Chapter 42: Future Resources

Su Xiang was busy socializing while Yu Tao happily watched Qi Fei eat, occasionally picking food for her.

As they ate and chatted, the group belatedly realized that Qi Fei's appetite was actually larger than that of the grown men combined.

For a full hour, Qi Fei's chopsticks had not stopped moving, and she had already finished three or four servings of dessert.

Seeing how much Qi Fei enjoyed them, Yu Tao had a few more portions sent over.

"What's wrong? Why isn't anyone else eating? It's really good," Qi Fei asked, looking up in confusion as she noticed everyone staring at her.

"Don't be polite. If it's not enough, we'll order more. Xiangxiang is treating."

Su Xiang: "..."

To keep her ears peaceful, Qi Fei had directly blocked her mind-reading ability for the moment, so she had no idea that her appetite had shocked everyone.

Su Xiang had already witnessed Qi Fei's appetite the day before, which was why she understood why everyone was staring at her.

"You guys will get used to it. Qiqi is just a foodie."

Qi Fei: "..."

Su Xiang knew the food here was delicious, which was why she chose this restaurant. Qi Fei shot Su Xiang a sidelong glance and went back to eating.

"Seriously, Feifei, with an appetite like yours... why are you still so slim?" Ba Yong asked, genuinely astonished.

"You barely weigh eighty pounds, Feifei. Where do you put all this food?"

This was what puzzled and amazed them the most.

Other artists wouldn't dare eat this much; to maintain their figures, they usually only chewed on salad greens. It was simply incredible that Qi Fei could eat like this and still remain so thin.

"I think I know why..."

As soon as Bai Chunle said this, everyone turned to look at him. He raised his phone, on the screen of which was a video of Qi Fei sparring with Gu Bing.

He had merely been curious about Qi Fei's past and happened to stumble upon this video while browsing.

One by one, the others quickly took out their phones to search, and soon everyone was watching the video Bai Chunle had just opened.

"Feifei, are you really this skilled in martial arts?" they wondered, assuming the video was genuine.

Both Yu Tao and Su Xiang had also seen the video. Since Su Xiang had already witnessed Qi Fei's skills firsthand, she wasn't particularly surprised.

Seeing how astonished everyone looked, Su Xiang said,

"Qiqi's martial arts skills are good enough to handle a house full of grown men like us with ease." The pride in her tone was so evident that anyone unaware might have thought a parent was bragging about their child.

Qi Fei had no hobby of going around showing off her martial arts skills, so she waved a hand dismissively. "I just learned a bit of self-defense, that's all."

Pointing to the empty dessert cup in front of her, she said, "Xiangxiang, I'd like another serving of this dessert."

"Alright." Su Xiang turned around to call the waiter.

Su Xiang was gradually getting used to Qi Fei calling her Xiangxiang.

From initially getting goosebumps upon hearing it, to trying to correct her later, to eventually thinking *just let her call me that since I can't correct it anyway*, she had now reached the point of complete habit.

If the others had previously doubted the relationship between Qi Fei and Su Xiang, after this meal, no one viewed them as a couple or as a sugar daddy and kept woman. After all, Su Xiang had been bossed around by Qi Fei the entire time.

This made the whole dynamic feel rather magical to them, as Qi Fei maintained the upper hand throughout.

Logically speaking, Qi Fei was merely an entertainer. While ordinary people might look up to celebrities, in the eyes of genuinely wealthy individuals, they really didn't amount to much.

This was precisely why the group was so curious about the origins of their peculiar dynamic.

This was Su Xiang's first time seeing the video as well. Remembering how Qi Fei's filming had stalled previously, she found it hard to fathom.

"With skills and acting like yours, how could you keep failing to pass your scenes through NGs?" Su Xiang hadn't been on set and didn't know the specific situation, but judging just from the behind-the-scenes footage, it shouldn't have happened.

Qi Fei swallowed the food in her mouth and nonchalantly replied, "There were some issues with the emotional scenes."

Su Xiang: "..."

This answer caught Su Xiang completely off guard. Weren't romantic scenes supposed to be an actor's comfort zone?

Qi Fei was busy and had no time to satisfy Su Xiang's curiosity.

Before ending the dinner, Su Xiang handed out a red envelope to each person, giving it the grand-sounding title of "shock-calming money."

The others accepted it out of mere politeness. Only Qi Fei opened her red envelope right away, and upon seeing the ten million written on the check, her jaw dropped so wide she could barely close it.

"Xiangxiang, are you really this rich?!"

Qi Fei was genuinely astonished, but she quickly realized the truth. Su Xiang's euphemism of "shock-calming money" was actually hush money, meant to ensure the incident wouldn't be leaked.

Furthermore, the production team's negligence had indeed frightened everyone, so offering some financial compensation was only proper.

Realizing this, Qi Fei stuffed the check back into the red envelope, guessing that her amount probably included a bonus for gratitude and differed from the others'.

To avoid putting Su Xiang on the spot, Qi Fei tucked the red envelope directly into her pocket.

Sure enough, when she returned to the hotel, Qi Fei saw that the amounts in the others' envelopes were each 6.66 million.

It was a generous gesture.

Although it wasn't as much as her own, the total sum for everyone was by no means small.

Seeing the smiles blooming on their faces, Qi Fei understood that no amount of smooth talking from Su Xiang could ever compare to the practical effectiveness of hard cash.

Notice how all their lingering resentment had suddenly vanished.

There were no recording tasks scheduled for the night, and the crew was busy cooperating with the police investigation, leaving them to their own devices. Soon enough, the four of them knocked on Qi Fei's door while carrying a mountain of snacks.

After what happened today, none of them would be able to fall asleep anytime soon, which explained why all four men were standing outside Qi Fei's door.

"I asked my wife, and she said these are definitely the snacks girls love most," Ba Yong said with a proud expression.

"As if you picked out a single one of these yourself."

"How are we supposed to repay this lifesaving grace, brothers? Do you really plan to settle it with just some snacks? You're treating Feifei like a three-year-old child." Bai Chunle, who had carried snacks and fruits all the way while wearing an innocent expression, finally couldn't hold it in any longer as they reached the door.

Seeing Bai Chunle's adorable and naive look, the others couldn't help laughing.

Before he could finish saying "Let's treat debts separately," Qi Fei opened the door and appeared before them. Qi Fei had heard the commotion outside for a while but had simply chosen to ignore it. To speak realistically, the moment she intervened, she already knew these people would eventually become part of her personal network.

There was no use pretending to be noble; everyone acted out of self-interest.

Especially in an industry where one needed connections to avoid being bullied, she wasn't foolish enough to make no plans for the future.

When danger struck, everyone's instinctive first reaction was to look out for themselves. Self-preservation was innate.

Once she was certain that even within the blast radius, extricating herself from danger posed no real problem, her thoughts naturally went further.

To claim she had no ulterior motives when saving people would be a lie—at least for someone like her who had survived the harshness of the doomsday world, it was impossible to be entirely devoid of calculated thoughts. Self-sacrificing saints who always put others first probably had their graves flattened long ago in the apocalypse.

Building her network through her own abilities didn't mean harming anyone else, nor did her actions cause injury to others. Qi Fei didn't feel there was anything wrong with her thoughts or methods.

She didn't expect the four men to behave in any particular way just because she saved them. Having long seen through the darker sides of human nature, she refused to harbor overly grand illusions about anyone.

She would be thoroughly satisfied if, in the future, they simply chose not to kick her when she was down and offered a helping hand within their capabilities whenever their interests didn't clash.

She never fantasized about others sacrificing their own interests to help her.

"Why are you guys here?"

"Please come in."

Seeing Qi Fei emerge, they swallowed the rest of their unfinished sentences.

After welcoming them inside, Qi Fei's eyes lit up as if she were only just noticing the snacks.

Noticing Qi Fei's sparkling eyes, Bai Chunle, who was walking at the back, leaned in close to Ba Yong and whispered, "Feifei really is a little foodie."

"Feifei, come here. We bought all these for you. Tell me what you like, and I'll open it for you."

Du Hui's daughter was already fifteen years old this year, making Qi Fei only a few years older than her. Coupled with today's events, the way Du Hui looked at Qi Fei was reminiscent of how he looked at his own daughter, and his tone was entirely that of someone coaxing a child.

Even Bai Chunle, the youngest of the four, was three years older than Qi Fei, while the other three were in their late thirties, rapidly approaching forty.

"Brother Chunle, please sit down." Qi Fei pulled Bai Chunle, who was standing awkwardly aside, down to sit on the carpet.

The sofa wasn't large, so the two younger ones could just sit on the carpet.

She obediently accepted the snacks Du Hui shoved into her hands and nibbled on them.

*Feifei is just too adorable.*

*Feifei's innocent and cute look is simply too precious.*

At that moment, all four men watched Qi Fei with broad smiles as she munched on her snacks.

Qi Fei overheard their inner thoughts, and to be honest, this was precisely the effect she wanted. Having survived in the apocalypse for so many years, Qi Fei had long ago reached a conclusion: never let people think you are overly shrewd or calculating, because if they do, they won't offer you sincere affection and will only remain on guard against you.

"Brother Xu, Brother Hui, Brother Yong, Brother Chunle, what's wrong with you guys?"

"You're smiling so wide it's giving me goosebumps."