Chapter 538 - 372: You Got Me

"What a beautiful day. Perfect for a trip out to sea, isn't it?"

Lin Chen drove the two women to the pier. He hauled the heavy equipment out of the trunk and walked straight toward a medium-sized speedboat docked inside the marina.

The captain was leaning on the railing, smoking. Hearing footsteps, he raised a hand and waved from a distance.

"Stars are really on another level. This is quite the entourage."

He proactively reached out to shake Lin Chen's hand, his gaze shifting to the two stunning, fair-skinned beauties behind him.

Erica was dressed very simply in a loose white T-shirt and denim shorts. She had tucked the hem of her shirt into her waistband, perfectly showcasing her charming waistline and her long, shapely legs.

She wore a resort-style straw hat and a pair of large sunglasses that sat on her pert nose, obscuring the upper half of her face. But even from the lower half that remained visible, you could tell she was a great beauty.

Walking beside her, Jin Meiyan was clearly dressed more elaborately. She had on a full face of makeup, and her long hair fell naturally over her shoulders, the ends distinctly separated in a style that was messy yet intentionally beautiful.

The fluffy volume, typical of Korean hairstyles, was very noticeable. You could tell she had deliberately curled it, especially with the distinct curves at her temples and the common see-through bangs in the middle.

Her top was a light brown-and-red plaid, slim-fit casual shirt, different from a traditional cut. It had small, innovative designs at the collar and waistline. The shallow V-neck revealed just a hint of her charming cleavage, while the cinched waist and the last two unfastened buttons at the bottom exposed her tiny waist.

On the bottom, she wore a black, mock two-piece slit skirt. The high slit on the left leg went all the way up to the top of her thigh, revealing a small section of the matching black safety shorts underneath.

Against the black skirt, her pair of fair legs looked exceptionally long and slender. As she walked, you could even see the faint definition of her muscles—a stark contrast to Erica's more curvaceous legs.

The captain was suddenly grateful he was wearing sunglasses. If word got out that he'd blatantly stared at a client's female companions upon first meeting, his reputation would be ruined.

To cover his awkwardness, he enthusiastically took the gear slung over Lin Chen's shoulder and started walking onto the deck, making small talk as he went.

"I've been taking people out to sea here for years. I've had thousands of tourists, if not ten thousand, and a dozen or so bloggers from back home. But these two you've brought are the classiest I've ever seen. You're something else!"

From an angle the two women couldn't see, he secretly gave Lin Chen a thumbs-up. Lin Chen just chuckled, his face full of pride.

If the two women, bare-faced at home, were already at a celebrity level in terms of looks and figure, then after getting all dressed up, they were comparable to top-tier idols walking the red carpet.

Especially Jin Meiyan. No man could possibly look away from her outfit.

Her skin was as white as snow, yet with the unique yellow undertones of Asians, giving it a healthy fairness. It was like the finest jade, shimmering in the sunlight.

Erica's fairness was the typical fairness of a white person, and the visual difference was particularly striking when she stood next to Jin Meiyan.

"What did the captain just say?"

Erica had just hopped onto the boat. Seeing Lin Chen's smug grin, her curiosity flared.

Before Lin Chen could speak, the captain answered for him.

"I was saying that out of the tens of thousands of tourists I've taken out, you two are the most beautiful. Just like movie stars. This kid here, on the other hand, looks a bit too ordinary, like some random guy off the street."

"PFFT HAHAHAHA!!"

"That's a good comparison."

Erica burst out laughing, and Jin Meiyan couldn't stop giggling behind her hand, shooting a coquettish glare at Lin Chen, who had just left the house in a loose T-shirt and denim shorts.

If he wore that outfit in South Korea, he'd probably be mistaken for some middle-aged guy. It was just too casual!

Although there was no guarantee they'd film a pod of whales on this trip, it was always right to be prepared. At this moment, she was starting to feel like she didn't want Lin Chen to appear in her video.

Who knew how her fans in the comments section would roast him when she posted it on social media.

But on second thought, she had already posted the survival experience video. Her fans were already familiar with what Lin Chen looked like, and given his identity as one of the Da Xia People, they probably wouldn't be too harsh about his fashion sense.

With a lurch that pushed them back into their seats, the speedboat cut through the waves and sped toward the center of the ocean.

The ever-professional Lin Chen and Jin Meiyan had already taken out their equipment and started filming. Whether they encountered a whale pod or not, they could definitely record and edit the intro in advance.

If they did see whales, they could finish editing and post it all at once. If not, they could just set the footage aside and edit it in next time they recorded, which would also save a lot of work.

After spending a few minutes recording the intro, the three of them eagerly took out their own fishing rods and bait.

"Captain, what kind of fish are good for catching in the whale-watching areas?"

"Oh, tons of them," the captain shouted over the engine, holding up his left hand to start counting.

"The most common are several types of salmon: pink, coho, sockeye, King Salmon, as well as rainbow trout and brown trout."

"For sea angling, you'll mostly see sablefish, black cod, lingcod, halibut, tuna, and so on. These fish love to chase smaller fish, so they're perfect for it."

"And I don't even need to get into the bottom dwellers. You've got all sorts of rockfish, flounder, sole, sculpin, Devil Fish, and more."

"On the surface, you've mainly got sardines, herring, and capelin—the kind of stuff you see on nature shows, forming dark clouds in the water."

"Besides those, you can occasionally spot tiger sharks, dogfish, dolphins, sea lions, seals, and so on. Anyway, this is the best area for sea fishing."

Hearing how rich the variety of fish was, the three of them grew excited and rolled up their sleeves.

Especially Lin Chen. With his Basic Fishing Mastery, he was ready to redeem himself and prove his true skill.

The speedboat raced across the ocean for about half an hour before the drone of the engine finally subsided.

The massive Vancouver Island had now shrunk to a faint coastline stretching from left to right as far as the eye could see.

In every other direction away from Vancouver Island, there was nothing but azure seawater.

The captain came out, holding onto the cabin doorframe, and casually scanned the surface of the sea.

"Lately, people have been spotting gray whales in this area. There should be at least a few pods resting here temporarily."

"But gray whales are different from most whales we know. They're baleen whales. They almost never prey on schools of fish and mainly eat crustaceans."

"Things like little crabs, little shrimp, and so on. So they mostly stay near the seabed and only occasionally surface."

"However, they stop eating when they migrate, and that's the only time they spend longer periods at the surface."

Hearing this, Lin Chen slowly furrowed his brow. "Doesn't that mean if they're being seen often, they've likely already started migrating?"

"That's right. That's why whale watching is all about luck. By the time someone else spots them, the pod might already be moving on. They won't wait for you to come all the way out here."

"The surest way is to get on good terms with every boat captain at the marina. No matter which boat goes out, as soon as they spot a migrating pod, they notify you immediately. Then you can hop on another boat and rush over. That's a guaranteed sighting."

That was obviously impossible. This was a coastal city; God knows how many people owned boats. There were multiple harbors alone.

When they were leaving, he had just glanced around and seen at least several dozen boats docked at the harbor, not even counting the ones already out at sea.

'If I had to build relationships with all those people, I might as well quit my job.'

"It's fine. Let's fish first. Sea fishing is also part of my filming plan. How about we have a competition to see who can catch the most and the biggest fish?"

"You know how to fish?"

Lin Chen looked at Jin Meiyan in surprise, clearly finding it hard to believe a young woman like her would have such a skill.

'Even Erica, a wilderness guide, isn't great at fishing. How could someone who focuses on dancing know how?'

As expected, she shook her head without hesitation, but her face showed no trace of worry.

"So what? I'm a fast learner. Just teach me and I'll get it~"

"That's true," the captain immediately nodded. "The basic techniques aren't hard. The difficult part is when you want to target a specific type of fish. That's when you need special bait, rods, and different techniques."

"For a beginner, all you need to learn is how to cast and retrieve. You put the bait on, cast the line out, and then all that's left is to wait patiently for a fish to bite. You can learn how to reel it in when that happens."

While he was giving this brief explanation, Lin Chen had already started demonstrating. He dug out a small piece of bait, hooked it, and with a seemingly casual flick, sent the hook flying in a graceful arc through the air before it landed far out in the sea.

The white bobber floated up and down with the waves, exceptionally conspicuous on the water's surface.

After casting his line, Lin Chen placed the rod directly into a holder set up on the railing and began to teach the two women hands-on how to bait their hooks and cast.

The captain didn't stay idle either. He cast three lines on the other side of the boat, ready to compete with them.

"Let me tell you, fishing is a strange thing. The more skilled the angler, the less certain they are to catch anything. But a beginner might have a massive haul. Let's see how lucky you two ladies are today and if you can fill up this keepnet."

"My friend, what's the heaviest fish you've ever caught?"

Full of confidence from his Basic Fishing Mastery, Lin Chen started chatting quietly with the captain after he finished teaching the two women how to cast their lines.

"The heaviest?"

The captain tilted his head, thought for a moment, and made a gesture with his hands in front of his chest.

"About this big. A bluefin tuna, a little over two meters long, almost three hundred kilograms. Man, that thing fought me for a full two hours. It took three or four people taking turns to tire it out. In the end, we had to use a crane from another boat to haul it in."

Seeing the proud look on his face, Lin Chen's expression soured a little.

'It's just a bluefin tuna,' he thought. 'I'll catch one sooner or later!!'