Of Course I'm Tempted

Seeing this, the Rat King's eyes lit up noticeably. He raised his glass to toast Cheng Shuili, "Your little magic trick is quite good. I look forward to our next collaboration."

Cheng Shuili also raised the glass of clear water she hadn't touched yet, using water in place of wine to toast him back: "I look forward to that day as well."

Leaving the Rat King's luxurious stronghold and returning to the surface, the afternoon sun pierced through the thin mist, feeling somewhat blinding.

Cheng Shuili squinted, feeling the sense of security that came with having the weapons in hand.

Although she had spent quite a few game coins, it had resolved something she had been dwelling on for a long time.

She also learned about the wolf-race...

Cheng Shuili felt a bit silent. Lang Jiu had originally said she would go back and ask, but there had been no word since.

She didn't mean to hold a grudge; she understood the system's limitations. If Lang Jiu didn't come, it was certainly because she couldn't.

If players didn't use items to summon them, perhaps the beastmen could only fret in anxiety.

The system really does nothing but cause trouble!

Cheng Shuili shook her head and stepped into the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant House.

As soon as she entered, she heard a familiar voice.

"You still have the nerve to come back to our merchant house?! You! It's you!"

Cheng Shuili looked toward the source of the sound. As luck would have it, Hu Lielie had just walked in through another door.

His face was flushed, his fur, which usually looked sleek and oily, was now somewhat disheveled. He pointed at Cheng Shuili in a fit of rage, his voice turning shrill with anger: "Those two so-called letters of commendation of yours! They caused me to have them read aloud in front of everyone at the All-Race Assembly! I became the laughingstock of the entire fox-race!"

The attention of other attendants nearby was instantly drawn over, curiously sizing up the two parties in the confrontation.

Cheng Shuili stopped, crossed her arms in a relaxed manner, and wore an expression of perfectly measured confusion: "Letters of commendation? Oh, you mean those."

"My friend and I were truly sincere in wanting to commend your enthusiastic service. And... didn't I write only the facts? Or are you saying that you feel my greetings to your family and friends were too enthusiastic?"

She deliberately placed heavy emphasis on "commend" and "greetings," her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

Hu Lielie was so enraged by her feigned ignorance that he trembled all over, his fur standing on end.

"Stop playing dumb here! That whole letter was dripping with sarcasm; who couldn't hear that?! And those five hundred cards! The accounts don't match up at all! Five hundred cards disappeared from the warehouse for no reason, was that your doing?!"

As soon as these words were out, a wave of low murmurs erupted from the surrounding crowd.

This was no longer just questioning the accounts; it was practically calling Cheng Shuili a thief by name.

Cheng Shuili sneered inwardly, but her expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of innocence: "Manager Hu, you shouldn't speak so recklessly."

"I paid 840 game coins at the time and purchased 5 cards; the transaction record is perfectly clear. As for why there are fewer cards in the warehouse, shouldn't that be an issue with your internal management? As a customer, how would I have the ability to tamper with your warehouse?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the onlookers, and raised her voice slightly to ensure everyone could hear clearly:

"On the contrary, Manager Hu, it was you who personally handed the goods to me at the time. Now that something has gone wrong, you want to shift the responsibility onto a customer who followed the rules and paid? Is this how the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant House maintains its reputation, by treating your Tier 3 VIP customers like this?"

"Tier 3 VIP customer?"

"Tier 3!"

"That must have cost a hundred thousand game coins, right?"

The employees watching the spectacle whispered among themselves.

Just then, a steady voice cut in, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"What's going on? Why are you gathered here?"

The crowd parted, and Hu Lailai walked over with a measured pace.

Su Rui followed right behind her, innocently spreading her hands when she caught Cheng Shuili's gaze.

She had arrived early and hadn't run into that guy Hu Lielie.

Hu Lailai first cast a faint glance at the livid, disheveled Hu Lielie, then turned to Cheng Shuili with a professional, apologetic smile:

"Miss Cheng, I am very sorry that you encountered such an unpleasant situation. Regarding the issue with the accounts, the merchant house is already investigating. Our preliminary assessment is that there was a discrepancy during system entry, or perhaps it was caused by an operational error by Manager Hu Lielie here, but in any case, it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"We offer our sincerest apologies for Manager Hu Lielie's inappropriate behavior and his groundless accusations against you."

When Hu Lielie heard this, he became desperate: "Hu Lailai! By what right do you say it was a system discrepancy! It was clearly her..."

"Enough!" Hu Lailai interrupted him sharply, her eyes piercing. "Hu Lielie, losing your composure in front of a client and slandering a VIP customer without any proof—are you not embarrassed enough? You don't need to wait for the investigation to conclude; headquarters has already ordered your immediate suspension from all duties! Now, please leave this area immediately!"

Hu Lielie looked as if he had been choked; his face turned from red to white. He looked at Hu Lailai in disbelief, glared at Cheng Shuili with venom, and then slunk away, pushing through the crowd.

Hu Lailai turned to Cheng Shuili, her smile becoming a bit more sincere: "Miss Cheng, I apologize once again for this unpleasantness. To express our sincerity, you may enjoy a fifty percent discount on all your purchases at the merchant house this time. How does that sound?"

Cheng Shuili knew when to stop, lowered her crossed arms, and nodded: "Manager Hu is fair in her dealings; naturally, I have no objections."

The onlookers saw that the excitement was over and went back to their own tasks.

Once everyone had dispersed, Hu Lailai leaned in, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the two: "So it was those two letters you wrote! It was truly satisfying. It's a shame you didn't see it—when the headquarters envoy read those two letters aloud in public, his face turned green. Now, the entire merchant house is secretly using the words from those letters to greet him."

"The fifty percent discount I mentioned just now doesn't count; that was just something I said to fob them off! Buy whatever you want, I'll foot the bill!"

After making this grand declaration, she seemed to remember something and patted her jacket pocket.

Perhaps reminded by the thickness of her wallet, she added somewhat embarrassedly: "Can we keep it under one hundred thousand game coins? I don't have that much money left."

Cheng Shuili and Su Rui were amused by the contrast in Hu Lailai's demeanor.

The manager who had just been full of presence and all business was now like a friend who had emptied her pocket money to treat them, carrying a bit of awkward sincerity.

"Manager Hu is too kind." Cheng Shuili waved her hand with a smile. "We're happy we could help a little. As for footing the bill, really, there's no need..."

"It's necessary, it's necessary!"

Hu Lailai was adamant, lowering her voice, "You don't know this, but Hu Lielie relies on having some connections to run rampant, and he's caused me so much trouble. Being able to make him suffer such a huge loss this time is truly ridding the people of a scourge! You must accept this token of my appreciation, otherwise, I'll really feel bad."

Her expression was sincere, making her hard to refuse.

Su Rui nudged Cheng Shuili with her arm and whispered: "It's hard to refuse such kindness, Boss. One hundred thousand game coins, aren't you tempted?"

Of course I'm tempted.