Chapter 28: Escorting Wen Zhi Liu Home

She had originally intended to start live streaming on the StarNet, but now, she only wanted to sell machines!

With her current physical condition, how could she possibly find the time to stream in the next two years? She couldn't even eat more than a bite of intermediate-grade food! Seeing it but being unable to eat it, she finally understood why Lei Miaomiao drooled over everything.

With a stable income of over 40,000 favor points daily from the Seventh Army and over 10,000 from the research institute, she could fully commit to mass-producing machines. A machine set only cost 100,000 star coins on the StarNet, and she planned to sell them at the same price. The initial ten recipes would be included as a gift, but subsequent recipes would be charged based on their grade.

Level one recipes were 10,000 each, level two were 20,000, and so on. Complex dishes with special techniques would be priced separately. She planned to organize these during her breaks from training.

"Qiao, Qiao Xin, you can sell that machine of yours?" Wen Zhiliu was shocked. The machine wasn't expensive; it was the recipes on it that were valuable!

"Yes, I can. Do you want one? A set is 100,000 star coins, including ten recipes and a tutorial," Qiao Xin winked at her. He Qing happily went to move the machines, leaving the matter of how she would sell them to Wen Zhiliu to her own devices.

"I'll buy it!" Wen Zhiliu was stunned by the affordability of the 100,000 star coin price tag.

"Just to clarify, those ten recipes are all primary-grade food; there are no advanced ones," Qiao Xin said, not agreeing immediately.

"I don't need advanced ones. The highest talent in my family is only B-grade, and we can't afford intermediate food anyway..." Wen Zhiliu’s face flushed. Her family had only pushed her to become a nutritionist to save on the cost of hiring one. Spending 100,000 for ten recipes was something she could easily justify at home.

"Alright, come get it tomorrow." Qiao Xin was amused by her honesty and added playfully, "If it works well, you can help me introduce some clients."

"Yes, yes, I will!" Wen Zhiliu had already decided that once she got the machine, she would cook the dishes and use them to promote it. Food processing machines were cheaper than manual labor, so most nutritionists already owned them; her machine wouldn't replace nutritionists but would likely be well-received!

Just as Qiao Xin was about to suggest she stay the night at the Xiao residence, Wen Zhiliu’s optical computer lit up. As she answered, the stern projection of a man appeared.

"Wen Zhiliu! Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you come home after you failed the exam?"

"I, I'm, I'm coming home now..." Wen Zhiliu’s face turned deathly pale, her once cheerful expression dimming instantly.

"I'll drive you." Qiao Xin stood up alongside her and called out to Lin Yifeng, "Lin Yifeng, drive for me."

"Where to, Xin-xin?" Lin Yifeng arrived in a gust of wind, not forgetting to shoot a defiant look at Hua Qinmo and Lei Wuxie.

"Taking her home." Qiao Xin draped an arm over Wen Zhiliu’s shoulder and summoned her red flying car.

"Coordinates." Lin Yifeng asked once they were on board. Wen Zhiliu provided the location, and he sped off, leaving Hua Qinmo in the dust. Hua Qinmo tried to chase, but Lei Wuxie helplessly deployed his mecha to carry him along.

Meanwhile, the Xiao brothers looked at Lei Miaomiao, who was sitting obediently between them, and pinched her cheeks. "You little girl, why aren't you clinging to your brother right now?"

Lei Miaomiao rolled her eyes at them and pointed at the fried petals. "Brother, Yaya wants to eat the flowers~" The brothers hurriedly checked their optical computers to see which ones she could eat, causing Lei Miaomiao to sigh: these two brothers were not very bright. She had already memorized what she could eat, yet they still had to consult their computers!

Back in the car, Wen Zhiliu remained silent, whether from nervousness or embarrassment at being scolded in public. Qiao Xin didn't press her; she realized she had forgotten to remind Wen Zhiliu to notify her family, and naturally, any parent would be frantic.

An hour later, they arrived at a crowded residential area without independent courtyards. The flying car hovered at a height of 300 meters. The bright red vehicle drew several curious gazes. After getting out, Wen Zhiliu didn't invite them to follow.

"Thank you for bringing me back."

"Do you need me to come explain things to them?" Qiao Xin offered.

"No, you should go back." Wen Zhiliu offered a forced smile. They were furious only because she hadn't come home to cook; she didn't want them to know the humiliating reason why.

"Then, goodbye." Qiao Xin sighed. She could tell that just accepting the invitation had been the limit of Wen Zhiliu’s courage; she still had a difficult battle ahead with her family.

"Wen-Zhi-Liu! You bitch! Why are you with them?" A furious voice erupted. Wen Zhiliu was stunned, while Qiao Xin and the others frowned. They hadn't expected the foul-mouthed man to be there.

"Liu Goushen, did you forget to brush your teeth after eating shit?" Lin Yifeng unleashed a blade of wind. What if she was with them? Countless people would kill to get close to them!

"Stay out of our business!" The man dodged the wind blade and grabbed Wen Zhiliu, dragging her away. Wen Zhiliu winced in pain but didn't resist, offering Qiao Xin a pained smile, "You should go back."

Qiao Xin nodded faintly but didn't leave. It wasn't until Lei Wuxie arrived with Hua Qinmo that she said, "Let's go, let's watch the show."

Her smile was icy. Lin Yifeng guessed what she was planning, while Lei Wuxie and Hua Qinmo exchanged confused glances. With the guidance of little AI, finding Wen Zhiliu’s home was easy. Outside the house, a crowd had already gathered.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't think the little Wen girl had it in her, daring to just run off with people!"

"Exactly! With such a powerful fiancé, she still tries to climb the social ladder—doesn't even look at whether she’s worthy!"

"Oh my! You didn't see the car—that model is expensive!"

"Pfft! Only the Wen family would sell their own daughter, refusing to protect her while pandering to a man with his nose in the air! Once old man Wen dies, this family will probably belong to Liu!"

"That Wen Zhiliu is a fool, too! Knowing people like that, couldn't she just ask for a favor? Instead, she comes back just to get beaten!"

"Right, she didn't even take a bite when a pie fell right in front of her face!"

Qiao Xin’s expression grew colder as she heard this, and she spoke up directly: "If you have the time to gossip, why hasn't anyone called the police?"

"Run, let's go!" Seeing her and her three companions, the crowd scattered. The interstellar laws for protecting women and children were quite comprehensive, but in family disputes, if the victim didn't press charges, there was little to be done. Especially for those with lower talent, their voices carried less weight than those with higher talent. The Wen family clearly needed Liu Goushen, so they naturally forced Wen Zhiliu to endure. The sacrifice of the weak had never changed. Wasn't the Qiao family the same?

"Kick the door down!" Qiao Xin decided to give Wen Zhiliu one more push, but it would depend on whether she chose to follow her.