Di Shishi was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to anything.
"Why shouldn't I say it? Tsk, you scheming Young Master Qian, the whole of Jiangcheng knows you're a sickly person. Look at you now, how do you seem like a sickly person? You've fooled everyone in Jiangcheng, how devious and cunning! You're not even as good as a finger of Zuo Xiuxian. At least he's straightforward."
Although it was a vulgar straightforwardness, Di Shishi added in her heart.
Qian Zimo raised an eyebrow and took his phone out from under the table.
"You scoundrel, did you hear that? Di Shi has always had a crush on you. In her eyes, your physique is mighty and your aura is noble." Qian Zimo said, chuckling softly, his teasing expression evident.
Di Shishi froze like a block of ice.
Qin He rubbed her forehead. "I knew something wasn't this simple. I always felt like he was trying to trick you into saying something, but I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong."
Now she understood.
The phone was on speaker, and Zuo Xiuxian's voice came through, with a hint of smugness and excitement.
"I knew my charm was irresistible to women. It's normal for Di Shi to have a crush on me. We've been friends for so many years, I can consider giving her a chance."
"Then I'll thank you on her behalf," Qian Zimo said with a smile.
Di Shishi was furious. "Consider giving me a chance?! Zuo Xiuxian, say that again!"
There was a few seconds of silence from the other end of the phone.
"Forget it, she's too fierce. I won't give her one. I prefer someone gentle and sweet."
Di Shishi was already lunging towards Qian Zimo.
Qian Zimo quickly hung up the call and innocently blinked his sly, peach blossom eyes at Di Shishi.
"You said all those things yourself, you can't blame me, can you?"
"Scoundrel! Scheming!"
Qian Zimo smiled and raised his wine glass. "Thank you for the compliment."
The three of them finished their meal, and Di Shishi was still panting.
Qin He drove, taking Di Shishi back to the competition area.
"This Zuo Xiuxian, if I ever get the chance, I'll definitely rip off all four of his limbs!"
Di Shishi was utterly enraged, her face flushed red. "Consider giving me a chance, and he likes gentle and sweet? Does he deserve it?
Seeing Di Shishi's fury, Qin He nodded while driving, "He doesn't deserve it."
The two drove back to the pink beach. Di Shishi's anger finally subsided. As they entered the villa, a woman was standing in the living room getting water. She smiled politely at them as they entered.
"You're contestants too, right? I'm Li Ya."
The woman walked towards Qin He and extended her hand.
She appeared polite, but Qin He could sense her arrogance from the disdain in her eyes.
Qin He's heart skipped a beat. Li Ya, wasn't this Zhang Caiyu, the one Qian Zimo mentioned earlier?
Di Shishi also looked Zhang Caiyu up and down curiously. "So you're Zhang Caiyu, the champion from two seasons ago?"
Zhang Caiyu looked a little embarrassed, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and said cheerfully, "A good soldier doesn't brag about past victories. That's all in the past. I'm a contestant like you now."
Although she said that, the smile on Zhang Caiyu's face couldn't be hidden, and her chin was held a little higher.
"Are you a contestant too?" Zhang Caiyu asked Di Shishi.
Di Shishi shook her head. "No."
As she spoke, Di Shishi turned and pointed at Qin He. "I'm the assistant to this year's champion."
This year's champion?
Zhang Caiyu looked at Qin He with some curiosity, and after a few seconds of recognition, she chuckled.
"I recognize you. You're the very popular Qin He on Weibo, the makeup blogger, and the eldest daughter of the Qin Corporation, aren't you?"
Qin He smiled. "Yes."
"I really enjoy watching your livestreams. You have a great talent for makeup. I didn't know you also blended perfumes," Zhang Caiyu said with a smile, her gaze subtly sweeping over Qin He's attire.
This woman in front of her was clearly here for show. Weibo had made it quite clear. However, Qin He was the eldest daughter of the Qin Corporation, and befriending her wouldn't hurt.
Zhang Caiyu's attitude became a little more enthusiastic. What if this eldest daughter of the Qin family decided to invest in her perfume brand after they became friends? That would be even better.
Qin He remembered what Qian Zimo had said: this Zhang Caiyu was known for her underhanded tactics. She wanted nothing to do with such people and merely greeted her politely.
Immediately, she turned to Di Shishi. "Weren't you complaining about being tired on the way back? Let's go back and rest."
After speaking, Qin He nodded at Zhang Caiyu. "Miss Zhang, we just came back from an outing and are a bit tired, so we'll head back to rest."
Zhang Caiyu's eyes flickered. "Okay, then you two go back and rest. We'll see each other tomorrow."
Qin He took Di Shishi back to their bedroom on the third floor. Di Shishi went into Qin He's bedroom and sat down.
"I don't think this Zhang Caiyu is as arrogant as Qian Zimo said?"
Qin He raised an eyebrow. "Do you like her?"
"I'm not that superficial to like someone after just one meeting. Although Qian Zimo is vulgar and annoying, his judgment of people and his investigations are usually accurate."
Di Shishi propped her chin on her hand. "I just feel like she's putting on such a good act, it makes me a bit worried for you. She seems very interested in you."
"What's there to worry about? It's just a competition. We'll compete fairly," Qin He said casually.
"When we came back, I saw a lot of rooms on the first floor with shoes outside the doors. It's likely that many contestants have arrived while we were out for dinner."
Qin He nodded, recalling that the staff had said rooms would be assigned tomorrow.
There were over a hundred contestants participating, and this was after the initial screening by the production team.
Qin He hadn't gone through the initial screening. She had used the Gu family's connections. Each investor could recommend one perfumer from their company to directly enter the finals.
To be honest, she was a bit of a backdoor entrant.
Di Shishi stood up. "Alright, since tomorrow is important, it's your first battle, so let's not chat anymore. I'll go back to my room to rest."
Qin He nodded. "Okay."
After Di Shishi left, Qin He walked over to her suitcase and opened it.
Inside were a few clothes and two pairs of shoes. After taking everything out and putting it away, Qin He reached for the notebook at the bottom of the suitcase.
It looked like an ordinary notebook, but it actually contained the "Wan Fang Lun."
She placed the notebook directly on the TV cabinet. Qin He had already noticed several cameras in the room. Although they weren't active yet, she figured they would be turned on once the official competition started tomorrow.