C17 I'm in Trouble

"All... Buy them all?"

Zhou Li's jaw dropped in disbelief, her eyes widening with astonishment.

Lin Yuyan was equally stunned. She had no idea where Mu Chen could have possibly gotten news like this. 'Is this some sort of joke?' she wondered.

"Don't spread rumors," scoffed Chen Henry, rolling his eyes. "In the entire Chu Province, no one has the financial muscle to buy even a single villa here, let alone all of them. Each is worth well over 100 million."

He sneered as if Mu Chen's statement was nothing more than a farce, designed to draw attention.

"Mu Chen, it's important to keep your feet on the ground and not let your imagination run wild," Chen Henry added patronizingly.

As he spoke, he unconsciously leaned against a towering blue-and-white porcelain bottle that stood beside him.

But his weight was enough to tip the precarious balance.

Clank!

The porcelain bottle toppled over, smashing into a thousand shards upon impact with the ground.

As if orchestrated.

The other vases nearby followed suit, tumbling down like a row of dominoes.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Each successive crash of porcelain seemed to drain the color from Chen Henry's face,

until he was left ashen and bloodless.

"This...these can't be worth that much, can they?"

Zhou Li stammered, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"It should be fine," Chen Henry murmured, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers.

He managed to regain his composure, albeit shakily.

"Ah, the rich are truly a breed apart. You chastise me for stepping on the grass, yet you casually shatter ten antique vases and remain unfazed. Fascinating."

Mu Chen chuckled, his expression laden with mockery.

"Mu Chen, stop this nonsense," Lin Yuyan snapped, pulling Zhou Li close to comfort her. "Don't worry, these vases are probably just decorative. They can't be worth much."

"Yes, of course. They wouldn't just leave valuable items out in the open like this."

Zhou Li agreed, clutching her trembling hands into fists.

"Actually, you might be mistaken. This is blue and white porcelain from the Song Dynasty. While not the finest example, each vase could easily fetch at least a million."

Mu Chen bent down to pick up a shard of the shattered porcelain.

He spoke with an air of expertise, his interest in antiques having been honed by years spent with an old Taoist who was a connoisseur of such things.

"A million? Each? So we're talking about... ten million in damages?"

Zhou Li felt his knees go weak, nearly collapsing in sheer panic.

While they claimed to possess tens of millions in assets, the grim reality was that most were tied up in fixed assets, with just a little over a million in liquid form.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Acting like some big shot?"

Chen Henry furiously yelled at Mu Chen.

Just then, a group of people hurriedly approached.

"My brother is here! He'll let this slide; it's a minor issue for him!" he assured everyone.

Chen Henry caught sight of Wang Hu, the property manager, among them.

"Brother Hu, I accidentally broke something. My apologies for the inconvenience. I'll make it up to you with drinks next time!"

Eager to resolve the matter, Chen Henry strode up to Wang Hu and clapped him on the shoulder.

Wang Hu's expression darkened instantly when he saw the shattered porcelain bottles on the ground.

"Chen Henry, are you kidding me? What have you done? These are antiques! Each one's worth at least a million!"

Wang Hu's eyes were red with rage.

They had met only once, a casual gathering lubricated by a few gifts, during which Wang Hu had granted him permission to visit this high-end villa.

But breaking tens of millions worth of blue and white porcelain?

If this situation wasn't handled carefully, Wang Hu himself could lose his job.

Wait, these are actual antiques?"

Chen Henry's face turned ashen, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"How did you know?"

Lin Yuyan looked at Mu Chen, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"I guessed."

Mu Chen replied with a shrug.

"Tch!"

Lin Yuyan sighed. Mu Chen was becoming increasingly enigmatic to her.

"Henry, what do we do now? We're talking about ten million here! Are we going bankrupt?"

Zhou Li was on the verge of tears. She'd planned to flaunt her new status upon returning home, but now found herself in a disastrous situation.

"Shut up!" Chen Henry snapped, his mind racing. Abruptly, he turned to Mu Chen. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't been talking nonsense about some mysterious person owning the villa, I wouldn't have been distracted! You're to blame for this!"

At this point, Chen Henry was frantic, throwing caution to the wind. If it meant dodging the ten-million debt, he'd do whatever it took.

"That's right! Lin Yuyan, this is all your husband Mu Chen's fault. I can't believe I was so blind to invite both of you troublemakers. You two should pay the ten million as compensation!"

Zhou Li, sensing an opportunity, aimed her accusations at Lin Yuyan and Mu Chen.

Lin Yuyan stood there, stunned. She looked at Zhou Li in disbelief, never expecting her own cousin to turn on her so heartlessly.

Mu Chen calmly pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Murong Feng.

Then, taking everyone by surprise, he stepped forward and declared, "Yes, I take responsibility. I was the one who broke the bottle."