Chapter Twenty-Two: Fish: You Are Truly Aloof
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“Wow, fishing is my favorite! I wish my job was fishing too.”
“Fishing while petting a cat—life for the wealthy is truly dull and tasteless.”
“Honestly, these rich folks are kind of pitiful; they’ll never understand the grind we endure.”
Fish: “You all act so high and mighty, treating my life like a joke just to feed the cat.”
“To welcome everyone, the manor is holding a banquet tonight. Our production team has prepared attire for all participants. Besides us, many prominent guests will attend. Your outfit for the evening will depend on how many fish you catch.”
Zheng Jin had a bad feeling: “Don’t tell me—the fewer fish you catch, the worse the clothes you have to wear?”
“Pretty much.”
Lai Bingfu rubbed his hands confidently, eager to show off. “Ah, this is right up my alley.”
He was usually exhausted from work, and fishing was his favorite pastime. He had years of experience fishing in the wild.
Rong Fan remained calm. Though not as skilled as Lai Bingfu, he knew a thing or two. Everyone else had never even fished before, so in comparison, he had a chance.
Fishing requires patience. Some were busy with work, others with shopping or dating; none had time to waste fishing. They might be better at raising fish than catching them.
“We’ve prepared hooks, lines, floats, bait, groundbait—all the gear needed,” Liu Shenghai explained.
“And sun hats, fish buckets, stools.”
Liu Shenghai had thought of every fishing necessity.
Hearing this, Jiang Xian understood sun hats, buckets, stools, bait, and hooks, but the rest was foreign to her—she had never fished before.
“Director Liu, do we have to buy this fishing gear?” Lai Bingfu asked the crucial question.
“No.”
“Ah, if I’d known, I would’ve brought my own gear. I guarantee I’d clean out all the fish in this lake.” Lai Bingfu loved fishing outside work and had plenty of equipment.
“Now you have two choices. One: we have professional fishermen who can guarantee a catch, but the number of fish is random and costs a commission of 0.1 yuan. Two: fish yourself for free, with a one-hour limit.”
For Jiang Xian, a complete novice, the professional fishermen were the clear choice. Without hesitation, she said, “I choose option one.”
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“Me too.”
“Same here.”
Zheng Jin and Sheng Ya also chose option one without hesitation.
None of them had ever fished before, so professionals were the way to go.
Almost as soon as Jiang Xian spoke, the live chat began calculating how much money she had left.
“Total two yuan, spent 1.1 yuan, Jiang Xian now has 0.9 yuan remaining.”
“If the next task costs another yuan, Jiang Xian won’t have enough.”
“Soon, soon! I’m so excited.”
Li Jiale had never fished either and was about to speak when Lai Bingfu pulled her aside. “I’ll do the groundwork for you; you just sit and fish. You’ll definitely catch more than the others.”
“Are you sure? They’re professionals.” Li Jiale hesitated. She wasn’t short of money and preferred the pros fishing for her. If she caught nothing, it’d feel like Jiang Xian had stepped on her again.
“No problem. One hour, I guarantee more fish than them. Trust me.”
“Jiang Ke, you should fish too. Catching a fish yourself feels really rewarding. I think you’ll like it. Look, Rong Fan is fishing on his own too.” Lai Bingfu also persuaded Jiang Ke.
Though Jiang Ke had initially refused him, now that she was the Jiang family’s heiress, getting close to her was only beneficial.
He rarely got chances to shine; now with fishing as his specialty, he had to make a good impression. This was his moment to prove himself to Jiang Ke and Li Jiale.
At this, Jiang Ke glanced at Rong Fan preparing his gear—he was clearly planning to fish himself.
Jiang Ke wanted to pay but not fish. Sitting under the sun wasn’t appealing, especially since she’d barely spent any money and still aimed for the Best Young Talent award!
Though Rong Fan was present, she sensed he wasn’t particularly generous—more careful with his money.
Among this group, the most generous seemed to be Jiang Xian, but she was all show and no substance. Maybe if she tried, she could win the youth award, which would boost her acting career.
Noticing Jiang Ke’s hesitation, Lai Bingfu saw she didn’t want to fish herself. “Jiang Ke, trust me. I’m a pro. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll pay for the pros to come, and I’ll fish myself—bottom of the leaderboard, if I have to.”
Lai Bingfu’s confident maneuver hinted at something unusual.
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“Wow, wow, Lai Bingfu must like Jiang Ke. This ship is sailing!”
“This reality show is ripe for pairing couples—all wealthy heirs and heiresses, perfectly matched.”
“Classic move from my Jiang Ke! Lai Bingfu’s definitely making a move!”
“No way, I don’t agree with those two. I think Rong Fan and my girl Ke are the perfect match.”
“I see Sheng Ya with Zheng Jin, Li Jiale with Lai Bingfu, Jiang Ke with Rong Fan, and Jiang Xian solo—just right.”
The live chat drifted off track, shipping unlikely couples.
Li Jiale noticed the odd vibe, teasingly glancing between Lai Bingfu and Jiang Ke.
Originally ready to refuse, she was surprised Lai Bingfu went this far. Jiang Ke relented, “Alright, fine.”
On hearing this, Lai Bingfu hurried, “Director Liu, the three of us will fish ourselves.”
“Fine. One reminder: no backing out halfway. Once you choose your fishing method, that’s final.”
“No problem. We definitely won’t need to back out.” Lai Bingfu was brimming with confidence. Turning to Jiang Ke and Li Jiale, he said, “You two just get ready to wear the best outfits at tonight’s banquet. Outshine everyone!”
Buoyed by Lai Bingfu’s confidence, Li Jiale felt confident too. “Alright.”
The three professional fishermen took their places by the lake, ready to fish, while Liu Shenghai started the timer.
Jiang Xian picked up a blue cat and sat in the shade, petting it.
Sheng Ya took out her phone, checking for work messages, while Zheng Jin watched her focused expression admiringly.
Lai Bingfu, clearly experienced, helped Jiang Ke and Li Jiale set up their rods before calmly preparing his own. Before long, Jiang Ke had a fish on her line.