Chapter 227 Liu Jianguo: Xiao Li, aren't you just admitting it without being asked?

The moment Liu Jianguo finished speaking, the office fell instantly silent.

In the livestream room, the Netizens—who were originally shocked and amused by the news of Li Jiajun being sued—completely exploded after hearing the phrases 'building rockets for the Curry Sticks' and 'flying out of the atmosphere.'

The bullet screen lagged for a split second, then erupted like a flood.

"Holy crap!!!"

"Holy crap! What did I just hear?"

"What did Minister Liu just say? The Main Streamer built a rocket for the Curry Sticks? And it even flew out of the atmosphere?"

"I'm freaking stunned! So that Curry Country rocket that shocked the world a while back was actually made by the Main Streamer?"

"Case closed! It's completely solved!"

...

Of course, there were also some onlookers who didn't follow international affairs much; they were currently staring at the screen full of "Holy crap" with looks of utter confusion.

"Wait, brothers, what's actually going on? What rocket? Why don't I understand?"

"Yeah, isn't the Main Streamer a toy seller? How did he get involved with rockets?"

"You guys above, don't you watch the international news? Curry Country's rocket launch blowing up a while ago was huge news!"

"No, I've been busy working these past two days. Who has time for that?"

After all, the pace of life is too fast now. Many people are busy struggling for a living every day and only scroll through livestreams for a bit of fun when they're free. They really don't care much about international news that feels far removed from their three-thousand-yuan monthly salary.

The livestream room instantly split into two factions.

One faction consisted of the 'Know-it-alls' who were frantically marveling at how badass the Main Streamer was.

The other faction was the clueless Newbies who were desperately begging for an explanation.

Just then, a bolded bullet screen floated past. At a glance, it was a 'Class Representative' analyzing the situation.

"Don't worry, brothers, let me break it down for everyone."

"The situation is roughly like this: That person from Curry Country, Rajesh, posed as an ordinary Netizen to buy the Main Streamer's toy sky rocket."

"Then, after they got the goods, they didn't play with it like a toy. Instead, they frantically dismantled it for research and then scaled it up proportionally!"

"Next, they took this upscaled sky rocket and high-profilely announced that they had the latest, world-class carrier rocket!"

"Everyone knows the final result. Because their technology wasn't up to par, or perhaps the Main Streamer held something back, the rocket did fly out, but in the end, it exploded like fireworks. It was a failure."

This Netizen's analysis was so logical that the confused Netizens suddenly saw the light.

"Holy crap! So that's what happened!"

"This plot... is too freaking ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Hahaha! I'm dying! You mean Curry Country used the Main Streamer's toy to launch a satellite? That's some insane imagination!"

"Curry Sticks: As long as you're brave enough, even toys can go to space!"

"I can't take it, my stomach hurts! This move perfectly fits my stereotype of Curry Country!"

"Main Streamer: I'm selling sky rockets. Curry person: I'm buying carrier rockets. This wave... this wave is a cross-server communication!"

...

The livestream room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Inside the office, Li Jiajun was also stunned.

Just moments ago, he had been indignantly complaining about the other party not paying the balance and then biting back.

But Liu Jianguo's single sentence about building rockets had completely dazed him.

His brain worked at high speed. Combining Uncle Liu's words with the previous behavior of that Curry person who loved getting things for free...

'Scaled up proportionally?'

'Using my sky rocket as a carrier rocket?'

'And then it exploded?'

Instantly, everything he couldn't figure out before became crystal clear.

"Holy cow!"

Li Jiajun slapped his thigh hard, his expression shifting from anger to speechlessness and contempt.

He cursed the Curry Sticks for being inhuman:

"Goddammit, using my toys for an aerospace launch? This is freaking... a toad crossing the road, pretending to be a camouflaged jeep!"

"And they messed up themselves, blew it up, and actually have the nerve to blame me for poor product quality?"

"This is like someone buying a pressure cooker and insisting on using it to refine alchemy pills. When the furnace explodes, they blame the seller for not installing an explosion-proof system?"

"It's simply 'Ridiculous's mother opening the door for 'Ridiculous'—ridiculous to the extreme!"

Hearing Li Jiajun's vivid rant, even Liu Jianguo across from him couldn't help his mouth twitching.

Although this kid usually spoke in an annoying way, this time... the words were crude, but the logic was sound.

*Cough, cough.*

Liu Jianguo coughed twice, forcibly suppressing his urge to laugh, and nodded with a serious face:

"This time, the Curry Sticks were indeed being inhuman."

"This behavior of theirs not only violates business ethics but has also made them a laughingstock on the international stage."

Receiving Uncle Liu's affirmation, Li Jiajun suddenly felt his confidence return.

Since it wasn't his fault and they were the ones being inhuman by misusing his product...

Does that mean...

Li Jiajun's eyes darted around, the little calculator in his mind clicking away.

He looked at Liu Jianguo and said tentatively:

"Uncle Liu, look."

"Since they were the ones being inhuman, it's their fault for insisting on using a toy as a rocket."

"That means there's nothing wrong with my product itself; the fault is theirs."

At this point, he paused, his eyes full of hope as he cautiously asked the question he cared about most:

"So, my sky rockets... they won't be requisitioned, right?"

As soon as these words came out, the originally relaxed atmosphere instantly became subtle.

Liu Jianguo didn't answer immediately.

He just stood with his hands behind his back, squinting his eyes slightly, staring straight at Li Jiajun.

That gaze made Li Jiajun feel uneasy, as if he were being seen through inside and out.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

This silence was even more uncomfortable than a loud scolding.

Li Jiajun felt his skin crawl under the gaze; he subconsciously pulled his neck back, feeling a chill down his spine.

'What's the situation?'

'Did I say something wrong?'

He swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and asked weakly:

"Um... Uncle Liu, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is... is there something on my face?"

Hearing this, Liu Jianguo finally spoke.

He stared directly at Li Jiajun and said word by word:

"Little Li, oh Little Li."

"You're not claiming what you make are ordinary toys anymore?"

"You're asking directly about requisitioning?"

One must know that in every previous encounter, whether facing the Swarm Drones or the robot dogs, this kid had always been as stubborn as a dead duck. Even with the facts right in front of him, he would stiffen his neck and swear to his grave that he was making ordinary toys and civilian products that had nothing to do with the military.

That rogue attitude of "I just won't admit it, what can you do to me" had given Liu Jianguo a headache for a long time.

But this time?

How far had they even gotten?

He hadn't even mentioned requisitioning yet, nor had he laid out the technical parameters.

This kid actually skipped the 'quibbling' phase and fast-forwarded straight to the final negotiation phase of 'can you not requisition it'?

This was like a thief being caught by the police; before the police even started the interrogation, the thief asked directly: "Officer, can I get a lighter sentence this time?"

If this wasn't confessing without being questioned, what was? If this wasn't having a guilty conscience, what was?

"Uh..."

Li Jiajun was stunned.

He stared blankly at Liu Jianguo, his mouth open, unable to speak for a long time.

'Holy crap!'

'I was too hasty!'

Li Jiajun's heart skipped a beat, and he felt speechless.

He only just realized that he was so eager to clear his name and protect his 'property' that he had blurted out his true thoughts.

He had broken the toy-seller persona he had insisted on so deathly every single time.

'I was careless!'

'I should have cried foul first, emphasized that it's a toy, and then subtly expressed my wish not to be requisitioned!'

Looking at Liu Jianguo's half-smiling expression, Li Jiajun felt his face burning.

Awkward. Utterly awkward.

But Li Jiajun was Li Jiajun, after all; his skin was as thick as a city wall.

After a brief daze, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassment belongs to others.

Li Jiajun blinked and forced an innocent smile onto his face.

He scratched his head.

"Um... Uncle Liu."

As he spoke, he tentatively and cautiously watched Liu Jianguo's expression and asked weakly: "How about I shout it again?"