Song Bin wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He sat on a crate, chewing slowly on a piece of dried meat. "Don't cause trouble? After what happened today, you guys might be walking sideways through the capital like crabs."
That same day, the Capital Medicinal Herb Association's live-streamed competition was supposed to start, but rumors were already flying through every digital channel. The online audience watching from across the country was completely confused. "Come on already, start the damn thing! This determines next year's resource allocation! Otherwise, why would every city pour in their rare herbs and all their effort?"
The competition had officially started. Then, it suddenly ground to a halt. Word spread through the venue that one specific Medicinal Herb Association had refused to continue, forcing everyone else to stand around in the corridors, staring at the digital glow of the big data bullet screens in frustration.
Dozens of people paced around the grand hall. They looked annoyed, their voices rising in a frantic hum. The more well-connected pharmacists kept updating the others with what they heard. "It's the chief judge himself who showed up at the backstage. Even the R&D Epidemic Prevention Department got involved in the meeting!"
Most of the contestants weren't from the capital, so the mentions of these big shots didn't impress them much. They didn't even know who those people were, let alone how much power they truly held. What really shocked the entire room into a heavy silence was when the massive LED screen suddenly flashed with a new notification.
"Fuhai Medicinal Herb Association has been disqualified for violating competition rules. President Wang of Fuhai has been removed from her post by the Capital Association for serious misconduct! Fuhai Medicinal Herb Association is hereby publicly criticized for its actions!"
Before anyone could recover from the shock, another notice appeared right after it. The red characters glowed against the dark background.
"The disqualification of the Wu City Medicinal Herb Association was due to an operational mistake by Mr. Zhang and his team from the Capital Association. Mr. Zhang and his staff have been dismissed from their duties. We apologize to the Wu City Association and the general public for the inconvenience caused. We will strengthen our logistical procedures moving forward."
The moment that statement dropped, everyone watching Wu City's updates exploded in conversation. The whole city was in an uproar again.
Back at the Capital competition venue, the air was thick with speculation.
"Wu City got disqualified? Seriously? How didn't we notice that in the first place?"
"Now everyone knows. Damn, that's basically a public apology on a national screen! That's insane!"
"Don't tell me this had no inside story. A mistake big enough to cancel a provincial qualification? Yeah, right."
"You don't know the half of it. A while back, the Fuhai team approached us. They wanted to team up and share resources. They swore they would take first place and offered us all kinds of benefits. Our own president refused them. I guess they thought we were stupid. The first prize this year is the new energy resources."
"So what? What does that have to do with this specific mess?"
"Fuhai bribed the local inspection team. They found out Wu City had submitted a massive batch of Bodhi and planned to take the plants for themselves to win the manufacturing rights. It was a risky move, though, since ordinary Bodhi can't completely suppress the parasites."
"Hah! It looks like Fuhai kicked the iron plate this time. They tried to screw someone over and ended up screwing themselves."
"Forget that. The real thing is that Wu City had its qualification revoked, yet somehow they are still back in the running. This round is going to be wild."
"That means Wu City has got the real goods. If they didn't, no one would bother bringing them back with such a formal apology."
While the capital side buzzed with rumors, Jing Shu's warehouse was calm in comparison. The scent of hot soup lingered in the air. First, she compensated the poor Song Bin for his fright. Then she sat with Tank to discuss the renewal terms for the geese. After a cheerful meal together, the distant rumble of heavy engines began to echo through the empty warehouse district.
From the doorway, Wang Danai's excited voice called out, but her tone quickly shifted to a note of panic. "Jing Shu, there are a ton of black vehicles outside! This doesn't look like a normal transport!"
Song Bin now full and feeling relaxed, glanced at Wang Danai with a smirk. "Your president stirred up this much trouble. Of course, the important people are coming."
He turned to her, shaking his head. "All this drama just for checking one corpse? How the hell did she win over the biggest boss of all?"
The pharmacists from Wu City peeked out from behind the crates, their eyes wide. "They aren't here to pick us up, are they?"
"Don't kid yourself! Look at the quality of those cars!"
Then a familiar, disheveled figure stumbled out of the lead vehicle. It was Team Leader Zhang, the man who had deliberately left them stranded in the mud. When he spotted Jing Shu standing by the door, he practically lunged toward her. He tried to grab her hand, but she stepped aside with a fluid motion, leaving him flailing at the empty air. Still, he burst into a mixture of frantic tears and laughter.
"President Jing! You have been waiting too long! We are here to pick you up personally! I'm so sorry for the delay; it's all my fault! I'm not asking for anything now. Just please, come with us to the competition venue immediately!"
The Wu City pharmacists widened their eyes. What in the world was happening to make him act so desperate?
But the real shock came moments later. More people stepped out of the following cars, led by Minister Zhao. He was supporting an elderly man by the arm. The group hurried over through the slush. Minister Zhao's expression was serious, but his tone was surprisingly soft.
"We have got the entire situation cleared up. The Capital Association made a grave mistake. Wu City didn't violate any rules, so your qualification stands. Those responsible for the error have already been dealt with, and the matter has been officially announced online for everyone to see. This here is Elder Zhang, the chief judge of the national competition."
The elderly man, though his legs seemed weak and he leaned heavily on Minister Zhao, looked incredibly lively. His eyes were sharp and clear. He smiled at her with a kind of grandfatherly warmth. "Everything has been handled. If there's anything else you would like to discuss before we leave, please speak freely. We will work it out."
Team Leader Zhang stood nearby, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Who could have guessed that a small, unheard-of city like Wu City could command this much power? These big names were personally coming to this remote warehouse to escort them. And that old fox, President Wang, who had tried to pull a dirty trick on them? She was absolutely doomed.
The Wu City pharmacists were completely stunned. It was just a medicinal competition. Why were so many high-level bigwigs here? And why did it look like they had come to offer a formal apology?
Jing Shu greeted the newcomers warmly and exchanged some polite words of welcome. Then she suddenly turned to Zhang Xian. "Team Leader Zhang, do you remember that day you said President Wang would teach me what rules are? She isn't coming today, is she? I wanted to return the lesson to her. It's not about who shouts the loudest or who has got the bigger title. The one with the real value is the one who defines the rules."
Team Leader Zhang smiled bitterly, his gaze dropping to his boots. Back then, they had been the ones looking down on the Wu City team, confident they could revoke their qualification whenever they pleased. But today? Wu City's discovery of the potent antidote changed everything. They deserved this level of treatment.
So this is what rules mean, he thought. That woman showed me the truth. She hadn't been bluffing that day; she really had the power to flip the board.
"Her? She isn't coming," Minister Zhao said, his voice cold. "She has already been escorted back to Fuhai under guard. The Fuhai Association has been disqualified for breaking the regulations."
Jing Shu raised her brows in a flicker of surprise, then she chuckled. "That's pretty ruthless. I like it."
"So," she said lightly, adjusting her coat, "shall we go then? Let's join the competition."
"Let's go," Minister Zhao agreed quickly, gesturing toward the cars.
Jing Shu clapped her hands together to get her team's attention. "Be careful with our herbs while you load them!"
"Of course, of course!" the assistants shouted, scurrying to help.
...
"They are here! They are here!"
"Who is here?"
"The chief judge! Minister Zhao is here too!"
"And with them... it's the Wu City Association! My god, they are all together! So it's true; the competition got paused just for them!"