Chapter 5

• “Who is this man, huh?”
• “Accusing Mr. Daniel? Does he have a death wish?
• “Yes, he does. I can't wait to see him dead.”
• “I see no reason why Mr. Daniel would buy a fake leaf when he's wealthy.”
• “This man is just a clout chaser and he needs to be dealt with.”
• “A poor and handicapped man challenging the rich. What a poor world.”
• Adrian paid no attention to the hateful and shameful comment that he was hearing. He pretended as though he didn't hear any of them.
• His attention was fixed on the so-called rich Mr. Daniel.
• “How dare you claim the original leaf I bought was worth millions of dollars fake!” The man yelled but he wasn't fazed by it.
• “Do you mean the imitation that you bought was fake?” Adrian said in a cold tone, challenging the rich man before him which made the guest infuriated by his gut.
• “What is the meaning of what you're doing?” His wife, Sandra, asked as she leaned closer to him.
• “Stop it and leave,” she said in a cold tone and he shook his head in response.
• “I won't leave until I prove myself right. Trust me,” he muttered and she nodded her head in response.
• Somehow, for the first time, she felt she should trust him. She stood in a corner as she watched the drama unfold.
• He felt a strange warmth in his heart that she supported him without arguing. He didn't know she was doing it because she noticed something odd about Mr. Daniel as well.
• “Can you tell me what made you think it's an imitation?” Daniel asked and Adrian smiled.
• “Yes. Give us a good reason.”
• “If you fail to give us a good reason, I won't hesitate to lock you up in jail.”
• “Go ahead and talk, you wimp,” the guests in the room challenged him and he squeezed out a smile.
• It's a surprise that he could manage to smile in such a situation.
• He moved forward and cleared his throat so that others who were far from him would be able to hear it and know who the real scammer was.
• “Mr. Daniel claimed that he bought the leaf for a million dollars which I do not doubt because I know it's worth as well.”
• “Yes, you can't doubt it because you can't afford to buy it,” one of them spoke up and they laughed at him mockingly.
• He ignored them and continued with what he was saying. “He claimed he bought it from Lu Xun, and according to recent reports, General Lu Xun has been in seclusion for months. So how do you buy the ginseng from the General?”
• Everyone became quiet and began to listen to him with rapt attention after he finished the statement.
• “That aside, the ginseng leaf used to be deep in color but yours seems to be lighter and the moisture is thicker compared to the real ginseng leaf. What do you say about this, Mr. Daniel?” He asked with a proud smile and Daniel shuddered in fear.
• He wondered how Adrian was able to know the flaws with few glances even without touching the leaf.
• He wasn't aware that Adrian had little knowledge about antiques so he couldn't let another one steal the spotlight with fake antiques.
• Mr. Daniel quickly spoke up when he saw that everyone was beginning to suspect him. “That's a lie. That's not enough reason to tell whether it's an imitation or not.”
• “And besides, it's lame to say I can't buy the ginseng leaf in the absence of General Lu Xun. I bought it from his right-hand man, ” Mr. Daniel said and everyone's perspective about Adrian began to change from good to bad.
• They believed General Lu Xun's right-hand man wouldn't scam him or sell a fake leaf to him because he was a man with good virtue.
• “Then he sold the fake one to you,” Adrian said coldly and one of the guests interfered.
• “And what made you think yours is real?” The guest asked, rendering Adrian speechless for a moment.
• They started bashing him before he could open his mouth and talk.
• “That's right. Show us proof that this leaf with you is real. I can show mine,” the man brought out his phone, went to his bank details, and flaunted the payment receipt that he made to buy the leaf.
• This action made it hard for Adrian to convince the guests that he was right and that the deceitful man before him was wrong.
• “Where is your receipt? Where do you buy it from? And who gave this fake leaf to you?” The man asked, changing everything in his favor.
• Adrian was surprised at how the man was able to turn the tides.
• He was now the culprit.
• His wife, Sandra, who was standing by the corner hissed after seeing what happened. She regretted trusting him. Maybe there was nothing good about him anyway.
• “Why aren't you talking, Mr. Adrian? If you don't want me to call the cops on you for discriminating against me without concrete proof, I want you to kneel and apologize then I'll forgive you,” the man said with a proud smile.
• “What if I don't?” Adrian asked.
• “Are you daring me, Adrian?” Daniel asked coldly.
• “Just to kneel. That's too merciful of Mr. Daniel.”
• “What! This handicapped man dared reject Mr. Daniel,”
• Just as they were about to argue, a noise from the back made them stop. “Mr. Stephen is dying. Please save him,” a young lady cried bitterly and they all gathered around them.
• “What happened to him?” He asked.
• “I don't know. He suddenly slumped,” she answered with tears rolling down from her eyes.
• “Let's take him to the hospital,” one of them said eagerly.
• “The nearest hospital is three hundred kilometers away from here and he might die before we get there. I suggest Mr. Daniel use the leaf he bought for me to revive him back,” Sandra suggested in fear.
• She knew she could land in trouble if anything could happen to the guest because it was at her event, her birthday ceremony.
• “Yes, Mr. Daniel. Please use it on him. We can't afford to lose anyone among us.”
• “It's a good thing that we have someone like you in our midst,” they praised him and he shuddered in fear.
• Adrian chuckled mockingly when he noticed how nervous Mr. Daniel was. “I thought you claimed the ginseng leaf is real. Why are you hesitating?” He asked and Daniel snarled at him.
• “I'm not hesitating. This will prove you wrong that the leaf with me is not an imitation,” he said and walked away pretending to be confident.
• Sandra returned with the briefcase and he took the leaf from it. He rubbed his hand on the leaf and squeezed it until he could get a scoop of liquid from it then he forced it into the victim's mouth.
• A few minutes later, everyone stared at Mr. Daniel in awe after Stephen, who had been unconscious for a while suddenly woke up and coughed.
• “Wow! He did it. He has always been right.”
• “He just saved Stephan. Sandra's husband is a liar.”
• Just as they were about to bash Adrian, he spoke up. “Maybe that's not true.” He pointed at the victim on the floor.
• They were engrossed in mocking him to notice the blood oozing from his mouth and nose until he called their attention to him.
• “What happened to you, Stephen? What did you do to my brother, Daniel?” The young lady, who was about eighteen years old, yelled in a cold tone.
• That was when they realized that she was the daughter of General Lei Feng, a famous general known for his bravery and loyalty. It would be a death sentence to offend someone like him.
• “If anything happens to my brother, I promise to bring you and your general down,” she threatened.
• When she spoke, no one dared to speak. Even at such a young age, she carried authority and power.
• “I don't know…” he stammered in front of the young girl, unable to find his voice.
• He knew he was dead if anything could happen to her.
• Adrian smiled in satisfaction when he saw what was happening. “You claim you bought the leaf a million dollars but it's ineffective and can't even revive this dying man,” he said and chuckled mockingly.
• The girl turned to Adrian with a cold sharp gaze but he wasn't moved by any of it. “Is there anything you could do to save him?” She asked.
• She wouldn't have asked the poor man for help but she had no alternative. Her brother was on the verge of dying and the nearest hospital was far from them.
• “Yes, I do but I won't help him,” he said dominantly and they all flared up.
• He ignored their hateful comments, crossed his arms, and stared at the young girl calmly.
• “What are you saying, Adrian? You'd better save him if you have a way to cure the sickness unless we'll all be in trouble,” Brianna spoke up amidst the tensio
• n and he scoffed.
• “What if I don't? They'll break my two arms so I won't be able to use crutches anymore,” he said and everywhere went silent.