The Whale Accept the Challenge (1)

"A true whale doesn't talk much,

but spends money to shut people up."

- ShanTheWhale -

 For decades, countless Wisher Arena tournaments have been held, and while there have been unexpected events in the past, none have ever been as bizarre and beyond all expectations as today's.

 Suddenly, a sponsor rushed into the arena and shouted a proposal to a Wisher, making it a truly unprecedented event in the history of Wisher tournaments.

 The stadium staff were all well-trained to handle any unexpected situation. However, this incident had never been part of their training, leaving them completely at a loss.

 For the ordinary spectators, this incident was pure entertainment. It was unbelievably fun, and they felt that their money for the tickets was truly worth it.

 For the other sponsors, they were unsure whether to admire or pity the new sponsor. This guy was bold and shameless, not caring about social norms at all.

 For the other Wishers, they were curious and slightly annoyed. They wondered what was so special about Vinzent, the fake UR Wisher, and why the sponsor was so interested in him.

 For the Wisher Association's news agency, this incident was sure to be a top-rated news story that would skyrocket their viewership. A new whale sponsor, infatuated with a young Wisher, couldn't contain his excitement and jumped into the arena to shout a proposal. Such a sensational scoop would definitely not be missed!

 For those in a relationship, they all thought it was an incredibly romantic proposal and wished their partner would propose to them in the same way.

 For those who are single, they were all envious, wondering why they didn't have such a romantic moment.

 The crowd at the arena had a diverse range of perspectives, but at this moment, everyone was united by a single curiosity:

 'Will the Vinzent accept or reject?'

 All eyes were now on Vinzent. Everyone was eager to see how the young Wisher would respond to this unexpected proposal.

 "…"

 Vinzent, however, remained standing still, showing no reaction or response. From a superficial glance, it was extremely difficult to tell what he was feeling. Was he stunned, shocked, or simply unwilling to speak his mind?

 In truth, Vinzent was in a state of shock.

 Having lived a solitary life all along, Vincent had neither friends nor family. Of course, he had never dated anyone and had no experience with any kind of love. Moreover, he had never even been interested in love before.

 Vinzent had always been isolated from society, and society had always ostracized him. He was used to being alone and excluded. It had become a part of his life. Over time, Vincent grew indifferent to these things

 Then, out of nowhere, a young man of average appearance but immense wealth, like a whale, jumped into the middle of the field and shouted, "Please marry me!" in front of everyone.

 Vinzent, who had zero experience with love, was at a loss for what to do and didn't even know how he should feel.

 Happy? Sad? Angry? Embarrassed? Vinzent had no idea what he was feeling. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was shocked.

 Vinzent had always seen everyone around him the same way, never particularly liking, disliking, or caring about anyone. But now he found himself interested in this eccentric sponsor. While Vincent had previously been clueless about love and never thought he would have the opportunity to experience it in his lifetime, he was now starting to wonder, What is 'marriage'? What's so good about it? Why does this person want to marry him?

 Despite the whirlwind of confusion and doubts swirling in Vinzent's mind, his outward demeanor remained as indifferent as ever. This left the onlookers, who had been eagerly awaiting his response, sighing in disappointment. They assumed that Vinzent simply didn't take the sudden proposal from Shan seriously.

 "Mr. Shan, please give up. He's probably going to reject you."

 The officials were at a loss as to how to persuade the sponsor to leave the field willingly, so they resorted to this tactic instead. They figured that if Shan got his heart broken, he would lose his energy and they could easily drag him out.

 However...this only fueled Shan's determination.

 "What? Reject when? Vinz hasn't even said a word!" Shan exclaimed, pointing at Vinzent.

 "…" And Vincznt just stood there, staring at him silently, without responding.

 Shan didn't feel embarrassed. He told himself that this was the game world, and he could do and say whatever he wanted. And there was something that had been weighing on his heart for a long time. If he didn't say it, he would regret it later for sure. So, Shan didn't hesitate for a moment.

 "Since no one in this world loves Vinzent, I will give him my love. Since no one values Vinzent, I will spend every penny I have to make everyone see his worth!"

 Shan's words echoed through the stadium, leaving everyone baffled. They knew Shan was a wealthy sponsor, but they couldn't help but wonder why he placed such high value on Vinzent.

 Could he really want to marry Vinzent, as he had proclaimed?

 Vinzent was also watching Shan, his expression unchanged. But his mind was filled with confusion. Vinzent was accustomed to being ignored, so the sudden appearance of a sponsor who claimed to want to dedicate everything to him was too bizarre for him to comprehend.

 "I... as a sponsor, will take Vinzent under my wing!!" Shan blurted out.

 "Ahem, Mr. Shan, you are not yet a Platinum sponsor. You cannot sign a UR-level Wisher yet," one of the officials whispered.

 "I mean in the future," Shan quickly corrected himself, faking a cough to save face. Then, he asked the official in a loud voice:

 "How much is this Wisher League?"

 "What do you mean, Mr. Shan?" The officer didn't get him.

 "I'll buy out this competition. I just arrived and missed the match, so I'd like to train Wishers and participate too. Just tell me the price and I'll gladly pay to have it postponed so I can join."

 Shan decided to buy out the competition because he couldn't stand to see Vinzent lose without trying to do anything. Vinzent was his precious Waifu, after all.

 The officials were taken aback. In all the years they had been running the competition, no sponsor had ever made such an offer before.

 "The thing is this competition has rules. We can't just postpone it at your whim. We must respect the rights of the other sponsors as well…"

 The officials tried to explain to Shan, but some of the sponsors were already fed up with his arrogance. They stood up and said:

 "Fine, postpone it. I don't mind. I'm curious to see how good the new sponsor is."

 "Yeah, no rush. The more competitors, the more fun."

 "Fine by me. This is just a mid-level Wisher League. Not that interesting."

 "He's just showing off with his money. Once he loses, he'll run away with his tail between his legs."

 "Well, the outcome of this competition is already clear. It's boring and predictable."

 "Postpone it. I have no problem. I'll still win anyway."

 Shan could sense the challenge in the other sponsors' expressions, but he didn't feel the least bit afraid.

 These people didn't know enough about Mr. Shan's money.

 The officials then discussed the matter among themselves for a while.

 Meanwhile, the sponsors turned to talk about the incident, as it was the first time a sponsor had stepped onto the field to buy out a competition. When everyone agreed on why Shan was doing this, they burst out laughing.

 "Oh, so you're just afraid that the Wisher you like will lose and want to delay the match, huh?"

 "Delaying is fine. Seeing that guy lose in every round within ten seconds is boring as hell."

 "You came here pretending to propose just to disrupt the competition, didn't you?"

"Do you think helping him will make him win? Let me tell you, there's no way."

 "That pathetic Wisher is a waste of time."

 "If you want to throw your money away, that's your business."

 "Consider this a warning: that guy is a fake UR Wisher. You've been duped."

 The sponsors burst into laughter and mockery, finding Shan's actions highly amusing.

 "What?" Shan frowned. "Just earlier, you are mocking my Vinzent?"

 "Vincent? Oh, come on. Is that loser even fit to be a Wisher?"

 "The UR Wisher like that? I suggest you take an N Wisher instead; there might be a better future."

 "No one wants to waste their time with such a worthless Wisher"

 "I don't understand why the association still keeps such unwanted Wisher in their roster."

 "Exactly. They should have removed that garbage Wisher from the association long ago."

 The sponsors' taunts made Shan clench his fists. He was very angry at those words.

 For Vinzent, on the other hand, he remained indifferent. He had heard these insults from the sponsors countless times before, so he was already numb to them. It's not that Vincent never felt bad, it's just that he was used to them, and no one had ever stood up to defend him. So, Vinzent remained silent and pretended not to care. Perhaps it was just his way of protecting himself from a cruel society.

 Vinzent watched Shan's reaction as he held back his anger until his face turned red. He wondered why this person seemed to be angry on his behalf, as this was the first time someone had felt bad about these things for him.

 For Shan, he never cared if anyone insulted him. Because even if everyone bullied Shan, no one in the world would dare bully Shan's money. Because everyone loves money. But Vinzent was just a game character. He was created to be loved by the players. If the players all abandoned him, even the characters or NPCs in this game looked down on him, and Vincent would be worthless.

 As Vinzent was his number one Waifu, Shan couldn't stand it.

 Mr. Shan had a golden rule: everyone could insult Shan, but no one could insult his Waifu!

 "Alright, you think that way, do you? Fine. Then I'll show you."

 Shan just smirked in response. He didn't bother to argue with people who looked down on his Waifu, just as he never responded to players who bullied Vinzent in the game community. He believed in the principle that he was a high-class whale.

 'Real whales don't talk much, just top up to slap those people's faces.'

 That was Shan's motto.

 If anyone dared to insult Shan's number one waifu, Shan wouldn't waste his time arguing with them. He would just top up a ton of money, build a super OP character, and then show off in front of them, and they would be completely speechless.

 Shan had already slapped the faces of those who bullied Vinzent with his money, and he would do it again without hesitation.

 Shan chuckled in his throat. How dare they insult his number one waifu?

 Alright, this Poseidon whale god was ready for the challenge.

 He would use his money to shut these guys up.

 "So, can I postpone it right? Don't need to postpone it too far. I just need a week to prepare, that's plenty," Shan turned to ask the officials.

 The association officials were also quite troubled by this matter. However, all the support for the Wisher Association came from the sponsors. Therefore, when each of the sponsors showed no concern about postponing the competition, and there was even another competitor entering the arena to add to the challenge, the officials decided to just follow the sponsors' wishes.

 "Very well, sir. We will postpone all competitions to next week. Please prepare to find Wishers for your team for the competition," the official said.

 "Yes!" Shan raised his hands to the sky in joy. Of course, when he was happy, he naturally wanted to share his happiness with his waifu. But...

 "Vinz-kun... Oh?"

 Shan turned to cheer with Vinzent. He really wanted to see his waifu's face of gratitude for his whaling. But Vinzent seemed to be off the field already.

 "I guess he may be shy by me, haha," Shan said to himself to cover up.

 In fact, Vinzent hadn't left yet. He just didn't like the commotion, so he slipped away quietly by himself. Vinzent watched the events unfold from a distance. When he concluded that the competition was temporarily over, he turned and walked away, with a lot of mixed feelings about this new sponsor.