39: Sea fishing

Next, they went sailing, and finally boarded a yacht to head out to sea.

As the yacht slowly pulled out of the harbor, the buildings on the shore gradually receded, and the color of the seawater changed from a light blue to a deeper, inky shade.

The wind on the deck was stronger than on the shore, but it felt very comfortable.

Gu Xinyu stood by the railing, her hands resting on the bar, leaning slightly forward, her long hair slightly messy from the wind.

Jiang Yuan walked over and instinctively pulled her back slightly, preventing her from leaning too far forward.

“A little further in.”

“Got it.”

She glanced back at him, her eyes slightly moist from the wind, but her smile was bright.

“Brother Jiang.”

“Hm?”

“I was just thinking about something.”

“Tell me.”

“Before, I always felt that people like you—”

She paused, then rephrased, “Your schedule is always full, and you always have a crowd of things and people around you.”

“But today, out here on the sea, I suddenly feel a little lucky.”

“Lucky about what?”

“Lucky that this day is one I get to spend with you.”

She spoke calmly and slowly, without being deliberately sentimental or expecting him to respond immediately.

She simply tossed the phrase out, like gently dropping a stone into the sea—you couldn't see where it landed, but you could hear the faint echo.

“Actually, the person you should be most lucky to have met isn't the old me, but the current me.”

Jiang Yuan looked at the sea and suddenly spoke this line.

Gu Xinyu was stunned, a string of question marks written in her eyes.

However, she didn't press him, merely pursed her lips and smiled.

Only Jiang Yuan knew why he had said that.

—If it weren't for the System, he and Gu Xinyu probably wouldn't have crossed paths at all.

The old him was poor and ordinary, at best a stable young man, and people probably wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

But now things were different.

With the System, many things became viable options to try.

Things he never dared to dream of before, he now dared to do directly.

Just then, the familiar electronic voice rang out in his mind.

“Ding! Check-in at [Qingdao] successful.”

“Reward 1: Son of the Sea.”

“Reward 2: 150 million RMB.”

“Reward 3: 100 sets of Master-Grade Custom Clothing (already stored in the System Warehouse).”

“Reward 4: Custom street-legal Pagani Huayra Y (valued at 90 million).”

Jiang Yuan froze for two seconds, almost failing to process it.

This time, the rewards... were ridiculously generous.

The first one, [Son of the Sea], the System's notes explained clearly—

He could now swim freely like a fish underwater, and his breath-holding time far surpassed ordinary people; he only needed to breathe once every few hours.

Once he entered the sea, it was like he was a child of the ocean.

Jiang Yuan looked at the sea surface, genuinely shaken inside.

If the previous rewards were still barely within the human sphere.

This one was already heading in the direction of an underwater Superman.

The third reward, one hundred sets of Master-Grade Custom Clothing, included various types such as suits, casual wear, sportswear, and formal dresses.

In the future, he wouldn't have to bother buying clothes or worry about hard-to-carry luggage; he could just swap them out from the System whenever he wanted.

Compared to the others, the second reward seemed a bit “modest.”

But even if it was “modest,” it was still 150 million.

Who would complain about the numbers on their card balance going up?

Just as he was thinking this, his phone suddenly vibrated; an unfamiliar number was calling.

“Hello, Mr. Jiang, your reserved Pagani Huayra Y will arrive at your designated location around six o'clock this evening. Do you have time to sign for it?”

The caller's voice was extremely respectful.

“Mhm, call me again when the time comes.”

He replied indifferently and hung up the phone.

He couldn't help but sigh internally—as expected of the System, the efficiency was truly terrifying.

When it promised a car, it could immediately produce a top-tier custom version for him in reality.

Gu Xinyu, who was nearby, was still feeding the seagulls on the deck.

By now, the yacht had moved far away from the coastline, and the high-rise buildings along the Qingdao coast were reduced to mere silhouettes.

In the area of the sea where they were, only one yacht slowly moved forward, surrounded by a flock of attracted seagulls circling, occasionally swooping down to snatch the bread crumbs from her hand.

Because Jiang Yuan had chartered this yacht, there were no other guests besides him and Gu Xinyu.

The staff members were very discreet, staying far away, neither disturbing them nor failing to remain on standby.

The sea breeze blew steadily, and the sunlight cast a bright, whitish layer of light across the ocean surface.

Jiang Yuan put away his phone and glanced at Gu Xinyu, who was smiling while teasing the seagulls, his mood inexplicably improving.

They ate lunch on the yacht.

The boat had an exclusive Chinese chef. The ingredients—seafood and vegetables—were all the freshest goods selected from the dock early that morning. As soon as the hot dishes were served, the aroma alone was enough to whet the appetite.

Jiang Yuan and Gu Xinyu sat by the window, slowly eating while looking out at the sea.

“Try this fish.”

Jiang Yuan picked up a piece for her. “It was just caught, so it definitely tastes better than what you'd get at a hotel.”

Gu Xinyu didn't stand on ceremony, taking a small bite, her eyes lighting up for a moment: “Mmm... it really is fresh.”

They ate a good amount but weren't uncomfortably full, as they still had plans for the afternoon—sea fishing.

After lunch, the yacht continued sailing toward the deep sea.

By the time the boat stabilized, the coastline was completely out of sight. Looking around, all they could see was a continuous expanse of deep blue ocean, occasionally punctuated by a few seabirds sweeping past before quickly disappearing into the horizon.

If it were anyone else standing in a place like this, they would inevitably feel a little nervous.

However, Jiang Yuan now felt an indescribable sense of closeness to the ocean. Standing on the deck, he instead felt the calm confidence of “returning to his home ground.”

The staff quickly prepared the sea fishing equipment; fishing rods and bait were all ready, and they specifically brought over two sun hats.

“Mr. Jiang, Miss Gu, the midday sun is quite strong. You two can put these on first.”

Gu Xinyu put on the sun hat and pressed down the brim, instantly looking several years younger, giving off a student-era vibe.

“Actually, I don't know how to fish.”

She admitted honestly, holding the fishing rod awkwardly.

“Perfect, neither do I.”

Jiang Yuan laughed. “Then we'll learn starting today.”

The staff taught them step by step, and the two listened and followed along.

Casting the rod, reeling in, letting out the line—getting the rhythm right relied entirely on the occasional reminder from the staff nearby.

At first, their hooks either didn't land far enough or they lost half their bait, making them look more like they were just there for the fun of it.

Fortunately, their luck wasn't bad. After a while, the float on Jiang Yuan's side suddenly moved.

“A bite! A bite!”

The staff member was sharp-eyed. “Mr. Jiang, don't rush to reel it in yet, wait for it to pull again!”

The float sank down.

“Now, reel it in!”

Jiang Yuan lifted the rod, and the line sliced an arc through the water, bringing a shimmering silver fish out of the surface.

The fish wasn't too big, but it was lively and jumping, which gave a good sense of accomplishment.

“Not bad, a catch on the first try.”

He was in a good mood.

Before he could finish speaking, the float on Gu Xinyu's side also sank sharply, pulling the line taut.

“Miss Gu's catch has quite a bit of strength!”

Even the staff members became excited.

Gu Xinyu was startled by the sudden pull and nearly lost her grip on the rod, quickly gritting her teeth to steady herself.

“W-what should I do?”

“Don't panic, hold steady, give it a little line so it doesn't snap...”

Under the direction of the staff, she reeled in and let out the line. Her movements were initially a bit chaotic, but they gradually became steady.

After struggling for another two minutes, the force beneath the sea surface was finally pulled up.

A fish significantly larger than Jiang Yuan's broke through the water, whipping its tail and splashing tiny droplets of water all over her face.

“Wow, this one is good.”

Even the staff couldn't help but praise it.

Gu Xinyu looked at the fish she had caught in disbelief. “Did I really catch that?”

“Of course, it was you.”

Jiang Yuan glanced at his own catch and admitted the fact without reservation, “It's bigger than mine.”

“In that case, Brother Jiang, should we have a competition?”

Gu Xinyu rarely showed such smugness, her eyes curving into crescents.

“Alright, let's see who can catch the biggest one.”

Following that, the two of them, one rod each, successively caught several more fish.

They didn't catch many fish, but the atmosphere was great. Occasionally, their lines would get tangled, prompting them to playfully complain about each other before quickly bursting into laughter again.