Chapter 341

"Teacher Qiao, I'm buying cake..."

She's back...

Qin Wei returned home, pushed open the door, and stood at the entrance. She smelled a strange odor immediately.

She was stunned for a moment, carefully discerning this smell, which vaguely and possibly smelled like food?

She put the cake down on the cabinet and walked in. On the table in the living room was a table full of cooked food.

And Qiao Sixiao was sitting silently next to it with a blank expression.

"You...cooked...all of this?"

Qin Wei didn't just distrust this, but she didn't believe it one bit.

But Qiao Sixiao still nodded.

She made it herself. She who had never cooked with her own hands before challenged herself to cook one-handed today.

"Not bad..."

Qin Wei hesitated for a moment before going to change her clothes and wash her hands. Then she returned and sat down to eat.

With limited ability and time, Qiao Sixiao had only made two dishes in total: stir-fried green beans and shrimp with corn. The presentation wasn't great. The corn was all fried up and some of the shrimp was burnt too.

The green beans looked pretty nicely colored at least, it was just...

"Is this laundry detergent flavored green beans? Why are there so many bubbles??"

Qin Wei asked her.

Qiao Sixiao became unhappy:

"I've never cooked before but I'm not stupid, I can still recognize laundry detergent, okay!? Who gets everything right their first try!? If you wanna eat then eat, if not then stop complaining!"

"Eat eat eat!"

Qin Wei picked up her bowl and chopsticks. After mentally preparing herself, she took a bite. Now she understood why there were so many bubbles.

"You used baking soda instead of salt..."

"......"

Qiao Sixiao picked up her own chopsticks,

"Let me try..."

"Nevermind..."

Qin Wei didn't want her to lose morale, so she stopped her. Then she dug through the ruins on the table to find a shrimp that looked edible.

She put it in her mouth and chewed...

*sigh*...

Qin Wei stood up and said:

"Teacher Qiao, I'll go cook two bowls of egg noodles... Oh right, have you seen my umbrella? The one with the strawberry bear, I left it by the door but I didn't see it just now. I need it for tomorrow."

Qiao Sixiao raised her hand, grabbing Qin Wei's sleeve to stop her and make her sit back down.

Qiao Sixiao confessed to her:

"I threw away the umbrella."

"?"

"Don't get agitated first, let me explain."

Qiao Sixiao put her hand on Qin Wei's shoulder, looking at her sincerely and enunciating clearly:

"Actually, I made another dish."

"Oh...what does that have to do with my umbrella??"

Qin Wei was confused.

"I also stir-fried black fungus."

"???"

"After heating up the oil, I put the black fungus in and it started popping and splattering oil everywhere."

"????"

Qiao Sixiao's embarrassment flashed across her eyes briefly as her voice became much softer:

"I went to turn off the fire with the umbrella, got oil all over it, so I threw it away."

Qin Wei felt her heart skip a beat, but she didn't have it in her to blame Qiao Sixiao either. She could only compromise:

"Fine...then what about the stir-fried black fungus? We can still eat that..."

Qiao Sixiao: "Burnt."

Qin Wei: "( ??)."

Qin Wei convinced herself that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Challenging unfamiliar territory and stepping out of your comfort zone is proof that you're surpassing yourself, so Qin Wei also raised her hand and gently patted Qiao Sixiao's left shoulder:

"Since Beijing has banned fireworks and firecrackers for the new year, we'll substitute it with exploding black fungus this year.

Also, you cooked very well, so don't cook anymore from now on."

Qiao Sixiao felt guilty.

"But...you work so hard..."

Qin Wei shook her head.

"People live for delicious meals. Being able to cook for you is my honor. Go easy on each other, okay?"

...

Qin Wei had walked up to the kitchen door with the intention to cook noodles, but her composure already cracked—

The unwashed cookware and bowls and chopsticks were left out on the counter with oil stains and seasonings everywhere.

Cooking with one hand sure is difficult. Don't get angry, Teacher Qiao was challenging her limits...

"Can you get a housekeeper to come clean tomorrow?"

Qin Wei pointed at the kitchen.

Qiao Sixiao felt remorseful and readily agreed. "Great, then let's eat cake."

Out of sight, out of mind. Qin Wei silently closed the kitchen door and went to retrieve the cake from the entrance. She cut it in half to share with Qiao Sixiao.

Still feeling guilty, having something to eat was good enough, so Qiao Sixiao didn't voice any other opinion. She ate however much was given to her.

Sensing the depressing atmosphere, Qiao Sixiao took the initiative to bring up a topic:

"How did it go today?"

Speaking of this instantly cheered Qin Wei up again:

"As expected of Teacher Qiao, your advice was really useful. Seeing me sullen-faced, those people didn't dare bargain prices and didn't even dare to bring up more conditions. They just directly signed..."

Qin Wei excitedly recounted what happened today as she spoke and gestured with her hands.

It was all thanks to Qiao Sixiao's credit. Last night, she had repeatedly warned and reminded Qin Wei over and over again not to give the other party any leeway for negotiation and not to give them any room to talk prices. She had to put on an attitude, act almighty, and play hardball to make them feel like she didn't even care about this show at all.

To this end, Qiao Sixiao had even provided her newest limited edition clothing, never worn before and quite pricey.

These things could prove better than those rumors that Qin Wei was entirely unaffected.

"Red is the most eye-catching and aggressive. Dressing up like this means you've already gained the upper hand momentum-wise and achieved half the result with half the effort."

Qiao Sixiao told her,

"When you get there, if you're unsure, then just say less and play diva. You used to be best at this. It's actually a very useful tactic for keeping people at arm's length and protecting yourself. For partners and the media, sometimes a tougher attitude really can protect yourself."

So Qin Wei watched many videos of her past self to grasp the key points.

...

Qin Wei raised the cake platter in her hand: "So I bought a cake wanting to celebrate with you, to thank you for helping me land another job so I can provide for my team. Let's clink our cake platters instead of wine glasses!"

Only she could think of this.

Qiao Sixiao raised her cake platter with a smirk:

"You start your livestream tomorrow. How you perform is up to you, but you still have to pay attention to styling and outfits. Now there's lots of beauty and fashion bloggers who specifically pick apart celebrities' clothing brands. You absolutely can't let them see you looking shabby. From tiny details, they can discern your taste and also your financial situation...

It's different than when you were on shows before. All the stuff you brought, don't let me see a single piece show up on camera. I'll style your outfits for you, got it?"

Qin Wei nodded. Saving money while looking good, this advice was worth listening to.

Qiao Sixiao raised her eyebrows, smiling slyly.

"Of course, after you start earning money, you gotta split half with me."

Qin Wei set her platter down and walked around the sofa to sit in the corner and start piecing together a puzzle.

"60-40 split works too."

Qin Wei ignored her, immersed in her own world.

"30-70 split with me doing your PR too?"

"This puzzle is so complex, wonder if I can finish it in half a year..."

Qin Wei muttered to herself.

Qiao Sixiao: "......"

"Nevermind, I don't want it anymore. You just remember to come home and cook every day after work."

Qiao Sixiao gave up trying to swindle money from her.

Qin Wei looked up, reaching out her hand:

"Mhm, then give me grocery money since I still need to buy ingredients to cook!"