Chapter 8 Obsessed with Money
Meng Xian had already made plans when she decided to give a gift.
If Gu Mingyan's group accepts the gifts, it will make Meng Xian appear generous and forgiving; if they refuse, it will highlight the other party's arrogance and lack of appreciation. Either way, it will garner her favor or sympathy from the audience.
However, no matter how much Meng Xian planned, she never expected Yun Qingqing to break the deadlock in this way.
The viewers in the live stream also hesitated as a result:
【What? Did Meng Xian give you a fake?】
"That's impossible, she's not short of money."
Isn't it a bit too arbitrary and impolite of Yun Qingqing to judge something as fake without any evidence...?
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ding Manni was the first to react. She already harbored resentment towards Yun Qingqing because of the incident where Yun Qingqing pushed her into the pool earlier. Now, both old and new grudges surged up in her heart, making her immediately speak up in support of her friend, "Xianxian kindly gave you gifts, and you not only didn't appreciate it, but you also slandered her for giving you counterfeit goods? Do you have any evidence?"
Meng Xian quickly composed herself: "I personally purchased these products from the official store; they absolutely cannot be counterfeit."
Faced with the accusations, Yun Qingqing remained calm: "Please don't get agitated. I'm not speculating, I'm just stating my observations."
"First of all, the genuine Lumira packaging box is made of a special environmentally friendly material that has a delicate feel and a very subtle pearlescent shimmer under light. The box in Teacher Meng's hand, on the other hand, is made of a harder material and is too white, lacking any luster."
“Secondly,” Yun said, her gaze falling on the logo on the box, “the ribbon knot on the authentic gift box is a specific ‘Paris knot,’ symmetrical on both sides, with neat pleats and a standard diagonal cut at the end. Although your knot is beautifully tied, the technique is the common gift shop method, and the end is also cut straight. As a high-end luxury brand, Lumira should not have such inconsistencies.”
His analysis was so logical and well-founded that it left everyone present and the viewers in the live stream stunned.
Wow... that's detailed? It sounds so professional.
[I'm currently using Lumira, and the packaging details she mentioned seem accurate.]
[No way, no way, could Meng Xian really have given away fake goods?]
As for why Yun Qingqing knows so much about Lumira's details, well...
The system that knew her best closed its electronic eyes as if it couldn't bear to look at her.
Two days ago, Gu Mingyan casually gave the host a few bottles of Lumira skincare products. The host was delighted and spent an hour admiring the bottles after returning home, claiming that touching a high-end brand was a bargain.
Ding Manni was taken aback, but still stubbornly defended herself: "You...you're just making things up. Who knows if you're telling the truth?"
As if suddenly remembering something, she quickly took out a serum from the same brand but a different series from her bag. "I happen to have a genuine bottle here. You can tell if it's real or fake by comparing them!"
She confidently picked up the gift box Meng Xian had given her and took out the bottle of serum inside.
You don't know until you compare, and the difference is astonishing.
Upon closer inspection, the differences between the two bottles became apparent.
The genuine product in Ding Manni's hand has a clear, transparent material, clear lettering, and an exquisite pump head;
The bottle that Meng Xian gave away was slightly cloudy, the edges of the lettering seemed a little rough, and the pump head was also of slightly inferior quality.
Even Ding Manni herself noticed something was wrong, and her voice lowered involuntarily: "I bought this at a duty-free shop, so it might be slightly different from the version sold in department stores..."
"The duty-free version and the department store version may differ slightly in packaging or gifts, but the core product's materials and craftsmanship are the same," Gu Mingyan said, raising her chin.
Yun looked at Meng Xian with concern: "Teacher Meng, are you sure you bought it from the official store? Or do you still have the receipt? Perhaps you can show it to everyone so that if you were really cheated by an unscrupulous merchant, you can protect your rights in time."
Her tone was sincere and gentle, but it put Meng Xian in a difficult position.
Where would she possibly produce any receipts from the department store?
To save money, Meng Xian bought the items from a reseller who claimed to have insider access, at a price nearly 40% cheaper than in the official stores. At the time, she thought she had gotten a great deal, but now she's shooting herself in the foot.
Meng Xian couldn't help but feel resentful towards Ding Manni. If Ding Manni hadn't insisted on bringing out the genuine product for comparison, the fact that she had given away counterfeit goods wouldn't have been confirmed on the spot.
"I'm quite casual when I buy things, and I might have just thrown the receipts away," Meng Xian stammered, trying to gloss over the situation.
Just as Yun Qingqing was marveling at her clumsy excuse, the system anxiously warned: "[Host! Even if Meng Xian's gift is fake, it's still best to avoid offending the female lead.]"
Yun Qingqing said angrily, "This is supposed to be the female lead? Look at Gu Mingyan, she gives me money, jade, and haute couture, she's so generous. And look at this female lead, she's so stingy with her greeting gift, buying fakes! How much are fakes even worth?"
system:【……】
They're hopeless; they're obsessed with money.
Meanwhile, the live stream was still abuzz with debate over Meng Xian's act of sending counterfeit goods:
[They can't even produce the receipts; isn't that obviously something they're hiding?]
[Sigh, either don't send anything, or send the real thing. Meng Xian really made a mistake in this regard. How could you send a counterfeit face cream? What if someone has an allergic reaction?]
No wonder Yun Qingqing didn't want it; who could feel safe using a counterfeit product?
Meng Xian's fans are still desperately defending her:
[Why are you so sure it's counterfeit? Even if the packaging and materials are slightly different, what if it's a version issue or a production location issue?]
[Xianxian is a victim too! She was definitely scammed by an unscrupulous personal shopper!]
However, these explanations appear somewhat weak and powerless in the face of irrefutable details and the fact that Meng Xian could not provide any evidence.
[Fans, stop trying to defend us. How can there be such a big difference just because the production location is different? Do you think we're all idiots?]
[Your idol themselves said they bought it from an official store, but now the fans are saying they were scammed by a reseller. Is this a case of contradictory thinking?]
The fans were furious and vehemently condemned the audience:
Those who defend Yun Qingqing in the comments section have no judgment whatsoever. Their values seem to be swayed by their looks, don't they? How shallow must they be in real life!
Regardless of what fans say, Meng Xian is still facing the predicament of not being able to produce proof of purchase.
She quickly weighed the pros and cons, knowing that denying it any longer would only make the situation worse, so she quickly bowed to everyone: "It was my oversight that almost caused everyone to use something bad, I am so sorry!"
Ding Manni and Ji Sihan tried to smooth things over by saying, "It's okay, the thought is what counts," but the gift in their hands was too hot to handle—accepting it or not was equally awkward, creating an extremely embarrassing atmosphere.
Fortunately, at that moment, a commotion suddenly came from the side.
"Xianxian! Xianxian, look here!"
"Xianxian, we will always support you!"
Seven or eight young girls holding banners and light sticks supporting Meng Xian broke through the perimeter barrier of the program and ran excitedly toward them.
It turns out that Meng Xian's fan club learned of the show's departure location and spontaneously organized to see their idol off.
Meng Xian, who was worried about not knowing how to back down, immediately adjusted her expression and went to greet them: "Thank you for coming all this way to see me off, you've had a hard time!"
She warmly shook hands and signed autographs with her fans. While interacting with her, the leading fan's gaze accidentally fell on Gu Mingyan, who was standing not far away.
Da Fen's expression immediately changed, and she pointed at Gu Mingyan, loudly questioning, "Gu Mingyan, what right do you have to steal Xianxian's endorsement?"
This loud voice instantly attracted the attention of the others.
The other fans looked in the direction she was pointing, and were instantly stirred up as well, joining in the enthusiastic chanting:
"Just because they have a few bucks, they think they can steal other people's resources? Have they no shame?"
"You must apologize to Xianxian!"
Gu Mingyan was so angry at this sudden accusation that she sneered: "The brand has already clarified that there was no such thing as stealing the endorsement. Can't you understand human language?"
Her dismissive attitude further enraged her fans.
The leader of the group of fans, his blood boiling, pushed past the staff and tried to shove Gu Mingyan, shouting, "What are you being so arrogant about!"
"Hey, hey, don't do it!" Ji Sihan quickly reached out to stop him.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Yun Qing took a step to the side and nimbly blocked Gu Mingyan's path.
"I advise you not to act rashly." She glanced at the agitated fans and smiled as she reminded them, "That vintage necklace around her neck is estimated at 800,000; that full-green jade bracelet on her wrist is worth 3 million; and those platinum and diamond earrings she's wearing start at 200,000. Are you sure you can afford to pay for any of them if you break them?"
As a series of prices were announced, the once-aggressive fans immediately backed down and stood there looking at each other in bewilderment.
Only the leader of the big fans seemed to come from a well-off family, and was still angrily gritting her teeth and shouting, "It's just money, my family can afford to pay for it! I'll pay double for anything you break, Gu Mingyan has to give me an explanation today!"
"Double?" Yun Qingqing's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had heard some incredibly good news.
She immediately touched the jade pendant given to her by Gu Mingyan around her neck, and eagerly stretched her neck forward to get closer to the lead fan, her tone becoming unusually enthusiastic:
“My friend, you’ve got a big perspective! I’m her partner, so if you have any complaints, you can push me too! Come on, push it this way. This piece of equipment isn’t worth much, and if you break it, you can just pay me double the price!”
Yun Qingqing pleaded eagerly to be pushed, which instead confused the leading fan.
She subconsciously took a step back, keeping her distance from Yun Qingqing.
Yun Qingqing was immediately dissatisfied when she saw that the leader of the big pinks not only did not make a move, but also retreated.
"Don't go, friend!" She lunged forward, almost pressing her face against the other person's hand, her eyes filled with encouragement and expectation. "I promise I won't dodge, you can vent your anger on me! Push me, push me, hurry up!"
The leader of the group of fans looked at the magnified, anxious face in front of him, and his lips trembled slightly.
Damn, she seems to have encountered a crazy woman.
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