C11 He Was Framed!

"Hubby, you're amazing!" Lin Keer exclaimed, her skin subtly peeking through as she spoke. Xu Yuan lunged like a starved tiger seizing its meal. "Just you wait for the spectacle tomorrow!"

...

March 20th, the 18th day of the second lunar month, marked both the weekend and the vernal equinox—a truly auspicious day. On this day, a seemingly trivial event occurred on Binhe Business Street. A small Chinese restaurant named Yu Fan Little Store quietly opened its doors. On its inaugural day, it offered food for free rather than for sale.

Despite the generous offer, the turnout was modest. Roughly a dozen patrons were present, each one curious to sample the fare. After all, one might wonder about the quality of anything given away at no cost.

Inside, two young people bustled about, their faces etched with smiles despite the hard work. This was their maiden venture, and they had deliberately kept the opening low-key for fear of being overwhelmed.

Their faces brightened with relief as they overheard words of praise from the customers. Passing this initial challenge meant they could gradually grow bolder and expand their ambitions.

"Ugh, what is this garbage? Can people actually eat this? Look at the state of this soup; how dare they call this a restaurant?" A shrill complaint cut through the restaurant's hum. Heads turned toward the source—a young man with yellow hair, conspicuously seated, pointing accusatorily at his soup and berating loudly.

"What's the issue here, young man? Everyone's enjoying their meal. Why fuss over something that's on the house?" An elderly man in his sixties chided Yellow Hair, finding his behavior distasteful.

"Old timer, what do you know? Don't just fixate on the freebies. Look at this!" Yellow Hair retorted, fishing out a dark object from his soup with his chopsticks. Those nearby caught a glimpse and erupted in disgust.

"It's a cockroach! Absolutely revolting! I think I'm going to be sick!" The outcry rippled through the crowd like a stone thrown into a still pond, creating waves of commotion as diners abandoned their utensils in dismay.

"Oh my God, there's actually a cockroach in the soup. I absolutely loathe cockroaches, they're so filthy!"

"You get what you pay for, right? Good stuff isn't cheap, and apparently, the freebies come with cockroach soup. What a shocker. I'm never setting foot in this place again!"

"I was just on the phone, singing their praises to my friends. Now I'm full of regret. I need to warn my friends right away to steer clear of this place!"

While voicing their complaints, everyone was busy on their phones—some were making calls, others snapping photos, all gathering evidence. They were a picture of efficiency, looking every bit the part of seasoned pros. The two young people who had been bustling about were now clearly overwhelmed, especially the girl, who was profusely apologizing to the customers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please accept our apologies. Let's not jump to conclusions—there's got to be some mistake here!"

"Mistake? Young lady, you can't just make stuff up. That cockroach isn't a figment of our imagination!"

"Exactly. Your restaurant just opens and we get this disaster. You might as well shut down now!"

"Enough, enough. No use arguing about it. I'm done with this place for good!"

The middle-aged woman spoke as she shook her head and made her way out. Yellow Hair, witnessing the scene, stood up and bellowed, "We can't just let this slide! Their food is unclean. We have to report them, get them shut down before they can do more harm!"

"Yeah, call the cops! Make them close up and pay up!"

The young man, who had remained silent until now, was torn between laughter and tears. These people were outrageously greedy. Setting aside whether the cockroach was a result of a lapse in hygiene, he hadn't charged them a dime for the soup. And now, not only was he out the cost of the soup, but they were demanding compensation for medical expenses too. Where was the justice in that?

But he knew that every problem has its source, and for this one, it was Yellow Hair. If he could handle Yellow Hair, the rest would fall into place.

Once Chen Fann got a good look at Yellow Hair, the pieces fell into place. This was the same thug who had been tailing Xu Yuan that day.

Clearly, Yellow Hair was acting on Xu Yuan's orders to stir up trouble. I never thought Xu Yuan would go to such lengths against me, making it clear he wanted to drive me out of business.

Any normal person would back down in this situation, given Xu Yuan's family's considerable influence and the Hanwu Restaurant standing as a testament to their power. But there's a stubborn streak in me, a refusal to be beaten. The more they try to stop me, the more determined I am to keep going.

Fighting to keep my anger in check, I gave Yellow Hair another look and asked with a firm tone, "What exactly is going on here? I'd like to know if there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

Yellow Hair shot me a disdainful glance, clearly convinced I wouldn't dare confront him with so many witnesses around, which only made him more brazen.

"Kid, the situation couldn't be more clear. What more is there to say? You're suggesting your food is unclean and it's somehow my fault?"

"That's right!" came the chorus of agreement from behind him. I turned to see several young men, all about Yellow Hair's age, tall and muscular, clearly his cronies.

They had come ready for a confrontation and were obviously not the friendly sort.

"Sir, you need to stand by your words. I'm well aware of the quality of the food we serve. Today's our grand opening, and we've prepared special nourishing soups for our guests to enjoy. There's no way I'd sabotage my own business on day one, tarnishing our reputation. If you were in my shoes, would you do such a thing?"

My logic was sound, but Yellow Hair wasn't having any of it. He glanced back at his group and barked orders at them:

"What are you waiting for? Go check his kitchen to see if it's as filthy as he says. And call the police if necessary, take anyone to the hospital who needs it. Today, this kid is going to answer for this!"