Jiang Xuxu nodded in agreement with Qi Wu's declaration and solemnly said, "Poor Tong Luo. Who knows how much she had to suffer just because of Tong Fei."
As someone born into a well-off family who doted on her, Jiang Xuxu's only setback in life had been the scandal that called her out for being a streamer with a sugar daddy.
She did not know much about Tong Luo's life.
Tong Luo had not chosen to be born into that family, yet it still affected her entire life.
*
When the countdown ended, the contestants all streamed back to the site.
A lot of the contestants had collected three or four cards. The unluckier contestants only had one or two cards. Only a few contestants were lucky enough to have found over five cards.
As for Qi Wu, she had ten cards all to herself.
This was the final result after she had been dragged away by Jiang Xuxu to watch the drama unfold.
"All contestants may now head to the food exchange counter with your cards."
The number of points a card was worth was written on the back of the card. Hence, before heading over to the food exchange counter, Jiang Xuxu dragged Qi Wu, Ke Lu, and Tong Luo to the side so that they could calculate how many points they would get.
"Sweetie, pork belly is worth five points. Why don't you take it instead?" Jiang Xuxu exclaimed.
Five was the maximum number of points a contestant could receive from a card.
Qi Wu shook her head and pulled ten cards out from her jacket pocket with a face so calm that it was as if she had only asked everyone what they would be eating that day.
"I have more," Qi Wu responded.
Jiang Xuxu was rendered speechless.
Qi Wu truly was a powerhouse.
Tong Luo pulled out one of her cards and shuffled over to stand beside Qi Wu so that she could show the card to Qi Wu.
"I found a card for oysters, and I know how to clean and prepare them. I'll make some for you later."
Qi Wu's eyes lit up as she sweetly replied, "Okay."
Tong Luo felt so much happier after receiving a response from Tong Luo that there was a skip in her step as she walked away.
There was a smile on Qi Wu's lips as she watched Tong Luo walk away.
She could feel the change happening in Tong Luo as she went from the sea of lonely despair she was drowning in to being filled with enthusiasm for life.
How enviable.
Behind her, a cold voice suddenly spoke up, "I found a card for lamb skewers. I'm not bad at cooking them."
It was Ke Luo.
The raspy, smoky quality of her voice and cold demeanor had everyone thinking she was an unfriendly person.
However, she was currently being so kind and sweet to Qi Wu even though her face looked as aloof and frigid as always.
Qi Wu turned around and smiled at her. "Thank you."
A light flashed in Ke Luo's eyes before she looked away, seemingly out of discomfort, as she grunted in response.
Once the contestants were done at the food exchange counter and returned to the site, the LED screen displayed everyone's updated scores.
A lot of the contestants had lost their appetite the moment they noticed they were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
However, there were quite a few contestants whose rankings had improved since earlier in the afternoon.
"Goodness! Qi Wu has taken her score to the next level!"
"No wonder I can't find any of the cards. She took everything! How many did she find?"
"I saw her pull out ten cards when we came back…"
"Is she a powerhouse? I want someone like that to pull me up as well."
The contestants were all shocked beyond belief as they stared at Qi Wu's score.
Of course, the happiest contestant of all was Jiang Xuxu as she received a high score without doing too much and had spent some time clinging to Qi Wu.
Qi Wu and her group found a grill for themselves. While they did not grow up in the same households, they all knew how to clean and prepare the food they had gotten.
Everyone… except for Qi Wu.
At that moment, she was standing next to the sink and solemnly stared down at the oyster Tong Luo was preparing. Tong Luo tensed up from how intense Qi Wu's stare was.
Tong Luo gulped and finally caved in to the bright eyes staring straight at her. "Is something wrong?"
Qi Wu shook her head in response and whispered, "It's my first time seeing an o-oyster."
She had replied so sincerely with steady eyes that did not even drift off to the side that she sounded just like a bird that was only stepping foot in the world for the first time after being kept hidden away in a gilded cage. She treated everything with the same curiosity and solemnity.
"I'll be done soon. They'll taste amazing once we grill them."
Tong Luo had to speak with a tight throat.
She had already surrendered to Qi Wu's cuteness, so why was she still under attack?
Just then, Jiang Xuxu appeared and saved Tong Luo who was so flustered by how cute Qi Wu looked that she nearly forgot how to clean and prepare oysters for grilling.
"Sweetie, can you grab us some seasonings?" she called out to Qi Wu.
Qi Wu instantly headed over to Jiang Xuxu.
Tong Luo instantly heaved a great sigh of relief when Qi Wu was gone.
"Chili peppers, cumin, minced garlic…"
Jiang Xuxu was counting out the seasonings she needed Qi Wu to grab for her with one hand. At the end of the list, she asked, worried, "You know what those are, right?"
"I do."
Qi Wu replied with a confident nod.
Jin Si used those all the time.
Jiang Xuxu smiled. "The seasonings are all up ahead over there. Be quick."
"Okay."
Qi Wu nodded before turning to walk over to the seasoning area.
As soon as she walked away from her protective group and appeared alone in the seasoning area, people turned to stare at her.
She was a great beauty and was at the top of the leaderboard. It was nearly impossible for people to not pay attention to her.
However, most people did not know her well. Even if they wanted to befriend her now, she was constantly protected by her friends hovering nearby. Naturally, no one stood a chance of befriending her.
Now was their chance.
Still, as they watched Qi Wu calmly look through the seasonings for the items she needed, no one actually dared to walk over to her.
After all, they did not know what kind of person she was.
Qi Wu had gathered most of the seasonings Jiang Xuxu listed out, but there were a few items she had never seen before.
She stood there frowning as she wondered what she should do next.
The family of pink pigs she watched never taught her how to differentiate one seasoning from the next.
Just then, someone with a warm voice asked from behind her, "Do you need help?"
Qi Wu turned around to find a man standing behind her.
He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. His eyes shimmered with warmth and sincerity as he gazed at Qi Wu.
She looked down and glanced at the name printed on the corner of his shirt—Tan Song.
"Hello."
After greeting him, Qi Wu replied, "I'm looking for rosemary oil."
Tan Song nodded with a smile. "You're in the wrong section. Rosemary oil is over there on that rack."
Qi Wu turned to look at the rack he pointed to. Just as he said, there were many more bottles and seasonings found there, and they all had labels.
Rosemary oil could be seen on that rack.
She silently stared for a moment before saying to him, "Thanks."
"My name is Tan Song. I'm honored to meet you. I really like your voice. It's special."
As Qi Wu walked over to the rack behind her, Tan Song followed her instead of leaving.
"Could I ask you for a few pointers?"