When Chu Mingcheng showed up at the pier with a full crate of fish to sell, he naturally drew the attention of the local fishmongers and island residents.

A four-thousand-yuan haul was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

When potential customers had asked about prices earlier, the fishmongers had been watching from the sidelines. If Chu Mingcheng had shown even a hint of ignorance about the market, they would have swooped in long ago, leaving no scraps for the actual buyers.

But these were small-time local dealers with limited knowledge. When they heard he had spearfished his catch, they were puzzled but didn't press the matter, knowing little about the sport.

However, the wiry man who now blocked his path knew exactly what spearfishing was.

His name was Ye Haoyong, just another resident of Yanmen Island. At thirty-five, he was an idle loafer, always scheming and cutting corners. He'd once sweet-talked an off-island woman into marrying him, but as soon as she saw his true colors, she divorced him without a second thought.

Most islanders knew the basics of foraging and fishing. After the cross-sea bridge opened, people from the city started coming over to buy fresh seafood, and Ye Haoyong had seized the opportunity. He'd purchase fish cheap from others and flip them for a profit elsewhere, which made his life a little more comfortable.

But scoundrels like him shared a few common traits: they couldn't hold onto money, they were lazy, and they looked down on small, honest work, always aiming for high.

And so, with his pockets empty again, Ye Haoyong had come to the pier today, planning to ask for some seafood on credit to sell shamelessly. He knew this was his most stable source of income, and he had managed his credit surprisingly well. Fishermen would give him the harder-to-sell fish because he always paid them back after making a sale.

That's when he saw Chu Mingcheng's roaring trade—four thousand yuan from a single crate, all from spearfishing. Ye Haoyong's eyes lit up with greed, and he immediately set his sights on him.

"Brother," he began, "I just wanted to ask where you speared all these fish. I'm a spearo myself. We're fellow hunters, you and I. How about we team up?"

Chu Mingcheng sized him up, a little speechless. Anyone who could spearfish, even if they looked thin, would have solid, well-defined muscles. The most dangerous thing in the ocean was the undercurrent—you needed a strong body to handle it, not this scrawny, rib-cage-like frame. If this guy jumped into the sea, a single wave would probably wash him away.

"I was just trying it out with a friend. He was the one who took me," Chu Mingcheng replied dismissively. He sensed that this man’s intentions weren’t about forming a partnership, but he didn’t feel like engaging further, so he chose to brush him off.

Ye Haoyong realized that Chu Mingcheng was evading him. He quickly blocked Chu Mingcheng's path once more, revealing his true purpose.

"Look, brother, I've got a lot of clients who love seafood. But you know the fishing resources around here—big fish are rare, and quality catches are even rarer."

"I think we could work together! You hunt the fish and sell them at the pier, but you can't always count on running into wealthy buyers, can you?"

Chu Mingcheng's expression didn't change. "I'm sorry," he said with a faint smile, "but I was just trying it out with a friend. Besides, I'm heading to Xiamen soon, so we wouldn't be able to partner up anyway."

Partner with someone? Why would he look for that kind of trouble? In this age of information, smart seafood buyers don't go to the market anymore; they go straight to the pier to wait for the fishing boats. And in some places, fishermen who were tired of being lowballed by dealers had started selling their catch themselves. Who in their right mind would saddle themselves with a freeloader?

His customer base was his own. Partnering with someone else meant he'd do all the hard work catching the fish, only to stuff the profits into another man's pocket. Even if he were to collaborate, he would never pick a random stranger.

With Chu Mingcheng's firm refusal, Ye Haoyong couldn't keep blocking him and could only watch him leave.

But just then, his eyes lit up.

Zhao Jun's wife was walking down from the road above and greeted Chu Mingcheng as they passed.

Upon realizing that they were acquainted, Ye Haoyong intercepted her at a bend in the path. After some questioning, he discovered Chu Mingcheng's identity. When he learned that Chu Mingcheng's family home was on the island and that he frequently sold the fish he caught, Ye Haoyong's expression darkened.

There's an old saying: seeing someone else make money is more painful than losing it yourself.

Ye Haoyong knew that spearfishing required a license; otherwise, it was illegal. He'd learned that from scrolling on his phone when he was bored. And for Chu Mingcheng to catch so many fish, he even suspected the man was using an oxygen tank.

Driven by the thought, if I can't make money, I'm not letting you have an easy time either, Ye Haoyong pulled out his phone and made a report.

Chu Mingcheng had no idea that trouble was heading his way. Back home, the first thing he did was calculate his earnings from the day. His total income from spearfishing was 3,978 yuan.

It was a high figure, but he had spent more than half of it on his new gears. The advantage of spearfishing over angling was that once the equipment was bought, the only cost was going out to sea. Angling, on the other hand, was a constant drain on money for hooks, lines, and bait.

Once he had a boat and found a few good fishing spots, spearfishing could become a steady source of income.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Hello, is anyone home?"

Just as Chu Mingcheng was about to prepare his ingredients for dinner, a knock came from the door, accompanied by a familiar voice. It was the firefighter he had rescued.

"Coming!"

The door was unlocked. He walked out of the kitchen and saw two men at the entrance, their hands full of bags. Besides the firefighter he'd saved, the other man was none other than the fire captain.

Surprised to see the captain, Chu Mingcheng quickly invited them in.

The two men entered, set their things down, and thanked him once again.

After a few polite exchanges, Chu Mingcheng asked, "I'm sorry, I still don't know your names."

"My name is Li Bin, and this is my captain, Liu Jianjun," said Li Bin, the rescued firefighter.

"I'm Chu Mingcheng," he introduced himself, then went to the kitchen to make them tea. "By the way," he asked casually, "how is that girl from the other day?"

"She's realized her mistake," Li Bin answered with a smile. "She even came to the hospital to apologize and thank me. I think she's grown a lot from this experience." He was glad to have saved a life, and even happier that she had matured, even though it had nearly cost him his own.

"It's good that she's changed," Chu Mingcheng nodded. "It's just a shame that scumbag didn't get any punishment."

For a moral failing, the most that could happen was public shaming, but that would require spending money to make the incident go viral. Chu Mingcheng hadn't seen any news about it, not even about the rescue itself.

But the next moment, both Liu Jianjun and Li Bin wore strange expressions.

"That guy was arrested for theft."

"What?" Chu Mingcheng was stunned. What was going on?

Liu Jianjun looked both amused and exasperated by the situation. "That girl's family is well-off," he explained. "She was just too sheltered and a bit naive. She and her boyfriend lived together, and she let him use her money freely."

"As it turns out, two days before the 'breakup,' the guy took ten thousand yuan in cash from her drawer. The girl said he used to do that often."

"But this time, she didn't know he'd taken the money. She only found out after she got back from the hospital, and then she called the police."

Chu Mingcheng: Serves him right.