Chapter 112: Fishes

"Right, right. You’re not interested, but I am. Please, Sister Tina... Let me treat you to a meal, okay?"

Tina brushed them off by saying she didn’t have his number and would have to ask later.

Before, Thirty thousand had been an astronomical number to her. But seeing what Linda and Anna got, it was absolutely a drop in the bucket by comparison.

I won’t accept this... Tina clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, thinking she would never lose to those two sluts.

I don’t believe it. You simped after me for three years. Can you really just let it go...

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"Fuck, these realistic bitches!!!"

Kai was furious. Just a few days ago, those women had been fawning over him, especially the two he’d slept with, who had been so obedient.

Now when he contacted them, some had already blocked him. Others rudely mocked him.

The most outrageous was that one of the ones he’d slept with directly asked if he had Ryan’s contact info, saying if he did, she’d give it to her, and she’d be willing to have one more farewell hookup with Kai.

Kai was so angry. After struggling with himself for a long time, even though he was tempted, he still blocked that slut.

Now he was extremely depressed. Thinking of Tina, whom he hadn’t managed to get, he sent her a message and was directly blocked. That depressed him badly.

At a barbecue place near the school entrance, sitting across from him was Link, equally frustrated and gloomy.

After being dumped by Linda so publicly and losing a fight and getting beaten up, he was now the laughingstock of the whole school. Going out felt like being a thief.

Link said gloomily, "Brother Kai, is that bastard really that rich?"

He’d finally figured it out. Linda wasn’t acting for his benefit. She’d really been blinded by money and went to throw herself at him.

Kai smiled bitterly helplessly. "Of course. Fuck, I was wondering why those sluts suddenly all latched onto him. Damn, so that’s why."

The skewers arrived. Normally beer would go better with them, but the two depressed men tacitly started drinking baijiu instead.

Link raised his glass and said through gritted teeth, "Brother Kai, is there any way to get some revenge?"

Kai smirked and clinked glasses with him. "I’m already thinking about it. Fuck, this guy is weird though."

"He’s obviously so rich, yet he pretended to be poor for three years. He even carried slop buckets in the cafeteria every day and delivered food. Is he sick or just torturing himself for fun?"

Winning the lottery wouldn’t make someone spend money like this either. Link agreed, "Exactly. Fuck, if I had that much money, I’d sleep with a different woman every day."

Ryan had even applied for financial hardship assistance before. Luckily it hadn’t gone through. Otherwise they could have made a big deal out of it, calling him heartless for being rich while pretending to be poor.

The two miserable brothers drank together. Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "I’ve got it. Fuck, doesn’t he like pretending to be poor? Then let’s give him something only a poor loser would do."

At that moment, Ryan hadn’t thought that far. He was with the two women and Angler, heading to the suburbs.

"That bastard’s hobbies are more normal and old-fashioned than anyone. He doesn’t chase women and isn’t married yet. His dad’s so anxious he suspects he’s gay."

"He went out sea fishing this morning. Said he’s about to dock and wants us to try his hand-caught seafood."

"We’re all members of the sea fishing club. But mostly middle-aged and older people go often. He’s the only one his age with that hobby. The bastard really loves it."

Seeing Ryan’s expression was normal, Angler said cautiously, "Brother, don’t be put off. It’s just a little gathering among ourselves. We’ll eat something casual."

Ryan chuckled. "Why would I be put off? There’s free food to mooch. I’m already grinning."

Actually, sea-caught fish were especially popular once brought ashore. Generally, only private kitchens and high-end restaurants with connections could get such good stuff.

Why do you often hear about leopard coral grouper and spotted grouper? Mainly because they’re easy to catch.

Why are abalone, lobster, and eel so familiar to you? Because they’re farmed or can be caught in large quantities, so there’s plenty of supply.

Even if the price looks high, it’s because of cost, not necessarily because it’s great seafood.

Aside from things like fish maw from large yellow croaker, seafood is actually a broad and niche field. The lobster, abalone, and roe crab you’ve eaten are all pretty common.

The truly expensive stuff comes from sea fishing. Those places often have lots of coral, unsuitable for netting, and the fish that grow there are more obscure species.

Diving a bit deeper is too risky. And with mature coral reefs, your oxygen tubes limit you. You can’t reach the truly remote spots.

Plus, when diving, at most you can grab abalone, sea cucumber, and sea urchins. Trying to catch fish would be insane.

So even with professional hand-fishing, the yield of these coral reef fish is limited. Market recognition is low, and they can’t fetch good prices in regular markets.

Plus there’s something called species analogy. The same threadfin has many families, and the same Spanish mackerel has many families too. So the prices of these rare seafood depend on individual taste.

Only some knowledgeable gourmets know these obscure channels. That’s why they’re prized by high-end establishments, and prices naturally fluctuate wildly.

This dock was in the suburbs, not far from the furniture showroom.

Videl’s largest furniture mall had two floors. The third floor was a private club rented by the sea fishing club. You went up through the back fire escape. Without someone guiding you, you’d never notice it.

The sea fishing club also ran a private kitchen here. It was Pan’s own business. When they went out to sea, they’d only serve one or two tables a day, but it was actually quite profitable.

"Brother!"

Hammon was waiting there, yawning. As soon as he saw Ryan arrive, he perked up.