It was no surprise that Jiang Si overslept the next day, but fortunately, her workplace didn’t impose strict time constraints on her.
Since she was already late, Jiang Si didn’t rush. Before heading to work, she made a detour to the embassy district.
“What brings you here today?” Chris looked visibly surprised to see her.
Jiang Si got straight to the point. “I need to talk to Chi Heng about something.”
“OK, got it.” Chris gestured and immediately called Chi Heng’s office.
A few minutes later, Chi Heng arrived.
Jiang Si had other matters to attend to later, so she kept it brief. “I came to tell you I’m done playing games with him.”
This realization had struck her yesterday at the hospital, inspired by her sister-in-law’s situation.
Rather than waiting for the other party to make a move, she decided to take the initiative.
Eliminating this threat early would allow her to live her life in peace.
Otherwise, constantly being on guard was no way to live.
Chi Heng asked, “What’s your plan?”
Jiang Si didn’t hold back and laid out her strategy in detail.
However, she hesitated. “But if I do this, your mother…”
“Don’t worry about that. I can protect myself.”
Chris chimed in, “You can relax. We’ve been getting along very well lately. His mother wants an arranged marriage, but at this critical juncture, she wouldn’t dare do anything to him.”
Getting along very well?
Was that what she thought it meant?
Seeing Chi Heng’s face flush, Jiang Si smiled knowingly.
It seemed she’d be attending their wedding soon.
With the matter settled, Jiang Si didn’t linger.
After returning to work in the morning, she stayed put until the afternoon, finally pausing her tasks.
Glancing at the time, she figured it was about right.
She gathered her documents and headed to the fourth floor, timing it perfectly.
As luck would have it, she ran into Minister Zhao at the stairwell, who had just come up from the first floor.
Spotting Jiang Si, Minister Zhao beamed. “Xiao Jiang, why didn’t you take a few more days off?”
“Minister, I actually needed to speak with you,” Jiang Si said, stepping forward.
“Oh? What about?”
Jiang Si waved the documents in her hand. “There are some major revisions to the design proposal that require your approval.”
“Major revisions?” Minister Zhao looked puzzled.
As they reached the third floor, Jiang Si raised her voice. “Yes, but if everything goes smoothly, we could cut the timeline by at least two months.”
A shorter timeline meant cost savings.
Minister Zhao’s eyes lit up. “That much? What about the safety standards?”
“No need to worry,” Jiang Si assured him confidently. “The new plan actually improves safety.”
Delighted, Minister Zhao grinned. “Come, come, let’s discuss this in my office.”
Once inside, he poured her a cup of water. “Xiao Jiang, explain how this new plan works. How can we save so much time?”
As he spoke, he absentmindedly picked up his enamel mug.
Jiang Si braced herself, half-expecting him to spit out his drink in shock.
She waited until Minister Zhao had gulped down most of his water before dropping the bombshell.
Even so, the news made his hand jerk. “Xiao Jiang, are—are you sure about this? This isn’t something to joke about!”
“Minister, I’m absolutely certain.”
Lowering her voice, Jiang Si revealed the rest.
Minister Zhao was stunned. The revelation was too sudden.
“This… he…”
Jiang Si checked her watch. “Minister, want to bet he’ll be here in five minutes?”
She didn’t even need five.
Less than two minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?” Minister Zhao tensed.
“It’s me.”
Jiang Si shrugged. What did I tell you?
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Deputy Minister Xu stepped inside.
“Oh, Xiao Jiang, you’re here too?” He paused. “Should I come back later? My matter isn’t urgent…”
“No need, Lao Xu,” Minister Zhao called out.
With that, Deputy Minister Xu took a seat.
Minister Zhao handed him the file. “Xiao Jiang was just explaining the revisions. Give us your input.”
“Revisions?”
Minister Zhao nodded and motioned for Jiang Si to continue.
She summarized the changes and concluded, “That’s the situation. If there are no issues, I’ll inform Director Yang to proceed with the new plan.”
“Sounds good.” Minister Zhao glanced at Deputy Minister Xu. “Lao Xu, didn’t we have some of those steel bars in stock?”
“Ah, yes, we do,” Deputy Minister Xu replied. “But I’d need to check the exact quantity.”
“Good. Handle this personally.”
Before Deputy Minister Xu could respond, Minister Zhao added gravely, “You’re meticulous. Make sure there are no mistakes, understood?”
Cornered, Deputy Minister Xu agreed.
“Don’t worry, Minister. I’ll oversee this carefully. I’ll get to it now.”
He left with a smile, but the moment the door closed, his expression darkened.
Everything was going exactly as he’d hoped—yet something felt off.
Was it too smooth?
Were they onto him?
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
He’d only been working for Sakura Country for under three years. Even his handler only knew his codename.
With Old Yan as the scapegoat, tracing it back to him was nearly impossible.
Still, caution kept him on edge.
For now, he wouldn’t tamper with the first batch of steel bars.
He’d wait and see.
Three days later, he delivered the materials to the construction site as Jiang Si had requested.
As expected, she was already there, inspecting every shipment.
Just as Deputy Minister Xu was about to leave, relieved, his car was stopped midway.
Men in police uniforms approached.
He calmly rolled down the window. “What’s the matter? Do you know who I—”
The officer cut him off sternly. “Xu Bingkun, correct?”
“That’s me.”
“Arrest him—”
[Three chapters posted—Happy National Day to all! Don’t forget to hit that like button, loves~]
