Chapter 54: Chi Qian Is Rich Now!
The battle ended with Ling Qian’s… badly injured chrysanthemum.
Luo Fan glanced at him, sweating profusely on the ground, and shuddered.
Wooden-stick-to-the-butt—utterly deranged.
Thank goodness it hadn’t been him with his back turned to Chi Qian. Otherwise…
Gu Hua helped Ling Qian up and shouted, “Chi Qian, since this is treasure brought up from the sea, it should be handed over to the production team for safekeeping. It’s not right for you to hog it yourself!”
If she couldn’t have it, then Chi Qian wouldn’t either.
Luo Fan smirked. “Gu Hua has a point. What if there are valuable cultural relics mixed in with the gold and jewels?”
Chi Qian shut the chest and retorted calmly: “So nosy. Do you also rush up to manure carts to ‘taste test’ the seasoning?”
“We’re just concerned about you.”
“Oh God, your concern makes my insides freeze.”
Luo Fan: “……”
This young miss was seriously impossible.
[Gu Hua’s right, no problem handing it over to the production team]
[Yeah, and guess who’ll “keep it safe” until it magically becomes theirs]
[This is international waters. The treasure was a gift from the orca baby to Qian. If the show crew wants it, they’ll need either a face thick enough, or… a butt tough enough]
[Qian: With one stick, the chrysanthemum blooms. My name’s Chi Qian, remember it]
[From today, please address her respectfully as Teacher Chi One-Stab]
Gu Hua’s group got nothing out of it and left, supporting their wounded teammate with dark expressions.
Chi Qian accidentally noticed Tang Xin glancing back at her, looking embarrassed and apologetic.
As if she felt guilty about the fight just now.
That reminded Chi Qian of the gossip she’d overheard from Orca No. 2…
Tang Xin and Wen Li were…?
“Qian Qian, where did this chest come from?” Chi Fengxiao’s voice pulled her back.
Chi Qian answered, “The orca and the others were riding dragged it up.”
Orca No. 1 probably still didn’t know it had been outpaced by its own brother.
Shen Jiashu clasped his hands devoutly, eyes shining. “This must be the ocean’s gift to the Forest Princess Krikshasha!”
An entire season later, Jiashu still didn’t realize he’d been tricked.
Chi Fengxiao was starting to waver too. “Qian Qian, could you really be the Sea Witch?”
Chi Qian opened her mouth: “Send me 60 bucks and I’ll tell you—”
“Alright, shut it. Don’t say another word.” Chi Fengxiao covered her mouth. “Children shouldn’t ask for money. Children should eat more pancakes to grow tall.”
Chi Qian: “Mmmph!”
The chest was so heavy that even Chi Fengxiao and Shen Jing together couldn’t lift it.
But Chi Qian, slipping on a pair of rubber gloves she’d scavenged, picked it up effortlessly and strode off.
Shen Jiashu’s mouth fell open, eyes sparkling like stars. “Princess, you’re amazing! Princess, wait for your loyal servant!”
Shen Jing: ? Excuse me, say that again? Loyal what now??
You’re only ten years old!!
On this side, the atmosphere was harmonious. No one quarreled over the treasure, all tacitly acknowledging it belonged to Chi Qian, to do with as she pleased.
But on the other side, clouds loomed heavy.
Wen Li stopped, turned, and accused Tang Xin: “You held back on purpose just now, didn’t you? You were trying to help Chi Qian.”
Tang Xin’s face instantly went pale—she hadn’t expected to be found out.
She had deliberately held back when lifting the box earlier, because she didn’t want to fight Chi Qian for things.
But she didn’t dare openly disobey her mother either, so she could only pull little tricks in secret.
“If you like her so much, why don’t you just go to her instead?” Wen Li’s heart was burning with anger; no matter how calm her tone sounded, the displeasure was obvious. “Are you even in your right mind?”
[Best Actress Wen is way too harsh on her own daughter. I swear she treats Gu Hua better than Tang Xin.]
[Doesn’t Tang Xin deserve a scolding though? Traitorous behavior.]
[Even if Tang Xin hadn’t held back, they still wouldn’t have been able to lift the chest. Don’t see what there is to blame her for.]
Tears rolled down Tang Xin’s cheeks as she stood there helplessly.
Gu Hua and Luo Fan, who always liked to play the role of peacemakers, didn’t step in this time.
They were just as angry.
They were eating gruel while others had a feast.
They were dirt poor while others struck it rich overnight.
Nothing stirs up resentment faster than that.
As Tang Xin listened to her scolding, what flashed in her mind was the way Chi Qian had just fought—swift, decisive, not an ounce of hesitation.
She really envied her.
*
The treasure became a trending topic.
Netizens argued endlessly about whether the chest contained actual cultural relics.
The wealthy families allied with the Chi clan immediately reached out to Chi Lisen.
One man’s wife wanted that fine box of black pearls to make into a necklace.
Another’s younger sister had her eye on the pigeon-egg–sized ruby for a full jewelry set.
Someone else’s sister-in-law wanted the blood-red agate…
They were all willing to pay exorbitant sums to buy them from the Chi family, or exchange them for other favors.
For the first time, Chi Lisen’s phone rang without pause—and all of it was private requests.
After hearing Secretary Zhong’s report, he turned them all down one by one.
The items belonged to Chi Qian; how to deal with them was her choice.
The Chi family wasn’t lacking in money.
Still… how had that silly girl managed to cause such a big stir again, and without a word?
Shoving aside his mountain of paperwork, Chi Lisen opened the tablet livestream. Time for some “slacking off at work.”
Chi Qian was slacking too.
The fresh salmon she’d just caught looked plump and luscious, the texture perfect.
With a few swift slices, she laid out thin sashimi neatly atop clean leaves.
The fish weren’t truly dead, she mused—they’d just found another way to go swimming, right into her stomach.
Amen.
After polishing off a dinner of sashimi and grilled oysters, Chi Qian finally had time to sort through the contents of the treasure chest.
One by one, she checked them over.
Wow, not bad at all.
Piles of gold and jewels. The pearl box was made of golden nanmu wood, and a roll of fabric as thin as clouds still carried a faint fragrance.
Not like the cargo from more recent shipwrecks—this looked like it had real history.
Judging from the quality, could it have been… a dowry?
Baby orca really did know how to pick gifts.
Chi Qian had barely looked through the first half, and her eyes were already dazzled.
So much money＼(☆o☆)／！
She, Chi Qian, was officially a rich woman now!
But Chi Fengxiao overheard her muttering and ruthlessly popped her bubble: “Wake up. This amount isn’t nearly enough for you to lie flat the rest of your life.”
“Think about your lifestyle at home—the imported premium fruits and ingredients shipped in from overseas, the luxury snacks, those crystal dolls in your cabinet…”
With each expense he listed, Chi Qian’s heart shattered a little more.
She was utterly shocked. Just eating every day could cost that much?!
Was she consuming food, or was she eating gold and diamonds??
Seeing her wilt, Chi Fengxiao chuckled, “Now you understand how hard money is to earn, how tough life is? And you think this little bit is enough to live easy? Qian Qian, you’ve still got a long way to go.”
Chi Qian stared blankly, enlightened: “I’ve thought it through. If I start working hard right now, by sixty-five I’ll get to retire and enjoy life.”
“…But if I lie flat starting now, I can enjoy life right away.”
“So why would I take the long road when there’s a shortcut?”
