I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 231: Chapter 146: Ranked First on the First Day

This was standard procedure for all anglers and fishermen when dealing with a stingray, even if it was already dead.

”Should we keep going, or...?” the boatman asked, looking at the fish on the deck.

Gu Nan checked the time. It was a little past nine. ”It’s about time,” he said. ”Let’s head back for now.”

’Another half an hour wouldn’t yield anything significant anyway. I’d rather head back early, take a shower, and find a chance to cuddle my sweet, soft girlfriend.’

’Fishing was great, but wasn’t his girlfriend just as wonderful?’

On the way back, as soon as he had a signal, Gu Nan called Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao to tell them the good news.

Upon hearing the news, they rushed to the docks. Even Yi Chen was there.

She had closed her shop and gone home for a shower, then headed to Gu Nan’s room at the club. The plan was to wait for the contestants to return in the evening and then head to the docks together.

Thanks to Gu Nan, she had also become a member of the club.

Yi Chen wasn’t that interested in fishing, but she was very keen on diving and swimming, so they had made plans to find time after the competition to come to the club and learn together.

Just as they arrived at the docks, they saw that a contestant had already returned. They thought it was Gu Nan, but when they walked over for a closer look, they realized it was a contestant from another club.

At that moment, the owner of the other club was beaming with joy as a huge giant trevally was lifted by a crane and brought ashore for the weigh-in.

The giant trevally was nearly five feet long and definitely weighed over a hundred pounds. If they were lucky, it might even beat the finless porpoise from that morning to take first place.

The owners of the twenty clubs might not all know each other well, but they had certainly all seen each other around.

Seeing Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao approaching, the owner immediately came over to say hello.

”I didn’t expect to see a giant trevally this big in our local waters! Congratulations! This one must be over a hundred pounds. You’ve got a top-three spot locked down,” Guo Xiao said, sizing up the massive fish.

”Just good luck. The big fish have really multiplied during the fishing ban. Once the season opens up again, there are bound to be a lot of prime catches on the market.”

”I’m sure your contestants are even more skilled, President Wang. They’ll probably catch something even bigger.”

The club owner’s words were modest, but his expression was undeniably smug.

This time, a higher ranking meant more exposure for the club. Promotional resources would be skewed in their favor, which would definitely lead to better business. It was all about the money.

Wang Junhe and his partners’ club had just opened, which was why they were taking this competition so seriously.

If this were just a private competition held by a single club for entertainment and advertising, they would never have taken it so seriously.

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao exchanged a glance, smiled, and decided to stick around.

When they saw the giant trevally weigh in at exactly one hundred and twenty-five pounds, they couldn’t help but laugh.

The club owner, so smug just moments ago, now felt like he could cough up blood. If he had missed the mark by several pounds, it would have been a mere disappointment.

But to miss first place by a single pound... The feeling was beyond awful.

Even the fisherman, who had been all smiles, looked crestfallen. ’One lousy pound!’

If no one else caught a bigger fish, this would haunt him forever. A single pound had cost him two hundred thousand yuan in prize money. How could he not feel like coughing up blood?

After a wait of ten-odd minutes, Gu Nan’s fishing boat finally returned to the docks.

Wang Junhe and the others saw him and rushed to greet the boat. They knew he had caught a big fish, but he had been cagey on the phone, and their curiosity was killing them. They had to see this fish immediately!

”Ah Nan, what kind of fish is it? How big?”

”Is it over a hundred pounds?”

Gu Nan paid the two of them no mind. Seeing Yi Chen standing behind them, he walked right past them and went to his girlfriend. ”I’ll be done here in a minute. Wait for me, and we’ll go get a late-night snack together.”

”Okay!” Yi Chen’s big eyes crinkled into beautiful crescents. She had a fast metabolism, and any fat seemed to instinctively go to all the right places, so she wasn’t worried about eating late.

”...” Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao were left speechless. Suddenly, even the sight of the giant stingray didn’t seem to make them as happy.

’As if we don’t have beautiful wives of our own,’ they thought. ’Hmph!’

The previously smug club owner came over, and when he saw the enormous stingray on the deck, the smile on his face stiffened.

’Just a moment ago, I was gloating to Wang Junhe and his crew,’ he thought. ’And now, in the blink of an eye, I’ve been proven completely wrong.’ One look was all it took to see that this stingray was far heavier than his giant trevally.

By now, a few wealthy patrons waiting to buy fresh catches had gathered at the docks. When they saw the giant stingray being hoisted by the crane, they all rushed over to get a look.

”You really don’t see stingrays this big in our local waters!”

”It’s only because of the two-month fishing ban that these giants dare to venture out so freely.”

Weight: Two hundred and twenty-two pounds. Gu Nan’s number immediately jumped to the top of the screen.

Wang Junhe threw his head back and roared with laughter. ”It’s in the bag! I knew we could count on Ah Nan! Two hundred and twenty pounds... I doubt anyone’s going to top that.”

It was possible to catch a fish over two hundred and twenty pounds in these inshore waters, but while the chances were slim, they weren’t zero.

Unfortunately, time was tight—the competition was only three days long.

With the first day already gone, the odds of that happening in the remaining two days were incredibly low.

”Let’s go, let’s go! The late-night feast is on me!” Guo Xiao, ecstatic, made a grand gesture, offering to treat everyone to a big meal.

Gu Nan shook his head. ”Not so fast. Let’s wait a bit and see how the other contestants do before we go. You never know, someone might... pull a last-minute upset.”

Although Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao didn’t believe anyone could possibly catch a bigger fish, they nodded in agreement. They were also curious to see the other catches; as contestants returned with all sorts of fish, it was a good chance to see something new.

Not only that, but Gu Nan also took the opportunity to unload the rest of his catch from the boat.