I Can Fish Up Everything!

"Hsss~"

He woke up in a daze, his head throbbing as if it were about to split open.

Gu Nan checked the time. It was already a little after eight in the evening.

A few of the older guys had relentlessly plied him with drinks at lunch—hard liquor, no less. Even with his decent tolerance, he was no match for a table of heavy drinkers taking turns. He didn’t even remember how he’d gotten back; he had clearly blacked out.

He looked around the room and saw he was at the club. It seemed they had designated this room for his personal use.

Spotting a glass bottle of mineral water on the nightstand, Gu Nan opened it and chugged the entire thing in one go. He instantly felt much better.

He then got up, went to the bathroom, and walked out of the room. It was time to take stock of his winnings from the competition.

When he got to the office, sure enough, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao were both there, along with another shareholder—the shipyard owner.

He wasn’t sure what the three of them were up to, but they were all red-faced and agitated.

When they saw Gu Nan walk in, their eyes lit up in unison, as if they’d spotted a succulent piece of meat. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Wang Junhe immediately started pouring tea and offering him a cigarette. "Ah Nan, we’re tight, right? I’ve treated you pretty well, haven’t I?"

Bewildered, Gu Nan took an obligatory sip of tea, a Hua Zi cigarette now between his fingers, and gave him a nod.

Seeing him nod, Wang Junhe broke into a satisfied smile. "So, how about you sell me that Dahuang?"

’So that’s what it was,’ Gu Nan realized. ’Were they arguing so heatedly over who would get the Dahuang?’

’There’s only one fish, but three of them. They can’t just cut the Dahuang into three pieces, can they?’

’That would ruin its value. For a top-grade specimen like this, you don’t even scrape off the scales when it’s Steamed, for fear of damaging the texture of the flesh.’

Guo Xiao grew anxious as soon as he heard Wang Junhe. "Ah Nan, I’ve treated you well too! You can’t play favorites."

Not to be outdone, the shipyard owner chimed in. He knew he didn’t have much of a personal connection with Gu Nan, so he decided to attack his weak spot.

"Ah Nan, if you give the Dahuang to me, you can come to my shipyard and pick out a Class-I luxury fishing boat. I’ll have it fully equipped, and I’ll give it to you for half price!"

Whoa~

Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. ’He really hit me where it counts!’

’He currently had three weaknesses: his family, his woman, and fishing.’

’A fishing boat was obviously a huge deal for his fishing business, and that offer was just too tempting!’

’A Class-I luxury fishing boat... that’s a vessel capable of fishing on the open ocean. It has a high seaworthiness rating. As long as you don’t run into a typhoon, most storms wouldn’t pose a major problem.’

’Besides, he wasn’t an idiot. With modern technology, he could get weather forecasts even on the open ocean. If he saw a distant storm, he could ride the advancing swells to make a quick retreat.’

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao were floored. This old geezer didn’t play fair.

They opened their mouths to speak, but they just couldn’t come up with a suitable counteroffer.

A Class-I luxury fishing boat, fully decked out with equipment, would sell for seven to eight million, or even upwards of ten million, even for a domestic model.

The actual cost was hard to say, but with such a massive discount, Gu Nan would only need to pay three to five million.

For the price of a fish, the shipyard owner was clearly taking a loss—and a huge one at that.

However, for a man of the shipyard owner’s stature, the loss on a single boat was a trivial matter; he really didn’t mind.

To him, a 1.23-meter Dahuang was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Its intangible value was immeasurable, making the trade well worth it in his eyes.

Wang Junhe shook his head and dropped the matter, clearly giving up.

Guo Xiao, however, was still a bit reluctant to give up. He said dryly, "Ah Ze, you’ve seen my boat. If you like it, let’s trade. The boat for you, the fish for me. How about it?"

Gu Nan sighed, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Brother Guo. I prefer new over used. After all, the maintenance and all that is more of a hassle. But taking your used one for a spin now and then... I suppose that could work."

Guo Xiao’s face instantly darkened. ’Why does that sound so weird?’

Seeing this, the shipyard owner knew he had won. Beaming, he said, "Ah Nan, just come by my shipyard whenever you want to look at boats. I have some finished hulls there. Once you pick one, it’ll only take a few months of outfitting before it can be launched."

Gu Nan did some quick mental math on his current assets. ’Even with the 500,000 in prize money, I still have to rent a storefront for a second seafood shop. My actual liquid capital is probably only around seven or eight hundred thousand.’

’Even with that massive discount, he couldn’t afford it right away. It would probably take him at least half a year, maybe even a full year, to save up enough cash.’

’He could choose a cheaper one, of course, but with an opportunity this good, he’d be an idiot not to pick out a great one.’

’Besides, a boat like this would last him at least a decade, maybe more. He was sick and tired of being covered in sweat after a day of fishing with no place to take a shower.’

So, in a hesitant, negotiating tone, he asked, "Um, could I possibly pay in installments? I can’t come up with that much money right away, but my business is doing well. It would take me about six months to a year to pay it all off."

The shipyard owner was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "No problem! I’ll give you a three-year, interest-free payment plan. But, in the future, if you catch anything of the same caliber as this Dahuang, you have to be the first one to call me."

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao exchanged a look, both getting a bad feeling.

"Ah Nan, we’ll lend you the money! No interest, and you can pay us back whenever. Just make sure that when you get a good catch in the future, you let us know like you always do."

Wang Junhe made his move decisively. They couldn’t compete on the boat front; they had been outmaneuvered there.

Besides, they knew Gu Nan really needed the boat, so they could only grit their teeth and give up on the fish. They didn’t want to be the bad guys standing in his way.