Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Result of the competition She finally lost to...
[Is Hulu's family situation really that difficult? He even had to earn his own tuition when he was in school. I feel so bad for him.]
[I seem to have only heard her mention her grandmother, and never her parents. Did her parents pass away early? Otherwise, how could her life be so difficult?]
[He must be dead, otherwise why would he leave Xu Qinghu alone?]
[No wonder she's still so gray even after going to college.]
[As a casual observer, I personally think Xu Qinghu's family background is too poor. It's not just a matter of class, but rather the mental constraints of coming from a small town. Putting aside her beauty, her actual conditions don't match those of any of the male guests in the room. Who would be willing to help alleviate poverty? I'm not optimistic about her future prospects.]
[+1, maybe she will attract the attention of the opposite sex at first, but after spending some time together, they will definitely dislike her.]
[The person above is mentally ill and should get treatment. Hulu behaves better than anyone else in the hut, yet you're still trapped in your thoughts. I think your brains need to evolve. Royal fans are still trying to disguise themselves as passersby. Get lost!]
People who wear tinted glasses only see Xu Qinghu's family background. I actually like her more. Xu Qinghu has worked hard on her own to become so brilliant. I really admire her.
I love her unyielding spirit and vibrant vitality. It's been a long time since I've seen such a special female guest.
[By the way, doesn't anyone think she's really that good at sales? Even if she didn't enter the entertainment industry, she could still live a good life.]
After the barbecue, it was almost time.
Xu Qinghu and Du Yanting took a taxi back to the cabin. The others had already returned and were sitting in the living room discussing today's sales process with each other.
"I chose strawberries," Ruan Xiaoyu said with a bitter face, leaning back on the sofa. "At first, some people bought them, but by the afternoon, they were a little stale. To avoid waste, I had to lower the price. I definitely won't be able to endorse them this time."
"How much did you sell it for?" Zhong Zining asked.
Ruan Xiaoyu reported the numbers, and Zhong Zining's eyes suddenly relaxed. She had chosen peaches, and with her eloquence as a restaurant owner, her sales were very impressive. It was estimated that no one in the room could be her rival.
She is already thinking about how popular her restaurant will become after getting the endorsement.
As Xu Qinghu got out of the car, someone opened the garden door and walked out. It was He Shengnian.
After seeing Xu Qinghu, his calm expression softened a bit, and he said in a gentle voice: "Are you back?"
Xu Qinghu's eyes curved slightly as he walked to his side. "When did you come back? Were you back much earlier than me?"
When the man heard this, his eyes suddenly changed. The fruit he chose was cherries, but he saw Qiao Wanshu at the entrance of the orchard.
The moment he knew that Xu Qinghu could not go with him, He Shengnian did not lose his composure. Instead, he nodded slightly to Qiao Wanshu and took her into the cherry orchard.
Compared to his coldness, Qiao Wanshu's attitude was much warmer. While picking cherries, she looked for topics to communicate with him and regarded this cooperation as extremely important.
Although He Shengnian did not avoid her question, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was deliberately keeping his distance.
After finding several topics to talk about, Qiao Wanshu suddenly fell silent. After a long while, he said, "Actually, when I saw you at the door, I was really happy. I think this is guidance from heaven. Otherwise, why would you and I choose the same fruit?"
She looked at He Shengnian stubbornly, "Don't you think we have a good understanding? This kind of understanding cannot be replaced by others."
If she could guess that He Shengnian was picking cherries, couldn't Xu Qinghu guess it? But she didn't come, which meant that He Shengnian was just so-so in her heart.
He Shengnian frowned. "It's everyone's freedom to choose which fruit to eat. It doesn't mean anything."
"Why not?" Qiao Wanshu said meaningfully, "At least in my heart, when I choose fruit, I'm choosing a person. If it's someone I like, I'll choose them without hesitation."
She was hinting at the difference between herself and Xu Qinghu. Xu Qinghu was eager for quick success and needed to weigh too many things, but she didn't need to. Her goal from the beginning to the end was him.
Compared to Xu Qinghu, her feelings for him are the most real.
He Shengnian looked at her, and Qiao Wanshu looked him straight in the eye without flinching. "I don't think some things can't be changed. It's just that I'm too slow to warm up and not very sensitive to feelings. But if I really like someone, no matter how many times I try, I will walk up to him without hesitation."
He Shengnian's eyes darkened, "I also made it clear that I will treat you——"
"I know," Qiao Wanshu interrupted him and whispered, "I'm not asking you to respond. I'm just telling you what you really think. It doesn't matter whether you respond or not."
After saying that, she turned her back to He Shengnian and continued picking cherries, as if she couldn't help telling him those words because she couldn't control the throbbing in her heart.
He Shengnian frowned even more tightly. He looked at Qiao Wanshu's back and was extremely disgusted with such entanglement.
[Qiao Qiao is so affectionate. Once she confirmed her feelings, they never changed. I was moved to tears.]
[Compared to Xu Qinghu, Qiao Wanshu is simply perfect. He Shengnian is blind.]
Xu Qinghu's choice of watermelon suggests she didn't even consider cherries. He Shengnian made a mistake; he might as well have gone with Qiao Wanshu.
[This is hilarious. What does choosing a fruit prove? Only someone from a certain royal family would resort to such tactics to get close to a man, right? Did she forget what her mission was today? If her family is rich and doesn't care about endorsements, just ignore what I said.]
Qiao's behavior is really bad. She says she's pursuing true love, but the show is almost over, and He and Xu are clearly tied together. It's hard to judge her for continuing to pursue and sow discord.
[Is this the quality of a rich lady? I've learned a lot.]
[She was afraid that He Shengnian would be successfully provoked by her and start to doubt Xu Qinghu's feelings for him.]
[Mr. He is mature and steady, he will definitely not be fooled.]
It was almost noon when the two finished picking cherries. When they drove to the city center to sell them, the situation was not as optimistic as they had imagined.
Qiao Wanshu set a very high price for the cherries, and most people left quickly when they heard it. Even if someone bought them, they just bought them to try them.
Later, she adjusted the price with He Shengnian. Although the cherries could be sold, she was still unsure about the sales volume.
Although her target was He Shengnian, she was also determined to get the endorsement. However, on the busy street, she had no way to contact her brother and could only wait anxiously.
In order to let her win, her brother will definitely not stand idly by.
Before long, several familiar figures appeared on the street corner. Qiao Wanshu's eyes suddenly lit up several times, and he said to He Shengnian, "Let's go somewhere else. Although there's a lot of traffic here, not many people buy cherries. Let's go to a high-end office building. Maybe we can try our luck."
He Shengnian was not very interested in brand endorsements, but he was willing to respect Qiao Wanshu's decision and drove to the place she specified.
There wasn't much traffic here, but as soon as the cherries were brought out, someone came up to ask the price. Before He Shengnian could say anything, Qiao Wanshu smiled and said, "Cherries are 30 yuan a pound. Buy a pound and get a free cherry juice of the same kind. You can try it in advance."
He Shengnian turned around and looked at her. The rules of the competition set the price of cherries at no less than 20 yuan and no more than 30 yuan. When they sold them before, the price was set at 20 yuan, but there were still not many buyers. If Qiao Wanshu suddenly raised the price, there might be even fewer customers buying.
Unexpectedly, after hearing the price, the man bought five kilograms without blinking, saying that this was his favorite fruit.
Qiao Wanshu smiled as he sent the man away. He turned back and said to He Shengnian, "Business here is indeed better than on the pedestrian street. We should have come here earlier."
He Shengnian looked at her without saying anything. Several groups of customers arrived after that, and they all bought cherries to some extent. The largest buyer actually bought ten kilograms, saying they would take them to the company for afternoon tea.
Their business suddenly picked up, and they even sold out all the cherries three hours early.
The comments were all praising Qiao Wanshu's sales ability, as if the endorsement was already in her pocket.
Qiao Wanshu looked up at He Shengnian and said with a smile, "Selling cherries was indeed the right choice."
"Really?" He Shengnian lowered his eyes and looked at her, his gaze became very deep and heavy, as if he saw through the little tricks used by Qiao Wanshu.
Although the person buying cherries pretended to be a stranger, he looked at Qiao Wanshu with eyes that were clearly familiar, and his attitude towards her was very polite. He didn't seem to treat her as a vendor, but more like a little princess who needed to be pampered.
The meaning of reversing the identities of customers and vendors is self-evident.
He was just filming to facilitate their sales, so he was deliberately far away and didn't capture the eye contact between Qiao Wanshu and those people, but He Shengnian saw it all clearly.
Qiao Wanshu was full of confidence and thought he would not be exposed, but in fact, his flaws were exposed from the very beginning.
Looking into He Shengnian's eyes, Qiao Wanshu finally realized something, and her heart seemed to skip a beat, "I..."
She subconsciously avoided He Shengnian's gaze and changed the subject: "Shall we go back to the cabin now?"
Although she cheated in the sales, she did it to win. As her partner, He Shengnian should not expose her.
He Shengnian didn't say anything else, but the disgust in his eyes became more and more obvious. He strode away with the fruit basket.
"He Shengnian." Qiao Wanshu hurriedly followed, wanted to explain something, but fell silent again.
She didn't need to explain to He Shengnian that it was common for people like them to use unspoken rules to reduce their burdens, and she shouldn't feel guilty.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath, followed He Shengnian's pace, and said calmly, "What do you want to eat tonight? Let's buy some food and go back."
He Shengnian remained silent until they turned a corner, then he said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "If you win, I will tell the production team the truth about this."
"You!" Qiao Wanshu's face changed drastically, and he subconsciously said: "This is all the result of my hard work. Why do you do this?"
She stiffened her neck and looked at him stubbornly, "You can't doubt me without any basis."
He Shengnian's expression was indifferent. "It's easy to get evidence."
Qiao Wanshu's breathing stagnated. She didn't expect He Shengnian to be so perceptive. If she had known this, she might as well have sold it honestly instead of giving He Shengnian the impression that she was taking advantage of the situation.
She pursed her lips, wanting to explain but not knowing where to start.
She wanted both He Shengnian and the endorsement, but she didn't expect that cherries would be so difficult to sell and she would have to rely on cheating to achieve sales.
But she has no regrets.
She already had a very bad impression in He Shengnian's mind. If she lost the endorsement because of him, it would be a real loss.
Thinking of this, she felt much better and said to He Shengnian, "There are so many cameras on the show. Mr. He probably doesn't want me to become the target of public criticism just because of a few words."
She bet that He Shengnian was not such an impulsive person. He was a very upright person who would consider the overall situation.
He Shengnian looked at her deeply, then turned and left without looking back.
"Not bad," He Shengnian came back to his senses and looked into Xu Qinghu's bright eyes. "How about you? Are you tired today?"
Xu Qinghu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he shared with him the process of selling watermelons. "Although it was a bit difficult, I still completed the task successfully."
Looking at her sparkling eyes, He Shengnian didn't tell her what Qiao Wanshu had done. He just softened his heart towards her and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Xu Qinghu shook his head and was about to say something else when he inadvertently met Wu Xuan's gaze.
He sat on the swing, glancing at her lightly, as if observing how long it would take her to notice his presence.
Xu Qinghu: "..."
She ignored him and walked into the house with He Shengnian.
Wu Xuan stood up from the swing and followed her slowly, listening to her chattering. He wondered why she never talked so much when she was with him.
As soon as he entered the living room, Xu Qinghu noticed Qiao Wanshu's gaze. She was staring at him and He Shengnian with a hint of vigilance in her eyes.
Xu Qinghu was so perceptive that he immediately guessed what might have happened between the two of them. With a slight smile on his face, he deliberately asked, "How are everyone's sales today?"
"Don't mention it," Ruan Xiaoyu sighed, "I'm definitely at the bottom."
"What are you worried about?" Wen Ruoxi said with a smile: "I'm still here."
Her partner was Wu Xuan. Although they both picked a lot of blueberries, neither of them was very active and their sales were pitifully low.
"Qiao Qiao's sales should be the best," she said, looking at Qiao Wanshu who was not far away. "Cherries sell much better than blueberries."
Qiao Wanshu smiled and said, "This is the result of the joint efforts of Mr. He and me." He was obviously very confident that he could take first place.
As for whether He Shengnian would expose her, Qiao Wanshu didn't think he would. After all, the show was coming to an end, and if he felt it was unfair, he wouldn't let it end badly. She bet he wouldn't get carried away.
Even if He Shengnian really exposed her, he would not let the audience know the inside story, but would discuss it with the program crew behind the scenes.
The worst result is just a warning from the program team.
After everyone arrived, the director appeared on camera with a smile, "Good evening, everyone. I'm sure you're all eager to know the result of the competition."
"Director, who's first place?" Ruan Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask, "Do I still have a chance?"
"Quiet," the director raised his hand to signal. "Not only are you and the audience in the live broadcast room curious about the outcome, I'm also very curious. I won't keep you in suspense here."
After saying that, he opened the envelope in his hand, and when he saw the contents inside, there was obvious surprise in his eyes.
It seems that this result was not expected.
"What's wrong?" Zhong Zining asked, "Who won?"
The director came back to his senses, his eyes noticeably different from before. He cleared his throat and said, "I won't announce the specific sales figures. I'll just announce the rankings from the bottom up. The team that takes first place will receive a perfume endorsement and an extra date for next week."
Before he finished speaking, he said crisply: "Fifth place, Wen Ruoxi, Wu Xuan."
Wen Ruoxi had expected this outcome, so she smiled at the camera, not feeling particularly disappointed. Wu Xuan sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Xu Qinghu, who was sitting across from him.
"Fourth place: Ruan Xiaoyu, You Zhi."
"Third place, Zhong Zining, Gu Jingchen."
"What?" Zhong Zining was stunned. "I worked so hard, but I only got third place?"
She thought she was the best salesperson in the room, but she only came in third? Is that right? Could the production team be manipulating this?
She looked at the director suspiciously, thinking that Xu Qinghu looked delicate and weak, how could she be her opponent? Qiao Wanshu was also a rich lady, and she would definitely not be able to bring herself to show her in public, so why were these two people ranked ahead of her?
Zhong Zining's mind was in turmoil, and no matter how she thought about it, she didn't think she would lose, but when she thought of Qiao Wanshu's identity, the corners of her mouth subconsciously pursed.
If Qiao Wanshu really used her family's power, it would be normal for him to be no match for her, but what about Xu Qinghu? How come she was ahead of him?
The final winner is naturally between Xu Qinghu and Qiao Wanshu.
The audience in the live broadcast room began to scroll through the screen frantically.
[I knew it was them. It's obvious Qiao Wanshu would win. Cherries are expensive, so Qiao Wanshu must have the highest sales!]
[After all this time, Qiao Qiao has finally surpassed Xu Qinghu. I'm looking forward to her perfume endorsement.]
[Is it too early to open the champagne upstairs? Anyone who has seen Xu Qinghu selling watermelons wouldn't say such a stupid thing.]
[Although the price of watermelons was low, Xu Qinghu picked a lot and didn't think she would lose.]
[I've watched all five groups' livestreams. Xu Qinghu has the strongest overall ability. As for a certain royal family member, why he has so many customers? He knows it all.]
[+1, Qiao Wanshu's sales process was so smooth even for me, a viewer. Is this really normal? If she takes first place, it would be a slap in the face.]
There were a lot of comments mentioning Xu Qinghu and Qiao Wanshu's names, urging the director to make an announcement quickly.
The director looked at Xu Qinghu, then at Qiao Wanshu, and cleared his throat again, "The second place is—"
Xu Qinghu raised his head and looked at Qiao Wanshu opposite him.
There was a determination in both of their eyes.
Xu Qinghu was certain that he would be the final winner, and Qiao Wanshu did not show any fear. She did not believe that even with her brother's help, she would still lose to Xu Qinghu.
Effort is nothing compared to class.
What Xu Qinghu needs a whole day to accomplish, she only needs a phone call or even a glance.
She looked at the director with a smile, as if she had already thought of her own ranking. The result was—
"Second place: Qiao Wanshu and He Shengnian."
Her expression froze instantly, and it took her a moment to realize what the director was saying. Her pupils contracted violently, and even her breathing became stagnant.
How could she only come in second? This result was like a slap in her face.
How could she lose to Xu Qinghu?
"Director, are you..." She wanted to ask if the director had seen it wrong, but when the words came to her lips, she was left with an unprecedented feeling of suffocation.
She couldn't help but look at He Shengnian, suspecting that he had told the director what he was doing in advance, which led to this result.
Otherwise, how could I lose?
"First place, Xu Qinghu and Du Yanting."
After reading out all the rankings, the director looked at Xu Qinghu with a smile, "So, this time the endorsement and date card belong to Hulu and Mr. Du. You are the final winners."
After saying that, he started to applaud, and the other people in the room also followed suit. They didn't expect that Xu Qinghu and Du Yanting could win by working together, and they couldn't help but look at her with admiration.
"As for the fairness of the competition," the director continued, "later, the program team will release each guest's sales figures and the process. Everyone can observe for themselves. The entire competition was conducted on a fair and just basis and will withstand everyone's scrutiny."
Having said that, he looked at Qiao Wanshu intently. Although he did not explicitly expose the fact that she cheated, he was already well aware of her behavior.
Qiao Wanshu's face turned pale, and his palms were almost broken by his nails.
She looked at He Shengnian again, this time no longer with full of fondness, but with obvious resentment.
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