THD Chapter 14

As a nationally renowned liquor company, the Lu family was not only a pillar of the local liquor industry but also one of the region's most profitable enterprises.

The exposure of their food safety scandal therefore struck far beyond a single company.

It shook the entire liquor market.

Even local officials found themselves under tremendous pressure.

A sweeping crackdown soon followed.

Every liquor producer in the region underwent inspections.

The local television stations broadcast leadership meetings daily, followed by endless public statements and apologies from industry representatives, each one vowing to carry out thorough reforms.

Ye Xiqing clicked off the television.

Despite the chaos surrounding her, her mood remained remarkably calm.

She had indeed been fined a considerable amount of money.

But she was Ye Xiqing, not an idiot.

There was no way she would foolishly empty most of her savings to pay the penalties immediately.

Instead, she appealed.

The counterfeit-label incident had occurred during the period when she operated as a sole proprietor. It had nothing to do with Qingqing Winery, which had only been established afterward.

Furthermore, she had never earned any additional profit from the scheme.

The price at which she sold her liquor had never exceeded that of ordinary bulk liquor in the region.

A simple financial investigation would prove it.

She did not dispute the court's ruling.

What she disputed was her ability to pay.

The winery had been built largely with borrowed money, and her current financial situation simply could not support such a large compensation payment.

She was willing to immediately pay the ten-thousand-yuan administrative fine.

As for the thirty-five-thousand-eight-hundred-yuan compensation owed to the Lu family, she requested a postponement so she could raise the funds.

What could the court do?

The ten-thousand-yuan fine was a legal punishment imposed by the authorities.

The compensation, however, was a civil dispute between two private parties.

If Ye Xiqing insisted on appealing that portion, the process could drag on indefinitely.

Could the Lu family really afford to continue fighting her over it?

At this stage, whether they even had the energy was questionable.

And even if they did, many lawyers would likely avoid touching the case altogether.

Who wanted to be associated with the Lu family right now?

In the end, both sides reached a settlement.

Ye Xiqing paid the ten-thousand-yuan fine immediately.

The thirty-five-thousand-yuan compensation would be paid after the New Year.

Of course, whether the Lu family would still be around after the New Year was another question entirely.

As a result, the financial blow to Qingqing Winery was surprisingly limited.

Employee salaries continued to be paid on time.

While countless other wineries were shutting down, restructuring, or collapsing altogether, Qingqing Winery continued operating as though nothing had happened.

The workers weren't entirely sure whether the winery had a future.

But they knew one thing.

More and more people outside were losing their jobs.

At least they were still getting paid.

Why worry so much?

As long as wages arrived on time, they would keep working.

Whether the products could actually be sold was the boss's problem.

And so the inventory continued to pile up.

Barrel after barrel.

Bottle after bottle.

Eventually, the warehouse resembled a small mountain of liquor.

Baijiu didn't exactly expire, but letting it sit indefinitely wasn't a viable business strategy.

Ye Xiqing picked up a bottle of Qingqing Wine.

Most people in this era paid little attention to branding or design.

Ye Xiqing was different.

She had traveled all the way to the capital and hired a professional advertising company to design both the bottle and the trademark.

After all, people judged clothing by appearance.

Liquor was judged by its bottle.

Anyone unfamiliar with the brand would probably assume it was a premium product.

Holding the bottle, Ye Xiqing turned toward her favorite all-purpose solution.

Following her long-standing principle of "when in doubt, ask the villainess," she smiled brightly.

"Shuangshuang, are you busy?"

"If you have time, could you help me film another advertisement?"

Miao Shuangshuang said nothing.

Ye Xiqing blinked.

...

Why wasn't the universal tool working anymore?

Miao Shuangshuang remained silent.

Recently, the public perception surrounding her had undergone a complete reversal.

She had originally been criticized as an arrogant diva after losing her Spring Festival Gala appearance.

Then the Lu family scandal erupted.

Suddenly, she became a righteous celebrity who had refused to compromise her principles.

Her reputation soared.

Her career reached new heights.

Under normal circumstances, she should have been thrilled.

Instead, she sat there expressionlessly.

After a long silence, she finally raised her head and stared directly into Ye Xiqing's eyes.

"How did you know the Lu family would collapse this year?"

Ye Xiqing froze for a brief moment.

But she did not answer.

Seeing that reaction, Miao Shuangshuang felt her remaining rationality begin to crumble.

She had almost forgotten.

Forgotten that she was reborn.

Everything after her rebirth had gone so smoothly that it felt unreal.

She had inexplicably become beautiful.

Inexplicably become famous.

Inexplicably become rich.

Her entire life had unfolded like the script of a wish-fulfillment novel.

Over time, she had genuinely come to believe she was the protagonist.

After all, she had been reborn.

If she wasn't the protagonist, who was?

But the Lu family incident suddenly woke her up.

What if she wasn't the only reborn person?

What if someone else had also returned from the future?

Her gaze landed on Ye Xiqing.

Previously, she had dismissed Ye Xiqing's composure as part of her personality.

But what about that interview program?

On the surface, it seemed to criticize Ye Xiqing.

In reality, it had practically turned her into a national success story.

Could such a favorable outcome really happen by coincidence?

Could such a perfect chain of events have formed naturally?

Looking back, Miao Shuangshuang suddenly remembered how busy Ye Xiqing had been before the Lu family's downfall.

At the time, she assumed Ye Xiqing was handling legal matters.

Now she wasn't so sure.

Maybe she had been arranging everything.

Maybe she had known from the beginning.

Her refusal to fear the Lu family.

Her confidence during the lawsuit.

Her certainty that things would resolve themselves.

There was only one explanation.

Ye Xiqing had been reborn too.

The realization nearly broke Miao Shuangshuang.

When had it happened?

When Ye Xiqing suddenly learned how to make liquor?

When she unexpectedly opened a winery?

Or even earlier?

Perhaps from the very beginning.

Perhaps while Miao Shuangshuang was proudly stealing Gu Pengfei away, convinced she was the heroine of this story, Ye Xiqing had already known everything and had merely watched in silence.

The thought made her feel both embarrassed and furious.

Unfortunately, Miao Shuangshuang belonged to the type of person who became even more aggressive when she was wrong.

The more she thought about it, the fiercer her glare became.

Ye Xiqing met her gaze calmly. Her expression never changed.

"You know everything?"

Miao Shuangshuang's eyes widened. So it was true!

Under her horrified stare, Ye Xiqing smiled faintly.

"Since you've already figured it out..."

"I suppose there's no reason to hide it anymore."

"That's right."

A dramatic pause followed. Then Ye Xiqing delivered the truth.

"I'm the one who reported the food safety problems at Lu Family Liquor."

...

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

The enormous decorative clock in the living room swung rhythmically back and forth.

The glass covering reflected the frozen expressions of both women.

Before hearing the answer, Miao Shuangshuang had felt as though her entire world was about to collapse.

After hearing it...

She only wanted to look up at the sky.

Ah? That was it?

Ms. Ye, Model Citizen: Reporting unsafe liquor is my civic duty. Manipulating other people's emotions, however, that's my hobby.

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