"Li Yang is so strong."
"He held Lin Qiang down with just one hand. That's so cool."
...
A few of the female students were discussing this excitedly.
It was no joke. Li Yang's current physical fitness was several times that of a normal person, so holding Lin Qiang down couldn't have been easier.
However, this didn't count as revealing his true abilities. It was common to see a strong person overpower a weaker one, so no one would find it too suspicious. There were plenty of people in this day and age who were born with incredible strength; the most famous one was that guy Chang Wei...
While the crowd was enjoying the spectacle, Lin Qiang was in a complete panic. He already knew from past experience that Li Yang was strong, having once been on the receiving end of a brutal beating from him, but from what he'd just felt, his strength seemed to have grown even greater.
Seeing that Li Yang really seemed intent on forcing the alcohol down his throat, Lin Qiang couldn't care less about his pride anymore. He quickly shouted, "Li Yang, we're all classmates, don't do this! Teacher Wang, look at what Li Yang is..."
He had been so calm just a moment ago, but when faced with a real threat, he panicked, wanting only to get away from Li Yang as fast as possible.
Their homeroom teacher, Wang Zhen, hadn't wanted to interfere, but hearing Lin Qiang call out, he had to say something. "Li Yang, look..."
The glass was right at Lin Qiang's lips, but Li Yang didn't press it any further. He smiled nonchalantly. "It's just a joke. Why so nervous?"
He let Lin Qiang go.
Instantly, Lin Qiang scrambled back several steps.
He had just been crying for help, but the moment he was free, his heart filled with anger and resentment.
Glancing at the male and female classmates who were watching the spectacle, Lin Qiang felt utterly humiliated.
At their age, saving face was everything. The fact that Li Yang had been able to pin him so easily he couldn't even move probably made him a laughingstock in everyone's eyes—a feeble fatty.
However, despite his fury, he didn't dare get close to Li Yang again.
"Hmph! You brute! Li Yang, I think you'd be a perfect fit for a construction site," he spat out, trying to get the last word.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Li Yang shot a look at him.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Qiang felt a jolt of fear and didn't dare say another word, quickly moving away from him.
Li Yang couldn't be bothered to do anything more. 'Just a petty clown,' he thought.
'A lobster restaurant? I've seen some pretty big lobsters down on the seafloor.'
At that moment, his mind was on other things.
Meanwhile, feeling that he had lost face in front of his classmates, Lin Qiang thought for a moment, then stood up and announced loudly, "Classmates, after the party ends today, I invite everyone to my family's lobster restaurant tomorrow for another get-together! Let me know if you want to come!"
As soon as he finished speaking, some students cheered up immediately.
"Lin Qiang, you're treating? It's free?"
"I'll go if it's free."
Lin Qiang said with a smile, "Of course it's free! Everyone can eat their fill tomorrow! Eat as much as you can!"
Hearing that, the students grew even more excited.
"Then it's a deal!"
"I'll come with an empty stomach tomorrow. Don't be scared I'll eat you out of house and home."
The students were clearly interested. They weren't about to turn down a good thing like a free lobster feast.
Lin Qiang slapped his chest and made his guarantee, but inwardly, he was grumbling to himself. 'My dad's going to give me an earful when I get home.'
Still, no matter how much these people ate, it wouldn't be that much for a single meal.
And just like that, the invitation erased everyone's negative impression of him. One by one, the students signed up.
However, some classmates didn't plan on going. Li Yang, of course, wouldn't be there, and neither would Sun Datao.
"What's the big deal? I live right by the sea. Eating lobster is a regular thing," Sun Datao said with disdain.
The party was winding down, and the students were getting ready to leave.
Li Yang said a few words to Sun Datao and prepared to head to the beach.
"Li Yang."
He was walking downstairs, lost in thought, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. He looked over and saw the class monitor, Zhou Yao.
"Zhou Yao, what are you doing down here?" Li Yang asked, curious.
Zhou Yao smiled and said, "I came looking for you."
"For me?" Li Yang was taken aback.
Zhou Yao looked at the young man before her and said, "Li Yang, I wanted to ask, did you run into some kind of trouble? Is that why you decided not to retake the exam? If you're having difficulties, you can tell me. I'll definitely help if I can."
Her expression was very serious, and seeing her like this, Li Yang felt a stir in his heart.
He shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing like that. Deciding not to retake it was something I thought over carefully."
Seeing that Li Yang didn't want to talk about it, Zhou Yao could only say, "Alright, then let's add each other on WeChat. If you run into any trouble, you can message me."
Back in high school, Zhou Yao had always claimed she didn't have WeChat, and no one had ever managed to add her.
"Okay," Li Yang nodded.
After adding her as a friend on WeChat, Li Yang glanced at Zhou Yao's username: "Heart's Desire".
After a bit more small talk, Li Yang was about to leave when Zhou Yao paused, then suddenly said, "Li Yang, if nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably be studying at Hai University."
Hai University was a bit of a distance from Coastal City, but not too far.
Li Yang nodded and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll remember that. I'll come visit you at Hai University when I have time."
Hearing this, Zhou Yao smiled. "That's a promise, then."
After a few more words, the two finally parted ways.
Watching Zhou Yao walk away, Li Yang thought to himself, 'Could it be that Zhou Yao likes me?'
The thought just popped into his head. The scene that had just unfolded left him with little choice but to wonder.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and his gaze shifted toward the ocean.
'From now on, I need to hurry up and make money. I'll focus on finding treasure in the ocean.'
He really wasn't in the mood for romance at the moment.
He hailed a taxi to go back. In the car, he used his phone to search for things like: What kind of treasures are in the ocean? What are the most expensive types of fish? Possible locations of underwater shipwrecks?
Li Yang had been searching for this information on his way to the party as well.
Due to a lack of knowledge, many treasures could be right in front of him and he wouldn't even recognize them. That was what Li Yang was worried about.
If he knew too little and stumbled upon a treasure only to miss it, that would be a huge loss.
'I've heard there are tons of shipwrecks in the ocean. If I could get lucky and find one...' Li Yang thought with anticipation.
According to estimates, there were over two thousand shipwrecks of various types in the waters of Hua Country. Some of them contained immense treasures, antiques, and other artifacts of unknown value.
Some of the antiques on the market today sold for incredibly high prices.
Of course, Li Yang was just entertaining the thought. Even if he did find a shipwreck, ownership would be an issue, unless he brought the items up piece by piece himself.
After searching for a while, Li Yang suddenly looked out the window.
On the side of the street was a large lobster restaurant named "The Biggest Lobster House," which was the one Lin Qiang's family owned.
This was a food street, full of eateries. Besides "The Biggest Lobster House," there was also another one called "Spicy Lobster House."
Coastal City was a city by the sea, so seafood was one of the most common types of food.
However, the business at "Spicy Lobster House" was significantly worse than at "The Biggest Lobster House."
Li Yang had eaten here before, at both places. In terms of taste, Spicy Lobster House was in no way inferior, but because it lacked a standout feature that caught people's eye, it couldn't compete with "The Biggest Lobster House."
And the biggest gimmick of "The Biggest Lobster House" was undoubtedly its ninety-three-centimeter-long giant lobster.
'If I catch a giant lobster on the seafloor, I could sell it to Spicy Lobster House.'
Li Yang wasn't the good-tempered type. Given Lin Qiang's constant provocations, he wouldn't mind causing some trouble for his family's business if he got the chance.
For someone in the seafood business, making an enemy of a person like Li Yang who could walk on the seabed was an absolutely foolish move.
After a quick glance, Li Yang looked away. Soon, he arrived at the seaside.
Five meters... ten meters... twelve meters...
Lost in thought, Li Yang unknowingly arrived at a spot thirteen meters deep on the ocean floor.
(Thank you to Bansheng Liangliangliang dao Shang for the 1,500-coin donation. Thank you. Requesting monthly tickets and recommendation votes for this new book.)