Chapter 19
"I can't accept this, Director! Aren't you going to do anything? Call the police!" Tang Yao quickened her pace and finally saw the speaker—it was Zheng Xinrui.
In front of her was a pot of flowers, badly damaged.
The beautiful blossoms were now scattered and covered in dirt.
The live-streaming equipment had been shut down, and the scene was chaotic.
"What happened?" Tang Yao asked, walking into the center of the crowd.
"Yao Yao, Zheng Xinrui ruined a pot of flowers. According to the contract she signed with Director Huang Yong, she should pay ten times the damage, but Zheng Xinrui refused to pay," Xiao Yue said.
"It's not that I refuse to compensate, but this is outrageous! What kind of flower can sell for over ten thousand? This is clearly fraud, boss. Did you make your fortune through fraud?" Before Huang Yong could say anything, Zheng Xinrui interrupted.
“Yao Yao, can we not pay compensation? Let bygones be bygones,” Xu Wan frowned. “We all know these flowers… shouldn’t be worth that much.”
Xu Wan tried to smooth things over, glancing around the guesthouse as she spoke. Her meaning was clear.
She was so certain because she had previously investigated Tang Yao and her biological parents. The information showed that Tang Yao and her parents had always lived in this small town, running a guesthouse whose business fluctuated, and barely making ends meet.
In Xu Wan’s eyes, this kind of life was impoverished, completely incomparable to the Xu Family’s lifestyle.
Therefore, Xu Wan’s opinion was the same as Zheng Xinrui’s. They both felt that Tang Yao had exaggerated the value of the plants in the guesthouse.
Seeing Xu Wan speaking up for her, Zheng Xinrui instantly found Xu Wan much more agreeable.
“I repeatedly reminded everyone before recording that not a single plant in the guesthouse should be damaged,” Huang Yong said helplessly, facing the clamoring Zheng Xinrui.
"How was it damaged?" Tang Yao ignored Zheng Xinrui and Xu Wan, turning to Xiao Yue.
"She damaged it intentionally. She bumped into the flowerpot earlier, causing a flower to fall. After I warned her, she picked up the flowerpot and smashed it on the ground, telling me she had money and could break two more to compensate us," Xiao Yue stated the events in a matter-of-fact manner.
"If it was accidentally damaged, we can forgo compensation, but for such malicious damage, let's stick to our original contract," Tang Yao said bluntly. "This flower is called White Tea, a rare variety. Ordinary White Tea on the market usually costs over 100,000 yuan. Mine is of much higher quality, probably over 200,000 yuan. I'll compromise and give you 150,000 yuan, making it 1.5 million yuan. Pay me back."
"What White Tea? This is just an ordinary flower!!" Hearing the exorbitant compensation of 1.5 million yuan, Zheng Xinrui broke out in a cold sweat.
She hadn't earned any money for the company yet, so naturally, the company wouldn't pay such a high compensation for her. Regardless of whether the potted plant was truly worth that much, she could only insist that Tang Yao had deliberately inflated the price.
Xu Wan's face clearly showed her disapproval, but Tang Yao didn't even glance at her.
Huang Yong and the guests had also signed a contract not to damage the guesthouse's plants. Most of the compensation would be borne by the guests themselves, with Huang Yong's side paying relatively little.
He was worried that Zheng Xinrui's continued commotion would affect the show's progress.
Zheng Xinrui was currently shouting fiercely, refusing to pay compensation.
"Since you don't believe me, then let an expert come and assess it. I've already contacted them. They'll be here soon." Holding his phone, Lu Bei walked back.
Zheng Xinrui's face paled instantly. Her eyes filled with pitiful vulnerability as she looked at Lu Bei. Unfortunately, Lu Bei went straight to Tang Yao to speak, not even glancing at her.
Then, Xu Wan whispered something in her ear and Zheng Xinrui regained her composure.
After waiting for about an hour, the expert Lu Bei had found finally arrived.
The expert was an elderly man with gray hair. His breathing quickened when he saw the flowers and plants in the guesthouse's courtyard.
"This...this..." the old man stammered excitedly, "These flowers are all rare treasures!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xinrui's face instantly turned ashen.
"White tea, red mist, ghost-faced orchid, snow orchid—where did you get all of these?" the old man continued excitedly, even pulling out a magnifying glass from his pocket to examine them closely.
Soon, the old man saw the pot of white tea that had been smashed on the ground, and his face immediately showed heartache: "Who did this?! Such good quality! What a pity!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xinrui instinctively took a step back.
"You...can you be mistaken? These shouldn't be such precious flowers," Xu Wan stepped forward, trying to refute the old man's statement.
"I couldn't possibly be mistaken. Although I'm old, my eyesight is still excellent." The old man turned and glanced at Xu Wan, his gaze quite authoritative.
Xu Wan gave an awkward smile and remained silent.
After the old man's appraisal, the broken white teapot, due to its excellent condition, was valued at at least 300,000 yuan on the market.
Tang Yao, however, only agreed to the price of 150,000 yuan.
The contract was clearly written in black and white, leaving Zheng Xinrui with no choice but to comply. She left with a pale face, dialing someone's number as she went, presumably to raise the money.
Xu Wan, clearly incredulous, stared at the courtyard with disbelief and a hint of regret.
The old gentleman who appraised the plants, surnamed Liu, was an expert in the field of plants and a professor in the Botany Department of Q University, though his expertise was relatively niche and not widely known.
Tang Yao invited Mr. Liu and Lu Bei to have a meal in her rooftop garden.
It was Lu Bei's first time there. His gaze fell upon the cozy and comfortable little garden. A warmth he himself didn't realize tinged within.
Mr. Liu, on the other hand, was captivated by the flowers and plants in the garden.
Xiao Li had prepared a large feast for them, which Mr. Liu enjoyed it immensely and praised it repeatedly.
Before leaving, the old gentleman spent 180,000 yuan to buy a small potted red mist plant.
Tang Yao had originally intended to give it to him directly, but the old mister insisted on paying for it, and finally left, carefully protecting the plant.
"I owe you another favor," Tang Yao said to Lu Bei beside her.
Lu Bei smiled: "It’s just a small favor. If you feel bad about it, Boss Tang, you can treat me to a few more meals."
"Okay," Tang Yao nodded with a smile in agreement.
While the atmosphere was harmonious on one side, Zheng Xinrui was in deep trouble on the other.
The company learned the truth from the production team: Zheng Xinrui had started the trouble, and they were even less willing to help with the compensation.
"Are you brain-dead? We're here to earn viewership, and you think you're a top star? You're not even famous yet, and you're already acting like a diva, saying you're rich and can pay whatever you want. Then show me the money! What's the point of calling me now?!" Zheng Xinrui's manager roared on the phone.
"I know I was wrong, Elder Sis Huang, can you help me think of a solution? I really can't come up with that much money," Zheng Xinrui said softly, a flash of resentment in her eyes.
"What can I do!" the manager said. After a few minutes of silence, the manager spoke again, "I can help you negotiate with the company, but your contract might need to be changed."
Zheng Xinrui was taken aback before she reluctantly agreed. The changed contract meant she would have to do the hardest work for the lowest pay and unconditionally obey all the company's arrangements.
That evening, Zheng Xinrui posted an update on the platform.
"I blame myself for not being a top-tier celebrity. I can only compromise when people ask for exorbitant prices and have to swallow all my bitterness. You only see the surface of my situation; who understands the pain inside?"
Because many people were following the show recently, netizens flooded the comment section shortly after Zheng Xinrui posted her update.
“What's going on? This green tea changed her style?"
"Is she bullied? Isn't she filming 'Escape from the City' right now?"
"Trying to get clicks again, posting random, incomprehensible nonsense. Enough already."
"My focus is on the exorbitant prices. What does this mean?"
Netizens had differing opinions, but because Zheng Xinrui wasn't well-liked on the show, few people spoke up for her.
Until an anonymous netizen appeared in the comments section.
"I know what happened. Zheng Xinrui accidentally broke a potted plant at the guesthouse, and they demanded 1.5 million yuan from her. The owner was very aggressive. My relative is from Wanhua Town. It's causing quite a stir."
"Holy crap, really? 1.5 million yuan for a potted plant? Is it made of gold or diamonds?"
"Is that the owner from the Ouyang Hua incident? She doesn't seem like that kind of person."
"No wonder the live stream suddenly stopped at noon. The director said it was an equipment problem."
"No wonder Ouyang Hua harassed this kind of person. Maybe she went after him herself and when they couldn’t agree on a price, things fell apart."
"Let's all be rational while eating melon. There might be a twist."
"Judging from that owner's appearance, she's not a decent person. A woman running such a big guesthouse can't manage it without some 'methods'."
Hiding behind the screen, Zheng Xinrui looked at the consequences of her secret account's revelation and the insults and rumors about Tang Yao in the comments. She couldn't help but show a gleeful expression.
The comment section gradually veered off course, with the slander and insults against Tang Yao relentless. Occasionally, a rational netizen would advise everyone to remain calm before knowing the full truth, but this was interpreted by others as siding with Tang Yao, resulting in angry rebuttals.
Netizens didn't actually want to know the truth. As long as they waved the banner of so-called justice, they flocked to the cause, believing themselves to be embodiments of righteousness.
Under Zheng Xinrui's deliberate manipulation, the matter escalated and even trended on social media.
Many netizens tagged the Wanhua Town Administration for Business and the police, urging them to intervene.
Therefore, when Tang Yao, who had just finished showering, received calls from the police and the Administration for Business and was still somewhat bewildered.
The woman on the other end of the line seriously told her that they had received reports from the public accusing her of price gouging, overcharging, and extortion.
Only then did Tang Yao learn what had happened from the woman.
She explained the situation clearly to the person on the other end of the phone, mentioning that she had the contract and surveillance footage, and sent them her contact information.
The woman seemed quite sympathetic, advising, "There are many people spreading rumors online these days. You can contact the cyber police to investigate, or you can choose to file a lawsuit. If you have evidence, I suggest you post it online as soon as possible to clarify things."
After hanging up, Tang Yao took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Then she opened Weibo and clicked on the trending topics.
The comments below were still filled with chaotic speculation and insults.
Zheng Xinrui was the beneficiary of this incident. Her followers instantly increased by over 100,000. Some people followed her to see what would happen next, while others felt sorry for her and her fearlessness in the face of power turned haters to fans.
Tang Yao discovered that people were also doxxing her.
In the end, some information was indeed dug up. People knew that her parents were deceased and that she had returned home after graduating from university to inherit the guesthouse.
Seeing people in the comments section posting her photos and attacking her deceased parents, Tang Yao's face instantly turned cold.
She began preparing evidence for her counterattack, memorizing the IDs of the most vocal individuals.
Just as Zheng Xinrui was feeling smug, a twist occurred.
Tang Yao registered a Weibo account called "The Garden Within The Memories," posting a surveillance video and a photo.
The surveillance video clearly and completely recorded the entire sequence of events: Zheng Xinrui knocking over the flowerpot, Xiao Yue's gentle reminder, Zheng Xinrui's arrogant act of smashing the entire pot, and the conversation after Tang Yao's return.
The photo was the contract with the production team, clearly stating a tenfold compensation for damaged plants.
Immediately afterward, Tang Yao gave them no chance to breathe, releasing footage of Mr. Liu's assessment of the plants and his findings.
The twist came quickly and fiercely. Before Zheng Xinrui could react, the comments section had shifted dramatically.
Not only did her newly gained followers disappear, netizens flooded her comments section with insults.
However, some netizens questioned whether Mr. Liu's claim of being an expert was genuine, given that the potted plant looked ordinary and unremarkable.
Soon, students from Q University spoke up.
"Watch your words. This is the most respected professor in our Q University's Botany Department. He was supposed to be retired, but he was rehired. He's a nationally certified expert in horticulture. No one is more authoritative than him."
"If you say Professor Liu is fake, be careful of retaliation from Q University students. Professor Liu is our school's 'male god’. His lectures are humorous and engaging, and he's very kind!"
"Let me tell you the truth, the orchid next to that white tea plant is worth at least seven figures."
Just as the online discussion was heating up, Ji Mingquan also spoke out. His words were filled with anger.
"This precious item was just smashed like that! I begged for so long to get even one, and they still tried to smear Boss Tang! Young people these days are too impatient and restless!"
Ji Mingquan's Weibo account was verified, prominently displaying the words: Chairman of the Ji Group.
When he spoke out, no one dared to question him.
"I never thought Chairman Ji would have to beg to buy something. Looks like the gap between Chairman Ji and me has narrowed a bit more."
"Chairman Ji begged to buy flowers worth six or seven figures, while you're agonizing over a few dozen yuan for takeout."
With Ji Mingquan and the Q University student testifying, the reversal of events was practically a done deal.
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