The scene was silent, a turn of events that many had not anticipated.
Li Wei’s face cycled through colors like a painter’s palette, from green to pale, then pale to red. She stood stunned for a long time before disbelief crept in. "Impossible, this is impossible. I made the deal with Lin Zhongren through a friend’s introduction. He resold it to me, and I even have the invoice."
"An invoice only proves you spent money, but it can’t make a fake real," Chu Rong said dismissively, implying that Li Wei had spent over six hundred million yuan on a counterfeit.
The surrounding people began to whisper again. If one were to compare the Weng family with the Chu family, the Weng family was rather insignificant. In comparison, the Chu family, listed on the rich list, was far more credible.
"Six hundred million yuan just went down the drain. If it were me, I’d be furious."
"Isn't Li Wei a second-generation rich kid? How can she not even tell if jewelry is genuine?"
"What second-generation rich kid? At most, her family’s conditions are just alright."
"So, it turns out these mother and daughter were the ones crying wolf."
"They’ve lost face so badly, I feel embarrassed for them."
Various murmurs continued, searing into Weng Yin’s face like a hot iron, causing a burning pain.
She stared intently at the necklace around Quan Jiu’s neck. Although the two necklaces looked the same at first glance, a closer comparison revealed differences. The fake necklace was noticeably duller, lacking the brilliance of the real one.
Damn it, how could this happen? Her plan was so perfect. Even if she couldn’t brand that bitch a thief, she could at least expose her for wearing a fake. But how did things not go as she planned?
Gritting her teeth, she asked Li Wei, "How can you prove that person named Lin Zhongren is indeed Lin Zhongren?"
Li Wei also looked flustered. "He... a friend introduced him. I... Was I scammed?" She refused to believe it.
Weng Yin had already guessed the truth. With the auctioneer’s testimony and the buyer’s confirmation, they had been reduced to clowns.
"Why aren't you leaving? Are you planning to stand here and embarrass yourself further?" Weng Yin hissed, then pushed her way through the crowd, disappearing from sight amidst the gazes of many.
Li Wei had no choice but to follow her daughter.
The mother and daughter went to the restroom. Li Wei immediately called her so-called friend, only to find that the number had become a dead line.
She refused to believe it and called Lin Zhongren, the seller, again. The number was still out of service.
Li Wei was completely stunned. Had she really been scammed?
Weng Yin looked at the dazed Li Wei, her anger soaring.
"Are you blind? You spent over six hundred million yuan on a fake, causing me to lose face. What kind of damn friend is that? Are you an idiot? You believed him just because he said he was Lin Zhongren."
Li Wei stared blankly for a moment before retorting angrily, "Is this how you talk to your mother? You eat what I eat, wear what I wear, use what I use. I give you the best of everything, and you have the nerve to yell at me."
"Should I praise you instead of yelling? You’re so great, spending so much money on a fake."
Weng Yin shouted, throwing the necklace in her hand onto the floor.
The diamond necklace, which should have been the hardest, shattered upon impact. The largest diamond split in two, like an endless mockery.
Even knowing it was fake, the money had been spent. Six hundred million yuan shattered before her eyes. Li Wei was both angry and resentful. She grabbed Weng Yin’s face and cursed, "You’re crazy! This cost six hundred million, and you just smashed six hundred million down the drain, do you understand?"
Weng Yin shoved Li Wei away, saying resentfully, "The six hundred million is long gone, you gave it to a scammer."
Li Wei was so furious she wished she could slap Weng Yin to vent her anger. However, she heard voices outside the restroom. The mother and daughter exchanged a knowing glance and hid in a stall.
"That was hilarious. I’ve never seen someone cry wolf like that. Li Wei and Weng Yin are quite the characters. They’ve probably forgotten how confident they were before."
"Where did they go now?"
"They must be hiding, too embarrassed."
A group of socialites burst into laughter. One of them continued, "I still remember how they deliberately showed off to me earlier. Weng Yin pretended to ask her mother if the necklace was loose, and then her mother pretended to put it back on for her."
"Oh? She showed off to me the same way, with the same lines. Are these two oddballs here to be comedians? Buying a fake and then bragging about it everywhere, as if they’re afraid everyone won’t know they bought a fake."
"How can you say that? After all, she didn’t know she bought a fake, and she was especially proud to show it off everywhere, hahaha… Thinking about the expressions of those two oddballs makes my stomach hurt."
"They deserve it. Looking down on people with dog eyes. The Weng family is nothing special. If you really think about it, they aren’t even considered socialites. If it weren’t for Old Master Weng’s seniority and reputation, what are they?"
A group of several people chatted and laughed, finally leaving the restroom after a long while.
When they had all left, Li Wei and Weng Yin, who had been hiding in the toilet stall, emerged with ashen faces.
Weng Yin glared at Li Wei resentfully, "This is all your fault, you made me lose face."
Li Wei cursed fiercely, "All that cheap trash, not a single decent one."
But just as they thought there was no one outside the restroom and stepped out, they bumped into the group of socialites who had been talking earlier in the corridor outside the restroom.
The two groups exchanged glances, their expressions varied.
Li Wei, enduring the mocking or indifferent stares, pushed her way out of the crowd hatefully.
...
In the lounge area, after Li Wei and Weng Yin left, the onlookers who had come to watch the spectacle also began to disperse.
But at this moment, Chu Rong, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.
He looked coldly at certain people in the crowd, calmly calling out names one by one. He named over twenty people, all of whom had made unfavorable remarks about Quan Jiu earlier, leaving everyone around them confused.
However, they soon understood his meaning.
"Go back and tell your heads of household that from now on, Chu Group will pay them a visit."
Chu Rong's chilling voice, like that of a soul-reaping messenger from hell, caused the temperature in the venue to drop several degrees.
Someone didn't quite understand. "What do you mean?"
Chu Rong curved his lips into a cold smile. "Just deliver my message."
Some people understood. Given that the speaker was the head of Chu Group and considering the swift and decisive development of Chu Group over the years, the ladies began to panic.
"Ignorance is not a crime. We indeed spoke out of turn earlier. We apologize to this young lady."
Everyone looked at Quan Jiu. Regardless of whether it was genuine or not, the remorse on their faces was evident, and they all offered apologies to Quan Jiu.
Quan Jiu replied politely but distantly, "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with him."
Seeing more and more people stepping forward to beg for mercy, Yuan Zijun immediately pulled Quan Jiu away. As she left, she didn't forget to instruct her son, "Do a good job."
Yun Shu watched the turn of events, stomping her feet in anger and cursing repeatedly.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it. That bitch, with her vixen-like face, only knows how to seduce men."
"Do you want her to receive the punishment she deserves?"
A voice suddenly echoed in her ear. Yun Shu turned her head, her brow furrowing. "What are you doing here?"