Chapter 440: Sea Fishing
Chapter 440: Sea Fishing
Nie Zhan stayed at Lu Jiaxin's place that night, and after being apart for over half a month, the couple stayed up until the wee hours of the morning before finally falling asleep. When Lu Jiaxin woke up the next day, her back was sore.
Seeing Nie Zhan lying next to her, she grumbled, "Why are you still here? Aren't you going to work today?"
Nie Zhan, upon seeing that she was awake, leaned over and gave her a kiss before replying with a smile, "You can't work all the time. I'm taking a day off today to spend with you properly."
Lu Jiaxin hummed in response, "I don't want you to accompany me. Hurry up and go to work."
Nie Zhan couldn't get enough of her lazy appearance and leaned in for another kiss, only to be pushed away by Lu Jiaxin, "You stink! Go brush your teeth."
After they had both freshened up, Nie Zhan pulled Lu Jiaxin into his arms and whispered into her ear, "Jiaxin, how about I move in with you?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Jiaxin refused, "No, I'm not used to living together."
She only wanted a sweet romance and had no intentions of cohabiting. Once they lived together, their flaws would be exposed to each other. More importantly, she feared that over time, they would develop an old married couple vibe, and she was too young to settle into that kind of lifestyle. Things were perfect as they were—on weekdays, Nie Zhan was busy with work while she focused on her studies, and they made time for dates whenever they could.
Nie Zhan's question had been more of a test, and seeing her refusal, he wasn't disappointed. During breakfast, he asked, "Jiaxin, it's cloudy today. Let's go fishing at sea!"
Lu Jiaxin thought fishing sounded fun and agreed, "If the sun isn't too strong, we can even go for a swim in the ocean."
She had swum in the sea in the Maldives and had even had fish swim by her side. Although the inland environment had improved, the facilities were not yet fully developed.
Seeing her agreement, Nie Zhan immediately called to arrange for a yacht. Just as the two were about to set off, Nie Zhan received a call from Hu Zhifeng, inviting him to play golf.
Nie Zhan laughed and said, "My Jiaxin wants to go fishing at sea, so I'm going to accompany her today."
Lu Jiaxin rolled her eyes at him for using her as an excuse to turn down golf.
Hu Zhifeng was surprised, "Jiaxin's back? Your wife was just saying the other day that she missed Jiaxin and hadn't seen her in a long time!"
Nie Zhan looked at Lu Jiaxin, and seeing her nod, he said into the phone, "Then ask your wife when she's free, and Jiaxin can invite her for afternoon tea."
Hu Zhifeng's mother and grandmother were still alive, and both women were traditional, so their family's lifestyle was quite old-fashioned. Not only Lu Jiaxin, but Yu Metong and Shi Xinyu also disliked going to their house. Zong Shimeng understood this, so whenever they got together, it was always somewhere else.
"Okay, I'll let her know."
Lu Jiaxin went upstairs to grab her swimsuit and a change of clothes before they set off. When they arrived at the pier and saw the yacht, she was surprised—it was bigger than she had expected.
"This yacht looks like it's about thirty meters long, doesn't it?"
Nie Zhan smiled and said, "No, it's only twenty-six meters. It was considered quite big when I bought it. The one I customized is thirty-six meters, but it won't be delivered until next year."
"Wow, you customized a yacht? When did you do that?"
"At the beginning of the year. With the yacht, we can go out to sea anytime we want to have some fun. We can go fishing or swimming," Nie Zhan explained. The yacht actually belonged to his older brother, and although it was no trouble for him to borrow it, it wasn't very convenient. If his brother needed it and he wanted to go out to sea, he'd be out of luck.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Since you're buying one, I won't need to buy an extra one myself."
She had originally planned to buy a yacht after graduating from university so that she could invite friends out to sea on nice days for fishing or swimming. But now that Nie Zhan was buying one, there was no need for her to get her own.
"There's no need to buy one. What's mine is yours."
Lu Jiaxin loved hearing that and said, "Let's go, then.
Aboard the yacht, the furnishings were luxurious, complete with appliances like a refrigerator and air conditioning, as well as soft beds and sofas. Nie Zhan pointed to the bed and said, "I had the sofa covers and bedding changed to new ones. When you get tired, you can take a nap on the bed."
Knowing that Lu Jiaxin had a touch of OCD, he had specifically called ahead to have the sofa covers and bedding replaced, wanting to ensure a pleasant experience for her.
Lu Jiaxin yawned and said, "I'm going to take a nap now. Wake me up when we get there."
Having not slept well the previous night, she intended to make up for it now, planning to be fully energized by the time they reached their destination to enjoy the activities. As it turned out, her decision was a wise one, as it took over two hours to reach the sea fishing spot.
Lu Jiaxin was roused from her slumber and stepped out onto the deck, stretching lazily as she gazed upon the deep blue sea. Despite the cloudy skies, the view was still quite breathtaking.
"Mina, bring me my camera."
Nie Zhan was used to Lu Jiaxin's habit of taking photos first whenever they arrived at a new place, only proceeding to enjoy the activities after she had her fill of capturing memories. Once she was done, he took her hand and led her to join the fishing activity.
The fishing equipment on board was top-notch. With baited hooks, they cast their lines into the sea. Nie Zhan shared, "Once, my eldest brother caught a 120-jin grouper. Instead of eating it, he brought it home specifically to show it off to us."
While Nie Jingwen had savored all kinds of delicacies, catching such a massive fish himself made it extra special. It was his prized catch, and he had to flaunt it to his family and friends.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Let's see if our luck can surpass that of your brother."
As it turned out, a 120-jin grouper wasn't an easy catch. Lu Jiaxin reeled in threadfin breams, groupers, and eels, but the heaviest among them barely tipped the scales at over 20 jin.
Nie Zhan's fishing skills were superior to Lu Jiaxin's, but his luck that day wasn't the best, and he only managed to catch a few eels. On the other hand, Gu Wenfeng seemed to have luck on his side, hauling in a 30-jin tuna.
Mina smiled and said, "Looks like we're in for a treat today."
After fishing for an hour and a half, they had filled a basket with their catch. Nie Zhan instructed the crew to select the ones to be cooked for lunch and send the rest to the storage room to be kept fresh on ice. With the hot weather, the fish would spoil quickly without proper refrigeration.
The chef prepared a sumptuous lunch, and everyone ate to their heart's content.
After the meal, Lu Jiaxin and Nie Zhan lay on the deck, basking in the sea breeze and relishing the pleasant feeling.
Lu Jiaxin said, "In a couple of days, I'll invite your sister-in-law, Yu Metong, and Xinyu to come fishing with us."
Upon hearing this, Nie Zhan replied, "Your sister-in-law needs to look after the children. With a whole day's trip, I don't think she'll be able to make it."
Frowning, Lu Jiaxin said, "The children have nannies and babysitters, and there are people at home too. Why can't she come out to play for a day?"
Nie Zhan didn't want to get into the specifics of Hu Jia's situation and simply said, "It's normal for a child to be inseparable from their mother."
Lu Jiaxin scoffed at the notion. "What nonsense! Zong Shimeng's youngest child is about to enter kindergarten, and it's clear that the elders in their family are just more strict. It's truly scary to get married and have children. You can't even come out to play. I think I'll just avoid marriage and children altogether."
Nie Zhan quickly reassured her, "Zhi Feng is the eldest son and lives in the ancestral home, so it's understandable that there would be more restrictions with so many elders around. I won't be living with my grandfather in the future. It'll just be the two of us, and you can do whatever you want without anyone stopping you."
As the heir to the family business, Hu Zhi Feng had heavier responsibilities, and naturally, the expectations and restrictions on his wife were stricter as well.
Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Lu Jiaxin suggested, "Let's go swimming!"
Nie Zhan readily agreed.
"Splash! Splash!"
The two jumped into the water, chasing and laughing with each other. Their silvery laughter reached the ears of those on the boat, bringing smiles to their faces as well.
(End of Chapter)
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