Bai Lin walked over to the wooden table in the middle of the room and sat down. He tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips, his voice calm yet carrying: "I called everyone here today mainly to announce three things."
"Before that, does everyone still remember the rules of conduct we established when we founded the Everything Shop?"
"Yes!"
The room rang with a chorus of replies. Even those who usually weren't talkative softly recited along: "All men must die, but some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a feather."
"Serve the villagers wholeheartedly, and don't tolerate even the slightest mistake."
"Good. It seems everyone has been doing their best!" Bai Lin grinned crookedly. "The Everything Shop has become so popular in the village thanks to all your hard work. I'd like to thank everyone again for your efforts."
"It's all thanks to you, boss. I just did what I love."
"If it weren't for you, boss, I probably couldn't even afford barbecue."
"Right! My parents are proud of me for joining the Everything Shop."
The members shared their thoughts in a jumble, and, unsurprisingly, they were all happy and content.
No wonder everyone liked being a leader, especially when their subordinates looked up to them.
Most of the members were ordinary people, like those who had grown up in the orphanage. If they didn't have the talent to become ninjas and enter the Ninja Academy, they received no extra allowance, let alone spending money.
They had enough to eat and drink, but buying things they liked or trying foods they'd never had before was out of the question.
Now that they'd joined the Everything Shop, they could help the villagers and earn a salary at the same time. It was more than they could ever have hoped for.
Bai Lin gave a slight nod and continued tapping the tabletop. "Mikoto, hand me this month's report."
"Yes." Uchiha Mikoto stood at once and hurried over to hand it to Bai Lin.
Her fingers were slender, and her movements gentle. The ledger was filled with neat, clearly written entries recording every income and expense, even listing the details of each commission and the name of the person who had paid.
"Truly worthy of being a Yamato Nadeshiko. She's meticulous, considerate, and always handles things so reliably."
Bai Lin leafed through the ledger, his expression unruffled. His fingertip paused on one entry. "Xiao Zhi, you completed ..., with no mistakes this month and a 100% satisfaction rating from the villagers. Well done."
Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for the praise, boss! I'll work even harder from now on!"
"Xiao Ya, ..., a 100% satisfaction rating from the villagers. Well done." "Th-thank you for praising me, boss!"
Xiao Ya: "Th-thank you for praising me, boss. I..."
Before the girl named Xiao Ya could finish, someone spoke up on Bai Lin's behalf.
"Xiao Ya, the boss has never wronged you. And yet now you've betrayed him. You're not welcome here."
"Get out of here! Our Everything Shop has no need for selfish people like you."
"Damn it, Xiao Ya! I thought you were a gentle, considerate girl. I never imagined you'd be like this!" A young man who liked Xiao Ya clenched his fists, his face full of anger and disappointment.
Bai Lin watched the scene with satisfaction, but gave nothing away.
Xiao Ya was one of the members planning to leave the Everything Shop with Yamamoto Toru.
When Bai Lin came in, he had already noticed that four members were missing. But he'd also discovered that Xiao Ya hadn't chosen to follow Yamamoto Toru and had refused to attend the meeting.
"I... I..." The crowd's accusations overwhelmed Xiao Ya, and her face turned deathly pale.
"All right, everyone. Xiao Ya is still wearing her Everything Shop armband, so she's still one of us." Bai Lin tapped the tabletop lightly, cutting off the argument.
"Xiao Zhi, have we gotten Yamamoto Toru's armband back?"
"Boss, we got back his, the armbands of the three people who followed him, and everyone else's except Xiao Ya's." Xiao Zhi placed the armbands in his hands on Bai Lin's table.
Bai Lin had specially made the armbands to strengthen the members' unity and sense of belonging. They were the equivalent of the work IDs from his previous life.
The words "Everything Shop" were on the front, and each member's name was engraved on the back.
"Xiao Ya, I'm very disappointed in you. As for your reasons, I don't particularly want to hear them."
"We used to be a close-knit family. If anyone had something on their mind or a problem with me personally, they could have said so. You're trying to leave without a word, and it breaks my heart."
Bai Lin pounded his chest, putting on a look of profound grief.
"Boss!" Xiao Ya's face was deathly pale. She swayed, and tears came streaming down her cheeks. "I..."
"You don't have to say anything. I know many of you think I'm young. Some of you may resent me and believe you could do a better job."
"Any member who thinks that way can leave with Yamamoto Toru. I won't hold it against you."
"The Everything Shop has never belonged to me alone. It belongs to all of us."
Bai Lin's gaze swept slowly across the room, his voice tinged with deliberate melancholy.
The room fell deathly silent. Everyone lowered their heads, and no one dared to speak.
"Boss, we'll never betray you or the Everything Shop! If anyone does anything to betray the shop, we won't forgive them either." Xiao Zhi was the first to break the silence.
"That's right! We only follow the boss!"
"The boss is our guiding light!"
"The boss is the backbone of the whole shop!"
"If anyone dares betray us, we'll be the first to stop them!"
A chorus of support erupted in the room. Everyone looked at Bai Lin with determined eyes.
Bai Lin gazed at them, moved. He hadn't expected the Everything Shop, which he'd founded for his own selfish reasons, to grow into this.
The Will of Phosphorus was leagues ahead of the Will of Fire! Bai Lin marveled inwardly.
But I'm sorry, everyone. The Everything Shop can't bring me enough value to extract, so I have no choice but to give it up.
"Good. Everyone, quiet down. We'll discuss Xiao Ya later. Now I'll announce the three things I mentioned."
Bai Lin pressed a hand down, and the lively room fell silent again.
"First, I've decided to officially leave the Everything Shop. Xiao Zhi will be its next boss."
The instant the words left his mouth, the room erupted. Disbelieving gasps filled the air.
"Boss! What did you say?!" Xiao Zhi rushed up to Bai Lin, trembling with emotion. "Why are you leaving? Did we do something wrong? Or has Yamamoto Toru's betrayal broken your heart? We'll do whatever you say. We'll never let anyone betray you again!"
"Boss! You founded the Everything Shop with your own hands. It's like your child! How can you just leave? We've come this far because we followed you. What are we supposed to do if you go?"
"Boss! You can't leave! The villagers recognize you and the Everything Shop! If you go, the shop will fall apart!"
"Yamamoto Toru, evil by nature!"
Everyone talked over one another, pleading with him. Their faces were filled with panic and reluctance, and even Xiao Ya looked flustered.