Without hesitation, they began checking their supply list and looking through their purchases.
Finally, they pulled out a few ingredients they didn’t really need and, gritting their teeth, handed them over to Gu Zhaoping’s group.
People were running back and forth in a flurry, desperate to unload everything from their baskets before time ran out.
At this point, Su Yubai also jumped in to help and said, “I’ll do it.”
He brought over a pile of ingredients that Gu Zhaoping needed and placed them on her table—and that was the first moment he and Gu Zhaoping made eye contact.
Su Yubai held her gaze a few seconds longer than the others, but to Gu Zhaoping, it didn’t seem very noticeable.
She didn’t spare the young man even a glance.
The one who did glance at him more than once was Chu Yanze.
A moment later, Su Yubai felt his basket tugged slightly from the side.
He froze.
Looking up, he saw Chu Yanze had already placed the ingredients beside himself, pressing down on them with his hand in a way that clearly said, “These are mine.”
Expression calm, he looked at Su Yubai and said plainly:
“Thanks. Take a jug of oil and go.”
There was something strange in the way this man looked at him.
Su Yubai lowered his eyes and smirked.
He knew exactly what kind of people would be around Sister Zhaoping, so after a few more exchanged glances with Chu Yanze, he already had an idea.
He said thank you and turned to leave.
The one-minute countdown was almost up.
Gu Zhaoping got ready to stop the clock.
Ruan Nian’s group was still standing there frozen, unable to make a decision.
Looking at the Li siblings, it was clear they weren’t going to swallow their pride.
Ruan Nian didn’t want to either, but then what would happen to their group?
Forget it—Ruan Nian decided to sacrifice herself.
When this gets edited into the show, she’ll be praised as the one who gave in.
Those two siblings will just end up getting scolded in comparison.
For the sake of her image, she figured it was worth it.
Once things settle down, the audience will see how she suffered and sympathize with her again.
Yeah, all things considered, this wasn’t a bad group to be in.
She’d just eat this loss for now.
Clenching her teeth, she grabbed a basket of ingredients that Gu Zhaoping wanted and ran over—but instead of putting it in front of Gu Zhaoping, she placed it next to Chu Yanze.
Panting, she looked up and said, “Chu Yanze, I want to trade with you—give me the oil, okay?”
This line was completely unnecessary—once the ingredients were confirmed by their group, she could have just taken a jug of oil.
But this was her CP (on-screen romantic partner).
Ruan Nian figured she might as well lean into it for fan service.
After all, they were a hot CP but split into rival teams.
Now she was suffering and alone—CP fans would eat this up.
She wasn’t grouped with Chu Yanze, and he wasn’t protecting her—so she figured this would boost her sympathy points.
Looking at him with determination, Chu Yanze was checking the ingredients but suddenly frowned—something seemed off.
He was about to say something when he noticed Ruan Nian staring straight at him.
Instantly, he got goosebumps.
He already knew Ruan Nian was a bit strange—but that look?
What even was that look?
Chu Yanze took a cautious step back, even instinctively shifted to stand behind Sister Zhaoping.
That movement instantly triggered a reaction—the previously dormant system in Ruan Nian’s head suddenly woke up and warned:
【Nian Nian, what’s happening? Stop immediately! One of your main affection-value targets is losing affection fast! Be careful!】
What?! Ruan Nian was stunned, not even processing what the alert meant.
But before she could react, Gu Zhaoping cut off the countdown and said:
“Time’s up.”
Chu Yanze quickly came back to his senses and told Gu Zhaoping:
“Sister Zhaoping, the ingredients their group brought for the trade were short in weight, so we didn’t accept the exchange.”
Gu Zhaoping glanced over and nodded.
“This concludes the ingredient purchasing round. From here on out, please do your best with what you’ve got.”
She gave everyone a cool once-over.
Her gaze barely lingered on Ruan Nian—a fleeting glance, treating her as just part of the crowd.
The production team stood there dumbfounded as Gu Zhaoping wrapped up the round with total control.
Her timing signaled the end—no one could argue.
Ruan Nian’s eyes widened—what did Chu Yanze just say?
He accused her of shorting the ingredients?
She felt a rush of breath stuck in her chest.
How could he say that? Weren’t they a beloved CP?
What did this mean?
Was he implying she lacked business ethics, trying to trade short-weighted goods for essential oil?
That wasn’t the point—she came over to appear humble and gain sympathy!
But if this airs, how will her image survive?
She’ll come off like someone trying to sneak a deal!
Looking at Chu Yanze, Ruan Nian thought—has he gone mad?
They’re such a popular CP—why isn’t he using this chance to interact with her and boost their popularity?
There’s no downside!
“Chu Yanze, you must’ve miscounted. I brought exactly what the production gave me—how could it be short?”
Ruan Nian forced herself to speak, even though she was already deeply embarrassed, wanting to clarify things.
But Chu Yanze, ever the blunt one, just shook his head and said seriously:
“I counted. A normal basket of fish like this should have 20, packed tight with no gaps. But your basket had two gaps—they were crooked. That’s not how they should be arranged. So, at least two are missing.”
Ruan Nian was speechless.
Was he just picking a fight?
They didn’t even touch the food—how could it be short?
But just as she turned to point back at their spot, she froze—on the ground lay two fish, still covered in ice.
That was from earlier, when they stacked several baskets during bidding.
The ice must have melted, and two fish slipped out.
What the—
Seriously?
This much of a coincidence?
Ruan Nian stood there stunned.
How could this happen?
Why was she so unlucky?
Then it hit her—her charm points had dropped earlier, and her luck stat took a hit.
Could the point deduction mean bad luck was bound to follow to balance it out?
Her heart clenched tight, almost suffocating her as fear set in.
Li Xunxi never wanted to beg Gu Zhaoping for a trade to begin with.
Seeing Ruan Nian make a fool of herself only made her angrier:
“Ruan Nian! Get back here—what are you still doing over there?!”
She nearly blurted out: Are you dumb?
Group 3 has oil now too—you could trade with them!
Why insist on dealing with Gu Zhaoping?
Ruan Nian had a good reputation and was a famous actress.
Could she really be this much of a brainless pretty face?
Holding a grudge and running into conflict head-on?
Li Xunxi couldn’t stand it anymore.
She yanked the dazed Ruan Nian back to their group.
“It’s over, fine! Let’s just go prep for the restaurant—we’re done here.”
She held in her anger.
She couldn’t stand being here another minute or she’d explode.
Only now did the director snap out of it.
Wait a minute… weren’t they supposed to be the ones controlling the scene?
Somehow, things had developed to this point.
The director was completely baffled, scratching his head awkwardly.
When he looked again at Gu Zhaoping, his eyes unconsciously carried a sense of caution and awe—this person was terrifying.
Thinking back to all his previous impressions of Gu Zhaoping, he suddenly felt a chill.
“Alright then… hmm, that concludes the auction round. Everyone, please do your best from here on!”
Chu Yanze finally let out a breath of relief. Seeing Ruan Nian being dragged away by Li Xunxi, that intense sense of looming danger finally dissipated.
He couldn’t explain to anyone why he felt such strong wariness toward Ruan Nian—he could only firmly oppose interacting with her through his own actions.
At this moment, Liang Zhiwei also patted her chest.
This whole process had really been a narrow escape.
But as she looked at the full basket of ingredients that Chu Yanze was holding in his arms, she still asked Gu Zhaoping in confusion:
“Zhaoping-jie, you’re so smart. But how were you sure we’d be able to monopolize the oil? What if someone else had already thought of that and acted first?”
“We couldn’t have,” Gu Zhaoping replied with a calm tone and a casual expression as she walked forward.
She wasn’t empty-handed either—she carried a basket of ingredients in her arms, making her seem approachable.
She usually didn’t explain much to others, but since Liang Zhiwei was genuinely puzzled, Gu Zhaoping opened her mouth to speak while walking:
“Li Xunwen’s group couldn’t have monopolized it. They only had a bit over 20,000 in funds. We had 50,000. Even if they raised the oil price to 25,000, we still had enough to cover it. That’s a certainty.”
“The third group couldn’t do it either. After deducting stall and kitchenware costs, they had just over 60,000 left. We had 50,000. But they have four people. When four people have to make a decision, it’s harder to reach consensus. They wouldn’t risk making a bold move and attracting others’ criticism.”
“Besides, with the money they had left, they already had enough to buy everything they needed. There was no reason to go to all this trouble to trade with others.”
At this point, Gu Zhaoping’s voice even carried a bit of amusement as she joked:
“The only good thing about a dictatorship… is this.”
“We’re the only ones who could monopolize the oil.”
“Come on, let’s go see what our restaurant will look like.”
Gu Zhaoping put the phone she’d been browsing away into her pocket.
She had already observed the surroundings and had a plan in mind.
Liang Zhiwei stood rooted in place, dumbfounded.
…She thought of all this right after hearing the rules?
She forced all her opponents into a dead-end this quickly?
Zhaoping-jie… just what did she used to do before this?!