Chapter 52: 52. Refuse to admit even in death?

“How dare you! Who do you think you are, Lin Fan? How dare you slander the esteemed Mr. Wang Sr.!”

“The audacity! Mr. Wang Sr. has seen every treasure imaginable. Why would he need to steal anything from you?”

“Lin Fan, don’t think you can just sling mud because the Yuan family has your back!”

Some people roared, while others glared daggers at Lin Fan. A few were so incensed they rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight. At the same time, the Wang family stewards, who had been waiting outside the inner hall, stepped in and surrounded the trio.

“Master, they don’t know the rules. We should just throw them out!”

“Exactly! Why waste words on such riffraff? Just give them a beating and drive them out!”

“Lin Fan! Yuan Youwei! Are you going to get out yourselves, or will the Wang family have to help you?”

In an instant, the hall was filled with righteous indignation. Everyone pointed at Lin Fan and his companions, cursing furiously.

“Miss, that… that box… it really does look like the one we bought abroad. But what if we’re wrong? It would be even more humiliating for us!” Yuan Youwei’s face tightened as she prepared to speak, but Mrs. Xue quietly dissuaded her. Their eyes met, both filled with unease, before they turned to look at Lin Fan.

“Lin Fan, are you sure?” Yuan Youwei asked in a hushed voice. “The Wang family is wealthy and powerful; it wouldn’t be surprising if they had a similar box.”

“If you’re wrong, you’ll get my lady into terrible trouble!” Mrs. Xue felt her scalp tingle, her heart leaping into her throat.

“I trust my eyes. I can’t be wrong,” Lin Fan said resolutely, his face grim. “And the herb inside is the White Dragon Grass. I can recognize its unique medicinal scent. The age, the quality, everything matches… Someone went to the clinic and stole it!”

At his words, Yuan Youwei and Mrs. Xue’s expressions changed again. They exchanged a look, the news they had just received about the clinic being robbed flashing through their minds. Could it be? Did Mr. Wang Sr. really send someone to steal the herb?

BANG!

“Ridiculous! What an absolutely ridiculous joke!”

The next moment, an enraged Mr. Wang Sr. slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. “Yuan Youwei! Your Yuan family is taking things too far! I only granted you this audience out of respect for Yuan Tianguang!”

He snatched the long rosewood box, stormed over, and jabbed a finger at Lin Fan. “Your penchant for keeping a gigolo is the Yuan family’s business; my Wang family won’t interfere. But to bring this kind of riffraff here to publicly accuse me, Wang Tianchuan, of stealing? You? Not even your grandfather would dare say such a thing! If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, don’t even think about leaving the Wang estate!”

His furious roars echoed through the hall. The magnates of Haicheng Pharmaceutical stared as if looking at dead men. Hearing the commotion, more Wang family members rushed in from outside, all of them grinding their teeth with murder in their eyes. Insulting the patriarch was more painful to them than being slapped themselves!

「Inside the side hall.」

Su Gang, who had nearly wet himself in fear, finally let out a long breath and began to sneer. “Hahaha, that dog Lin Fan has sharp eyes, but he forgot this is the Wang family’s territory!”

“Hmph! As long as Mr. Wang Sr. denies it to the death, Lin Fan and Yuan Youwei are completely doomed today!” Zhang Meili’s plump face relaxed as she patted her chest, scoffing.

Yang Tingting didn’t speak, only nodding heavily in agreement.

“Exactly. Look at the Wang family’s standing. Even if the origin of that White Dragon Grass is questionable, they would never allow anyone to accuse them of theft,” Su Mengqing said, nodding in profound agreement as the knot of anxiety in her chest finally loosened.

Lin Fan, oh Lin Fan, you truly are pitifully foolish. Forget about publicly accusing Mr. Wang Sr. of theft; even discussing it in private would provoke public outrage! Even if the herb was stolen, once it was presented to Mr. Wang Sr., you could never speak of it again! Just wait for the show. Mr. Wang Sr. will certainly not let Lin Fan off lightly. Still hoping to get promoted at Yuandao Pharmaceuticals? In his dreams! Su Mengqing sneered, her eyes filled with the arrogance of someone who had seen through it all.

「Inside the main hall.」

Yuan Youwei bit her lip and stepped forward. “Mr. Wang Sr., please hear our explanation first. A few days ago, our Yuan family did indeed purchase a White Dragon Grass from overseas.”

She took out her phone and pulled up the purchase records. “Please look. The herb and the box are identical to what you have. We later gifted this herb to Lin Fan, and he kept it in his clinic.” She held the screen out to Mr. Wang Sr. and continued, “And just a short while ago, we received news that Lin Fan’s clinic was robbed last night…”

SLAP!

“So what?” Mr. Wang Sr. erupted. “Are you implying that I, Wang Tianchuan, sent someone to steal it?!” With a vicious swing, he smacked the phone out of Yuan Youwei’s hand, sending it flying.

“Yuan Youwei! I thought that as the designated future heir of the Yuan family, you would have some exceptional qualities,” he roared, spittle flying everywhere as he pointed at her pale face. “But you’re willing to commit perjury for a gigolo like Lin Fan!”

“Mr. Wang Sr., watch your words!” Mrs. Xue was now furious as well. She stepped in front of Yuan Youwei protectively, glaring at the old man. “Everything my lady said is the absolute truth, without any deceit!”

“Heh. And who do you think you are?” Mr. Wang Sr. let out a laugh born of pure rage, turning his head with a heavy snort. “A mere bodyguard dares to yap at me, Wang Tianchuan?”

However, any keen observer could see a flicker of uncertainty flash through his eyes. He was in a position where he couldn’t back down. Even though the old man secretly suspected the Su Family had stolen the herb, he had to deny it to the death in front of Lin Fan, Yuan Youwei, and all the bigwigs from Haicheng Pharmaceutical. Not to mention, he was truly reluctant to part with this White Dragon Grass. So what if the Su family stole it? He was the esteemed National Medical Sage, the renowned president of the Haicheng Pharmaceutical Association, and one of the four great tycoons of Haicheng! What could two youngsters like Lin Fan and Yuan Youwei possibly do to him, even if they talked until the sky fell?!

“So, you’re just going to deny it no matter what, is that right?”

The next moment, Lin Fan, his brow deeply furrowed, suddenly snatched the rosewood box. He grabbed the White Dragon Grass inside, pinched it near the root, and pulled out a long, thin silver needle!

“I offered you a way to save face, but you insisted on choosing the path to ruin. You can’t blame me for this.” Lin Fan held up the needle, squinting as he examined it. Sure enough, engraved on the flat end of the needle was a minuscule character: “Lin”!

“I deliberately left this needle inside when I received the herb to secure it in place. It’s a custom-made silver needle, and I dare say your Wang family cannot produce one like it.”

His voice was calm and not particularly loud, but it sent a tidal wave of shock through the hall. The furious tycoons from Haicheng Pharmaceutical were all struck dumb. Even the Wang family members who had been shouting for blood could only stare at each other in disbelief. Only Yuan Youwei and Mrs. Xue’s eyes lit up. They scanned the room triumphantly, their gazes finally settling on Mr. Wang Sr.’s face.

「In the side hall.」

Su Gang’s smile vanished. He turned to Su Mengqing and the others, his voice trembling with fear. “Wh-what now? Even Mr. Wang Sr. is cornered!”

“What are you afraid of? This is the Wang family’s estate!” Zhang Meili slapped Su Gang on the back of the head, though her own body was trembling slightly. “Besides, even if it comes to tearing all pretenses down, Mr. Wang Sr. will have to grit his teeth and push through!”

Su Mengqing and Yang Tingting exchanged a look, their expressions turning sour. I didn’t expect Lin Fan to have another trick up his sleeve… But it doesn’t matter. There’s no way he can force Mr. Wang Sr. to admit it. She spoke with a confidence that sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

「In the main hall, just a wall away.」

“Well? Why has everyone gone silent?” Seeing that the entire hall had fallen quiet, Yuan Youwei couldn’t help but feel a wave of satisfaction. Mr. Wang Sr. was frozen in place, his cloudy old eyes looking as if they might pop out of their sockets. His face turned from red to purple, then from purple to black, finally swelling to the color of pig liver. “Weren’t you just accusing us of slander?” she taunted loudly. “Go on, keep cursing!”

Wherever her gaze fell, people blushed crimson and lowered their heads, wishing they could bury them between their legs.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” The next moment, Mr. Wang Sr. trembled and let out a hysterical shriek. “This silver needle is clearly one made exclusively for my Wang family!”

Before anyone could react…

GULP! GULP!

He snatched the silver needle from Lin Fan’s hand and swallowed it whole!

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. A moment later, they all gasped in horror. To save face, the old man was truly willing to go to any length!

“Hahaha! What silver needle? You were bluffing all along, Lin Fan!” Mr. Wang Sr. choked, his eyes rolling back. After a moment of struggle, he managed to swallow and regain his composure.

He lifted his bloodshot eyes and glared at Lin Fan, letting out a series of wild, maniacal laughs.

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