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墨書 Inktalez
After much understanding, Ye Xiaohan finally figured out the situation.
Unexpectedly, during the time she was busy running errands outside, Zhang Yaozong, unaware of the true circumstances of the shop, tried to make a good impression in front of Ye Xiaohan in hopes of gaining access to the secret formula later. He took it upon himself to accept a customer's suggestion and collected a deposit.
His greed knew no bounds; as long as there were customers willing to pay a deposit, he accepted them all. The products from Peach Blossom Studio had always been in high demand, especially with the new series launching. Word spread quickly among customers, and everyone wanted to be among the first to get their hands on the initial batch. In no time, the deposits received exceeded the originally planned quantity of products.
This was like adding fuel to the fire, leaving Ye Xiaohan unable to react in time.
Logically, even if deposits had been paid, customers should have waited until the scheduled date to purchase their products. It was strange for them to swarm in early with inside information while there were still many items available. Was there something she didn't know?
While Ye Xiaohan and Hui dealt with customers, they squeezed toward the counter. The counter had a side entrance that was locked from within; once inside, it provided a momentary refuge.
After much effort and several instances of being blocked by people, Ye Xiaohan had no choice but to take action against some customers, discreetly striking their pressure points to temporarily slow them down before finally squeezing through.
"Ha." Just as she caught her breath, leaning against the counter and crouching down to avoid the crowd, Ye Xiaohan quickly asked, "Even if Zhang Yaozong privately accepted deposits, we still have several days until our scheduled product sale. Why are customers suddenly causing such a ruckus today?"
Hui had never encountered such chaos before; while trying to calm customers down, she had even been hit a few times by angry patrons. Seeing Ye Xiaohan return made her tense heart relax slightly.
With that relaxation came tears that she couldn't hold back. She knew this wasn't the time to cry and quickly wiped her eyes before responding, "I don't know either. I just know that suddenly everyone in the neighborhood is saying that Peach Blossom Studio is going out of business and that you took everyone's deposits and are planning to run away."
It seemed that rumors could spread overnight; someone must be conspiring against her.
Liu Yuan's involvement couldn't be ruled out.
That man was truly petty; he would go to such lengths over a woman he couldn't have.
Ye Xiaohan stood up and surveyed her surroundings. Among these customers, there must be people sent by Liu Yuan stirring up trouble and inciting chaos.
Outside, a thin figure was peeking around suspiciously; Ye Xiaohan's sharp eyes immediately recognized it as Zhang Yaozong.
Realizing he was in trouble, Zhang Yaozong shrank into a corner, silent and with shifty eyes, not daring to meet Ye Xiaohan's gaze.
Ye Xiaohan didn't have time to confront him right now; she needed to stabilize the emotions of these customers first. This was a serious public relations crisis—if not handled promptly and properly, it could deal a devastating blow to Peach Blossom Studio.
"Everyone quiet down and listen to me," Ye Xiaohan called out loudly from atop a chair, rolling up a booklet into a megaphone shape. "Peach Blossom Studio will definitely provide everyone with a satisfactory response regarding this matter. Please don't worry; you can all go home for now."
The guests felt cheated, and with some inciting them, their emotions ran high, unwilling to easily reconcile. "Bring out the goods and sell them to us, or double the compensation! There's nothing good about this!"
The counter was locked, preventing the guests from getting close. They could only keep banging on the counter, creating a loud thumping noise.
Hui was both scared and anxious, stamping her feet as she clung to Ye Xiaohan's side, holding back tears as she asked, "Boss, what should we do? I'm so scared! Should we report this to the authorities?"
"No," Ye Xiaohan stopped her. "The deposit was taken in the name of Peach Blossom Studio. If this gets out, we won't have a leg to stand on. Besides, if we report it now and the Government Office takes the guests away, who will come to our shop to buy things in the future? This won't work."
Hui was on the verge of crying. "If that won't work and this won't work, then what are we supposed to do? If we don't settle the guests soon, they'll rush in here!"
It wasn't just Hui; even Ye Xiaohan felt a deep sense of helplessness.
In this world, she had no one to rely on and had to handle everything herself. The unfamiliar environment was completely different from her past life where she had lived for many years.
Here, the unequal system allowed someone like Liu Yuan, who merely relied on being the son of a county magistrate, to cut off her access to supplies, plunging her into the greatest predicament she had faced since her arrival.
Meanwhile, at Liu Residence just a few streets away, Liu Yuan sat in the back garden sipping tea. He held his teacup without drinking from it, merely swirling it gently as the tea swayed within, creating ripples that curled at the edge of the cup.
Liu Yuan gazed at the wall ahead as if he could see Ye Xiaohan's shop through it. A smug smile crept onto his face. "Ye Xiaohan, I want to see how long you can hold out before you come crawling to beg for mercy!"
His attendant quickly chimed in with praise. "Young Master is right! We can't be too lenient with such an ungrateful bitch. She needs to see some consequences before she'll learn her lesson!"
Liu Yuan put on his insincere smile. "How are our people doing? Make sure they don't mess this up."
The attendant replied promptly, "Rest assured, Young Master. Our people are carefully chosen and won't make any mistakes. The word has spread throughout the neighborhood; everyone believes Peach Blossom Studio is going down and that Ye Xiaohan is a fraud. Even if she talks her way out of it, it's no use."
Liu Yuan nodded with a smile before suddenly splashing the tea from his cup into the flower bushes.
The noise from the guests outside merged into a buzzing sound that gave one a headache.
Ye Xiaohan found herself in a desperate situation. With Liu Yuan blocking her access to materials and a fire breaking out in the back courtyard of her shop while guests were barricaded inside, mere attempts at calming them were no longer effective.
Moreover, there were Liu Yuan's agents hiding among them, occasionally stirring up their emotions and attempting to drive her into a corner.
Now, she faced only two paths ahead of her.
Either she had to produce enough goods to fulfill the agreement and appease them, salvaging the situation.
Or she could wait for the shop to be smashed by angry customers, leading to the downfall of Peach Blossom Studio's reputation, leaving her with no chance of recovery.
However, for the first option, she had no goods at all; not even raw materials were available. How could she provide anything? There were some finished products left from the previous batch in the storeroom, but the quantity was limited and completely insufficient for the number of people present. If some received their goods while others did not, it would likely incite even greater dissatisfaction among the customers.
The damage to Peach Blossom Studio's reputation would not merely mean the closure of a shop. Peach Blossom Studio represented Ye Xiaohan; any scandal involving the studio would reflect directly on her. This indicated that for a long time to come, Ye Xiaohan would be unable to regain acceptance from her customers.
Her reputation would be tarnished, turning her into a con artist that everyone wanted to avoid.
If that happened, she would have no opportunity to earn money and would return to the days of poverty, where she could only survive on wild vegetable soup. Without sufficient funds, she couldn't gain independence or leave this place; she would remain bound to this land indefinitely.
This was absolutely unacceptable!
Ye Xiaohan's resolve solidified instantly, pushing aside any chaotic thoughts. She had come to this town inexplicably; was she supposed to live out her days here without purpose?
No, absolutely not.
If she backed down now, the shop would be finished. The first step was to save the shop and resolve the immediate crisis.
Ye Xiaohan focused her mind, thinking rapidly as various plans formed in her head, only to be dismissed one after another.
While brainstorming solutions, she also had to continuously appease the customers. Most of them were not difficult people; their uproar was largely fueled by a few instigators among them.
If she could identify those individuals, it would help calm things down significantly.
The customers continued to raise their hands in protest, insisting that she resolve the issue immediately or they would take their grievances to Yamen and let the Government Office deal with this unscrupulous business.
Ye Xiaohan shouted until her throat was dry, but she couldn't afford to feel discouraged; she had to hold on.
"Sister!" Yang squeezed through the crowd and darted into the counter. "I just heard something happened in the shop and came over to see what’s going on!"
Ye Xiaohan felt a surge of joy; finally, a helper had arrived who could be of use.
Liang was nimble and quickly squeezed his way to the front of the counter. Ye Xiaohan hurriedly let him in.
After briefly explaining the situation, Ye Xiaohan asked, "Is it causing a stir outside?"
"It's all over the place. People are saying that Peach Blossom Studio is a scam shop, taking money without delivering goods, and that you plan to run away with the money. I have a feeling there's something fishy going on; how could such outrageous rumors spread so suddenly?" Liang keenly sensed that something was off.
Ye Xiaohan was very pleased with his perceptiveness; she knew Liang was sharp and the only one at home who could help. There were some things she needed to inform him about to make their actions more convenient. She just omitted Liu Yuan's identity, as it seemed that someone had taken a dislike to Peach Blossom Studio and wanted to suppress them.
Liang indignantly recounted the situation on the street to Ye Xiaohan. These people were utterly foolish, believing anything they heard and easily manipulated.
"That’s not useful right now; we need to find a way to calm the customers down, or I’m afraid something bad will happen." Ye Xiaohan looked at the increasingly chaotic crowd and whispered in Liang's ear, "I have something for you to do, and you must get it done!"
"Got it!" Without asking for details, Liang readily agreed, "You can count on me!"
Ye Xiaohan whispered a few more instructions, and Liang nodded with determination. This matter was urgent; he needed to hurry out. However, looking at the current situation made him anxious.
If something happened in their shop—whether customers got riled up and smashed the place or if injuries occurred due to the crowding—it would be extremely detrimental for Peach Blossom Studio.
With the situation critical, even Ye Xiaohan felt overwhelmed and unable to come up with a solution.
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