Sun Datao was a little embarrassed.
He didn't really know how to do anything, yet in less than a day, he had unexpectedly gotten a twenty-thousand-yuan red envelope bonus.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone got one," Li Yang said with a smile.
"Alright then, Brother Li, I'll gladly take this twenty thousand!" Sun Datao wasn't the type to make a fuss, so he accepted with a laugh.
'I'll be Li Yang's bodyguard on this boat,' he thought. 'I absolutely cannot let anything happen to him.'
As he said his thanks, Sun Datao's voice was loud enough for Lin Qiang and two other classmates standing nearby to hear.
"Sun Datao got a twenty-thousand-yuan bonus!"
"Twenty thousand! That's enough for two iPhones."
The two classmates were very envious. Having just graduated from high school, they had very little spending money.
Overtaken by envy, these two classmates opened their class group chat, snapped a few photos, and posted them.
"Whoa, what a huge ship."
"What kind of fish are those on the deck? They look like large yellow croakers."
As soon as the photos were posted, classmates started replying.
Everyone was enjoying their break, spending all day on their phones.
"That's right, they're all large yellow croakers. Any guesses how much they weigh?"
The classmate who posted the pictures kept them in suspense. "In total, there are four thousand kilograms of these large yellow croakers!"
"Four thousand kilograms!"
"My god, how much would that sell for?"
"They've struck it rich, seriously struck it rich! I can't even afford to buy a single one of those fish."
This classmate's comment sent another wave of shock through the group.
He continued to tease them, saying, "And do you know who caught all these large yellow croakers? Who's the captain of this ship?"
"Damn it, Damin, why do you keep dragging this out?"
"Spit it out! From the way you're talking, don't tell me we actually know the captain?"
"Shit, if you don't tell us, I'm coming to your house to give you a taste of the Thousand Years of Pain."
Urged on by his classmates, Zhao Damin finally revealed, "I'm telling you guys, the captain of this ship is Li Yang, and all these large yellow croakers belong to him!"
"Li Yang! No way! His family has a ship that big?"
"Oh my god, was Li Yang a secret rich kid all along?"
After Zhao Damin's reveal, the classmates were completely stunned.
During their last get-together, many of them had been lamenting how Li Yang wasn't continuing his education and would have trouble finding a job in the future.
But as it turned out, the guy had a massive ship that looked like it would cost millions, not to mention all those large yellow croakers.
For a moment, messages flooded the class group chat, scrolling past in a blur.
"Li Yang is on the boat right now. Those large yellow croakers probably sold for at least over ten million! Sun Datao is on the boat too, and Li Yang just gave him a twenty-thousand-yuan red envelope bonus," Zhao Damin continued, watching the comments excitedly.
Even though the fishing boat and the fish had nothing to do with him, he was thrilled to share the news with his classmates and see their astonished reactions.
While Zhao Damin and the other classmate were sharing, Lin Qiang's expression kept changing. His impression of Li Yang had been completely overturned. The guy he had been provoking all this time was actually this capable?
Forget everything else—just the ship and the large yellow croakers on it were worth more than his family's entire assets.
His expression shifted, and when Li Yang walked over again, he quickly forced a smile onto his face, stepped forward, and said, "Li Yang, I can't believe this ship is yours. Congratulations on catching so many large yellow croakers."
His words clearly held a fawning tone.
'Are you kidding me? He couldn't even begin to describe how much he regretted his previous actions. Why the hell did I have to provoke Li Yang? Was someone from such a wealthy family a person I could afford to offend?'
So, Lin Qiang didn't hesitate to go up and eat crow.
He shamelessly plastered a smile on his face and said, "Brother Li, I was completely in the wrong before. Please don't hold it against me. Here are some coupons for my family's lobster restaurants. Each one is good for a free meal."
He handed over a dozen or so coupons.
Looking at the fawning Lin Qiang, Li Yang's expression was calm. He thought for a moment, took the coupons, and then passed them out to the crew members. "Everyone, here are some free hot pot coupons, one per person."
"Thanks, Boss."
Taking the hot pot coupons, the crew members all laughed heartily, but not a single one of them thanked Lin Qiang.
Lin Qiang kept the smile plastered on his face, not daring to show any dissatisfaction.
After casually handing out the coupons, Li Yang ignored Lin Qiang completely. This left Lin Qiang feeling extremely anxious, worried that Li Yang would retaliate against him later.
What he didn't know was that Li Yang couldn't care less about him.
...
After everything was taken care of, Li Yang prepared to head back. He needed to continue his cultivation.
Li Jun walked up to Li Yang and said, "Xiaoyang, thanks for the red envelope."
Like Sun Datao, he was also a little embarrassed.
Li Yang smiled and said, "It's nothing, Brother Xiaojun. Go home and get some rest. We'll head out to sea again in a few days!"
"Okay." Li Jun nodded.
He parted ways with Li Yang and returned home.
"Li Jun, you're back?" At home, his parents and his wife, Zhang Ya, were all there.
Li Guoyang asked in confusion, "How come you're back so soon?"
Fishing trips usually last at least three days, but Li Jun was back in less than one.
Li Jun said, "Dad, Mom, Xiaoya, Xiaoyang's boat had amazing luck today. We caught a net full of large yellow croakers in a single haul..."
He quickly recounted what had happened.
"What? You caught large yellow croakers?"
"Four thousand kilograms? And it sold for twenty million?"
Hearing Li Jun's words, Li Guoyang's family was completely stunned.
'This nephew of mine has way too much luck! His first day's haul surpassed what most people earn in a lifetime!'
"Dad, Mom, Xiaoya, on our way back, Xiaoyang gave us a twenty-thousand-yuan red envelope bonus. The whole crew got one," Li Jun said with a smile.
"Really?"
Hearing Li Jun's words, Zhang Ya was especially happy, not to mention Li Guoyang and his wife.
She and Li Jun were paying off a mortgage and a car loan, so money was tight. She usually couldn't even bring herself to buy a single nice piece of clothing.
Now, she was incredibly glad she had supported her husband's decision to go to sea with his cousin. After all, he had earned twenty thousand on the very first day!
At his previous salary, it would have taken him at least four or five months to save up twenty thousand.
"Yeah."
Li Jun's face was full of smiles. He said, "Xiaoyang told us to wait for his word, and then we'll head out again. It should be in the next day or two."
His face was also filled with anticipation for another big catch on the next trip.
Li Guoyang slammed his hand on the table and said, "Xiaojun, tomorrow you and I will go to Xiaoyang's house to thank him."
Li Jun nodded. "I know, Dad."
...
'Twenty million in the bank! A few more hauls like this, and I should make over a hundred million!' Li Yang's face was wreathed in smiles, his heart full of anticipation for the future.
Meanwhile, his octopus avatar was still searching the ocean floor. It had encountered a few schools of fish, but none were particularly valuable, so the avatar continued its search.
With so many fish in the sea, it was bound to find what Li Yang needed.
'I should call Mom and Dad and tell them the good news.' Feeling joyful, Li Yang decided to call his parents.