Chapter 246: A Custom-Made Upgrade Package for Jing Shu

"Did I come at the wrong time? But it's already afternoon; could something important be happening today?" Jing Shu swiped her fingerprint and entered the Medicinal Herb Association. The lobby on the first floor seemed to be hosting some kind of event, though she hadn’t paid much attention as she went straight up to the third-floor experimental field.

This time, she didn’t want to linger or cause trouble—just quietly plant something in her experimental field and leave. While she was there, she’d check on the progress of what she had already planted. After all, as a member of the association, she had some responsibility to keep an eye on things and couldn’t just be a hands-off boss.

Wang Danai nodded. "Of all the days you could come, why today? You’re here, at this exact moment... Sigh."

"What’s going on?" Jing Shu asked, planting her seeds neatly in her designated area and labeling them with their names. She also input the relevant data into the association’s system.

Once the tobacco sprouted and matured for medicinal use, it would officially count as her contribution.

"Yesterday, our association was challenged by the one in Tacheng. After two days of competition, it seems we're about to lose. And now, at this very moment, you show up..." Wang Danai said, helplessly. "They’re looking for someone to take the fall, and we were just talking about calling you—if only we had your contact information! But here you are, walking right into it."

Jing Shu was dumbfounded by the timing. "Challenged? How does a Medicinal Herb Association get challenged?" She couldn’t help but think it was a joke.

"Tacheng is about to be incorporated under Wu City’s jurisdiction, but no one wants to be the smaller player. Of course, Tacheng isn’t happy about it, so they came up with this competition idea. You should hurry up and leave," Wang Danai urged her, trying to steer her away from the trouble.

Jing Shu, having finished planting her seeds, wasn’t planning on staying any longer. "Alright, I’ll be on my way then."

As they were talking, a large group of people suddenly surged in from downstairs. While the third-floor planting area was spacious, Jing Shu’s private experimental plot was small and quickly became crowded.

From the midst of the crowd, Chairman Tie’s rotund figure pushed through. "Make way, make way! What did I say? Wu City’s Medicinal Herb Association’s savior has arrived! Our genius who will take the stage last and show everyone up! Those so-called experts from Tacheng are nothing compared to Jing Shu!"

The murmurs around them grew louder as people started asking who she was and how she could be so impressive to receive such praise from Chairman Tie.

People familiar with the last incident quickly embellished the story, claiming that the genius of a prestigious herbal family had been brought in by Chairman Zhou and how she usually acted like a big shot.

Some even spread rumors that Chairman Zhou had given her various benefits just to get her to grace the association with her presence, and within minutes, Jing Shu was practically a legend.

Jing Shu frowned. It seemed her timing really couldn’t have been worse. She whispered to Wang Danai, "Where’s Zhou the Skinflint?"

"Who?"

"Cough, I mean Chairman Zhou. Is he not back yet?"

"Chairman Zhou hasn’t returned. You’ll have to fend for yourself."

Chairman Tie’s eyes gleamed as he rubbed his pudgy hands together in excitement. "Let’s go, Jing Shu, our association’s genius. Whether we save face or not is all up to you now."

Jing Shu rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Chairman Tie, I’m not the genius you’re talking about, and I only came here to grab something. I don’t know what you're going on about, but if even your chairman couldn’t handle it, there’s no way I can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading home."

The murmuring in the crowd grew even louder.

"What’s with her? Isn’t she supposed to be amazing?"

"Exactly! The association is in crisis, and she’s acting like this?"

Chairman Tie, though still smiling, added a hint of menace in his tone. "Jing Shu, as a member of the association, you have a responsibility. The Medicinal Herb Association is being trampled on, and now is the time to prove your worth.

"Right now, Tacheng is competing against us. If they win, the government will split our resources with them. But if we win, they’ll be merged under our association. And if you, a full-fledged member, deliberately refuse to help and we lose, you won’t be able to escape blame."

Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. She hated being threatened. With a cold smile, she replied, "Ha! If you all got yourselves into this mess, how is it my problem? If you’re going to assign blame, then it’s everyone’s responsibility. So we’ll all have to face the consequences together."

Jing Shu had no intention of competing. She was an outsider in this field, and if she entered the competition, it would only end in a humiliating defeat.

Chairman Tie was stunned for a moment. He hadn’t expected someone of Jing Shu’s age to remain so calm in the face of pressure. His plan had been to use the crowd’s expectations and the promise of prestige to push her into competing. But here she was, completely unfazed.

"It’s over. We’re doomed," Chairman Tie thought, but before losing, he still needed to find someone to take the blame. And that person had to be Jing Shu. Otherwise, he couldn’t bear the responsibility of losing half of the association’s annual resources.

Honestly, Chairman Tie didn’t think they could win either, so his subconscious had already accepted defeat.

"Wait! Jing Shu, if you can solve just one problem in this competition, it will count as completing part of your vice-chairman assessment. How about that? Who knows, maybe by solving today’s challenge, you’ll also fulfill your promotion requirements. Once your medicinal herbs mature, you’ll be able to advance directly to vice-chairman!"

Chairman Tie shouted desperately, trying to sweeten the deal.

Anyone can make promises—and Chairman Tie was no exception.

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. That... actually sounded convenient.

"So, what exactly is this competition downstairs? An academic competition? A planting challenge?" Jing Shu asked. If it was academic, she’d immediately give up, as she knew next to nothing about medicinal herb planting.

Chairman Tie wiped the sweat from his forehead, knowing he had her hooked. "Times have changed! In the apocalypse, pre-apocalypse theories and academics don’t matter anymore. What we’re competing on is who can grow the best herbs in these new conditions. That’s what matters. No matter what method you use. During this process, with the extreme weather, temperature, and humidity, many plants have run into all sorts of issues."

"So Tacheng brought their problematic plants, and whoever can save them scores a point. We’re down 5 to 2, with Tacheng leading."

Jing Shu’s lips curved into a smile. Was this a custom-made upgrade package just for her?

"So, Chairman Tie, you’re saying that if I solve one problem, it will count as completing part of my vice-chairman assessment?"

Chairman Tie nodded vigorously, "Yes, absolutely!"

*Beep—*

"Great, I’ve recorded that. Let’s go take a look."

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

On March 10th, there will be three updates: one at 10 AM, one at 3 PM, and one at 7 PM.