Fried Meatballs 5

Upon hearing the commotion, the students quietly dining in the cafeteria all turned their attention toward the source of the noise.

One of Shi Gang’s underlings stood on a chair, clutching an unknown object with his chopsticks, and shouted hoarsely, “Everyone come see! They actually found a stone in their food here. The hygiene at Window No. 18 is seriously questionable.”

Wen Jiu leaned against the counter to observe them, noticing Shi Gang’s confident gaze fixed intently on her.

The two locked eyes for a moment before Wen Jiu quickly stepped out of the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” she asked, feigning ignorance, fully aware that Shi Gang and his gang were deliberately causing trouble.

However, randomly causing a scene in a public place violated the rules of Academy 3047, so Wen Jiu remained calm, standing not far from Shi Gang’s table.

“Tsk, my buddy found a few gravel pieces in your food,” Shi Gang said, kicking back with a casual air. “How are you going to make this right? According to academy rules, failing hygiene standards means you have to pay compensation.”

That was exactly what he had planned from the start.

Shi Gang had already dug up Wen Jiu’s background—a powerless, impoverished orphan.

If the academy’s regulations were strictly enforced, she would have to pay thousands of star coins in damages.

“Oh, so these are the stones your friend found?” Wen Jiu stepped closer, her eyes falling on the scattered gravel in the plates.

What caught her attention was that instead of just one plate, all four contained broken stones. Any discerning person could tell this was a setup.

“Of course,” Shi Gang smirked, picking up one stone with his chopsticks and showing it to Wen Jiu. “Look at this big chunk—if we had swallowed it, you’d be in serious trouble today.”

Wen Jiu only smiled and asked, “Then why didn’t you swallow them?”

Shi Gang banged the table in frustration, causing the stones to bounce and scatter again. He bellowed, chest puffed with bravado, “Alright then! If you’re not going to fix the problem, don’t curse us here!”

“I never said I wouldn’t solve the problem,” Wen Jiu blinked innocently, picking up a piece of gravel to examine it. “This looks like red gravel used for road construction. How odd.”

“Road material? How could that be in the kitchen?” She smiled softly, resting her chin on one hand as she sat across from Shi Gang.

For a moment, Shi Gang was taken aback—he hadn’t expected Wen Jiu to recognize the stones. His men had just randomly picked them up to stir trouble.

What he didn’t anticipate was that Wen Jiu was familiar with such things; she had learned to identify various items while scavenging trash to earn more money.

Fragments of leftover construction gravel were ubiquitous at the dump.

Still, Shi Gang maintained a facade of calm, his tone mocking. “Hmph, I have no idea where those came from. Since you, Boss Wen, seem so familiar with this stuff, I guess you must have put it into the food yourself?”

Before Wen Jiu could respond, one of Shi Gang’s cronies jumped in, “You can’t treat us like this just because you have some misunderstanding with Brother Gang.”

Their words swayed some of the students who overheard, casting suspicious glances at Wen Jiu as if she were the villain.

“If it’s truly a hygiene issue, then the person responsible should apologize and compensate.”

“I agree... Though the food at Window No. 18 is delicious, hygiene problems are unacceptable.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange how many people queue up at Window No. 18 every day? A newly opened stall gaining such popularity so quickly...”

Wen Jiu listened calmly to the murmurs around her.

She looked at Shi Gang, who was arrogantly holding his head high, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Know that your nostrils are big; stop holding your head so high.”

Shi Gang’s face twitched with irritation. After lowering his head, he sneered, “Hurry up and solve this—pay up and apologize, and I won’t report this to the teachers.”

“Yeah, you’re not trying to dodge paying, are you?”

“Maybe you can’t afford it.”

Shi Gang’s two cronies chimed in, eagerly anticipating Wen Jiu’s embarrassment.

After being soundly beaten by Wen Jiu before, they were eager to reclaim some dignity and thus put in their full effort.

Yet Wen Jiu remained composed, sitting upright to face Shi Gang directly.

“Are you sure these stones really came from your food?” she asked again.

“Of course. What, you think I put them in myself?” Shi Gang sneered with confidence. “Don’t try to stall. Even if Teacher Yu shows up, you’ll still have to pay and apologize.”

He assumed Wen Jiu’s calmness came from having Teacher Yu Ruman as backing, since Yu had helped Wen Jiu resolve several issues before.

What he didn’t know was that Wen Jiu never intended to bring anyone else into this.

“How about this: if these stones really came from your food, I will apologize and pay compensation immediately.” Wen Jiu’s eyes lowered, masking her emotions behind a calm voice. “If I recall correctly, the academy’s regulation states the fee is three thousand star coins.”

Shi Gang grinned, “Three thousand star coins it is. No more nonsense—pay up.”

“But what if these stones didn’t come from your food?”

Suddenly, she lifted her head, her gray-blue eyes freezing Shi Gang with a deadly glare.

Once again, that look of lethal intent sent a chill down Shi Gang’s spine.

Still, he wasn’t one to back down and shouted loudly, “If not, then I’ll pay you double!”

Even if this was a setup by them, he was convinced Wen Jiu wouldn’t find any proof. The cafeteria had no surveillance, and no one could testify.

He was certain of victory this time—Wen Jiu would have to apologize and pay.

“Fine, remember your words.”

Wen Jiu suddenly stood, a mocking smile curling at her lips. She stretched out her slender fingers to reveal the Wisdom Ring the school gave every freshman.

“What are you planning? Calling in Teacher Yu for support?” Shi Gang looked at her action with confusion. “Even if you bring Teacher Yu, the academy’s rules still stand.”

His words stirred the students watching, who began to chatter among themselves.

“I always knew the cafeteria’s student department had connections, but I didn’t expect them to be this arrogant.”

“But isn’t Shi Gang connected too? Isn’t his uncle one of the cafeteria’s management teachers?”

“Still, the academy’s rules say hygiene problems must be compensated and apologized for. See how arrogantly she’s threatening to call the teacher...”

At that moment, Qiao Shishi and Wei Qingyu stepped out of the kitchen. Hearing the gossip, both frowned and approached Wen Jiu to show their support.

Wen Jiu listened to the idle talk, but rather than getting angry, her smile only deepened.

“Shi Gang, I hope you won’t regret your words.”