"Do you know who those people in the group just now were?" After Xiang Ye and Ai Bai packed up their gear and got into the car, Ai Bai quietly asked him.
"No idea. Are they famous?" Xiang Ye shook his head. He didn't know these people personally, but since they were all Huang Kai's friends, they probably weren't ordinary folks.
Ai Bai explained, "Huang Kai's a second-generation real estate tycoon. That guy Liu Guangqing runs the biggest building materials business in our city. Zheng Jianping is into cars — he owns several 4S dealerships and also deals in used cars. Qi Hongbo is a big name in advertising; your old company probably did some outsourcing for his firm."
"Oh, Qi Hongbo Advertising? Yeah, we worked with them before," Xiang Ye said, surprised that he actually knew one of the people from before.
Ai Bai continued, "Yuan Guangtao runs around ten jewelry stores here. Zhang Tianyu is a big player in medical equipment. But the most important one is Zhao Lei—he's my big boss."
Clearly Ai Bai hadn't finished. He scrolled down to introduce more members. These were only a fraction of the group; some he didn't recognize, probably big shots from other cities. Others were like Xiang Ye and Ai Bai, just tagging along.
"Phew, being in a group with so many big shots… I'll have plenty of stories to brag about!" Ai Bai mumbled excitedly, putting his phone away.
Xiang Ye wanted to say that the biggest bragger should be Ai Bai—his brother—but he just kept that thought to himself to avoid embarrassment. Still, Xiang Ye was confident he'd make Ai Bai feel that way eventually.
They drove back home quickly. Ai Bai didn't even go inside but rushed off to deliver fish to his girlfriend. Xiang Ye was on his own for the evening.
He carried the Soft Shell Turtle home and tossed it into a water basin nearby. After showering off the fish smell, he lay on his bed. When he flipped his hand, the property deed reward appeared. He studied the registration details and smiled.
"Not bad. Fishing actually has potential!"
He tapped the deed's cover thoughtfully before carefully putting it away. Now he could truly relax. Having a house meant having a home—not only would he be at ease, but his parents could rest easy too. He didn't hurry to tell them though; he planned to save more first.
Xiang Ye and Ai Bai were from the same province, though from a slowly developing city with a weak economy. Xiang Ye studied IT, but there were no IT jobs there. Unlike Ai Bai, whose family was well-off, Xiang Ye's parents were ordinary factory workers.
They worked at a pharmaceutical plant where the dust and chemicals damaged their health. They spent a lot on medicine monthly. Xiang Ye's mother had a pension under 2,000 yuan a month; his father hadn't retired yet but lost his job when the factory shut down a couple years ago.
Now in his fifties and unwell, his father struggled to find work. Xiang Ye regularly sent money home to help out during holidays. That was why he was so desperate to find a job. But now, things looked hopeful.
After securing the deed, Xiang Ye ordered a big meal on his phone. When the delivery arrived, he ate heartily, then happily rested and slept.
The next morning, he woke at six. They were meeting Huang Kai at 7 a.m. by the highway entrance, so the timing was about right.
After washing up, Ai Bai—who hadn't come home all night—showed up downstairs with his car. They ate breakfast bought roadside while driving to the meeting spot.
Arriving around 6:50, Huang Kai was already waiting there, along with three other cars.
When Xiang Ye and Ai Bai got out, Huang Kai introduced them: "This is Liu Guangqing, the guy who talked to you in the group yesterday. This is Zheng Jianping, who's organizing today's fishing trip. After fishing, we're going to have a big feast. And this is Qi Hongbo."
"You must be Xiang Ye, the fishing expert!" the older men, probably around Xiang Ye's father's age, greeted him warmly, shaking his hand.
"Not an expert, just lucky," Xiang Ye replied politely.
"We go to that little river a lot. Zhao Lei once caught only a dozen or so fish there. You caught over forty, plus a Soft Shell Turtle—news like that spreads fast," Qi Hongbo joked.
"Enough with the pleasantries! If we don't get good spots soon, someone else will," Zheng Jianping said, glancing at the time.
Everyone hurried to their cars, and Ai Bai followed the convoy toward Qingshan Reservoir.
Qingshan Reservoir was over 100 kilometers from the city center, but the highway made the trip about half an hour.
Though Qingshan Village was small, the reservoir was sizable. Built in the 60s or 70s to supply water to surrounding towns, it was well-known locally.
Now it was famous as a leisure spot for rural tourism and fishing.
When they arrived, there were already seven or eight cars at the dam. Many had claimed fishing spots and were preparing to fish.
Seeing this, Xiang Ye and the others quickly found their place and parked.
Zheng Jianping then called the reservoir office to pay the fees, and they were ready to start fishing!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]