6: I want to be a salted fish
"How could I be jealous?! It's just Grade-Three Hundred-Flower Nectar and Grade-Three Energy Fruit, right? Do you think I wouldn't have these for my 18th birthday?!"
The teenager raised his voice, glaring at Song Yu. "Stop joking! No matter what, I'll definitely have better talent than you! When it's my birthday in two more years, my parents will definitely buy me higher-level spirit plants and spirit minerals!"
His face turned red, his arm waved...
Song Yu blinked her eyes, somewhat amused. Despite saying he's not jealous, the way he's getting worked up is the best proof.
"Hey, what's with that look in your eyes? I told you I'm not jealous!!"
Seeing Song Yu's meaningful gaze, Song Qi got even more irritable and looked like an angry calf, with a face flushed like a pig's liver.
Even saying he understood! This was clearly her way of placating him. She shouldn't think such a simple gesture could fool him.
But as a school bully, Song Qi wasn't skilled in arguing.
In school, he usually settled things with his fists, and fighting was quite common in this high-martial world.
However, looking at the pale face of Song Yu, who obviously had been ill, Song Qi swallowed the anger that was almost boiling up in his throat.
"Hmph!"
Song Qi stood up, wearing his white hedgehog head, and looked down at Song Yu, coldly snorting, "No matter whether you believe it or not, I'm not jealous of your birthday."
He mentioned "birthday" twice in two sentences.
With his cheap younger brother's spoiled actions and expressions...
Song Yu quickly retrieved relevant memories from her mind, and if she still didn't understand why her younger brother was angry, she wouldn't be the Song Yu who had been active in the entertainment industry for years.
With more kids in the family, parents were prone to negligence.
Especially since Song Yu's birthday was just a few days apart from Song Qi's.
The teenager was naturally unbalanced.
Song Qi kept a straight face.
As a man, he would never admit to having such childish jealousy.
"Do you think I'm here to watch a joke with you?" Song Qi was frustrated and secretly cursed.
Song Qi raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Song Yu, are you kidding me? Do you think I'm as easily overwhelmed as you when things don't go my way? Let me tell you, it's just a birthday! Who doesn't have a birthday every year?"
The rebellious look on the teenager's face was like a toothless little puppy baring its teeth.
Song Yu blinked her eyes and looked at Song Qi with a bright and shining gaze, asking again, "Xiao Qi, do you want a birthday present?"
She was the older sister, and it wouldn't be excessive to give her younger brother two items of spiritual plants and resources for cultivation as a birthday present, right?
Song Qi: "I'll tell you, there's no way I'm jealous just because of a birthday. Do you think I don't have these things for my 18th birthday?"
Song Yu blinked her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a pair of charming dimples.
Song Yu's eyes sparkled, "Wasn't it your birthday yesterday? It's all my fault that I had a high fever yesterday, and my parents had to accompany me at the hospital, and I didn't get a chance to celebrate your birthday."
"..." Song Qi's expression froze, and his eyes widened unconsciously.
Although Song Qi didn't say a word from beginning to end, his shocked look, with big, wide eyes, was almost like having "How did you know" written on his forehead!
It was just as Song Yu had guessed.
With more children in the family, parents were prone to negligence.
Especially, in the past few days, after Song Yu's birthday, she had a high fever, and Song Wenhai and his wife had spent almost all their time with their daughter. This led to them unintentionally neglecting Song Qi.
Moreover, the siblings' birthdays were close, with a gap of less than ten days between them.
The teenager must have felt a bit unbalanced.
"... "Song Qi remained silent, keeping his eyes fixed on Song Yu.
Was it a provocation? Was it?
In the past, his sister loved to compete with him for their parents' attention and often showed off what their parents had bought for her in front of him.
Although this time she had an awakening of the F-grade Taming Space, her parents still got her Grade-Three Intermediate Hundred-Flower Nectar.
Just the thought of going home after school on his birthday yesterday, only to find that the house was empty, with no one in sight, not even a birthday cake or gifts, let alone his parents and the nanny...
All because Song Yu had been admitted to the hospital with a high fever after her breakup the day before...
Song Qi's face was stern.
As a man, he would never admit to having such childish jealousy.
"Do you want to see me make a fool of myself?!" Song Qi held back his anger, silently scolding in his heart.
"..." Song Qi's face was black, and he didn't say anything. He forcefully pulled his clothing out of Song Yu's grasp and said harshly, "I don't want it!"
"Why don't you want it?" A look of disappointment crept up on Song Yu's fair little face.
She thought she had found a good place for the two "time bombs," or rather, the two valuable treasures, as a birthday present for her younger brother.
Song Qi: "Let me tell you, I want to become a professional Tamer. I'll live to be over a hundred years old. Ordinary birthdays mean nothing to me!"
Song Yu raised her eyebrows, her eyes glistening, and she looked at Song Qi again, asking, "Xiao Qi, do you want a birthday present?"
Song Qi: "..."
Was he someone who could easily be defeated by the enemy's sugar-coated shells.
So, Song Yu decided to struggle a bit more...
She raised her head, with long, thick eyelashes, and her clear black-and-white eyes seemed to be as clear as a pool of mist.
Song Yu's voice was hoarse as she said, "Xiao Qi, your sister's talent is not that great... I've thought about it for a long time today, and it's not easy for our parents to earn money. Using these things for me is just a waste. It's better to give them to you as a birthday present... Your sister believes that your Taming talent will definitely be better than mine. You might even awaken an S-grade Taming Space..."
Song Qi: "??!!"
Song Qi widened his eyes, his scalp tingling.
What the heck! What's wrong with his sister? Clearly, their relationship was tense for over a decade, so why is she suddenly so affectionate?
Conspiracy, it must be a conspiracy!
With a feeling like a dog chasing after him, Song Qi was so scared that he didn't dare to return to the bedroom upstairs. He grabbed his backpack and rushed out!
Song Yu: "???"
Watching her younger brother's retreating figure...
Song Yu was dumbfounded, her expression frozen. She wondered if Song Qi had seen through her plan.
But it shouldn't be!
Unlike her character, who had already broken off her engagement. In the novel's plot, Song Qi didn't meet the female lead, Su Yuechan, until two years later in college.
As long as her younger brother changed to a university without the male and female leads after his high school exams, it would be fine.
Song Yu sighed, she had it all figured out. Since Song Qi had good talent, she just needed to get along with him, nurture her younger brother, and avoid the male and female leads. This would ensure her future life as a "salted fish" would be even more secure!
After all, Song Yaqian's good ending, which would lead the Song family forward, was a long way off, a good ten years later.
"But why did he run away? It shouldn't be like this."
Song Yu felt regretful, perhaps her sudden concern was too abrupt?
"In that case, I have to make my younger brother get used to my care!"
Determined, Song Yu quickly recalled her younger brother's preferences.
Addressing the rapidly departing Song Qi, who was about to leave with his well-worn shoes, Song Yu said without hesitation, "Xiao Qi, don't run so fast... it's so hot, and you're sweating a lot. The tattoos on your arms are almost peeling off. As a birthday gift, next weekend, I can take you to the tattoo shop..."
How to build a good relationship with a proud and arrogant teenage boy? Naturally, praise him! Give him things he likes! Song Yu was convinced of this.
However, Song Qi's hair stood on end when he turned his back to Song Yu.
Hearing Song Yu's words, Song Qi almost stumbled and staggered a few steps outside the door, only barely regaining his balance.
Darn it! This woman, Song Yu, is she poisonous or what?
*****
In a noisy and bustling internet cafe.
Groups of young people sat side by side in front of computers, frantically typing on keyboards and clicking the mouse.
Song Qi sat expressionless among the group of people, facing the computer screen with his hands moving rapidly.
His arrogant white hedgehog head looked even more youthful and wild under the dazzling lights of the internet cafe.
However, there are always one or two people among these young people who don't quite fit in.
One of them, a thin young man wearing oversized shorts and a floral shirt, typed on the keyboard intermittently. His eyes wandered back and forth on Song Qi's face before finally resting on Song Qi's flushed ears.
The skinny young man sighed, "Big brother, is it really worth staying up all night and dragging me to the internet cafe to play games over such a small matter?"
Song Qi glared, "You call this a small matter? Clearly, Song Yu, that woman, has gone insane!"
The skinny young man: "??"
Is it really insane for a sister to give a birthday present to her younger brother? Why does he think it's insane?
Song Qi raised his voice, "She's definitely crazy. How could she give me Grade-Three Advanced Energy Fruits as a birthday gift? There must be a conspiracy behind this! And that bottle of Grade-Three Intermediate Hundred-Flower Nectar, that was something our parents bought for her just a few days ago!"
The skinny young man looked expressionless as he fiddled with his own keyboard, making sure that his in-game character didn't die of bewilderment.
Although he didn't understand why older siblings would give such expensive birthday gifts to their younger siblings, was there really a conspiracy involving Grade-Three Advanced Energy Fruits and Grade-Three Intermediate Hundred-Flower Nectar?
If there were such conspiracies, each costing millions, they would be more than happy to participate!
Seeing the incredulous gaze cast by his good brother, with the words "You're really in Versailles!" that seemed to have a "F*** you!" sentiment, Song Qi felt a slight warmth in his ears.
But he continued to grumble stubbornly, "I'm telling you, don't doubt me! My sister is definitely crazy, otherwise, how could she say that her talent is bad and that it's better to let me have the family resources? It's all nonsense! Maybe she's been traumatized or has a split personality... Hey, I'm serious, what's with that look in your eyes?"
The price of Grade-Three Advanced Energy Fruits was not low, but as a high-end internet cafe, most of the teenagers who frequented the place came from relatively well-off families. So many of them just looked at Song Qi with envy before withdrawing their gaze and continuing to play their own games.
Bai Yuhang, wearing a white shirt and a black vest work uniform, was seriously cleaning up the trash left by a customer after he left.
Beside him, another boy in the same white shirt and black vest work uniform watched Song Qi's direction with an envious look and whispered, "Hey, the gap between people is really bigger than the gap between people and dogs these days... We work here every night, and we earn just over eight thousand yuan a month. But someone, with just a casual gesture, spends what would be our lifetime earnings."
The boy couldn't help but sigh, "It really is necessary to become a Professional Tamer. Only by becoming a professional Tamer and freely entering the wilderness forest and Rift Realms can we turn our lives around with spiritual plants, minerals, and treasures. I awakened my Taming Space two years ago, but my talent is too low. I'll probably never become a professional Tamer in my lifetime. I don't even know if my sister will awaken a high-level Taming Space next year."
The level of a Taming Space represents the talent of a Tamer.
A low-level Taming Space not only fails to assist the contract beast in cultivation but can also hinder its training progress.
On the other hand, a high-level Taming Space not only provides a comfortable environment but can also boost the contract beast's cultivation speed, sometimes by ten or even dozens of times.
Taming Spaces of S-rank and above even offer the chance for the Tamer to awaken innate talents, enabling them to assist the contract beast in battles, significantly increasing their combat effectiveness.
Therefore, everyone in the world desires to awaken a powerful Taming Space.
Bai Yuhang carefully cleaned his computer keyboard with a brush, pausing for a moment with the brush in hand, but he didn't immediately agree.
He lifted his eyelids, casting a glance at the large gaming chair where a half-exposed white furry head rested on the back. Slowly, he withdrew his gaze.
Only then did Bai Yuhang speak slowly, "You're right; one should become a Professional Tamer."
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