Chapter 4: The Genuine Pretty Boy

Jiang Fan cried out in surprise and hurriedly pulled back with all his strength. Standing at 1.8 meters tall with eight-pack abs and weighing nearly 150 pounds, he was almost dragged into the water. The fish must weigh at least fifty pounds.

He had seen fish that big before, but had never actually caught one.

After just one round of tugging, the fishing rod bent into a semicircle.

Suddenly, without giving Jiang Fan any chance to react, there was a sharp snap—the rod broke clean in two!

The rod had snapped!

He hadn’t expected the rod to be so fragile that it couldn't even last two rounds against such a big fish.

But how could he just let a nearly caught giant fish slip away so easily?

With a splash, Jiang Fan grabbed the broken rod and fiercely jumped into the water.

“Come on, don’t run! Let’s have a 300-round battle underwater,” he shouted.

However, as soon as he swam over, the broken rod was swiftly dragged to the bottom of the river.

By the time he dived after it, it was already too late.

The rod had completely disappeared without a trace, dragged somewhere unknown.

When he finally got back to shore, Jiang Fan nearly slammed his thigh in frustration.

“A hundred pounds? Definitely at least a hundred pounds!”

Fishermen tend to boast about the big fish that got away, but Jiang Fan wasn’t exaggerating. The sheer force he felt told him that fish must have weighed a hundred pounds.

A hundred pounds! He had never seen a fish that big before!

A fish weighing seven and a half pounds could trigger a 20x multiplier. Wouldn’t a fish over a hundred pounds easily trigger a multiplier over 200?

Good heavens! What had he missed all this time?

For three nights, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became, staring back and forth over the water’s surface. He had never been so meticulous even when analyzing exam questions.

But after watching for five or six minutes, he finally gave up.

He chuckled to himself—no big deal, it’s just a fish.

It’s not like he hadn’t lost big fish before; he was used to it.

He recalled back in the summer of 2017, on July 1st at 3:45 pm, when a roughly fifty-pound silver carp got away because the net broke as he was pulling it ashore. Well, if it ran, it just meant they weren’t meant to be. It had been 2,923 days since then, and he never cared much.

Jiang Fan waited another ten minutes, but the broken rod never reappeared, so he packed up and left.

Whoever dared to break one of his rods, this grudge was now set.

One day, he vowed, he’d catch that fish, hang it on his truck, and drive it around the city for all to see!

...

Back in the city, Jiang Fan went straight to the fish market to sell his catch.

There were many bosses who bought wild fish, and Jiang Fan knew one personally—everyone called him Fat Hu.

In his fifties, Fat Hu was stout with a big belly that bounced comically when he walked.

Before Jiang Fan reached the shop, he ran into Wang Ma, one of the older women who frequently gossiped about him and Liu Ruyan.

At first, Wang Ma ignored him, but when she saw the amount of fish Jiang Fan had, her expression changed instantly. Smiling slyly, she approached, hoping for some free handouts.

“Xiao Fan, where did you catch all these fish? Give me a few small ones so I can make some soup,” she pleaded.

“Wang Ma, you’re late! These fish have all been pre-ordered. Otherwise, I’d have given you a few,” Jiang Fan said, walking past her.

“Tch! A few lousy fish, look at him showing off! How much money can that make? Even my kid’s screw-driving job earns more!” Wang Ma muttered, shaking her head as she walked the other way.

Soon, Jiang Fan arrived at Fat Hu’s shop.

“Boss Hu, are you in? Do you buy fish here?”

A bald head suddenly appeared from inside, followed by a stout middle-aged man stepping out.

About 1.65 meters tall and weighing 150-156 pounds, he looked like a little potato.

This was the man everyone called Fat Hu.

“Oh, Jiang Fan, it’s you,” Fat Hu said, initially unsure who it was, but then saw Jiang Fan’s pale face.

Jiang Fan didn’t have a fish pond—he was just a small-time angler who usually caught very little. It was obvious this was a small business.

But even a fly is meat, so Fat Hu kept his shop open; business was business.

“What kind of fish? Farmed or wild?”

Jiang Fan took out the fish container. “Caught at the North Gate River—wild fish.”

Fat Hu opened the container and glanced inside. “Wow, it’s full?!”

He had expected just a few fish but the box was packed, probably around twenty pounds in total.

“Are you sure these are wild fish from the North Gate River?”

Jiang Fan casually replied, “Boss Hu, it’s not my first time here. Do you think I’d lie to you?”

“Besides, after all these years, you can tell farmed from wild, right?”

Jiang Fan’s point was reasonable, but Fat Hu was still surprised. “You caught all these yourself?”

“Yeah, the fish were biting well today,” Jiang Fan explained.

Fish biting well on a rainy day? Fat Hu thought it was nonsense—Jiang Fan must have found a great spot.

Fat Hu, also an angler, immediately pulled out a Furongwang cigarette and handed it over.

“Hey, Jiang Fan, have one. I’ll sort and weigh the fish for you; wait a moment.”

A few minutes later, Fat Hu handed over three hundred yuan.

Jiang Fan counted the money, puzzled. “Three hundred? That’s about fifteen yuan a pound. Boss Hu, why so generous today?”

Fat Hu’s oily face lit up with a sly grin. “No need to beat around the bush. I just want to know where exactly you’re fishing at the North Gate River.”

Jiang Fan glanced at him. “Just the usual spot. If you want, I can send you the location via WeChat.”

Fat Hu was delighted. “You have WeChat? Just send it to me.”

Jiang Fan quickly sent the fishing spot and then turned to leave.

He wasn’t worried about others stealing his fishing spot. When the fish were biting, it yielded two or three pounds a day at most; when not, not a single catch.

His twenty pounds today were all thanks to the system’s special bait.

Even if he gave Fat Hu the spot, Hu wouldn’t catch anything.

After leaving, Jiang Fan went to the vegetable market to buy groceries and then rode his bike home.

Since the fishing was good today, he got home much earlier than usual.

Plus, he earned three hundred yuan selling fish, making a total of 3,358 yuan today.

More than three thousand in one day—wasn’t that far better than working a job?

Besides, he only fished for a little over four hours. Working eight hours at a job would barely earn him a hundred or two, often with unpaid overtime.

Work? Not a chance!

Thinking of this, Jiang Fan recalled the hundred-pound fish that got away.

If he’d landed that monster, the multiplier would have maxed out, and he could have easily made over ten thousand yuan!

Such a pity, such a waste!

He vowed to let it live a few more days until he was ready—then he’d show it who was boss.

Not long after, Jiang Fan returned home, only to find a guest already there.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, there was no doubt—it was Shen Zhiling, a rough patch in both his and Liu Ruyan’s lives.

“Zhiling, aren’t you staying for dinner?”

“No, I have other things to attend to. Ruyan, make sure you think carefully about what I told you today.”

Liu Ruyan shook her head. “There’s nothing to consider. I’m doing fine.”

Shen Zhiling frowned deeply. “Fine? After all I said today, you can’t even listen to a word?”

“How long are you going to be so foolish? Jiang Fan isn’t bad-looking, but Liu Qiyan’s handsome too!”

Liu Qiyan? That was the campus heartthrob from their university, who had once pursued Liu Ruyan but was rejected.

Jiang Fan stood outside the door, hearing Shen Zhiling talk about Liu Qiyan, and instinctively recalled that name.

“Liu Qiyan has liked you since college. Even if you get divorced, he’ll still feel the same.”

“He said if you want, he’ll marry you immediately after your divorce!”

“His family owns a company, and they’re wealthy, to say the least. He’s excellent himself, now an explorer with his own team. He loves adventure and is reportedly about to join the national team to help with topographical surveys!”

“He’s no longer the pretty boy he once was; he’s a real man now!”

“Look at Jiang Fan—a pure pretty boy living off others. I’m embarrassed for him when people talk!”

“With a loser like that, why not get a divorce and be done with it?”

...