Chapter 268 Fate, truly wondrous!

The glow of the computer screen reflected on Liu Jianguo's slightly weary face, which was currently filled with anticipation.

As that familiar penguin icon bounced...

Liu Jianguo skillfully typed in his password and logged into his QQ account.

"Di-di-di—"

"Di-di-di—"

As soon as he went online, dense notification sounds rang out incessantly.

Looking at those flashing avatars, Liu Jianguo felt as if he had instantly transformed from the Minister Liu who always had to maintain his dignity and stay on edge, back into an ordinary middle-aged man.

This was exactly why he had suddenly decided to get on QQ.

In this online world, no one knew he was a leader, and no one knew he spent his days worrying himself sick over a kid running a toy factory.

Here, he had only one identity—

A deeply hidden, theory-rich, but frequently empty-handed seasoned fishing enthusiast in reality.

He clicked on the pinned group chat where messages never stopped—[Air Force Brigade (Anglers Never Go Home Empty-Handed)].

This was a very active QQ group for anglers.

The group was full of talent, and the conversation was pleasant. Although catching no fish was the norm for everyone, when it came to bragging, each one was more impressive than the last.

The reason Liu Jianguo had specifically come online today wasn't to idle in the group.

It was for one person.

A while ago, a newcomer claiming to be a Fishing Rod Manufacturer suddenly appeared in the group.

This newcomer was strange; he didn't brag upon joining, nor did he post his catches. Instead, he very sincerely solicited the group members' needs and ideas for future fishing rods.

This humble and studious attitude was rare in the impetuous online world.

As a veteran angler who had seen countless rods, Liu Jianguo felt an itch to share his expertise. He spoke up and offered some unique insights on the flexibility and feel of fishing rods.

As it turned out...

Unexpectedly, the conversation with this manufacturer flowed back and forth, becoming more and more congenial.

The other party could not only understand his meaning but could even infer other things from it, proposing concepts that made even his eyes light up.

Thus, after a few exchanges...

The two added each other as friends and became fishing buddies who talked about everything.

At this moment.

Liu Jianguo looked at the lit-up avatar named 'Fishing Rod Manufacturer' in his friend list, and a relaxed smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

He opened the chat box, his fingers tapping on the keyboard:

[Seasoned Old Angler: Brother, you there? I was tied up with some mundane business just now, but I'm finally finished.]

The reply was almost instant.

[Fishing Rod Manufacturer: I'm here, elder brother. I also just finished dealing with a bunch of nonsense.]

...

Looking at this line of text, Liu Jianguo felt a warmth in his heart.

Look!

Look at this person's attitude!

So humble! So polite!

Liu Jianguo felt that he had finally found a true soulmate!

Chatting with this manufacturer allowed him to discuss his hobbies freely without the slightest pressure.

Here, he didn't need to consider national strategies or technical secrecy; he only needed to purely discuss how to catch fish. Sometimes, catching a fish was harder than managing a key military industrial project.

'This is what life is about...'

Liu Jianguo sighed inwardly, taking a sip of tea. He felt the tea tasted a bit sweeter than usual.

It wasn't like chatting with that kid Li Jiajun.

Although he sometimes felt the kid was quite talented and they got along well...

But more often than not, Liu Jianguo was on edge.

He was truly afraid!

Terrified that if he said too much or if his expression was slightly off, the other party would realize some world-shaking treasure from it.

For instance, last time, his hand slipped and he sent a file, and the kid ended up creating a robot dog.

This kind of psychological shadow kept him constantly tense when facing Li Jiajun.

In case they got too excited while chatting, the kid might turn around and create something that had to be requisitioned, and then he'd have to go clean up the mess again.

Who could understand that kind of mental exhaustion?

"It's still more comfortable chatting with this Netizen."

Liu Jianguo shook his head, tossing Li Jiajun's irritating face out of his mind, and began to wholeheartedly discuss the technical details of fishing rods with this manufacturer.

...

At the same time.

In Li Jiajun's office.

Li Jiajun was also facing the QQ chat box on his computer screen, his hands flying as he chatted enthusiastically with a Netizen labeled 'Seasoned Old Angler'.

[Fishing Rod Manufacturer: Elder brother, that metaphor you used about the backbone strength was simply brilliant! I couldn't figure out how to balance hardness and flexibility before, but what you said just gave me some inspiration!]

Li Jiajun truly felt that this Netizen had some real skill.

Although the other party claimed to be an amateur angler, his understanding of fishing rods was even deeper than that of many professionals.

Moreover, this person spoke with wit and humor. Although he was a bit of a know-it-all, he really hit the nail on the head.

He also felt that the other party suited his temperament quite well.

The more the two talked, the more congenial they became, feeling as if they should have met much sooner.

'This elder brother is someone I can get along with.'

Such a thought surfaced in Li Jiajun's mind.

'Unlike that Uncle Liu...'

Thinking of Liu Jianguo, the corners of Li Jiajun's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

He was speechless.

When chatting with Uncle Liu, he was always on edge.

Terrified that he would be led astray by the other party.

That old guy was too uncanny; every time he finished chatting with him, his products would inexplicably develop in the direction of being requisitioned.

Then, just like the robot dog, he clearly wanted to make a toy, but ended up researching something that could be requisitioned.

That was a nightmare!

That was the biggest stumbling block on his path to becoming a toy maker for the people!

'To ensure my fishing rod is absolutely pure, absolutely civilian, and absolutely safe...'

'I'd better chat more with this Seasoned Old Angler.'

'This elder brother is clearly a decent person. The advice he gives is definitely decent fishing advice, and absolutely won't be like Uncle Liu, whose head is full of nothing but great national instruments.'

Li Jiajun thought happily to himself.

He felt that this time, he was set.

Stay away from Uncle Liu, stay close to Netizens—this was the core strategy for his fishing rod project this time!

...

And so.

At this moment.

Two parallel network cables connected two souls who cherished each other's talents.

In an office in the Imperial Capital, Liu Jianguo thought he had found an obedient and sensible, honest manufacturer who could help him realize his fishing dreams.

In a factory in Baishui City, Li Jiajun thought he had encountered an experienced, pure fishing buddy who could help him avoid pitfalls.

They both showed heartfelt, relaxed smiles in front of their screens.

They were chatting with each other.

Chatting enthusiastically.

Chatting heart-to-heart.

But neither of them knew that the soulmate on the other side of the screen, who made them feel so incredibly comfortable and congenial...

...was precisely the person in reality who gave them the biggest headache and against whom they were most on guard!

Fate...

How cruel you are.