[Hey? Am I the only one who thinks Qiao Mei likes fishing more than men?]
[She genuinely seems to enjoy it, smiling so happily every time she catches a fish…]
[Seriously, is fishing really that fun? More fun than chasing guys??]
[I’m dying, fam! I cast the livestream to my living room TV, and my dad passed by and watched Qiao Mei fish for over ten minutes! He even took photos to share with his group chat, saying this girl is really good at fishing!]
[I can’t hold it in anymore! My grandpa is also mesmerized watching Qiao Mei fish!! He even asked me to buy him the same fishing rod as Qiao Mei!!]
…
The number of viewers in the livestream surged once again. After hearing the audience profile, Director Meng was utterly speechless.
“Middle-aged and elderly men?” Director Meng truly couldn’t understand. “Hasn’t our show’s audience always been young people?”
A staff member explained, “It seems they’re all here for Wen Ruqiao’s fishing…”
Director Meng: ??
What’s so interesting about that?
He leaned in to watch Wen Ruqiao’s dedicated camera feed…
One fish after another seemed to be under a spell, willingly jumping into Wen Ruqiao’s bucket.
A few minutes later.
Director Meng was sold!
“Go! Immediately edit a compilation of Wen Ruqiao fishing and post it on all major platforms!”
Soon, videos of Wen Ruqiao fishing appeared on all major platforms.
—[The Lucky Girl Goes All Out Fishing!]
—[Shocking! This is what happened when a woman went fishing…]
—[Well, I’ve seen it all now. I never knew fishing could be done like this!]
The videos sparked heated discussions shortly after being posted, successfully drawing many viewers into the livestream.
While Wen Ruqiao was engrossed in fishing, Lu Minglang and Xiao Ou were negotiating with the production team.
Director Meng offered a deal: one bucket of fish could be exchanged for either a watermelon or a large box of ice cream.
Xiao Ou protested, “You’re taking advantage of us! The value of these fish far exceeds that of a watermelon or ice cream!”
Director Meng retorted confidently over the phone, “Scarcity determines value. Watermelons and ice cream are scarce resources on the island, but your fish aren’t.”
“Then we won’t trade! We’ll keep them to eat!” Xiao Ou threatened. “We won’t look for ingredients this episode! We’ll survive on these fish!”
Director Meng wanted to argue back, but through the camera, he saw Wen Ruqiao catch another fish.
“…” This is just absurd.
If Wen Ruqiao keeps fishing like this, they won’t just have enough to eat for one episode—they’ll be set for the entire season!
Xiao Ou nudged Lu Minglang with his elbow. “Right, Brother Lu?”
Lu Minglang, who wasn’t very good at dealing with people, nodded reluctantly. “Mm.”
“Brother Lu, being so tight-lipped won’t do! Have you forgotten this is the task Xiao Qiao gave us?” Xiao Ou said, exasperated.
Hearing the name “Xiao Qiao,” Lu Minglang’s entire demeanor changed. His low, clear voice sped up like a rap:
“Besides watermelon and ice cream, we also want pork belly, beef, and lamb. Also, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and vegetables. Xiao Qiao likes barbecue.” He paused, then added, “And wasabi. Xiao Qiao wants to eat sashimi.”
Xiao Ou was practically holding back a scream, almost hurting himself in the process.
Look at this! He already knows Wen Ruqiao’s preferences so quickly! If this isn’t true love, what is?!
Every sentence is about Wen Ruqiao. Who would’ve thought this top idol was such a devoted romantic!!
Director Meng was left speechless, whether by Lu Minglang’s rapid-fire speech or the content itself.
Lu Minglang cut straight to the chase: “Then it’s settled. Goodbye.”
He hung up the phone directly.
Xiao Ou gave him a thumbs-up: “Brother Lu, you’re amazing!”
Lu Minglang lowered the brim of his cap. His figure was tall and slender, as clear and refreshing as the wind, with a cool and aloof demeanor. But the moment he caught sight of Wen Ruqiao, his amber eyes lit up like the blazing sun.
It was the kind of look reserved for the most important, most cherished person.
With such a direct gaze, Lu Minglang’s fans could no longer deceive themselves, and they burst into tears one after another.
[Wuwu, even though I don’t want Brother Lu to fall in love, if he really likes a girl, I’ll definitely smile and bless him.]
[Heartbroken, but I still hope he’s happy.]
[Sisters, let’s look on the bright side—Brother Lu and Wen Ruqiao actually make a great match!]
Of course, there were also plenty of fans declaring they would unfollow.
[Idol misconduct :)]
[Let me see whose house has collapsed—oh, it’s my own.]
[Already unfollowed. Idols exist to fulfill fans’ fantasies. Unless Wen Ruqiao is his biological sister, I’ll never follow him again!!]
…
Lu Minglang was unaware of the chaos unfolding in the livestream.
He ran up to Wen Ruqiao to share his recent victory.
“Not bad,” Wen Ruqiao glanced over. They had caught over two buckets of fish, and she had satisfied her craving for fishing. “Let’s head back then.”
“Okay.” Lu Minglang couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile, bright and sunny.
The fans who had been crying their hearts out were struck by his dazzling looks and instantly stopped weeping.
[Wah, help me up—I can still be a fan!]
But Wen Ruqiao didn’t even glance at Lu Minglang, instead squatting down to admire the fish in the bucket.
They were all her little treasures!
The fans: “…”
Damn, why do you treasure those fish more than our Brother Lu?!
Somehow, Wen Ruqiao’s reaction provoked a rebellious streak in the fans, and they began shouting across the screen:
[Wen Ruqiao, dare to fall in love!]
[What’s so great about He Huainan? Is he even half as handsome as our Brother?]
[I’m so mad! Wake up! Isn’t our Brother Lu better-looking than fish? Huh? Look at him!!]
Wen Ruqiao, completely oblivious, smiled contentedly at the fish she had caught.
A little over half an hour later, Wen Ruqiao and the other two returned to the cottage.
Only Aunt Liu was in the yard. Seeing them return so soon, she was taken aback at first, then comforted them: “Kids, are you all okay? No injuries?”
Xiao Ou put on a heartbroken expression: “Aunt Liu, why didn’t you ask if we caught any fish?”
Aunt Liu sighed: “Ah, it’s fine if you didn’t catch any. We’ll make do with whatever we have for dinner…”
The next moment, Wen Ruqiao and the other two pulled out various ingredients from behind them. Aunt Liu’s eyes nearly popped out of her head!
“Hehe, just kidding! Not only did we catch fish, we caught a ton! And we traded fish with the production team for a bunch of ingredients!”
Aunt Liu was so overjoyed she nearly cried, wiping the corners of her moist eyes as she carried all the ingredients into the kitchen.
She cut half a melon and brought it to Wen Ruqiao and the others.
Xiao Ou and Lu Minglang both instinctively offered the sweetest, center portion to Wen Ruqiao.
“Hey, where’s Brother He?” Xiao Ou curiously looked around.
Wen Ruqiao and Lu Minglang stood side by side, eating melon. The way they ate was somewhat similar, like little hamsters.
The next moment, they heard Xiao Ou’s voice, loud as a megaphone:
“Ah—Brother He fell into the manure pit!!”
Wen Ruqiao: ?
Lu Minglang: ?
Both of them looked utterly bewildered.
True onlookers.jpg