The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 14: Reading Between the Lines

"Are you serious? Who do you think you are, Emperor Liu?!" Jiang Luoluo, who had been feeling a little shy, immediately rolled her eyes and shot back.
"Don't slander me! I don't watch Emperor Liu!" Chu Mingcheng declared, his expression serious as he tried to clear his name. How could an upstanding young man with such strong morals like him be associated with "Emperor Liu"?
"You're just proving my point, aren't you?" Jiang Luoluo felt speechless, yet she also found this man quite amusing.
However, their conversation left the Taiwanese girl beside them confused. Zhou Jiayi blinked her large eyes, looking puzzled. "What are you two talking about? Isn't Emperor Liu just Liu Bei? What does he have to do with this?"
Jiang Luoluo leaned over and whispered an explanation, knowing her friend might not be familiar with certain mainland memes.
Chu Mingcheng didn't know any of this context. He just thought the big-eyed girl sounded a bit cutesy and affected, which lowered his impression of her a few points. But then again, it had nothing to do with him.
Having enjoyed his momentary distraction with the beautiful women, Chu Mingcheng decided it was time to get back to fishing.
"I won't disturb you three any longer. Please continue filming your video."
As Jiang Luoluo watched him leave, she quickly called out, "Hey, are you a local?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Would you be willing to be our guide? We want to visit Mount Yan tomorrow, but it has northern, central, and southern sections, and we don't know which one is the most fun. We'll treat you to dinner!"
A guide?
Chu Mingcheng wasn't very interested. After fishing for alligator gar today, he planned to continue surf fishing for crucian carp tomorrow, or maybe dig for sea worms.
He needed to earn more money to quickly complete his equipment setup and eventually get a small boat for offshore fishing. Besides, as a local, he was already bored with Mount Yan and had no desire to go.
"Actually, I've got quite a few things to take care of tomorrow, so I wouldn't be able to guide you."
"Mount Yan isn't all that exciting anyway, and it'll be crowded during the National Day holiday. If you really want to go, I'd personally recommend South Mount Yan or North Mount Yan. Central Mount Yan is the most boring—no need to go there."
"Okay, thank you!" Jiang Luoluo was disappointed that Chu Mingcheng didn't agree to be their guide, but she still thanked him politely since his advice was helpful.
Central Mount Yan was the closest to Lecheng, and they had originally planned to go there first.
Now it was clear they didn't need to—they could simply choose between North or South Mount Yan.
After Chu Mingcheng left, Zhou Jiayi smiled with a hint of teasing in her voice. "Luoluo, are you really falling for that guy?"
"What are you talking about? How could I like him after only meeting him twice? I don't even know what kind of person he is. I just want to get to know him, that's all. It's not every day you run into someone that good-looking." Jiang Luoluo felt exasperated.
Zhou Jiayi nodded. She knew her best friend was straightforward and didn't like beating around the bush, so these words reflected her genuine feelings.
Not just Jiang Luoluo—even Zhou Jiayi had considered getting to know him, but her best friend had beaten her to it, so she suppressed the thought.
This was perfectly normal. If men wanted to get to know beautiful women, then women naturally felt the same about handsome men.
Chu Mingcheng returned to his original spot, took out his lure rod, and started fishing. As for the graceful guzheng player and the captivating dancer, they were already out of his mind.
No matter how elegant their talents, he wouldn't need them today. But four thousand yuan was within his grasp—only a fool would choose otherwise.
He had caught three alligator gar that morning, plus the one from the reservoir earlier, so his success rate had increased to 40%.
While the probability wasn't over half, it certainly wasn't low.
That morning, when he caught his first one, he had cast more than twenty times before getting a bite. Now, he'd only cast fewer than ten times, and an alligator gar hiding nearby had already taken the bait.
Chu Mingcheng reeled in the line, his movements much more skilled than in the morning. This one was the smallest, only three jin, and he had it pulled to shore in a few minutes. He held the fishing rod in one hand and was about to pick up the landing net with the other when a pair of fair, delicate hands picked up the net and handed it to him instead.
Looking at the smiling Jiang Luoluo, Chu Mingcheng was momentarily stunned. Then he smiled, took the landing net, and scooped up the alligator gar.
"Thanks! But weren't you going to film a video? Why did you come over?"
"We already finished! We just filmed a short segment for backup. We mainly want to shoot at Mount Yan. Didn't
The Return of the Condor Heroes
film there? I was thinking of dancing a routine with 'Peerless in the World' as the background music!"
Chu Mingcheng looked at Jiang Luoluo in surprise. This girl, dressed in Hanfu and beautiful, indeed had a hint of an ethereal aura about her.
If she changed into a Little Dragon Girl outfit, wouldn't she be...
Bah!
Can't think about that.
The Return of the Condor Heroes
was a childhood trauma for him; he shouldn't recall it.
Translator's Note:
The Return of the Condor Heroes is a hugely popular Chinese wuxia story by Jin Yong, known for its epic romance between Yang Guo and his beautiful, mysterious master Xiaolongnü (Little Dragon Girl). The story has been adapted into numerous TV dramas and films, many shot in scenic places like Mount Yan. The "Little Dragon Girl outfit" typically consists of flowing white robes that make the character look pure and otherworldly. "Peerless in the World" is a dramatic song often used in romantic fantasy scenes. Chu Mingcheng's sudden disgust likely stems from remembering a traumatic plot point from one adaptation that shocked many viewers.
"That sounds great. Your dancing is really good. Did you specialize in classical dance?" Chu Mingcheng said while taking out a bleeding knife to process the alligator gar.
"I did! Let's get acquainted. I'm Jiang Luoluo, a video creator on Bilibili. This is my best friend, Zhou Jiayi, and our photographer, Zhang Ruomei."
Zhou Jiayi and Zhang Ruomei each smiled at Chu Mingcheng but didn't speak.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Chu Mingcheng. As for my profession, I guess you could say I'm a freelancer who makes a living from surf fishing." Seeing Jiang Luoluo extend her hand, Chu Mingcheng didn't reach out to shake it, but instead spread his own hand to show it was dirty.
"Surf fishing? So that's what you do!"
Jiang Luoluo suddenly understood. No wonder he was so good at fishing—so many people came to fish for alligator gar, but he caught them with ease. However, one thing puzzled her.
"I've noticed that people who spend a lot of time by the sea usually have dark and rough skin. How do you manage to keep your skin so nice?"
"Yeah, how do you take care of your skin?" Zhou Jiayi was also curious, as they usually spent a lot on skincare.
If they could find a new method for skin care, that would be even better.
"You might have misunderstood. I just quit my job before the National Day holiday. I usually worked in an office, so my skin is still relatively fair for now. Once I spend more time by the sea, it'll naturally get darker."
Chu Mingcheng couldn't help but laugh. Sure enough, beauty was what women cared about most.
After dispatching the alligator gar, he put away his fishing rod, placed the fish in the landing net, and started walking toward the next fishing spot.
Jiang Luoluo and the others were disappointed they hadn't gotten any skincare tips. Seeing Chu Mingcheng pack up and leave, they quickly asked, "Are you not fishing anymore?"
"No, I just found traces of alligator gar up ahead, so I'm going over there to try my luck." He needed to explain this clearly so they wouldn't think he was annoyed with them and deliberately avoiding them.
While Chu Mingcheng didn't plan to be a guide, he wouldn't act cold when beautiful women actively approached him.
Whether a guy acts oblivious or a woman plays hard-to-get, it always depends on who they're dealing with.
Jiang Luoluo understood. Their filming for the day was complete anyway, and they planned to go shopping and have dinner that afternoon.
She had only helped him with the landing net because she happened to see Chu Mingcheng as they were leaving.
"How about we exchange contact info? Since you're a local, I can ask you about fun spots at Mount Yan. And if you don't mind, could you follow my account on Bilibili and help boost my views?"
Chu Mingcheng chuckled. "So you're recruiting fans on the spot, huh? No problem."
However, he was already used to girls asking for his contact information. He skillfully took out his phone and added their number.