Chapter 29 - 30: I Gave You a Chance, But It Was No Use

Chapter 29: Chapter 30: I Gave You a Chance, But It Was No Use

Ye Huan wasn’t the most skilled angler, but he sure as hell listened to advice.

Just as the tip of his rod was about to get dragged underwater by the Fish King, he whipped it side to side in rapid succession and somehow wrestled it back up out of the water.

"Go, go, go — walk it this way, tire it out!"

Ye Huan leaned into the rod and backed up, and the other anglers scrambled out of his way.

"Holy shit, God of Wealth, you actually hooked the Fish King!"

"Let me have a feel! Come on, let me feel how strong that thing is!"

"Bro, get it up! Bring the Fish King up!"

Ye Huan’s friends were losing their minds with excitement. Even the three girls — Ye Zhi and her two companions — were jumping up and down, absolutely buzzing.

Who said girls don’t like fishing?

They just hadn’t met the Fish King yet.

The moment the Fish King had breached the surface earlier, even someone who’d never touched a fishing rod in their life couldn’t help but feel their heart lurch. That was the kind of raw thrill only a truly massive fish could deliver.

The melodic whir of the line singing off the reel rang out every now and then as Ye Huan crouched, stood, and shuffled along the bank under the shouted directions of the surrounding anglers.

The commotion at the pond quickly drew the attention of villagers who’d been out working — some watching from the hillside, others from their fields. Even Chen Jun and his crew had been pulled over by the spectacle.

There was a small pang of pain.

After all, the Fish King had a bounty of a thousand on it.

Chen Yuan, on the other hand, felt no pain whatsoever. His face was lit up with a wide grin, and he’d already asked Tang Ying to get him a thousand yuan in cash.

A WeChat transfer was just a cold string of digits on a screen. Nothing hit the same as ten crisp hundred-yuan notes fanned out in your hand — the texture, that flash of vivid red. The physical sensation and the visual impact were worlds apart.

The marketing value alone was going to be absolutely killer.

"SPLASH~"

After battling the Fish King for the better part of half an hour, Ye Huan finally hauled it up out of the water. The thrashing beast sent waves crashing everywhere, soaking more than a few of the nearby anglers.

But nobody cared. Every single one of them was locked on the Fish King, eyes wide.

"Holy moly, that thing is massive."

"First time in my life I’ve seen a fish that big. Boss Chen really went all out."

"Seeing it in person is something else — the video doesn’t do it justice."

Watching the crowd of anglers buzz with excitement, Chen Yuan couldn’t hold back the grin spreading across his face. Once today’s footage made it into the group chat, it was going to make even more of a splash than yesterday.

He could practically see the money already rolling in.

"The net! Someone get the landing net!"

Ye Huan hollered, barely containing himself.

His friends snatched up the landing net from the nearest fishing station and rushed to help. Ye Zhi and the other two girls were just as eager, all of them desperately wanting to scoop up the Fish King.

"That little net’s not gonna cut it — use this big one!"

Qin Fen shouldered his way through the crowd with a large landing net in hand, eyes locked on the still-thrashing Fish King, ready to scoop at a moment’s notice.

"Splash."

The Fish King was still fighting hard, its tail slapping the surface faster and harder with every passing second. This was clearly its final surge — and its strongest.

As long as Ye Huan held on, the fish was as good as landed.

Every angler around the pond tensed up, phones already in hand, dying to get a photo with the Fish King.

Chen Yuan was standing by with the ten hundred-yuan notes ready, all set to fan the flames of the moment.

And then.

"CRACK."

A sharp snapping sound rang out, and every single angler’s heart sank in unison. Chen Yuan stared at his phone screen in disbelief.

I had everything perfectly set up, and you’re going to snap the damn rod on me?

"The eighteen arts of landing a fish — the nunchuck technique."

It wasn’t Qin Fen who reacted first — it was Ye Huan. He’d felt something was wrong before anyone else did, and before the rod could fully snap in two, he lunged forward and grabbed the front half just in time.

Did he get it?

He got it.

But the momentum combined with the Fish King’s violent pull sent Ye Huan stumbling badly. His feet gave out beneath him, and with a loud "SHIT!" he pitched headfirst into the pond.

"Throw a life ring! Quick!"

Chen Yuan immediately stopped recording and charged over, shouting.

He was wearing a life jacket, sure — but a fall into the water wasn’t something you took lightly.

"Bro, heads up!"

Ye Zhi yanked a life ring off its hook and hurled it into the pond. His friends and the other anglers did the same, tossing in the rings from the parasol stands around the bank.

What were those life rings there for?

Not for decoration.

Exactly for moments like this.

"I’m fine, I can swim! Since I’m already in here, I’m not leaving without the Fish King — I’ll grab it with my bare hands if I have to."

Ye Huan swam after the drifting rod. He’d lost his grip the second he hit the water, and he was dead set on catching up — there was no way he was leaving without that fish.

But before he could reach it, the broken rod was already drifting listlessly on the surface, all life gone from the line.

"Aw, damn — it came off the hook."

A collective groan of disappointment swept through the crowd.

Ye Huan’s friends were stomping their feet and shaking their heads in disbelief.

"What a damn shame — we were so close to landing the Fish King. So freaking close."

"Bro, that was brutal. So close."

Ye Zhi and the others pulled Ye Huan out of the pond, their faces heavy with disappointment.

"I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. I should’ve switched to a heavier rod and line before coming — but who the hell knew I’d actually hook the Fish King?"

Ye Huan looked absolutely gutted, swimming in regret.

He knew his own limitations as an angler well enough. Sure, he’d come here hoping to catch the Fish King, but he genuinely hadn’t expected someone with his skill level to actually hook it.

So he hadn’t bothered bringing the right gear, and it had cost him the fish.

It hurt.

"You alright, God of Wealth?"

Chen Yuan stepped forward, concerned.

"I’m fine. Boss Chen — how do I sign up for a membership? I want one. Right now."

Ye Huan was practically vibrating with energy, even more wound up than Mr. Qin and his crew had been yesterday.

For an angler like Ye Huan — someone without much technical skill — having a monster fish snap your rod was an absolutely incredible rush. On top of that, he’d been the first in the whole pond to get a bite. The thrill was mixed with a real sense of pride.

Once you’d had a taste of that feeling, it was addictive.

"Bro, sign me up too!"

Ye Zhi and the others were just as fired up.

"Yeah, Boss Chen — how do memberships work? I want a regular spot here."

"Me too, I want a regular spot."

"Boss Chen, get us set up with memberships!"

The anglers all around the pond were clamoring and shouting to sign up.

Tang Ying nudged Chen Jun with her elbow, and the two of them stood there watching the scene unfold with beaming smiles, the laugh lines at the corners of their eyes deepening by the second.

"I won’t lie — I really do want to launch a membership program. That’s serious money right there."

Chen Yuan was grinning just as wide, but he held up a hand to explain. "That said, the fishing spot is still in its early days. A lot of the details haven’t been ironed out yet, and the membership program hasn’t been formally put on the table. Once things are running smoothly, I’ll make sure everyone hears about it first."

How the membership tiers would work, how much to charge for top-ups, what perks and privileges to offer — none of that had been properly thought through yet.

He couldn’t just wing it.

The anglers were a little disappointed, but they understood. A membership program wasn’t something you could pull out of thin air — it needed careful planning. In the meantime, though, they were staking their claim on a regular fishing spot here. That much was decided.

Swish~

Chen Yuan fanned out the stack of cash in his hand and swept his gaze across every angler at the pond.

"Spots are no problem — we’ll sort all that out. It’s still early, folks, so get back to it! Don’t waste the opportunity just to let it slip through your fingers!"

Oh, come on!

Ye Huan’s face went red. That was obviously a jab at him.

What an absolute smug bastard!

The other anglers let out a stream of colorful curses as they baited their hooks and cast their lines, all gunning for the Fish King — determined to make Boss Chen pay.