After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH88

Chapter 88

After the ship docked, Zhong Honghai and his people quickly left with their fish without greeting Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan.

Lin Qiyan silently packed his things and said nothing.

Their cooperation this time was basically over.

Before getting off the ship, Lu Ao asked him, “I’m sending the fish to Xiding City. Are you going back by yourself?”

“No problem. You really don’t need my help?”

“No. I’ll let the professionals handle it.”

The fish Lu Ao had caught this time were simply too big. He had hired two helicopters, one of which was a dedicated cargo helicopter.

Just the transport fee for the two helicopters cost fifty thousand.

When he boarded, the pilot even joked, “Mr. Lu, why don’t you just apply for a premium membership with our company? It’ll be more convenient when you need to use aircraft in the future.”

Lu Ao pondered for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea. Where do I apply for your membership?”

The pilot had not expected him to actually respond. “Ahem, we haven’t officially launched that service yet. How about I ask the manager for you?”

“Thank you. Let’s add each other on WeChat first.”

Lu Ao successfully got the pilot’s WeChat and saved it.

The pilot was right. He really did need to consider establishing a long-term partnership with these air transport companies. That way, if anything came up in the future, he could call for a helicopter in time and avoid waiting.

The aircraft was fast. At 11:07 in the morning, Lu Ao arrived at Xiding Airport in Xiding City.

Weng Qian was already waiting for him at the airport.

After the two met up, Weng Qian said, “We’re lucky this time too. My friend’s friend’s auction company just happens to be looking for a large bluefin tuna. Ours is a little on the small side, but it barely qualifies. It can be sent directly to the marketplace.”

“Do we need to smooth over any connections?”

“Not for now. It’s a large marketplace too. Have you heard of Ark Auction House? It’s quite famous in Country R.”

“I’ve heard of it vaguely.”

“That auction house has been around for nearly a hundred years and has a decent reputation. Sending it there to sell shouldn’t carry much risk,” Weng Qian said. “I’ve already had people handle the relevant quarantine procedures. Once they’re done, I’ll leave. I’ll personally make the trip. If there’s a problem, I’ll find another chance to sell it.”

Lu Ao had not expected him to go in person. Hearing this, he said, “Will that be too much trouble?”

“It’s fine. I was planning to go to Country R to order a batch of ingredients anyway. This just lets me handle both things at once.”

“Thank you for the trouble. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

“It’s business. There’s no need to talk about trouble.” Weng Qian said, “Let’s try working together first. Who knows? There might be many more chances to cooperate in the future.”

“That really is possible.”

As they spoke, the aircraft carrying the moonfish and the other bluefin tuna arrived.

Lu Ao called Weng Qian over to take a look.

Weng Qian had brought his purchasing manager with him. After both sides confirmed there was no problem, they contacted the relevant government staff and had them come over to register and inspect the fish.

After all that back and forth, Weng Qian rushed off to Country R, while Lu Ao stayed behind to confirm the remaining matters with his employees.

It was not until past four in the afternoon that everything was finally settled. Lu Ao left Weng Qian’s hotel and planned to return to the village.

Originally, he should have taken the train, then transferred to a bus, and slowly made his way back. But these past few days had truly exhausted him. For once, he felt too lazy to go through all that trouble. He directly called Song Zhou.

There was a faint crackle of static over the phone. Other people might not have heard it, but to Lu Ao’s ears, it was perfectly clear.

Not only did he hear the static, he also heard his own heart thudding in his chest.

His heart was beating so fast, so urgently, as if it were an out-of-control car on the highway, charging straight ahead. It made Lu Ao instantly realize something was wrong.

He should not be this thrilled, even if he had not seen Song Zhou for several days.

Between friends, there should not be such intense emotions.

Unless his feelings for Song Zhou had already surpassed the scope of friendship.

“Du—du—”

The phone rang twice before someone picked up. “Lu Ao, are you back?”

The voice was far too close to his ear, as if Song Zhou were speaking right beside him, his breath brushing against Lu Ao’s earlobe.

He gave a soft “Mm.”

“Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up immediately.”

“In Xiding City.” Lu Ao looked around. “In a small alley without surveillance.”

He had already prepared for Song Zhou to come pick him up. If Song Zhou appeared here instantly, there were no outsiders around. Any abnormalities would not be noticed. It was very safe.

Song Zhou laughed softly on the other end. His low voice seemed almost tangible, brushing against Lu Ao’s earlobe.

“Wait a moment. I’ll come pick you up right away.”

“No rush. Take your time.”

After hanging up, Lu Ao put his hands into his trouser pockets. He looked around. It was past four in the afternoon. The sunlight was still there, and so was the wind.

It was clearly a hot day, yet he did not feel hot. Instead, he felt warm.

From the courtyard beside the alley, the branches of someone’s white magnolia tree had reached over the wall.

The snow-white blossoms released their fragrance. Smelling it, Lu Ao unexpectedly remembered something from his childhood: his father buying white magnolia bracelets for his mother.

Those white magnolia bracelets cost fifty cents a string, yet his frugal father would buy them for an entire summer.

So his mother’s hands and body always carried the scent of white magnolia.

Sometimes, a person’s moment of realization came in an instant.

Lu Ao had never been as clearly aware as he was now.

He had fallen for Song Zhou.

He liked him so much that when he saw the wind, he thought of him. When he saw flowers, he thought of him. Even when he saw an ordinary road, he thought of him.

A moment later, Song Zhou appeared before him. Seeing him, he smiled. “What were you thinking about? You were staring into space so intently.”

“Nothing.” Lu Ao lowered his head and coughed lightly, the tips of his ears entirely red. He did not know how to conceal this emotion, nor did he know whether he should release it directly.

He decided to let it settle first.

Song Zhou gently held his wrist. The warmth of his palm passed through the thin skin there. In that instant, Lu Ao felt extremely uncomfortable.

This discomfort was quickly suppressed by him, as if nothing had happened.

Song Zhou asked, “I still have a little work left unfinished. Is it okay if you come with me to the office first?”

“No problem.” After saying that, Lu Ao added, “Anywhere is fine.”

Song Zhou smiled again. Lu Ao only felt his vision blur.

In the next moment, the two of them arrived at the antique-looking office he had once visited in his dream.

Song Zhou said, “Sit for a while first. I still have two documents left to approve.”

“Okay.”

Lu Ao leaned out to look. In the courtyard stood a lush green tree.

Its crown was thick and verdant, blocking out the sky and sun.

Lu Ao felt as if there was a pair of eyes in the canopy looking at him.

Just as he was about to look more carefully, he suddenly saw a tall, slender man carrying a large plate toward them from the corridor.

Meeting Lu Ao’s gaze, the man smiled and raised his voice. “Handmade ice cream we made ourselves. Try it and see if you like it.”

As he spoke, the man came closer and handed the ice cream to him through the window.

Lu Ao accepted it. “Thank you.”

The ice cream was served in a huge transparent glass bowl, with a long-handled golden spoon placed inside.

The main body of the ice cream seemed to be milk pudding. Cheese and other toppings had been poured over it, and dried fruits and various fresh fruits were scattered across the top. It looked extremely tempting.

Lu Ao did not eat it right away. Song Zhou looked up and said, “Try it. His skills are decent.”

The man smiled. “I thought you’d give me a higher evaluation.”

Song Zhou said nothing.

The man said to Lu Ao, “My name is You Li. Nice to meet you.”

“My name is Lu Ao. The ‘Ao’ with ‘yao’ on top and ‘shan’ underneath.”

“My name is written like this.” You Li took out his phone and typed it for him to see. “It’s a little hard to write, but easy to remember.”

Lu Ao nodded in agreement.

You Li asked, “Is this your second time here?”

“If last time counts, then yes, this is the second time.”

“How does it feel? Want me to take you out for a walk?”

Song Zhou was looking down at his documents. Hearing this, he raised his head. “Are you very free today?”

You Li cried injustice. “How could I be free? I’ve been so busy all day that my feet barely touched the ground.”

“Then why are you still here harassing my person?”

“Calling it harassment is too much. I just wanted to show our warm hospitality. Lu Ao, want to go? Our back courtyard is actually quite big.”

“He’s not going. I already took him around last time.”

As Song Zhou spoke, he swiftly wrote a line of approval on the document, tossed it onto the pile beside him, and said, “I’ve finished everything for today. Take these back and read them. If there are any problems, communicate with me in time. We’re going back first.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Mm.” Song Zhou clearly assumed a posture of seeing him out.

You Li could only leave while holding the approved documents.

Lu Ao had not finished the ice cream in his hands yet. For a moment, he did not know what to do.

Song Zhou said, “We can take it back and eat it.”

Lu Ao shook his head and quickly refused. “No. It’s not good to take your plate back with us.”

After saying that vaguely, he sped up his eating.

The ice cream was delicious. The main body was soft and smooth, the fruit pieces sweet and fresh, the nuts crisp and fragrant, and the cheese poured on top had a rich milky flavor.

Lu Ao finished it in one go and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

Song Zhou laughed at him. “You like it that much? I’ll have him make it for you again next time.”

“It’s all right.”

Song Zhou took the glass bowl and spoon to the kitchen, then came back out to find him.

“Let’s go back first.”

“Okay.”

Song Zhou brought Lu Ao back to the courtyard.

The wall of Lu Ao’s courtyard was quite high. By now there was no sunlight left inside. The summer heat had faded, leaving only a quiet coolness in the courtyard.

The first thing Lu Ao did was walk over to the grape trellis in the corner to see whether there really were small grapes.

Seeing him like this, Song Zhou smiled. “There really are some. They’re underneath.”

“I see them. They’re pretty big.”

“They are. But the skin is also rather thick, and the taste is still a little sour,” Song Zhou said. “They may not be very good to eat, but they should be fine for making wine.”

After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood [Farming]