Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were furious upon hearing those words. To think they were being called ruffians! Originally, Wang Qiqi thought if the others just handed over the money, she would let it go, but now... "Fine, you said it. Where is your supervisor's office?" We'll see about that.

The other party didn't show the slightest worry, grinning as they pointed Wang Qiqi toward the supervisor's office. "Little girl, you better hurry up, or the supervisor will leave, and no one will uphold justice for you."

Without another word, Wang Qiqi pulled Han Tao along to find the supervisor. She certainly wouldn't stoop to arguing with them. As soon as Wang Qiqi and Han Tao left the office, the sarcastic remarks from the people inside erupted, "Who does she think she is, a child of some supervisor? Let's see who actually helps her." Even if the supervisor got involved later, what good would it do without evidence, especially since this wasn't the first time they'd pulled such a stunt? The outcome last time was that the others sheepishly took their sickles and left.

Han Tao followed Wang Qiqi, also feeling quite strange about why she insisted on seeing the supervisor. "Qiqi, we don't have any proof. If we go to the supervisor, will they really help us? That person sitting in the back earlier isn't even here." Han Tao regretted that person wasn't around; perhaps they could have spoken a few words on their behalf. But now, going to the supervisor seemed pointless without evidence. "Besides, we have no proof."

Wang Qiqi smiled. "If I didn't have evidence, would I dare confront the supervisors? Look how arrogant they are; it’s obvious they pull these stunts often. Why should I be polite? It's not about the fifty yuan anymore; it's about how utterly excessive their conduct has been." One often gets wet walking by the river; this time, we’ll show them that too many late-night walks eventually lead to misfortune. "Don't worry, I have evidence."

Han Tao was stunned by Wang Qiqi's words. "What? You have evidence?" Han Tao couldn't figure it out. He was present during the negotiation, they refused to write an IOU, and the witness wasn't there. It seemed impossible for there to be evidence.

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Shi Man bought us a few voice recorders for fun earlier, and I didn't think much of it, just tossed one in my bag. When they took the money but refused to issue a receipt, I suspected this kind of scene might unfold, so I turned the recorder on." At this moment, Wang Qiqi felt incredibly fortunate she had bothered to put batteries in it earlier just for amusement.

Only then did Han Tao realize the reason behind Wang Qiqi's insistence on recording, even after she paid the deposit and noticed they wouldn't issue a receipt. He fumbled in his bag for a while, pulled out a pack of tissues, and then recalled how long she had argued with the other party over that fifty yuan—it was all for the recording. "Qiqi, you are truly amazing." Han Tao thought for a long time but couldn't find words that adequately described Wang Qiqi’s previous actions.

"That's right. Who do you think I am? I am Wang Qiqi," she declared proudly.

The two stopped halfway, playing back the recording from the voice recorder. After all, Wang Qiqi had turned it on based purely on instinct. If it hadn't captured anything substantial, there was no point seeing the supervisor; they would just have to meekly return from where they came.

Fortunately, although the audio wasn't perfectly clear, the essential content had been recorded. Wang Qiqi and Han Tao breathed a sigh of relief.

Following the directions given by the staff member, the pair arrived at the supervisor's office, finding two men seated inside. Han Tao froze momentarily when he recognized one of the men, but Wang Qiqi didn't recognize either. She immediately began explaining the entire incident.

While Wang Qiqi spoke, Han Tao’s gaze fixed on the middle-aged man who was clearly the supervisor, but he kept glancing toward the younger man. He desperately wanted to see the younger man's reaction after Wang Qiqi recounted what they had just experienced. Yet, Han Tao was astonished to find that the younger man showed absolutely no reaction as Wang Qiqi stated the facts, continuing to cradle his teacup as if listening to an event he had no part in.

The supervisor didn't even lift his head from Wang Qiqi's account. "Do you have evidence for this?" His subordinates weren't new to such behavior; they had done it quite often. But what could be done? What was the use of raising a ruckus? Even as a supervisor, he couldn't reprimand them effectively. Some people acted this way because they had backing; those without connections wouldn't dare.

She took out the voice recorder from her bag and played a segment. "Does this count as evidence?" Hmph, would she have come here without any proof?

The supervisor hadn't expected the little girl to be so well-prepared. Just as he was about to make a move, Wang Qiqi deftly sidestepped and tucked the recorder back into her bag. "Give me the fifty yuan, plus compensation for my trouble." Wang Qiqi thought, There’s no way I’m handing this evidence over to you, especially given his words just now—he was clearly siding with them.

The middle-aged supervisor was taken aback that Wang Qiqi was demanding compensation beyond the initial fifty yuan. "Huh?"

Wang Qiqi became very serious. "Charging a fifty yuan deposit for a sickle, I can understand. After all, we are borrowing it. If everyone borrowed and never returned them, the loss would be significant. But why is it that I returned the item, yet they refuse to return the money? What is the meaning of this?"

The final outcome was that the supervisor apologized and returned the fifty yuan to Wang Qiqi. Wang Qiqi didn't push further. Han Tao had pulled her aside and whispered, "After all, our parents' graves are still here. What if they decide to play dirty later?" Although they had diligently cleared the weeds from several surrounding graves earlier, what if someone noticed any trace? Even if they didn't act outwardly, they might still cause trouble concerning the deceased.

If Wang Qiqi had been filled with excitement when meeting the supervisor, feeling she had won a round, by the time she walked out of the cemetery office, she felt deflated, like a defeated rooster. Wang Qiqi deeply regretted causing such a scene over fifty yuan. If she hadn't impulsively decided to clear the weeds around the nearby graves to build goodwill between her parents and the neighbors, things could have turned disastrous.

Seeing Wang Qiqi’s subdued demeanor, Han Tao remained silent. They were still in the cemetery grounds; who knew if someone would suddenly pop out from somewhere? The matter wouldn't be truly settled then. Han Tao flagged down a taxi and got in. "Still thinking about what happened?" Han Tao knew Wang Qiqi's initial motive was the outrageously excessive behavior of those workers, believing that presenting evidence to the supervisor would resolve everything. Han Tao hadn't thought that far ahead initially. It was only later in the office, observing the supervisor’s tone, that he suddenly recalled the saying, "It is easier to appease the King of Hell than the petty ghosts." Those workers were the petty ghosts. At that moment, there wasn't time for him and Qiqi to confer privately, and since they had already escalated the matter, they could no longer control the direction things were taking.

Wang Qiqi let out a long sigh. "Was I being too emotional? Did I think I could handle all of this by myself?" All the way back, Wang Qiqi reflected that the reason those troublemakers eventually backed down wasn't just the lack of evidence; ultimately, they had to consider that their own loved ones rested there. If things truly soured, it was unclear who would suffer more. Since a matter involving a few dozen yuan could be settled, why stir up trouble? "I was just too hot-headed because of my youth." Honestly, if Han Tao hadn't whispered that one sentence in her ear, Wang Qiqi wouldn't know how badly things might have ended. She had even considered contacting the press. Despite having lived an extra lifetime, her actions were still so thoughtless. In the end, she wasn't as sharp as Han Tao. Was his brain constructed differently, allowing him to consider so many angles in such a short time?

Han Tao looked at the dejected Wang Qiqi and gently stroked her hair. "Don't overthink it. What's passed is passed. Besides, we cleared the weeds from over ten graves; they won't be able to guess that." Han Tao mused that if Wang Da Mei and the others saw Wang Qiqi now, would they still call her calculating? Probably not. Qiqi’s behavior just now was typical of someone her age, and it was probably his own reaction that made them label him as calculating.

Wang Qiqi could only comfort herself with that thought. She said mournfully, "Sigh, today really wasn't my lucky day." Wang Qiqi had been looking forward to formally introducing Han Tao to her parents, wanting to make them happy and tell them that even her aunt approved of this potential son-in-law. She never expected things to end this way.

Wang Qiqi carried her low spirits all the way home. After eating the dinner Han Tao cooked, she packed her luggage and rushed to the train station to meet Shi Man and the others. Her expression was stern, which struck Shi Man and Zhulina as odd. Yesterday, when Wang Qiqi took Han Tao out to eat, her face was smiling so widely her eyes were almost invisible. How could she look like someone owed her millions just twenty hours later?

Shi Man and Zhulina exchanged a look. Shi Man pulled Han Tao aside. "What happened after you broke up yesterday?" Qiqi mentioned having dinner with her cousin Song Yao and the others last night; there shouldn't have been anything upsetting there. Shi Man knew that the Song siblings’ comfortable lives were entirely thanks to Wang Qiqi. After calculating the possibilities, Shi Man suspected Han Tao was the reason for Wang Qiqi’s unhappiness.

Han Tao hesitated, unsure whether he should disclose certain things. He mumbled vaguely. Shi Man grew impatient. "Did you do something to upset Qiqi?"

Pressed by Shi Man, Han Tao finally let out a single phrase. "It's nothing. It wasn't me or anyone in my family that upset Qiqi. Don't worry, Qiqi's mood will improve after a while."

Shi Man badgered him for a long time but couldn't extract anything, so she just stared at him intently. "I hope you aren't lying to us, or you know the consequences." Wang Qiqi was unhappy, and Shi Man didn't know why, which made her very uneasy.