The livestream was abuzz with excitement.
"Pretending to be weak to outsmart the strong?!"
"Holy crap, Qin He isn't just lucky, she's genuinely skilled!"
"I'm starting to think 'perverted' might be a compliment when applied to Qin He!"
On the beach, the few contestants fishing nearby screamed and scrambled out of the shallows.
Qin He landed, still holding the snake's head. The Silver Chain Sea Snake was highly venomous, so she couldn't let it go back into the sea.
These snakes were usually found in deeper waters; why was one here?
Qin He was completely oblivious to how casually she appeared, holding the snake's head with its body coiled around her arm.
The stark contrast sent a wave of gasps through the livestream audience.
"What a shame about my fish; that one was at least three and a half pounds!" Qin He grumbled softly.
Reaching the shore, she held the snake's head with one hand and placed her small buckets, full of fish, onto a cart one by one with the other.
The Silver Chain Sea Snake could be used in medicine, and Qin He planned to take it back.
Pushing the cart with one hand, she hadn't taken a few steps before she saw several people rushing towards her from a distance.
"Director, what brings you here?" Qin He asked, slightly surprised.
Several assistants trailed behind the director, arriving out of breath.
Seeing that Qin He was unharmed, the director finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Miss Qin! We saw on the monitor that you encountered a Silver Chain Sea Snake, so we hurried over! Are you injured?"
Qin He chuckled, "Just a snake, not a big deal. But the Silver Chain Sea Snake is venomous and a very precious medicinal ingredient, so I brought it back."
"You brought it back?!" The director's gaze fell upon the snake wrapped around Qin He's arm, and he choked for a moment, clutching his chest. "Miss Qin, please be sure to hold it securely!"
One bite from that thing would lead to immediate poisoning, with no time to even get to a nearby hospital!
"Alright," Qin He replied.
As she was talking with the director, a figure ran towards them from not too far away.
It was Gu Qichen.
He strode up, grabbed Qin He's arm, and casually took the snake from her hand by its head.
"I'll handle it," Gu Qichen said, a sheen of sweat on his brow.
Qin He's heart stirred slightly. "Why did you come running too?"
"Just happened to be passing by," Gu Qichen replied.
The director and his assistants exchanged glances, saying nothing more.
Gu Zong's excuse was so flimsy that few would believe it.
The show was still being filmed, and it wasn't convenient for Gu Qichen to stay, so he turned and left after taking the snake.
Since the production crew had arrived, the director asked two assistants to help Qin He push her cart, and they headed back.
When the director saw the Silver Chain Sea Snake appear on the livestream screen, he had rushed out, missing the exciting moment when Qin He subdued it.
He was still marveling at it now.
"Miss Qin, you certainly have a lot of courage. That's a snake!"
Qin He smiled, "Perhaps it's because I've seen too many."
When she was studying traditional Chinese medicine, snakes themselves were a medicinal ingredient, and she had even learned to roast them herself.
Qin He had a very fruitful haul this time.
The three baskets full of fish on her cart, totaling over a hundred pounds, successfully earned her four thousand gold coins.
Carrying the heavy bag of gold coins back to the villa, Qin He felt a sense of relief. She wouldn't have to worry about gold coins for the rest of the competition.
By the time she returned to the villa, the sky was already dimming, and dusk was settling in.
Qin He went to her room to wash up. After finishing, she sat down at her desk.
The qualifying round for the top twenty was very stringent. Out of the fifty-two contestants remaining, only twenty would advance.
If you included their assistants, sixty-four people would be leaving the Pink Beach after this competition.
"The competition is fierce," Qin He said, picking up the spice ingredients she had prepared from the table.
She picked up leaves or fragrant wood, sniffing them carefully, and taking notes.
The Qin He of today was no longer the amateur everyone had initially thought. The entire internet knew of Qin He's identity as Ding Xiang.
The other contestants were also feeling the pressure.
In the living room on the first floor.
Several perfumers sat together, discussing with furrowed brows.
"This year's competition is already much harder than previous years, with half again as many excellent contestants. Zhang Caiyu, the former champion, has even returned to compete. I'm so anxious I can't sleep!"
"It's not too bad. At least we've been given three days this time. If it were like the top fifty qualifiers where we only had half a day, I would have given up directly."
"The twenty spots are already limited. Zhang Caiyu is sure to take one of them. Now, with Qin He, we're really only competing for eighteen spots," someone whispered.
A girl sitting in the corner couldn't help but speak up, "Actually, I quite like Qin He. Before, I always thought that after the competition, I'd apply for an interview at Gu Corporation's perfume brand. We've gotten to know Qin He over the past few days, and she's not an arrogant person."
"Me too. Before, with Fang Ruonan around, I wouldn't dare say anything openly. Fang Ruonan holds grudges."
Qin He was unaware of what was happening downstairs.
She finished writing her perfumery formula and went to bed, ready to sleep.
The next day, Qin He spent half the day preparing all the items on her formula.
She specifically went to the warehouse and found a small bronze censer. Although the censer was simple, it would have to suffice during the competition.
Zhang Caiyu and Fang Ruonan hadn't been out much these past few days. Qin He figured they were also preparing for the competition.
Three days passed in a flash.
This afternoon was the deadline for submitting the competition entries. Qin He's perfume had been made yesterday, but she didn't want to draw attention like she had the first time, so she deliberately waited until today, planning to submit it this afternoon.
At noon, eleven-thirty.
Qin He was sitting on the sofa in her room, chatting on her phone, when her door was knocked.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Li Ai," a low female voice called from outside.
"Come in, the door's unlocked," Qin He replied.
The door opened, and Li Ai entered hesitantly.
"Sit down," Qin He said with a smile.
She had initially thought Li Ai was just visiting, but Li Ai's furtive glances around made Qin He take notice.
"Li Ai, is something the matter?"
"Qin He—I heard you exchanged gold coins with the production crew yesterday. Could I—" Li Ai gritted her teeth, finding it hard to speak.
She was truly at her wit's end. Due to the appearance of the Silver Chain Sea Snake, the production crew feared other contestants might also be threatened, so the fishing task was canceled.
She had tried other tasks, but bad luck seemed to follow her. She couldn't do anything right, and the meager gold coins she earned weren't enough for her cousin.
Seeing Li Ai's expression, Qin He walked to a corner of the room.
On a small table in the corner sat a bag of gold coins she had exchanged that day. Qin He hadn't even opened the bag.
With some effort, she placed the bag of gold coins on the table.
"Take what you need," she said.