Yu Zheng lowered his head to look at her. “Hmm?”
Yu Xiaxing asked, “Since we’ve made up now, what if I get sick someday? What if I come down with a terminal illness and need a whole lot of money for treatment… Would you pay for it?”
Yu Xiaxing had suddenly thought of it because, unlike her older brother and sister, whose disasters would come in the form of sudden accidents, hers was a serious illness.
Illness was a matter of fate… Some people lived healthy lives and still developed serious diseases, while others stayed up all night and abused their bodies yet lived to a ripe old age.
Yu Zheng chuckled. Then he bent his finger and lightly tapped her forehead. “What nonsense are you talking about? Even if we hadn’t made up, I’d still pay for your treatment.”
Yu Xiaxing was just about to be moved.
Then Yu Zheng added, “You’re my biological sister. Do you think I could just stand by and watch you die?”
Yu Xiaxing’s heart gave a sudden twist.
I’m not…
She lowered her eyes, hiding the fleeting disappointment in them.
But she quickly rallied and looked up again, her face already wearing a mischievous grin.
“Brother, I really did help you with the property-management mess this time, didn’t I?”
Yu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“A thank-you payment.” Yu Xiaxing held out her hand, utterly self-righteous. “I helped you avoid a huge disaster and even turned your reputation around. Aren’t you going to show some appreciation?”
Yu Zheng said readily, “Sure. What do you want?”
“Give me that new car you just mentioned!” Yu Xiaxing’s eyes sparkled. “Hand it over!”
“…”
Yu Zheng felt a little pang at the thought of it.
But after thinking it over, he decided to give it to her.
Once he won the inheritance competition and inherited the family fortune, this would be nothing!
And if his sister hadn’t helped him this time, he would have ended up in jail in the very first round. Then what inheritance competition would there have been to speak of?
“Fine, fine, it’s yours. I’ll take care of the paperwork tomorrow and transfer it into your name.” He agreed at once, reaching into his trouser pocket and handing her the car keys.
Yu Xiaxing clutched them in her hand, her happiness completely undisguised. “Thanks, Brother!”
But then she thought of something else. Now that the two of them were on good terms, wouldn’t Yu Zheng deliberately go easy on her during the competition?
If he did, how was she supposed to get her severance payout and leave before the real heiress returned?
She stood up and looked down at him. “Yu Zheng, this car is your thank-you payment for helping you this time. Don’t think that because I accepted it, I’m going to hold back during the competition. I’ve got an even bigger move coming next week. Just you wait!”
With that, she scooped up Diandian and dashed upstairs, thumping all the way.
Yu Zheng let out a silent sigh. Sure enough, even family affection couldn’t diminish his sister’s professional ambitions.
The moment the family fortune was involved, she stopped calling him “Brother” and went back to addressing him by his name.
But he was no different.
He called after her from downstairs, “Yu Xiaxing, once I inherit the family fortune, I’ll give you a little more spending money every month!”
He knew perfectly well that his sister was a formidable competitor.
So he had to make sure his attitude was suitably imposing.
He checked his watch. There were only ten minutes left before the weekly rankings were announced.
He had a good chance of taking first place.
—
Deep in the Yu residence was a traditional Chinese courtyard that clashed completely with the style of the surrounding European manor.
White walls, gray-tiled roofs, a moon gate, a pond filled with withered lotus leaves, and several clusters of slender bamboo.
At the center of the courtyard stood a nearly two-meter-tall statue of Guan Yu, imposing and magnificent.
Three sticks of incense burned before the statue year-round, sending wisps of smoke curling into the air.
The Old Master, Yu Zhengrong, sat in a wheelchair with a thin blanket over his legs, holding his phone.
In his youth, he had fought his way up through blood and violence as a “gangland big shot.” Only later had he established the Yu Group.
Butler Zhou stood silently beside him, watching a video on the phone with him.
Butler Zhou had happened to pass by the Third Branch’s residence earlier and spotted Yu Zheng and Yu Xiaxing sitting on the sofa chatting. Finding it unexpected, he had secretly recorded a video and sent it to Yu Zhengrong.
Yu Zhengrong watched the video for a long time. Then he suddenly clutched his chest and said, “Sibling love really makes this old man’s heart go all soft and squishy.”
Butler Zhou looked confused. “What does ‘soft and squishy’ mean?”
Yu Zhengrong rolled his eyes. “You don’t even understand that? I keep telling you to spend more time online. Browsing the internet isn’t going to kill you!”
Butler Zhou scratched his head.
Yu Zhengrong continued, “When I was young, I was obsessed with wolf-pack culture. I believed that if you didn’t fight and claw your way up, you’d never get anywhere. So I taught the children that the weak were prey to the strong and that the victor was always right. They all learned very well.”
“Later, when I got older, I realized that for a family to last, the most important thing was for the siblings to stand together.”
Butler Zhou asked, “Then why did you arrange this competition? Why not simply divide the family fortune fairly among all the children?”
Yu Zhengrong replied, “I’ve already raised them to be competitive and grab whatever they can. If I divided everything fairly, do you think they’d stop trying to take each other’s share?”
“Let them compete. In the end, they’ll realize that none of them can do without the others. Just like how Seventh Sister helped Fifth Brother get through his crisis—that’s the result I wanted.”
Butler Zhou asked, “The weekly rankings are about to be announced. Since you’re so pleased with Seventh Sister and Fifth Young Master, why not give them a little extra credit?”
Yu Zhengrong shot him a look, and his voice turned cold. “Extra credit? Rules are rules. I said the competition would be fair and impartial, and I will not interfere.”
Butler Zhou understood. In the inheritance competition, there was no room for favoritism.
Ding.
A message popped up on the phone.
The results for Task One had been finalized!
—
In Yu Xiaxing’s room.
She had already decided to drive the car she’d gotten by extorting it from Fifth Brother. She had also quickly listed her own car for sale online—the car the family had rewarded her with.
She planned to put the money into her secret account. That way, if the real heiress returned ahead of schedule, she wouldn’t be left penniless.
Her phone vibrated. The special committee had sent out the results for Task One.
Yu Xiaxing’s expression turned serious, and her heart began to pound.
Diandian lay beside her legs. Sensing its owner’s tension, it raised its head and rubbed its damp nose against the back of her hand.
Yu Xiaxing stroked its head, her eyes fixed intently on the computer screen.
Please don’t let me come in first. Please, please don’t let me come in first…
Any rank would do. Dead last would be ideal! Just don’t give me any money!
Having finished her prayer, she finally clicked open the message.
【Yu Group Third-Generation Heir Selection Competition—Task One Rankings】
Yu Xiaxing held her breath and scanned rapidly downward.
【First Place: Yu Xiaxing
Overall Score: 87.5
Second Place: Yu Zheng
Overall Score: 85.0
Third Place: Yu Yuanchen
Overall Score: 82.5
Fourth Place: Yu Lingyi
Overall Score: 80.0
Fifth Place: Yu Zhining
Overall Score: 78.5
Sixth Place: Yu Suisui
Overall Score: 75.0
Seventh Place: Yu Guan
Overall Score: 70.5】
【Congratulations to Yu Xiaxing for placing first in Task One! An additional five million yuan in operating funds has been awarded and transferred to the project account.】
Yu Xiaxing’s mind went blank with a buzz.
Five million!
“Damn it all!”
She had gone to such lengths to blow through the money in the school’s account, only for it to be replenished twofold!
A whole week of effort had gone to waste!
Yu Xiaxing clutched her head and collapsed onto the floor, letting out a silent wail.
Diandian was startled and barked twice before coming over to lick her face.
Yu Xiaxing lay there for a full three minutes before finally getting back up and sitting down at the computer again.
Don’t lose heart!
Success is the mother of failure. Carefully review the lessons from this success, avoid repeating them next time, and she would definitely be able to fail!
The assessment committee had only released the overall scores and rankings, without any detailed breakdown.
She needed to study them carefully.
Yu Xiaxing picked up her phone and sent a message to the assessment committee, asking whether she could see the detailed breakdown of the scores.
This would not affect the fairness of the competition, but the assessment committee still reported it to the Old Master.
The Old Master agreed to let them send it over and remarked with a sigh, “All the children are outstanding, but Seventh Sister is not only talented—she’s hardworking too. She immediately asked for the data so she could analyze it and figure out how to keep succeeding. The other children didn’t even take the initiative to ask for the data. How could they possibly compete with their little sister?”
