Xie Shaoning, who had an idol image to maintain, specifically set up a tent, went inside, and changed his outfit from head to toe, even styling his hair.
Only when he felt completely refreshed again did he perk up and come over to grab some watermelon, only to have his hand smacked away by Qi Xu.
"Where's your shame?"
"I'll pay!"
"100 Vehicle Upgrade Cards, eat anything on the table freely."
Xie Shaoning widened his eyes dramatically. "All you have on the table is a bit of watermelon and lychees! How can you say 'eat anything freely' with a straight face?"
Qi Xu couldn't be bothered to argue with him and made a move to put all the fruit away. The next second, Xie Shaoning handed over the Survival Coins.
Qi Xu realized he truly loved food; he never deprived his mouth or stomach.
Back at the Monster Store's second-floor auction, when Qi Xu had outbid him for so many items, Xie Shaoning had managed to keep his composure. It was only when the two Gourmet Robots were won that he completely lost it.
Out of curiosity, Qi Xu asked, "Why are you such a glutton?"
Having gotten his mouth on the delicious watermelon, and with Black Whirlwind having saved Ba Shanhu, Xie Shaoning had indeed let his guard down somewhat around Qi Xu. After two days of getting along, a rapport had developed, so he answered the question quite seriously.
"My parents divorced when I was little. Neither wanted me, they each started new families. They dumped me in a swimming team to train from a young age. Not only did they not have to pay fees, but occasionally when I won competitions, they'd even get bonuses, so they paid even less attention to me.
I never even went home for New Year's, worried that if I was sent back I'd have nowhere to live and couldn't survive. I could only swim desperately and managed to get into the national team. The coach was good to me, but he was strict; there were lots of things I couldn't eat.
It's kind of funny, really. There were so many things I'd never tasted in my life. It was only after I started thriving in this survival game that I got to try them and know what they taste like.
Now there's no coach to control me. Eating and drinking won't affect my physique or body fat rate anymore, and I don't have to think about fighting for results or gold medals. Of course I'm going to eat and drink to my heart's content!"
Only then did Qi Xu notice that every piece of watermelon Xie Shaoning had bitten into, the red flesh was eaten clean, leaving only a thin layer of green rind.
A pitiful kid indeed.
"So, if you met a player with great culinary skills, would you use an Enslavement Stone to enslave them, forcing them to cook for you every day?"
Xie Shaoning looked bewildered by the question, staring at Qi Xu as if he were a lunatic.
"Am I crazy? What if he poisons me?"
"The system light screen can identify poisons; he couldn't poison you."
"I still wouldn't do that! I'm not some perverted coercive love lunatic. Besides, I, Xie Shaoning, am not so poor I can't afford a decent meal! Where did you buy those dishes of yours? Can you give me the contact info?"
Xie Shaoning answered quickly and didn't seem to be lying, especially since the 〖Truth Herb〗 in Qi Xu's palm didn't grow warm.
At that moment, Qi Xu suddenly realized something.
In every round of the game, everything everyone encounters is different, including the types of disasters and dungeons confirmed by Qiuqiu—none are consistent.
The butterfly effects set off by various actions can be quite dramatic.
So you really can't judge people with preconceived notions.
Blessing said Xie Shaoning imprisoned Little Master Chef, but no one knows the specific details. Thinking from another angle, that might actually be a form of protection.
Even if the tool used was an "Enslavement Stone."
But the two were completely bound together, encountering double the monsters and supply crates. The stronger one handles the front-line fighting, the weaker one handles logistics—isn't that another form of cooperation?
However, giving Little Master Chef's contact info to Xie Shaoning was out of the question. Little Master Chef was swamped; he had no time to deal with such a broke customer.
Seeing the conversation atmosphere was still good, Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè also chimed in, "What exactly started your feud? Seems like you two were already at odds during the last cross-region challenge tournament."
Qi Xu nodded. "This guy has no class. At the auction, his financial power was lacking, he was broke, couldn't outbid me. So he hid outside to ambush me. Then, his combat strength was also lacking, he couldn't beat me and just ran away. He even hired assassins to kill me."
Xie Shaoning stopped eating his watermelon, stood up, and wailed in aggrieved despair, "How many times do I have to say it? I did NOT hire assassins to kill you!"
"I admit to hiding outside to ambush you. That's because I saw killing intent in your eyes towards me. You were so strong; if I could eliminate you early, I'd definitely be safer! What's wrong with that?"
Qi Xu had gotten the info he wanted, so he didn't dwell on the topic. Only the one who wrongs you knows how wronged you are. He nodded faintly, "You're right. Then I won't hire assassins to kill you in the future."
"Really?"
"Really. Provided you don't provoke me either."
Xie Shaoning felt like crying. "Who provoked you? Who provoked any of you? I've really had it. This treasure map, I paid a huge price to get it too.
And then one of you spreads rumors trying to harm me, another uses all sorts of tracking to find me, and another acts all innocent to trick me. Is it easy for me? What exactly did I do to provoke you three sisters!
Cheese Cream with 80% Sugar smiled slightly. "Don't play the innocent victim. You wanted to hit on me back then too, didn't you? You're no saint either. We're six of one and half a dozen of the other."
Xie Shaoning's face flushed red, and he sat to the side, saying nothing more.
Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè mustered all her strength to move and sat down next to Qi Xu.
Qi Xu shifted away. "What now? Trying to poison me again? Get lost."
"How could I? Am I that kind of person? I just wanted to discuss something with you."
"Twice now."
When Qi Xu first met Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè, he thought she was an incredibly beautiful, charming woman. Now she seemed more and more like a goofball.
“That was an accident. It won't happen again. Just based on the fact that you didn't lure monsters towards us to ensure your own successful landing, I consider you a friend.”
Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè sounded utterly sincere, but Qi Xu didn't believe a single word.
"Get to the point."
"So cold-blooded. Aren't you on good terms with that little goblin? Last time I went to his place for weapons, I prepaid 10,000 Survival Coins and only spent 4,200.
But right now, I'm strapped for cash trying to gather the entrance fee, even borrowed some from others. Do you think you could put in a good word for me, get the remaining money refunded? I'll sign up again once I get through this tight spot."
Qi Xu grinned. "Why are you so broke, worrying about such a small amount of Survival Coins?"
"Whirlwind Boss~ Help me out, please?"
Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè placed her hands under her chin, batted her big eyes, and cooed at Qi Xu.
Qi Xu found it quite pleasing to the eye but was completely immune. "Do you want to never lack Survival Coins again? Do you want to become rich?"
Jìnwěn Xīngmáng Yuè nodded. The other two also perked up, listening intently. The wealth of Invincible Black Whirlwind was even less questionable than his strength.
...........
