The penalty from Lu Zheng

Yin, after calming Mu Rong, went to Lu Zheng's office to let him know that she had arrived. She knew it would be one way of controlling him from losing his temper since he was under constant pressure regarding the deadlines that had been shortened.

Knocking on his door softly, Lu Zheng allowed her in thinking it was Mu Rong. When he saw it was her, he was not surprised since he guessed what she was trying to do. So he set aside his file and temporarily shifted his attention to her.

"Yes, What is the Matter?" He asked and leaned back on his chair, avoiding an arrogant tone.

"Mu Rong has just arrived. She says that she had gone to see a friend she hadn't seen in a long time but got caught up at their house," Yin replied to him though trying to let Lu Zheng know it was a serious matter that Mu Rong had to see this person.

"Ok, Send her in and complete your work well, I need your file before closing time." Lu Zheng said to Yin and she walked out.

Upon reaching her desk, Yin looked at Mu Rong with hope and informed her that Lu Zheng was waiting for her and it was better if she hurried to his office.

It was coming to noon, and there was a meeting after that which required Mu Rong to take minutes and distribute memos.

"I'm so scared of him." Mu Rong admitted to Yin.

"Just go already. Time is ticking and you have a meeting to attend." Yin insisted on Mu Rong to get into the office and sort things out. Mu Rong had no choice but to walk into Lu Zheng's office. Once she had sat, Lu Zheng didn't even ask her why she was late.

He went straight to the point that was troubling him more than her late coming which wasn't even under his major duties.

"Please have a seat."

"There are two invoices from the other day that were submitted to the tax office with the same serial number but with different prices. What happened? The tax department has already given us a penalty." Lu Zheng addressed Mu Rong, his eyes unwavering.

The office hushed and Mu Rong felt like a defendant before the judge. She had no idea about what Lu Zheng was asking her, all she could remember was that everything matched on that day.

This echoed Ketki's advice - better to speak the truth to Lu Zheng than to hide it. With no warmth or sympathy in Lu Zheng's expression, Mu Rong grasped the seriousness.

"Sir, I don't know how that happened, but I swear I didn't do anything like that," Mu Rong defended, seeking leniency.

The ensuing silence that lasted a minute hung heavily between them and Lu Zheng, not wanting to escalate the tension, sought a two way out of the mess that had already been created.

"Do not waste my time, please," Lu Zheng interrupted, redirecting the conversation with another pointed question.

"So which of these two invoices did you first record on that day?" he asked, handing her a copy of both invoices, maintaining an unyielding gaze.

When Mu Rong looked at the invoices, things got more surprising for her, both invoices had her handwriting and signature. Perplexed and short of words, Mu Rong couldn't even look at Lu Zheng's eyes for a while.

He noticed her confusion and asked her the same question.

"Tell me, which of these two invoices did you first record?"

Lu Zheng's concern extended beyond Mu Rong's tardiness; he detected a shift in her diligence compared to her initial days.

Lu Zheng, committed to his father's directive to eradicate corruption at the district offices, had been granted permission by his father to open the two secretary positions to ease his strain on overseeing the vendors and the supply chain.

This aimed at curbing losses due to double and fake invoices, which was a chronic issue in the district offices.

"Mu Rong, I need an answer," Lu Zheng prompted, sensing her hesitation.

"Sir, I don't remember well, but I didn't do that," Mu Rong defended, her uncertainty apparent.

Observing the waste of time that was going without productive answers, Lu Zheng decided to conclude, acknowledging both would bear the penalty.

"It's alright, both of you will pay for the penalty. You can go back to your desk and prepare to take minutes for the next meeting," he dismissed her.

Lu Zheng contemplated discussing the entire matter with Yin the next day, which would be a Sunday when everyone would be off duty. Meanwhile, back at their desks, Yin couldn't wait to hear the outcome.

"How did it go?" Yin inquired the moment Mu Rong had sat at her desk, her face slightly pale and worry lingering in her eyes had Yin full of sympathy.

"He asked me about the two invoices, they had the same serial number but with different prices."

"I don't know how that happened, but when he showed me the copy of the invoices, I lost it." Mu Rong shared, her eyes betraying the distress within.

"What?" Yin exclaimed, struggling to fathom the error.

"But how?" Yin continued to ask trying to remember if anyone had came to their desk that day or not.

"No one came to our desk that day." Yin added trying to figure what exactly happened on that day.

"He also said the tax department had already given us a penalty, and it is going to be deducted from both our salaries," Mu Rong continued, dropping the dice.

"Huh… That's so serious," Yin murmured, questioning inwardly why Lu Zheng would penalize her when she wasn't at fault.

"How much did he say the penalty was?" Yin asked anxiously, mindful of her monthly allowance, which Lu Zheng had recently cut.

"3000 coins," Mu Rong replied in a shaky voice.

Yin's stomach rumbled at the weight of the penalty which was a six months' worth of salary.

Determined to negotiate her way out, Yin silently thought to herself, "I have to talk to Lu Zheng to spare me out of this," pondering the impact on her finances.

With a forced smile, Yin tried to uplift Mu Rong's spirits, concealing her own concerns. "We will get through this. Now get up and at least start preparing for the meeting," she said, masking the strain behind her faux cheerfulness.