C2 The Banquet

As she spoke, Tiantian struggled slightly and freed her wrist, which was so painful it was almost numb, from Sucheng's grip. Sucheng had used so much force from the start that Tiantian's wrist was already red and swollen. Startled by Tiantian's words, Sucheng was too shocked to pay attention to the wrist he was holding, allowing Tiantian to easily break free from his grasp.

Looking at her swollen wrist, Tiantian frowned, wondering just how much force had been used to cause such a mark. With that thought, she began to scrutinize Sucheng. Since today was a birthday party the family had organized especially for Tiantian, Sucheng was dressed quite formally, with his suit and tie perfectly pressed, making him look quite distinguished.

Given that he was her biological brother, using such force on her suggested he wasn't a good person. Tiantian looked at Sucheng and silently concluded that he was an adversary, mentally placing him on the opposing side.

"You... you dare say I have no taste?" Ya was momentarily stunned by Tiantian's words, but she didn't dwell on it for long. Instead, a wave of anger surged within her. Having grown up pampered in the family, she wasn't used to being subtly insulted. Without caring about her image, she pointed at Tiantian and angrily retorted.

The gemstone pendant, supposedly worn since childhood, was merely a trinket picked up for amusement. Tiantian had plenty of jewelry, but she couldn't bear to use any of it to frame Tiantian, fearing it might get ruined. After much thought, she chose this pendant, which held little value but was cherished by the family as something Tiantian loved.

Sucheng noticed Ya's lack of decorum and barely perceptibly frowned, but quickly let it go, assuming Ya was just overly excited. He casually tugged at Ya's clothing to remind her to mind her appearance. Looking at Tiantian, who seemed somehow different, he remarked, "This is the pendant your sister wore since she was little. It may not be very valuable, but it holds a lot of sentimental value."

Tiantian glanced at the two of them without speaking, a cold glint passing through her lowered eyes.

"What’s going on here?" A middle-aged man approached, his attire striking a perfect balance between authority and warmth. This was Dongcheng, the head of the family. He had just come downstairs and saw the commotion, which added to his displeasure. Though he had a somewhat negative impression of Tiantian, she was still his daughter. Coupled with the guilt of having left her to fend for herself for over a decade, he seemed to favor Tiantian a bit more.

“Dad, she stole Ya's gemstone pendant!” Wei Sucheng blurted out before Wei Tiantian could say anything, immediately accusing her. He shot a sharp look at Wei Tiantian and positioned himself protectively in front of Wei Ya.

“I'm sure she didn't mean to, but... this pendant is really important to me,” Wei Ya added, casting a triumphant glance at Wei Tiantian, her face scrunched up in a show of distress.

Wei Tiantian watched their little performance with a cold smile, inwardly applauding their act. They played their roles perfectly, one as the good cop and the other as the bad cop, achieving exactly the effect they wanted.

Wei Dongcheng listened to both of them, affectionately patting Wei Ya's head. Then he turned to Wei Tiantian with a disappointed frown, about to say something, but Wei Tiantian interrupted him.

“That pendant is fake.”

A surge of anger rose in Wei Ya. How could she say the pendant was fake? It might not be as valuable as her other jewelry, but she had it since she was a child, and she knew it was real.

“How do you know it's not real?” Wei Sucheng asked with a frown. He was inclined to side with Wei Ya, especially since he was the one who found the pendant. If it turned out to be fake, it would be embarrassing for him. Besides, Wei Tiantian gave him a feeling he couldn't quite control, and he didn't like that.

[Task Initiated: Change Tiantian's life path and reach the pinnacle of success. Duration: Three months. Reward: $10,000]

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed in Tiantian's mind—the same voice that had brought her here! By now, Tiantian wasn't surprised. She wasn't someone who hadn't faced challenges before. A system like this sounded fantastical, but she had heard of such things.

Besides... having a cheat system, isn't that great?

What's the use of Karma Value? Tiantian wondered silently.

[It's used to provide services for you, dear host. Little Mengmeng can do anything~]

Tiantian rolled her eyes internally, choosing not to comment. This Karma Value seemed pretty useful, though she had no idea how much she had left.

Check Karma Value.

[Dear host, your Karma Value has been depleted due to your dimensional travel.]

Oh my gosh, it's not like I wanted to travel through dimensions! Tiantian felt a bit frustrated. So, this so-called all-powerful system is currently useless?

Wei Dongcheng frowned as he looked at Wei Ya. His daughter was usually obedient and well-behaved, so why was she acting out of character today? But with guests about to arrive, it was best to resolve this quickly to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

"So, tell me, what's going on here?"

Tiantian was busy negotiating with the system and had no energy to deal with the others at the moment.

[You can advance your Karma Value now and earn it back later! But remember, you must repay it within two days!]

Wei Tiantian thought for a moment. She'd need to use the system soon, so she decided to advance some Karma Value. As for repayment, that wasn't on her mind at all. She was the type to take life as it comes, dealing with things one step at a time.

How much Karma Value to swap this gemstone pendant for a glass one?

[It requires 12 Karma Value!]

Hearing this, Wei Tiantian raised an eyebrow. Just that much? It seemed Karma Value here wasn't too expensive. She decided to advance 15.

[Alright, host! Hehe, enjoy using it!]

For some reason, Wei Tiantian felt that the emotionless "hehe" carried an indescribable eerie feeling, as if she'd fallen into some kind of trap.

"Wei Tiantian! Are you mute? Say something!" Wei Ya stepped forward and gave Wei Tiantian a shove. She had completely lost her sense of reason and composure. Wei Tiantian's words made her feel like a fool! How could she tolerate such humiliation? She had to regain her dignity!

Wei Sucheng watched Wei Ya's behavior with some displeasure. His sister had always been well-mannered and composed. What had gotten into her today?

Although he had watched his younger sister grow up, Sucheng still leaned more towards Ya's side.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on?"

Tiantian had already negotiated with the system, so she wasn't worried about what would happen next. She watched the group with a relaxed smile, choosing to remain silent.