Chapter 45 - 46: The Fish King Comes Ashore

Chapter 45: Chapter 46: The Fish King Comes Ashore

Splash~

The Fish King was still thrashing on the surface, but its struggles were growing weaker by the second, its head drifting in the direction of the rod — clearly running out of fight.

Once they pulled it close to the bank, they could net it any time.

Ye Zhi took back the rod, determined to see it through to the end herself, and called out for Chen Yuan to come over and work the landing net.

"Boss Chen, get over here — you’re the owner, it’s only right that you scoop the first one up!"

Everyone at the pond could tell the Fish King was almost done. They all started hollering for Chen Yuan, and even Ye Huan’s group held back from grabbing the net — as if there were some unspoken rule about it.

"Sure, no problem."

Chen Yuan glanced around and saw that everyone at the pond was already filming. One more camera wouldn’t make a difference. He tucked his phone in his pocket, grabbed the big landing net he’d prepared, and jogged over.

"Just so we’re clear — I’m happy to net it, but if it gets away, nobody’s kicking me into the pond, alright?"

Chen Yuan crouched at the water’s edge with the net in hand, grinning over at Ye Zhi.

"Ha, girl, you better watch yourself — when a boss says something like that, he’s usually about to cut your line on you."

"The bigger the fish, the harder it is to net. Boss Chen, you think we called you over for nothing? We need someone to cover us if the Fish King makes a break for it at the last second. You let it escape, you’re paying up."

"Haha, if the boss loses it, it’s definitely on purpose. He’s gotta compensate!"

"Didn’t see it coming, did you, Boss Chen? You just fell for the honeytrap~"

"Hahahaha~"

The anglers roared with laughter and teasing, which left Ye Zhi a little embarrassed. She honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead — all six of them were exhausted from fighting the fish and she just needed an extra pair of hands. Boss Chen was simply the one she knew best.

That was all there was to it.

"Hahaha, Boss Chen, ignore these guys. Just go for it — and even if it does get away, no big deal, we’ll just keep fishing. It’s not like the Fish King can escape the pond."

Ye Huan stood behind them, laughing and waving a hand dismissively.

"You said it."

Chen Yuan shot him a sly grin over his shoulder, which left Ye Huan completely speechless.

If it were any other owner, he’d never dare say something like that.

But this was Boss Chen.

He knew it was just a joke.

"Ye, back up a little more."

Jokes aside, Chen Yuan kept his eyes locked on the water, the big landing net gripped and aimed, ready to strike the moment the opportunity came.

"Ye?"

Ye Zhi blinked but didn’t think much of it — her full attention was on the Fish King. She leaned into the rod and stepped back inch by inch, guiding the fish steadily toward the bank.

Splash~

Chen Yuan picked his moment and drove the net straight down over the Fish King’s head. The fish thrashed in one last desperate surge, sending water flying and soaking Chen Yuan’s face completely.

"Ye, slack the line — now!"

Chen Yuan spat out a mouthful of pond water and shouted the reminder. Ye Zhi immediately obliged, and within moments the landing net was packed full of Fish King. Short of the net tearing apart, there was no getting out of this one.

"God of Wealth, get over here and give me a hand!"

Chen Yuan heaved at the net and couldn’t budge it. He waved Ye Huan over.

Ye Huan and his crew were already ready. They came running, only to find the net was too far out to reach from standing. Without a word, they all dropped to their bellies at the water’s edge and grabbed hold of the net together.

Then everyone pulled at once, and the Fish King finally came up onto the bank.

"Holy hell, that thing is massive! It looks even bigger out of the water than it did in the pond — that’s gotta be close to five feet, at least a hundred catties easy."

"Can you imagine how insane it must’ve been to fight that thing?"

"Mad respect to the girl — she’s the first one to land the Fish King!"

"Looks like Boss Chen just got cleaned out."

"Think a little bigger, will you? You know who Boss Chen is — this pocket change isn’t even a rounding error for him~"

The moment the Fish King hit the bank, anglers from all around the pond surged over in a buzz of excitement, every pair of eyes burning with envy.

How could they not be envious?

Never mind the two thousand yuan just lying there — every angler dreamed of landing a fish like this, especially one that broke records.

But envy was envy, and congratulations were still due.

Whenever someone pulled in a big one or beat their own personal best, the anglers around them would always offer their congratulations. That was part of what made fishing worth it.

"Haha, Boss Chen, grab me three packs of Hua and bring some drinks over — I’m buying smokes and drinks for everyone at the pond."

Ye Huan crouched beside the Fish King, soaking in the admiring words and genuine congratulations from the crowd, and happily called out to Chen Yuan.

"Damn, God of Wealth is going all out."

Chen Yuan froze for a second, then threw Ye Huan a big thumbs-up, thrilled on the inside.

Three packs of Hua and dozens of bottles of water — the margin on that was nothing to sneeze at. Another tidy little windfall.

"God of Wealth is a legend!"

"Thank you, O God of Wealth, for the smokes and the drinks!"

"Bro, I want to ride your coattails so bad~"

The anglers cheered and hollered. It wasn’t about what a cigarette or a bottle of water was worth — it was the joy of someone wanting to share the moment that made it worth cheering about.

"I’ll go get it, I’ll go get it."

Chen Yuan hadn’t even stood up yet when Chen Dequan, sharp as ever, hopped onto his three-wheeler and pedaled off toward Chen Yuan’s place.

"God of Wealth, can I get a photo with the Fish King?"

One of the anglers felt that just photographing the fish wasn’t enough — he wanted a proper photo with it. Eyes lit up all around the pond as everyone looked hopefully toward Ye Huan’s group.

"Of course, go for it."

Ye Huan agreed without hesitation.

They were all anglers — he got it. And honestly, without the guidance from these guys, there was a good chance they never would have landed the Fish King at all.

Chen Yuan was pleased too.

Once these guys had their photos, they’d be posting them to Moments for sure.

Free advertising, just like that.

After the photos were done, everyone released the Fish King back into the pond, and Chen Dequan came rolling back on his three-wheeler right on cue.

"Come on, come on — smokes and drinks for everyone!"

Ye Huan clapped his hands and led the group over to Chen Dequan’s three-wheeler. He took the three packs of Hua, and Ye Zhi and the others hauled out the drinks — one cigarette, one bottle of water — and the whole place was in high spirits.

"Haha, cheers, God of Wealth!"

"Thanks, girl!"

"You guys are legends~"

The anglers laughed and thanked Ye Huan’s group with genuine warmth. All six of them kept their smiles going from start to finish, faces lit up, handing out smokes and drinks to everyone they passed.

Even Chen Dequan got one.

It made his day. These city folks — they were genuinely good people.

Mr. Qin and his crowd, who had just come over to watch the excitement, got some too.

And so did Chen Yuan.

"Boss Chen, have a smoke."

Ye Huan finished going around and made his way to Chen Yuan. A Hua was already extended toward him before he’d finished speaking.

"Boss Chen, how old are you?"

Ye Zhi walked over with a bottle of cola.

"Why do you ask?"

Chen Yuan blinked. What exactly are you getting at?

"You look pretty young to me. And you have the nerve to call me Ye?"

Ah. So she’d been keeping score on that one.

"My sister was born in ’93 — still in college. She had a break and was bored, so I brought her along for a trip."

"So that makes you Ye, exactly."

Chen Yuan took a drag and flashed a smug grin.

Trying to pull rank by age?

Sorry, but you’re calling me big bro.

"Hahaha."

That self-satisfied look on Chen Yuan’s face had Ye Huan cracking up. He never expected that under all that composure, Boss Chen could be such a little kid about something.

"Keep the rest of these colas for us — add it all up and I’ll send you the money on WeChat."

Ye Huan pointed to the remaining bottles, then pulled out his phone to transfer payment for the smokes and drinks.

"Works for me."

He could’ve deducted it from the Fish King prize money, but actual sales were revenue — and revenue converted to points.

Every little bit counted. Chen Yuan was running low on points right now.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for."

Once the bill was settled, Chen Yuan stubbed out his cigarette and pulled out the cash he’d prepared in advance.

Crisp red hundreds — every angler’s eyes snapped over instantly.

"Congratulations to Ye — as the first person to land the Fish King at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, here is your two-thousand-yuan strong-catch prize money."

Chen Yuan counted out twenty bills and held them out to Ye Zhi.

"I’ll let the ’Ye’ thing slide, given the prize money."

Ye Zhi beamed and reached out to take it.

She pulled. It didn’t move.

What?

"Hey, folks — moment like this and nobody’s recording it?"

Chen Yuan looked around. Every single angler at the pond was just standing there watching. Not one phone out. He was throwing two thousand yuan into the air and it landed without so much as a ripple?

"Hahaha, so even money laundering has its etiquette — Boss Chen needs documentation. Brothers, get this crime on camera!"

The anglers snapped out of it and started filming, laughing as they did.

Only then did Chen Yuan let go with a satisfied smile, earning himself a glare and a grumble from Ye Zhi.

He just chuckled. Not worth arguing with her over.

"God of Wealth, Ye here is your guest — this is your referral fee."

He handed Ye Huan the remaining five hundred.

"Look at this — two days out, food and fun all covered, and I spent under two thousand total, but I’m walking away with twenty-five hundred. Chen Yuan Fishing Ground really is my lucky spot."

Good food, good times, and a Fish King to boot. A blast and a profit.

If that wasn’t a lucky spot, what was?

"Boss Chen, whenever you open up memberships, make sure you let me know. I’m making this place my permanent base camp."

"You can forget anyone else, but not the God of Wealth."

Chen Yuan laughed, then swept his gaze across the pond where anglers were already frantically casting again, and called out with a grin:

"Keep it up, everyone — can’t let a girl show you all up. The strong-catch prize at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground has no limits. Land the Fish King and it’s yours."

Damn~ 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

That son of a bitch Boss Chen really knew how to get under your skin.

Ye Zhi landing the Fish King was already a source of embarrassment, and now Boss Chen had ripped away the last shred of dignity they had left. For the honor of anglers everywhere, they had to land that Fish King.

Plus there was that irresistible prize money dangling in front of them.

Back to it. No choice.

"Boss Chen, don’t get too cocky. That Fish King of yours is biting well — the day’s coming when you’ll be crying over your losses."

"I want to see just how much Boss Chen plans to ’launder.’ We’ll see who’s laughing at the end."

"Brothers, for our pride — keep fighting!"

The anglers charged back into battle with renewed ferocity, rods swinging.

Chen Yuan loved the energy. He did a lap and got ready to head off, closing the Fish King bite window on his way out.

Mr. Qin and his crew tagged along, glancing back at the pond every few steps, unable to hide their envy and longing. They were kicking themselves for having chosen the dawn-and-dusk session.

Chen Yuan understood exactly how they felt. Come the afternoon session, he’d make sure the three of them had a damn good time.