Goddess Strategy GL - Chapter 12

“Don’t underestimate house cats, they are small predators too,” Ye Ruoqing said, washing the bowl while Xiaoyuan helped her pick up the pot lid from the floor and handed it to her.

“The landlord really took your rice cooker. Do you want to go get it back?”

“No need, I don’t even have any rice left, what’s the point of having a rice cooker?” Ye Ruoqing took the lid and placed it on the bowl. Xiaoyuan handed her the clothes.

“As you requested, it’s not a dress.”

Ye Ruoqing opened the box and looked: “I so wish this was a pizza delivery…”

Xiaoyuan said: “This is Givenchy. Of course, you can trade it for pizza after the party. Boss said the clothes and shoes are all for you. Haven’t you been working your stall? Why are you so poor that you don’t even have rice left?”

Ye Ruoqing opened the door and let Xiaoyuan in: “My throat was a bit sore a few days ago, and I was worried about my performance at the party, so I went to see a doctor. Come in.”

After Bai Xiaoli left, Ye Ruoqing still followed her habit of cleaning the room every day. Although the room was small and the furniture was old, it was clean and tidy. Unfortunately, Xiaoyuan’s nose was too sensitive; as soon as she entered the room, she said there was a sour smell inside.

“Are you trying to find a roundabout way to call me poor? ‘Poor and sour,’ how can it be sour if you’re not poor?”

Ye Ruoqing tidied up the things on the bed and invited Xiaoyuan to sit down. Xiaoyuan suddenly leaned closer and sniffed Ye Ruoqing’s neck: “No, you don’t smell sour, but this room really does.”

Ye Ruoqing was helpless: “Little Round Face, are all the people in your studio particularly fond of taking advantage? Your boss keeps touching my hand for no reason, and you suddenly launch a sneak attack.”

Xiaoyuan said: “Do you have the nerve to criticize us? You even publicly touched our Boss’s chest! What’s wrong with letting our Boss touch your hand?”

“…”

Ye Ruoqing was speechless. Xiaoyuan was sharp-tongued, and if the conversation continued, who knows what else she might say. At Xiaoyuan’s instigation, she searched the whole room, trying to find the source of the sour smell. Finally, she slapped her forehead and brought out a jar of pickled vegetables.

“It’s this!”

Xiaoyuan was just pulling out a small notebook to explain the party precautions to Ye Ruoqing. Seeing the jar, she waved her hand and said: “Just as long as you found it. I thought it was a dead rat or something. I need you to properly store the clothes I left with you. Make sure they aren’t bitten by mice or crawled on by cockroaches, understand?”

Ye Ruoqing looked at the box as if it were a plate of food: “Of course, this is my pizza…”

Thinking of a large pizza full of cheese and sausage, Ye Ruoqing’s mouth watered all over the floor. She opened the pickle jar and pulled out a piece of pickled radish.

Xiaoyuan was puzzled: “It’s the middle of the afternoon, why are you chewing on pickles?”

Ye Ruoqing handed a piece of pickled radish to Xiaoyuan: “This is my snack. Want some?”

“No!”

The two sat on the edge of the bed. Xiaoyuan seriously explained the party precautions to Ye Ruoqing, who nodded as she listened, chewing on the pickled radish. The pickled radish was crisp and sour. Listening to the “crunch, crunch” sound next to her, Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but swallow.

“Want some?”

“Yes.”

The “Poor and Sour Duo” squatted by the bed together, munching on pickled radish.

Ye Ruoqing, wearing Givenchy, sighed: “Who would imagine that tomorrow’s rising star is squatting in a rented room today, munching on pickled radish.”

Xiaoyuan picked up another pickled yardlong bean: “And you’re wearing Givenchy.”

Ye Ruoqing said: “What’s the big deal? I used to wear Givenchy.”

Xiaoyuan patted her head: “Stop dreaming and think about the party in a few days.”

Ye Ruoqing snorted: “I knew none of you would believe me. A year ago, I was a fuerdai (rich second generation), okay?”

Xiaoyuan said: “Then, former rich second generation Little Miss Ye, in return for your snack, I’ve decided to lend you money to buy rice. When are you going to get your rice cooker back from the landlord?”

Ye Ruoqing said: “I really regret putting the rice cooker on the landlord’s head. Now I’ll have to waste my dish soap and disinfectant.”

Xiaoyuan covered her mouth and chuckled: “I have a great idea for you. Ren Xi will also be attending the party in a few days. You should establish a good relationship with the people from Ren Xi’s studio then. I can guarantee you’ll get a lot of new rice cookers!”

Ye Ruoqing asked: “Where would they come from?”

Xiaoyuan said: “You probably don’t know this, but Ren Xi used to have the nickname ‘Rice Cooker Queen’ because she did three rice cooker commercials in one year, and the manufacturers gave a lot of perks. Their studio still gets rice cooker benefits these past few years.”

“Holy crap!” Ye Ruoqing finally noticed the crucial part of Xiaoyuan’s last sentence.

Ren Xi would also be going!

“Don’t get agitated, don’t get agitated. It’s just a few rice cookers, right?” Xiaoyuan quickly tried to soothe Ye Ruoqing. “Weren’t you a fuerdai? Why are you so excited about a few rice cookers?”

That one calamity was unavoidable. Zhao Xin had finally dug a trap and made her jump into it.

Being pursued by two major Movie Queens…

Ye Ruoqing, with pickled radish in her mouth, was in tears.

“Why would Zhao Xin make me go to this party?”

“It has something to do with Ren Xi, I guess. Don’t get agitated, absolutely don’t get agitated!”

How could Ye Ruoqing not get agitated? She remembered Ren Xi’s sinister smile in the movie and Zhao Xin’s ice-cold face. She wasn’t well; she couldn’t even sleep properly.

She saw Zhao Xin again on the afternoon of the party day. A luxurious Lincoln stopped at the entrance of the urban village. Little Miss Ye, wearing her Givenchy, walked up to the Lincoln with a sickly look on her face.

The car window slid down, and Zhao Xin said to Ye Ruoqing: “Get in.”

She was wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress, her hair still tied up, and a pair of simple jade earrings on her earlobes, looking simple and elegant.

Ye Ruoqing felt that standing next to Zhao Xin made it look exactly like Zhao Xin was engaging in poverty alleviation.

“Seriously, can I not go?”

“Get in first and we’ll talk.”

The driver proactively got out of the car and opened the door for Ye Ruoqing. Ye Ruoqing cautiously squeezed in, afraid of stepping on Zhao Xin’s dress.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so careful getting into the car? Xiaoyuan said you used to be a fuerdai?”

It’s not that I’m afraid of dirtying the car, I’m afraid of dirtying you… no, your dress! Ye Ruoqing was absolutely sure that she was afraid that the splendid dress would become less than perfect because of her carelessness.

Zhao Xin pulled her to sit next to her and lifted her face: “What’s wrong? Why are your dark circles so heavy?”

“Nothing…” Ye Ruoqing shifted away slightly.

“Ate too much pickled radish?”

How do you know everything! Ye Ruoqing almost roared. That girl Little Round Face was too loose-lipped. They had bonded over eating pickles together, and she was still telling their private conversation to Zhao Xin.

“Did you really eat too much pickled radish?” Zhao Xin wrinkled her nose slightly, leaned over, and moved closer. Her perky nose tip was only two centimeters away from Ye Ruoqing. Looking down slightly, Ye Ruoqing could see her slender eyelashes, her soft and full lips, and her well-endowed…

Ye Ruoqing, being useless, blushed again.

She sat bolt upright, assuming the posture of a righteous gentleman. Only after Zhao Xin moved away did she speak: “You listened to Xiaoyuan talk about so many things, didn’t you hear her say that I complained about the people in your studio being particularly fond of taking advantage?”

“Taking advantage? Was smelling you to see if you had pickled radish scent on you called ‘taking advantage’?”

“I thought you were about to kiss me!”

Zhao Xin didn’t bother to say much more. She leaned against the car window, resting her head on her hand, looking at Ye Ruoqing: “If that’s called ‘taking advantage,’ then what was it when you so actively hugged me that night?”