Ignoring everyone’s dropped jaws, Gu Mingyan gestured to the staff: “Set it on the table.”
The staff, trained and efficient, arranged the expensive-looking boxes along the long dining table.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, steamed East Star Garoupa, French foie gras…
The enticing aroma immediately filled the entire dining hall.
【Okay, I admit I was loud before, but Gu Mingyan never intended to freeload—she’s just playing on a whole different level.】
【A table full of gourmet dishes—did she just bring over the full Manchu-Han banquet?】
【I roughly counted… all this food costs more than my annual salary, crying.】
The helicopter and staff arrived fast, and left fast, leaving the room filled with fragrance and stunned guests.
Gu Mingyan pulled Yun Qingqing to one end of the table and sat down like no one else existed.
Yun Qingqing stared at the feast, swallowing hard: “This is way too luxurious!”
By comparison, the other end of the table held the guests’ homemade, unappetizing dishes, looking downright pitiful.
Everyone could barely stomach their own efforts, but now, with the aroma from the other side, their appetite dwindled.
Meng Xian picked at her rice absentmindedly, tasting like cardboard.
Ding Manni forced a smile: “Xianxian, your stir-fried veggies are really good—light, not greasy, perfectly cooked.”
From the far end, Yun Qingqing’s voice rang out: “Is this the Aussie lobster? So big! The meat is so springy!”
Ding Manni forced down her food, adding: “And the cold salad is refreshing, sweet and sour, really whets the appetite…”
Yun Qingqing then sighed contentedly: “Mmm, this East Star Garoupa is so tender, no fishy smell at all, just fresh sweetness!”
Ding Manni closed her mouth, forcing herself to focus on the mushroom soup in front of her.
But Yun Qingqing was eating with abandon, utterly absorbed, still narrating with delight: “Mingyan, you actually ordered chocolate lava cake too! So rich and gooey…”
“Plop.”
Ding Manni finally lost her patience and set her chopsticks down on the table.
Irritated, she asked Yun Qingqing, “Can you just eat without naming every dish?”
Yun Qingqing lifted her small, oily mouth and apologized innocently: “Sorry… but the Aussie lobster, East Star Garoupa, chocolate lava cake, crab roe tofu, double-fried crunchy shrimp, braised tripe with salted pork… they’re all so delicious, I just can’t help but praise them.”
Ding Manni, forced to hear the endless dish names, groaned silently.
Ji Sihan, who had been staring longingly all this time, felt his mouth water even more at the endless recitation.
He gazed hungrily at the lavish spread, then looked down at his own dark, sad eggplant, and finally couldn’t resist. Embarrassed but eager, he leaned over: “Uh… Mingyan, Qingqing, can I try some of your food?”
Yun Qingqing glanced at Gu Mingyan, silently asking if it was okay.
Gu Mingyan lifted her eyes, slid the two dishes Qingqing had been picking most often closer to herself, then nodded slowly: “Sure.”
Qingqing understood immediately: “There’s so much anyway, we can’t finish it all. Everyone can share, better than wasting it.”
Ji Sihan was the first to cheer and grab his chopsticks.
Nan Xu and Yu Ran glanced at the luxurious dishes, decisively abandoned their own plates, and gratefully reached over to help themselves.
Seeing everyone crowd around, Yun Qingqing smiled sweetly at Gu Mingyan: “Thank you for the treat, Miss Gu!”
“?” Gu Mingyan looked at her, puzzled. “Since when are you being polite to me?”
Nan Xu was the first to catch on and mimicked: “Thank you, Teacher Gu.”
Ji Sihan and Yu Ran quickly followed: “Thank you, Miss Gu! You’re truly beautiful and kind!”
The livestream audience chimed in:
【Suddenly Gu Mingyan seems pretty nice—just a bit tsundere, not the ruthless monster the internet says.】
【Yeah, and she really spoils Yun Qingqing, even bringing Qingqing’s favorites closer.】
【Ignoring her meddling in Ye Jingyan and Meng Xian’s business, she’s actually not a bad friend.】
…
Meng Xian watched as the crowd that had been around her now clustered around Gu Mingyan and Yun Qingqing, feeling an intense sting.
In the past, whenever she and Gu Mingyan appeared in the same place, Meng Xian could easily become the center of attention, making the usually arrogant Gu Mingyan pale in comparison.
But now, with Yun Qingqing by Gu Mingyan’s side, everything seemed… different.
Being overlooked and marginalized was a new and uncomfortable feeling for her.
“Meng Laoshi, aren’t you going to eat?” Ji Sihan noticed her stiff expression and asked.
Meng Xian snapped back to reality, smiling: “I’m vegetarian, I don’t touch meat dishes.”
Qingqing, who had been digging into her food, looked up and softly went over to nudge the nearest plate of double-fried shrimp away from Meng Xian and Ding Manni.
Her movements were cautious and respectful, as if afraid that the meat would offend the vegetarian’s practice of abstinence.
Ding Manni had been planning to secretly snag a shrimp while no one was watching—but Qingqing’s gentle push put it well out of reach.
Ding Manni could only tear her gaze away from the glossy, plump shrimp, pretending nothing had happened, and shove the now-cold vegetables in her own bowl.
Meng Xian and Ding Manni barely tasted their food that meal.
Even after finishing, they felt hungrier than before.
In the afternoon, the production team scheduled a team competition.
Everyone else, full from lunch, was energetic and ready to go—except Meng Xian, Ding Manni, and Jiang Mingqian.
Unsurprisingly, Yun Qingqing’s team won the afternoon competition with overwhelming advantage.
That evening, Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan lounged side by side in comfortable single chairs, each wearing a face mask, watching a movie in the home theater.
Just as the plot reached an exciting point, there was a rhythmic knock at the door.
Gu Mingyan frowned slightly, clearly annoyed by the interruption.
Yun Qingqing also looked toward the door, curious.
“Who is it?” Gu Mingyan asked impatiently.
The door cracked open slightly, and Ji Sihan’s head peeked in.
He was carrying a huge pile of snacks—chips, jelly, beef jerky—stacked nearly to his chin. “Uh… hope I’m not disturbing you?”
Gu Mingyan recognized him and asked calmly: “What is it?”
Ji Sihan grinned sheepishly: “After all the amazing food you treated us to at lunch, I thought I should reciprocate. These snacks are pretty good, for your late-night cravings.”
Gu Mingyan bluntly replied: “No thanks, I never eat snacks.”
She had never cared for the niceties of social reciprocity—her rejection was firm but not hostile.
Ji Sihan, holding the snacks, felt slightly awkward.
Fortunately, he was easygoing and quickly shook it off with a laugh: “Alright, I won’t bother you then.”
Gu Mingyan was about to resume the movie when she noticed Yun Qingqing staring longingly at the snacks.
She paused mid-sentence: “You want some?”
Qingqing nodded eagerly.
She did want some.
These were brands she had coveted but never bought herself. One glance, and her cravings were ignited.
She also knew the snacks were meant as a return favor to Gu Mingyan, who had clearly refused, so she didn’t dare take them without permission.
Gu Mingyan glanced at Qingqing’s eager face, then gestured to Ji Sihan: “Give them to us.”
Ji Sihan blinked, then quickly carried the snacks inside.
Gu Mingyan added coolly: “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!” Ji Sihan knew Miss Gu was famously pampered, and was pleasantly flustered, carefully setting the snacks on the coffee table in front of them.
Qingqing’s eyes followed the snacks until they landed safely.
That’s when she noticed Ji Sihan’s wrist was wrapped in a black sports bandage—she might not have noticed if he hadn’t come close.
“What happened to your hand?” she asked casually.
Ji Sihan’s eyes dimmed slightly, lips twitching in a half-smile: “Old injury… I used to play esports too intensely and messed up my hand. Now, nights or rainy days, it hurts badly, so I wrap it like this for comfort.”
Many of his old esports fans in the livestream sympathized:
【Sniff… remembering Han God at his peak speed… what a loss!】
【If not for the injury, Ji Sihan might still be dominating tournaments.】
【Hand injury or not, it’s true he dragged the team sometimes.】
【Hearing him talk about it so casually… I feel even worse. He’s never really let it go, has he?】
Qingqing looked at the layered bandages and thought of how Ji Sihan had once been the brightest world champion in esports, reaching the top young, only to retire early due to injuries and public pressure.
Just as a flicker of sympathy appeared on her face, Ji Sihan sighed again: “Now I can only barely make a living with streaming. One stream makes seven figures—less than a fraction of my old prize money. It’s a far cry from before.”
Qingqing’s sympathy disappeared instantly.
—Seven figures a stream, poor you, huh.
Ji Sihan fell silent after that.
From experience, mentioning his injury and retirement usually drew pity, weak “too bad” comments, and hollow advice.
He was used to it, never seeking sympathy.
But this time, even the usually indifferent Miss Gu frowned slightly, while Qingqing remained expressionless, staring at him like a dead fish.
Ji Sihan: “?”
He couldn’t help asking: “Don’t you have anything to say?”
Qingqing tilted her lips into a cold smile: “Heh.”
Ji Sihan: “??”
The system in his head scolded her: 【Host! You have zero empathy! He’s suffered so much, and you don’t even react?!】
Qingqing rolled her eyes silently: “If I comfort him, who comforts me, making 4k a month and being used like a donkey? Seven-figure streams, huh… my fists are itching just hearing that.”
The system quickly calculated that at her old salary, she’d have to live twenty years without food or drink to earn as much as one of his streams.
【…Suddenly you seem even more pitiful.】 the system admitted.
Qingqing felt no relief; if anything, it was more frustrating.
She quickly recovered and asked Ji Sihan: “By the way, what’s your game ID?”
The topic shifted abruptly. Ji Sihan paused, then said: “Apex.”
“Apex…” Qingqing repeated softly, then smiled brightly, “Got it! Next time I bet on a match, I’ll put all my money on your team.”
Ji Sihan’s eyes suddenly lit up. “You think I can make a comeback…? You believe I can still win?”
“Of course!” Yun Qingqing answered decisively.
The Yun Qingqing of today was not the Yun Qingqing of yesterday. She might once have been a beast of burden, exploited by her boss—but now, she was a woman holding the script in her hands!
She knew that not only would Ji Sihan overcome his hand injury and return to the esports arena, he would lead his team to multiple championships. If she could place bets on him before the tournament, it would be the perfect chance to make a killing!
Ji Sihan had no idea that Yun Qingqing’s unwavering faith was partly motivated by calculating potential profits—he only felt immensely encouraged by her complete trust.
He grabbed her hand eagerly, his voice choking with emotion: “Thank you for believing in me! I’ll work my hardest!”
Yun Qingqing, looking at this potential goldmine in front of her, squeezed his hand in return, sincerity in her eyes: “Go for it! I believe in you!”
The two of them held hands, tears glistening, a surprisingly touching scene.