Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Slaughtering the Fat Sheep

As the man spoke, four or five people slowly emerged from a nearby alley. They looked like they were just coming over to watch the commotion, but they subtly surrounded the two of them.

Amidst the crowd’s pointing and murmuring, the flower on the ground had been trampled beyond recognition during the struggle. It was impossible to tell what species it was.

Chi Wan frowned at the man making a scene, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar.

She narrowed her eyes and remembered who he was. "You’re related to the person who rented me the warehouse!"

Although she had dealt with a woman at the time, this man had also been there when they were clearing out the warehouse. She seemed to recall the woman calling him her husband.

"Never mind who I am! The point is, you trampled my orchid, so you have to pay!"

The man looked utterly self-righteous. "Let me tell you, this Ghost Orchid is worth a fortune! I spent several hundred thousand on it and barely managed to keep it alive. One bump from you and it’s completely ruined."

The people around them blocked their path while fanning the flames. "It’s that valuable? Then she has to pay. Otherwise, you can take her to court!"

"Oh, I don’t think the little lady did it on purpose... Miss, just pay some money and be done with it. It won’t be good for you two if this gets blown out of proportion."

"I’ve actually heard of this flower. It’s expensive. A few years ago, someone made millions just by selling one! Making her pay a few hundred thousand is letting her off easy."

...

Amidst this cacophony of ’background information,’ the man put on a magnanimous expression. "Fine. Seeing as you’re young and didn’t do it on purpose, I’ll just count it as my bad luck. Just pay me two hundred thousand, and that’ll be the end of it."

She had never seen such a blatant scam and such obvious shills. If the situation weren’t so serious, Chi Wan almost would have laughed at his exorbitant demand.

But she also understood that this whole spectacle was likely because she had been targeted for a while.

Chi Wan couldn’t help but feel annoyed with herself. ’I really am too young and careless.’

The first time she came to this market, she was still basking in the joy of her newfound wealth, solely focused on stockpiling goods for Li Xingye. If she hadn’t been afraid of her ’space’ being exposed, she might not have even realized she needed to rent a small warehouse.

But thinking back now, she was a young woman of eighteen or nineteen who not only rented a small warehouse by herself to hoard goods but also went on massive shopping sprees, all without an older person accompanying her.

Even though Chi Yuanshan had accompanied her on her second visit, how many days had passed since her last stockpiling run?

Not to mention, she had been frequently visiting the pawnshop, and even the clothes on her back were from before her family’s bankruptcy.

To Chi Wan, pawning just a few tens of thousands of yuan’s worth of items at a time didn’t seem like a huge amount.

But the frequency of her visits over such a short period was undeniable. In the eyes of someone watching, she had become a fat sheep, attracting their attention long ago.

She just found it a bit strange. ’Weren’t these people afraid that I might have a powerful background and retaliate?’

Having figured this all out, Chi Wan’s expression wasn’t one of panic. Instead, she stepped out from behind Zhou Huaijin, carefully examined the shattered flowerpot on the ground, and took a picture with her phone. Then, with a serious look, she asked the short, stout man, "Sir, you’re saying this is the Phantom Ghost Orchid you bought?"

The man tilted his head back and said, "Yeah! What about it? Don’t think you can get out of paying just because you trampled it! I’m telling you, everyone saw when I bought this flower, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, we all saw it."

Hearing everyone confirm it, Chi Wan smiled and nodded. "Good. Huaijin, call the police."

Zhou Huaijin probably guessed how Chi Wan planned to resolve this. The tension on his face eased, and he nodded, pulling out his phone and making a show of calling the police.

Meanwhile, Chi Wan ignored the man’s suddenly changed expression and kindly explained, "Sir, you’re mistaken. A Phantom Ghost Orchid isn’t just worth millions; expensive ones can sell for tens of millions."

Amidst the surrounding uproar, Chi Wan continued, "Unfortunately, it’s illegal to harvest or trade this ’thing’ without a permit. Since you claim someone sold it to you, one of two things is true: either this isn’t a Ghost Orchid, and he scammed you, or it *is* a Ghost Orchid, and you broke the law.

"Either way, I’m sure the police can help you sort it out."

In the dead silence that followed, the man suddenly pointed at Zhou Huaijin, his face contorting with rage. "Stop him! Don’t let him call the police!"

Immediately, two men reached for Zhou Huaijin.

Before anyone could see how Zhou Huaijin moved, the two men were thrown aside.

He said coldly, "Think carefully before you make a move. My name is Zhou Huaijin. The owner of the Wanning Pawnshop up ahead, Zhou Huai’an, is my older brother. If you don’t want to do business in this area anymore, then by all means, come at me."

As soon as he said this, hesitation appeared on everyone’s faces. They shot subtle glances at the short, stout man who was their leader.

Chi Wan was a little surprised at the deterrent effect Zhou Huai’an’s name had on these people.

She secretly sized up the scholarly and gentle-looking Zhou Huaijin. ’Could his family be the head of some mafia-like organization...?’

Seeing the hint of wariness that suddenly appeared on Chi Wan’s face, Zhou Huaijin guessed she must have misunderstood something. He lowered his voice and said with a note of helplessness, "What are you thinking? Zhou Huai’an owns the land for this entire trade market. He’s the biggest boss here."

Chi Wan: ...

’That does it. It’s me against you rich people.’

Although the answer was somewhat unexpected, it also felt strangely and utterly reasonable.

No wonder Zhou Huai’an had that ’take it or leave it’ attitude when doing business. It turns out he really didn’t care much whether he had customers or not, which was why he never tried to lowball her when she pawned her jewelry.

The man’s expression shifted constantly as he tried to find any sign that Zhou Huaijin was bluffing.

But Zhou Huaijin looked completely unfazed, as if daring them to check his story, and even pulled up Zhou Huai’an’s WeChat contact on his phone. "How about it? Want to call him and ask? If you leave now, before you make a huge mistake, I can let this go. But if *I* have to call my brother, well, I can’t say what the consequences will be."

In the end, the man grit his teeth and forced a smile. "Look at this mess. It’s my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going and bumped into the young lady. My apologies to you both. Please don’t take it to heart."

With that, he shot a look at the people around him and tried to slip away with his tail between his legs.

But Chi Wan stopped him. "Wait a moment."

The man turned his head, his expression souring, thinking Chi Wan was going to use Zhou Huai’an’s name to press the issue.

Unexpectedly, Chi Wan just asked him, "I’m a little curious. I can understand if my clothes and my behavior made you think I was a fat sheep. But to stage this kind of scam... weren’t you worried that my family might have connections and come looking for trouble?"

Hearing this, Zhou Huaijin looked at Chi Wan, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Chi Wan had only just thought of it herself.

’If I’m dressed like I’m rich or from a prominent family, on what grounds did these people think I was an easy target?’

Unless... someone had told them something.