Chapter 350: Mechanical Heart

Especially in a situation where I just spent 250,000 Game Coins.

Cheng Shuili cleared her throat twice, about to say something, when Hu Lai Lai stepped forward and grabbed her: "Don't be formal with me! We're old acquaintances. That lady just now said you wanted to see this week's rotating goods. Come, I'll take you there!"

Having said that, she pulled them away without further discussion.

Cheng Shuili felt a bit helpless, but could only respectfully comply.

Three items still lay on the table; Cheng Shuili hadn't intended to buy anything, but when she looked up, her gaze was quickly drawn to the one in the middle.

That thing… looked just like the Heart of Creation.

Hu Lai Lai noticed her stare, immediately followed her gaze to the middle item, paused, then a flash of understanding crossed her eyes: "Last time you bought the Heart of Creation, so now you'll definitely be able to use this Mechanical Heart."

Mechanical Heart?

Cheng Shuili stared blankly for a moment, then examined the object a few more times before slowly asking, "How many Game Coins is this?"

Hu Lai Lai didn't answer, only gave a shy smile, "Is this all you want?"

Not even the price?

This guy…!

He's a little too savvy about human relations, isn't he?

The original Heart of Creation cost 70,000 Game Coins, so this won't be cheap—probably even more expensive.

Did this fox‑clan beast decide to give it to her without even blinking?

Since we're all just workers, Cheng Shuili felt a bit guilty. She raised her hand to refuse when Su Rui asked, "Manager Hu, what will you do when you run out of Game Coins?"

Cheng Shuili silently lowered her hand and gave Su Rui a "you get me" look.

But Su Rui didn't even understand what that look meant.

Anyway, it doesn't matter.

Hu Lai Lai heard that and looked at Cheng Shuili and Su Rui, her gaze suddenly softening; if before she was only repaying a favor, now she genuinely wanted to be friends.

"Miss Human, you're a person, unlike any other human I've met before."

That sounded oddly strange.

Cheng Shuili muttered under her breath but didn't interrupt.

"Don't worry; it may be a casual gesture for you, but you've truly done me a huge favor."

"What I said earlier was true, but there's one more crucial thing I haven't mentioned. Hu Lai Lai and I, plus several brothers and sisters, are cousins and also competitors. The Ten Thousand Beasts Trading Company is huge, but only one fox actually makes the decisions."

"All of us cousins are vying for that position. Hu Lai Lai, though she tends to step on the low and lift the high, has a keen eye and her business has never made a major mistake; she's my biggest rival. This time she made a huge error and was suspended, effectively withdrawing from the competition."

Hu Lai Lai lowered her voice, gratitude shining in her eyes: "You didn't just vent for me; you cleared my biggest obstacle outright. This favor is worth far more than 100,000 Game Coins."

She patted Cheng Shuili's hand: "So please accept this gift. It's not only my personal thanks, but also… an investment in the future. I believe befriending you will benefit both me and the Ten Thousand Beasts Trading Company."

"And you don't have to worry about me running out of Game Coins. I'm the young lady of the Ten Thousand Beasts Trading Company; I may be a junior manager now, but I'll definitely make a name for myself in the future."

With that said, Cheng Shuili no longer declined.

She really needed the Mechanical Heart, and Hu Lai Lai had explained everything so clearly that refusing would have seemed awkward.

"Fine, I won't be polite then."

Cheng Shuili took the box containing the Mechanical Heart, feeling its weight worth 100,000 Game Coins, and solemnly said, "I've noted this friendship, Manager Hu."

Hu Lai Lai smiled as well, "And the fruits, vegetables you wanted—I remember you often buy them, plus rice."

She squinted at Cheng Shuili, "You spent so many Game Coins; as our Tier‑3 VIP client, I'll of course give you something extra."

Just as Cheng Shuili seemed about to speak, she cut in, "Don't worry, I still have that bit of authority."

She unhesitatingly packed a little of each vegetable and fruit for Cheng Shuili, while Su Rui followed, tallying the Game Coins according to the price list.

Just the freebies alone amounted to nearly 10,000 Game Coins.

And Cheng Shuili herself felt dazed by the sheer generosity.

Had she known the impact of a commendation letter was this strong, she would have written a few hundred more words.

Fortunately the outcome is still good; it can be called a happy ending for everyone.

The Wan Shou Trading Company's attendant helped Cheng Shuili and the others load the purchased fruits and vegetables onto the vehicle, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and politely bid farewell to the big client Cheng Shuili.

Cheng Shuili waved, watching the attendant leave.

Su Rui closed the carriage door, shutting out the noise of the outside Trading Station.

The two looked at the supplies piled in the corner, both feeling complicated.

"What an… unexpected development," Cheng Shuili murmured.

After inventorying the supplies, Su Rui walked over and agreed, "Yeah, didn't expect Manager Hu to be so generous."

She suddenly furrowed her brow lightly, a rare occurrence, and added, "But Lao Da, that internal family competition she mentioned… sounds complicated. If we get too close to her, could it cause trouble?"

Cheng Shuili smiled and plopped onto the carpet.

The Vehicle Cleaning Card was just used, so there's no need to worry about anything being unclean in the vehicle.

"You're worrying about nothing, Miss Su."

She replied lightly, "This is a road‑survival game, not a complex social game. What the beast‑folk families do isn't our business."

Besides… the wolf clan can't even reach this queen of hers, let alone the fox clan looking to trouble two humans.

Thinking that, she glanced at the time; two hours had already passed.

Cheng Shuili suddenly perked up, stood, instructed Su Rui to tally the purchased fruits and vegetables and report to Qi Wan Yi, then entered the underground storage.

Su Rui stared at the vegetables in the vehicle for a moment, then looked into the air and asked, "How should I tell her?"

Lao Da occasionally makes unreasonable arrangements; in this case, we just need to do what we can.

Su Rui thought, picked up Cheng Shuili's paper and pen, recorded the quantities and types of vegetables, then returned to the cockpit to drive.

As for Cheng Shuili, when she reached the underground storage she realized she was early; the shadow seeds still needed ten minutes to mature.

That amount of time is neither long nor short, but there's no need to fuss any further.

She simply propped her chin, squatted in front of the shadow seed, and waited anxiously for it to mature.