Fired up by catching a big fish, only to lose not only the money but also the fishing rod taken by the dragon grouper as a souvenir, it was truly a loss to the grave.
The big shots who were empty-handed nearby tried to laugh but felt too embarrassed, their faces reddening. After comforting Li Haochen, they returned to their fishing spots. With their golden fingers gone, it was their time to shine, and they were all flexing their muscles and casting their battle rods with full confidence.
Utterly dejected, he had no mood to stay there any longer and hurried home to shower and eat. Fortunately, the ten-odd pounds of fish caught in the fish keeper cheered Li Haochen up quite a bit.
"Brother Haochen, are you selling your fish today?"
"Brother Liang, I won't be selling today. I'll contact you when I catch more with a new rod."
"Oh, alright, then I'll be going. See you later." Liang Pinliang was greatly disappointed. He glanced at the remaining anglers and decided against it, just like Li Haochen, he went home to wash up and sleep.
Back home, Li Haochen kept over a pound of mud carp, flower-bodied chicken feather fish, and the over two-pound sea bass. The rest he sent into the spatial sea to help him breed fry.
After a hot bath and drinking a bowl of ginger soup, he cleaned the sea bass, put some ice in a plastic bag, and placed it on top. He then took it to Xie Baolian's house.
Upon receiving Li Haochen's call, Xie Baolian rushed home as soon as she finished work. It wasn't far, and she arrived quickly. Seeing Li Haochen waiting at the door, she ran towards him happily.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No, just arrived."
"Hurry inside. You shouldn't have come in this bad weather. Look, your hair is all wet, go get a hairdryer and blow it dry."
Xie Baolian took the sea bass and put it in the refrigerator. She made a bowl of ginger soup for Li Haochen, then put on her apron, saying, "You can eat lunch here."
Li Haochen picked up the ginger soup and drank it down in one gulp, feeling warm and cozy.
Xie Baolian, who was in the kitchen, smiled contentedly watching Li Haochen finish every last drop before happily starting to cook.
After lunch, the rain stopped, and the sun started to peek out and show off its might.
After leaving Xie Baolian's house, Li Haochen went to Binhai Plaza. Instead of going directly to the top floor to find Murong Yanran and the others, he went to a fishing tackle shop on the third floor.
Seeing the aqua-lung deep-sea diving equipment in the display window again, the price remained the same at over 700,000. The first time he saw it, the number felt astronomically out of reach. Now, looking at it again, he thought, "It's within reach."
"Sir, can I help you with anything?" A sweet, pleasant voice came from behind him.
He assumed it was a beauty. Li Haochen thought so and turned around. As expected, she was tall and charming, with a good figure. He wondered if it was real or fake, and inwardly gave her an 85.
"Please get me a Haisida 5.3 sharp weapon 8lqjdg and a 2.44ml assassin, thank you!"
The beauty had already prepared herself for a big sale. However, her usually invincible silver tongue was nipped in the bud before it could even start. Regretting it, she quickly put on her professional smile and said, "Certainly, please wait a moment."
Watching the beautiful saleswoman with her back to him, her figure remained captivating. He couldn't help but drift into thoughts of massaging Murong Yanran, comparing them and finding the difference stark. "Judging by appearances, they're far from our own."
"Handsome guy... handsome guy!"
The beauty called out several times before Li Haochen snapped back to attention. "Uh, sorry, I was just thinking about something."
The beauty was not impatient, still wearing her signature smile. "Here are the fishing rods you requested. Please take a look!"
Perhaps feeling a pang of guilt for peeking at the beauty's front and back, he was swayed by her persuasion. His rock-solid resolve cracked, and in a moment of foolishness, he bought a fisherman's hat and sunglasses.
The moment he stepped out of the shop, he regretted it, wishing he could slap himself twice. "Damn it, if you're going to look, might as well enjoy it. What guilt do I need to feel? Over a thousand yuan for these two little trinkets?"
Arriving at the top floor and heading to Murong Yanran's shop, he felt a sense of foreboding.
"Why is my eyebrow twitching so badly?"
"Haochen...✪w✪"
Murong Yanran and Liu Zijun's eyes widened as Li Haochen walked in, their gazes fixed on him with a faint, eerie glow. Even the two newly hired beauties beside them looked the same.
"Why... why are you all looking at me like that!"
Li Haochen felt his life was severely threatened. He took a step back, preparing to escape, but Murong Yanran was ready, or perhaps it was premeditated. She hooked her arm around Li Haochen's, pressing herself tightly against him. The soft touch made him unable to resist.
Beside them, Liu Zijun gave a thumbs-up, offering a look of approval, as if to say, "Well done."
"Come on, help us with a small favor!"
"Can... can I refuse?" Looking at the wolf-like gazes of the four women, Li Haochen felt a chill down his spine.
Murong Yanran narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "What do you think?"
Under duress, Li Haochen was dragged into the kitchen. Looking at the dozen or so steamed rice dishes on the table, he knew what he was in for. A sense of dread spread through his body.
"Wife, can I discuss something with you!"
"No discussion."
An hour later, Li Haochen lay on the chair, groaning and panting. His stomach was like a large watermelon, and the buttons at the bottom of his shirt had mysteriously disappeared.
"You guys don't... don't come over..."
"Good boy, this is the last one. Just try this one and you're done."
"Help... help me..."
Ten minutes later, Li Haochen was so full he could only breathe. He lay there for at least an hour before his digestion improved even a little, and he finally felt alive again.
"How are you feeling now?"
Li Haochen looked at Murong Yanran resentfully. "Wife, your man is about to die. Come and give me a hug."
"Yang Ji's time-honored sour plum drink, it promotes digestion." Murong Yanran whispered into Li Haochen's ear, "I'll hug you back when we get home, hehe!"
"Swish~"
Li Haochen sat up instantly, looking at Murong Yanran with burning eyes. "Whoever lies is a dog."
Murong Yanran skipped a few steps with her hands behind her back, then turned and smiled. "The molecules in the air are always so gentle, just like hugging me."
"Geez, I've been tricked again." Li Haochen felt like crying but had no tears. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "You wait, I'll get some interest back when I give you a massage."
"What are you muttering about? Come here, I'll give you a massage."
"Uh, nothing. Coming, coming right up, hehe!" Li Haochen walked over and leaned back in the chair, waiting like a lord for his wife's gentle ministrations.
"Hahaha, it's done! The steamed rice this time is much better than the previous ones." Liu Zijun came out holding two plates of steamed rice.
Upon seeing this, Li Haochen forgot all about his wife's gentle attentions. His life was more important.
Li Haochen, who had dashed out the door, shouted back into the shop, "From now on, if anyone asks me to eat preserved vegetable pork belly or mushroom steamed chicken, I'll fight them!"