Elder brother's garrison

Page 1327

"Uh……"

"Your TV station didn't really send you here without telling you anything in order to pursue authenticity, did you?" The minister asked Xiaobai suspiciously. As he asked this, his gaze swept over Xiaobai and the other two, and his eyes suddenly became suspicious, and his brows suddenly furrowed. "By the way, ...which TV station are you from?"

Okay.

It seems that after discovering that Xiaobai and the others had problems with their professional skills, the minister finally began to doubt their identities.

"Ah...we...this is our first time here, we don't really understand the process yet..." Xiaobai quickly raised his hand and explained to the minister.

"First time here? Oh... that makes sense. You guys just said you were newcomers." The minister's doubts eased slightly. He straightened his back, sat up straighter, and then said kindly to the three of them, "If you're newcomers, then there's nothing I can do... but it's okay. I'm quite used to being interviewed. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'll answer them for you!"

This minister seems quite approachable...

Looking at the minister's kind eyes, Xiao Bai muttered to himself.

"May I ask about employee salaries and benefits?" Xiaobai asked the manager.

"Hmm? Sure, it's possible..." The minister paused, then replied somewhat strangely, "But have TV stations started paying attention to this kind of issue lately?"

"That's great." Xiaobai clasped her hands together, ignoring the minister's last sentence, and smiled as she spoke to the minister, "Um... Mr. Minister, we just met an employee at the Ship Equipment Research Center. I wonder if you could tell us about that employee's salary and benefits, and if you would like to see her payslip details or something?"

"Hmm... If you have her consent, I don't have any problems." Although the minister was a little puzzled, he still spoke to Xiaobai with enthusiasm, "What's the name of the employee you're talking about? I can have my subordinates find her information for you."

"Thank you, Minister!"

"It's nothing, just a small favor!" the minister said with a smile, his eyes narrowing into slits. "What's the name of the employee you're looking for? Which department are they from?"

"Yes, the employee we're looking for is called the Goddess of the Kitchen, and she works in the security department..." Xiaobai replied.

suddenly.

Just as Xiaobai mentioned the words "female hearth goddess," the minister, who had been sitting kindly in his seat and patiently listening to Xiaobai's speech a moment ago, suddenly widened his eyes. The kindness and enthusiasm that had just been in his eyes vanished in an instant, as if by magic, and were replaced by an extremely strong sense of vigilance and tension.

Snapped!

The minister slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, staring at the three people in front of him with extreme alertness and seriousness.

"The Goddess of the Hearth? Where did you hear that name?!" The minister frowned deeply, sternly addressing the three of them, then belatedly realized, "—You, you're not variety show hosts?!"

Chapter 1702 Who is this visitor?!

In any case, this person discovered it way too late.

Xiao Bai watched as the middle-aged minister, who had suddenly become alert upon hearing the name of the Goddess of the Hearth, and whose amiable smile had vanished without a trace, suddenly had a gut feeling that he had stumbled upon some crucial information.

“Um… Mr. Minister, about us…” Xiaobai raised her hand, trying to come up with a reason to explain her purpose.

"Alright, I don't care who you are, I don't want to hear it now." However, the minister, who had become alert, was no longer as enthusiastic as before. Now the minister had a serious and indifferent look on his face. He sat back down in his seat and said coldly to Xiaobai and the other two, "Since you are not interviewers from the TV station, then the Finance Department, such an important place, does not welcome you. Please leave."

As expected of a socialite, they can change their minds faster than turning the pages of a book.

Xiao Bai stood still, not moving, and silently looked at the minister behind the desk.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" The minister frowned when he saw that Xiaobai and the other two hadn't left as he had told them to, and were still standing in front of him. He said coldly to Xiaobai, "This is the key area of ​​the ship equipment research center, not an amusement park open to the public. Outsiders without an invitation are not allowed to enter!"

"……But……"

"But what but!"

"But... it was you, Minister, who brought us in..." Xiaobai said innocently.

"I..." The minister's face flushed with embarrassment, then he couldn't contain his anger, his round face turning bright red with urgency, "Isn't it all because you concealed your identities and didn't explain to me immediately, causing me to misunderstand..."

"But we've already said that we weren't sent by the TV station."

"Shut up!" The minister slammed his hand on the table, sending disposable pens flying. He glared at Xiaobai and his two companions and shouted without mercy, "I haven't even held you three accountable for concealing your identities, how dare you act like scoundrels! I'm giving you one last ultimatum: get out of the finance department! Now, immediately! You're not welcome here!"

The minister practically shouted these words, his voice momentarily drowning out the work of a large group of office staff behind the finance department.

The entire finance department fell silent after the minister's shout. The staff stopped what they were doing and looked up in confusion in Xiaobai's direction. They were a little curious about how the minister, who had just been acting like a very composed leader, had become so angry and embarrassed in just a few minutes.

"What are you looking at! Get back to work!" The minister glared at the office staff in the distance and shouted angrily.

The office workers quickly ducked back to their seats, and the sounds of typing, photocopying, printing, and paper scraping filled the air once again.

"Huff...huff..." After shouting that harsh word, the minister was a little out of breath, probably because he was too excited. He took a couple of breaths and stared blankly at his desk for a few seconds.

"..." Xiao Bai observed the minister's performance.

This minister… until now, he had been gentle and tolerant towards the three of us, but after we mentioned the name of the goddess of the hearth, his attitude changed drastically, a complete 180-degree turn. Not only did he no longer welcome us, but he even threatened us without regard for his image, eager for us to leave the finance department. When the staff noticed our interaction, he even sternly reprimanded them…

Say something.

If the minister simply misunderstood his identity and wanted the three of them to leave, he didn't need to use such an extreme attitude. His attitude and image just now...

simply……

It was like a fierce but cowardly beast, relying on a futile, pale ferocity in the hope of masking its old wounds and weakness, and thus deterring the invading enemy.

Xiao Bai seemed to be deep in thought.

In other words, this minister is indeed connected to the goddess of the hearth? And he wants his connection to her to remain unknown to others? To minimize the number of people who notice this, he's even willing to tarnish the positive image he's cultivated of himself as a superior…

Thinking of this, Xiao Bai's gaze towards the minister, who was sitting in the chair panting heavily, changed.

Why doesn't this minister want others to know about the goddess of the hearth?

"Why aren't you leaving yet!" Xiaobai's silence and inaction put considerable psychological pressure on the minister sitting behind his desk. The minister angrily shouted at Xiaobai, "Don't think we can't be rough with you just because you're girls! This is the territory of the Ship Equipment Research Center, a key location! If you don't leave, I'm calling the security guards!"

The minister's face was ablaze with anger.

But in Xiaobai's eyes, this anger was clearly mixed with the fear of being betrayed.

“Minister…we just want to take a look at the information about the Goddess of the Hearth and then leave…” Xiaobai stood there and calmly said to the minister, whose face was red with anger, “Anyway…although we don’t have the authority right now, we’ll get the pass in a little while. Can we take a look first?”

"..." The minister's gaze turned icy cold. He stared intently at Xiaobai, but didn't reply. Instead, he picked up the landline phone and dialed a number rapidly. "Hello, security guard? Three outsiders have entered the finance department. Call someone to kick them out!"

"Just give us a few minutes, and we can get our passes! We can even make a phone call!" Changchun, standing next to Xiaobai, said anxiously upon seeing the minister's actions. "Minister, you don't need to kick us out so soon!"

"Hmph, not even the King of Heaven can come in before we see your pass! That's the rule!" The minister snorted coldly and slammed down the phone. "Until you get your so-called pass, you'd all be out of here! Otherwise, don't be ashamed when the security guards grab you and throw you out!"

"Then... what do we do now..." Changchun looked at Xiaobai with some difficulty.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that to see information about the goddess of the hearth, we need to obtain Yubari's pass. Without the pass, the three of us can't even stay in the finance department office.

"Should we go back to get our passes?" Changchun asked cautiously, tugging at Xiaobai's sleeve.

“…Hmm.” Xiaobai nodded, then shook her head. “But… not now… we can’t leave here.”

"Huh?" Changchun was taken aback.

Information about the goddess of the hearth is now in the finance department's database.

Normally, information in these databases at headquarters is subject to random checks and verifications by higher-ups. If any discrepancies are found, they will be detected, making it difficult to falsify data for an extended period. However, with the power of the finance minister, falsifying data is not a problem, at least in the short term.

Xiaobai and his two companions arrived here unexpectedly, taking advantage of the minister's momentary lapse in attention. Although they didn't know the connection between the minister and the goddess of the hearth, Xiaobai felt that if the three of them went to find Yubari now and left, the minister would likely immediately start altering all the information about the goddess of the hearth in the database. By the time they got their passes and came in to check, it would be too late to prove anything.

This is why, from the very beginning, the minister had been using various methods to force the three of them to leave...

Xiaobai felt that she couldn't leave now.

You must not leave until you have seen the message from the goddess of the hearth.

Even if it requires a little rough handling...

"If you're not the hosts here for an interview, then you must be ship girls, right?" Just then, the department head seemed to sense Xiaobai's thoughts and coldly said to the three of them, "If you are ship girls, then I can tell you, you might be thinking that you can use the power of ship girls to resist the guards' attempts to drive you away and forcibly stay in the finance department, but this is the ship equipment research center! I don't need to explain what using force to clash with the guards here means, do I? That's not a minor offense of disorderly conduct; that's a crime that will land you in jail!"

"Uh..." Xiaobai said awkwardly.

"There's less than half a minute before the guard arrives. If you don't leave now, don't blame him for getting rough with you. Since you're ship girls, that means the guard doesn't need to worry about sending you to the hospital or anything like that. He could just throw you out the sixth-floor window!" The minister said, glancing smugly at his watch, a sudden smirk playing on his lips. "Heh... but it seems you don't even have a final chance to leave. I just realized I missed a few seconds; the guard is almost at the door. Enjoy the humiliation of being thrown out, you three poor ladies!"

Stab it!

As if to confirm the minister's words, just as the minister finished speaking, the door to the finance department in the distance was pushed open.

"Guards! It's those three! Throw them all out!" The minister jumped up from his desk, pointing angrily at Xiaobai, "Those three are ship girls, don't give them any face, just throw them out the window..."

but.

The moment the minister saw who opened the door, his arrogant expression, which had been so domineering just a second before, suddenly froze as if a pause button had been pressed, and he showed a look of astonishment.

"Where? Unauthorized intruders? Who are you? Daring to cause trouble on my territory?!"

A petite and adorable girl, arms rolled up, stormed in from outside, her delicate voice instantly filling the entire finance department.

Never imagined.

This so-called "gatekeeper".

It turned out to be the female Kitchen Goddess on patrol.

It's the end of the month, dear readers, if you have any free razor blades, please send one or two. (And some pear syrup.)

Chapter 1703 Today is quite lively

Under the minister's dumbfounded gaze, the goddess of the hearth kicked open the door and rushed in, rolling up her sleeves as she ran aggressively toward them.

"Who? Who's causing trouble on my turf! Don't you know this place is under my protection?! Is the Ship Equipment Research Center some kind of sacred place where some stray cat or dog can just mess around?! I'll kick you all out right now..." The female Stove Goddess charged towards Xiaobai with a delicate shout. She crossed the alley, just about to unleash her attack, when she saw Xiaobai and his group standing in front of the Finance Department Minister's desk. She paused, stunned, "Eh?"

"Miss Stove Goddess? What a coincidence." Xiao Bai was also surprised to see the Stove Goddess walking into the finance department.

"Huh? It's you guys?"

The goddess of the hearth stared wide-eyed, her face filled with surprise.

"So this is the patrol area you're in charge of, Miss Goddess of the Hearth... Miss Goddess of the Hearth, you work as a doorman in this building?"

"Uh... not really. I was just patrolling by when I saw the security guard at the building entrance taking a call. He said someone was causing trouble in the finance department, so I came up here in his place..." The female kitchen god scratched her head, looking at Xiaobai and the other two with a puzzled expression. "...Uh, does that mean you're the ones causing trouble?"

"No, no, we didn't cause any trouble," Xiaobai quickly waved his hands and said to the female stove goddess, "It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Ah...you didn't cause any trouble, that's good, that's good..." Xiao Bai's favorability with the Goddess of the Hearth was already very high. Seeing that Xiao Bai admitted that he hadn't caused any trouble, the Goddess of the Hearth breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the Minister of Finance with some doubt, "Then what exactly happened just now?"

The minister stared wide-eyed at the goddess of the hearth.

"The...the goddess of the hearth..." After the goddess of the hearth entered, the minister, who had been so imposing just moments before, muttered to himself in a low voice, his voice filled with a mixture of panic and fear, "Why, why is it you who came up here..."

The appearance of the female Kitchen Goddess shocked the minister so much that he forgot to urge her to expel Xiaobai and the other two from the finance office.

"Hmm?" The goddess of the hearth tilted her head in surprise as she listened to the minister's rambling.

"Miss Stove Goddess, do you know Mr. Minister?" Xiao Bai asked the Stove Goddess while taking the opportunity.

“I don’t know him.” The goddess of the hearth shook her head, her gaze not lingering on the minister. “When I patrol, I just symbolically stroll around the building and don’t go into the office, so I’ve barely spoken to any of the staff here.”

"Ah... I don't know him..." Xiaobai nodded thoughtfully.

"So, what exactly happened here?" The goddess of the hearth looked at Xiaobai strangely, pointing to the dumbfounded minister. "The atmosphere between you guys is so weird... and why has that person been saying things like 'Why me?' since the beginning?"

“Well…” Xiaobai shifted her gaze to the minister, “Although I’m not entirely sure… but Miss Vesta, you might need to ask the minister himself.”

"What? Me?"

“Miss Vestal, the reason we came to the Finance Department is because we think the salary and benefits you receive at the Ship Equipment Research Center are rather strange.” Xiao Bai said to Vestal, pointing to the minister in front of the desk, “And just now when we were negotiating with the minister, he became very anxious as soon as he heard that we wanted to check your information, Miss Vestal. He tried to kick us out, and even called the security guard downstairs to make us leave the Finance Department.”

"……real?"

"It's true. According to our investigation, Miss Vestal, the salary you should have received at the Ship Equipment Research Center, even if it wasn't high, would have easily exceeded ten thousand!"

Xiao Bai reminded the female stove god.

"Breaking...breaking ten thousand..."

The female Stove Goddess listened to Xiaobai's words in a daze, somewhat bewildered. After sorting through Xiaobai's words, she roughly understood the cause and effect of the story. Then, with a suspicious look in her big eyes, she looked at the Minister of Finance.

When the minister met the gaze of the goddess of the hearth, he trembled slightly. He quickly sat back down and slammed his hand on the table.

"You're talking nonsense! I fired them because they weren't qualified to work in the finance department! You're the female kitchen goddess, right? Now that you've taken on the job of gatekeeper, you should carry it out properly!" The minister shouted at the female kitchen goddess with a fierce but weak expression, pointing angrily at Xiaobai, "Quickly, kick them out!"

The minister's voice faded.

The three of them, including Xiaobai, and the female Kitchen Goddess seemed to ignore them completely, making no move whatsoever.

"Is that really true?" The female Kitchen Goddess asked Little White, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

“Absolutely true!” Xiaobai nodded to the female stove god.

Although in the eyes of the Finance Minister, Xiaobai might just be a wild girl who popped out of nowhere, in the eyes of the Vessel Goddess, Xiaobai is not only an excellent admiral, but also a wealthy person who has formed a bond with her in the admiral network and provides her with food and lodging. Xiaobai's words have great credibility in the eyes of the Vessel Goddess.

"...Hey! You're the Finance Minister, right?!" The Goddess of the Hearth took a deep breath, whirled around to glare at the minister, rushed to the table, and slammed her hand on it. "Quick! Get my documents out! I need to see my documents!"

boom! !

The slap from the female stove goddess was much louder than the minister's slaps earlier. The ballpoint pen that had just barely taken off the table was sent flying into the air by the goddess's slap, spinning several times before finally landing back on the table with a thud.

The minister's face turned pale instantly.

"It's fine if you don't want to show them my information, but it shouldn't be a problem if I want to see it myself!" the goddess of the hearth said to the minister. "Look, I'm right here now, quickly take out my information!"