Salted Fish Doesn't Want to Inherit Hundred of Billion Property - Reviews

I keep coming back to the crocodile poster in Qiao Qin's office. It's mentioned twice in these chapters, and I think it's doing more thematic work than the author probably intends—or maybe it's intentional and I'm just now noticing. First instance: Qiao Qin leans back in his chair and catches sight of the crocodile poster on the wall. He's just received the legal evidence, about to give the order to apply for well-known trademark certification. The crocodile is watching. Second instance: Meng Yao reminds him about the company's working capital, and "under the silent threat of the crocodile," he sighs and returns to his seat dejectedly. The crocodile is still watching. What does the crocodile represent? On the surface, it's just office decor—a rich guy's taste in art. But thematically, it feels like a symbol of the predatory business world Qiao Qin has entered. Crocodiles are ancient, patient predators. They lie in wait. They don't chase; they strike when the moment is right. That's exactly how Mr. Qiao operates from his Mediterranean beach, and it's also how Qiao Qin is learning to operate now. There's also the symbolism of the great white sharks in Mr. Qiao's pool. Two different apex predators, one in the office and one in the father's world. The sharks are on display—tamed, contained, part of a performance of power. The crocodile is on the wall—art, decoration, but still a predator. Both represent the world of old money where danger is aestheticized. And then there's the trademark itself—the Qiqi brand. It's not just a product name; it's an identity. The entire conflict revolves around who gets to claim this identity, who gets to say "this is mine." The taxpayer commendations, the old packaging, the sales records—all of these are artifacts of authenticity in a world where authenticity can be bought, sold, or stolen. The theme here is about ownership of self, and I think the crocodile is the silent witness to Qiao Qin's journey from someone who just wants to be left alone to someone who's being forced to fight for his place in the world.

"Just like this glass—flat, not tasty, even a little bitter. Yet unbelievably sweet." I need everyone to understand what this line did to me. This is the moment where Wang Ying's mom sits up all night with a glass of flat, stale Qiqi waiting for her daughter to come home, and the soda isn't special—it's literally described as bitter and flat—but it represents thirty-plus years of a mother silently noticing her daughter's smallest desires. Her mom worked as a waitress, they were poor, she couldn't afford soda, and her mom would bring back leftover bottles just for her. Decades later, when her memory is failing and she can barely remember her daughter's face, the one thing she holds onto is that act of love. The scene where Wang Ying comes home and Zhao Dong tells her her mom "opened the soda and poured you a glass. She's been sitting here with the light on, waiting for you"—I literally had to pause because my chest was hurting. And then the mom pulls out a crumpled newspaper clipping about Qibao being honored as a major taxpayer in 1981, and she connects it to the Qiqi in her hand. Her mind is fracturing but her love isn't. That's the emotional core of this entire chapter right there. And Qiao Qin's emotional arc in this chapter is quietly devastating too. He's bankrupt. He's watching his company get eaten alive. He goes home to his mango-shaped body pillow and a tabby cat and tries to sleep, and the very next morning he finds out a celebrity he's never met has single-handedly turned public opinion in his favor. The moment where he prays to the God of Wealth—"this humble man is willing to trade a lifetime of riches for Qiqi's downfall"—it's funny on the surface but underneath it's just a man who has nothing left to lose and is desperately hoping something, anything, goes right for once. The bond forming between Qiao Qin and Lou Quan is also worth noting. They've never met. They've never spoken. But Lou Quan reads Qiao Qin's announcement and thinks "those who pursue their dreams despite the world's misunderstanding are precious"—and then he acts on it. That's a friendship built on mutual respect before either of them even knows the other's name.