Chapter 20
"Zheng Xinrui is so tea. She was so arrogant when she broke someone's flowers, but now that she has to pay compensation, she's playing the victim online."
"The owner said that unless it was intentional, there's no need to pay compensation. After all, plants are in a public area and everyone makes mistakes sometimes."
"That's just something the owner said on purpose, isn't it? Who would be so kind as to waive the compensation for flowers worth tens of thousands of yuan that have been damaged?"
"It's true. My younger cousin sister works for the show, and she told me that she accidentally broke a leaf from a ghost orchid during filming and was terrified, but the owner didn't make her pay for it and even comforted her. She's a really kind person."
"I'm numb. I just checked, and the Ghost Orchid sells for seven figures on the market. The shop owner really doesn't care, after all, she dares to display the flowers outside."
"The shop owner is so pitiful. Rumors about her got spread by that disgusting guy. These people should apologize to the shop owner."
"Why would anyone attack a girl like that? I don't understand, it's disgusting."
Tang Yao's newly registered account instantly gained hundreds of thousands of followers. Everyone flocked to the comment section to express their opinions.
Those who had previously criticized Tang Yao seemed to have disappeared, not daring to show their faces again.
But Tang Yao didn't let these people off the hook. She sent lawyer's letters, suing all those who had been the most vocal in spreading rumors and insults.
Sharp-eyed observers noticed that two or three of them were Zheng Xinrui's alternate accounts, fanning the flames and spreading false information.
Netizens' impression of Zheng Xinrui worsened.
The entertainment company announced the termination of Zheng Xinrui's contract overnight and demanded compensation for breach of contract.
Zheng Xinrui now had another debt to pay.
The variety show "Escape from the City" also removed her from the program.
Zheng Xinrui packed her things and left early in the morning. Before leaving, she gave Tang Yao's small building a venomous look before turning away.
Having seen the trending topic, Xu Wan mentioned this incident to Xu Anguo and Sun Yulan.
"I think Yao Yao might have acted too extremely, leaving no way out for anyone. That girl is quite pitiful." Xu Wan vaguely described the events, focusing on Tang Yao's actions and embellishing the story as much as possible.
She didn't tell Xu Anguo and Sun Yulan how much Tang Yao's flowers and plants were worth, only saying that the online claims were exaggerated.
"She's really petty," Sun Yulan commented with a frown. "I don't know why you insisted on bringing her back. What if she upsets Wanwan?"
Xu Anguo's expression wasn't good either: "You don't understand. She has her uses. Wanwan, you don't need to worry about these things. Just persuade her to come back. Take care of yourself over there."
Xu Anguo's perfunctory concern didn't improve Xu Wan's mood. Her goal was to trample Tang Yao underfoot, but now Tang Yao seemed to be doing better and better.
Zheng Xinrui's departure didn't preclude the show from proceeding as scheduled.
Without Zheng Xinrui, the comments section seemed much calmer.
The newcomer, Sun Yi, was gradually finding his persona and gaining fans.
Huang Yong wiped his sweat off-screen. He felt his show had been plagued by misfortune and it was lucky that it was still going strong. He just hoped the remaining guests wouldn't cause any more trouble.
However, there were pros and cons; the show's popularity had soared even higher.
Huang Yong's boss was unsure whether to explode or scold him.
This episode ended in chaos once again.
Because the show revealed that the flowers in Tang Yao's garden were worth six or seven figures, they naturally attracted the attention of some people.
That night, Spirit Eye sent an alert to Tang Yao via her phone.
She checked the live security footage and saw a few people lurking suspiciously at the entrance of the guesthouse.
They were wearing masks and hats, so their faces were obscured.
They seemed to be checking for security cameras around the guesthouse and didn't notice the three people silently crouched on the wall.
After finding no cameras, they took out a ladder they had prepared, propped it against the wall, and prepared to climb over into the courtyard.
The first person climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard, but didn't signal for the others to come in for a while.
The people outside were getting impatient and whispered, "Ergou, Ergou, how's it going? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Seeing that there was still no response from inside, they were afraid that Ergou had secretly hidden the flowers, so they simply went up the ladder as well.
As soon as they landed, they were shocked by what they saw.
Xiao Yue, Xiao Li, and Xiao Ling were standing in front of them, holding Ergou, who was tightly bound.
Despair filled Er Gou's eyes. He wanted to warn his brothers, but he had been overpowered the moment he managed to turn over and had no time to speak.
Spirit Eye and Xiao Yue's systems were linked. If they detected anything unusual, the three of them would go to handle it.
Despite the three looking frail, they were highly skilled in combat.
It was worth noting that the interstellar world that produced these robots was renowned for its fighting robots. Even their domestic robots were equipped with a combat system to protect their owners.
Tang Yao hadn't even shown up and Xiao Yue and the other two had already taken these people to the police station, taken statements, and retrieved the guesthouse's surveillance footage.
Tang Yao also took the opportunity to post the footage on her Weibo account, partly to deter others and partly to show everyone that the guesthouse was full of surveillance cameras.
Now, she had hundreds of thousands of followers and the post immediately garnered dozens of comments.
"Is that Elder Sister Xiao Yue? She's usually so gentle, I never expected her martial arts skills to be so amazing."
"It’s like watching a kung fu movie. So cool!"
"My family is a martial arts family. I can tell you with certainty that all three young ladies have practiced for at least ten years. Their skills are very solid."
"Someone actually dared to set their eyes on the guesthouse. Have they never thought the owner has the real skills to dare put such expensive things out there?"
Various comments flooded in.
However, it did have a deterrent effect, at least making some people give up the idea.
But there were also those who were fearless and took their chances and they were all easily subdued by Xiao Yue and her two companions.
After sending a few groups of people to the police station, the guesthouse finally slowly returned to its former peace.
When Xu Wan returned to the capital, Sun Yulan greeted her at the door, asking about her well-being.
Xu Anguo was still busy at the company, while Xu Haocheng was still nowhere to be seen.
Compared to the days when her parents and younger brother were always around her, Xu Wan felt a sense of loss.
Her eyes instantly reddened.
Naturally, Sun Yulan felt distressed and quickly asked what was wrong.
"Mom, does Yao Yao really hate me?" Xu Wan asked with her eyes still red.
Sun Yulan frowned: "Did she upset you?"
Xu Wan wiped away her tears: "It's not Yao Yao's fault. I've taken up so much of her life for so many years; it's my fault."
"Didn't Mommy say you can’t be blamed? Why don't you come home? Don't put up with this anymore. But I don't know what's up with your dad. He insists that she come home. You have suffered." Sun Yulan patted Xu Wan's hand.
Xu Wan lowered her head, a fleeting emotion in her eyes. It seemed she wasn't the biological daughter after all; no matter what, she couldn't compare Tang Yao.
That evening, when Xu Anguo returned home, a thoughtful expression remained on his face.
"What's wrong with you? Wanwan came home today and you are all grumpy," Sun Yulan said disapprovingly.
"I was just thinking, when did Tang Yao get to know the chairman of the Ji Group? If we can get in touch with the Ji Group, the Chen Family isn’t much to see. They might even have to beg us for help," Xu Anguo said.
Sun Yulan paused in her act of patting water on her face. "Really? Is the Ji Group that powerful?"
Xu Anguo nodded. "But it doesn't seem like they're very close. Let's wait and see. If Tang Yao really does get along with the Ji Group, we have to bring her back no matter what."
"But we can't always make Wanwan suffer. Today, Wanwan said Tang Yao didn't like her and even threw a tantrum at her," Sun Yulan said.
"None of that matters. Just let Wanwan bear with it. We're all family. You should call Tang Yao occasionally."
Sun Yulan pouted, but didn't argue further.
…
Tang Yao received the custom-made bamboo basket from Grandpa Dong. It was sent over by Grandpa Dong's grandson, a shy young man who blushed easily when speaking.
After bringing the basket home, Tang Yao began making exquisite fruit baskets from the fruit available at the guesthouse.
Because the fruit was of excellent quality, the finished products were also very beautiful.
Tang Yao placed the fruit baskets at the entrance of Aunt Li's small shop across the street to sell. Because of their attractive appearance, they attracted a lot of business, significantly improving Aunt Li's shop's sales.
Aunt Li originally wanted to give Tang Yao all the money from the fruit baskets, but Tang Yao only took a portion, letting Aunt Li keep the rest.
Tang Yao was charging the cost price, leaving Aunt Li with a large profit margin. She knew Tang Yao was helping her and her heart warmed and her eyes welled up with tears.
Holding Tang Yao's hand for a long time, she couldn't speak. She just cooked her a chicken for dinner.
The older generation seemed to express their feelings this way; they don't say it directly, but instead go to great lengths to cook delicious food for you.
They believed that being able to eat was a blessing.
Before the third episode of the variety show aired, Tang Yao went to town to buy things and felt that some people were giving her strange looks.
But she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
Finally, a familiar vegetable vendor told her the truth.
"Everyone knows you're dating Chen Yong from the flower cake factory. I'm not saying this to be mean, Yao Yao, but this guy isn't very good," the vendor earnestly advised.
Tang Yao's brows furrowed so deeply they could practically trap a mosquito: "Me, dating Chen Yong? How come I didn't know?"
The auntie paused for a moment. Then she instantly understood, slapping her thigh: "This family is shameless! This morning I ran into Chen Yong's mother. When someone asked her if Chen Yong and you are getting married soon, she acted all arrogant and said you insisted on marrying her son."
"I knew it! They're completely mismatched!" another auntie chimed in.
After buying her things, Tang Yao thanked the two aunties before leaving.
Tang Yao was speechless at the Chen Yong family's self-righteous behavior.
She mentally plotted her retaliation.
As she walked home and just as she reached the entrance of the guesthouse, she saw a few people standing at the door arguing. Xiao Yue calmly responded with a few words.
"...This is my daughter-in-law's place. What's wrong with us going in to take a look? Don't even mention going in to take a look; after the wedding, all of this will belong to the Chen Family." A middle-aged woman stood at the door, arms crossed, and spoke arrogantly.
"We can't just let anyone in without the boss's permission," Xiao Yue replied calmly.
"I said, why are you so stubborn? When your boss gets back, the first thing she'll do is fire you!"
The middle-aged woman was Chen Yong's mother, Wu Cuiju, and the people with her were Chen's relatives.
Wu Cuiju had brought her relatives here today specifically to broaden their horizons.
She had heard from her son that the flowers and plants in Tang Yao's guesthouse were worth hundreds of thousands of yuan per pot, and that Tang Yao was shamelessly pursuing her son.
In Wu Cuiju's eyes, her son was perfect in every way, even worthy to match a celestial fairy.
Therefore, Tang Yao, an orphan, wouldn't be good enough for her son if it weren't for the valuable flowers and plants in the guesthouse.
Since her relatives were visiting today, Wu Cuiju intended to show off, saying she would take them to broaden their horizons.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yue stopped them as soon as they reached the door.
Wu Cuiju felt she had lost face in front of her relatives and held a grudge against Tang Yao.
Just as the two were arguing, or rather, Wu Cuiju was making a scene, Tang Yao walked over.
When Wu Cuiju caught sight of Tang Yao out of the corner of her eye, she straightened up immediately and said to the people around her, "Just wait and see how I deal with her."
"Tang Yao, look at your employees! They actually stopped us outside! Let us in right now and give each of these aunts and grandmothers a bowl of your so-called red or green tea, or I'll have my son dump you right now!" Wu Cuiju was putting on airs, feeling very proud in front of her relatives.
Tang Yao stepped forward and chuckled, "Who do you think you are, coming here to order me around?"
Wu Cuiju, who had expected Tang Yao to back down, was surprised by this response. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You...what did you say?!"
"Didn't you hear me? This old auntie, you're not even seventy, how can you be deaf?"
Wu Cuiju, who had just celebrated her fiftieth birthday: "!!!"
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, I called the police on my way back. You and your son spread rumors and slander against me, saying I wouldn't marry anyone but your family, causing me considerable emotional distress. Oh, you might still be able to catch the scene if you go back now." With that, Tang Yao turned and went into the guesthouse, telling Xiao Yue to close the door. Before closing it, she added, "Tell your son to look in the mirror more often when he gets back."
Outside, Wu Cuiju's curses and relatives' attempts to persuade her could be heard, but the sounds quickly faded and disappeared.
She must have been worried about her son at home, so she hurriedly left.
Because the matter wasn't very serious, he would only get detained for seven days.
Abandoning her previous arrogance, Wu Cuiji came to the guesthouse a few times to plead with Tang Yao, but Tang Yao avoided her.
Wu Cuiju might not have been unaware that her son was deliberately spreading rumors to bind Tang Yao. After all, in a small town where many people knew each other, gossip could sometimes be a deadly weapon.
In the end, Tang Yao met with her and demanded that she clarify the rumors in town and apologize publicly. Otherwise, she would sue them for damages.