Is it a bad fish growing old, or an old fish turning bad

The classroom atmosphere was quite harmonious. Apart from a few male classmates, Shen Nian got along well with everyone. Chen Qiuyu was among those he was relatively closer to—over the two years of high school, she had frequently asked him for help with math problems. Having a classmate good at math was truly invaluable.

Chen Qiuyu left the impression of being a bit chuunibyou—not the "my divine eye awakens" kind, but more of a literary variety. "Bookish maiden" might be a more fitting description.

Ah, literature.

Once, she took a long leave of absence. When she returned, Shen Nian casually asked what she’d been up to.

She replied, "They stripped away my soul, leaving behind only a body repeatedly slashed by blades and stitched together with silver needles. A piece of me is missing, never to be whole again. The me who once laughed has been carefully tucked into the deepest corners of my heart, never to return."

Damn, what kind of depressing prose is this?

Shen Nian said, "That serious? So, what actually happened?"

She shook her head silently, her eyes tinged with faint sorrow.

Shen Nian thought she might be hiding some grave illness and pitied her for a long time—how tragic for a bright young girl to end up like this. Later, he asked Xia Yanchun, who finally revealed the truth.

Chen Qiuyu had gone to get her appendix removed.

"Stripped away my soul" = anesthesia; "slashed by blades, stitched with silver needles" = surgery; "a piece of me is missing" = appendix gone.

As for the latter part? She burst into a radiant grin when Shen Nian gave her two sticks of gum after she returned to school.

Such is the way of the literary, melancholic maiden.

Don’t laugh—you wouldn’t pass the second round either.

She was the second most eccentric person in class. As for who held the top spot, Shen Nian would never tell.

Compared to Chen Qiuyu, Xia Yanchun seemed downright normal.

Thinking about the fishing uncle who paid him to buy fish just to show off, Shen Nian felt at ease.

Truly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. When it came to absurdity, both the fishing uncle and Chen Qiuyu were masters in their own right, each with their unique flair. Shen Nian could only tip his hat in admiration.

The uncle sent a string of messages, and Shen Nian replied.

[Shen Nian]: Uncle, wait for me. Is that your daughter in the photo on your feed?

The uncle responded instantly.

[Fishing Uncle]: Last time when I said I’d introduce my daughter to you, I was just joking. You’re serious?

[Fishing Uncle]: Kid, my wife reminded me to thaw the pork, and I forgot. Got stuff to do—gotta bounce.

[Shen Nian]: ?

Shen Nian chuckled in resignation.

He didn’t reply further and decided to fish alone, lest he outshine the uncle and shatter his fishing spirit.

The sun was out today. This time, without Xia Yanchun’s sunscreen, Shen Nian had brought his own sunhat. If it got too hot, he’d just leave.

Surely no angler would camp under the blazing sun without an umbrella, dump a whole bucket of bait, and still catch nothing, right?

Riding his e-bike to the park, Shen Nian didn’t spot the fishing uncle at their usual spot. But he saw him further away.

Still couldn’t give up fishing, huh? Hakki Uncle, you’ve got my respect—I acknowledge your gold medal in the fishing tournament.

The uncle was sitting with a girl, legs crossed, reading a book, looking utterly relaxed.

Shen Nian didn’t disturb them. If the uncle thought he was eyeing his daughter, things could get awkward. They were just normal classmates, after all.

Under the shade of a tree, he set up a small stool and casually hooked some bait.

Two minutes in, Shen Nian wasn’t even holding the rod. Leaning on the railing, he watched as a fish nibbled the hook, flapped its tail twice, then belly-flopped.

Damn, a fish trying to scam him.

He pondered: Are bad fish just old now, or have old fish turned bad?

Shen Nian reeled it in effortlessly and tossed it into the bucket. Everyone saw it—the fish hooked itself.

Fishing mastery was just too overpowered.

Within half an hour, he’d landed three decent-sized fish. Then he started casting with an empty hook, testing the limits of his fishing prowess.

Obviously, an empty hook couldn’t catch anything—even fishing mastery had its bounds. Otherwise, it’d defy all logic.

The kind of thing that, if posted online, would make people suspect someone was underwater hanging fish for him—proof of which would devastate anglers nationwide.

While Shen Nian was hauling in fish left and right, the uncle on the other side was sweating bullets.

A few days ago, he’d had a good streak, landing several big ones. Finally, he had bragging rights in front of his wife and daughter. But today, after three hours, all he’d caught was a stinky sock.

Not even a tiny fish.

At least that kid wasn’t around today—otherwise, his reputation as an "air force" (zero catches) would be cemented.

Mortifying.

"Qiuyu, today’s just not my day. The sun’s scorching—why don’t you head back first?" Chen Guangming said awkwardly. This rare outing with his daughter was turning into a humiliation.

Chen Qiuyu glanced at him and sighed. "It’s fine. Catching a sock is still impressive."

Chen Guangming: "......"

He remembered back when his daughter was in elementary school, her eyes sparkling as she watched him reel in a big catch. Back then, she’d admired him, even bragging to her friends about her dad’s fishing skills.

Now, the man who once boasted of his catches in front of his family had reached the most powerless stage of his life.

Sigh.

Life’s a joke.

In that moment, Chen Guangming envied that high school senior he’d met a week ago more than ever—his vitality, his youth, and most of all, his fishing skills. If he were that good, maybe his wife and daughter would look at him with respect again.

The helplessness of middle-aged men...

Chen Qiuyu didn’t leave. School was stifling, and she’d come out with her dad to relax on the weekend.

Fishing was just a bonus. If they caught something, great. If not, she was happy just enjoying the autumn breeze, strolling around, reading, and soaking in the literary ambiance.

"Autumn winds rise, white clouds drift; leaves turn yellow, geese fly south." Poetry and autumn breezes—a literary girl’s greatest joys.

The wind tousled her hair as she absentmindedly tucked it behind her ear—and spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

Huh?

Looked like Shen Nian. Maybe? She squinted.

Too far to tell. She sneakily snapped a photo and sent it to him.

[Chen Qiuyu]: Shen Nian, this guy looks like you. (Image.jpg)

[Shen Nian]: 666, handsome like me.

[Chen Qiuyu]: ......

Yanxi Reminder: Due to Tomato’s request for 3M+ daily traffic overwhelming the servers, we now recommend switching to other big players' sources.

Recommend Series

The Bullet Chat Claims I’m Devoted, While I Level Up With My Alt Accounts

The Bullet Chat Claims I’m Devoted, While I Level Up With My Alt Accounts

e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"

I Am Unaware That I Am the Peerless Martial God

I Am Unaware That I Am the Peerless Martial God

lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!

My System Seems Different from Theirs

My System Seems Different from Theirs

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"