The old man's face instantly changed upon hearing Ye Tiancheng ask him to consume the newly developed product, his eyes looking peculiar.
"I won't eat it. I'm old and not in good health. I'm afraid I can't handle it."
"You see, you don't dare to eat it yourself. This is not a joke. Food safety threatens people's lives. So, I advise you to just pass on this product."
Ye Tiancheng had made his point clear and did not want the old man to harbor any more futile fantasies. This product definitely could not be released.
"Why? Because of your one sentence, all our hard work will be in vain."
"I'm just making a suggestion. Whether you listen or not is up to you. Just be prepared to bear the consequences if someone is poisoned to death."
Although Ye Tiancheng's words were not entirely definitive, the consequences they implied were beyond what an old man could bear. He was so scared that his face turned a little pale.
"Alright, the product exchange conference requires many people to participate and exchange ideas. Your product has wasted too much of my time. I'm going to look at others. As for how you decide, that's your business; I can't control it."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he turned and left. Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian quickly followed. Many people had gathered to watch, and upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's conclusion, they began to discuss.
"It seems these new products definitely cannot be launched. If Ye Tiancheng says it's not good, it's definitely not good. He's a big shot in the agricultural product industry, quite authoritative. I heard his crops can even cure diseases."
"Yes, I've heard that too. We shouldn't buy products from this company anymore. The garlic they produced had a lot of hype at first, but it turns out to be poisonous. It's truly terrifying. We must avoid it in the future, or we'll be greatly harmed."
Dr. Huang listened to everyone's discussions, feeling his head was about to explode. The research and development of this product had been ongoing for several years and was truly the culmination of the entire R&D team's hard work. Now, it had been negated by Ye Tiancheng's single sentence. How could Dr. Huang be reconciled? He swayed precariously, almost collapsing to the ground and fainting.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. What big shot? In my opinion, he's just a young brat who hasn't even grown his full beard. He dares to question my experimental product, it's simply showing off in front of an expert."
Dr. Huang was still unwilling to give up. The onlookers were purely there to spectate, and no one spoke up for Dr. Huang.
"Fine, if you're not convinced, then eat it yourself. If you feel fine after eating it, then other consumers will accept it."
It was the same suggestion as Ye Tiancheng's, but eating it required immense courage. Dr. Huang did not have such guts. If someone were to die, even though he was old, he hadn't lived enough and didn't want to be poisoned to death by his own hard work.
"What do you people understand? It seems like rivals are enemies. We are all in the agricultural product business, and you must want to slander me. I won't listen to you. I will stick to my ideals and will not be influenced by anyone."
Seeing that he could no longer continue, Dr. Huang found an excuse and turned to leave.
Dr. Huang originally intended to leave the venue, but then he reconsidered. Why should he let Ye Tiancheng off the hook so easily after he had caused such a huge problem for him? Dr. Huang truly couldn't swallow this insult.
He suddenly thought of a bad idea: Ye Tiancheng would also be exhibiting a series of agricultural products today. What was more unusual was that Ye Tiancheng would also be exhibiting many pastries. These pastries were all new products, intended to gain recognition through this agricultural product exchange conference.
Dr. Huang also wanted to secretly taste them. He had always been curious about how someone like Ye Tiancheng, in his twenties with no qualifications, could ascend so quickly. Why could the agricultural products he grew, even a single fruit, sell for over a hundred thousand? What kind of magical power was this?
Dr. Huang managed to get Ye Tiancheng's pastries and ate them. Immediately, he felt his whole body filled with strength. The feeling was not just about the taste; it even seemed to affect his entire spirit. He felt comfortable all over, and there was a sense of wonder that could not be expressed in words.
If they hadn't already become enemies, Dr. Huang might have thought that Ye Tiancheng indeed had some skills and was not to be underestimated. But now that they were enemies, this only made his jealousy burn even fiercer.
Soon, Dr. Huang came up with a bad idea. He wanted to tamper with the products. He had previously developed a laxative in liquid form, which was less likely to be detected.
Dr. Huang decided to add it to Ye Tiancheng's exhibited products. That way, Ye Tiancheng's products would surely have problems, and it would be considered revenge.
Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Dr. Huang added the laxative and then pretended to be there to sample Ye Tiancheng's new products.
"What a coincidence, we meet again so soon after you criticized me."
Ye Tiancheng was naturally annoyed to see Dr. Huang, but this was a public exchange conference, and Ye Tiancheng had to entertain everyone.
"Oh, it's you. I hope we can have a normal exchange, and you won't bring personal grudges into it. I have no ill intentions towards you; I'm just worried that product issues might harm people."
"Look at how nicely you speak, shifting all the blame onto others. It's not easy. This tactic of diverting disaster is really skillful."
Ye Tiancheng didn't quite understand what the old man was implying with his sarcasm, but it wasn't that important. If the old man liked to talk, he could talk. Anyway, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't be harmed.
"By the way, don't you also have new products to exhibit? Since Mr. Ye is so supportive of me, I can't be completely unfeeling. I should also try your products."
"Feel free. These pastries are also good for the elderly and can strengthen the body. Eating more will do you good."
Dr. Huang was infuriated every time he heard Ye Tiancheng speak now, as he strongly suspected Ye Tiancheng was subtly mocking his age. Since the feud had already begun, there were no good impressions left.
Dr. Huang tested the waters himself, taking a bite of the pastry he had tampered with. However, he didn't dare to eat too much, fearing he would end up in the restroom, exhausted from diarrhea.
"The taste is alright, at least it tastes like pastry. But I still think your pastries are not good. Eating them will cause stomach upset. This is an agricultural product exchange conference, and you insist on bringing in food, disrupting the rules. But I see you clearly intend to harm people."
Dr. Huang suddenly became angry, which completely confused Ye Tiancheng. In this dream, this was original plot, and he had never encountered this old man before. Ye Tiancheng himself had brought over the pastries, and before even smelling them, he sensed something was wrong. The pastries had been tampered with.
The reason Ye Tiancheng could smell it now was because he possessed three powers. These three powers combined made Ye Tiancheng incredibly strong, allowing him to sense the ingredients in the pastries through his sense of smell.
One power was divine, and another was that of a mountain god. This new mountain god power was obtained by Ye Tiancheng when he was seeking the bronze cauldron to make pastries. Now, these two powers had combined perfectly. There was also the power of the Fuxi Qin fragment, which was the core of the three powers. The other two powers merely revolved around and complemented it, as it was an ancient divine artifact and undoubtedly powerful.
Ye Tiancheng had always been straightforward. Even though he had become more composed now, it couldn't change his wild and unrestrained demeanor.
"Dr. Huang, how can you be so disrespectful? You actually tampered with my pastries!"
"Do you think you're laughable? Which eye of yours saw me tamper with them? You not only speak wildly but also insult me? I have lived my life upright and honest, and I have never been suspected by anyone. How could I tamper with your products?"
Ye Tiancheng even used the power of the Fuxi Qin fragment to see Dr. Huang's furtive tampering process. Unfortunately, the images in his divine consciousness could not be recorded as evidence.
"Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know. You're quite desperate, tampering with it yourself and then eating it, trying to frame me?"
"It's just a little laxative. Unfortunately, the toxicity of your pastries is much greater than the laxative. Eating them could lead to paralysis. This is my conclusion for you. If you don't believe me, we can wait and see."
This old man was truly audacious. Paralysis was already being mentioned. Previously, Dr. Huang dared not eat his own garlic because he feared for his life. Now, Ye Tiancheng dared to eat the pastries because this little laxative was nothing to him.
Ye Tiancheng ate several pieces of pastry and then said to Dr. Huang with a calm expression.
"If there were problems with my products, I would have been finished long ago. I wouldn't dare to eat them. I'll use myself as a test subject. I won't be paralyzed."
"You alone are not enough. Perhaps your pastries are ineffective on you, as you are the one who developed them. I strongly suspect you have developed resistance to the adverse effects of these pastries, which is why you appear so calm. Others cannot withstand the side effects of these pastries."
The old man was truly troublesome. Ye Tiancheng couldn't let these laxative-laced pastries enter anyone else's mouths. He had originally intended to destroy them all, but this old man was relentless.
"Mr. Ye, don't you have two beautiful ladies accompanying you? Since they came with you, they should be people close to you. Those two beauties should be willing to help you with this."
Ye Tiancheng didn't want to implicate them. Whether it was Hou Mingzhu or Su Muxian, Ye Tiancheng felt somewhat indebted to them. He didn't want them to get involved; that would be truly terrible.
"Dr. Huang, don't even think about it. These two are my precious friends, and they won't be my test subjects. You're so old, why don't you accumulate some good karma? If, when you reach the underworld, they discover the gravity of your sins, they will likely punish you severely."
Dr. Huang was infuriated by Ye Tiancheng, but he kept repeating that if Ye Tiancheng didn't let others test them, it meant his products were definitely problematic and would cause paralysis. The product was not yet on the market, and now it was going to be stillborn? Ye Tiancheng wished he could strangle the old man to death with his true qi.
"Dr. Huang, you'd better not provoke me. I don't act according to the rules. Everyone outside says I'm a devil. Previously, it was rumored that I was guided by an immortal. After hearing about my actions, they all changed their tune and said I was possessed by a demon. I hope you understand how difficult I am to deal with, and don't try to challenge my authority."