Chapter 23: Jiang Xian Boldly Offers Money

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“It’s hooked, it’s hooked!” Excited by the tug on the fishing rod, Jiang Ke exclaimed. This was her very first time fishing, and she had actually caught a fish, so it was natural she felt a bit thrilled. She set the rod down, and Lai Bingfu came over to help reel in the catch, which turned out to be a carp weighing about three pounds.

They took the fish off the hook and dropped it onto the floor, where it continued to flop around. A group of waiting kittens rushed forward in a frenzy. Preparing the bait once again, Lai Bingfu cast his line back into the water and said, “I told you, trust me, it’s bound to bite.”

Soon enough, his own rod got a bite. He hurried to reel in his catch, and even before he could set the bait again, Li Jiale’s line also caught a fish. Once the first catch was made, the fish seemed to come one after another, and the three of them each caught fish intermittently.

Before long, all three had caught five fish each. Lai Bingfu was kept busy the entire time, even teaching Jiang Ke and Li Jiale how to remove the fish from the hooks, so he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed.

At the same time, Rong Fan caught three fish. Although not as many as Lai Bingfu and the others, it was still better than the other three participants.

Only the professional anglers hired by the production team managed to catch one fish.

“Oh Lai, you’re really amazing! Your fishing skills are even better than those professionals,” Li Jiale teased, taking the opportunity to poke fun at certain people.

“Of course,” Lai Bingfu replied confidently.

“Looks like tonight, Jiang Ke and I really have to wear our best outfits to the banquet. Director Liu, can you give us a hint about the worst kind of attire?” Li Jiale asked.

“No, but I can tell you that tonight’s heavyweight guests are all familiar faces—people from your companies, celebrities from the entertainment industry, and bosses from other firms,” Director Liu answered.

“In that case, it’s better not to reveal what the worst dress looks like; otherwise, there’s no surprise factor.”

“Exactly, you’re right,” they all agreed.

“President Sheng, how about I give you a few fish I catch? It wouldn’t be good if you didn’t catch any at all—your employees might laugh at you as the boss!”

As soon as Lai Bingfu said this, Li Jiale understood his intention—it was an attempt to win over Sheng Ya to their side. “Yeah, President Sheng, Lai really knows his fishing. Let us give you some fish so we can all look good at the banquet tonight. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Lai Bingfu and Li Jiale bantered back and forth, as if they were already certain they would place among the top.

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Sheng Ya hesitated. Just moments ago, Hao Junyan had messaged her, saying he would bring two employees tonight. If her outfit wasn’t up to par, it would truly be embarrassing.

Seeing Sheng Ya’s hesitation, Zheng Jin grew anxious. He couldn’t miss such an obvious attempt to rally support.

Frustrated, he began to scold the three professional anglers: “Are you guys even capable? It’s been nearly half an hour, and you’ve only caught one fish.”

“You can’t rush fishing. We just got the first one; once it starts, more will follow in quick succession,” the anglers explained.

Knowing that getting angry was useless, Jiang Xian stepped forward and pulled Zheng Jin aside. “Don’t be impatient.”

“They’re mocking us, and they’re trying to drag my Yaya over to their side,” Zheng Jin complained childishly to Jiang Xian.

In his mind, he was growing more resentful toward Li Jiale and Lai Bingfu, thinking they were shameless to try and form alliances—especially to take away Sheng Ya, whom he refused to let go no matter what.

“Director Liu, you said we couldn’t change the decision, but you didn’t say we couldn’t add more people, right?”

“What?” Liu Shenghai was momentarily caught off guard by Jiang Xian’s remark.

“I’ll contribute ninety cents and add three professional anglers for each of the three of us. Is that alright?” Jiang Xian said calmly, though her tone betrayed a certain determination.

[What did I just hear? Is this girl trying to bring disaster upon herself? She’s willing to spend money recklessly without thinking about the consequences? I was going to support her, but now I can’t.]

[Is she desperate? Haha! But why add three people not only to herself but also to Zheng Jin and Sheng Ya? Shouldn’t those extras go to Rong Fan?]

[You might be onto something. This might be a three-bird-one-stone move: first, to win over Zheng Jin and Sheng Ya; second, to provoke Rong Fan’s jealousy, since she’s spending money on others but not him; third, to look impressive.]

[Don’t overreact. Two yuan is a huge sum for us, but to the wealthy, it’s nothing. A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse!]

[It’s right for Mrs. Jiang to give Jiang Xian two yuan. If she gave more, that would be scary—she could lose it all in one go.]

[We’ve waited so long for this moment: Jiang Xian’s assets are zero.]

“No way! How can this be? We’re all individuals—why do you get four people? That’s unfair!” Li Jiale was the first to object.

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Lai Bingfu agreed, “Yeah, if your skills aren’t as good, just admit it. If you lose, accept the punishment. Isn’t that normal?”

“I think you all might as well just admit defeat. It’s not shameful; you haven’t even tried your hand at fishing yet!” Li Jiale’s tone was filled with schadenfreude.

He was finally venting the humiliation he suffered earlier at Zheng Jin’s place, and it was doubled now—who would have thought their paid professionals would still catch fewer fish than Lai Bingfu?

“Well, I’m saying this is allowed, as long as it’s not the contestants themselves fishing. It’s the same principle as not letting professional anglers fish for you,” someone said, then turned to Yang Feng, “Go make the arrangements.”

“Got it.”

Liu Shenghai’s smile was barely contained. This really was his lucky year. After this variety show ended, his status would surely rise.

“Wait, Jiang Dayan, what are you doing?” Zheng Jin finally realized what Jiang Xian was up to.

“Adding people, and also donating more money to help the elderly and children in impoverished mountain areas. Isn’t that good?” Jiang Xian replied.

[To be fair, although Jiang Xian has been putting on airs, she genuinely put up the money. So far, she’s the guest who has contributed the most.]

[True. We’ve been misled into thinking Jiang Xian was just bluffing. She might be flashy, but the money is real. Other guests haven’t done that.]

[Who’s paying you to whitewash her? Tell me so I can get in on it.]

[She was just showing off earlier. Isn’t this move meant to win over Zheng Jin and Sheng Ya? She probably won’t spend more later, waiting for them to fund her.]

[Anyone defending Jiang Xian must have lost their mind. If she were truly donating for the poor elderly and children, we wouldn’t criticize her. But everyone knows she’s just trying to hook a rich person here. She can’t get close to Rong Fan, so she’s trying to win over Zheng Jin and Sheng Ya.]