Qiao Suluo’s movements paused, her entire body suddenly stiffening.
She had just been thoroughly despised.
Even someone as aloof and quiet as him harbored feelings of disgust; he simply kept them hidden beneath the surface. However, considering what her predecessor had done to them, it was hardly surprising. If she were in his shoes, she would also loathe such a vicious woman who knew nothing but how to abuse them all day long.
But right now, she had to bite the bullet and redeem herself. The task felt daunting. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she said, "Bai Qianluo, look at the rain outside. Stop kneeling and go inside to rest."
At those words, Bai Qianluo slowly turned around.
If Qiao Suluo didn’t know he was blind, she would have thought he was staring right at her. For a fleeting moment, she even suspected he could actually see her. But how could that be? The man had an eye affliction and wore a white silk blindfold; there was no way he could see her clearly.
Bai Qianluo remained motionless, seemingly doubting her words.
Braving the rain, Qiao Suluo forced herself to be patient and continued, "If you keep kneeling in the rain and get sick, you won’t be able to work. Hurry up and take shelter indoors. Don’t catch a cold."
Although Bai Qianluo had an eye affliction, it didn’t affect his ability to work in the slightest. Speaking like this was much more in line with her original vicious persona. If she suddenly spoke to him in a gentle tone, he would likely suspect she was plotting something.
Hearing this, Bai Qianluo finally stood up slowly.
As he rose to his feet, Qiao Suluo realized just how tall he was. His posture was straight and slender like Jade Bamboo, and his gait was elegant, exuding a cold yet magnificent grace.
If his eyes were intact, he would undoubtedly be absolutely flawless.
Qiao Suluo breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him enter the house, feeling as though she had just fought a grueling battle.
She followed him inside and casually wiped the rainwater from her body. "It’s already this difficult right from the start. They despise me so much. How am I supposed to stop them from turning villainous, let alone redeem myself and heal their bodies and minds?"
The system offered encouraging words. "You can definitely do it, Host! You excel at making delicious food. The food here can’t even compare to your cooking; this place is a culinary desert.
"As the saying goes, the way to a male beast’s heart is through his stomach. You can start by winning them over with your cooking."
Speaking of food, Qiao Suluo actually started to feel hungry.
She went into the kitchen and lit a small stump of a candle. However, after searching the entire room, all she found was a tiny bit of cornmeal at the bottom of a vat, two raw eggs, and a single small cabbage.
"You’ve got to be kidding me. Aside from this, there’s nothing else. There’s absolutely no food left in the house."
Even if she were a master chef, it would be useless without ingredients.
"It can’t be helped," the system said. "The original owner spent all the Silver she got from selling her Beast Husbands on cosmetics and clothes. It’s all gone.
"Besides, the two Beast Husbands you have left at home are both sickly and disabled. Expecting them to earn money to support the family is impossible. You’ll just have to take charge yourself, Host."
The mention of this suddenly reminded Qiao Suluo of her current body’s appearance.
She hurriedly found a mirror the original owner had bought and used the candlelight to examine her face. She was instantly horrified. "Oh my God, how can I be this ugly? It’s an absolute eyesore!"
She used to be a beautiful woman. Suddenly turning into this put her on an emotional rollercoaster that she could barely handle.
"It’s going to be even harder to win them over with this face."
She felt like throwing up. Her body was obese, and her face was gray.
"You look like this because you’ve been poisoned, Host," the system explained. "This body was originally very beautiful.
"Don’t worry. As long as you sell items in the store and accumulate enough points, you can buy a weight loss pill and a marrow-cleansing Detoxification Pill from the system store to quickly slim down and become beautiful again."
Qiao Suluo hastily checked the system store for this kind of elixir. Seeing the points required, her mouth twitched. She definitely couldn’t afford them right now.
However, the place she lived in backed onto a mountain. She could head up there tomorrow to see if she could forage for some mountain goods to sell. Whether she sold them to the system store or at the county town market, at least they wouldn’t starve to death.
Of course, as for the medical kit the system had given her, she was told the medicine inside was strictly for personal use and couldn’t be sold.
"Too ugly. I can’t even look at it..."
As Qiao Suluo muttered to herself, she seemingly felt a sudden chill in the air. She involuntarily turned around and immediately spotted Bai Qianluo.
"Ah, you... why are you here?"
Moreover, he walked completely silently.
Qiao Suluo subconsciously backed away, accidentally stepping on something and falling backward. Her reflexes kicked in, and she tried to grab Bai Qianluo, even hoping he might pull her up. However, Bai Qianluo remained rooted to the spot, completely motionless. With a loud THUD, Qiao Suluo crashed straight onto the floor.
This body seemed quite sensitive to pain, and the fall hurt terribly.
Looking at Bai Qianluo, who stood there completely indifferent, an indescribable feeling welled up in her chest. It was stifling and uncomfortable. She had never experienced this kind of blatant neglect, coldness, and disgust in her previous life.
Even if Bai Qianluo couldn’t see, he should have at least asked if she was okay after hearing the noise. But he didn’t. He simply poured himself a cup of water, turned around, and left.
The system seemed to sense Qiao Suluo’s sinking mood. Fearing she might go on strike, it quickly encouraged her, "Host, you have to believe that the colder and more heartless someone is, the better they will treat you once you win them over—to the absolute extreme."
Qiao Suluo was in no mood to think about that right now. After a moment of thought, she asked, "If I complete the mission, can I leave this place and return to my original world?"
"Of course."
With that assurance, Qiao Suluo regained her spirit. She picked herself up, washed her hands, and started the fire to cook.
With practically nothing in the house, she could only use the eggs and cabbage to make an egg and cabbage soup, pasting cornmeal flatbreads around the edge of the wok to bake. Eating the cornmeal flatbreads with the soup would have to pass as dinner.
While cooking, a smile graced Qiao Suluo’s eyes and brows. She loved the process of making food; it always felt incredibly healing.
Once it was ready, Qiao Suluo carried the food into Bai Qianluo’s room and set it on his table.
"Here is dinner. Eat it while it’s hot.
"Don’t worry, there’s no poison or anything else slipped into it."
With that said, Qiao Suluo turned and went back to the kitchen, sitting down to leisurely eat her own meal. She knew Bai Qianluo would definitely be unwilling to eat in the same room as her, so it was easier for them to eat separately.
As for Que Hongjin, he was still unconscious and naturally couldn’t eat dinner.
Bai Qianluo deeply "gazed" toward the kitchen through his white blindfold. He then stood in silence in his room for a long while. He had, of course, smelled the savory aroma of the food wafting through the house.
A look of astonishment appeared on Bai Qianluo’s face. She had never stepped foot in the kitchen to cook. Lately, she had just been using the Silver she got from selling the three of them to buy her own food, completely ignoring whether they lived or died.
This was the very first time she had cooked a meal herself.
But she couldn’t even tell different ingredients apart. Back in the Capital City, she had lived a life of luxury and extravagance—so how could she possibly know how to cook?
Having starved all day, Bai Qianluo was feeling somewhat lightheaded. He wasn’t about to hold a grudge against food.
He sat down and began to eat.
Taking a bite of the cornmeal flatbread, his hand paused, and the aloof expression on his face shifted. He took a sip of the soup, and his expression grew even more incredulous.