*Ding —*

【Congratulations! You’ve received a rose, worth 100 points~】

Bai Youwei: “…”

She had done nothing more than offhandedly threaten Ning Yao into making a meal, and another rose tip had just come in.

The sound of her incoming tips was inaudible to anyone else, so Bai Youwei could only quietly reflect to herself: so this is what the audience’s taste is like…

How twisted.

……

Ning Yao gathered the vegetables and cured meat from the floor, sobbing softly as she made her way to the kitchen.

Bai Youwei brought the blade down again, cutting through the ropes around Youyou, and said: “Go help her in the kitchen.”

Youyou nodded with a frightened expression and went off after Ning Yao.

Bai Youwei walked a slow circle around the fire hydrant and stopped in front of Yi Zichu, studying him up and down as though deliberating whether to free him as well.

Yi Zichu was not twelve-year-old Ning Yao or nine-year-old Youyou. He was sixteen — practically a young man — with some capacity for resistance.

Having Bai Youwei staring at him like that, Yi Zichu couldn’t help but swallow nervously. He steeled himself and spoke: “Please… please don’t hurt us. Everyone here is a child. We won’t cause you any trouble at all…”

Bai Youwei let out a small sigh, brought the dagger down, and cut Yi Zichu’s ropes as well. Then she tossed a bow onto the ground and asked him: “Do you know how to use this?”

The bow had also been exchanged for using points, stored in the virtual inventory slots, easy to take out and put away.

For Yi Zichu, a weapon like this would have been an unfathomably expensive luxury. He immediately shook his head.

Bai Youwei tossed down a quiver of arrows as well. “Go find a tree outside the orphanage gate and practice. While you’re at it, keep watch outside. If that group comes back, warn me in advance.”

Yi Zichu’s face went a shade paler, remembering the state those men had been left in.

Just as Ning Yao had said — after suffering such a loss, they would never let it go. Even if it had all been Bai Youwei’s doing, that wouldn’t stop them from taking their anger out on everyone at the orphanage. A vicious retribution was inevitable.

Yi Zichu grasped the severity of the situation. While Bai Youwei was unreasonable, she at least didn’t appear to have any intention of harming them right now. Those men, on the other hand — once a confrontation broke out, there was nothing they wouldn’t do, no matter how brutal.

“Alright…” His expression became grave, and he carefully picked up the bow and arrows from the ground. “I’ll go keep watch outside.”

Yi Zichu walked toward the main gate with a resolute stride.

Bai Youwei watched his retreating figure for a moment, then lowered her gaze to the last two small figures still at the fire hydrant.

Six-year-old Diandian. Five-year-old Jiujiu.

Both children were young, eyes brimming with tears, looking up at her pitifully.

Bai Youwei freed Diandian and said casually: “Go play.”

Diandian hesitated for two seconds, then turned and bolted toward the cafeteria — clearly heading to find Ning Yao and Youyou.

Only Jiujiu remained.

Bai Youwei crouched down and smiled as she patted the little girl’s head. “I need to keep one hostage for myself. Otherwise, how am I going to make sure your brothers and sisters listen to me?”

Jiujiu: “Wuu wuu wuu wuu…”

Bai Youwei put on a stern face: “No crying!”

Jiujiu: “…”

……

And so, Bai Youwei kept one hostage.

She locked Jiang Xiaojiu in the Cloud Room and took the only key, then strolled leisurely off to the kitchen, ready to assess what her meals for the day would look like.

The kitchen was just behind the cafeteria.

Ning Yao was efficient with her hands — water was already on the boil, rice steaming away, and Youyou had washed the vegetables clean.

But when they were about to stir-fry the greens, Bai Youwei stopped them.

Bai Youwei looked at Ning Yao with genuine puzzlement. “You’re planning to fry it like that? Shouldn’t you start by infusing the oil with ginger and garlic first?”

“Huh?” Ning Yao was a little afraid of her, and stammered when she replied. “Is… is that how it’s supposed to be done…”

Bai Youwei inspected the shredded pork on the cutting board and frowned. “This meat — shouldn’t it be marinated in cooking wine and soy sauce first? Frying it straight like this will make it gamey, won’t it?”

Ning Yao stammered even more: “I’ve never… never cooked meat before…”

Bai Youwei’s frown deepened until her eyebrows almost ached.

She missed Teacher Cheng desperately right now.

—