Liu Yi walked over to Cui Yuelan, leaned in slightly, and sniffed. "What perfume are you wearing?" "Guerlain," Cui Yuelan replied. "What, do you like this one too?" "Uh..." Liu Yi flashed a handsome smile, lowering his voice to whisper in Cui Yuelan's ear, "What if I said I prefer Chanel? Would you switch to Chanel for me?" After saying this, Liu Yi tilted his head slightly, let out a soft laugh, and his breath brushed directly against Cui Yuelan's cheek. In one fluid motion, Liu Yi straightened up and walked away, the entire sequence seamless and unhurried. "See you later." Liu Yi turned and left, waving a hand as he went, his cool and effortless demeanor infuriatingly charming. Cui Yuelan stared at Liu Yi's retreating figure and couldn't help but stomp her foot. What a infuriating man! He actually likes Chanel? But so what? It's not like she doesn't have Chanel! Liu Yi, I won't let you slip through my fingers! Shen Qi had just ordered a drink when the waiter immediately brought over a glass of milk. "Oh, sorry, I didn't order milk," Shen Qi said to the waiter. "Did you bring this to the wrong table?" "No mistake, Miss Shen. This is your exclusive milk," the waiter replied respectfully. Exclusive milk? What on earth is that? Shen Qi took a sip of the milk and froze instantly. This milk was... the He family's private supply. But how could it be here? The He family's milk came from completely unpolluted sources, with their own cows producing milk that was airlifted directly to the country. The taste was impossible for any other brand to imitate. Could it be that He Yining had sent it here? No, that couldn't be. Since he had already chosen Cui Yuelan, why would he do something so meaningless? Maybe it was just some kind of compensation for his guilt. Shen Qi only took one sip before setting the milk down and leaving it untouched. Just then, Liu Yi came over grinning, plopped down across from Shen Qi, and looked absolutely delighted. "What's got you so happy? Did the audition results come out?" Shen Qi asked curiously. "Even better than that," Liu Yi said cheerfully. "Cui Yuelan really seems to think I'm a man. She tried to flirt with me during the test. I just went over and told her I don't like Guerlain, I prefer Chanel. Let's see if she switches perfumes later!" Shen Qi couldn't help but laugh. This Liu Yi sure loved to play around. As they were talking, a familiar scent of Chanel wafted over. Shen Qi turned around and saw Cui Yuelan striding over in high heels, her posture elegant and deliberate. She had actually changed her perfume! Shen Qi was stunned. Hadn't she just snatched He Yining away from her? And now she was already turning around to seduce someone else? Was that really okay? Sure, Liu Yi's name was masculine, and her appearance was androgynous, but she was a woman through and through! Liu Yi shot Cui Yuelan a meaningful smile. Cui Yuelan's eyes flickered, and she walked past with an air of pride. Shen Qi felt like her jaw was about to hit the floor. Liu Yi was struggling to hold back her laughter. Just then, someone handed Shen Qi a gift box: "Miss Shen, a present for you." A present? Another one? What was it this time? The waiter respectfully handed the box to Shen Qi. She opened it slowly to find another box of roses. Beside the roses was a card with three words: I'm sorry. What was this all about? Who was this person, showing up with a masked face and sending flowers without identifying themselves? How was she supposed to forgive someone she didn't even know? Cui Yuelan sneered, "Oh my, Miss Shen sure has it good. On the very first day of the competition, a man sends her flowers. By the end, what will he be sending?" The people around them burst into laughter. Shen Qi's face flushed with embarrassment. Liu Yi patted Shen Qi's hand reassuringly and said calmly, "Xiao Qi has suitors because there are plenty of men with good taste. Not every man in the world is blind and heartless. Xiao Qi is smart, gentle, and above all, low-key and steady. Who wouldn't like a woman like that?" The people around nodded in agreement. Seeing Liu Yi defend Shen Qi, Cui Yuelan's brows furrowed in anger. She was about to lash out but remembered that her phone had been confiscated here, and making too many enemies would be trouble. So she shot Shen Qi a glare and turned away. Shen Qi looked at the roses in the box and said bitterly, "What is this person thinking? I don't even know who he is, always sending flowers and apologizing. I don't know where to start forgiving him." "Who cares? If he sends them, just take them," Liu Yi said nonchalantly. "Since he's apologizing, he must have done something wrong to you. Just accept it." "That's true," Shen Qi sighed. "But not knowing who it is makes me uneasy." Liu Yi tapped Shen Qi's nose playfully. "You're such a sweet little woman. The man who missed out on you will regret it for the rest of his life." Shen Qi smiled back at Liu Yi. From a distance, Cui Yuelan watched their interaction, grinding her teeth in fury. She just couldn't stand Shen Qi! For no reason at all! She wished she could capture this moment and show it to He Yining! Actions spoke louder than words! He Yining waited for the waiter who had delivered the flowers to come back down and asked, "Did she say anything?" "No," the waiter replied dutifully. "She didn't seem to care much about the flowers." He Yining nodded thoughtfully. It seemed Xiao Qi was really angry this time. If two bouquets weren't enough to calm her down, then he'd send one every day! Xiao Chun stood off to the side, looking helpless. He had been busy with the tasks He Yining had assigned him over the past few days. By the time he finished and returned, the boss and the second young mistress had already fallen out. If only he had been there. Maybe this terrible misunderstanding wouldn't have happened. Now the boss had driven the second young mistress away, and even though he was trying to make amends, she clearly wasn't having any of it! The audition results came out quickly. True to form, half were eliminated. Only about three thousand people remained on the advancement list. Still, the numbers were huge. Each hotel had its own preliminary venue, and several venues held competitions simultaneously. To cut down the numbers, two rounds of auditions were held on the first day, eliminating over five thousand people. Those five thousand were sent packing before they even checked in. It was harsh, but that was the nature of the competition. Everything had to follow the rules. Shen Qi, Liu Yi, and Cui Yuelan all advanced, ready for the next round of preliminaries. By evening, the successful candidates checked into their rooms. Cui Yuelan ended up next door to Shen Qi. The girl who had voluntarily swapped rooms was from a modest background, named Jiang Xiaojiang. Though Jiang Xiaojiang wasn't well-off, she was a master at reading people. She quickly sized up Cui Yuelan and began flattering her with honeyed words. Pleased by the praise, Cui Yuelan casually handed over her Guerlain perfume to Jiang Xiaojiang. At dinner, everyone ate together. Liu Yi carried her tray over to Shen Qi and said, "Good thing that girl swapped rooms with you. If I had to share with someone like that, I'd probably end up punching her." Shen Qi followed Liu Yi's gaze. There was Jiang Xiaojiang, carrying Cui Yuelan's bag and fanning her, looking every bit the devoted servant. Shen Qi chuckled. "Everyone lives their own way. Maybe, in her eyes, it's all worth it." "People really are different," Liu Yi sighed. "When you're not from the same world, forcing yourself together just doesn't work." Liu Yi had meant it as a comment on Jiang Xiaojiang, but the words hit Shen Qi differently, making her think of herself and He Yining. Maybe they weren't from the same world either? They had come together by chance, but with such different backgrounds, forcing it only brought pain to both sides. "Xiao Qi, what are you spacing out about?" Liu Yi nudged her with an elbow. "Huh? Nothing. Just lost in thought. Come on, let's eat." Shen Qi picked up her tray and followed Liu Yi to a quiet corner to have their meal. Back at the villa, He Yining was reviewing Shen Qi's audition answers from the day. Wen Yibo snatched the paper away and let out an admiring whistle. "Not bad. Xiao Qi really has talent." He Yining grabbed it back, annoyed. "I haven't finished reading yet." Wen Yibo leaned in. "Yining, didn't you go apologize today? How'd it go?" "Sent flowers," He Yining replied without looking up. "You said when a girl's angry, give her gifts or flowers. She wouldn't take a gift, so I sent flowers." Wen Yibo rubbed his chin. Flowers were fine, but he doubted He Yining had picked the right ones. There was an art to sending flowers. Wen Yibo was about to ask more when his phone rang abruptly. He Yining glanced at it and answered, "Hello, Grandma." Wen Yibo immediately mimed zipping his lips and scurried off with his coffee cup. He Yining smiled and continued into the phone, "Yeah, Xiao Qi passed the audition." He Yining's grandmother said, "I know someone meddled in this competition. I've already warned the relevant people. If anyone dares to make things hard for Xiao Qi, don't blame me for turning nasty!" He Yining paused, then said, "Grandma, don't worry. They wouldn't dare. Besides, the He family is one of the judges for the finals." "And what about Cui Yuelan?" his grandmother snorted coldly. "Are you still going to protect her?"