"Miss Qin, are you in?" a timid female voice asked.
Qin He opened the door and saw Li Ai standing in front of it.
"Li Ai, is something the matter?" Qin He asked with a gentle smile.
Li Ai's heart skipped a beat as she gazed at Qin He's stunning face. Miss Qin was truly like a fairy, and more importantly, so gentle. She even remembered her name.
Slightly embarrassed, she handed over the box she was holding.
"I just went to the director's office. When I went, I met a Mr. Yu, the one who introduced the investors as Gu Corporation's representative that day. He asked me to give this to you."
Qin He was a little surprised. Knowing Li Ai was referring to Yu Jing, she took the box from Li Ai's hand and said warmly, "Thank you. Please, come in and sit for a while."
Qin He had a good impression of Li Ai, but Li Ai was rather timid.
However, at her age, she shouldn't be so fearful.
Qin He placed the box on a nearby table and opened it. Li Ai sat on the sofa in the room, feeling a bit uneasy, yet curiously observing Qin He's room.
After opening the box, Qin He saw a dazzling evening gown inside.
Up close, the gown was incredibly luxurious and beautiful, shimmering in the sunlight. Intricate hand-embroidered patterns were visible, while from a distance, the skirt looked ethereal.
It was the first time Li Ai had seen such a beautiful dress. Her eyes widened in amazement. "Wow, what a gorgeous dress!"
Qin He chuckled, "I was worried I wouldn't have anything to wear tonight. This is perfect."
"Miss Qin, why don't you try it on now?"
Li Ai was eager. "We're going to the beach in an hour anyway."
Qin He nodded. The dress was pure handmade, clearly requiring meticulous craftsmanship. The most troublesome part was the traditional lace-up back.
It would be much easier to put on with someone's help.
"Then I'll thank you in advance," Qin He said gratefully.
After putting on the dress, Qin He held the hem and was surprised to find that the dress fit her body perfectly.
Qin He's eyes flickered. Where did Gu Qi Chen get her measurements?
Li Ai stood behind Qin He, gently tying the laces.
Fearing she might hurt Qin He, she asked, "Miss Qin, is this tightness okay?"
"Yes, thank you," Qin He replied.
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Li Ai's stomach rumble, a long and loud sound.
Qin He was a bit surprised. "It's already this late. Did you skip lunch, or are you still hungry?"
A hint of gloom crossed Li Ai's face, and she stammered, "I... I was busy at noon, so I didn't eat."
Qin He frowned slightly. After all these years, she had a good judge of character. Li Ai's stuttering and shifting gaze clearly indicated she was lying.
She had given Li Ai plenty of snacks yesterday, and it was only the second day. Li Ai shouldn't have run out of snacks already.
Besides, there were no preliminary rounds today. What could have kept her so busy?
She had even given Li Ai a hundred gold coins at noon. She shouldn't be starving.
Seeing that Li Ai didn't want to explain, Qin He didn't press further.
She walked over to a cabinet and took out a packet of biscuits from the snack box, offering it to Li Ai.
"I assume there will be a banquet tonight. If you don't eat much, those nosy people will make remarks. But if you don't eat, you won't be full either. Have some biscuits to tide you over for now."
Li Ai took the biscuits from Qin He. She bit her lower lip. "Miss Qin, you're so good to me. Even better than my sister."
Qin He didn't pay much attention, chuckling lightly. "You have a sister?"
After she asked, Li Ai fell silent.
"Mmm—"
Seeing Li Ai's eyes begin to waver again, looking conflicted, Qin He couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, you should get back to your room and prepare too. It took you so long to help me with my dress. Do you want me to go back with you and help you get ready?"
Li Ai shook her head and hurriedly said, "No need, Miss Qin. I don't have any formal wear, so I'll just wear something simple."
Qin He didn't say anything more.
Director's Office.
In the monitoring room, Gu Qi Chen watched Qin He on the screen.
The surveillance cameras were installed in every contestant's room, only covered when they were changing or sleeping.
Gu Qi Chen pondered for a few seconds, then turned to Yu Jing. "Find out who this Li Ai is."
Yu Jing acknowledged and turned to leave. The chief director, sitting nearby, quietly wiped sweat from his brow.
She was just a contestant, and a woman at that. Did Mr. Gu need to investigate her background just for saying a few words to Miss Qin?
Was Mr. Gu perhaps too concerned about Miss Qin? He would have to be more careful from now on!
After leaving her room, Qin He didn't leave immediately. She waited for Li Ai on the first floor.
About ten minutes later, Li Ai came down. She was wearing a beautiful dress, covered by a coat. Although pretty, it certainly didn't meet the program's requirement for formal attire.
Seeing Qin He, Li Ai looked pleasantly surprised. "Miss Qin, you haven't left yet?"
"I was waiting for you."
Qin He smiled. "The north shore of Pink Beach is quite far. We can chat on the way."
Li Ai immediately nodded with delight.
With so many contestants, Li Ai was the only one without an assistant.
Not that she didn't have one, she just didn't have any at all.
Qin He's assistant, Di Shishi, was also absent today, so the two of them happened to be walking together towards the north shore.
Contestants accompanied by their assistants passed them frequently.
After walking for a while, Qin He and Li Ai heard someone calling her from behind.
Qin He recognized Zhang Caiyu's voice and felt annoyed.
She glanced coldly at Zhang Caiyu. "Miss Zhang, is there something you need?"
Zhang Caiyu smiled, her gaze flicking to the drone cameras spaced at intervals overhead.
Seeing that there were no other observers, Zhang Caiyu said, "Miss Qin, you shouldn't call me Miss Zhang from now on. It sounds too distant. Just call me Li Ya directly."
"Li Ya?"
Qin He sneered inwardly but maintained a calm expression. "Then I might as well call you Caiyu directly, or perhaps Caiyu Jie (Elder Sister Caiyu)?"
Zhang Caiyu detested her own name, finding it very unfashionable!
Caiyu! What was her mother thinking!
Zhang Caiyu looked at Qin He, feeling irritated, and thought she was doing it on purpose.
"That's fine too, but I've always worked under the name Li Ya in the industry. It's more familiar to me if you call me that."
"Mm," Qin He responded indifferently.
Zhang Caiyu looked at Li Ai beside Qin He, with a hint of amusement.
"Miss Qin, why don't I see your assistant Di Shishi today? I saw a video of her fighting with someone on Weibo today. She's quite something. But why hasn't she appeared since that news broke? Has something happened to her?"