Back in the dining room, Shen Qi was greeted by an enticing aroma as soon as she entered.
"Wow, this is lavish." Shen Qi couldn't help but comment as she saw the dishes on the table. "So many dishes, how many people are eating?"
The table was piled high with at least fifty or sixty dishes.
Just her, He Yining, and the uninvited Shen Yinyin—wasn't this way too wasteful?
He Yining reached out and ruffled Shen Qi's hair. "Blackie is someone I trust, and he's my brother. His appetite is bigger than most, so I had a bit more made."
Shen Qi nodded.
Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia pulled out chairs for Shen Qi and He Yining. Shen Qi couldn't resist leaning in for a sniff and gave Blackie a thumbs-up. "Smells amazing!"
Hearing Shen Qi's praise, Blackie rubbed his large, fan-like hands together and said with a hint of shyness, "I hope the young madam doesn't mind."
"Just call me Xiao Qi. You're Yining's friend, so naturally you're my friend too." Shen Qi's smile was genuine.
Just then, Shen Yinyin walked in from outside. Seeing Blackie pulling up a specially made chair to sit beside He Yining, she shrieked sharply, "Hey, that's a place to sit! You can't sit there!"
Blackie looked utterly confused.
"Don't listen to her nonsense." Shen Qi quickly said. "You sit right there."
Shen Yinyin approached the table, glanced at the seats, and said unhappily, "Then where do I sit?"
Blackie asked, puzzled, "You should sit next to your sister, right?"
Shen Yinyin blurted out, "What? Sit next to her? Is she even worthy?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Yinyin clapped a hand over it.
Oh no, oh no—how did she let that slip?
Blackie looked stunned.
He Yining smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Shen Qi, however, didn't feel particularly awkward. After years of being beaten and scolded, if she got embarrassed over a comment like that, all her suffering would have been for nothing.
"N-no..." Shen Yinyin stammered. "I was just joking..."
Shen Qi said flatly, "Alright, stop it. This is Blackie's place; don't be rude. Sit down and eat."
Shen Yinyin shot Shen Qi a hateful glare before plopping down beside her.
The meal was thoroughly enjoyable for Shen Qi. Seeing that she genuinely liked the food, Blackie's smile grew wider. When he was happy, he couldn't help rubbing his hands together.
He'd been worried when he first heard the CEO was bringing the young madam to the island. He feared his intimidating appearance might scare her, that she might look down on a rough guy like him, or that she'd be picky and hard to get along with.
But after a few hours together, Blackie found himself liking the young madam more and more.
Gentle, calm, and without any airs. She sincerely praised others' strengths and didn't attack their weaknesses.
No wonder the CEO had brought her out into the open—she truly had exceptional qualities.
Shen Yinyin, on the other hand, noticed that the ugly old man wasn't paying her any attention but was treating Shen Qi with utmost respect. She felt the meal was practically inedible!
What was all this?
A pile of weeds!
Was this even food for humans?
She'd thought coming along would mean the finest dishes, but instead, they'd made a table full of greens!
"I'm done. I'm going back to my room to rest!" Shen Yinyin threw down her chopsticks and stormed off.
Blackie's face fell with embarrassment. "Did I say something wrong?"
Shen Qi shook her head with a smile. "No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry, Shen Yinyin was rude. Your lunch was really wonderful, and I loved it."
Shen Yinyin huffed back to her room, opened the fridge without looking, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it down.
She felt like she was going to die of anger!
All her life, she'd been the golden girl, hadn't she? Everyone had always doted on her, right? Shen Qi had always been her shadow, only fit to wear her hand-me-down clothes and shoes, only worthy of the men she didn't want, only good enough for the schools she didn't care about, only suited for the friends she dismissed!
But what was happening now?
Not only had she stolen her husband, but she was also stealing the spotlight!
This was unforgivable!
She was just the child of a mistress—how could she possibly compete with her?
And the most unforgivable part was that Blackie, that ugly, stupid old man, was ignoring her beauty and fawning over Shen Qi instead!
How could this be allowed?
That Shen Qi hadn't even tried to set her up with He Yining—was she asking for trouble?
She shouldn't have been in such a hurry to kick her idiot brother out of the house!
If she still had that fool Shen Lu under her thumb, Shen Qi would be easy to control!
She could threaten her however she wanted!
Where had that idiot Shen Lu gone anyway?
Hmph, she had to find a way to track down that fool again and get Shen Qi back under her control!
While Shen Yinyin was throwing a tantrum in her room, Shen Qi was outside in the dining room apologizing to Blackie. "Sorry, Blackie. Even though we're sisters, I'm just a stepdaughter in the Shen family. We've never gotten along well, so I'm used to her attacks. I didn't expect it to affect you too—really sorry about that!"
Blackie nodded knowingly and waved a hand. "Young madam, don't say that. I understand. I came from a family like that too! If it weren't for the CEO, I'd probably have been beaten to death by now!"
Blackie's appetite was indeed enormous. He single-handedly polished off two-thirds of all those dishes.
Shen Qi's expression throughout was one of wide-eyed disbelief.
Blackie ate quickly, then patted his belly. "Sorry, I always get sleepy after a full meal."
Shen Qi couldn't help but laugh. "No problem, go rest. Um, Yining and I will try to finish the rest!"
Once Blackie had left, Shen Qi grinned at He Yining. "Sorry, I couldn't help staring at Blackie while he was here, so I kind of neglected you! He's just so huge!"
He Yining sighed fondly and tapped her forehead. "You..."
Shen Qi couldn't help asking, "How old is Blackie? With a build like that, do any women dare to marry him?"
"Hmm... no, he's not married. He's thirty-six this year. I found him when he was twenty-four. Because of his size and features, almost no woman was willing to be with him."
He Yining cast a meaningful glance upstairs and continued, "Maybe after today, he'll have a woman."
Shen Qi looked at him, puzzled. "Huh? Why?"
"Come on, eat." He Yining didn't answer her question, instead pushing a plate toward her. "These vegetables were grown from seeds exposed to cosmic radiation in a space capsule. They've been tested and are safe to eat, though the taste is a bit different."
Shen Qi was amazed. "How did you manage that?"
"Secret." He Yining gave a mysterious smile.
Shen Qi raised an eyebrow. "I'm finding you have a lot of secrets."
"Little one, just eat." He Yining looked at her with affection. "I'll tell you eventually, but not now."
While the two were eating, Shen Yinyin, still fuming in her room, suddenly felt very strange.
Hot, so hot.
A wave of heat surged through her body.
She suddenly felt incredibly thirsty.
Stumbling to the fridge, she grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down.
Then she froze.
She looked down at the bottle—why did it look so familiar?
Where had she seen it before?
Wait, wasn't this the Italian mineral water she'd seen in He Yining's room?
What was it doing here?
The water she'd just drunk only intensified the heat inside her.
Even Shen Yinyin, as clueless as she was, realized she'd been set up!
Damn it!
Who did this?
Wasn't this water supposed to be in He Yining's room?
How had it ended up in hers before she'd even had a chance to get Shen Qi out of the way?
Her mind grew more and more chaotic.
Only one thought remained: she had to find He Yining, right now, and sleep with him no matter what!
Shen Yinyin staggered out of her room, her vision blurring.
Her steps faltered, and she had to lean against the wall to keep moving.
The heat inside her grew fiercer, burning away her ability to think.
Through the haze, a door appeared before her.
She pushed it open and stumbled inside.
She spotted someone lying on the bed, their back to her.
In her eyes, that massive, mountain-like figure slowly transformed into He Yining's elegant, tall silhouette.
"Yining, I'm here! I want to be your woman! I want to be the young madam of the He family!" Shen Yinyin lunged forward like a wild beast and threw herself onto the bed.
Having just finished lunch, Shen Qi heard a noise upstairs and looked up. "Did I hear something fall? Is something wrong?"
He Yining glanced at Xiao Chun, who nodded back.
He Yining immediately knew how far things had progressed.
He said to Shen Qi, "What noise could there be? This is our turf. Blackie probably just knocked something over in his sleep."
Shen Qi thought about it and agreed. What could possibly happen here?
"Don't go lie down right after eating—it's bad for digestion." He Yining didn't want his little bunny to see anything she shouldn't, so he quickly changed the subject. "Want to check out the lab?"
Shen Qi's eyes lit up. "Lab?"
"Yeah, there are two underground floors of labs." He Yining nodded with a smile. "The island's underground lab is as big as the island itself."
Shen Qi's mouth fell open again.
Oh my god!
What was He Yining doing on this island?
Why couldn't she understand any of it?
He Yining took her hand and led her to an elevator, unlocking it with his fingerprint before they descended.
Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia followed silently behind.
"Know why Xiao Chun and I went to the Congo?" He Yining's phoenix eyes shimmered with barely concealed amusement.
Shen Qi shook her head blankly.
"It was to sign a cooperation agreement with the Congolese government. If I can cultivate crops better suited for growth there, I'll get half the shares of all the minerals in the Congo." He Yining's voice was calm, but his words hit Shen Qi like a bombshell, leaving her speechless.
No wonder the He family was so formidable—their industrial chain was terrifyingly vast.