Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

When they arrived at the spot where the group usually fished, it was more lively than usual, bustling with people and brightly lit.

Many tourists are making paper lanterns and paper boats by the stream, putting candles in the boats and letting them float downstream, creating a silver river of stars in the dark night.

Shen Mingchao couldn't miss such an event, so after greeting the others, he excitedly ran over.

I randomly struck up conversations with a few pretty girls dressed in Hanfu, and exchanged paper boats with them for some tangerines from older women and some candy I made myself. Then, imitating what I did in some period dramas, I put the boats into the river, closed my eyes, and made a wish.

The flickering orange-yellow firelight painted the girl's face like a flowing sunset, giving her a strangely sacred feeling.

Wu Xie stood at a distance for a moment in a daze, but when he came to his senses, he had already taken out his phone and captured the moment.

He chuckled softly, thinking that if things continued this way, he might become someone's personal photographer. He never imagined that the debts he incurred while swindling people under a false identity in Gutongjing would be repaid in this way.

The fat man leaned over to look at the photo, exclaiming, "This girl's face is just as stunning as this guy's! No matter how long you look at it, it's breathtaking. Tianzhen, how come they both look so good together? They both have eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but how come they look so good together?"

Wu Xie shrugged and said, "Maybe they are more favored by Nuwa." Having spent a lot of time with Shen Mingchao, he had also learned some of Shen Mingchao's thought process.

After Shen Mingchao finished launching the boat, he came back carrying a paper lantern and said to Fatty, "Brother Fatty, I guess I got this thanks to you."

"What does this mean?" Wu Xie asked.

"I traded some snacks with them for paper boats. When they saw we were together, they told me that Fatty recommended they come here to release paper boats, and as a thank you, they gave me a lantern for free."

Was it the fat guy who took the initiative?

Wu Xie immediately understood the fat man's intention. The fat man had always been at odds with the village chief's son, and probably couldn't stand seeing the other man catch a big fish, so he deliberately led the girls to release lanterns to scare away the fish.

While Wu Xie was deep in thought, Shen Mingchao distributed the remaining tangerines to the others.

The chubby guy asked curiously, "Hey girl, where did you buy these oranges? They're pretty sweet."

"No, the lady next door gave it to me. She keeps talking to me about the village chief's son, and I guess she wants to introduce me to someone, so I—"

Before Shen Mingchao could finish speaking, the fat man suddenly raised his voice and yelled, "That bastard?! I was wondering why that kid had been so attentive lately; he was up to something! What kind of lousy oranges are these? They're so sour they make my teeth ache!"

After yelling at her, he asked in a low voice, "Girl, you didn't agree, did you?"

"No, no, I definitely refused." Shen Mingchao pulled out a vocabulary book from her pocket, her eyes resolute. "I'm a woman aiming for a top university like a 985, how could I possibly have time for romance? Fatty, don't underestimate my willpower!"

In that instant, it seemed as if a light called the righteous path descended from the sky, accompanied by several "crack" sounds of hearts breaking. Wu Xie found that what was in front of him was an exceptionally red, a red that filled half the sky.

These days, Shen Mingchao has indeed been working very hard, and they have all seen it. If it were a normal parent, they would be very gratified and feel that their ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke. However, Wu Xie and the others do not want to simply act as parents.

They live in the same room and should have a natural connection, but weeks have passed and there's been absolutely no sign of anything happening. It's not that they're not close, it's just that they're going in the wrong direction.

Wu Xie discovered that Shen Mingchao truly treated them like his own brothers and cared a lot about their affairs.

For example, right now.

When the fat man pulled out Xilaimian's business cards and started handing them out, Shen Mingchao very perceptively went to help. He wasn't socially awkward at all when talking to strangers; he could rattle off the names of Xilaimian's dishes without hesitation, and even describe how to cook them. It was hard to tell when he had memorized them; he seemed more familiar with the process than the boss himself.

"At this rate, she won't get a single share of Xilaimian's stock."

After Wu Xie finished muttering to himself, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the young man nodded slightly.

I've never seen anything like this before.

But we're in a hidden competitive relationship, hey! Don't try to use your rival's business to your advantage, buddy!

As Shen Mingchao's conversation became increasingly heated, and even male tourists from who-knows-where added Shen Mingchao on WeChat, Wu Xie couldn't resist suggesting that they head upstream, where there were fewer people and they could fish.

Zhang Qilin was even more direct, stepping forward and using two fingers to grab Shen Mingchao's sleeve, pulling him away from the crowd.

The weather turned slightly cooler in the evening. As soon as a breeze passed, Shen Mingchao suddenly shivered. Fujian is warm, and she usually dresses lightly, but the mountain wind at night couldn't keep up. Just as she was about to rub her hands together to warm them, a warm coat was suddenly put on her.

Shen Mingchao turned his head and met a pair of calm, still eyes. Without any hesitation, he quickly put on his clothes and said, "Thanks, idol."

Zhang Qilin nodded and walked ahead to clear the way.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at a sparsely populated fishing spot.

Seeing that Wu Xie and the other two had already dispersed, each setting down their fishing rods and becoming quiet fishermen, she also sat down cross-legged, took out her phone, and started her online class.

Everyone went about their own business, and for a moment everyone fell silent.

Then a sudden female voice came from behind: "Huh? You can fish like this?"

Shen Mingchao turned around and saw a young girl with a cigarette in her hand. After noticing their gaze, she quickly put out the cigarette.

There were three men and one woman present. Without hesitation, the girl squatted down next to Shen Mingchao and greeted him. Shen Mingchao smiled, introduced himself, and complimented her on her beauty.

The two started chatting and soon added each other as WeChat friends, agreeing to go hiking the next day.

Everything just fell into place naturally.

Wu Xie, who lives closest to the group, is starting to question his own existence. Seriously, how can things develop so quickly after just meeting? It's just a difference in gender, is there really such a huge difference?

It's this big.

Because Shen Mingchao waved at them the next second, wearing Zhang Qiyu's jacket, and was kidnapped by a girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He left only a message: "Brothers, I can't stay up too late. You guys keep fishing, and I wish you a good catch! I'm going to town with Xiaoyuan for a late-night snack. Bye-bye—"

Jiang Yuan, that girl's name.

As the two walked down the mountain together, they faintly heard a girl's voice again: "Chao Chao, how about we go eat at Shaxian Snacks..."

Yep.

Wu Xie now has to admit that there's a saying on the internet that's very true: friendships between girls develop so quickly, despite the vast difference in gender. Only the fish that have taken the bait can slightly soothe his unbalanced heart.

Then, the fish got off the hook.

Wu Xie's face darkened, but then he heard the sound of water next to him. He turned his head and saw that the fat man's fish had come out of the water. Before he could grit his teeth, another sound of water came from that direction, and it was the younger brother's fish that had also come out of the water.

Wu Xie's heart was completely out of balance at this moment.