Chapter 134: Ye Zhen, I'm Not Your Guinea Pig
"That's how it is, Jiang Zao. Want to give it a try?"
Ye Zhen took out a small bottle of face cream and placed it solemnly before Jiang Zao.
They were in the small pavilion on the east side of the academy.
At this hour, few people passed by.
After hearing Ye Zhen describe this "miracle cream," Jiang Zao looked troubled.
She felt this product sounded unreliable.
Over the years, she had tried various so-called repair creams, but none had ever worked.
As for the cream before her, it was surely nothing more than a placebo.
Her skin was too delicate to endure any more experimentation.
"Thank you, Ye Zhen."
Though she had no desire to use it, Jiang Zao still accepted it and thanked Ye Zhen.
Just as she tucked it away and prepared to leave, Ye Zhen called out to her again.
Ye Zhen wasn't the type to test drugs on someone without their knowledge.
No matter how confident she was, she couldn't casually treat someone like a lab rat.
But revealing the system's existence was absolutely out of the question.
She could only make up a plausible explanation for the current situation:
"Jiang Zao, wait a moment. I must be completely honest with you—this cream contains a secret ingredient from our family's traditional Chinese medicine recipe. So, it's really just a highly effective folk remedy."
"Everyone who's used it before has seen results, which is why I recommended you try it."
"Of course, all medicines carry some risk—it's impossible to be entirely without any danger."
As she spoke, Ye Zhen pulled out a contract and placed it before Jiang Zao.
Jiang Zao's brow furrowed as she studied the disclaimer.
Ye Zhen said earnestly, "If you're willing to give it a try, you'll need to sign this. Of course, if you choose to trust me, should any unforeseen complications arise, I will take full responsibility… That's also stated in the agreement. Take a look."
There could be no accidents.
When it came to serious matters, the dog system never cut corners.
Ye Zhen had complete confidence in it.
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Zao had already taken out the face cream and placed it back in front of Ye Zhen.
"Ye Zhen, I'm not your guinea pig. Don't toy with me."
Jiang Zao's tone was heavy, and her expression darkened.
Whenever her face was mentioned, she tended to lose emotional control.
Take full responsibility?
You're just as broke as I am—how are you supposed to take responsibility?
Jiang Zao realized she'd overreacted. After a moment of stiffness, she softened her tone:
"You saw it yourself—this is how I am now. My face can't be your test subject. I can't take that risk. I can't afford to lose… I'm sorry."
Hearing these words, Ye Zhen paused in surprise.
She sighed softly and smiled. "My apologies. I was too abrupt. I respect your choice."
After retrieving the jar of cream, Ye Zhen stood up and took her leave.
On her way back to the dormitory, Ye Zhen suddenly realized she might have been jumping to conclusions.
Products with overly exaggerated claims naturally invite skepticism.
When it comes to products applied to the face, how many people wouldn't be cautious?
Rubbing the jar of cream in her pocket, Ye Zhen's thoughts grew complex.
"I've been oversimplifying things."
After drying and grinding that mushroom, the yield was pitifully small. Following the system's mixing method, it would barely make a hundred bottles at most.
How many people would trust something with unknown ingredients, promoted solely by word of mouth?
To list it legally and legitimately, she'd need at least a component analysis!
Ye Zhen had little confidence about passing ingredient testing. If it detected mysterious substances beyond current scientific explanation, it would be a huge headache for her.
Of course, she could consider outsourcing this to professional experts, letting them handle the packaging and sales.
But then, she'd have to watch someone else rake in the profits!
That would be far worse than not earning anything at all.
What's even scarier is that she currently had no power or influence, yet possessed such an extraordinary treasure. If its efficacy were truly verified, it would sell like hotcakes and cause a huge sensation—only inviting more trouble upon herself.
Who would believe she only had a hundred bottles of cream?
To obtain more of this non-existent cream, profit-driven capitalists would stop at nothing.
Ye Zhen stared up at the sky in frustration.
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.
This thing… she couldn't sell it.
If she were desperate for money, she might take the gamble. But right now, she wasn't short on cash. She didn't need this money.
[Host! It can be sold! Sell it to that farming-style host! He's got money now—heard he found a wife in the big city. A few days ago, for her 70th birthday, he scored a few hundred million. He'd pay a hundred million for it.]
"Huh? That's quite the windfall. Congratulations to him. But I'll secretly stash away two bottles."
[Heh. He wouldn't notice if you hid ten bottles~]
"What? Then I'll hide twenty bottles!"
[Well, unless he's blind, he'll definitely notice. Don't be too greedy, Host.]
In the end, cash was exchanged for the face cream.
Over the next week, Ye Zhen's account steadily received a total of one hundred million yuan in transfers.
Of course, she secretly kept ten bottles for herself.
If she never needed them, fine. But if she did, they could save her life.
…
Back in the dorm.
Ye Zhen went to the balcony again.
The plant in the other pot was growing more and more like wheat.
However, it emitted a fragrance entirely different from wheat.
Ye Zhen stroked its ears and curiously asked the system, "What kind of plant is this?"
[This one's not worth much! It's called Sleep Grass, I think? Roast it, grind it into powder, add just a pinch to your black tea, and it'll help you sleep like a baby.]
"Well, that's a proper useful thing," Ye Zhen mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "But what happens if you eat too much?"
[It fills you up.]
Ye Zhen: "…"
Trying to be funny, huh, dog system?
[No matter how much you eat, the effect only lasts five or six hours. (*￣rǒ￣)]
Looking at this thing, Ye Zhen couldn't help but think of a chronic insomniac—Ye Fuli.
But Ye Zhen no longer considered selling it off.
As for trying to win Ye Fuli over? That was even less necessary.
Now holding a hundred million, she was completely flush with cash. Plus, with few seeds available and no way to mass-produce it, she happily decided to keep it for herself.
A few days later, the Sleep Grass matured.
Ye Zhen carefully harvested it, dried it, and stored it away.
While she continued tinkering with other seeds on the balcony, she caught sight of two familiar figures below through a crack in the balcony railing.
It was He Ying and Jiang Zao.
He Ying handed Jiang Zao a bag of items and turned to leave.
Jiang Zao hesitated for a moment before chasing after her.
The two seemed to have had some unpleasantness.
From a distance, Ye Zhen couldn't hear their words, only seeing Jiang Zao head down, looking lost and dejected as she returned to the dormitory building.
Two more days passed.
While buying bread at the cafeteria, Ye Zhen overheard some gossip about Jiang Zao.
"What was Jiang Zao thinking? A rich girl like He Jia? She couldn't possibly hope to climb that high!"
"Not knowing her place is exactly what she gets. Getting scolded is only natural."
"She dressed like that on purpose to impress that rich girl, right?"
"Ha! She's not even rich herself, yet she's decked out in all these tacky knockoffs. How ridiculous."
"Is she out of her mind?"
From her roommates' chatter, Ye Zhen learned what had happened downstairs in the dorm that day.
"That girl, He Ying—she's the third daughter of the He family, right?" Lu Chengcheng said. "She's been hanging out with Jiang Zao a lot lately, hasn't she? Who knows what Jiang Zao did that day to make He Ying suddenly lose her temper and throw away the lunch box she gave her."
This remark surprised Ye Zhen.
What could Jiang Zao have done to provoke He Ying into such a furious outburst?
He Ying wasn't the type to fly off the handle easily.
Lost in thought, Ye Zhen arrived at the pancake stall.
"What would you like?"
Hearing Ye Fuli's icy tone sent a chill down Ye Zhen's spine.
She looked up to see Ye Fuli, who had been selling desserts just days ago, now flipping pancakes at the stall.
Right, right.
You're quite the multi-talented Feng Aotian, aren't you?
Ye Zhen decisively pulled her roommates over, waving her card in the air. "My treat! Eggs or chicken strips?"
Ye Fuli found Ye Zhen's cheerful chatter with others strangely unfamiliar.
For a fleeting moment, she even doubted her own judgment.
This probably…
not Ye Zhen at all.
But the moment their eyes met, Ye Fuli instantly dismissed her doubts.
Not Ye Zhen? Those eyes—they were unmistakably Ye Zhen's eyes.
Ye Fuli had only learned to make pancakes for two days, yet she was already quite skilled.
Now, she casually flipped pancakes with the practiced ease of a master who'd been doing it for decades.
Suddenly.
Jiang Zao's voice sounded behind Ye Zhen and the others: "Could you make some room?"
Ye Zhen nodded and shifted aside, allowing Jiang Zao to step forward.
Jiang Zao stood still before Ye Fuli's stall, watching her.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Zao spoke: "I'd like to order dessert. Are you not selling desserts today, senior?"
Ye Fuli lifted her head slightly to meet her gaze. "No, I'm not."
"I want dessert. I have money."
Jiang Zao, who was usually very sensible, felt inexplicably stubborn today.
Jiang Zao immediately pulled out her meal card and tapped it on the machine.
Seeing the balance of over two thousand displayed, Ye Fuli gave a faint, mocking smile and let out a dismissive "Hmph."
Ye Zhen recognized that expression well—it was the kind that signaled an impending outburst.
Ye Zhen tugged Jiang Zao's arm discreetly, signaling her to stop courting disaster before she ended up with a bloody nose. But Jiang Zao flung her hand away.
Thick bangs nearly obscured Jiang Zao's eyes.
Biting her lip, Jiang Zao declared slowly and deliberately, "I want dessert. I have money. I'm buying it."
Crack—
Ye Fuli cracked an egg with one hand and spread it evenly over the pancake.
This time, she didn't look up at Jiang Zao. Instead, she spoke in a calm, unruffled tone, uttering just one word:
"Get lost."