"Mom, I really didn't trip him." An An, hearing the mention of millions, grew a little worried. He had indeed blocked the man's path a moment ago, but the man himself was walking too fast. He had been pulled away by his mother.
"Big brother, we moved out of the way in time. You fell because you were going too fast," Huo Rou said coolly. Her voice, however, was so distinctive that it made the man's eyes widen.
"I apologized just now for obstructing your work, but you claiming my son tripped you is fabricated." If An An had tripped him, she would have paid any amount, but not when he was being falsely accused.
"What's going on?" A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes walked out from inside.
The porter's eyes lit up when he saw him. He shouted, "Cousin! Come quickly! This kid was causing trouble and tripped me, causing this orchid to fall to the ground."
"What? It fell?" Upon hearing this, the man quickened his pace and arrived on the scene. He quickly cleared the packaging on the ground, revealing the orchid.
Huo Rou also lowered her head to look at the orchid. Upon closer inspection, she noticed something amiss. The orchid was rather ordinary and seemed to be in poor condition.
The suited man in front of them, after seeing the orchid, turned his back to Huo Rou and subtly glanced at the porter.
When he looked back at Huo Rou, a flash of astonishment appeared in his eyes. He then observed their clothing. The fabric was good, and the design was stylish, with no visible logos, suggesting bespoke tailoring for the wealthy.
He inwardly praised, "Very good."
He put on a smile and said, "Hello, miss. I'm the person in charge here. My surname is Xu, Xu Mao."
Huo Rou nodded but had no intention of introducing herself.
Xu Mao waited for a few seconds. Seeing that Huo Rou made no move, he maintained his smile and continued, "It's like this. This is one of our auction items for tonight. While it's not top-tier, it's still extremely precious. Because your son was mischievous, the flower has fallen and is now in a state where it cannot be auctioned tonight."
As he spoke, his words flowed more smoothly. "We sent out the auction list long ago, and many esteemed guests are here specifically for this orchid. Without it, our auction tonight will be significantly impacted..."
"Get to the point," Xiao Konglin said, stepping forward to negotiate with Xu Mao as he saw Huo Rou's gaze beginning to drift impatiently.
Xu Mao, who had been speaking with a smile, showed a hint of annoyance at being interrupted. He glanced at the fallen orchid, then suppressed his frustration. "Orchids are delicate and may not be salvageable. You can either bear the cost of the orchid master's invitation fee, subsequent expenses, and tonight's loss, or you can purchase this orchid."
"How much?" Xiao Konglin pondered Qin Ningyi, who was working overtime at the company, and thought that all that money was finally going to be spent by someone for him.
"The starting bid for the orchid is five million, but an orchid of the same grade sold for twelve million. Let's meet in the middle at nine million, and you can take the flower with you," Xu Mao said, his smile widening as he saw they were willing to take responsibility.
Nine million was not a small sum, though for Qin Ningyi, it was pocket change.
Xiao Konglin was about to take out the "special allowance" Qin Ningyi had given him for being a companion, wanting to experience the thrill of spending lavishly, when Huo Rou spoke.
"We will not pay," Huo Rou stated firmly. "We will accept responsibility for our actions, but my son said he didn't trip you, and that's the truth."
When it came to protecting An An, Huo Rou never backed down.
She had the money in her account for these millions, but by paying, she would be admitting that An An had made a mistake.
And An An had said he hadn't tripped anyone.
"You look like a decent person, but you're a shameless cheat!" the porter spat at Huo Rou from the side.
"Cousin, make them pay! It was clearly the child causing trouble. If they want to renege, call the police! She has no shame, so let's go to the police station together!" The porter stood behind Xu Mao, adopting an air of false bravado.
Hearing about calling the police, An An nervously tugged on Huo Rou's hand. "Mom."
Huo Rou looked at An An gently. "An An, did you touch this uncle?"
"No, uncle was walking too fast. He was about to bump into me, but you pulled me away, Mom." An An spoke the truth. He then looked at the spot where the porter had fallen. There was a low door frame on the ground. It was short, but one could easily trip if not careful.
An An pointed at the door frame and said, "Uncle probably tripped over the door frame because he was walking too fast and not watching where he was going."
A flicker of guilt crossed the porter's eyes. He had indeed tripped, and he had done it intentionally.
However, thinking of his cousin's words and the value of the orchid, he instantly puffed out his chest. "I've been here so long, how could I not see the threshold?! You deliberately caused trouble, you bad child!"
"Miss, we are all respectable people. Please don't blame me for sending someone to the police station to explain the situation if you act like this," Xu Mao said with a professional smile, his words filled with threat.
Xiao Konglin saw that Huo Rou was unwilling to back down and that the other party was being unreasonable. He put his card back.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Qin Ningyi.
"President Qin, Miss Huo and An An are being held by the person in charge at the Yong'an Auction House and are not allowed to leave. Could you come and take a look?"
Let President Qin handle everything. He could manage other matters, but when it came to An An and his mother, he wanted President Qin to be the hero.
Meanwhile, Huo Rou calmly replied, "You don't need to bluff me. You know exactly what's wrong with this flower."
"You don't want to pay and then try to blame me?" Xu Mao's voice rose eight octaves, sharp enough to make An An frown.
Hearing Xu Mao's sudden agitated tone, Huo Rou gained some insight.
"Why don't we call your manager and an orchid expert to take a look," Huo Rou said lightly.
The porter instantly became nervous. "Call who? It's this kid!"
"You're afraid?" Huo Rou's gaze shifted from the porter to Xu Mao.
A bead of sweat appeared on Xu Mao's forehead. He forced himself to remain calm. "What is there to be afraid of?"
The porter became anxious. "Cousin, you!"
Xu Mao reached out and placed his hand on the porter's, then continued to Huo Rou, "If the manager comes, it won't be a matter of nine million anymore."
He flashed a smile, gambling that Huo Rou wouldn't understand anything and was just trying to stall for time, especially since the flower had already fallen.
He was confident that this woman would pay.
"Our specially appointed orchid expert went out for an exchange recently and won't be back for a while."
"If you want to wait, we can all wait at the police station." Xu Mao, becoming increasingly self-assured, stared directly at Huo Rou, certain she wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment of going to jail.
"Mom, maybe..." An An tugged on Huo Rou's pinky finger and said hesitantly.