That night, a private room on the second floor of a restaurant was filled with laughter. Pak Wandra sat comfortably on a sofa with a glass in his hand, while Pak Prabu leaned back in the chair across from him. Several documents, sales reports, and phones displaying messages from customers were scattered across the table. For the first time in weeks, both men looked genuinely satisfied. "We did it." Wandra raised his glass and laughed loudly. His laughter was so carefree that several waiters outside the room glanced at one another. After weeks of pressure weighing heavily on his mind, he finally felt as though everything was falling back into place. Prabu laughed as well. "Not just did it. We made people doubt his products." He picked up his phone and opened several screenshots. They showed customers questioning the safety of Rian's vegetables. Some posts even warned consumers to be careful when buying vegetables from an unknown supplier. Prabu smiled with satisfaction. "People don't need proof to be afraid." Wandra nodded. "That's the power of a rumor." They laughed again. Both men were completely convinced that their plan had worked. Wandra imagined the restaurants that had switched to Rian returning to him. Prabu imagined customers slowly abandoning Ria Jaya Market and returning to Merdeka Market. They had even started discussing how they would divide the customers once Rian's business collapsed. As far as they were concerned, Rian was already on the verge of defeat. What they didn't know was that while they were celebrating their victory, a laboratory report was already in Rian's hands. And within a few hours, everything would change. --- The following morning, an official post from Ria Jaya Market appeared online. There were no provocative statements. No accusations. No mention of Wandra or Prabu. Only the laboratory report was displayed clearly. Rian's vegetables had been tested. Pesticide residues had been examined. Heavy metals had been examined. Nutritional quality had been examined. The results showed that the vegetables were safe to consume and of exceptionally high quality. Beneath the test results, Ria Jaya Market provided a simple explanation. They didn't ask the public to trust them blindly. They simply presented the data. That simplicity was exactly what made the post explode. Within hours, thousands of people were sharing it. Then the comments began pouring in. "So it really was just a rumor?" "There's a laboratory report. Where's the proof that the vegetables are dangerous?" "If they're actually dangerous, why hasn't anyone shown a legitimate test proving it?" Someone began investigating. The accounts that had first spread the rumors appeared to be connected to several other accounts. Many of their posts followed nearly identical patterns. They repeatedly attacked Rian's reputation without ever providing credible research or laboratory results. People began to grow suspicious. Then someone posted a simple question. "Why did this rumor appear right when Ria Jaya Market started outperforming Merdeka Market in vegetable sales?" The question spread. Then someone else connected it to the restaurant suppliers. "Didn't several restaurants stop buying from Rian, only to start looking for him again after the laboratory results came out?" More and more people began putting the pieces together. And then everything exploded. --- Inside the same room where they had laughed the night before, Pak Prabu was enjoying his morning coffee when his phone vibrated. One message. Then two. Then five. Within less than a minute, notifications continued piling up. Prabu frowned. "What is it?" He opened one of the messages. His expression immediately changed. Someone had sent him Ria Jaya Market's post. Prabu quickly read through the laboratory report. Then he opened the comments. There were already thousands. Most of them were defending Rian. Some were even accusing someone of deliberately trying to destroy a competitor's reputation. Prabu rubbed his face. "Impossible..." He opened another app. The situation was the same. Videos discussing Rian's laboratory results were spreading everywhere. People were even visiting Ria Jaya Market just to buy and try the vegetables they had previously been afraid of. Prabu stared at the screen, his eyes widening. "This can't be happening." The door opened. Wandra entered with a tense expression. "Prabu..." Prabu raised his head. "You've seen it?" Wandra didn't answer. He simply held up his phone. On the screen was another post with an ever-growing number of comments. One of the top comments read: "If Rian's vegetables are dangerous, show us the laboratory results. Don't just spread rumors." Thousands of people had liked it. Wandra swallowed hard. "This..." He couldn't finish the sentence. Prabu stood from his chair. "Stay calm. This is just a temporary reaction." But even his own voice lacked confidence. He tried to convince himself. A few days. A week at most. After that, everything would return to normal. Then his phone rang. "Mr. Prabu." The supermarket manager sounded panicked. "What is it?" "Vegetable sales are up today." Prabu froze. "Up?" "Yes, sir." "By how much?" The manager gave him the numbers. Prabu fell silent. The figure was far higher than their normal daily sales. It wasn't just Ria Jaya that was experiencing an increase. Merdeka Market was seeing a surge in customers as well. Because people had come to compare. And the more they compared, the more they realized that Rian's produce really was different. Prabu tightened his grip around his phone. "So..." He looked at Wandra. "...the rumor made people even more curious." Wandra said nothing. For the first time, they began to feel something far more frightening than losing customers. They had helped introduce Rian's name to people who had never even heard of him. --- The effect was even greater among the restaurants. Several chefs who had previously distanced themselves from Rian began calling him again. "Mr. Rian, can we still work together?" "Mr. Rian, we'd like to order again." "Mr. Rian, if you have stock available, we're willing to pay your new prices." But Rian's answer remained the same. "I'm sorry. I've decided not to renew your contracts." Those restaurants had no choice but to look for other suppliers. The problem was, they already knew that Rian's quality was far better. Some restaurants were even willing to pay more. Unfortunately, Rian had already set his limits. He would only increase his supply by around twenty percent. Everything else would have to wait. As a result, the unmet demand began spreading to other restaurants. "You're out of vegetables again?" "More will arrive tomorrow." "How much?" "The price is higher." "Fine. I'll take them." The shortage only made Rian's products seem more exclusive. The name Rian was slowly transforming from the name of an ordinary supplier into a brand. And that was something Wandra and Prabu had never intended. --- Meanwhile, Rian himself had no idea how significant the chain reaction had become. He stood in the middle of his storage building, staring at the growing list of orders. "Why is everyone asking for more?" Jojo sat on top of a crate, looking at Rian. "Because of the rumor." "The rumor?" "Humans are strange. If you tell some of them something is dangerous, they'll stay away. But others become curious." Rian scratched his head. "So they're buying my vegetables because they're curious?" "Pretty much." Rian fell silent. Then he looked at the sales figures. The corner of his mouth slowly lifted. "Well..." He shrugged. "As long as they pay." Jojo stared at him for several seconds. "You're really a goblin." --- For Wandra, however, the situation wasn't that simple. His restaurant customers weren't merely returning to Rian for supplies. Some of them had begun questioning the quality of the vegetables they had been buying from Wandra for years. One chef even told him directly that he would rather pay more for Rian's produce than buy cheaper vegetables with inconsistent quality. The words felt like a slap to Wandra. Not because of the price. Because of trust. For years, Wandra had built his supplier network and customer base through business relationships. Yet within a short period of time, one new supplier had made his customers start comparing everything. And once that comparison began, Wandra could no longer control the outcome. "What about Restaurant A?" "They're still buying, sir." "Restaurant B?" "They've reduced their orders." "Restaurant C?" "They're asking us to lower the price." Wandra closed his eyes. Every answer felt like another stone being dropped onto his head. He remembered his conversation with Prabu. If we move separately, we might not succeed. They had believed that working together would bring Rian down. But now, they were the ones being pushed into a corner. --- Prabu was experiencing the same thing. Merdeka Market wasn't going bankrupt. Its sales hadn't fallen nearly as badly as he had feared. But the problem was that Ria Jaya Market was growing faster and faster. Every time someone talked about Rian's laboratory results, Ria Jaya Market's name was mentioned. Every time someone praised the quality of Rian's vegetables, Ria Jaya Market received more attention. And every time someone compared the prices, they discovered that Rian's produce was indeed expensive. But the quality was considered worth the price. Prabu stared at the sales report on his desk. He had once thought of Rian as a small farmer who could easily be pressured. Now, without realizing it, he had helped turn Rian into a brand. "This is all because of us." Wandra, standing near the window, remained silent. The statement needed no answer. They both knew it was true. They had spread rumors to make people avoid Rian. They had created fake claims to destroy his reputation. They had even sent people to stop his deliveries. But the result had been the exact opposite. People became curious. Curiosity turned into purchases. Purchases turned into satisfaction. Satisfaction turned into recommendations. And those recommendations made Rian's name even bigger. A chain reaction they could no longer stop. --- Night came again. This time, there was no laughter. No glasses raised in celebration. Only two men sitting silently in the same room. Prabu stared at the table. Wandra stared out the window. Several minutes passed without either of them speaking. Finally, Prabu spoke quietly. "We miscalculated." Wandra exhaled. "Not just miscalculated." He looked at Prabu. "We helped him." Prabu said nothing. The words hurt more than losing. Because they were true. They had been the ones who made Rian's name more widely known. They had been the ones who made his products seem exclusive. They had been the ones who made the public demand evidence, only to discover that Rian's produce really was high quality. And now, the harder they tried to attack him... the more attention Rian received. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Rian was calculating his profits while thinking about how many gourami ponds he could build. He had no idea that two men were already planning their next move. But one thing had changed. Rian was no longer just a young farmer who could easily be pushed aside. His name was becoming known. His products were building a reputation. And the most dangerous thing for his competitors was this... the public was beginning to trust Rian.

CHAPTER 23 — When the Plan Backfired