Chapter 44 - 45: Newbie Bonus

Chapter 44: Chapter 45: Newbie Bonus

Swoosh~

The excitement at the pond had barely had time to build. Just three seconds of that gorgeous, singing line — then silence. The rod snapped upright with a sharp whoosh.

"Damn it, the line snapped!"

A chorus of frustrated curses echoed across the pond. Every angler froze.

Chen Yuan just stood there, dumbfounded.

I just barely figured out who had hooked the Fish King, and now you’re telling me the line broke? Are you seriously messing with me right now?

"What the hell — you let the Fish King get away?!"

The other anglers snapped out of it and turned to stare the guy down.

Three seconds was all it took, but that reaction said everything — it was absolutely the Fish King. The Little Kalamis in this pond couldn’t snap a line like that.

"I figured the Fish King only bites in the afternoon, like the last couple days, so I thought I’d fish for something else first and switch my line after lunch. How the hell was I supposed to know it’d bite in the morning?! Two thousand bucks, man — my heart is breaking."

The angler stomped his foot over and over, his face twisted with regret and pure anguish. That was the Fish King. That was two thousand real, hard-earned yuan.

What’s supposed to be both thrilling and profitable?

And it just slipped right through his fingers, just like that. Unbelievable.

"You were still fishing for other stuff, while the rest of us switched our rigs and hooks ages ago. Good riddance to the Little Kalamis."

"Ugh, why won’t the Fish King take my hook? Three-Second Man, you just blew a golden chance at fame and fortune."

"Now that he’s missed that bite, who knows if the Fish King will open its mouth again."

"Well, at least the two grand is still in the pond. If you think about it that way — thanks, Three-Second Man."

"Hahaha~"

The anglers were all in high spirits again. The one whose line had snapped, though — he looked absolutely miserable.

The Fish King was gone, two thousand yuan had slipped right through his fingers, and now his fellow anglers were calling him Three-Second Man. That nickname was definitely going to go down in the history books at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground.

Chen Yuan found the whole thing pretty funny, so he went ahead and posted the clip to the group chat to get things buzzing.

Sure enough, the group blew up.

Chen Yuan buying everyone popsicles had already made plenty of anglers jealous. Now with the Fish King biting again, the ones who hadn’t managed to grab a spot were absolutely dying of envy.

Then the line snapping after three seconds sent the whole group into a roar of laughter — especially once "Three-Second Man" got tossed out there. The whole group chimed in as one, and that nickname was never going away.

Of course, all the ribbing was good-natured. And if the guy had actually been upset, it would’ve ended right there — Chen Yuan wouldn’t have posted it in the first place.

"Cast it again, cast it — go after the Fish King."

Three-Second Man glanced at the messages in the group, unbothered, and quickly swapped out his rig and hook before casting back into the water.

Anyone who hadn’t switched their rig did so now. Anyone without a proper rod grabbed one. All sixty anglers at the pond pulled out their best gear, every single one of them dead set on going head-to-head with the Fish King.

Chen Yuan kept the remote on too. Today, that Fish King was coming out of the water — no going home until it did.

"Whirrrr~"

Not even two minutes later, that beautiful singing line rang out across the pond again. Every head turned at once. Chen Yuan raised his phone.

Come on, hold on this time.

"Bro, the Fish King — I think I hooked the Fish King!"

It was Ye Zhi’s voice, trembling with excitement.

Chen Yuan swung his camera over and saw Ye Zhi gripping the rod with both hands, throwing her whole body backward — but she clearly didn’t have the strength, because the Fish King was dragging her forward, stumbling.

The tip of the rod had plunged straight into the water.

"Watch out!"

Ye Huan moved fast and grabbed hold of Ye Zhi, just barely keeping her from toppling into the pond.

"Ye, give me the rod — you can’t handle the Fish King!"

Ye Huan shouted, barely able to contain himself.

For an angler with limited skills, losing a big fish after hooking it, then coming back fired up with better gear, and then somehow landing another one — that kind of excitement is impossible to put into words.

It was Ye Zhi who’d hooked it, sure, but in his mind, the six of them were one crew. Her hook was as good as his hook.

He was desperate to reel it in.

"Bro, let me fight it a bit first~"

Ye Zhi wasn’t letting go. The rush she’d felt watching the Fish King yesterday had been like nothing else — even she, just a girl, had felt her blood run hot.

She’d never actually expected to hook it herself, being a total beginner. All her hopes had been pinned on Ye Huan and the others. Just getting to feel what it was like near the Fish King was supposed to be enough.

But the Fish King had gone and taken her hook.

That surge of exhilaration — she wasn’t ready to let it go.

"Hey, girl, that’s not how you play a Fish King."

"Don’t hold the rod up over your head and lean back like that — you need to use the rod and your core together. Hold the rod upright in front of you and keep the grip at your waist."

"Work the rod — lift it up! Once the tip goes too deep into the water, you’ve got no leverage. The way you’re going, either the rod slips or you end up in the pond."

"She’s a total newbie. Absolute beginner."

"Wait — is this what they call beginner’s luck?"

The crowd of anglers was a mix of frantic concern and barely-concealed embarrassment.

A whole bunch of anglers who all considered themselves pretty decent had failed to hook the Fish King — and here it was, caught by a girl who clearly had no idea what she was doing.

Humbling, honestly.

All you could say was that beginner’s luck was absolutely something else.

"Bro, you take over~"

With the anglers coaching her, Ye Zhi had managed to get the rod back upright — but she was a girl, and after just two minutes, she was already struggling.

"Heh, Fish King — time to come ashore."

Ye Huan took the rod with a grin. His technique wasn’t anything special either, but with yesterday’s experience and everyone around him shouting advice, he crouched, leaned back, paced back and forth — and actually managed to hold his own against the Fish King.

The singing line rang out over the pond like a drawn-out melody, beautiful and stirring, setting everyone’s blood on fire.

Even Chen Yuan felt the electricity.

"Boss Chen, stop just recording — get me a couple of photos! I want to print them out and hang them in my study. If I land the Fish King today, I’ll have bragging rights for years."

Ye Huan hollered over at Chen Yuan.

"Got it."

Chen Yuan quickly switched to photo mode. That show-off Ye Huan even tucked the rod under one arm at his waist, freeing up his other hand to flash a peace sign at the camera.

"God of Wealth, bless me!"

Landing the Fish King was a long game — it was rare to bring one up in under an hour. All six of them took turns on the rod, and every single one of them shouted at Chen Yuan to stop just recording and take some photos too.

Especially when the Fish King broke the surface and you got both the angler and the fish in the same frame — now that was something.

Every shot made your blood pump.

Villagers from the surrounding hillsides and fields had long since taken notice, watching from a distance, some of them smoking and shooting the breeze in little clusters. Mr. Qin and the others had come running over to watch. Even Tang Ying and her crew were glued to the group chat — if they hadn’t had food on the stove, they’d definitely have been down at the pond too.

Splash~

The Fish King fought hardest when it was dragged to the surface, its tail thrashing and sending sprays of water onto the bank. Plenty of anglers got a face full of it and didn’t care one bit — every eye was locked on the Fish King.

Those seeing the Fish King up close for the first time were especially beside themselves.

"Holy smokes, that Fish King’s got to be over a meter and a half — I haven’t seen a fish that big in ages."

"If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, who’d ever believe the Chong City Fishing Ground had a hundred-pound Fish King."

"Boss Chen is a straight shooter — he said there was a Fish King, and there really is one."

Chen Yuan looked out at the crowd of hyped-up anglers, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He snapped photos, shot video, capturing every electric, pulse-pounding moment — then posted it all to the group immediately.

Photo after photo, clip after clip — they set the group chat ablaze, every message practically vibrating with the anglers’ excitement.

But Chen Yuan didn’t have time to read through it all.

Ye Zhi was already calling for him.

"Boss Chen, get over here and help net the Fish King!"