One was an orange tabby, one was white, and one was a tuxedo cat.

The three tiny kittens were nursing from Mimi. Once they grew a bit bigger, they would enter their most adorable phase.

"Aww, so cute! I want to gobble them up!" Jiang Luoluo stared at the photo, wishing she could teleport to Wenshi and bring Mimi and her entire family back.

"Gobble… gobble them up?" Chu Mingcheng looked at her in horror.

"What's with that look? It's just an expression—it means I like them," Jiang Luoluo said, noticing his expression and giving him a light, exasperated slap.

"Thank goodness you don't mean it literally!"

"Stop that! How could anyone eat such cute kittens!"

They laughed and joked for a while before Jiang Luoluo, after a short rest, resumed her dance practice.

She had finished the choreography the day before; now it was all about repetition and refinement.

Chu Mingcheng had only watched her choreographing before and hadn't given it much thought.

But watching her practice today, he saw how she meticulously worked through every short segment, ensuring each movement was perfect.

The angles couldn't be even slightly too high or too low; her finger positioning and foot placement all had to meet her own exacting standards.

Even her facial expressions were repeatedly adjusted. She was stricter with her dancing than she was with her cooking.

She could have easily coasted on her looks, yet she chose to rely on her skill. Perhaps that was why she had so many devoted fans.

On this point, Chu Mingcheng had to admit he couldn't compare.

Most people find it hard to stick to their principles when faced with a shortcut. Perhaps this was part of Jiang Luoluo's charm—something that went beyond just her appearance.

It wasn't until four in the afternoon that Jiang Luoluo's practice session finally ended.

"Perfect timing. I'm going to change, then we can go buy the tofu."

Chu Mingcheng looked confused. "Why do we need to buy tofu?"

"Aren't we having teppan tofu? We need a portable stove and some tofu. Without tofu, you can't call it teppan tofu, can you?"

"It's that involved?" Chu Mingcheng muttered, but he didn't object.

After Jiang Luoluo changed into casual clothes, they headed to the market and bought a small stove that used portable gas canisters, along with some tofu.

Considering the two fish weren't very large and wouldn't yield much meat after filleting, Chu Mingcheng also picked up some pork belly and lettuce so they wouldn't go hungry that night.

Back home, they started preparing the ingredients.

According to Jiang Luoluo, none of the ingredients should be cut too thin.

So Chu Mingcheng cut both the tofu and fish fillets a bit thick, keeping them under one centimeter.

With the ingredients prepped and two bowls of dipping sauce ready, they were set to start their teppan tofu.

Jiang Luoluo placed a flat-bottomed pan on the stove, turned up the heat, and dropped in a pat of butter.

Once the butter melted, she placed several pieces of tofu and fish fillets in the pan to sear.

Chu Mingcheng was quiet for about ten seconds. "Teppan tofu… is just this?"

"What else would it be?"

"Fair enough…"

Chu Mingcheng finally understood. "Teppan" just meant pan-frying on a flat surface.

But he had to admit, the sea red grouper was incredibly delicious. The natural flavor of the fish was exceptionally fresh and sweet.

One jin of fish wasn't nearly enough. Both of them were left wanting more, so they ended up pan-frying the fish head and belly as well.

After dinner and cleanup, Jiang Luoluo strolled around the living room to help with digestion, sighing contentedly. "It's so nice having a fisherman friend."

Chu Mingcheng was speechless, then laughed. "In that case, shouldn't you head to the grasslands and befriend some cattle and sheep farmers?"

Jiang Luoluo's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's brilliant! Let's visit the grasslands when we get a chance. We might make some connections, then we wouldn't have to worry about getting premium beef and lamb."

"…"

A grasslands trip wasn't happening anytime soon. The next day, Chu Mingcheng scheduled his exam. The wait wasn't as long as for a driver's license—there was a test available the day after tomorrow.

The rain had stopped today, though the sun still hadn't appeared.

The seawater was murky after the rain, making diving impossible. He fished from shore all morning without so much as a nibble. It was a rare complete shutout for Chu Mingcheng.

With no fish biting, he decided to call it quits.

He packed up his gear, had lunch, then filled up his car and started driving around Xiamen.

He mainly visited areas with rivers and lakes to scout for other anglers.

Basically, if there were anglers present, it meant the fish populations in those waters should be decent.

After a short drive, Chu Mingcheng arrived at a small lake and was surprised to find it crowded with people.

He found a parking spot and walked over curiously.

He saw a fishing rod standing defiantly in the water, its tip bent and line taut. But where was the angler?

The crowd was buzzing with commentary…

"This guy's insane. Got dragged into the water by a fish and still won't let go."

"No kidding, he's been under there for over a minute!"

"Insane? If he doesn't surface soon, he's going to be in real trouble."

"Fish on, angler on; fish gone, angler gone. That's the true fighting spirit!"

"Come on, you're just here for the drama!"

Chu Mingcheng frowned as he watched the scene unfold. He finally understood why so many anglers drowned each year.

Perhaps finally unable to hold on, the person underwater chose to surrender. The fishing rod shot into the water with a whoosh, and then a head surfaced, gasping for air.

After catching his breath, he swam back to shore, his face showing a mix of regret and frustration. "Damn it! That was a black carp of at least a hundred jin. If only I'd had a life jacket."

That was true. With a life jacket, he could have stayed on the surface and continued fighting the fish.

A few people on shore who seemed to be his friends burst out laughing at his words.

"Getting to battle a beast like that—this trip was worth it!"

"Worth it? He'll probably be obsessing over this for the rest of the year!"

The angler said bitterly, "I got completely schooled, okay? Not only did the fish get away, but I lost my rod, too. Forget a year—I won't get over this for a decade."

While the group chatted, the other anglers didn't seem concerned. One by one, they set up their heavy rods, each wanting to experience their epic battle.

Chu Mingcheng's interest was piqued as well. Since he couldn't make money fishing today, battling a monster fish would be an excellent alternative.

He headed home first. He'd been planning to fish from shore, and that hand pole had been gathering dust at home. Now was the perfect time to put it to use.

At home, Chu Mingcheng gathered his fishing rod, Dyneema line, and other gear.

That guy had been dragged underwater and claimed it was at least a hundred-jin black carp. He'd need heavy-duty Dyneema line for something like that.

He also brought the rod he used for small crucian carp. When targeting big fish, using a small fish you'd caught as live bait was sometimes more effective.

With his gear packed, he returned to the small lake to find that the number of anglers had doubled in the time he'd been gone.

The allure of landing a monster was truly something else.

He took his rod and tackle box to find a spot with relatively fewer people.

He first mixed some chum and baited his area, then rigged up and prepared bait for catching small crucian carp.

After half an hour, figuring the chum should have taken effect, and with so many anglers around having baited their spots, the shoreline must be teeming with fish, so he started fishing.

As expected, with so many anglers present and everyone chumming their spots, the shore was alive with activity.

Chu Mingcheng's hook had barely hit bottom when he caught a yellow catfish—a species he hadn't unlocked yet.

He'd never caught this fish before, but any angler would recognize it.

How had this fish ended up in the shallows? Chu Mingcheng glanced at the overcast sky and understood.

Yellow catfish were typically night feeders. They were skittish and light-sensitive, making them difficult to catch during the day.

But today's overcast conditions dimmed the light, and with so many people chumming near shore, it wasn't surprising some had been attracted.

He then caught several small white fish and crucian carp. Putting away the light rod, he brought out his 7.2-meter heavy setup.

He hooked a lively small white fish first to test the waters.

He hooked the baitfish through its back, ensuring it would stay alive and active for a while.

Chu Mingcheng planned to let the injured fish swim around naturally to attract something bigger.

However, this particular fish seemed resigned to its fate. Once in the water, it barely moved, just slowly sank to the bottom and lay still.

Compared to all the other bait in the area, it wasn't particularly conspicuous. The bighead carp, black carp, and grass carp cruising around paid little attention to this small offering.

But the little fish didn't realize that, as it rested on the bottom, occasionally making small movements, it had caught the attention of a massive creature lurking in the mud.

The predator had already spotted the small fish and shifted position slightly. A small cloud of sediment drifted up from the lake bed.

When the small white fish drifted directly in front of it, the creature opened its enormous maw like a black abyss. The small fish didn't even have time to react before being sucked into that cavernous mouth.

But the next instant, the foreign object and sharp pain in its mouth caused this massive creature to surge up from the mud, revealing itself to be an enormous catfish.

"Holy shit!" On shore, Chu Mingcheng saw the strike and quickly lifted his rod to set the hook. But halfway through the motion, a tremendous force hit him, nearly knocking him off balance. The power was incredible!

When he'd caught the Bin Diao snapper, he'd had an electric reel. When he'd fought the amberjack, he'd been on a boat.

When he'd speared that giant snakehead, the metal spear had pierced its vital organs. Though Chu Mingcheng had felt the fish's strength, he hadn't experienced it fully in the water.

The monster he'd hooked today made him understand exactly why people got dragged in—because he couldn't hold on either.

Chu Mingcheng's face flushed red, veins standing out as he gripped the fishing rod. He clenched his teeth and tried to stand his ground, but his feet kept sliding toward the water's edge.

Seeing he was about to go in, he quickly crouched down, planted the rod butt in the ground, braced it with his foot, and held the rod with both hands while leaning back with his entire body weight.

The fishing rod seemed ready to snap, constantly groaning under the strain.

The water near shore wasn't deep, so the commotion was terrifying. What had been a calm surface was now a churning mess of muddy waves, with everything in a five-meter radius turned black and murky.

Occasionally, a massive dark shape would surface, its huge tail slapping the water like some aquatic monster.

"Holy crap, another one?"

"Looks like a catfish. Damn, it's practically prehistoric—huge!"

"Hey buddy, need help? Don't get dragged in like that guy."

The disturbance made it impossible for nearby anglers to continue fishing, but none of them minded now. They all gathered around Chu Mingcheng.

Chu Mingcheng was breathing heavily. It had only been a minute, and he was already getting tired.

He didn't have the energy to respond, afraid that speaking would break his concentration.

Fortunately, the shoreline was hard-packed gravel with good traction. His shoes might be ruined, but at least he could maintain his footing.

After another minute, he suddenly felt the pressure from the rod ease up.

He seized the opportunity to catch his breath and quickly pulled back, gaining three steps before the fish resumed its resistance.

The catfish began fighting again, and he couldn't budge it any further.

Chu Mingcheng sensed the fish's next power surge was coming. He took the chance to grip the rod one-handed and quickly stashed his phone in his tackle box.

But this momentary relaxation seemed to give the fish an opening. It exploded with even greater force.

This time, the power was overwhelming. Chu Mingcheng had just secured his phone when he was yanked forward two steps, then couldn't stop and was pulled straight into the water, only stopping when it reached his calves.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, he's going in!"

"Damn, what kind of fish is that? Another guy getting dragged under!"

"I've got a feeling this is going to be legendary. I need to get my phone and record this."

The spectators on shore showed various reactions—some just watching the show, others barely containing their amusement.

And Chu Mingcheng, after being pulled into the water, discovered the bottom was extremely slippery, and he couldn't get a solid footing. His entire body began to be slowly dragged toward deeper water.

This left him feeling helpless. Was he going to become another example of angling stubbornness?

As the water gradually rose toward his head, this small lake was about to become completely famous. Two anglers dragged underwater by fish in a single day—it might even make the evening news.