Chapter 18: Supreme Jade Ring

Leo Yu's father, Li Yu, stormed onto the stage with a dark expression, delivering two swift kicks to his son.

"Dad, don't hit me! I didn't do it! I swear I didn't do it!" Leo Yu cried out, trying to defend himself, his voice laced with panic.

"Hmph!" Li Yu sneered, his face twisted with disappointment. "You've been going on and on about how much you like Zoe, yet you can't even protect your own proposal ring. You didn't notice when someone switched it out? You're so careless — how could I ever trust you with the company in the future?"

The crowd murmured in amusement. Li Yu, ever the manipulator, deftly shifted the blame, making it seem as though his son's failure was someone else's fault.

"Yes, yes! Someone must have switched the box! Damn it — messing with me at such an important moment. If I find out who did this, I'll make them pay!" Leo seethed, his face flushed with rage as he threw the box into the trash.

Li turned his cold gaze toward Ethan, his eyes narrowing. "I hear you're in the vegetable business."

Ethan met his glare with calm composure. "Just say what you mean."

Li smirked, his voice dripping with accusation. "It's quite the coincidence, isn't it? You deal with vegetables and livestock, so getting pig dung would be easy for you. And you just so happened to be at the same table as my son earlier. Doesn't that give me reason to suspect you?"

Ethan's eyes remained steady, deep and clear like the starry night sky, inscrutable and enigmatic. As Li continued to stare, he suddenly felt disoriented, his mind clouded. He thought he saw a breathtakingly beautiful fairy dancing before him, her movements graceful and captivating.

His mouth went dry, his face flushed with an unfamiliar desire. Li reached out as if entranced, a lecherous grin creeping across his face. "My little sweetheart… You're so beautiful… Come to Uncle…"

"What the hell?!" Ethan recoiled in horror, taking several steps back. "I'm not into that, man!"

The entire audience erupted into laughter, shocked by the unexpected turn of events. Li, the patriarch of the Yu family, had just revealed a side no one could have predicted. The moment was too bizarre to ignore, and many people scrambled to record it on their phones.

Yuyu doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Oh wow, Zoe! We've got another love rival — and this one's a bit… unique!"

"Dad! What the hell are you doing?!" Leo's face turned bright red with embarrassment. If Li weren't his father, he would've slapped him right then and there.

Li blinked, confused. "Huh? What… what just happened?" He looked around, noticing the crowd's bewildered stares. His confusion deepened.

The emcee quickly intervened, trying to restore some semblance of order. "Haha, Boss Li, you've had a bit too much to drink! Let's get back to the main event. Ethan, you still haven't shown us your ring!"

"Right! You damn pauper, let's see if your ring is even worth looking at!" Leo sneered, now seething with frustration.

Ethan simply smiled, undisturbed. He reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a ring. Under the stage lights, the translucent green jade shimmered like a droplet of morning dew, its pristine glow captivating everyone in the audience. The collective gasp from the crowd was palpable.

The emcee's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! That's… that's a glass-type imperial green jade ring! And not just any jade — look at the color, the clarity. This is top-grade! The best of the best! This kind of jade only comes around once in a century! Cameraman, get a close-up!"

The audience buzzed with excitement, their eyes glued to the ring on the big screen. Women gasped, clutching their partners' arms in awe as they stared at the flawless jade.

"Holy… Look at that color. It's flawless," someone whispered in disbelief.

"I've seen imperial green jade before, but this… this is something else," another person murmured, shaking their head.

A middle-aged man chuckled bitterly. "Every year there are surprises, but this year takes the cake. The rich kid proposes with pig dung, and the poor guy shows up with a jade ring worth millions. Who's the real rich guy here?"

"Don't be fooled. This kid isn't poor at all. He's probably from some hidden elite family playing a long con!" someone else speculated, trying to make sense of the situation.

On stage, Li and Leo stood slack-jawed, staring at the ring. Li had seen the ring his son had bought — it was decent, but compared to Ethan's ring, it was like comparing dirt to diamonds.

Still, Li wasn't about to back down. His years in the business world had taught him that the truth didn't matter — only who controlled the narrative.

With a sneer, he pointed at Ethan. "You! Admit it — you stole that ring from my son, didn't you?! It all makes sense now. My son's ring turned into pig dung, and suddenly you show up with this priceless treasure? Thief!"

"Impossible!" Zara slammed her palm on the table, standing up, her face red with anger. "Ethan sat right next to us the whole time. He didn't even touch Leo's box! This is obviously the Yu family trying to frame him."

Wendy scoffed, grabbing Zara's arm. "Come on, Zara. Think about it. Ethan sells vegetables for a living. Where would he get the money for a jade ring like that? Isn't it obvious? He stole it. Ugh, these poor countryside people… always up to no good."

Back on stage, Ethan chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Oh? You're saying this is Leo's ring?" He held the jade up to the light, making it shimmer in various shades of green. "Leo said his ring was ice-type jade. Take a good look — does this look like ice to you?"

Li's eyes darted to the jade and then back to Ethan, his expression twisting with fury. "Hmph! My son was mistaken. Of course, we'd buy the best of the best. You probably got him drunk and switched the rings! Do you think you can get away with stealing something worth millions? I'll call the police right now!"

Ethan tilted his head, a playful smirk curling on his lips. "Oh? Go ahead. Call the police. Let's see who ends up in cuffs."

Li's face darkened, the threat in Ethan's voice ringing clear. The crowd held its breath, the tension thick in the air.

The battle of wits and wealth had only just begun.