Chapter 99 The task of taking the portrait to the information processing department was naturally assigned to Wang Yu, He...
The task of taking the portrait to the information processing department was naturally handed over to Wang Yu. He Zhao and the other tall men left, quickly packed up their stall, got on their electric bikes, and headed home. She rode much faster than usual; thankfully, the system was watching the road for her, otherwise, an accident would have been the least of her worries.
If her image were captured on surveillance cameras and uploaded online, it would definitely become another legendary tale of the fastest speed on Mount Akina.
He Zhao sped home, her face chilled by the wind. She really wanted to see Qiao Yanyu, but then she realized that Qiao Yanyu was still resting and it wouldn't be right to disturb her.
She didn't even dare to go to the door of Qiao Yanyu's bedroom. She knew that Qiao Yanyu had keen senses, and if she went to the door, she might wake Qiao Yanyu up.
He Zhao thought she would be somewhat disappointed because she didn't see Qiao Yanyu. But in reality, she was very happy, even excited. Especially seeing the remaining decorations in the living room, she suddenly realized: yesterday wasn't a dream, it was all real, Qiao Yanyu really was her girlfriend!
Having figured this out, He Zhao returned to her room. She immediately threw herself onto the bed and pounded on it to calm her overwhelming excitement.
Just then, the system popped up, seeking attention: "Host, shall we start learning how to cook simple home-style stir-fries now?"
"...It doesn't have to be that fast. Let me wake up first, I'm sleepy right now."
Forgive the system for being blunt, but it really couldn't see that He Zhao was sleepy. But since the host had said so, it couldn't very well contradict him directly. Otherwise, the host would get angry and might just lie and say that he wasn't going to study anymore or that he had never said such a thing in the first place.
The system was truly helpless against He Zhao.
Just as the system said, He Zhao wasn't actually that sleepy; she forced herself to fall asleep. When she woke up, the system pulled her directly into the system space, and she was still wearing her own pajamas—with an apron tied on top.
He Zhao was somewhat dazed, but the scene before her quickly made her realize that she had entered the system space again, and it was the same old story—she had to start learning everything from scratch. Looking at the small vegetable patch in front of her, He Zhao almost choked.
The vegetable garden was planted with many vegetables, which were already lush and green, and looked very pleasing.
But He Zhao felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, "You're not going to make me start from farming, are you?"
If the system had dared to say "yes," He Zhao would have devoured it right now. Fortunately, the system was sensible enough to understand this, and it replied: "No."
But before He Zhao could praise its tact, the system continued: "[However, the host needs to start identifying vegetables from the ground up, because the host is completely clueless about grains. They can't even distinguish between leeks and garlic leaves. Going out to buy vegetables under these circumstances, they are very likely to be cheated.]"
[Besides, the host can't distinguish between pea shoots and alfalfa sprouts, soybean sprouts and mung bean sprouts, romaine lettuce and lettuce leaves... Therefore, the host needs to start with the most basic vegetable identification before learning to cook simple home-style stir-fries.]
He Zhao was actually a little unconvinced. They were just vegetables, how could she not tell the difference?
But when he saw fields full of vegetables swaying in the wind, He Zhao admitted that he really couldn't tell them apart.
Even though He Zhao was extremely reluctant, he still began the most basic vegetable identification journey. The systematic vegetable identification tutorial was very impressive. It could not only distinguish vegetables by their appearance, taste, and state, but also play videos of how to cook them and the entire process from planting to harvesting when you picked up a vegetable.
The cutting-edge teaching technology, combined with an edutainment approach, gave He Zhao the illusion that he was being treated like a preschool child.
Even so, it took He Zhao three whole days to learn these dishes. After finishing, He Zhao wanted to exit the teaching mode and return to reality, but it was clear that the system had He Zhao under its control.
[Host, you didn't learn a single dish today. If you leave the system space like this, Qiao Yanyu will still have to eat takeout or drink chicken soup, which she's been drinking for days.]
Humans cannot fall in love, otherwise they will be easily controlled by the system.
He Zhao didn't want to be manipulated, but she really had no choice. He Zhao gritted her teeth, truly gritted her teeth, but she still said, "Fine, I'll fight back."
She originally planned to study for a while before going to the real world, but because it took her a long time just to learn how to distinguish between different kinds of vegetables, three months had passed by the time she came out of the system space after learning to cook a simple stir-fry with one large meat dish, one small meat dish, and one vegetable dish.
He Zhao sat on the bed, speechless for a moment. She had a feeling that the system had figured out how to control her.
How awful! Absolutely awful!
He Zhao got out of bed, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and went out. It was already past noon. She definitely wouldn't be able to cook for Qiao Yanyu at noon, so she could only go out in the afternoon and cook for Qiao Yanyu in the evening. She was full of confidence. Although the system said that her cooking was mediocre and she couldn't possibly graduate, it was still a dish that she had diligently studied for three months to learn.
Yes, it's a very simple dish.
The vegetarian dish was stir-fried spinach, the light meat dish was scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and the main meat dish was stir-fried pork with green peppers.
Strictly speaking, He Zhao didn't even consider scrambled eggs with tomatoes to be a minor meat dish, nor did she consider stir-fried pork with green peppers to be a major meat dish, but it was already a fairly simple dish. He Zhao might really not have any talent for cooking; even such a simple dish required her to learn for three months.
However, at least it was edible, and He Zhao even thought it tasted quite good, much better than what she had eaten at restaurants before. She wasn't someone who hadn't seen the world; she was a regular at those restaurants where the average cost was two or three thousand yuan, but compared to those restaurants, hers was much tastier.
It's also possible that those restaurants with an average price of two or three thousand yuan per person actually don't serve very good food...
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Qiao Yanyu sitting on the living room sofa, her wheelchair beside her, her legs hanging naturally without any support. She was holding a book and reading, but seemed to realize He Zhao was there, so she put the book down. He Zhao quickly went over and asked with some concern, "Sister Qiao, isn't it bad for your legs to hang down like that? Won't they swell up?"
Qiao Yanyu hummed in agreement and explained briefly, "It's alright, I'll just leave it for a while. Elevating my legs every day isn't very comfortable, this way I'll feel a little better."
"Oh, I see."
Qiao Yanyu added, "I ordered some takeout for you. I was worried you'd be hungry when you got up and would have to order more, which would be very late. It's in the kitchen; you can heat it up in the microwave."
“Okay,” she said, walking towards the kitchen for a while before turning back to ask Qiao Yanyu, “Sister Qiao, have you eaten?” She had initially gone straight to the kitchen out of habit; she lived alone and figured she’d eat as soon as there was food. But she stopped and asked Qiao Yanyu because she truly cared about her and was concerned about whether she had eaten.
Upon hearing He Zhao's words, Qiao Yanyu replied, "I've already eaten."
He Zhao then went to the kitchen.
The takeout boxes on the kitchen counter had their outermost packing straps removed, and several boxes were neatly stacked together. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that there were three dishes and a boxed meal inside. Through the transparent plastic bag, it was easy to see the contents: a braised chicken, a stir-fried potato and green pepper dish, and a steamed egg.
Clearly, the food was ordered according to He Zhao's taste. She prefers lighter flavors, but still likes the taste of soy sauce; even the steamed egg had a layer of brown soy sauce on top. This is completely different from Qiao Yanyu's taste, who likes spicy food, and quite spicy at that.
Actually, one serving would have been enough for the two of them, but Qiao Yanyu ordered a separate serving to cater to He Zhao's taste.
"Hehehe..." He Zhao looked at the boxed lunch that was specially ordered for her and could laugh like an idiot for a while. She didn't put the disposable takeout container directly into the microwave to heat it up. Even a rich girl should have some common sense.
The quality of takeout containers varies greatly. Even if it says they're made of PP material and microwave-safe, the quality is still questionable. So the best way is to use heat-resistant, everyday bowls and plates. He Zhao took a plate from the cupboard, opened the takeout container, picked out some rice and vegetables, and after confirming it was enough for him, closed the container again and put it in the refrigerator.
She would never have done something like this before; she would have simply thrown away the leftovers—who would eat that anyway? But now she's a poor woman, and every little bit helps. Besides, now that she's dating Qiao Yanyu, she definitely needs to contribute to some of their living expenses.
They're living at Qiao Yanyu's house and only paying the same rent as before, and Qiao Yanyu even covers the utilities. They can't expect her to be completely stingy in other areas and rely entirely on her. They're dating, not Qiao Yanyu providing targeted poverty alleviation.
Of course, if something unexpected happens, whether it's you or Qiao Yanyu who loses her job, it's normal to rely on each other a little more in that situation. But you can't live off each other every day.
Given He Zhao's personality, he wouldn't do such a thing.
He Zhao is a shameless person who still has a sense of shame.
Needless to say, Qiao Yanyu is probably the kind of person who would try her best to earn money even if she lost her job, afraid that He Zhao would go hungry. Now that he had thought about this, He Zhao began to seriously consider what to do if Qiao Yanyu lost her job.
In the long run, Qiao Yanyu definitely can't continue working as an investigator. The job is extremely difficult and dangerous. Before, she was single and had no family to worry about; even if she died halfway through, she wouldn't have any concerns. But now Qiao Yanyu is dating him, so how can she take on such a dangerous job?
Right now, she can use "protecting He Zhao" as an excuse to turn down other jobs, and she can also refuse assignments outside the city. But once the director discovers that there's something fishy going on between them, given his cunning nature, he'll definitely fire her from the "protecting He Zhao" job and find a way to give Qiao Yanyu other work.
Even if we take a step back, Qiao Yanyu's serious and responsible work attitude doesn't seem like the kind of person who takes advantage of official positions, gets paid, and then flirts with He Zhao.
How to successfully support Qiao Yanyu after she left the company has become a major headache for He Zhao.
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