I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: It Turned Out to Be a Misunderstanding

Saturday was even busier than Friday. Since some companies were closed for the weekend, a number of office workers had time to cook for themselves, so the seafood market saw more foot traffic than the day before.

Gu Nan had been bustling about for over an hour and had already sold two-thirds of his scorpionfish.

The only downside to the scorpionfish was its small size; its meat was actually more delicious than most groupers, making it a local favorite around Yangjiang Port.

Unfortunately, it took five or six of the fish to make up a single pound. So while "two-thirds" sounded impressive, it was actually just a little over six pounds of fish. Gu Nan had only made about two hundred sixty yuan from the sale.

The upside was that it was a business with no overhead—he didn’t even have to pay an import tax.

Just as he saw off a customer who had bought some Sea Bass, Gu Nan caught someone else entering out of the corner of his eye. A smile reflexively formed on his face. "Hello, what can I get for you?"

"What I need is a handsome man."

"Uh, Ah Jun? What are you doing at my shop this early in the morning?" Gu Nan couldn’t hide his astonishment. This was the first time An Jun had ever come over so early since the shop opened.

"There’s a good show on today, and I’m here for the entertainment," An Jun said, taking a sip of his soy milk. He sauntered over to the counter with a wicked grin and started on his breakfast.

Gu Nan was utterly confused, having no idea what he was talking about.

He was about to ask, but another customer entered, so he had to help them first. The other matters would have to wait.

At that moment, a young, beautiful girl walked into the seafood market, looking around curiously.

She glanced at the address An Jun had sent her on her phone, then went from one seafood shop to the next, searching.

Soon, she spotted a "Help Wanted" sign posted on the wall by an entrance and knew she’d found the right place.

As she stepped into the shop, Yi Chen’s wide eyes scanned the interior, searching for the owner.

The next moment, she spotted a familiar figure netting a fish for a customer. Over at the counter, another familiar person was sitting and eating breakfast.

Yi Chen blinked, a little bewildered. ’What’s going on?’

Gu Nan netted a farmed Bao Gong, and when he turned his head, he saw the girl standing by the entrance with a bewildered look on her face. He was stunned too.

But he quickly snapped out of it and called out, "Here for some fish? Take a look around. I’ll be with you in just a moment."

A customer was a customer, and Gu Nan wasn’t going to push her away just because he didn’t want to get involved with her.

"Oh, right, okay. You finish what you’re doing," Yi Chen replied, snapping back to reality. She now understood what An Jun meant by a "surprise." It was a "surprise" alright—one that definitely belonged in quotation marks.

’It doesn’t matter where I work,’ she thought, ’as long as it meets a few of my basic requirements.’

Besides, while she did want to thank Gu Nan for saving her life, she had never considered developing things any further. ’Being friends is fine, but a relationship is out of the question.’

From Gu Nan’s baffled expression and his first words to her, Yi Chen knew he was completely in the dark.

Besides, in their two previous encounters, she’d gotten the sense that he didn’t want much to do with her. So, she immediately guessed that An Jun sending her here to apply for a job was his own doing.

As for his motive, she had a pretty good idea. It was nothing more than trying to create an opportunity for his good buddy. Yi Chen had seen this kind of ploy plenty of times before, and she was always the target.

As a gorgeous girl, she had dealt with more than her fair share of men with ulterior motives. There wasn’t a scheme she hadn’t seen.

An Jun heard the girl’s voice and looked up to see her.

He nodded in greeting, then pulled out his phone and sent her a text: "Surprised? Unexpected, right?"

Yi Chen took out her phone, rolled her eyes at the message, and texted back, "You’re seriously bored, aren’t you?"

After that, she ignored An Jun and stood to the side, watching with great interest as Gu Nan worked.

’I thought he just fished for fun, as a hobby,’ she mused. ’I never imagined he was his own supplier!’

After the gentleman buying the Bao Gong fish left, Gu Nan washed his hands and approached Yi Chen. "What kind of fish are you looking for? Would you like me to give you some recommendations?"

"Yes, please! I don’t recognize a lot of these fish," Yi Chen said brightly. Once she realized who the owner was, she’d lost all interest in applying for the job. After all, she’d been tricked into coming here.

However, this turn of events took An Jun by surprise.

He had thought Yi Chen might be interested in his buddy, so he’d deliberately created this opportunity for them to spend time together, hoping his friend could finally find a girlfriend.

’Who knew she wouldn’t play by the rules?’ he thought. ’What happened to the job application?’

’Girl, you can’t win my buddy over by playing games like this. That guy is a slow burn; feelings only develop for him over time.’

And so, An Jun decided to continue playing wingman.

"Ah Nan, Yi Chen isn’t here to buy fish! She’s here to apply for the job!"

"Apply for the job?" Gu Nan repeated, stunned. He looked at the girl—at her delicate, fair skin—and frowned.

In that instant, it all clicked. No wonder Yi Chen was in his shop, and no wonder An Jun had shown up at this unprecedentedly early hour.

"Hey, uh, wait a second," Gu Nan said to her. He immediately hurried over to An Jun’s side and whispered, "Why did you tell her I was hiring? Besides, does she even look like someone who can handle this kind of work?"

An Jun covered his mouth and whispered back, "She told me she’s foraged on the coast before, so she’s been around seafood. Besides, wasn’t it you who saved her a few days ago when she fell in the water while doing just that? Selling fish and cleaning up a bit shouldn’t be a big deal for her, right?"

"Fell in while foraging?" Gu Nan was stunned. ’So she didn’t jump... it was an accident?’

This immediately brought to mind the other set of tracks he had noticed last night where he almost slipped. ’If she really did fall in while foraging, then those tracks must have been hers!’

’So it was all a misunderstanding!’

With this sudden realization, Gu Nan’s impression of Yi Chen changed completely.

She was a hardworking girl trying to make a living, not some thoughtless, love-obsessed person with extreme ideas.

"A young, pretty girl is better than some middle-aged man or woman, right? Now hurry up, don’t keep her waiting." Seeing Gu Nan spacing out, An Jun, who had no idea what was going through his friend’s head, gave him a little shake.

"Oh, right, right..." Gu Nan snapped out of it and returned to Yi Chen. Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, he felt a bit embarrassed about his previous prejudice. "So, uh... are you here to apply for the job?"

Seeing the man before her suddenly acting a bit goofy, Yi Chen was confused. ’What happened? He just went to talk for a second and came back like this?’

’What happened to the cold shoulder from before?’

But Yi Chen had already decided against applying, so she shook her head. "I’m not actually here for the job."

It was better to tell a white lie than to admit she’d changed her mind.

’A rejection, however indirect, would just make things awkward. Besides, this man is my savior. I should at least save him some face.’

Hearing this, Gu Nan let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.

Maybe it was a bit of old-fashioned paternalism, but he still felt that a pretty girl like her wasn’t suited to work in his shop.

’Selling fish isn’t a clean job. You’re constantly covered in a fishy stench.’

’And the middle-aged women who own the neighboring shops are such gossips. All sorts of rumors would probably start flying around.’