Chapter 87 The Empress (First Update)

After resolving the most pressing issue of blocking the store and vandalizing it, He Changyi began to tackle another matter.

Where did these counterfeit goods come from?

The store's open space was filled with returned goods, ranging from broken leather shoes to thermos flasks, encompassing almost a third of the store's product categories, including even canned goods from coal miners.

He Changyi bent down and picked up a returned can of food. At first glance, it looked no different from the genuine canned food, but upon closer inspection, the label was crooked, the trademark printing was blurry, and the food inside the can was sticky and had clearly spoiled.

Zheng Xiaowei cautiously asked, "Could it be that the goods shipped from those factories in China are counterfeit?"

He Changyi put down the can and said only three words: "Impossible."

Not to mention that the suppliers who have been able to cooperate with her for a long time have been selected through multiple screenings. Even if these factories collectively went crazy and dared to use counterfeit and shoddy products to fool her, there are still people in charge of random inspections as soon as the goods arrive in Oros. If the pass rate is not up to standard, the entire batch of goods will be rejected. The supplier will not only lose the round-trip shipping costs, but also have to pay a high fine.

He Changyi is very strict about the quality of goods. She would rather give suppliers a few more percentage points so that they can earn more profit than show any leniency when there are quality problems with the goods.

In supplier circles, she is known for both her generosity and her strictness.

Therefore, all goods that can enter the store's warehouse have passed random inspections, and it is impossible for quality problems to suddenly erupt in a short period of time.

It's obvious that these returned items aren't even from the store!

Geng Zhi said indignantly, "I told you those weren't our store's goods! We shouldn't have to pay them compensation! Those Russians are just conspiring to extort us!"

He Changyi asked him, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Geng Zhi exclaimed excitedly, "Call the police! Lock them all up!"

He Changyi then asked him, "With things getting so big, have you seen the police?"

Geng Zhi was taken aback. It was true. So much time had passed since the incident, and not a single police officer had come. You know, these guys usually loved to come to the store to freeload and then sneak some souvenirs before leaving.

Since the presence of the police could effectively deter thieves, the store turned a blind eye, treating it as a small expense to hire security guards.

But such a big thing happened in front of the store today, and the store was almost smashed up by people, and not a single police officer showed up!

Zheng Xiaowei didn't dare to speak, but bluntly asked, "Is it because our phone line is broken and we can't call the police?"

He Changyi was so angry she almost laughed.

"What's the point of calling the police? They're after us. Even if you go to the police station in person to file a report, no officers will come!"

Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei were both stunned.

This was a direction they hadn't considered at all. The police officers usually came to the store and chatted and laughed with everyone, even joking about moving the police station next to the store. They were also very proactive in catching thieves.

When a drunk man harassed Yelena, the police arrested him without hesitation. Before leaving, they comforted Yelena, telling her not to be afraid and that they would protect everyone.

Aren't we already friends...?

Seeing their incredulous expressions, as if they had been struck by lightning, He Changyi let out a long sigh.

Well, loyalty and intelligence are often two repulsive magnets.

Intelligent people are particularly adept at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages; Machiavelli is a mentor in life. However, loyalty requires selflessness, putting the interests of others above one's own.

To a smart person, this is utterly outrageous—how could anyone be more important than themselves?!

He Changyi could not expect Geng Zhi and his ilk to be as intelligent as Mikhail while also being loyal.

But she can teach them how to avoid traps.

"The police won't come; we have to resolve today's conflict ourselves."

He Changyi calmly said, "Under the circumstances at the time, explanations were useless, and denials were even more useless. They would only add fuel to the fire. The only solution was to quell the incident and evacuate the crowd as quickly as possible."

Geng Zhi retorted, unconvinced, "But those items aren't from our store! Why should we give them a refund?!"

He'd been holding those words in for a long time!

When Geng Zhi saw He Changyi giving away large sums of money and getting a pile of junk in return, he really wanted to advise her not to do it. Wouldn't that just confirm the false accusations against her?

Even if today's problem is resolved, what about tomorrow? Won't people continue to think that their store sells only inferior products?

He Changyi retorted, "What makes you say these things didn't come from our store?"

Geng Zhi was stunned and stammered, "Our store would never sell counterfeit goods..."

He was one of the earliest employees to follow He Changyi in Fushi, and he knew better than anyone else He Changyi's extreme requirements for quality, which could sometimes be described as harsh.

Growing up surrounded by such influences, Geng Zhi also values ​​product quality. He believes that he can forgo making money, but he cannot make money by compromising his conscience.

As He Changyi's business grew, she no longer had the time to sit in the store all day as before, so she delegated management to Geng Zhi.

Geng Zhi was utterly flattered!

He wished he could stay in the store 24/7 and do everything himself. Zheng Xiaowei even said sourly that he was now a leader and was getting cocky.

Geng Zhi has never disappointed He Changyi, except this time.

"I...I didn't...I'm not..."

The young man almost cried in desperation, managing to squeeze out, "I really didn't embezzle any money from the store!"

Zheng Xiaowei patted Geng Zhi on the back with a mixture of sympathy and schadenfreude.

Hey, this kid works from dawn till dusk all day long, but it's all for nothing!

He Changyi didn't speak, but examined the barcode label on the can.

Barcodes were already widely used in the retail industry in the 1980s. Although the development in China was slower, some supermarkets in big cities also began to use barcodes for checkout.

He Changyi spent a lot of money to buy an imported computer cash register and had someone code all the types of goods in the store. Every time the goods were put out of the warehouse and put on the shelves, a barcode label made by the store had to be affixed.

The labels are made of paper with adhesive on the back. They are pasted onto the surface of the product for easy scanning and checkout.

These labels are like the "identity cards" of the products; each label on a product is unique.

According to He Changyi, besides her store, no other store in Vladimir City uses barcodes. After all, the accompanying computer cash registers are not cheap, and not everyone is willing to spend money on them.

Most of the returned items have the store's label, and for the few that don't, you can see the glue residue left after the label was torn off.

He Changyi carefully examined the label on the can in his hand. It wasn't pasted flat; it was crooked, and one corner was curled up.

"Get me a pair of tweezers."

While Geng Zhi was still in a daze, Zheng Xiaowei had already run out shouting to the others, "Do you have any tweezers? Get some tweezers!"

Yelena found a pair of tweezers, and Zheng Xiaowei immediately took them from her and ran over to hand them to He Changyi.

He Changyi accepted it without even looking at it, leaving Zheng Xiaowei, who had been trying to curry favor, empty-handed.

Holding the tweezers, she gently tore the entire label off along the raised part.

...It's a bit too easy.

Anyone who has ever peeled off a label knows that once a label is stuck to a surface, it is quite difficult to tear off and is easily torn. The longer a label is stuck on, the harder it becomes to peel off.

But He Changyi found it quite easy to tear it apart.

She showed no expression, as if it were expected, and raised her hand to turn the label on the tweezers over and look at it under the light.

There is half a fingerprint on the adhesive surface on the back.

He Changyi handed the tweezers to Geng Zhi and instructed him, "Keep them safe."

Geng Zhi held the tweezers with extreme care, as if he were holding a time bomb.

He Changyi looked at the labels on the other returned goods and, as expected, they all had similar problems.

She summoned the bodyguards from Eguo and ordered them to seal off the warehouses and shops, allowing entry but not exit.

The Eguo bodyguards, who had been eager to get started, immediately sprang into action. They finally had a chance to prove themselves and let their boss know that they were no less capable than the Zhongguo bodyguards.

All the shop assistants were gathered together. Some were puzzled, some were uneasy, and some were curious. The emotions of the crowd were like a pot of colorful boiling soup.

He Changyi stood at the very front, with two tall and burly bodyguards from E'guo standing behind him.

"You've all heard about what happened today, right?" she said bluntly. "Many people came to return goods and cause trouble because some of our products had serious quality problems. The store was almost smashed up."

No one spoke; everyone looked at He Changyi.

Her expression was indifferent, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

“I’m not blaming anyone for not stopping the troublemakers. After all, your job is to sell, collect payments, clean, and manage the warehouse, not to maintain order. That’s not part of your job.”

Upon hearing her words, many shop assistants relaxed, clearly relieved.

After all, in that crazy scene, not everyone had the courage to fight against an angry mob that outnumbered them.

He Changyi then changed the subject, saying, "But this does not mean that you can neglect your job or even use it to make a profit."

Her expression was more serious than ever before, her eyes were cold and filled with a sense of oppression.

“Some of you have betrayed me.”

The crowd erupted in uproar, and the store suddenly became noisy.

"Who did it? Who did it?"

"Has he gone mad?!"

"No way, this must be a misunderstanding. Could I possibly find a better job than at this store?"

"Why aren't those Chinese people here? Could she already be convinced that it was us Chinese who did it...?"

"It might have been Zhong Guoren who did it. She must be biased towards them and trying to pin the blame on us!"

"That's right, that's exactly it!"

Amidst the whispers, someone loudly asked He Changyi, "What evidence do you have?"

He Changyi said, "Of course."

The crowd fell silent, and she raised her voice: "Before I tell you what happened, I will give the traitor a chance. If he can stand up and admit it now, I will only fire him; otherwise, he can go to jail and explain to the police!"

No one spoke, and no one stood up.

He Changyi looked around. Some people met her gaze without fear, some turned their heads away, and some looked at her with suspicion in their eyes.

"Well, it seems some people are still hoping for the best."

She said slowly and deliberately, "Now I will tell everyone how counterfeit goods got into stores and how they led to today's crisis."

This is a story about greed, stupidity, and collusion.

Someone wanted to cause trouble for Andrei, but he didn't want to make a scene, so someone approached the store manager and warmly invited him for drinks.

When they were all tipsy and in high spirits, the man said, "Brother, you're guarding such a huge warehouse, don't you want to make some money?"

The warehouse manager grumbled, "I wish it were so! But you would never guess that some warehouses are managed even more strictly than bank vaults. Every item that comes in or goes is meticulously recorded. Even the loss of a single bolt will attract attention. Not even a mouse could steal a single grain of rice from the warehouse!"

A sly smile appeared on the man's face. "Is this some kind of problem? If you're willing, I can not only tell you how to do it, but I can even do it for you."

The warehouse manager's wine had sobered up a bit.

He looked at the other person, hesitant yet tempted, but gradually, greed eventually overwhelmed everything.

After the genuine goods passed inspection and were put into storage, the warehouse manager secretly replaced them with counterfeit goods provided by the man, profiting from the price difference. However, a sales clerk soon discovered his trick.

However, instead of reporting the incident, the salesperson drew inspiration from it.

She used this incident to blackmail the warehouse manager, demanding that he also provide her with counterfeit goods. When no one was looking, she would tear off the labels of the genuine products from the shelves and stick them on the counterfeit products. After get off work, she would smuggle the genuine products she had taken off into her clothes and sell them for money.

As a result, some counterfeit goods were mixed in with genuine products and flowed from stores to customers, ultimately leading to today's conflict.

He Changyi said, "I've finished telling my story. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Some people asked with skepticism, "Do you have any evidence?"

He Changyi countered, "What kind of evidence do you want?"

“We have several warehouse managers and sales clerks, how can you prove that it was one of them who did it?”

He Changyi said with a smile, "It's very simple. Just check the batch number of the goods and the staff on duty on the day they entered and left the warehouse, and we'll know who replaced the goods."

Before he could finish speaking, the door was kicked open, and Geng Zhi rushed in, excitedly saying, "Boss! I found the warehouse records! The batch number of the outgoing goods is different from the batch number of the returned goods, so someone switched the goods!"

Zheng Xiaowei, who was following behind, also shouted, "There are still counterfeit goods that have been replaced right here!"

He held up the counterfeit canned goods, which were exactly the same as the ones that had been returned before.

When He Changyi called a meeting with all the store employees, Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei took the opportunity to search the warehouse and found the problem.

At the edge of the crowd, a pale-faced man discreetly retreated, trying to leave.

However, he was stopped by a menacing-looking bodyguard as soon as he took a step toward the exit.

The bodyguard demanded, "What are you doing?"

He said in a panic, "The toilet... my stomach hurts..."

The bodyguard said menacingly, "Hold it in! Or just take care of it here!"

His lips twitched, a mixture of crying and laughing, as he murmured, "No, no, I'm much better now..."

Suddenly, someone called his name.

"Our esteemed warehouse manager, Mr. Boris, where are you headed?"

The crowd parted, and He Changyi walked towards him unhurriedly.

Boris instinctively took two steps back, wanting to turn and run, but was forced back by his bodyguard who pressed a gun to his forehead.

“Miss He…” He laughed as if he were crying, “I think there must be some mistake somewhere…”

He Changyi said coldly, "You have betrayed my trust in you."

Boris managed to say, "I can explain...you know, my parents are sick, and oh yes, and my child! He...he's still in school..."

He Changyi interrupted him rudely.

“Mr. Boris, I think a person who truly cares about his family wouldn’t spend all his salary on drinking, much less choose to commit crimes for short-term gains!”

She turned around and muttered to herself, "I should have written a no-drinking clause in the job posting instead of worrying about some bullshit Emei custom!"

The bodyguards expertly tied Boris up and dragged him out. Boris screamed pitifully, "I'll give you my money back! I'll tell you who ordered me to do this! Ah—! Take me to the police station..."

Boris's voice disappeared behind the door, abruptly ending.

He Changyi walked back to the front, his face somber.

“There’s one more,” she said. “Are you going to step forward yourself, or will I drag you out?”

After Boris confessed, the shop assistants believed He Changyi's words and couldn't help but look at the people around them with suspicion, especially the sales staff in the store, who were the most suspicious.

The sales clerks, unable to bear being treated like criminals, angrily retorted:

"Whoever did it, step forward! Don't drag us down with you and make us look like thieves!"

"This is outrageous! How could someone like this be among us?! Aren't we getting paid enough already?!"

"It's not just the salary, but also the employee purchase benefits. I can support my whole family on my own!"

However, no one stood up; every salesperson looked equally angry.

He Changyi clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Time's up," she said. "You've wasted your last chance."

The crowd quieted down, watching to see how He Changyi would find the traitor among them.

She then asked Gengzhi to bring inkpads and instructed everyone to press their fingerprints onto a piece of white paper.

"I once heard a theory in criminal psychology that, apart from a few specific crimes, most criminals are less intelligent, more impulsive, and more likely to leave evidence at crime scenes compared to normal people."

He Changyi looked at everyone, her expression even relaxed.

"I used to scoff at this theory, but now—"

She held up a pair of tweezers, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the label held by the tweezers.

"I have to admit it does have its merits; at least a normal person wouldn't want to leave their fingerprints on it. With a simple comparison, you can easily identify the thief."

While most people were still hesitating, Yelena was the first to step forward.

"I'll do it."

She quickly stood in front of the inkpad and deftly pressed her fingerprints onto the white paper.

The bodyguard picked it up to compare, shook his head at He Changyi, then lit the white paper covered in fingerprints with a lighter and threw it into the iron bucket next to him.

Seeing this, everyone felt relieved and stepped forward to press their fingerprints, and the flames in the iron bucket grew bigger and bigger.

When everyone is moving, those who stay still stand out.

“You can’t do this. You’re not a police officer. This is illegal,” she said in a trembling voice.

Yelena exclaimed in surprise, "Jiana, how could it be you?!"

Saleswoman Ji Ana stared intently at He Changyi, repeating only one sentence: "This is illegal."

He Changyi said coldly, "Corruption committed in the course of one's duty is also illegal."

Everyone fell silent, their gazes—some surprised, some disdainful, some disgusted—simultaneously turning to Giana.

Her face was tense, her body trembled slightly, yet she still stood ramrod straight.

"You're just a Chinese, what right do you have to make money on Russian soil? You should go back to China! You damned swindler!"

By the end, she was almost screaming, her voice hoarse and her face contorted in rage.

The bodyguard instinctively stepped in front of He Changyi, but she pushed him aside.

“Gianna, is it? I’m here not because of anyone’s charity, nor will I leave because of anyone’s hatred. You can resent as much as you want, you can deceive yourself by calling crime justice, but you can’t change anything.”

He Changyi said softly with a smile, "I will continue to be my shuttlecock, while you will be reminiscing about your life in prison."

She stopped laughing, turned to her bodyguard and said, "Take her to the police station and let her be judged by the law."

Zheng Xiaowei quickly asked, "What if the police station sides with her?"

He Changyi said expressionlessly, "She has no value in being favored."

He's just a racist thief who takes advantage of the chaos; he wouldn't even cause the scales to tip in the slightest.

After Ji Ana was taken away, He Changyi raised his voice and asked the crowd:

"Is there anyone else who shares her views? If so, then let's part ways amicably, take this month's salary and find ourselves a new boss! If you don't stand up now, then shut up completely later, or I'll show you what I'm capable of."

The shop assistants were extremely surprised, never expecting that the usually gentle and good-tempered boss, Jong-kook, would have such a tough side.

She stood there, looking just like a tyrannical tsar!

Surprisingly, the shop assistants didn't dislike her; in fact, they were somewhat excited.

After all, for the people of Ego, the biggest flaw of the benevolent father was that he refused to overthrow the monarchy and become the Tsar.

They miss the Tsar, they need the Tsar, they long for the Tsar.

Tsar, a secret XP unique to Russians (not really...)

Sometimes one wonders if the Russians lacked a thorough anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolution (not really...).

He Changyi surveyed the entire room with a stern and cold gaze, and those who met her eyes lowered their heads obediently.

Then she smiled with satisfaction.

"These are your answers, I've got them."

She said, "You won't regret this."

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Author's Note: Perhaps there will be another update later? I'm going to go write now~