Fang Ruo Nan left in a huff.
Qin He looked at the girl standing by the table, dazed.
This was the same girl who had borrowed instant noodles from her earlier. She seemed like a decent person.
Qin He took out several packets of instant noodles from a bag nearby, along with two bags of biscuits and some snacks, and packed them into a small bag.
"This is for the instant noodles you lent me before."
The girl waved her hands, flustered, "Ms. Qin, this is too much."
Di Shi Shi, standing beside her, unceremoniously shoved the bag into the girl's arms. "Just take it with peace of mind. We used your instant noodles to tide us over, so this is nothing."
The girl was startled by Di Shi Shi's enthusiasm, clutching the bag of snacks and looking at Qin He.
"Have you had dinner yet?" Qin He asked with a smile.
The girl immediately looked flustered. "Yes, I have."
As she spoke, the aroma of hot pot wafted out.
The girl's stomach rumbled.
Qin He smiled. "Eating so late must be because I borrowed your instant noodles earlier. Sit down and join us for a meal."
"Can I?" the girl hesitated.
Di Shi Shi pulled her over directly and pressed her into the chair beside her. "Just eat when I tell you to, don't be shy."
"Thank you, Ms. Qin and Ms. Di." The girl said gratefully, "My name is Li Ai, and I'm from Jiangcheng."
From Jiangcheng?
Qin He smiled. "I didn't expect you to be a local. After the competition ends, we can go out and have some fun for a few days."
Li Ai nodded immediately.
The three of them ate the hot pot, sweating profusely.
All the pre-cut ingredients were gone.
After dinner, Li Ai volunteered to wash the dishes. Qin He, meanwhile, dealt with the unused ingredients, sealing them one by one with plastic wrap and putting them in the refrigerator.
Li Ai washed the pots and bowls clean, and Qin He wiped down the counter.
Everything was sparkling clean, and only then did the three of them return upstairs.
Qin He and Di Shi Shi lived on the third floor, while Li Ai lived on the second. At the top of the stairs, she held the snacks Qin He had given her and bid them farewell with gratitude.
Watching Qin He and Di Shi Shi ascend to the third floor, Li Ai had just reached her room door when the door to the room next to hers opened.
Zhang Cai Yu squinted at Li Ai. "Cousin, did you enjoy your hot pot meal?"
Li Ai immediately looked scared. "Cousin, I just lent Ms. Qin a packet of instant noodles before, and she kept me for dinner as a thank you."
Zhang Cai Yu waved her hand dismissively. "Li Ai, it's because we're relatives that I took you under my wing to learn perfumery and signed you up for this competition. I've changed your destiny, so you won't forget this kindness, will you?"
Li Ai lowered her head. "I won't forget, cousin."
"Good." Zhang Cai Yu looked at the bag in Li Ai's hand. "What are you holding?"
"Just some small snacks and a few packets of instant noodles. Cousin, you can have them." Li Ai knew that once Zhang Cai Yu asked for something, it wouldn't be kept.
She handed the bag to Zhang Cai Yu.
However, she thought about having to wake up early the next day and realized she had no food left.
"Cousin, could you leave me a packet of instant noodles?"
Zhang Cai Yu sneered and disdainfully watched as Li Ai found a packet of instant noodles from the bag and tossed it into her arms.
"Look at you, so pathetic and shabby."
With that, Zhang Cai Yu returned to her room and slammed the door shut.
Li Ai, holding a packet of instant noodles, stood there for a few seconds before turning back to her room.
Having been woken up at six in the morning, Qin He and Di Shi Shi were already in bed before ten.
The next day.
The sun was high in the sky, and no one woke the contestants up.
After Qin He and Di Shi Shi got up, they discussed it and felt that since they had nothing else to do, they might as well earn some gold coins, as they would be staying here for over ten more days.
Qin He went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
"What should we have for breakfast?"
Di Shi Shi patted her stomach. "Let's have something light. Didn't we buy some millet yesterday? Let's make some millet porridge and a salad."
Qin He nodded, went downstairs to the kitchen, and when she opened the refrigerator, she found that only the head of the salmon she had frozen yesterday was left.
Qin He: "..."
She took a deep breath and opened the fresh food compartment to get the vegetables.
The vegetables she had put in the compartment last night were wrapped in bags to keep them fresh longer.
But now the bag had been deliberately torn open. Someone had clearly taken vegetables from it, and scattered leaves were lying around.
Qin He's forehead twitched.
Di Shi Shi waited behind for a while, and seeing that Qin He was not speaking, she came closer to take a look. Upon seeing the bare salmon head, her eyes widened.
"Holy crap! Is there a thief here?"
Qin He pursed her lips. "We bought a lot of vegetables yesterday, and we only ate a quarter of the salmon. This isn't an amount one person could eat."
There was movement behind her. Qin He turned and walked out of the door. A girl was walking in with a bowl of salad, and she smiled immediately upon seeing Qin He.
"Ms. Qin, thank you for the breakfast. I was starving lately, and this meal has completely restored my energy."
Qin He remembered that this girl usually didn't get involved when others were badmouthing someone.
Now, her attitude was quite good.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You're welcome."
Di Shi Shi wanted to speak, but Qin He stopped her.
Qin He walked out in the direction the girl had come from. In front of the villa, there was a row of umbrellas, and seven or eight girls were sitting there eating.
Two tables of people, eating and chatting.
The bowls contained the very ingredients that had gone missing.
Looking at the bowls of porridge in everyone's hands, Qin He now understood where the several pounds of millet from yesterday had gone.
"Ms. Qin, thank you!"
Three or four people proactively greeted Qin He and thanked her.
Qin He glanced at Zhang Cai Yu and Li Ai beside her. Li Ai also expressed her sincere thanks.
"Eat well," Qin He said softly.
Finally, she looked at Fang Ruo Nan and her assistant, who were smugly eating their salads.
Qin He sat down opposite Fang Ruo Nan and said calmly, "Was this your doing?"
Fang Ruo Nan looked smug and lowered her voice. "There are no cameras here. I'll tell you directly, I told them that you had prepared ingredients and they could take whatever they wanted if they were hungry. What do you think?"
Seeing that Qin He remained silent.
Fang Ruo Nan added, "At most, you can go and confront them now. Find them one by one and get your ingredients back. Oh, but by doing that, you'll offend everyone in this house."
Fang Ruo Nan blinked her innocent eyes. "You must be feeling terrible right now, Qin He? This is the price you pay for provoking me."
Di Shi Shi, enraged, stepped forward and was about to flip the table.
Qin He stopped her.
Fang Ruo Nan was not afraid at all. "Go ahead and flip it if you want. If you do, I'll tell everyone that you're angry because they ate too much. Let's see what everyone thinks then. You two will become the public enemy."