Chapter 46 - 42: Departure Preparations

Chapter 46: Chapter 42: Departure Preparations

"Three hundred?"

Ning He nearly jumped out of her skin at the price.

The worn-out shoes on her feet had only cost thirty!

Since she was going on a long trip, she figured she needed a sturdier pair of shoes. She had spotted this shoe store on her way and decided to drop in, but she hadn’t expected the prices to be so outrageous.

Sure enough, there wasn’t a single store in the First Ring that she could afford.

"This is our latest model. The upper is made of genuine leather, and the sole is highly elastic and breathable. It’s specifically designed for running," the salesgirl introduced with a proud smile. "Many students from the Mecha Academy buy this exact pair from us."

Ning He paused, suddenly remembering that the original owner of her body used to buy shoes for Qiu Luo exclusively at this very store.

"She bought that bastard three-hundred-coin shoes while wearing thirty-coin ones herself?" she thought, utterly incredulous.

A flare of anger rose in Ning He’s chest.

"I’ll take a pair!"

With a wave of her hand, she marched toward the checkout counter, wincing as though the expense physically pained her.

"Certainly! Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch them for you right away."

The salesgirl beamed and hurried to the back warehouse.

Behind Ning He, the automated greeting chimed, "Welcome." Someone else had entered the store.

The salesgirl, just emerging from behind the counter, looked up and instantly stood at attention. A radiant, flower-like smile bloomed on her face.

Ning He blinked, and the girl was gone—already rushing to greet the new customer. Instinctively turning to look, Ning He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Wasn’t that Lieutenant Colonel Leo, the local heartthrob and Beiluo City’s most eligible bachelor?

"He’s here to buy shoes too?" she wondered.

Seeing his gaze sweep over her, Ning He immediately offered a polite smile in greeting.

Leo looked slightly surprised but said nothing. He gave her a subtle nod, then pointed to a pair of shoes on the shelf, signaling the salesgirl to ring them up.

There was no browsing, no comparing, not even trying them on.

Men really were that straightforward and ruthless when it came to shopping.

Ning He’s shoes were bagged. Taking her purchase, she prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment."

A voice called out, stopping her in her tracks.

Ning He turned around, slightly bewildered.

"What could he possibly want with me?" she wondered.

Leo took a few steps toward her, his expression calm and unreadable.

"A few days ago, Qiu Luo sent me a message.

"He has successfully onboarded at the research institute, and everything is going smoothly for him so far."

Ning He blinked, but quickly caught on to his underlying meaning.

She forced a polite smile, looking at Leo with a tranquil expression.

"Thank you for going out of your way to tell me. However, I have nothing to do with him anymore, nor do I wish to hear any news about him. You must have a busy schedule, so please don’t trouble yourself over such trivial matters in the future.

"I won’t disturb you any longer. Goodbye."

Leo watched her practically storm off, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

Ning He marched all the way to the bus stop without taking a breath. Only then did the suffocating annoyance in her chest begin to dissipate.

The guy was already gone, yet he was still finding ways to disgust her. She had truly had enough.

Did everyone think she was so hung up on Qiu Luo that she was still pining for him?

As that handsome face flashed through her mind, Ning He felt a wave of repulsion.

He was the exact definition of someone who would chew you up and spit you out.

In her foul mood, she even found herself holding a grudge against the messenger.

"Mind your own business!" she grumbled internally.

Ning He’s bad mood lingered all the way home—until the exact moment she received a phone call from Connie.

"...How much? A net profit of three hundred? That’s great! Let’s keep it up tomorrow!"

Hanging up the phone, Ning He gleefully calculated her earnings.

Since the food festival was over, they had started offering smaller portions for several dishes—aside from the fried dough sticks—effectively implementing a stealthy price hike. She had initially worried this might hurt their business, but according to Connie, sales were going incredibly well.

For one thing, they hadn’t set up their stall in the Fourth Ring last time, so the residents there hadn’t tried their food yet. For another, someone seemed to have promoted them online. Many customers swarmed over with their friends as soon as they heard the name "Pocket Bun," eager to buy some and try it out.

The spending power in the Fourth Ring was noticeably higher than in the Fifth Ring. Connie hadn’t prepared a massive amount of ingredients for their first day, and they had sold out within just a few hours.

According to their agreement, Ning He would get one hundred out of the three hundred in net profit. On top of that, even with a "friends and family discount," Ning He had sold the ingredients to Connie for four hundred original coins.

Which meant that by doing absolutely nothing, she had netted five hundred coins today.

Suddenly, that pair of shoes sitting by her bed didn’t seem so expensive after all.

With her savings once again approaching the one-thousand mark, Ning He regained her confident stride.

Early Sunday morning, after delivering another batch of ingredients to Connie, Ning He took her freshly earned four hundred coins and decided to buy herself a new outfit.

Her closet contained only a few pitiful, shabby pieces that she had been wearing for years. If she sat among the wealthy tourists heading out of the city looking like that, they might mistake her for a servant.

"I’ve already spent the big bucks. What’s a little more?" she reasoned.

However, Ning He didn’t go bleed her wallet dry in the First Ring this time. Instead, she bought a brand-new tracksuit at an affordable clothing store in the Fourth Ring.

The craftsmanship was decent, and there were no prominent logos. At a glance, no one would be able to guess the price. It was exactly what she wanted.

Just after getting her new gear sorted and returning home, Ning He unexpectedly received a call from Annie at the Black Panther Company.

"Sorry to bother you. The itinerary for next week’s gourmet sightseeing tour has been confirmed. We will depart at eight o’clock on Tuesday morning. Please arrive at our company thirty minutes early to gather."

"Tuesday?" she thought.

"Got it. Do I need to bring anything?"

"No, all safety equipment and necessary supplies will be provided by us. However, if you’d like to bring some personal items or snacks, you are welcome to do so."

"Understood. See you then."

Hanging up, Ning He excitedly paced around her room a couple of times.

According to the system’s instructions, mutated plants also needed to be collected.

Even if her luck was terrible and she didn’t encounter any new mutated animals, there would definitely be no shortage of plants. This trip would definitely boost her progress bar significantly!

Carrying that excitement into Monday, Ning He met up with Connie and Ah Huai to ask for time off.

"...I’m heading out at six, so I’ll have to leave the rest of the work to you guys."

Ning He didn’t specify what she was doing, but after earning several hundred coins over the weekend, Connie and Ah Huai were thrilled with her and simply waved off her concerns.

"Don’t worry about it! Stay home and get a good night’s sleep. You don’t even need to come in the morning. The two of us will arrive a bit earlier; we can handle it."

Thus, on Tuesday, Ning He slept until six o’clock. She put on her new outfit, grabbed some breakfast, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed out.

When Ning He arrived, several black luxury cars were parked outside the Black Panther Company’s entrance.

She was probably the only person there who had taken a bus and then a taxi to arrive.

As soon as she walked through the doors, Ning He spotted a familiar hulking figure standing in the center of the lobby. Dressed in a tight black tactical suit that highlighted his bulging muscles, he stood with his hands behind his back, fully armed with a gun strapped to his waist. His beast-like eyes scanned the room; just meeting his gaze was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

"Hello," Ning He greeted, waving her hand.

The man frowned. A moment later, recognition dawned on his face, and his eyes widened.

"It’s you?" Johnny looked her up and down before flashing a wide, toothy grin as he seemingly connected the dots. "You came with Uncle Hansha, right? I told you, what’s so great about the Mecha Academy? It can’t compare to the freedom and high pay here."

Ning He gave an awkward smile. Just as she was about to explain, she saw a middle-aged man hurrying inside.

Looking closely, Ning He recognized him—wasn’t that the boss of the BBQ shop?

However, he wore a grave expression, looking as though something serious had happened.

"Johnny, Grandpa Miao’s old illness has flared up. I’m afraid he won’t be able to come with us on this trip."

Johnny’s face fell. "Then what are we going to do? Everyone’s already here!"

"There’s nothing else for it. We’ve already collected the money, so we can’t cancel the trip. I’ll just have to step in and take his place," the BBQ shop boss said through gritted teeth.

Uncle Hansha was also a Third-level Chef, but compared to Grandpa Miao, the skill gap was like that of a novice apprentice to a grandmaster.

Their clients were all people with incredibly refined and picky palates. If he messed up the cooking, it would ruin the company’s reputation.

Johnny sighed in resignation. "I suppose that’s our only option. But hey, didn’t you just take on a new assistant? Her cooking skills seem pretty good. Maybe she can help you scrape by."

"What new assistant?" The BBQ shop boss looked thoroughly confused.

"Her! She’s the one who made that Pocket Bun I brought you during the food festival."

Johnny extended an arm, pointing straight at Ning He.

Enveloped by the intense, burning gazes of both men, Ning He’s first instinct was to back away. But as her mind raced, a sudden new idea popped into her head.

"If you need my help, it’s not entirely out of the question."

She broke into a grin.