"Xiaobei, the orchid is right ahead."

After walking about a dozen meters, Haruno Rei, who was leading the way, stopped and pointed to what was in front of her.

Hearing Haruno Rei's words, Hu Xiaobei nodded and quickly shifted his gaze.

It was then that Hu Xiaobei saw the orchid planted by the wall.

Upon seeing it, Hu Xiaobei noticed its leaves were yellowing and its roots withered.

Simply put, its condition was indeed not good!

Turning his attention away from the orchid, Hu Xiaobei started surveying the surroundings and soon realized that the sunlight here was indeed quite good...

"Orchids generally like sunlight! In a place like this, it shouldn't be facing such a problem!" he murmured to himself, now examining it even more carefully.

Soon, Hu Xiaobei confirmed that it was a rather precious variety of orchid...

And its shape was quite good too...

"This kind of orchid should really be worth some money!" he exclaimed, smacking his lips, yet for some reason, Hu Xiaobei couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something strange about it!

"Is this just my imagination?" he murmured, scrutinizing the plant more intently.

Before long, Hu Xiaobei squinted his eyes...

He did so because he had realized that there really was something off about this orchid!

He took a deep breath, emotionless, walked up to it, and quickly crouched down!

Seeing Hu Xiaobei as if he had discovered something, the mother and daughter couldn't help feeling anxious.

Especially Haruno Rei, who was extremely nervous...

Previously, Haruno Rei had known that this orchid was very precious...

So, she knew that if it really died here, no amount of excuses would clear her name – not even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

...

Hu Xiaobei was unaware of their anxiousness; at the moment, a mocking smile played on his lips.

Noticing the change in Hu Xiaobei's expression, Haruno Rei took a deep breath and asked somewhat nervously, "Xiaobei, what's the matter? Can you revive it?"

Feeling Haruno Rei's tension, Hu Xiaobei gave her a glance and said indifferently, "Auntie, tell me, when was this orchid delivered here?"

Haruno Rei didn't understand why Hu Xiaobei would ask such a question, but she thought about it seriously and quickly answered, "It's been about a week. A week ago, a client said he had to go on a business trip and was worried it might get stolen if left at home, so he temporarily entrusted it to me to take care of. When he left the orchid here, he mentioned it was very easy to care for. He said I didn't need to do much. But after I got it, I discovered that wasn't the case."

Listening to Haruno Rei's dejected reply, Hu Xiaobei said faintly, "He was right! If it were a normal orchid, it would indeed be very easy to take care of. Because if an orchid is healthy, it generally doesn't have any problems. But the issue now is, this orchid is not a healthy one."

After hearing Hu Xiaobei's explanation, Haruno Rei asked, "Xiaobei, are you saying this orchid had serious issues to begin with?"

Having a look again at Haruno Rei, Hu Xiaobei nodded slightly, "Yes! This orchid did have serious issues from the start. In fact, it was practically dying. The reason this person left the orchid here is probably that he knew it couldn't be saved and wanted to pin the blame on you."

"This... This can't be," said Haruno Rei, finding it hard to believe because the man who had brought the orchid seemed quite decent to her.

Hearing her response, Hu Xiaobei knew what she was thinking.

In that instant, he said, "Appearances can be deceiving, some people look nice on the surface, but in reality, they're just trash."

As he spoke, Hu Xiaobei reached out his hand and without any hesitation plucked the withered orchid from the soil.

Seeing Hu Xiaobei take such action, they were stunned.

Hu Xiaobei glanced at them, still bewildered, and pointed to the orchid in his hand, "Come over here and take a closer look at its roots, and you'll see I'm not wrong."

Hearing Hu Xiaobei's words, they both came over and took a close look.

Soon, they found that the entire root system of the orchid had rotted.

Seeing that they had noticed this, Hu Xiaobei said, "If it were normal wilting, that would be one thing, but look closely at these roots!"

They leaned in again, looking earnestly.

In that instant, they saw that the roots seemed to have been attached in sections!

"Xiaobei, what... what's going on?" Haruno Rei asked.

Looking at Haruno Rei, Hu Xiaobei explained, "These pieces of the orchid's roots have been glued on later on. Simply put, the person who gave you this orchid knew it wouldn't last long. So, you probably understand his motive, right?"

Finally understanding the situation, Haruno Nanako angrily said, "This is outrageous, just too outrageous! Mom, was it that uncle who brought this orchid last time?"

When Haruno Rei heard Haruno Nanako speak so angrily, she looked at her daughter and gave a slight nod.

Seeing her mother Haruno Rei nod, Haruno Nanako huffed, "I felt there was something sleazy about him right from the start. I told you so back then, and you thought I was wrong. Now, do you believe me? He was clearly up to no good; probably that pervert just wanted to take advantage of you!"

If this had happened before, Haruno Rei wouldn't have believed Haruno Nanako's words.

But now, having seen the true nature of the orchid, she knew her daughter might be completely right.

That man might indeed have had ulterior motives.

Knowing they had seen the man's true colors, Hu Xiaobei smiled.

He was about to say something else when suddenly, they heard Haruno Rei's phone ring.

...

Haruno Rei took out her phone, and her expression turned extremely ugly.

Seeing the change in Haruno Rei's facial expression, Hu Xiaobei could guess what was happening.

He curled his lips slightly and said, "Auntie, is it that man calling you?"

Haruno Rei, nodding to Hu Xiaobei's words, spoke with some nervousness, "Xiaobei, what do we do now? If he comes to claim the orchid, we'll be in a difficult spot!"

Hearing Haruno Rei's worried words, Hu Xiaobei chuckled and said, "Auntie, don't worry about it, let him come. I've got plenty of ways to deal with him."

"Big brother Xiaobei, are you... are you serious?" asked Haruno Nanako, her voice filled with excitement.

Hu Xiaobei gave a glance at Haruno Nanako and smiled, nodding his head. "Yes! I'll make sure he leaves in tears, don't worry."

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