The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 145: Gifts and Confessions

The next day, Chu Mingcheng woke up bright and early, changed into fresh clothes, and drove Jiang Luoluo's car to the airport.
He had taken the car to a shop to have it washed inside and out, so it was spotless.
His own car was used for hauling seafood, and despite his best efforts, it still carried a faint fishy smell.
Around 9:20 AM, he arrived at the airport arrival area to wait.
Many private cars were already parked there, all waiting to pick up passengers.
A little after 10 AM, a beautiful woman in a bucket hat and a fresh, clean outfit emerged, pulling a suitcase and scanning the area for a familiar vehicle.
Walking beside her was none other than Zhang Ruomei.
Chu Mingcheng quickly got out of the car and went to greet them. "Luoluo!"
Jiang Luoluo's face broke into a radiant smile when she saw him. "Ah Cheng, you came to pick me up!"
"Of course, I promised I would," Chu Mingcheng said, taking her suitcase and leading her toward the car. "How were your few days in Pengcheng? Was the anime convention any fun?"
"It was boring. Photoshoots, networking events, dance rehearsals… there was so much random stuff to do, I had no time to go out and have fun at all," Jiang Luoluo complained with a shake of her head. "If they hadn't offered such good money, I wouldn't have bothered going."
Of course, there was another benefit she didn't mention: the boost in her popularity.
Most influencers didn't look as good in person. It wasn't that they were unattractive—they were all decent-looking—but they seemed plain compared to their online personas.
Jiang Luoluo's looks, however, didn't have such a dramatic gap between online and offline.
But when compared in person, these past few days had earned her another hundred thousand fans who were drawn to her looks.
If she had a company backing her, she might have gained several million followers.
But how many of those millions would be bot accounts was anyone's guess.
The two walked and chatted ahead, leaving Zhang Ruomei to trail silently behind them. She realized she had been completely forgotten!
But being the perceptive person she was, she didn't force her way into their conversation to make her presence known.
It wasn't until Chu Mingcheng had loaded Jiang Luoluo's suitcase into the car that he suddenly remembered there was another person.
He turned to Zhang Ruomei casually. "Here, give me your suitcase. I'll put it in the car for you."
"Thanks!"
Zhang Ruomei didn't stand on ceremony and handed him her suitcase.
As they drove, she tactfully mentioned she was going home for lunch.
But Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo both knew she usually ate out, so they drove directly to a restaurant instead.
After lunch, they dropped Zhang Ruomei off at her place, and then Chu Mingcheng drove Jiang Luoluo back to their apartment complex.
"Ah, I'm so tired!"
The moment she got home, Jiang Luoluo dropped her suitcase by the door, ran over, and flopped onto the sofa, her body bouncing slightly.
Indeed, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
"The weather's nice today. You should get your blankets out to air-dry. I'll help you clean up."
Seeing Chu Mingcheng roll up his sleeves, ready to clean, Jiang Luoluo quickly got up to stop him. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll just call a cleaning service to do a deep clean of the whole place. It's too much work to do ourselves!"
For simple tidying, she would do it herself, but for a full-room clean, she always called for help.
Hearing this, Chu Mingcheng dropped the subject. He wasn't a fan of cleaning either.
"Well, do you want to come see Mimi and her kittens? When Zhang Wei came, he not only brought my car but also Mimi and her whole family!"
"Huh? Mimi and her family are here? Why didn't you say so sooner!" Jiang Luoluo was delighted. She quickly slipped her shoes back on and ran over to Chu Mingcheng's apartment.
Chu Mingcheng followed with a chuckle, closing her door behind him. When he got to his place, he found her already petting the cats.
"Mimi's kittens are so adorable. Their little paws are so pink and soft."
The three little ones seemed to have just finished nursing and were lying quietly in their cat bed, drifting off to sleep. Jiang Luoluo knelt by the bed, gently stroking them.
Mimi, on the other hand, had gone out to the balcony, stretched out in the sun, and was sleeping soundly. Raising kittens was tiring work, and sometimes she needed a break.
But the three kittens were all plump and chubby, a sign that she was taking good care of them.
This was the kind of pet ownership Chu Mingcheng liked—basically no effort required on his part, other than feeding them and cleaning the litter box.
But he knew this was temporary. Once the kittens were a bit older and could run around, he would have to take them out for exercise and even bring them on the boat for trips out to sea.
In some ways, tabby cats were as energetic as huskies. If you didn't take them out often to let them burn off their excess energy, they would drive you crazy.
That was why tabby cats weren't well-suited for city living. They were much better off in the countryside, where they could run around freely all day.
Jiang Luoluo pulled out her phone and took a few pictures of the kittens.
Seeing this, Chu Mingcheng remembered the small humphead wrasse and said, "Luoluo, come over here. I have something cool to show you."
"What is it?" Jiang Luoluo got up curiously and followed him to the kitchen.
When he opened the fish tank and she saw the adorably ugly little fish inside, she froze for a moment.
Then she exclaimed, "Wow, is that a humphead wrasse?"
"Yep, the king of the four great fish. I saved it especially for you." Jiang Luoluo's reaction pleased Chu Mingcheng, but he hadn't played his trump card yet!
Hearing he had saved it for her, Jiang Luoluo felt a sweet warmth in her heart, a feeling of being cared for.
Thinking of her days at the anime convention, she took Chu Mingcheng's hand, sat down on the sofa, and pulled out her phone to share her experiences with him. "I took a lot of pictures and videos these past few days. Let me show you."
"Sure!"
They sat on the sofa, practically touching, but both of them felt completely at ease.
For every photo Jiang Luoluo showed him, she would explain the background and ask if he liked her outfit.
The anime convention was hosted by a gaming company, so naturally, the cosplay was of game characters.
These kinds of costumes were often quite revealing, but fortunately, Jiang Luoluo's was a historical-style game costume that only showed a bit of leg.
In the photos, she looked graceful and beautiful in her historical attire. In person, she was pure and lively.
As Jiang Luoluo scrolled through the photos, she suddenly sensed something was off. She turned her head and found Chu Mingcheng staring intently at her.
Her heart began to pound, and a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jiang Luoluo lowered her head slightly and whispered.
Chu Mingcheng's gaze was fixed on her soft, pink lips. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge.
But just as he was about to lean in, she pulled away.
Jiang Luoluo did a tactical lean-back, her expression shy. "Shouldn't you say something to me first?"
Chu Mingcheng understood instantly. He sat up straight and said seriously, "Luoluo, be my girlfriend."
The room fell silent, the only sound the pounding of their hearts.
"No!"
"Uh…" Chu Mingcheng blinked in astonishment. He had been so sure she would say yes, he never expected to be rejected.
As if sensing his confusion, Jiang Luoluo explained, "You're being too casual about it. It makes me feel a little insecure."
"…" Her explanation was unexpected and left Chu Mingcheng a bit confused.
He thought he had been very serious about wanting to date her and eventually marry her.
Chu Mingcheng fell silent, seriously contemplating the meaning behind her words.
But his reaction made her think he was angry.
Jiang Luoluo took his hand and gave him a quick peck on the cheek to show her feelings.
"Don't be mad, okay? I… I'm just a little flustered, a little scared."
"I'm not mad. I'm just thinking about what you meant by 'insecure,'" Chu Mingcheng said. Her proactive gesture had completely erased the slight sting of rejection he had felt.
He understood now. Her reaction clearly showed she liked him.
The fluster and fear were because they hadn't known each other for very long, and he hadn't given her enough of a sense of security.
Chu Mingcheng had never met a girl like Jiang Luoluo before—one who was exceptional in looks, career, and personality.
Although he had had girlfriends in the past, he had never actively pursued a girl, so he couldn't say he understood them well.
Even for a confession, that moment had been inappropriate. It was obvious he was just attracted to her physically.
Once he figured it out, Chu Mingcheng felt a sense of relief. If it didn't work out this time, he would just find a more suitable opportunity!
He gently pinched Jiang Luoluo's cheek and grinned. "You're right to be insecure, because I was just after your body."
Jiang Luoluo's eyes widened. She immediately let go of his hand, grabbed a sofa cushion, and threw it at him. "Ugh, you pervert, you scoundrel…"
"Haha, you're so beautiful. Being after your body just means I have good taste and a healthy body. Shouldn't you be happy?" Chu Mingcheng caught the cushion and roared with laughter.
Seeing his smug look, Jiang Luoluo, still annoyed, grabbed another cushion. This time, she didn't throw it but held it like a weapon.
"Oh, thank you so much! You just stand right there with your dirty thoughts. Your skin is thicker than a bulletproof vest, saying whatever comes to mind…"
One chased, one ran, and the special atmosphere from before completely vanished.
Jiang Luoluo's earlier feelings of insecurity, panic, and slight awkwardness were also gone.
After playing around for a bit, they both stopped, though Chu Mingcheng still had to endure the occasional glare from her.
In the afternoon, Jiang Luoluo called a cleaning service to come and clean her apartment. She also aired out her blankets and did some laundry.
As the sun began to set, Chu Mingcheng started making dinner.
There were still about a dozen mantis shrimp left, so he decided to steam them to savor their original flavor first. He could try other cooking methods later.
As for the humphead wrasse, Chu Mingcheng had no intention of keeping it as a pet. With a cat in the house, keeping a fish just didn't seem like a good idea.
So today, it was also going to be steamed.
Finally, he seared two steaks, cut up some fruit, and blanched some broccoli. A very indulgent surf and turf dinner was ready.
"Wow, that smells amazing. What did you make tonight?" Jiang Luoluo, drawn by the aroma, came over, clearly unaffected by the afternoon's confession incident.
Mainly because Chu Mingcheng's "self-exposure" and their playful fight had smoothed things over.
"Go look in the fridge. There's a big surprise for you!" Chu Mingcheng said with a smile, placing the steaks on the dining table.
"A surprise?" Jiang Luoluo suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead. "Oh! I have a surprise for you, too. Wait a second."
With that, she ran back to her apartment and retrieved a gift she had bought from her suitcase.
When she returned, she handed the gift box to Chu Mingcheng. "I bought this for you in Pengcheng. Take a look!"
"You brought me a gift!" Chu Mingcheng was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Jiang Luoluo to have bought him something.
He opened the gift box and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw inside. It was a pair of binoculars.
They looked to be of good quality and probably cost quite a bit.
"You're a captain now. How could you not have a proper pair of binoculars? So I bought you a pair. What do you think? Do you like them?"
"Of course I like them! With these binoculars, it'll be much easier for me to spot schools of fish."
Chu Mingcheng really did like them. He guessed that Jiang Luoluo must have had a hard time choosing a gift.
After all, their relationship was more than friends but not yet official, so the range of suitable gifts was limited.
The fact that she thought of buying binoculars showed she had put real thought into it.
"Heehee, I'm glad you like them!" Seeing that Chu Mingcheng was genuinely happy, Jiang Luoluo also smiled. She then went to open the refrigerator and found a container of raw marinated seafood.
Slightly surprised, she took it out and saw it contained langoustines, Spanish red prawns, lobsters, and mantis shrimp.
Jiang Luoluo looked at Chu Mingcheng, who was now examining the binoculars, her gaze soft. Although it was just food, in terms of thoughtfulness and monetary value, it showed that he cared about her, too.
After all, this one dish was probably worth as much as the binoculars she had bought.
Gifts couldn't be measured by money alone, but money could, to some extent, show whether someone held you in their heart.