"Hey, little brother, are you selling this fish? I'll give you ten thousand yuan for it."
The Wild Crucian Carp King got dragged ashore by Evan Lin, instantly drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
A middle-aged man saw what happened and rushed over right away, smiling as he tried to negotiate with Evan.
"Ten thousand yuan!" Lillian Wang's face changed when she heard that.
"Is a big fish really worth that much?" Maggie Ma was openly skeptical.
"Is that guy just acting?" Cathy Li looked on, a bit jealous.
Ten thousand yuan wasn’t a small amount for them. Each of their monthly living expenses was just over a thousand, which wasn’t bad, but it still wasn’t enough for them to shop as much as they wanted.
Just a moment ago, they were calling Evan Lin a country bumpkin, and now, that same bumpkin had casually landed a fish worth ten thousand yuan.
Could anything be more ridiculous than this?
"Hold up, little brother! I'll pay fifteen thousand—let me have that fish." Another slightly chubby man walked over, sounding competitive.
"I'll offer twenty thousand!" Yet another man rushed over. The three of them stared at the Wild Crucian Carp King, which was still flopping around on the ground, their faces full of excitement.
"Twenty-five thousand! Any higher would be foolish—it's just a fish." The first middle-aged man didn’t look happy about the price war. He turned to Evan and said, "Little brother, twenty-five thousand for this fish. I can pay you right now."
Buying a fish for twenty-five thousand yuan—any normal person would jump at the chance.
Liam Li and Jason Zhao couldn't help but shoot jealous looks at Evan.
Sisi Shao frowned, "This Evan is seriously lucky—it's almost scary!"
"Sorry, not for sale." Evan Lin shook his head.
"Damn, is he nuts? Won't sell a fish for twenty-five grand!" someone nearby stared at Evan, unable to look away.
"Is this kid brain-damaged or what?" someone else muttered suspiciously.
"Is this some kind of scam? Trying to trick us or something?" someone guessed.
"Evan, are you stupid? That’s twenty-five thousand for a fish!" Yolanda Fang glared at Evan, unable to hold back.
If this kid doesn’t care about money, he could just give it to her.
Yolanda Fang wasn’t much of a money person, but she figured Evan Lin should really need the cash.
Yet he’d turned it down without a second thought.
"Little brother, a fish’s worth tops out at twenty-five thousand. You’re not trying to jack up the price, are you?" The middle-aged man’s face darkened at Evan’s refusal.
He figured Evan was just trying to squeeze more out of them.
"This fish has lived at least ten years, packed with nutrients. I just want to eat it to build up my body." Evan’s words made the middle-aged man’s face change.
Everyone nearby looked at Evan like he was a lunatic.
Supplements? Like that could be more important than twenty-five grand. You could buy a mountain of health food for that much.
The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "How about this? That fish is huge—you can’t finish it alone, right? Why not let me join? I’ll still pay you, plus I brought a Michelin restaurant’s head chef. He can cook it for us, and we’ll eat together. Deal?"
Evan hesitated.
He didn’t really care about the money. What mattered most was boosting his physical condition—only then could he improve his strength as fast as possible.
Once he had strength, everything else would fall into place.
But this time, before Evan could refuse, Yolanda Fang had already jumped up, strode over, and answered for him: "Okay, okay, I’ll say yes for him! Uncle, make sure your chef cooks it extra delicious!"
"Uncle? Haha, sure, you got it."
The middle-aged man was surprised at first—apparently, people didn’t usually call him that. But when he saw Yolanda, he laughed out loud and agreed right away.
A chubby guy quickly came over from behind him and scooped up the Wild Crucian Carp King in his arms.
"Uh..." Evan was about to say something else.
Yolanda shot him a glare: "Are you dumb? It’s a Michelin chef! If you won’t eat, I will! Stop whining!"
Seeing Yolanda like that, Evan couldn’t help but sigh and nodded, agreeing at last. "Fine, just make sure it tastes good. I’m feeding the cat with it. Forget about the money."
"You’re the cat." Yolanda shot Evan a look.
"Boss, I’ll go ahead then," the chubby guy said, glancing at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man nodded slightly, and only then did the chubby guy leave, carrying the Wild Crucian Carp King.
Anyone who could bring a Michelin restaurant’s head chef along was obviously no ordinary person.
Evan watched as the carp king was carried away, not even glancing at the middle-aged man. He just sat back down by the pond, baited his hook, and cast his line again.
"Little brother, you seem to really know your way around fishing, huh?"
Seeing that the boy in front of him wasn’t paying him any mind, the middle-aged man actually got more interested.
Usually, when people met him, they’d be falling over themselves to cozy up and make connections.
But this kid didn’t try to network, didn’t want money, and judging by his clothes, his family clearly wasn’t rich.
Twenty-five thousand would be a huge temptation for any broke student.
From the look of him, if that girl hadn’t suddenly spoken up, Evan probably wouldn’t have given up the fish no matter how much money they offered.
Such a rare, interesting person only made the middle-aged man more curious.
He didn’t hold back—just plopped down next to Evan, looked at him, and asked a question.
"No real fishing secrets—just messing around. But you, you’re nearly dying and can still smile so happily. I have to say, I admire your attitude." Evan’s calm words landed in the middle-aged man’s ears.
The middle-aged man froze for a moment.
"What is Evan saying? First time meeting someone and he tells them they’re about to die?" Lynn Chen muttered, unable to help glancing at him.
"Is he nuts?" Wang Liyan frowned, agreeing.
"I think so too. The big boss takes a liking to his fish, and that should be his good luck. Instead of showing respect, he curses the guy to die—he must be crazy." On the other side, Li Qiuxiang looked at Evan with obvious disdain.
"I bet he’s just trying to get Lynn’s attention," Shao Sisi guessed. She’d always looked down on Evan—no money, no connections, yet ridiculously arrogant.
"Probably. A toad trying to eat swan meat. But if he thinks this will win Lynn over, that’s just laughable." Li Qingsong snorted.
This trip was originally supposed to give Jason Zhao a chance to show off, and for Li Qingsong to introduce his background while helping Jason win over Lynn Chen.
But now, not only had Jason gotten beaten up, even Li Qingsong’s reputation had been trampled by this kid.
"Evan, if you can’t say anything nice, just don’t talk!" Lynn Chen shot him a fierce glare, then turned to the middle-aged man, her face apologetic. "Sorry, he’s not great with words. Please don’t take it to heart."
The middle-aged man nodded, his face calming down. He glanced at Lynn Chen, then shifted his gaze to the lake.
Evan’s grip on the fishing rod was steady as a rock, unmoved even by the wind.
The middle-aged man suddenly remembered something he’d heard years ago.
Silent as a sword, swift as thunder; a heart that holds kingdoms, undisturbed by ripples.