lawyer.

After half an hour.

Chen Yuan, Hu Dan, and Su Nian gathered together at a newly opened Xue Wang Milk Tea shop not far from Rongding Pavilion.

Su Nian had originally planned to treat Hu Dan and Chen Yuan to milk tea. Hu Dan was also worried about her off-campus job being exposed, so she suggested coming to this shop to discuss countermeasures.

Hu Dan and Su Nian each ordered a coconut milk tea, while Chen Yuan ordered an iced Americano.

"I wonder what the difference is between the Snow King snow leopards in Los Angeles and those in China?"

Hu Dan took a curious sip, then gave a strange look.

"It's too sweet! I only asked for 50% sugar."

"I heard that five parts sugar in the United States is equivalent to the lethal dose of total sugar in China."

Su Nian echoed softly, also taking a careful sip of milk tea, her expression equally indescribable.

Because it was time to leave work, she had changed out of her usual work clothes and was now wearing a beige knitted sweater, paired with a fitted dark plaid skirt and black thick leggings.

Even under the dim lighting of the bubble tea shop, her delicate features and natural scholarly air still drew frequent glances from several young Chinese men nearby.

Chen Yuan also tried the coffee from a Chinese brand and found that it wasn't much different from the mainstream flavors in ordinary coffee shops in Los Angeles, but the price was indeed very competitive.

Suddenly, Hu Dan asked, "Brother Chen, have you ever been to China?"

Chen Yuan shook his head: "I've always wanted to go and see it, but I've never had the chance."

Su Nian was somewhat surprised and said softly, "Brother Chen's Mandarin is so standard, I thought you grew up in China."

Chen Yuan shook his head again, showing no intention of delving deeper into the topic.

Hu Dan, who was standing nearby, had probably heard Lin Xiaoxiao mention the tragedy that Chen Yuan's parents had died, and quickly changed the subject:

"Brother Chen, do you think Boss Huang will really be extorted this time? What if that lawyer attracts the immigration officers? Will Xiao Su and I get implicated and deported?"

Su Nian also asked, somewhat puzzled:

"To conclude that someone was poisoned by our fried chicken just because they collapsed in front of our restaurant is absurd! Don't the police rely on evidence?"

Hu Dan sighed, "Isn't that how it's always portrayed in American TV shows? Those swindlers hire actors specifically to extort money. It's probably because our food stall has been doing too well lately that these bloodsuckers have their eyes on us."

Seeing the increasingly worried expressions on their faces, Chen Yuan put down his coffee.

Having already drunk the coffee Su Nian had treated them to, and given how utterly disgusting Boss Huang's plans were, Chen Yuan felt it was time to give these two little white rabbits a real American survival lesson.

He placed his hands on the table, looked at Su Nian sitting opposite him, and said bluntly:

"If I were Mr. Huang, facing a claim of three million, I would definitely not go to a lawyer to fight a food safety lawsuit."

"I will find a way to turn this civil dispute into a personal criminal offense."

"Trying to shift the blame to others?"

Hu Dan murmured, then suddenly shivered and turned her gaze to Su Nian beside her.

Su Nian clearly understood Chen Yuan's meaning instantly, and her already fair cheeks lost all color.

After all, working illegally is one thing; at worst, it just means having to drop out of school and being deported.

However, if someone is falsely accused of intentionally poisoning someone and causing serious injury, that is a serious crime that could lead to a lifetime in federal prison!

Chen Yuan ignored the fear in Su Nian's eyes and continued to state the facts:

"If I'm not mistaken, Boss Huang will call you into his office for a talk first thing tomorrow morning. He'll use both soft and hard tactics to get you to admit that the food poisoning was caused by your unauthorized actions."

"How could he do this?!" Hu Dan slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Su Nian sold those scraps exactly as he instructed! Why should she take the blame?"

"The facts are irrelevant. For Mr. Huang, the only way to absolve himself of primary responsibility for the restaurant's food poisoning is to prove that the incident was not due to operational error, but rather a deliberate act of misconduct by an employee!"

Chen Yuan looked at the dumbfounded Su Nian and Hu Dan, and continued:

"Do you think Los Angeles judges and health officials would trust an international student without a legal work visa, or a business owner who has paid taxes here for over a decade and owns legitimate businesses?"

These words shattered the last glimmer of hope in Su Nian's heart.