The entire hall goes silent completely.
"That's enough."
The crowd parted as the elderly man stepped forward, his presence commanding despite his modest robes. His silver hair was tied back neatly, and his eyes—sharp, wise, and kind—settled on Zhao Meilin.
"Let me see it, Girl." he requests.
Zhao Meilin hesitate, but then show he unwrapped silk bundle. The ginseng lay nestled inside, its roots intact, its body thick and golden with age. The old man's eyes widened slightly.
"This is genuine," he murmur. "Wild-grown. Hundred years, maybe more. You dug this yourself?"
Zhao Meilin nod. "I was careful. Not a single root damaged."
The old man smile, a rare warmth blooming on his face. "You have a good hand. And a good eye."
He turned to the staff. "Prepare the appraisal room. I'll handle this personally. But brfore that, apologize to this Young lady this instant. You should never forget, coustomers are like gods. You behave politely with them no matter how they look. Never judge a book by it's cover."
Pointing towards the young clerk at the reception, he continue, " And you, you are fired for misbehaving with a client. A working place is represented by the staff working there and today you have destroyed the image me and my family have worked years to build. Leave this placce this instant." No matter how the clerk pleads, he is completely ignored.
The staff scatters, chastened. Zhao Meilin follows the old man into a quieter chamber, where he examined the ginseng with reverence. After a few moments, he looked up.
"First of all, I would like to apologize to you for what happened. My staff shouldn't have behaved with you like that." The elder man sincerly apoligize. Lookin at the ginseng,
"I'll buy it," he tells her. "At full market value. No bargaining."
Zhao Meilin blink. "Just like that?"
He chuckles. "I've waited years to see one this pure. You've done something remarkable."
"If that's the case then I will like to apologize as well. Due to clerk's behavior, I had declared downstairs that I will sell it anyone with the highest bid. The two gentleman downstairs have both stood up for me and trusted me. I can't sell this ginseng to you in their absence. It will unjustice to both of them." hao Meilin clearly states her point of view.
The elder man looks at her with admiration.
He orders the cleak ouside to all both, the elder man and the middle aged man here.
She smiles, the tension easing from her shoulders. "Thank you… Grandpa."
He pause, then laughes. "Haven't been called that in a while. You're bold. I like that."
While waiting he exclaims, giving her his card. "If you ever need help—medical, business, or otherwise—come to Baicao Hall. My name is Lin Zhenhai. I wasn't always a pharmacist. Let's just say I know a few things about survival."
Zhao Meilin tucks the card away, her heart lighter. "I'll remember that, Grandpa Lin."
Soon, the elder man and middle aged man joins them.
The door creaked open as the two men enter. Both pause upon seeing Lin Zhenhai seated beside Zhao Meilin, the ginseng resting between them like a sacred relic.
Lin Zhenhai rise slowly, his presence commanding yet serene. "Gentlemen," he greets them, "thank you for coming. I owe you both an explanation—and my respect."
The middle-aged man bowed slightly. "Master Lin, no explanation is needed. Your reputation precedes you. If you've chosen to handle this personally, then we trust your judgment."
The elder man nodded in agreement. "I only stood up for this young lady because she was being mistreated. I never expected to be part of something this rare."
Zhao Meilin looked between them, her voice steady. "I appreciate both of you. You didn't know me, yet you spoke up. That means more than you realize."
Lin Zhenhai smiled, then turned to the men. "This ginseng is wild-grown, over a century old. Its purity is unmatched. I haven't seen something like this for quite some time now.. And I intend to buy it."
He pause, then added with quiet gravity, "For ten million."
The room fell silent again, but this time it was reverent.
The middle-aged man chuckled softly. "Ten million? Then I'd be a fool to compete. Besides, I came here for medicine, not miracles."
The elder man grinned. "I'm just glad I got to witness this. Young Lady, you deserve every bit of it."
Zhao Meilin's eyes shimmers, but she held herself with grace. "Thank you. Truly."
Lin Zhenhai steps forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You've honored this hall with your integrity. And you've reminded us all what respect looks like."
Soon, the procedures are completed, and the money has been transfered to her account.
"Thank you… Grandpa Lin." Zhao Meilin really appreciates him
He smiled, eyes twinkling. "Don't thank me. You earned it."
After bidding her farewell to the three men, Zhao Meilin leaves the Baicao Hall.
While Zhao Meilin steps into the light of her hard-won triumph, clutching her first pot of gold and the promise of a new beginning, far away in the shadows, a quiet vendetta begins to stir—one that seeks not to challenge her rise, but to erase it entirely.
Meanwhile, at the Spring Refuge house;
Li Wei Wei sit in her room, the door slammed shut behind her. Her hands trembles as she clutch the edge of her vanity, knuckles white, nails digging into the polished wood.
Jail.She almost went to jail.
All because of that orphan girl. That nobody. That parasite who have no right to shine.
Her reflection stare back at her—flushed cheeks, wild eyes, lips twisted in rage. She has never felt humiliation like this. Not when her grades slipped. Not when her mother scolded her. But today, in front of the police, she had been stripped bare.
And Zhao Meilin—that girl—had looked at her with those eyes. Calm. Cold. Victorious.
"She thinks she's won," Li Wei Wei whisper, voice hoarse. "She thinks she can walk away with my future."
She remembers the scholarship. The one she had demanded. The one she had been denied. Ten thousand yuan compensation? That was blood money. It wasn't justice. It was a slap.
"She'll regret this," Li Wei Wei hiss. "I swear, she'll regret ever being born."
Madam Li enters the room quietly, her face still sour. "You embarrassed me today," she snaps. "Do you know what it cost me to keep you out of jail?"
I am sorry mom. It's just take whenever i think about what happened I can't control it. I want revenge." She tells Madam Li as tears of frutration shimmers in her eyes.
Madam Li's expression shifted from frustration to calculation. She leaned back, folding her arms, her voice low and deliberate.
"You want revenge?" she asked. "Then you'll need more than anger. You'll need power. Position. Proximity."
Li Wei Wei narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Madam Li stands and walk to the window, gazing out at the crumbling courtyard of Spring Refuge. "This place has served its purpose. The donations, the government subsidies, the sympathy—it's all been milked dry. And now, it's time to move on."
She turn back, her lips curling into a smile. "I've already begun the paperwork to shut the orphanage down. The property will be sold within the month. With the money I've saved—and stolen—I can afford to send you to the capital."
Li Wei Wei's eyes widens. "To the same school?"
Madam Li nod. "Yes. Even without a scholarship. You'll be admitted as a full-paying student. Uniform, dorm, tuition—all covered."
Li Wei Wei's heart pounds. "Then I'll be right beside her."
"Exactly," Madam Li exclaims, her voice like silk laced with poison. "Let her think she's escaped. Let her believe she's free. And then, you'll be there. To remind her that no matter how far she runs, she can't outrun you."
Li Wei Wei's smile return, sharper than before. "She'll regret ever crossing me."
Madam Li place a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Make her suffer quietly. No scandals. No police. Just ruin her from the inside. Her reputation. Her friendships. Her future. Piece by piece."
Li Wei Wei nods, eyes gleaming. "I'll make her wish she never got that scholarship."
And so, as Zhao Meilin prepared to rise from the ashes, unaware of the storm gathering behind her, Li Wei Wei sharpened her smile—ready to follow her into the light, only to drag her back into the dark.