Chapter 38 He Zhao couldn't sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of "When will Qiao Yanyu finally message me...?"

He Zhao couldn't sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of "when will Qiao Yanyu finally message me?" Fortunately, Qiao Yanyu replied to his message before the 24-hour window closed.

It was very much in Qiao Yanyu's style—somewhat businesslike, it didn't seem like she was messaging me, but rather like she was giving a work report to a superior. However, thanks to this, Qiao Yanyu wrote a bit more.

Qiao Yanyu: I'm up now. I slept for a while last night, a full 5 hours. I just had breakfast and now I'm going to work. This job isn't particularly difficult, but it suits me well. I'll go back on the original date, don't worry.

He Zhao read it word for word and felt extremely satisfied, especially after seeing that Qiao Yanyu had slept for a full five hours and eaten breakfast on time. This proved that Qiao Yanyu had truly taken her words to heart, and that she always fulfilled her promises.

In this respect, Qiao Yanyu is truly reassuring and admirable; she almost always keeps her promises. Moreover, given her personality, she would never lie or deceive others.

So when Qiao Yanyu said she slept for that long and ate breakfast, it was true. She wasn't just saying it to appease He Zhao because she was afraid he would worry or complain.

He Zhao was aware of this, which is why he was so satisfied.

The tension that had been building up from constantly checking Qiao Yanyu's messages finally eased, and the drowsiness that had been lingering for so long finally washed over him. He Zhao yawned, straining his sore eyes, and sent Qiao Yanyu a message: "Okay, Sister Qiao, that's great! Remember to get some rest and eat on time today!"

The reply came quickly, just like yesterday, with a single word: Okay.

He Zhao was satisfied. She put down her phone, which slid to the side of her pillow. She had just felt sleepy, and within two minutes of putting down her phone, she fell into a deep sleep. The phone, resting against the pillow on the bed, remained untouched for a long time, its screen going dark, and it would likely turn off soon.

It was at this moment that the phone screen suddenly lit up because of a new message.

Qiao Yanyu: You should also get some rest.

Qiao Yanyu had noticed that He Zhao was still awake, perhaps waiting for her message. For a moment, she simply found He Zhao excessively adorable. However, with her straightforward mind, Qiao Yanyu couldn't immediately conceive of any other feelings He Zhao might have for her.

I just felt that He Zhao had a bit of a fledgling mentality, and was overly dependent on her, the first person he met.

It really gave Qiao Yanyu the illusion that she was the older sister.

There was no reply from the other end for a long time, and Qiao Yanyu knew that He Zhao had probably gone to sleep after reading her message. Based on her understanding of He Zhao, he was a well-behaved child who was a little mischievous, and he would definitely reply to her message.

She put away her phone and continued to perform her duties with the local investigators.

But He Zhao was dreaming.

In the dream, he wasn't the owner of a ghost stall at night, but an investigator fighting alongside Qiao Yanyu. Facing the vicious Mud Ghost, the two of them wielded strange weapons they had made themselves, in the same style as a trident, and launched an attack on the Mud Ghost.

The Mud Demon was no match for the two of them and quickly fled in terror, even knocking away the witch's hat that Qiao Yanyu had ordered. At the critical moment, the Mud Demon began to beg for mercy: "Boss! I've already said what you wanted! That girl just isn't as good as the original! Aren't you going to help me persuade your employee!"

He Zhao woke up after dreaming about this part of the story. She smacked her lips and asked the system, "Is there any way you can give me a cheat code so I can fight alongside Sister Qiao? Preferably something really powerful. You know, I mean, one move and all the ghosts fall down, ideally without any chance to fight back, bowing down in complete submission. Making me seem incredibly powerful and majestic, and then making Sister Qiao fall for me at first sight? That kind of cheat code?"

The system remained silent for a moment, then solemnly reminded its host: [Host, I am the Midnight Street Vendor System, not the Ghost King Descends System.]

"You're really useless."

He Zhao casually belittled her system, then got out of bed and immediately checked her phone, seeing Qiao Yanyu's message. At that moment, a smile crept onto He Zhao's lips; she was somewhat excited, even pulling the system along to read it:

"Look, look, Sister Qiao cares about me! She still cares about me!"

The system couldn't say anything either, it just felt that He Zhao looked worthless, but it couldn't say anything, otherwise He Zhao would definitely scold it again.

He Zhao didn't care what the system was thinking; she just felt refreshed, and her mind, which had been foggy from a night's sleep, became clear again. She first replied to Qiao Yanyu's message, telling her that she had definitely rested and slept well. She originally wanted to type that Qiao Yanyu didn't need to worry too much about her, but then she thought that would be too insincere. She just wanted Qiao Yanyu to care about her, so she quickly deleted that part and only sent the first part.

A short while later, Qiao Yanyu replied again, still with a single word, this time: "Mm".

He Zhao didn't feel disappointed at all; instead, she felt a tacit sense of pride: Look at her sister Qiao's reserved and flirtatious nature. Apart from herself, who else could tell that Qiao Yanyu was embarrassed from just that one "hmm"?

He Zhao had a good grasp of Qiao Yanyu's personality. Qiao Yanyu was not good at dealing with being cared for by others, and naturally she was not good at showing her own kindness to others. Once someone found out that she was caring for someone, Qiao Yanyu would feel a little embarrassed and awkward.

The straightforward and spirited Qiao Yanyu becomes awkward in this small place, which He Zhao finds quite endearing.

He Zhao rolled around on the bed for a while, phone in hand, before heading out to find something to eat. He Zhao was hoping to find something good to eat, so that Qiao Yanyu could come along and share something with her when she returned. In her hometown, the key to good food is freshness; if the ingredients aren't fresh, and customers can tell right away, the business simply won't survive.

So what He Zhao loves most is a truly fresh and authentic taste. The internet says people go to remote mountain valleys just for a bite of fresh free-range chicken, which might be an exaggeration, but people from that area really do that.

But in the current situation, getting a fresh meal is extremely difficult. Small shops use pre-packaged meals, large shops use central kitchens, and some shops, even though they are chains, can't guarantee the freshness of their ingredients, let alone their hygiene and safety.

Following online reviews, He Zhao made a special trip to a restaurant that many people praised for its fresh ingredients.

This is a coconut chicken hot pot restaurant. As a food connoisseur, He Zhao came here because he believed the claim that the ingredients were fresh. But to He Zhao's surprise, even though it was a weekday, there were so many people queuing up.

Holding her number, He Zhao waited alone for a table for two, looking at her number A33 and wondering how many people were ahead of her. She had arrived relatively early; after all, she had nothing to do after waking up, so she rushed straight to the restaurant she liked. The subway system was quite convenient here, and He Zhao arrived at the restaurant in no time.

But even before the shop opened, a group of people were already waiting in front of it. He Zhao thought to herself, "What a great shop it must be to have so many people." She stood at the back of the crowd and followed the people in front of her, only getting a number after the coconut chicken shop opened.

She thought that since she was quite far ahead, a large number of people would go in after the shop opened, and it would be her turn soon. Unfortunately, after 20 small tables and 8 large tables were taken in, the long queue began.

This kind of experience is still relatively niche for a rich girl like He Zhao. She sat on a bench outside the shop, holding her phone, feeling somewhat wistful. In the past, He Zhao never needed to queue. She could reserve a table in advance with just a phone call. If there was a particularly popular restaurant with long queues, her drinking buddies would save her a spot. If all else failed, she could buy tickets from scalpers or use her money to cut in line.

He Zhao is currently penniless—or rather, not completely penniless, since she still has the ability to earn money, plus the 20,000 yuan Qiao Yanyu gave her, so she does have a little money in her hands.

Things are different now. With such a small amount of money, He Zhaocai would never be able to take it out and buy scalped tickets directly.

Let's just wait. Right now, He Zhao is so poor that all he has left is time.

She sat on the stool, took out her phone, and played games for a while. She felt that it would be her turn soon, so she didn't choose ranked matches at first, but instead opted for casual matches. But after playing game after game, it still wasn't her turn.

This is because He Zhao has little experience queuing. If he had a lot of experience queuing, he would understand that the places that have just opened and have a large number of people still waiting are the hardest to wait for, because you have to wait for the customers inside from the time they start ordering until they finish eating and leave the table before the next person can get a turn.

He Zhao had no idea that after playing game after game and waiting for an hour and a half, it was finally his turn.

Upon entering, the waiter said, "You can scan the code to order." He Zhao replied, "Can I use the group-buying option?"

These are words that He Zhao would never have said before. He Zhao would never have looked at group deals or prices when ordering food; he would just eat whatever caught his eye. Now, He Zhao is meticulous about budgeting, even checking group deals when eating at restaurants.

This group-buying deal is indeed a good deal; a meal for two costs 138 yuan, and includes chicken, meat, vegetables, and two coconuts.

After He Zhao sat down, before the dishes were even served, the waiter smiled and said to her, "Darling, if you collect and check in, you can get a free drink. If you leave a review with 30 words and five pictures, you can get another free drink."

Is He Zhao the kind of person who would be swayed by such petty favors?

Of course!

He Zhao was shamefully tempted. There were small canned carbonated drinks on the surrounding tables, which were free from the shop. Each can cost at least two yuan and fifty cents, so two cans would cost five yuan. He Zhao had no reason not to be tempted.

She even handed over her phone, saying, "Can you operate it?"