Zhou Bapi was completely lost. Wasn't he just praising this little demon a moment ago? Why was Jin Baba suddenly acting like someone stepped on his tail? Li Yuetian frowned in thought. Was Jing Shu trying to threaten Jin Baba through this move? She hadn't directly offended Jin Tianci or Madam Jin, but going after Jin Baba like this was basically the same thing.
Still, if she wanted her supplies back, she'd have to offend someone anyway. The fact that she'd only upset two people so far was already beyond expectation. What Li Yuetian didn't expect was that Jing Shu would open her lion's mouth this wide.
Young and lacking experience, Jin Baba started pacing anxiously. He glared down at Jing Shu and barked, "What's in it for you doing this? You think pulling this stunt will get your stuff back? Wrong! Even if you exaggerate things, the worst I'll do is adjust the data to cover it up. But you? You'll still have to hand everything over, and you'll get jack shit! At worst, I'll just tell the truth."
He wasn't wrong. Jing Shu hadn't accused him of exploiting everyone when Jin Tianci fell ill, only said Jin Baba had collected five times more supplies and earned everyone's praise. Those supplies were supposedly for Wu City's granary and for the people. Now that Jin Tianci wanted to audit the accounts, even if the act became real, everything still had to go into the public granary—it had nothing to do with Jing Shu. With such a big loss, what was the point of doing all this?
Having spent half his life rolling around in the bureaucracy, Jun Jia sighed and shook his head. Too late now. They'd walked right into her open trap, but damn, the pie this girl painted was just too tempting to resist.
"Oh? You're really willing to come clean and watch the disappointment in your parents' eyes? You'd give up all the supplies you've hoarded? Even if you've already used some, you think your father won't empty the house to replace them, just to set things right? I do have a solution that works for both sides."
Jing Shu's triple strike hit Jin Baba so hard he couldn't breathe.
For the first time, fear appeared on that arrogant face. If his mother found out, it wouldn't be the end of the world—but if his father found out, those supplies would be gone in an instant, and he'd even have to repay what he'd used. Jin Baba glared at Jing Shu, fear and hatred mixing in his eyes, but he couldn't lash out.
Jun Jia, dressed in his usual sleek suit, wiped the sweat off his forehead and forced a smile. "President Jing, if you have something to say, please, say it directly."
Typical official speech. Always circling around instead of just begging for mercy outright.
Jing Shu smiled lightly and stepped forward. "First, I want all my supplies returned intact. For anything that's been used, I want triple compensation."
Jun Jia nodded. "Of course, no problem."
Jin Baba gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached. "Fine, wait till this blows over. Let's see how I deal with you later, you little vixen. Daring to take meat out of my mouth, you must be tired of living."
Jing Shu ignored the murderous look on his face and continued, calm and composed. "Second—"
Her voice echoed slightly in the spacious hall, but that didn't stop Li Yuetian from swallowing nervously every few seconds. He hadn't expected her goal to be just reclaiming her stuff—she was gutting both Jin Baba and Jun Jia at once, slicing each of them right where it hurt most, yet somehow keeping them from snapping.
Jun Jia's face flushed bright red, while Jin Baba's fury simmered behind clenched teeth. After weighing the pros and cons, he caved again. Even Zhou Bapi, who'd been watching from the sidelines, looked like he'd suddenly seen the light. "So she wasn't here to treat Lao Jin at all?"
"Ahem, that's all. Don't forget to take me to the armory later so I can pick out some weapons. If we're putting on a show, might as well do it right," Jing Shu said casually.
Li Yuetian glanced at Jin Baba, half-worried the guy might pass out from rage right there.
Meanwhile, Jin Tianci, looking frail and old, slowly crawled back onto his bed. Jun Jia presented the latest report with trembling hands, forcing out a bitter smile. "Brother-in-law, these are the red nematode patties worth four million virtual coins that Jin Baba collected yesterday from Captain Li Yuetian's second squad, along with other materials worth another million. The red nematode patties have been logged into the Xishan Reserve, and the rest are in the granary."
Jin Baba lowered his head, clenching his fists tight. Those one million coins' worth of goods he'd taken from Li Yuetian hadn't even had time to warm his hands before he had to turn them in. Worst of all, to compensate that vicious woman, he now had to exchange the red nematode patties at a low rate for other, more valuable supplies of equal worth.
In short, that damn woman didn't spend a single coin, yet she walked away with credit for contributing four million in supplies—and got even better materials in return. He was the one who'd taken the loss, yet he couldn't say a word. He'd given everything, got nothing, while she'd gotten everything without lifting a finger. And still, he couldn't refuse, because refusing meant losing everything.
"Li Yuetian's commendation report's ready for submission and approval," Jun Jia continued weakly. "And his squad won't need to contribute supplies or raise sponsorships for the next four months. As for the commendation ceremony..."
That, of course, couldn't happen. If word got out, everyone Jin Baba had cheated would riot, and the fallout would be disastrous.
Li Yuetian kept his head down, trying so hard not to laugh that his stomach hurt. The supplies he'd turned in yesterday were already meant for the warehouse. Sure, Jin Baba had skimmed off extras meant for next month, but now he'd ended up covering four months' worth in advance.
Basically, Jin Baba had just sponsored him for four months, donated four million worth of food to the granary, and Li Yuetian got the merit credit for it. The man's next promotion was practically guaranteed. Li Yuetian looked at Jin Baba with genuine sympathy. "Talk about roles flipping in an instant."
"Coincidentally, the red nematode patties worth four million were provided by President Jing," Jun Jia said, forcing another bitter smile. "Of course, we used fair trade terms and met all her conditions in exchange for these valuable supplies. She just told me, though, that she doesn't want her name on any public commendation, worried it might draw unwanted hate."
As long as it was in the official records, it was real and traceable. Every department reconciled their accounts monthly, and no one dared fake the numbers—not even Jun Jia had that kind of authority. At most, he could 'delay the entry.'
Earlier, he'd patched the paperwork before the supplies officially went in, and since there really had been a collection mission yesterday, the total of five million now matched up perfectly.
Since Jing Shu's red nematode patties had always been stored in the Xishan Reserve, it was just a matter of transferring the numbers. If Jun Jia had tried to fill the books with Jin Baba's stash, it would've been exposed instantly. Jing Shu had caught that thirty-minute gap perfectly, knowing Jun Jia couldn't finish the adjustment in time. And when that happened, everything would move according to her plan.