Seeing that Sheng Jiu didn't understand, Sheng Si Yu coughed lightly. Once Ares was out of sight, she whispered, "I think it's alright. If it really doesn't work out, you can date him. If your partner helps you with the work, he won't ask for salaries, right?"
Hearing this, Sheng Jiu turned around, looking at her with surprise: "Sis, you want me to get something for free?"
Sheng Jiu was too embarrassed to do that!
Sheng Si Yu rolled her eyes: "How can you put it so harshly? We've invested feelings, haven't we?"
Sheng Jiu: ...
She chuckled, giving Sheng Si Yu a push: "Go away, go away, go away! Is that how you tease your own sister?"
Sheng Si Yu chuckled, while Sheng Jiu looked at her helplessly.
Neither of them knew that Ares, with his keen hearing, had overheard every word of the sisters' conversation.
He struggled to control his steps, and only when he reached the second floor did his ears turn bright red.
By the time Ares composed himself and came downstairs, Sheng Si Yu had already left.
Sheng Jiu was about to pull down the roller shutter when she saw two people rushing straight towards her.
Sheng Jiu instinctively quickened her pace, slamming the door shut and locking it.
The two who arrived later: …
Qiao Zheng Yuan, left with no other option, took out his phone and announced that it was him, he had come to collect iridium!
Sheng Jiu recognized him, it was Qiao Xiu Wei's brother.
After exchanging messages on WeChat and confirming they matched, Sheng Jiu reopened the door.
The iridium metal was upstairs, a private area, and Sheng Jiu didn't want anyone easily going up there.
So, she had Ares go upstairs and bring it down.
Watching Sheng Jiu so casually toss the precious metal into an ordinary plastic bucket, Qiao Zheng Yuan looked heartbroken.
The young man who came with him also looked like his heart was breaking: "Aiya, how could you do this? Don't touch it! Don't touch it!"
Ares looked puzzled: "Don't worry, it won't break."
Besides, its structure is stable and it won't decompose, so there's no need to be so afraid.
Although Qiao Zheng Yuan understood, but he still couldn't control his subconscious reaction.
Because it was a synthetic metal, they needed to go back and extract it to know the exact quantity.
However, to reassure Sheng Jiu, Qiao Zheng Yuan proactively took out the contract and cash: "Although the quantity is uncertain, but if you trust me, I can take it back first, break it down, and then weigh it. If you're not comfortable with that, we can find a good lab to help."
"The recycling price for iridium metal is roughly between 700 and 800, but this fluctuates depending on the daily metal price. We'll place the order now, and when we calculate the payment, we'll use the highest recycling price from the past few days."
"Here's a 100,000 deposit. We'll calculate the total price once the exact weight is available."
"Here's the contract I prepared. Please check if there are any problems. If there's anything you don't understand or have any questions, we can discuss it further."
...
Qiao Zheng Yuan was very well prepared.
To be honest, Sheng Jiu didn't understand any of this.
She looked at Ares.
Ares: ?
Ah, he doesn't understand either.
He's only scratched the surface of the situation here.
Seeing his blank expression, Sheng Jiu asked the system.
[I'm just a food system ah!]
So, it doesn't know how to read contracts.
Left with no other option, Sheng Jiu had to look among her classmates.
She scrolled through her contacts and found He Ling.
He Ling was her and Qiao Xiu Wei's university roommate, a minor internet celebrity with over a million followers.
Sheng Jiu guessed that the other party should understand contracts.
Sheng Jiu first messaged the other party, asking if it was convenient for her to connect via video call.
After receiving a reply that it was convenient, the video call was initiated.
With He Ling's help, reviewing the contract went smoothly.
After reviewing the contract, Sheng Jiu politely said, "I'm sorry, I don't know much about these things, so I had to find someone who does to take a look."
Qiao Zheng Yuan didn't mind at all: "It's only natural. We're not familiar with each other, so following the normal procedures will put everyone at ease."
Qiao Zheng Yuan's lab really needed these materials, so the price he offered was very fair.
Sheng Jiu secretly checked online and found the price was about the same as what he had quoted.
The handover went smoothly, and Sheng Jiu didn't bother finding another place to disassemble it, she simply let Qiao Zheng Yuan and the other take it back.
Qiao Zheng Yuan and the other came and went in a hurry.
Sheng Jiu had originally wanted to leave some food, but…
There were no ingredients left!
The Ares team members would have to eat noodles today.
Qiao Zheng Yuan was indeed in a hurry, so he quickly left with the things.
After everyone left, Sheng Jiu finally managed to pull down the roller shutter.
She cooked two large pots of noodles for Ares' teammates.
The last bit of tomatoes were used up.
While cooking the noodles, Sheng Jiu mentioned to Ares her desire to eat frosty water crab: "I wonder if the crab roe of this kind of crab is good? Is it plentiful? Is it a bright golden color and smells delicious?"
If she hadn't described it, it would have been fine. But once she did, Ares was immediately captivated.
Thinking of a crab several times his size, Ares thought…
Then the crab roe must be huge, right?
Sheng Jiu was fine until she mentioned it, and now that she did, she was really looking forward to it: "Crab roe sauce noodles, crab roe tofu, crab roe vermicelli casserole, crab roe shumai... slurp!"
Ares: Slurp!
The two, yearning for delicious ingredients, readily agreed to go on an adventure that afternoon!
When Ares carried the bucket of noodles upstairs, he was met with Paul's dark gaze.
Paul's dark green eyes stared intently at the two coming upstairs.
His gaze seemed to say: You actually know to come up?
He fed him a few bites and then ran off—is that something a human would do?
Ares ate from a basin, while he was full after just one bowl?
Paul's stomach had been growling countless times from the delicious aroma wafting from downstairs.
But nobody paid him any attention!
Paul had never felt so wronged!
Seeing people approaching, he finally couldn't hold back his tears.
Unfortunately, his mouth was gagged, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Realizing this, Paul cried even harder.
Seeing this scene, Sheng Jiu was somewhat surprised: "Pirates can cry?"
Paul: ?
What nonsense are you talking about?
What?
Aren't pirates human?
Ares hadn't expected Paul to actually cry either.
He hesitated for a moment at Sheng Jiu's question: "...He might cry, right?"
Paul roared, trying to explain himself, but his voice almost vanished as it reached the rag.
Paul was even angrier, but he was too weak from hunger to do anything, so he simply lay down and pretended to be dead.
Ares, fearing Sheng Jiu might soften her heart, specifically instructed before leaving, "He won't starve anytime soon, don't worry about him. When I get back, I'll just get him some leftovers."
Paul: ...
Don't go too far, Commander Sel!
Ares winked at Sheng Jiu as he spoke.
Sheng Jiu instantly understood, and said with a troubled expression, "...Won't he starve? Even though he's a prisoner, he's still a human being."