I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: You’re Putting So Much Pressure On Me

"Okay, I’ll arrange one for you then!"

"Sure. Get me someone with good technique. My legs are a little sore."

"Alright." Qiaoya tapped on the small screen by the door to arrange for a technician, then asked, "So, what would you like to drink?"

"Honey water, please!" Recalling how he’d nearly scalded his mouth on the black tea last time, Gu Nan decisively switched his order.

After placing the order, Qiaoya didn’t leave. Instead, she sat down in the adjacent foot massage chair and asked with a smile, "Don’t you run a seafood shop? I know a few owners and purchasing managers at hotels and seafood restaurants. Interested in connecting with them?"

"I’m not in a hurry. Right now, I’m mainly dealing with individual customers, though I am working with a few restaurants. I just don’t have much capital, so I can’t expand for the time being. It won’t be too late to connect with them once I’ve grown the business." Gu Nan hadn’t expected her to bring this up, but his shop’s current situation forced him to politely decline for now.

To be honest, he’d originally thought about finding new supply channels to import some high-end seafood.

But as he progressed further in the game, that idea had become less and less appealing.

The profit from a single Emperor Crab probably wasn’t even as high as that from a single Ball-nosed Fish.

Emperor Crabs imported from Russia were cheap at the source, just a few dozen yuan per half-kilo or even less, but getting them into the country came with high transportation costs.

And they didn’t come directly to Gu Nan. They first went to large distribution centers in the north.

Seafood distributors would buy their stock there and then bring it to Bazhou City to sell to vendors like him.

There were at least two or three middlemen involved. By the time Gu Nan could sell the crabs, the profit margin had shrunk so much that it was actually less than what he made on his two or three-star fish.

Of course, he didn’t rule it out completely. ’Who knew how efficient his fishing would become, or what kind of seafood he’d find in the maps he unlocked in the future?’

’No one could predict the future. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.’

’Once his catch far exceeded what his individual customers could buy, he’d have to find a way to sell his seafood in bulk anyway.’

Qiaoya had brought this up with mutual benefit in mind. If Gu Nan got to know those people, he might actually land a few new accounts.

But he’d have to build up those relationships first, right? Maybe after a business dinner, they could come here to unwind.

Besides, Feiyun Pavilion also had karaoke rooms where you could book massages by the hour and have hostesses join you for drinks. In fact, the karaoke rooms were where the real money was spent.

However, Gu Nan wasn’t interested in that for the time being, so Qiaoya dropped the subject. They chatted for a few more moments before a server arrived with snacks, and then Qiaoya left the room.

You didn’t need to shower for a foot massage; just changing into the provided clothes was enough.

Gu Nan had just finished changing when he heard the CLICK-CLACK-CLICK of high heels in the hallway.

The footsteps stopped outside his door, followed by a knock. "Hello, it’s your technician. May I come in?"

The voice was cool and mature. ’Sounds like an older woman this time.’

"Come in!" Gu Nan replied, leaning back in the foot massage chair.

The door opened, and in walked a mature woman, just as he’d expected.

’No, scratch that. This wasn’t just some older-sister type. This was a *super-sized* older-sister type!’

The woman was quite attractive and looked to be around his age—probably over twenty-five, but not yet thirty.

But one glance was all it took to see how stacked she was. Even Gu Nan, who was only interested in making money, couldn’t help but stare.

The masseuse wore a tight-fitting work uniform that resembled a qipao, perfectly showcasing her voluptuous, curvy figure.

Her chest and butt seemed wider than her shoulders. It was a little ridiculous.

But she was very tall—with her high heels, she looked to be about five-foot-nine—and her legs were both shapely and long.

’Any man who married her would probably have his lifespan shortened by at least twenty years.’

The masseuse set her toolbox aside and swiped a card on the screen to start the clock for the session. Only then did she squat down, with some visible effort, and say, "Hello, valued guest. I’m technician number 66. It’s my pleasure to serve you."

’What was the deal with this Feiyun Pavilion? He was just here for a normal massage. Why did they keep testing his resolve to focus on making money?’

Gu Nan nodded, then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes to rest.

"Hello, valued guest. Could you please scoot up a little? I’m going to fill the basin for you."

Gu Nan did as she asked and shifted up in his seat. The masseuse pulled away the footrest, revealing the foot-soaking basin underneath.

She fitted it with a disposable liner and began to fill it with water.

The procedure for a foot massage was pretty standard. Once the water was ready, the soak began. Then, the masseuse reclined the chair, took off her high heels, and climbed onto it, positioning herself behind him to start with a shoulder massage.

Gu Nan was enjoying the massage with his eyes closed when, suddenly, two heavy, aggressive mounds pressed down on the back of his head.

"..."

’It was like this during the head spa last time, and it’s happening again with this foot massage. Why do all the technicians here like to throw their weight around?’

’And this time was even worse! Lady, don’t you have any idea how big you are? The pressure is immense!’

A full ten minutes passed before she finished massaging his back and neck.

Gu Nan was speechless. ’I came here to relax, so why is my neck even more sore *after* the massage?’

Fortunately, the masseuse then got off the chair and raised it back to an upright position, allowing him to lean back as she began to massage his head.

"Is this your first time here?"

If they didn’t chat during a massage, the time could drag on for a technician. A little conversation, on the other hand, made the time fly by. That’s why the masseuse decided to strike up a conversation.

"No, I’ve been here before."

Once the ice was broken, they started chatting casually.

However, this woman’s conversation was much more normal than the girl from last time. She looked alluring, but she didn’t flirt when she spoke.

So after a little small talk, the room fell quiet again.

It wasn’t until she had finished his head and started on his feet that the masseuse spoke up again. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"Me? I run my own seafood shop," Gu Nan said slowly, an expression of pure bliss on his face as he kept his eyes closed.

’Nice. Today’s technician has even better technique. Her massage feels incredible.’

"A seafood shop? You mean, like, one that sells fish and things?" The masseuse was clearly a little surprised by his profession.

"That’s right. If you ever want to buy seafood, you should come check out my place. I mostly carry imported live fish, but my prices are very reasonable."

Gu Nan was just making a casual sales pitch, but to his surprise, the masseuse seemed genuinely interested.

"Oh, really? Let’s add each other on WeChat then. My son loves fish. I’ll stop by your shop later to take a look."

If she had just been talking about herself, Gu Nan might have thought she was just being polite. But the mention of her son made him think she might actually visit his shop.

So, he took out his phone, added her on WeChat, and sent her the address.

"Aren’t you on the clock? You can leave?"

"My situation is a little special. I have my son with me, so the management is flexible. I have to go pick him up in a bit, and your shop is on the way, so I can stop by then."

Normally, a technician wouldn’t be allowed to leave during their shift.

But Pan Yourong’s situation was different. She was an ace technician that Feiyun Pavilion had poached from another establishment.

Even though she didn’t do spa treatments and only performed the parlor’s most expensive foot massages and Tui Na, her monthly numbers weren’t much lower than most of the spa technicians. She had a lot of regulars, which afforded her certain privileges.

The parlor had not only given her a private dorm room upstairs so she could live with her son, but they also allowed her to leave in the afternoons to pick him up from school.

Normally, she didn’t take any clients between three and six in the afternoon.

It was pure luck that Gu Nan got her today. She had so many clients who requested her specifically that her tag was always at the front of the queue. Because it was still early, it ended up being her turn.