Felwin stood rooted to the spot, her legs feeling weak. The gazes of the onlookers converged on her, stinging her face with humiliation.
She gritted her teeth, forcefully swallowing the metallic taste of blood in her throat. She couldn't just go down like this, absolutely not.
She turned to look at Jiang Lijin, forcing a smile that looked incredibly stiff no matter how one looked at it. "Ms. Jiang is truly generous. Since you care so much about the survival of low-rank females, surely you will lead by example? The Empire's special subsidy for a 3S-rank female amounts to a massive sum of Star Coins every month. Shouldn't you also contribute some funds to support this security fund you proposed?"
This tactic of diverting the trouble was meant to force Jiang Lijin to bleed a little too.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lijin didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
Right now, her account held a whopping 181 million Star Coins, plus the monthly dividend of five million from Chiron. A mere subsidy of a few tens of thousands of Star Coins was not even a fraction of her wealth.
However, she understood the principle of not flaunting her wealth. This woman Felwin was full of malicious schemes. If she revealed all her cards, who knew what other wicked tricks this white lotus would come up with.
"Of course," Jiang Lijin answered briskly, her tone light. "I will coordinate with the Female Protection Center. From my official monthly subsidy of sixty thousand Star Coins, I will allocate half, that is, thirty thousand, and deposit it into this security fund on time every month. It will be strictly earmarked for this purpose."
As soon as these words came out, the crowd was in an uproar.
The reporter's hand holding the microphone jerked, her eyes widening in disbelief.
In the general public's perception, although females held a noble status, they didn't have many additional sources of income aside from official subsidies. Even though Jiang Lijin was matched with five 3S-rank bigshots, those males would at most cover her daily expenses and buy her luxury goods.
Who would actually hand over their hard-earned fortune and financial bottom line to a female they had just recently matched with?
Thirty thousand Star Coins a month was a massive sum for an ordinary family, yet Jiang Lijin had donated it without blinking an eye, and it was a continuous monthly donation!
"Oh my goodness!" The reporter reacted incredibly fast. Her professional instincts made her turn to the camera, speaking rapidly as she launched into a barrage of praise. "Viewers across the Star Network, did you hear that?! This is the caliber of our Empire's only 3S-rank female! Ms. Jiang Lijin not only cares about the living conditions of the lower-class females but also leads by example, selflessly donating half of her official subsidy! This is true, boundless love, and a role model worthy of the entire interstellar society's emulation!"
The live stream chat on the Star Network froze for two seconds before erupting in an explosive surge of comments.
Holy crap! Donating thirty thousand every month? That's not a small amount!
Ms. Jiang is too amazing! Compared to a certain S-rank who only pays lip service to being free while actually raking in cash, the difference is clear as day!
I'm officially a fan now! She's genuinely helping us low-rank females!
Sob sob, I'm a D-rank female, and my monthly subsidy is only 300. If this fund really exists, I won't have to just tough it out when I get sick. Thank you, Ms. Jiang!
Many females watching the broadcast, whether mid-to-low rank or S-rank, had been offended by Felwin's earlier stunt. Quite a few took the opportunity to bash her in the comments.
Listening to the reporter's praise and the approving murmurs of the crowd, Felwin's face twitched uncontrollably.
She had intended to set a trap for Jiang Lijin, but ended up building her a glorious image instead? What was this? It completely backfired!
Staying any longer would only bring further humiliation.
Felwin lowered her head, feigning a frail and exhausted appearance, and turned to push her way out of the crowd. Seeing this, the high-rank males beside her rushed forward to support her, looking utterly heartbroken as they tried to escort her away.
"Wait."
A crisp female voice pierced through the crowd, halting Felwin in her tracks.
Jiang Lijin took a half-step forward, crossing her arms as she leisurely watched that stiff back.
Although thirty thousand Star Coins a month meant nothing to her, there was a big difference between doing it voluntarily and being forced into it. She had no intention of letting the culprit off the hook so easily.
"Miss Felwin, why are you leaving in such a hurry?" Jiang Lijin dragged out her words, every syllable stabbing right into the other woman's sore spot. "I remember you saying yourself just now that you didn't care about a few Star Coins at all. I have already pledged to donate half of my subsidy. As the initiator of this topic and the Chief Pro Bono Purification Commissioner, shouldn't you also show some sort of gesture?"
Felwin swayed, almost shattering her teeth from gritting them so hard.
She turned around, her eyes red, and looked at Jiang Lijin pitifully. "Ms. Jiang, I... my usual expenses are quite high, and my three beast husbands are all A-rank. I really can't spare that many Star Coins..."
"Oh?" Jiang Lijin lifted her chin. "So you mean to say that all your talk earlier about not caring about Star Coins and selfless dedication was just a lie? Or is your compassion only lip service, and the moment it comes to spending real money, you pretend to be poor?"
The media lenses around them immediately zoomed right into Felwin's face.
The reporter keenly caught onto this sensational angle and fired off questions like a machine gun, "Ms. Felwin, was your proposal just now merely a stunt to gain attention? As an S-rank female, your monthly subsidy is equally generous. Why are you making excuses when it comes to actual action?"
"I'm not!" Felwin, backed into a corner with no way out, shrieked. "I'll donate! I will also donate half of my subsidy!"
"That's more like it." Jiang Lijin clapped her hands in satisfaction. "Everyone heard that, and our friends in the media have recorded it. Miss Felwin will donate half of her monthly subsidy to support the security fund for low-rank females. Let's give her a round of applause for her generosity!"
A sparse scattering of applause rang out, but to Felwin's ears, it was louder than a slap in the face.
Not only had she lost her job and become free labor today, but she was also forced to forfeit half of her subsidy. This was simply pushing her to a dead end!
Chiron had been standing beside Jiang Lijin all along. Watching the little female back her opponent into a corner like a cunning little fox, the smile in his eyes grew deeper.
He raised his wrist, glanced at the time on his optical computer, and spoke up at the right moment to interrupt the farce. "Alright, today's interview ends here. The hospital still has a lot of work to handle. Ms. Felwin, please report to the Human Resources Department of the Purification Wing at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to go through your onboarding procedures. If you are late, corresponding performance points will be deducted. You do not have a salary, but if you fail to meet the assessment standards, you will be publicly criticized across the entire hospital."
This sentence was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Felwin's eyes rolled back, and she fainted completely. The males beside her scrambled in a panic, hurriedly carrying her into the emergency room.
The crowd dispersed, and the reporter left, thoroughly satisfied with the big scoop.
The hallway returned to its tranquil state.
Jiang Lijin stretched lazily and turned to look at Chiron. "Dean Chiron, nice teamwork."
Chiron looked down at her, his tone gentle. "Ms. Jiang's proposal benefits both the nation and its people. As the Dean, it is only natural that I fully support it."
Jiang Lijin was just about to nod when the optical terminal on her wrist began vibrating wildly.
She looked down and saw Tinia's name flashing on the screen.
She answered the call, and a holographic projection popped up, revealing a blond, blue-eyed boy leaning close to the screen.
"Sister!" Tinia's voice was brimming with energy and incredibly piercing. "I just watched your live stream on the Star Network! You looked absolutely amazing when you put that old woman in her place!"
Jiang Lijin's mouth twitched. Old woman? Felwin was, after all, a young and beautiful S-grade female. How did she suddenly become an old woman in Tinia's mouth?
"What do you need?" Jiang Lijin asked.
"I saw that you were planning to donate money!" Tinia smiled radiantly. "If my sister is doing charity, how could I, as your partner, not support you? I've already had the finance department prepare fifty million Star Coins. Once that foundation of yours is set up, I'll transfer the money, and we'll put both our names on it! How about it? Aren't I great?"
Fifty million Star Coins.
Jiang Lijin drew in a sharp breath. This young master really spent money like it was water.
Before she could say anything, Tinia leaned in a little closer, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of grievance. "Sister, when are you coming back? It's too boring at home, I'm so bored I'm going to start growing mushrooms. The chef I brought from home has arrived too, so hurry back and eat with me."
Chiron stood to the side, hearing every word clearly, but he remained silent.
"I'm getting ready to head back now." After saying that, Jiang Lijin decisively ended the call, otherwise the young master would just keep chattering endlessly.
The two of them walked side by side toward the underground parking lot.
At the end of the corridor, a pair of eyes filled with venom glared fixedly at Jiang Lijin's back.
Felwin leaned against the corner of the wall, her face pale. She hadn't fainted at all; she had merely used it as an excuse to escape the place where she had completely lost face.
"Jiang Lijin..." Felwin muttered the name through gritted teeth, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
She would never just admit defeat like this. A former C-grade piece of trash—what right did she have to step all over her and throw her weight around!
Just wait. She would find an opportunity to trample Jiang Lijin completely into the dirt, ensuring she could never rise again!
