At eight o’clock in the evening, after Tang Xiaowan had finished off a large plate of spicy crayfish and was scattering vegetable seeds in the sunroom with Wang Meijuan, a new topic shot up the trending search list.
"Miss, look, the results are in."
"The fake crystal affair?" Fınd the newest release on N()velFire.net
"Yeah, turns out it really was framed!"
Tang Xiaowan stood up, placing the seeds on the table, "That was fast!"
The trending content was an apology video regarding the fake crystals, shot at Jinkai Police Station.
In the video, the implicated man and his ex-wife detailed how they purchased the fake crystals and how they swapped them for the real ones, also expressing hope that everyone would take them as a cautionary tale to not challenge the law in pursuit of a quick profit.
The woman broke down in tears at the emotional part.
However, their apology did not elicit sympathy from the onlookers; instead, it was met with a barrage of criticisms.
— They’re so heartless, they’ve ruined a good brand. How are they supposed to do business now? These people need to be severely punished!
— They got what they deserved, serves them right!
— Probably they tried to blackmail and ended up getting reported to the police, huh? What took them so long, now acting pitiful?
— Indeed, people die for wealth as birds die for food!
— If it weren’t for the cops, I’d think they were just clout-chasing!
Reading through the varied comments, Tang Xiaowan let out a sigh of relief and felt a bit of admiration toward Li Zishen, amazed by his efficiency in resolving the issue in just a few hours.
When Wang Meijuan saw Tang Xiaowan grinning at her phone, she moved closer.
"Miss, now that this issue is resolved, do you think Mr. Li will propose to you on Saturday?"
That question instantly spoiled Tang Xiaowan’s good mood.
She suspected Wang Meijuan was utterly besotted, always going on about someone either being handsome or cool, and in the past few days, she started pondering over marital matters again.
Just yesterday, Wang Meijuan had asked Tang Xiaowan a similar question, "Miss, if you were to marry, would you choose the handsome Mr. Leng, or the wealthy Mr. Li?"
And now this, some things never change!
Tang Xiaowan gave Wang Meijuan a glare, "Something that’s out of the question is like an everyday occurrence."
"What if Mr. Li really does propose?"
"Are you bored? Go, spread a thin layer of soil over that patch, just enough to cover the seeds."
Wang Meijuan didn’t dare continue the conversation and obediently went to tend to the seeds.
Yishen Mall, first floor.
Despite the release of the apology video, Song Crystal was still experiencing significant fallout.
Normally, this would be the peak sales period, but now, not a single sale had been made, let alone any shoppers passing by.
Song Jiaqi hadn’t even eaten dinner, as she spent the entire time at the entrance of the mall handing out flyers and discount cards for her mother’s store.
The pendant she’d bought online was no longer around her neck; alternatively, she wore the store’s best-selling "Forever United" design.
The newly printed flyers not only advertised the discount event but also included tips on how to distinguish real crystals from fakes.
"Enjoy an 80% discount with this card for the National Day."
Despite having a somewhat hoarse voice, whenever someone approached the mall, Song Jiaqi would energetically shout out to them.
"Jiaqi, have some water, take a break."
An employee handed a drink to Song Jiaqi and promptly took her place.
"Did anyone buy anything?"
"No, but people are looking."
Song Jiaqi reined in her hopeful gaze and forced a smile, "It’s okay, it’s okay, things will definitely pick up, keep it up!"
While they were encouraging each other, another employee rushed out, "We’ve got a sale, 1818."
"A necklace, your mom gave a 30% discount."
Song Jiaqi then broke into a brilliant smile; despite the tears in her eyes, she never let them fall.