Chapter 1

I stared hard at my best friend, Laurel Elliot.

"Since all the whipping cream is gone and I've sent you money for all the strawberries, I'm leaving," I said.

After all, survival was my absolute priority in this life. It came before anything else.

But just as I reached the door, Laurel stepped forward to block my exit.

"You used up all the whipping cream, and now you think you can just walk away? What about my strawberry mousse glacee?"

My expression turned cold.

I was immediately reminded of how she had shoved me into the path of a seller's lunging knife in my past life. Now here she was, making my stomach turn by acting all cute and innocent, just like a baby.

I swallowed my burning rage while she puffed out her cheeks and continued her relentless tirade.

"I bought ten whole cartons of organic strawberries just so we could make strawberry mousse glacee today! You turned all my whipping cream into chocolate ganache, and now you're the one throwing a tantrum at me!"

Seeing that she wasn't going to let me leave, I confronted her. "What about you?

"First, you used AI to generate photos of rotten fruit and treated everyone like idiots. Then, you threw the chocolate ganache I made straight into the trash can."

Laurel unbotheredly wrapped her arms around mine. "Cassie, I know you mean well. You're just scared the seller is going to cause me trouble, aren't you?"

I evaded her hand, so it was left hanging in midair. Her expression stiffened briefly.

"But a whole carton of strawberries costs over 40 dollars a basket out there. The seller wanted to charge me that much at first!

"I just chatted with him for a bit, and he agreed to sell it to me for just 20 dollars."

She paused, then continued, "Since he could drop the price by that much, it just proves he was ripping people off in the first place! This smol bean was just trying to protect her own rights."

I pointed at the heap of strawberries. "You were the one who kept pushing for a discount until he finally gave in.

"Then, after buying them, you filed for a refund, claiming he was manipulating the market. Do you have any idea how much the shipping costs are for just ten cartons of strawberries?"

Laurel's eyes widened. "How could you say that about a cutie patootie like me, Cassie? I was just making sure he faces a little consequence."

Her voice pitched high, before she quickly dropped it back into a soft whine.

"You don't understand how so many sellers take advantage of people these days. If this bean weren't smart, she'd get scammed too."

She pulled out her phone and shoved it in my face.

On the screen, a video showed a carton of strawberries bursting open for no apparent reason. Their inner flesh was pitch-black with a sticky, slimy liquid oozing out, and they looked completely rotten.

I was so speechless that I almost laughed, but I managed to hold it in and keep a straight face.

"Doesn't it look realistic? The platform's customer service will definitely approve the refund request the second they see this," Laurel added.

"As for the chocolate ganache, you were the one who used my whipping cream without permission first. I didn't even hold a grudge against you for that."

I shoved Laurel away. "Since the ingredients are gone, let's make the strawberry mousse glacee another day. Midsummer Festival is still a few days away anyway."

She looked momentarily stunned before saying, "But you used to do whatever I asked you to."

"So?" I calmly refuted.

Laurel stepped closer, grinning. "So, you're a certified five-star pastry chef, and this smol bean just really wants to eat the strawberry mousse glacee you make."