"What do you mean, ungrateful?" Xu Mao was furious. "Old Liu, look at her. Do you think she knows how to raise orchids?"
Xu Mao had specifically asked Old Liu, whom he knew was easily swayed, to mediate. Now, it seemed Old Liu was taken with the girl.
Just because she was pretty?
"If she doesn't, do you?" Old Liu was practically jumping to scold. "Miss Huo, she's a top-notch expert. Your orchids are nothing compared to her standards."
He then turned back to Huo Rou with a smile, a hint of fawning in his silly grin. Huo Rou rubbed her forehead. This old man...
"Am I right, Miss Huo?" Old Liu winked and continued, "Since I'm supporting you so much, how about you give me that Ghost Orchid you have?"
"Ghost Orchid?" Qin Ningyi only then realized that Huo Rou was an orchid enthusiast, and it was highly likely she cultivated orchids.
If she was an orchid grower, then she was no ordinary country flower farmer.
The moment the words "Ghost Orchid" were uttered, the entire entrance fell silent.
Xu Mao had only been assigned to manage the orchid section of this auction house a month ago. He had diligently studied a lot of orchid knowledge to pass as qualified.
He had certainly heard of Ghost Orchids. Their current price had been inflated to seventeen million, and with a more unique color, they could fetch up to twenty million.
Cultivating that orchid was extremely difficult!
But Old Liu was an orchid enthusiast, and he was likely correct.
Xu Mao now felt there might be another solution.
The orchid he had ruined would surely be revived by this person. If this specimen was put up for auction, it wouldn't even cover the starting bid. It was better to hand it over to her. He could take a cut of the nine million, and the flower could be sold again after she revived it.
With a decision made, he smiled. "Miss Huo, do you really know how to cultivate orchids?"
"Then you should buy it, and this matter will be resolved. You can continue to look for people or exhibits inside, and it won't delay your time."
"Nine million, and you can take the flower back to cultivate. You can then have me help you auction it, and you'll still make a profit. Why not?"
Xu Mao thought he had proposed a perfect solution that benefited both of them.
He expected Huo Rou to agree. To his surprise, Huo Rou's eyes narrowed, and she began to smile.
Listening to Huo Rou's bell-like laughter, Qin Ningyi felt a strange urge to hide her away, to shield her from these people's ears.
Was he going mad?
He moved closer to Huo Rou, eager to hear what she would say next.
"That's a wonderful idea of yours," Huo Rou said, the corners of her rosy lips curving into a beautiful arc. "It wasn't my son's fault, so why should we pay for it."
"You!" Xu Mao hadn't expected her to refuse his offer without a second thought.
"Greed knows no bounds. I agreed to help you save the flower because my son is kind-hearted. Were you planning to give me this worthless plant, take a large portion of the money for yourself, and then make another profit when I revive it and bring it back?"
Huo Rou had seen through him from his expressions. She had studied the art of inferring people's thoughts from their expressions, and she had excelled in that course.
She had felt something was amiss when he exchanged glances with the movers earlier. After observing him, she had reached this conclusion.
This deduction was almost precisely what Xu Mao had been thinking. Hearing Huo Rou lay bare his inner thoughts, large beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
"You're spouting nonsense! How could I!" Xu Mao blustered, attempting to drown out his guilt with a loud voice.
"As long as you admit that you orchestrated this, that you tried to pin the blame on us, and falsely accused my son of knocking it over. As long as you apologize to An'an, I can provide you with detailed cultivation steps to restore this 'Elegant Lady' orchid to its former glory."
Huo Rou was growing impatient. Her usually adept facade of composure remained, but a hint of coldness flickered in her eyes.
Qin Ningyi stood beside Huo Rou, clearly seeing the expression in her eyes. It was similar to how he had looked at her when they first met.
Although she was trying her best to suppress it, appearing reasonable and harmless, Qin Ningyi could sense her anger and extreme impatience.
Such excellent emotional control, it had become a habit. What had happened to her?
While Qin Ningyi felt concerned for Huo Rou, Old Liu was worried about the orchid.
"Little Xu, just apologize. At least let me see the orchid revived!" Old Liu patted Xu Mao's arm, urging him.
Admitting fault meant acknowledging his mistake. The orchid would definitely not be auctioned on time today. If the bank manager found out, he would be in serious trouble.
He had worked hard to reach his current position and couldn't afford to lose his job.
This matter had to be their fault; he was blameless!
"It was clearly this child who caused the trouble. You're trying to force me to admit fault with just a few words, using the orchid to threaten me?"
Xu Mao was getting agitated. "I'm telling you, I won't be threatened by you!"
"Cousin, let me apologize. This matter will be over then. They also promised to give us the steps to save the orchid," the mover nudged Xu Mao from behind.
He was a little scared. The woman opposite him looked docile, but the man who had arrived earlier looked at him like he was already dead. He was intimidated.
"Li Mazi, whose side are you on?" Xu Mao was completely provoked. "Don't force me to tell your wife about your business! If you want to apologize so badly, you can do it to your heart's content."
The mention of his wife made Li Mazi's sturdy body tremble.
"Fine, I won't say anything else." Li Mazi angrily turned his head away.
"If you refuse to admit it, we'll call experts, we'll call the police," Xu Mao secretly glanced at the surveillance camera near the entrance. It was high up, and it might not capture the area within the threshold.
From this distance, who could tell?
"You're saying this flower was already in bad shape. Let's have an expert examine it!"
"Didn't you just say the expert wouldn't be back?" An'an remembered what he had said earlier.
"What are you, this little brat, interfering for! If it wasn't for you today, this would have happened?"
Xu Mao had completely deluded himself. He now truly believed the story he had fabricated about An'an causing trouble. When he confronted An'an, it was as if it were the absolute truth.
"Daddy!"
With his father backing him up, An'an seized the opportunity to act cute.
Qin Ningyi stroked his head and looked coldly at Xu Mao, his voice turning icy. "Watch your mouth."
"Expert Chen, please come over quickly. The 'Elegant Lady' orchid was knocked to the ground and shattered. Several petals have fallen off," Xu Mao said into the phone.
A moment later, a rather aged man emerged from inside. Unlike the boisterous Old Liu, he had a stern expression.
As he got closer, he knelt down and carefully examined the orchid's condition.
Xu Mao held his breath, waiting for his assessment. Would he discover something?