The servants at home did not care for this Arhat fish as meticulously as Shen Bingqian did, so they did not follow her instructions precisely before she left. Any exotic breed was very delicate, and the slightest mishandling could cause problems.
By the time Shen Bingqian returned home, the Arhat fish she had raised for three years was already on the brink of death. She had bought it when it was only the size of a pinky finger and had put in a lot of effort to nurture it to its current weight of four or five pounds. To her, this Arhat fish was no longer just a goldfish; she had come to see it as a family member.
Shen Bingqian hurried to take the dying Arhat fish to seek medical help, but she ran into a young man on the way, which delayed her. This was why she lashed out at Jiang Xiaobai.
The Arhat fish in the small fish tank was already on its last legs, and Shen Bingqian's heart turned cold, fearing that even if she managed to get it to a doctor now, it would be beyond saving.
Jiang Xiaobai stood up, picked up the carton of drinks on the ground, and prepared to leave. However, Shen Bingqian, full of rage with nowhere to vent, blocked his way.
"You compensate me for my Arhat fish! You bastard! You killed my Arhat fish!"
Jiang Xiaobai was stunned; he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Miss, when did I kill your fish?" He looked down at the fish tank Shen Bingqian was holding; the extremely ugly Arhat fish inside was now belly-up, looking moribund.
"If you hadn't darted out into the street suddenly, I would have already taken my Arhat fish to the pet store by now!" Shen Bingqian transferred all her anger to Jiang Xiaobai.
Jiang Xiaobai furrowed his brows and said, "You're unreasonable! You hit me, not the other way around! Your car was going at least a hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. Even on the highway, that would be a violation. You were speeding in the city; do you want to kill people? Let me tell you, stop bullshit. If you weren't pretty, I wouldn't waste my breath on you."
Shen Bingqian's father was Shen Rongfu, the county magistrate of Yong'an County, and her mother, Xu Meixian, was the chairwoman of Lide Group. Her family background in Yong'an County was extremely prestigious. From a young age, she had been spoiled and never spoken to rudely by anyone; Jiang Xiaobai was the first.
Shen Bingqian had inherited her mother Xu Meixian's excellent genes. At eighteen, she was already incredibly beautiful. She was taller than Jiang Xiaobai, standing around one meter seventy, with perfectly straight long legs that were dazzlingly flawless. Her facial features were exquisitely delicate: phoenix eyes, willow-leaf brows, eyes that were as affectionate as a pool of spring water, and a high-bridged nose that gave her features a gentle yet defined look, giving one the sense of mixed heritage.
Her figure was impeccable. She had been learning yoga since she was three and later took up various dances. Years of dancing had not only made her body flexible but also sculpted it to near perfection, especially the high, firm chest that seemed too mature for her age.
Jiang Xiaobai, a country bumpkin, had never seen such a beautiful girl. Compared to her, Lai Changqing's daughter Lai Xiaoxia, the village beauty, was like an ugly duckling from the pond.
Never having been scolded or insulted, Shen Bingqian felt extremely wronged and suddenly broke down emotionally, squatting on the ground and crying. Jiang Xiaobai walked a few steps, heard the sobbing behind him, and finally softened.
"Hey, don't cry. Give me your fish, and I'll try to save it."
Hearing Jiang Xiaobai say he could save her Arhat fish, Shen Bingqian immediately looked up with a face full of suspicion.
Shen Bingqian's tear-streaked face looked especially pitiable. After all, Jiang Xiaobai was a man, and seeing her so upset, his anger dissipated.
"Looks like you don't believe me. Fine, wait until your fish dies completely; even an Immortal couldn't save it then. My bad for meddling, bye-bye."
Jiang Xiaobai carried the carton of drinks across the road, but Shen Bingqian suddenly chased after him with the fish tank.
"You really can save my Arhat fish?"
"I'm about seventy to eighty percent sure." Jiang Xiaobai never liked making absolute claims.
Fearing Jiang Xiaobai might not do his best, Shen Bingqian said urgently, "If you can save my Arhat fish, this BMW sports car on the road is yours!"
"Really?" Jiang Xiaobai's eyes lit up as he looked at the BMW M3 parked in the middle of the road and swallowed hard. What man doesn't love cars, especially luxury ones?
"If you don't believe me, we can make a pinky promise!" Shen Bingqian said.
"Haha, little girl, you're so naive, making pinky promises!" Jiang Xiaobai laughed until his stomach hurt.
"Who are you calling a little girl? You brat, I might be older than you," Shen Bingqian muttered.
"Moron, drinks are here."
Reaching the place where the tricycle was parked, Luo Xu shouted, and Moron ran up, his body jiggling, happily taking the drinks from Jiang Xiaobai.
"Hey, how are you going to save my Arhat fish?" Shen Bingqian asked anxiously.
With his hands free, Jiang Xiaobai took the small fish tank from Shen Bingqian and then poured out the water in it, dumping dirty water from a plastic bucket on the tricycle into the tank.
"Are you crazy?"
Seeing Jiang Xiaobai pour dirty water into the fish tank, Shen Bingqian screamed and felt like fighting him.
Arhat fish, this kind of precious fish, had very high water quality requirements. Even a bit of pollution could cause them to fall ill or die. Seeing Jiang Xiaobai pour dirty water into the tank, Shen Bingqian's heart completely sank, thinking her fish was definitely doomed.
"How could I believe the words of a scammer like you!"
Overwhelmed with sadness, Shen Bingqian felt all her strength leave her body and could barely keep herself from collapsing. If she had the strength, she would have pounced on Jiang Xiaobai and torn him apart with her hands.
"Hey, don't worry, the best part is yet to come."
The dirty water Jiang Xiaobai had poured into the fish tank was no ordinary dirty water; it was water soaked with a dragon-shaped copper ornament. He believed this water could revive dying lobsters, so it should be able to bring the Arhat fish back to life.
Shen Bingqian was crying uncontrollably, her sobbing making Jiang Xiaobai very irritated.
"Hey, did your father die, or did your mother die? Why are you crying so miserably? It's just a fish. What if it dies?"
Shen Bingqian cried even harder, sobbing and almost choking, looking like she might faint from the grief at any moment.
"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, look, the ugly fish moved! Oh my God, it's alive!"