Since the Imperial Treasury had become slightly replenished (though still only in the double digits) and the mobile access to the system had been unlocked, Li Banjia finally felt he had some backbone as an "emperor"—at least he could check exactly how broke he was at any time.
This afternoon, the office was filled with the rhythmic clatter of keyboards. Li Banjia, wearing headphones and pretending to listen to music, was actually using his phone to browse task platforms, checking for any new "tributes" (earning opportunities). Suddenly, a suppressed but barely concealed furious reprimand cut through the volume of his music, forcing him to look up.
"Black-Faced Zhang" Zhang Jianjun, from the project team, stood with a livid expression, spraying spit at Wang Mengmeng, who stood with her head bowed before his desk. "...What is going on with these figures? Huh? They're off by this much! You were the one who compiled the report, right? Can’t you even perform a basic verification? Do you have any idea how this is going to delay the progress of the entire project?"
Wang Mengmeng’s shoulders shook, her voice laced with tears. "S-Supervisor Zhang... I’m sorry... but, but the raw data was provided by Brother Liu. I, I really did verify the calculations..."
Liu Ming again? Li Banjia’s gaze instinctively drifted toward Liu Ming’s workstation not far away. Sure enough, that "Brother Liu" was hunched over his screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard as if he were completely engrossed in his work, deaf to everything happening nearby. However, Li Banjia keenly caught—perhaps an illusion brought on by his +1 [Strategy] stat—a trace of an imperceptible curve at the corner of Liu Ming's mouth.
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose! Giving an intern problematic or inconsistent data sources and then shifting the blame once things went wrong—it was standard practice for a seasoned office weasel.
Just as Li Banjia frowned, mentally ranting about this workplace infighting, the phone in his pocket lit up silently. A tiny, fleeting pixelated eunuch avatar notification appeared in the status bar at the top of the screen.
His heart skipped a beat. He picked up his phone nonchalantly, pretending to check the time, and tapped it to unlock the screen. Sure enough, the system app had pushed a new notification.
[Detected that potential subordinate (Wang Mengmeng) is suffering from an injustice; loyalty is fluctuating. This is an excellent opportunity for Your Majesty to win over hearts and establish credibility.]
[Triggered Quest: (Eye for Talent Through Grace and Severity).]
[Quest Objective: Resolve the current dilemma for Wang Mengmeng and uphold justice.]
[Quest Reward: (Charisma) +1, significant increase in Wang Mengmeng's (Loyalty), and confirmation of (Potential Subordinate) status.]
[Hint: The majesty of an emperor lies not only in thunderous means but also in the gentle breeze of spring.]
"..." Li Banjia stared at the quest on his screen, specifically at the "loyalty is fluctuating" part. He thought to himself, *So if I don't intervene, her loyalty drops? This system is really into forced sales and emotional blackmail!*
But looking at Wang Mengmeng’s pathetic, tearful appearance, and thinking about the +1 [Charisma] reward and the possibility of unlocking the [Imperial Court]... Li Banjia took a deep breath, pocketed his phone, and stood up.
"Um... Supervisor Zhang," Li Banjia walked over, forcing a reliable and harmless smile onto his face. "Is there a problem with the data report? I happen to be a bit more familiar with this area. Could you let me take a look?"
Zhang Jianjun, having his reprimand interrupted, looked at Li Banjia with some annoyance. However, remembering that the kid had performed well in the last meeting and needing the problem solved, he handed over the report on his desk. "Here, see for yourself! The new user growth data for this month is nearly 20% lower than the base from last month! Is this even acceptable?"
Li Banjia took the report while sliding his fingers across his phone in his pocket to open the system’s (extremely primitive) notepad/analysis module—a minor function he’d discovered after completing the [Imperial Treasury Replenishment Plan]. As he quickly scanned the paper report, he used [Strategy] to analyze it, while keeping an eye out for any system prompts.
Wang Mengmeng whispered, "Brother Jia, I compiled this using the Excel sheet Brother Liu gave me..."
Sure enough! Li Banjia looked at the clearly anomalous "month-on-month growth rate" on the report. Combined with Wang Mengmeng's words and his own 6 points in [Strategy]—which, paired with his [Meticulous Calculation] skill, made him highly sensitive to details—he quickly pinpointed the issue. At the same time, the system interface on his phone screen highlighted the statistical explanatory text for the two adjacent months in a red box—one was marked "includes Channel A," while the other was not.
"Supervisor Zhang, look," Li Banjia placed the report in front of Zhang Jianjun and pointed to the two figures. "The problem might not be in the calculations. Look at this month's data; the statistical scope includes the newly expanded Channel A. But in last month’s report, data for this channel was listed separately and not included in the total base. If we add the portion from Channel A to last month's data to match the scope, or subtract the increase from this month's, the month-on-month growth is actually around 5%, which is exactly as expected—it's very healthy."
He paused, then added in a calm tone, "Mengmeng is new, so she might not be familiar with the need for standardizing scope across different reports. Brother Liu... well, he might have forgotten to emphasize that detail when he provided the data."
His words were clear and logical, directly pointing to the technical root of the issue. He managed to exonerate Wang Mengmeng, gently kicked the ball back to the data provider, Liu Ming, and gave Zhang Jianjun a face-saving way out.
Zhang Jianjun froze for a moment, carefully examined the parts Li Banjia pointed out, then looked up at Liu Ming, whose expression had instantly soured. Finally, his gaze landed on the tearful Wang Mengmeng. He gave a heavy grunt. "So that's how it is! The statistical scope! How could you overlook something so important!" He glared at Liu Ming, then waved impatiently at Li Banjia and Wang Mengmeng. "Fine! Li Banjia, you take her and redo the data with a unified scope! Let this be the last time!"
With that, he turned and stomped back into his office.
The crisis had been quietly resolved.
"J-Jia Ge..." Wang Mengmeng’s eyes were still red, but her face was full of relief and gratitude. "Thank, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I..."
"It's nothing, small problem," Li Banjia offered what he considered to be an "emperor’s" warm smile (which was actually just standard coworker concern). "Next time you encounter cross-table data, double-check the statistical notes. If you're not sure, ask. Don't just bury your head and do it yourself."
"Mm-hmm! I’ll remember that! Thank you, Jia Ge!" Wang Mengmeng nodded repeatedly, looking at Li Banjia as if he were a life-saving bodhisattva.
Li Banjia felt his phone vibrate in his pocket again. He comforted Wang Mengmeng for a moment and returned to his seat before checking it.
"Ding!"
[(Eye for Talent Through Grace and Severity) quest completed! Evaluation: Excellent (Discerning, combining grace with severity, possessing the early bearing of a sovereign).]
[Quest Reward: (Charisma) +1, significant increase in Wang Mengmeng's (Loyalty).]
He immediately checked his personal information; his [Charisma] had gone from 4/100 to 5/100!
He then tried clicking the previously grayed-out, now faintly glowing "Connections" (temporary name) button in the system. Sure enough, Wang Mengmeng’s information card appeared inside:
[Potential Subordinate: Wang Mengmeng | Loyalty: 70/100 (Deeply grateful, views as a pillar of support)]
Her loyalty had shot straight up to 70!
Li Banjia felt a surge of relief. It seemed "saving the damsel in distress" really was a shortcut to winning hearts! Even if he was just saving an intern, and his "heroism" was entirely powered by the system's cheats.
He was secretly feeling proud when, looking up by chance, he noticed the administrative assistant from across the room passing by with her water cup. Seeing him look over, she actually took the initiative to offer him a friendly, bright smile and gave a slight nod.
Li Banjia froze, and instinctively, he nodded back.
Was this the effect of +1 [Charisma]? It seemed... rather subtle?
He rubbed his chin, looking at the grateful glance Wang Mengmeng was shooting his way, and remembered the 70 points of loyalty in the system.
Having a "subject" loyal to him, even if only an intern, seemed to add a bit of ethereal confidence to this "poor emperor."
He felt one step closer to unlocking the [Imperial Court]. He just didn't know what kind of chaotic scene that "court" in this company would turn out to be.