"What are you meddling with this for? Do you even have a million?"

"..."

Onlookers like Zhang Qingyuan couldn't help but gasp. Everyone's eyes lit up as they eagerly crowded around the suitcase, examining it with curiosity.

The visual impact of three million in cash was immense! Transferring money via a mobile phone might not seem like a big deal, but seeing this much cash right before their eyes... It was enough to capture everyone's attention, more captivating than any beauty!

Even Qin Mu was startled by Geng Jinglu's generous "apology gift." He was also quite puzzled. Why would Geng Jinglu offer money so publicly, in front of so many people at the nursing home, instead of choosing a private place?

"Mr. Qin, rest assured, this money is a personal apology gift from me to you. The issue with the transfer error will be resolved very soon. Please, Mr. Qin..."

Seeing that Qin Mu hadn't spoken, Geng Jinglu reiterated his request.

This apology gift, coupled with the dismissal of three bank employees and the immediate resolution of the issue, was all in exchange for Qin Mu withdrawing his report to the Financial Regulatory Authority. The Financial Regulatory Authority's current investigation was solely focused on the illegal appropriation of Qin Mu's 44 million. Once the investigation concluded, all problems would be resolved smoothly.

Geng Jinglu waited for about ten seconds.

Seeing that Qin Mu still didn't speak, he continued, "Don't worry, this is all cash. You're not a public official, and I'm not asking you for a favor. Accepting this money won't constitute a crime of bribery."

When he said this, Geng Jinglu was extremely confident. He had thoroughly researched these legal regulations! Bribery has several distinct characteristics, such as the involvement of a public official and the expectation of a service in return. If a public official accepts money, even without performing any service, it still constitutes the crime of bribery! However, transactions like this between private citizens naturally don't constitute bribery. It's merely considered a normal act of gift-giving. Forget committing a crime; it isn't even illegal.

Qin Mu gazed at him and slowly said, rejecting his offer, "Sorry, I can't accept this money."

True, he could accept the money. It wasn't illegal, nor was it a crime. Three million in cash, right in front of him—the visual impact was immense. But... the more insistent Geng Jinglu was, the more it suggested this private bank had serious problems! An investigation by the Financial Regulatory Authority would undoubtedly uncover numerous illegal and irregular practices! He couldn't back down now.

Moreover, the bank's previous evasiveness and delaying tactics had been utterly disgusting. They showed none of the supposed vulnerability they claimed. Then there was the system's mission reward. Having chosen option three, he had to see this through to the very end! This private bank clearly had financial issues. Otherwise, these transfer anomalies wouldn't be happening.

And surely, he wasn't the only one experiencing such transfer problems! He had to seize this opportunity to resolve the matter completely.

"Mr. Qin, my bank is very sincere this time. If you're not satisfied, we could add..."

Geng Jinglu's expression changed slightly as he continued to try and persuade him.

"It's not about the money."

Qin Mu looked at him deeply and flatly refused.

Seeing that Qin Mu remained unmoved, Geng Jinglu said in a low, serious tone, "If Mr. Qin changes his mind... you can contact me anytime."

He closed the suitcase.

Carrying three million in cash, he left the nursing home.

After Geng Jinglu had left, Zhang Qingyuan and the others looked at Qin Mu complainingly and started to grumble.

"Three million! Xiao Qin, you've gotten so high and mighty, you don't even care about three million anymore!"

"I've never earned so much money in my entire life!"

"If it were me, I would've taken the money. It was practically handed over on a platter, and didn't he say it wasn't illegal?"

"Wasting such an opportunity..."

Watching the suitcase disappear, everyone felt a deep pang of regret.

That case full of red bills... It was utterly captivating, more tempting than even those still-graceful sixty-year-old women.

Qin Mu looked at the assembled elders, a corner of his mouth twitching.

He said, "Accepting that money could have landed me in jail."

The old folks looked astonished, their faces etched with confusion.

Then, Qin Mu explained the intricacies of the situation in detail.

"Regarding that money," Qin Mu began, "I didn't want to accept it, and frankly, I didn't dare to. If I had taken it, I would have had to withdraw my report. While that act itself might not constitute bribery, it could very well be considered extortion! If the bank then turned around and accused me, I'd truly have no way to defend myself! Many people saw him offer the money, and there are surveillance cameras here at the nursing home. Combine that with my official complaint and then its withdrawal—it would look exactly like I was using the report to threaten the bank for financial gain. That's grounds for suspected extortion! And with an amount like three million, you can imagine the potential prison sentence! In actual legal practice, there have been many cases where whistleblowers accepted money, withdrew their reports, and then found themselves sued and taken to court! That's a risk I absolutely had to avoid!"

"HISS! So sinister, truly sinister!"

"It's a good thing that money wasn't offered to me; I definitely wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation!"

"Even knowing I might end up in prison, that's still three million! I've never seen so much money in my entire life."

"People who become bank presidents are truly on another level. My pension... I think it's also deposited in their bank."

"..."

Old Zhang and the others gasped again, deeply struck by the explanation. If it had been them, they truly wouldn't have been able to resist such a temptation.

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