Chapter 387: The simple little fisher girl is stirred

Zheng Sanshui mobilized all his brothers under him, frantically searching for Lin Dongfan's whereabouts.

He obviously didn't expect Lin Dongfan to return to the old pier to drink and chat with Fu Bo; the most dangerous place is also the safest, and Lin Dongfan felt no tension at all throughout.

After dinner, Lin Dongfan, slightly tipsy, stood on the bow deck and looked at the stars.

It was also a pretty good life experience.

In big cities, industrial development proceeds too fast; pollutants like industrial emissions and car exhaust linger in the air, making it hard to see brilliant stars.

The starry sky over the sea is different, giving a dreamlike feeling.

"You... aren't cold? Want to go inside the cabin to rest..."

Xiao Yu walked up behind Lin Dongfan, followed his gaze upward, feeling puzzled, not understanding what was so nice about those stars.

Seeing Lin Dongfan not reply.

Xiao Yu plucked up courage and stepped forward two more steps, holding the rail, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lin Dongfan: "The wind is so strong, aren't you cold?"

The sea wind really is a bit strong, blowing her long hair flying.

The hull also swayed slightly.

"It's fine."

Whether cold or not, one must learn to enjoy it.

Although Fu Bo's ocean-going fishing boat has three cabins, Fu Bo occupies one, Xiao Yu another, and the remaining one is piled with miscellaneous items, making it uninhabitable.

If Lin Dongfan went to rest in the cabin tonight, the hospitable Fu Bo would surely offer his own bedroom and bunk in the cluttered room himself.

Lin Dongfan didn't want to do that kind of taking over someone else's nest.

Lin Dongfan lit a cigarette: "Just now I saw a lounge chair in the cabin; I'll move it out later and lie on the deck tonight to watch the stars."

"Then I'll tidy this up first."

After saying that, Xiao Yu got busy, first folding away the dining table to free deck space, then tidying up the surrounding clutter so everything looked less messy.

Then she helped Lin Dongfan move the lounge chair out and place it on the deck.

Worried Lin Dongfan might catch a chill.

Xiao Yu also specially took out the blanket she had made, placed it on the lounge chair for Lin Dongfan to use, fearing any oversight in hospitality.

Lin Dongfan saw these small details in his eyes and felt warmth in his heart.

"Boss Fan, you lie here and watch the stars."

"Thank you."

Lin Dongfan lay down on the chair, feeling quite comfortable.

He gazed at the sky and then casually reminded Xiao Yu: "Calling me Boss Fan is too formal; from now on call me Fan Ge."

"Mm."

This was Xiao Yu's first time having a man stay overnight on the boat; originally awkward, now her heart felt an inexplicable flutter, her little heart pounding.

She leaned her back against the bow's railing.

She stared at Lin Dongfan on the lounge chair, feigning calm: "Fan Ge, what business are you in? First time coming to Haishan?"

"I'm an investor, here to inspect Haishan, first time."

Regarding his new tycoon identity, Lin Dongfan had long planned it; he would appear as a big-shark investor, arm-wrestle with the local "Dragon King" to see how hard his official background really is.

Once Lao Ba, Yu Youwei and the others arrive in Haishan, we can launch the whole plan.

Xiao Yu, like a little fan, admiringly praised Lin Dongfan: "Fan Ge, you're awesome, being able to do such big business at such a young age."

"Not as young as you."

In the midst of chatting and laughing, the phrase "middle-aged" flashed in Lin Dongfan's mind; a standard post-80s, already thirty-two, compared to Xiao Yu who just turned eighteen, he's definitely an uncle type.

Xiao Yu curiously asked again: "Fan Ge, where are you from?"

"Ancestral home is Jianglan."

Faced with Xiao Yu's household-register-style chatting, Lin Dongfan was also speechless; it's easy to see she's inexperienced but loves to talk, probably rarely interacting with outsiders normally.

Lin Dongfan asked: "Have you ever attended school?"

"I studied two years of high school."

Mentioning her high school dropout education, Xiao Yu felt quite proud.

In the Haishan area, the preference for sons over daughters is widespread; many girls don't even finish junior high before dropping out early to go home and work to make a living.

Among her peers, she counts as highly educated.

If her father hadn't encountered a maritime disaster, causing family hardship, she wouldn't have dropped out midway and might even have had a chance to go to college.

Precisely because she attended high school, she is more cultured than other girls her age in the fishing village.

Her appearance is also delicate and pretty.

The bully Zheng Sanshui never lets her go, always wanting to drag her to the "Dragon Palace Banquet" to work as a server, satisfying the special vulgar tastes of the rich.

Thinking of that bully Zheng Sanshui, Xiao Yu anxiously warned Lin Dongfan: "Fan Ge, since you injured Zheng Sanshui's men this time, he definitely won't let you off. You'd better leave before dawn; at that hour many are still asleep, relatively safer."

"I'm not leaving." Lin Dongfan said with a smile.

Xiao Yu's face showed slight surprise: "Aren't you afraid of them?"

"If I just run away, they won't find me and will come cause trouble for you and your grandfather, putting the blame on your heads."

Lin Dongfan casually joked, and Xiao Yu, upon hearing it, felt her heart flutter, staring at him foolishly with a silly smile like a naive girl.

Mainly because no one had ever cared for her before.

In the eyes of the wealthy, people like us poor folk are no different from salted fish in a fish warehouse—we never get a chance to turn our lives over, whether we live or die doesn't matter.

Xiao Yu excitedly said: "Fan Ge, you're a good person."

Wow, I actually earned a "good person" card.

Lin Dongfan smiled, gazing at the stars, thinking this fishergirl really doesn't know how to chat, unaware that the two words "good person" have long been ruined by outsiders.

Lin Dongfan asked with interest: "Do you have any wish? Tell me, let's see if I can help you fulfill it."

"This... never mind," Xiao Yu said with a satisfied smile: "Today you already saved me once; just being able to meet you makes me very happy..."

"I saved you once, you treated me to a meal, we're even." Lin Dongfan laughed: "Now you've taken me in for the night on your boat, I ought to repay you with a small wish. Speak up, don't be polite. As long as you're not asking me to stay as your son-in-law, I should be able to grant any ordinary wish."

"This..."

Xiao Yu, being young and inexperienced, blushed at the slightest embarrassment.

To offer oneself in marriage?

She lowered her head shyly, her hands, nervous and with nowhere to go, clenched a corner of her clothing and twisted it back and forth, her heart pounding wildly.

She couldn't bring herself to think about any wish.

Her mind went completely blank.

Seeing her embarrassed state, Lin Dongfan couldn't help but laugh and ask: "Your family's little fishing boat is practically scrap iron; going out to sea isn't safe. How about I help you replace it with a large ocean-going fishing boat? A new one."

"Ah???"

Xiao Yu stared up in disbelief, unable to believe her eyes as she looked at Lin Dongfan.

After a dazed moment, she finally reacted, almost like a reflex, and quickly waved her hands to refuse: "No, no, that's too expensive; I can't afford it."

It's no wonder she was so shocked; the wish Lin Dongfan offered her was indeed rather extravagant.

Large ocean-going fishing boats vary in tonnage and price. Even a smaller one costs five to six million, while a larger one costs over ten million.

Even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford a large ocean-going fishing boat.

Suddenly hearing Lin Dongfan declare generously: "That's settled then—to thank you and Fu Bo for letting me stay on your boat overnight, I'll give you a large ocean-going fishing boat."

Xiao Yu panicked and replied: "Brother Fan, that really won't do; my wish is simple—I just want me and my grandfather to live safely."

"No problem." Lin Dongfan said: "I'll give you a large ocean-going fishing boat, and you'll be able to go out to sea and fish safely, no matter how big the waves."

Those words unintentionally hit Xiao Yu's excited point again.

The rickety little boat they currently have is indeed unsafe for ocean voyages; once encountering fierce winds and huge waves, life and death depend entirely on whether Mazu protects them—her father died in a maritime disaster.

If they could have a brand-new large ocean-going fishing boat, the rest of their lives would indeed be secure.

But such a precious gift.

Can they really accept it?

Xiao Yu turned her head, quietly wiped her excited tears, then turned back with a hint of an embarrassed smile: "Brother Fan, my wish truly isn't that extravagant. You'd better take it back—I really can't accept this."

"Cut the nonsense, my shoulders are a bit sore; help me rub them."

"When life is going well, one must enjoy to the fullest; don't let the golden goblet face the moon in vain." Lin Dongfan looked up, not at the starry sky, but at a splendid and grand blueprint of life.

In such a blueprint, how could there be dim, lightless stars?

Even for the insignificant Xiao Yu, making her shine is just a flick of the wrist. Isn't the ultimate pleasure of a tycoon nothing more than throwing money around like dirt?

Ten million, a huge sum in Xiao Yu's eyes, is merely a drop in the bucket in the world of tycoons.