Ji Qian's eyebrows kept twitching. Listening to Shen Hanxing call her "our Ji Qian" and "our Qian Qian", she felt so happy that she was about to fly.
"Oh?"
Old Master Zhuang narrowed his eyes, and his tone was frighteningly cold. "You admit that Fourth Young Missus destroyed my orchid, so what's there to argue about?"
"The Ji family will take responsibility for our mistakes."Shen Hanxing bent down to pick up the broken orchid and skillfully fiddled with the broken orchid stem. She said gently, "Our Qian Qian destroyed the orchid. I'm not talented, but I happen to know how to take care of orchids. So how about letting me give it a try?"
Orchids were very delicate. An ordinary orchid would easily die if it was poorly nurtured, not to mention such a valuable mutated variety. To make this orchid bloom, the Zhuang family spent a lot of money to hire a gardener and a professional florist to make it bloom successfully.
But what did Shen Hanxing say? Let her try? Was she worthy? If this orchid still could come back alive, Old Master Zhuang would not have been so angry. He would have gotten someone to save it a long time ago.
"You're overestimating yourself." Old Master Zhuang sneered. "I admired the way you protected your family just now, but your behavior is stupid."
This little girl thinks that she could save an orchid that countless gardeners and florists could not save. What kind of joke was this?
Old Master Zhuang was a little disappointed. He had thought that Shen Hanxing was a steady person, but now it seemed like that was all there was to it.
Shen Hanxing was not angry at Old Master Zhuang's contempt. She even felt that it was normal for Old Master Zhuang not to believe her. She pursed her lips, smiled, and said, "Since things have come to this, why don't you let me try? After three months, if I can't return this orchid intact, I'm willing to apologize to Old Master Zhuang in public. The Ji family will also bear the responsibility."
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire place was in an uproar.
For the noble families of the upper-class society, profits were secondary. The most important thing was their honor.
If Shen Hanxing could not fulfill her promise, the Ji family would lose their honor. Even if the Ji family followed the agreement, apologized to the Zhuang family, and accepted the Zhuang family's punishment, to outsiders, the Ji family lowered their head to the Zhuang family. Thus, the Ji family would never measure up to the Zhuang family anymore.
This... was too impulsive!
Everyone present felt that Shen Hanxing was too impulsive. She was gambling with the Ji family's honor. And all this for the Fourth Young Missus, a half-sister who she was not close to. Did she have to go to this extent?
Ji Qian's mouth was also agape in shock. Growing up in this circle, she was more perceptive than others. She knew what Shen Hanxing's promise meant and what price she would have to pay for it. She was dumbfounded, at a loss, and she said quickly, "Sister-in-law, no, you can't... Everything is my fault. I'll leave, I can apologize to Old Master Zhuang, you can't..."
She couldn't risk the Ji family's reputation just for herself. This was teaching that was engraved in their bones. They could get hurt, but they cannot hurt the Ji family's reputation.
This was because the Ji family's honor was more important than theirs. More importantly, she was the one who destroyed the orchid. Shen Hanxing didn't need to take the blame.
People already look down on Shen Hanxing due to her background, if she publicly apologized to the Zhuang family, Ji Qian couldn't bear to imagine how many rumors and slanders would fly towards Shen Hanxing.
Ji Yang and Ji Zhou's faces were tense. The two of them took a step forward at the same time. When they noticed each other's actions, they could not help but look at each other coldly.
"Sister-in-law, there's no need for you to apologize. I'll do it." Ji Yang took a step forward, he raised his voice and said, "If my sister-in-law doesn't do what she promised and save your orchid, I, Ji Yang, the Third Young Master of the Ji family, will apologize to you in public."
He was a man. If there was any conflict, it should be directed at him. Don't attack his sister-in-law.
"And me as well," Ji Zhou answered calmly from the side. "I think that as the Second Young Master of the Ji family, my apology carries more weight than Ji Yang's. So, Old Master Zhuang, can you give the Ji family a chance now? Let my sister-in-law try. There's no loss to you if it succeeds or fails."
If she succeeded, the Zhuang family and the Ji family would get along peacefully, and Old Master Zhuang would get his orchid back.
If she failed, the Ji family would have to pay an enormous amount to compensate the Zhuang family, and their honor would be trampled on the ground. The only downside was that they would have to wait three months before there would be a decision.