Chapter 140 Talisman?
Sheng Hao's words completely shattered the rosy dream that Sheng Tian had built up for herself.
"Brother! Are you my brother or Yun Zijin's brother?"
Sheng Tian lifted her head stubbornly, eyes tinged with red.
She never imagined that as her own cousin, Sheng Hao wouldn't take her side.
What was so great about Yun Zijin, anyway? She was just an orphan the Xia family didn't want!
So what if she had some money? She was the legitimate daughter of the Sheng family!
A mere arm couldn't twist a thigh—Sheng Tian refused to believe Yun Zijin alone could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sheng family!
"Of course I'm your brother," Sheng Hao responded calmly, "but that doesn't change anything."
Who to like and ultimately be with was entirely up to Lu Yunque. He couldn't just walk up to Lu Yunque and say, "Sheng Tian is my cousin—she likes you, so you have to like her back," right?
If he dared do that, not only would his brotherly bond with Lu Yunque be finished, but the relationship between the Sheng and Lu families would be over as well.
"I don't care," Sheng Tian insisted, "I'm not giving up!"
From childhood onward, no one else had ever made Sheng Tian feel humiliated except for Lu Yunque. And when she got angry, ten bulls couldn't drag her back.
"Ms. Yun," Sheng Tian suddenly called out, raising her voice so everyone scattered around the lakeside could hear, "this is my first time fishing, too. Since we're both novices, how about we have a little contest?"
Her words made those fishing in various spots look over.
Fu Ze and Li Yuecheng turned to Sheng Hao in puzzlement: What's going on?
Sheng Hao only shrugged. What can I do?
They next glanced at Lu Yunque: This is on you—if we don't handle it, how will we explain to Zijin?
Receiving their silent cue, Lu Yunque took in Sheng Tian's challenging expression, then addressed Yun Zijin:
"Would you like to compete? If you don't want to, you can say no."
"I'm fine either way," said Yun Zijin. "But I'm not big on casual contests. If there's no interesting wager, I won't bother. I'm curious, Miss Sheng: what's your stake?"
Yun Zijin could plainly sense Sheng Tian's hostility. Regardless of why, it gave her a poor impression. She also had a pretty good guess why Sheng Tian wanted this competition in the first place.
"What do you want?" Sheng Tian asked.
Her personal resources were limited. She was momentarily at a loss for what could possibly entice Yun Zijin.
"I heard," said Yun Zijin, "that Sheng Hao gave you a cruise ship for your birthday this year."
It was only by chance—through some talk involving Sheng Hao and, in turn, from something Lu Yunque mentioned—that Zijin learned of the gift.
Sheng Hao opened his mouth, wanting to protest, but under Lu Yunque's silent gaze, he said nothing.
Sheng Tian stared at Lu Yunque through teary eyes: "Brother Yunque… you… how can you help her like this!"
"A cruise ship? I don't have one, so we'll use that," Yun Zijin decided aloud.
"Why should I be the only one to bet anything? You have to put something of equal value, too!" Sheng Tian, though saddened by how plainly Lu Yunque was siding with Yun Zijin, retained enough sense to haggle.
"You're the one who proposed the match," replied Yun Zijin, her tone flat. "So the stakes are yours to set. If you think that's unfair, let's just not compete at all."
Sheng Tian bristled. She never expected such bluntness. Wasn't Zijin worried about looking bad to Brother Yunque?
"If you want to compete, do it quickly. I don't have all day." Yun Zijin's attitude toward Sheng Tian was downright cold. Though Sheng Hao pitied his cousin, he also realized it was Sheng Tian who provoked this. She had only herself to blame for being outmatched by Zijin.
"Fine, let's do it! It's only a cruise ship; I won't lose any sleep over it. Unlike some people who probably don't even own a yacht!" Sheng Tian sneered.
It was painfully obvious at whom she aimed that jab. Meanwhile, Zijin simply ignored it. Indeed, she didn't have a yacht—maybe she'd consider one during a future spending task.
"So how are we doing this? Let's clarify the rules so no one can yell 'cheater' afterward," said Zijin.
Given Sheng Tian's personality, Zijin had every right to suspect she might renege if she lost.
Kids raised with too much indulgence often neglected to consider the consequences of their actions.
"Simple," Sheng Tian declared. "We fish for half an hour, no matter how many you catch. Then we weigh them at the end. Heavier total catch wins. You dare?"
This format tested both skill and luck. If you ended up catching only small fry, your big haul might still weigh less than a few chunky fish.
"Sure. Who'll referee?"
"I will, I will!" Li Yuecheng, always up for fun, eagerly volunteered.
Neither competitor objected. Once Li Yuecheng signaled the start, Sheng Tian—having secretly practiced for the sake of bonding with Lu Yunque—cast her line gracefully.
As for Zijin, this truly was her first time. Her technique was awkward, but surprisingly not awful. It showcased a certain natural talent.
After she flung out the bait, she simply sat on the lakeshore, rod in hand, munching on sunflower seeds out of boredom.
On the other side, Sheng Tian exuded tension, muting everything around her to avoid scaring away the fish.
Simultaneously, the system chimed in Zijin's mind:
[Spending Task: Spend 3,000,000 yuan by midnight—Completed]
[Reward: 3x Rebate triggered. 9,000,000 yuan deposited into your bank account, plus 10 Good Luck Talismans, delivered to System Backpack. Please check!]
That must be Meilin's doing, Zijin realized. But discovering the reward was "talismans" confused her. She lived in a modern world, not some fantasy realm with mysterious charms. How would "talismans" even operate?
Given her surroundings and everyone's watchful eyes, she couldn't openly fiddle with the system. Yet she wondered how to stealthily extract them without drawing suspicion.
Just then, Sheng Tian's rod jerked. Zijin glanced up to see her nearly yanked off the shoreline by a forceful bite.
Seeing Sheng Tian almost dragged into the water, Sheng Hao rushed over, helping her steady the rod and reel in her catch.
"Heh, it's heavy! Bet it's a big one," he remarked. Next, Lu Yunque eyed Zijin's rod, clearly worried.
"You sure you don't want to switch spots?" he asked, mindful. "Might not be many fish here."
Zijin shook her head. "It's fine if I lose. It's my first time, after all."
If she did lose, it was no big deal—she was a newbie. But winning might demonstrate some "innate aptitude," and that was fine, too.
"As long as you're okay with it," Yunque said. "Are you hungry? Maybe I'll grab you some snacks."
"I'll wait until after the match, but sure, a few small bites are fine."
He nodded and left to get them. Once he was gone, Zijin reached into her pocket, using her clothing to hide the motion of removing a Good Luck Talisman from the system backpack. She then quietly activated it, following Suibianhua's instructions.