Boss Lu’s plump face lost its friendliness. All the workers here had followed him for over a decade. Qin Junlan’s words sounded like a direct accusation against his people.
Qin Junlan acted as if she hadn’t noticed the hostility in his tone and calmly replied, “We’ll only know for sure after checking. But I only want access to the exhibition. If you don’t wish to investigate further, I promise to keep any doubts to myself and pay the agreed amount for the entry pass.”
She handed the choice back to Boss Lu, which left him uncertain. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Tell me what’s bothering you first.”
Qin Junlan pointed up at the iron roofing. “You said the leak was in the western section, and that rainwater got in and soaked the goods. If that’s true, then the most damaged area should be the west side. But the most affected goods are actually in the northwest and south, where the crates were most densely stacked.”
Boss Lu didn’t say anything right away. He called someone over to take over his work. When he returned, his expression had changed completely.
With a serious face, he said, “There’s a section of the footage missing. It might have been wiped out by lightning.”
Qin Junlan replied, “If you believe that, then there’s no need to involve me at all.”
This time, Boss Lu didn’t argue. Once suspicion took root, it was hard to shake. He began to question not only the loyalty of his workers, but also Qin Junlan’s motives. After all, her appearance had come at a very convenient time.
Qin Junlan smiled calmly. “What you should be focused on now isn’t where I came from. Let’s talk about the situation at hand. I only have a few small suggestions that might help.”
Her advice was simple. Since Boss Lu trusted his people, there was no need to keep pushing that line. Instead, he could look toward competitors.
She suggested watching other suppliers who had stored large quantities of the same product around the same time. That might lead to something useful.
Boss Lu suddenly recalled something and could no longer hide the regret on his face. He wiped the sweat from his brow, which was coming down faster and faster.
“A while ago, one of my peers told me he had landed a big deal. I thought he was just showing off, but now that I think about it, there was something more behind his words.”
Qin Junlan said, “Sounds like you already have a good place to start.”
By now, Boss Lu didn’t dare underestimate her. She had revealed critical insight in just a few words. Someone like her, once successful, was bound to accomplish great things.
Right in front of her, he took a business card from his pocket and saved her contact information in his communicator.
“Thank you,” he said seriously. “I don’t know if I’ll catch the people behind this, but I consider you a true friend. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get those tickets. If there’s ever a chance to work together again, I hope you’ll come to me.”
Qin Junlan chuckled. “Didn’t we already hit it off earlier? No need for formalities between friends.”
Boss Lu laughed heartily. “True, we should have talked more back then.”
He meant it. At the time, this Alpha was dressed like a hotel employee, but her demeanor was rare and composed, neither arrogant nor servile.
Bai Lansheng stood nearby, watching the two of them chat and laugh like old friends. One wore a faint smile, the other grinned widely. Just a few hours ago, things had been completely different.
She was the first to notice something tense between them. Soon after, others noticed too. Da Hai had even put down his crate, ready to step in and support Qin Junlan, but she had signaled him to stay back.
Boss Lu had hesitated too but eventually waved off his own men.
They stood too far away to hear the conversation, but based on their expressions, things were not going smoothly.
Bai Lansheng had actually hoped they would fall out. If that happened, the annoying woman wouldn’t get her hands on the exhibition pass and would definitely be disappointed.
But the conversation didn’t collapse. In fact, things soon settled down.
That woman even waved at her like she was calling a pet.
They followed Boss Lu into a room.
Inside was a large screen, divided into multiple surveillance feeds. Bai Lansheng realized this was the control room.
Why were they brought here?
She listened closely.
Boss Lu pulled up footage from the past few days and pointed out suspicious clips. He had the other staff leave the room so he and Qin Junlan could speak privately.
From their conversation, Bai Lansheng learned they were investigating the true cause of the mushroom spoilage.
They suspected that it wasn’t just due to damp conditions, but that someone had tampered with the goods. They still didn’t know how, but it was clear this was no simple accident.
Bai Lansheng was stunned. She knew a bit about the nature of glazed mushrooms, which was how she had realized something was wrong.
But the person she thought of as an uneducated thug had figured it out purely by deduction.
Watching Qin Junlan remain calm and confident, Bai Lansheng felt a creeping sense of confusion begin to take root in her chest.
Qin Junlan noticed she was spacing out and assumed she was just bored. She gently ruffled her hair. “Just hang in there a little longer.”
Qin Junlan ended the conversation with Boss Lu herself. Once he left in a hurry, she took Bai Lansheng and retraced their steps back to the main area.
Neither of them spoke along the way. When they reached a certain spot, Qin Junlan suddenly stopped walking.
Bai Lansheng didn’t notice in time and bumped right into her.
She looked up and realized her hands had landed on the other woman’s waist, right at the narrowest part. She pulled her hands back like she’d touched something hot and quickly stepped back.
Qin Junlan turned and saw her covering her nose. “Did you hit it?”
Bai Lansheng let out a small grunt.
“That’s what you get for always walking with your head down,” Qin Junlan said. “This time, I didn’t step on you. You ran into me yourself.”
Who ran into you? Bai Lansheng wanted to argue, but her nose stung too much for her to speak.
Qin Junlan looked a bit concerned. “Are you okay? Let me take a look.”
Bai Lansheng kept her hand over her face and refused to cooperate.
But in the face of an Alpha’s absolute strength, that small resistance didn’t last more than a few seconds.
Qin Junlan easily pulled away the small hand blocking her, held Bai Lansheng’s chin between her fingers, and carefully looked over her face for any injuries.
There weren’t any. Her nose was just a little red, like the rosy tip of a strawberry.
Qin Junlan gently rubbed the bridge of her nose. Watching her tear up with reddened eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. “Such a delicate little thing. Luckily your nose is fine. Otherwise, Boss Lu might end up teasing our little ugly duckling for not only being plain, but also noseless.”
Bai Lansheng didn’t know what an “ugly duckling” meant, but she was certain that “ugly” was not a compliment.
She smacked Qin Junlan’s hand.
Qin Junlan wasn’t bothered at all. She smiled and said, “No one’s around. If you have something to ask, now’s the time.”
Only then did Bai Lansheng realize the quiet around them. It really was just the two of them.
Her thoughts were tangled. After a short silence, she slowly asked, “Will Boss Lu really investigate this to the end?”
Qin Junlan tilted her head slightly. A lock of black hair fell across her brow, giving her a more serious look.
“If the surveillance footage was erased so cleanly, it means whoever did it knows the process well. Someone from the monitoring room had to be involved. It was clearly an inside job. Figuring out how many people were involved won’t be easy. Given Boss Lu’s personality, it’s unlikely he’ll be completely impartial. He will probably issue warnings instead of making a big deal out of it.”
Bai Lansheng asked, “So he’ll just let them go?”
Qin Junlan answered, “Boss Lu has had many of his workers with him for ten or twenty years. He’s not a bad man and shares a lot of trust with them. The fact that nothing leaked before this happened suggests no more than two or three were involved. The main culprit might have had some difficult reason for doing it, and the others may have helped out of sympathy. Even if Boss Lu finds out the truth, it won’t be easy for him to act on it. Personal feelings will definitely get in the way.”
Bai Lansheng asked, “If you were him, what would you do?”
Qin Junlan thought for a moment. “I’d start by taking control, then investigate step by step and handle everyone accordingly. Fire those who should go, report the serious offenders to the police. If others protest, I’d stabilize the situation first, then hire replacements. But to be honest, prevention is more important. If I were storing a batch of valuable goods, I’d make sure a proper system and safety measures were in place before anything arrived. Waiting until something goes wrong puts you at a disadvantage. Also, for expensive cargo, I’d look into getting commercial insurance. Although with agricultural products, the payouts are usually low. Choosing the right plan is important. Category A tends to be expensive, while Category B is more affordable. I’m not even sure how policies are structured here though…”
Bai Lansheng’s expression grew more and more blank.
“Policy… Category B… what are you talking about?”
Qin Junlan stopped mid-sentence.
She had gotten a little too carried away. She had nearly treated this world like her old one, automatically jumping into work-mode and thinking about business strategies.
Then she realized she was talking to Bai Lansheng, who clearly had no interest in business. Why would she suddenly care about risk control or management?
Qin Junlan said, “Repeat your question again?”
Bai Lansheng was still dazed from the impromptu business seminar. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and said, “If someone betrayed you, what would you do?”
Oh, that’s what she meant. Qin Junlan realized she had misunderstood.
She asked for confirmation, “You mean, how would I deal with someone who betrayed me?”
Bai Lansheng nodded.
Qin Junlan suddenly found herself in a tricky spot.
She didn’t know the full details of the original story yet, and she didn’t want to be blamed for something the original Qin Junlan did. She had been doing her best to rebuild trust.
Normally, she would say to report the betrayer and handle it by the book. But if this was a loaded question, with the betrayer being her and the betrayed being Bai Lansheng, then she couldn’t answer so directly.
This would affect how they got along in the future. She had to handle it well.
She adjusted her posture and cleared her throat.
“If it were me, I’d do everything I could to make peace with the other person. I’d try to turn conflict into friendship, restore our relationship, live in harmony, and grow together. I’d aim for honesty on both sides and make sure our bond becomes deeper, stronger, and lasts a long time.”
She patted Bai Lansheng on the shoulder with a sincere and encouraging smile.
Bai Lansheng stared at her.
Was there something wrong with her brain?
Qin Junlan couldn’t read her expression. She had no idea if Bai Lansheng had accepted the goodwill she was trying to show.
Ah, this girl is so hard to figure out.
Qin Junlan asked, “Anything else you want to ask?”
Bai Lansheng thought, There is, but now I don’t know how to ask anymore.
Since she stayed quiet, Qin Junlan took that as her being done. “Then it’s my turn. What did you find when you were in the warehouse?”
Bai Lansheng’s heart skipped a beat.
“What are you talking about?”
Qin Junlan looked at her for a long moment but didn’t answer.
After they returned to the warehouse, Da Hai walked over and told Qin Junlan, “Boss Lu just had a major outburst.”
Qin Junlan asked, “Did anyone go over there?”
She pointed to the spot where Bai Lansheng had been sitting earlier.
“No,” Da Hai replied.
“All right. You all take a break if you’re tired. Don’t let anyone disturb us.”
Da Hai nodded.
Qin Junlan went to the spot where Bai Lansheng had been. She looked around and saw no signs anything had been moved.
Then she noticed the chair she had brought over. On it was a water cup. It was the one she had filled earlier. There was still a small amount of water left inside.
Qin Junlan picked it up and imitated Bai Lansheng’s earlier actions, pouring water over the same glazed mushroom. She waited, then tried again on another one. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
She glanced back.
That one look made Bai Lansheng’s heart skip a beat.
But Qin Junlan turned away again quickly. She began checking under the crates, and from beneath the rotten mushrooms, she pulled out several scraps of torn paper.
Qin Junlan raised her eyebrows. The color and font looked familiar.
She kept searching and found more fragments in two other boxes. The pieces were torn so small they couldn’t be pieced back together, but she could still recognize what they used to be.
Holding up one of the larger pieces, she turned to Bai Lansheng and asked, “Why did you tear up these business cards?”
Bai Lansheng licked her dry lips, unsure how to respond.
Qin Junlan flicked the paper scrap away and said, “It took me a lot of effort to make these. Tearing them like this is a waste. But if you tell me the secret you discovered, I’ll let you rip up the rest.”
Bai Lansheng blinked in surprise.
Qin Junlan waited about half a minute, but Bai Lansheng stayed silent. Qin Junlan didn’t press.
“If we can’t reach an agreement, that’s fine. You don’t have to tell me. Secrets can stay secrets.”
Oddly enough, Bai Lansheng started to feel uncomfortable. She had wanted to see Qin Junlan frustrated, but if Qin Junlan didn’t care, then keeping the secret felt meaningless.
Bai Lansheng asked, “Why do you think I know something?”
Qin Junlan thought, You just exposed yourself by asking that.
Out loud, she simply said, “The surveillance caught you.”
Plain and simple.
Bai Lansheng’s expression turned strange. She had watched the surveillance footage too. The image quality wasn’t great, and the screen was split into multiple views. Most of it was played in fast forward, making it hard to see the details. Plus, Boss Lu was talking beside her at the time, which made it even harder to focus.
But Qin Junlan had found the exact place where she had hidden the torn paper and had even mimicked the way she poured water.
There was only one explanation.
“You were watching me the whole time?” Bai Lansheng asked.
Qin Junlan nodded. “Yes.”
So she had been under watch all along.
Bai Lansheng fell silent for a couple of seconds, then said, “Fine, I’ll tell you. But I want you to throw away the business cards with my name on them.”
Qin Junlan replied, “They cost money to make. Would be a shame to waste them.”
Bai Lansheng snapped, “Are you going to throw them away or not?”
After speaking, she realized her tone was a bit childish and felt slightly embarrassed. But the scoundrel in front of her had no tact at all. Qin Junlan even asked, “You mean right now? I haven’t even used them for a full day yet.”
Her smug expression made Bai Lansheng forget her embarrassment. Grinding her teeth, she said, “Yes!”
Qin Junlan said, “You tell me first, and I’ll throw them away.”
“You throw them away first, and I’ll tell you.”
Qin Junlan acted like she was considering it.
This made Bai Lansheng uneasy. She watched closely as Qin Junlan destroyed every single card beyond recognition. Only then did she finally speak up and reveal what she had discovered.
She knew more than just a little. Qin Junlan’s smile faded as she suddenly asked a surprising question.
“Bai Lansheng, where do you live?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the system punished her.
This time, the shock wasn’t mild. A wave of current shot from her heart to her limbs, paralyzing her entire body.
Her ears buzzed, and her hearing vanished. Her vision dropped as her body collapsed forward.
It’s over, she thought. That girl definitely won’t catch me. Looks like it’s my nose’s turn to suffer.
That was the last thought she had before everything went dark and she passed out.