Chapter 24: The Angler

Knock, knock, knock~

The sound of knocking on the door rang out, and Qi Hui said without looking up, "Please come in."

The door pushed open, revealing Jiang Dao and a sturdy middle-aged man wearing a police uniform.

"Yo, Captain Li," Qi Hui called out in surprise, "You came so fast?"

The person who arrived was Captain Li from the criminal police squad, the same one who had negotiated with the three of them last time.

"Uh... what is this?" Captain Li couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the gauze on Qi Hui's forehead.

Jiang Wei gave an awkward smile: "Haha... there was a little accident while filming."

He hadn't been injured while acting bravely to subdue a fugitive, but instead had gotten hurt while safely on his film set.

And to have it seen by the police, this made him very embarrassed.

"Bumps and bruises are normal," Qi Hui said dismissively.

Captain Li nodded, stopped dwelling on the matter, and immediately presented a bulging envelope and a silk banner.

On the red silk banner were several large yellow characters: [Acting bravely for a just cause, fighting valiantly against evildoers].

In the corner was a row of small text: [Presented by XX Branch to Mr. Qi Hui, Ling Xiaosu, and Zhang Ruoyun].

There were three copies of the silk banner, and Ling Xiaosu and Zhang Ruoyun had theirs as well.

Qi Hui held the silk banner, took a photo with Captain Li, and casually posted it on Weibo.

This was a face-saving matter, how could he not share it?

As for the envelope, it contained ten thousand Renminbi.

It didn't sound like much, but nowadays, the domineering CEOs in idol dramas act cool with hundreds of thousands, so ten thousand was already quite a bit.

"Director, this is for you," Qi Hui said, handing over the money.

This is bribery... Captain Li's gaze was deep; I'm still here, and I haven't even taken off my police uniform yet!

Jiang Wei was startled and instinctively jumped back two steps: "What are you giving it to me for?!"

"Don't be nervous," Qi Hui laughed, "Isn't tomorrow Sunday? Since it's a day off, I'm treating everyone in the crew to a meal, and I'd appreciate your help in organizing it."

"This money isn't just my own merit; our crew has a share in it too, so let's all share the joy together."

He wasn't short on money right now, and keeping this ten thousand wasn't as good as spending it.

Hearing this, Jiang Wei breathed a sigh of relief, and Captain Li also slowly withdrew his gaze.

"You kid, don't leave people hanging like that next time," Jiang Wei said irritably, then looked at the envelope, thought for a moment, and accepted it.

He understood what Qi Hui meant; quite a few people in the crew were jealous of him, both openly and secretly.

Many people felt that it was just catching a wanted criminal, and that they could do it too if they were in his shoes.

Sharing this bonus wouldn't necessarily eliminate everyone's jealousy, but it could change many people's perspectives.

"Hehe..." Qi Hui smiled; eating alone wasn't a good practice, something he had already learned back at the construction site.

Although he was working on a film set now, some things remained the same.

In the evening, filming ended, and the extras lined up to collect their boxed meals, only to find that today's meals smelled much better than before.

Opening them, they couldn't help but widen their eyes: two meat dishes and one vegetable, scallion-fried lamb, cold-tossed beef, and the only vegetable dish was tomato scrambled eggs.

"What's going on here?"

"It's one thing to have watermelon at noon, but to eat this well at night?"

"They're giving out benefits today."

From a high vantage point, the life director shouted through a megaphone: "Today, Teacher Qi Hui's reward for his brave act has arrived, and he has specially added to our crew's meal. Everyone eat and drink well, and when you leave later, remember to pick up a cup of pearl milk tea."

"Holy crap?"

"Thank you, Teacher Qi, may good people have peace for a lifetime."

"May the good person have children soon, one hundred and eight in one litter!"

"The good person has boundless merit, may he be reincarnated in America in his next life!"

Pearl milk tea had been brought over from Taiwan, and it was incredibly trendy and fashionable!

Listening to the cheers, Qi Hui's eye couldn't help but twitch; were they praising him or cursing him?

"Alright, comrades," Director Jiang Wei clapped his hands, looking at the cast and the many behind-the-scenes staff, and said:

"I've booked a spot at a farmhouse resort, let's head over."

"Don't mind that I chose a farmhouse resort; there are over thirty of us, and a regular restaurant wouldn't fit us, plus it's a long drive."

Yao Chen muttered a couple of times but didn't say anything more.

Feng Enhe laughed happily: "A farmhouse resort is quite good; I wouldn't like a big hotel anyway."

As he spoke, he shouldered a large black bag that looked like the coffin bag from *Escape from Tarkov*.

It looked very unusual, and in reality, it was indeed very unusual.

Abroad, this type of bag is basically used to carry rifles, submachine guns, and their corresponding accessories.

But domestically, only an angler would use this kind of bag.

"Old Feng is right, I don't like those big hotels either," Wu Gang said with a chuckle.

Zu Feng smiled and nodded: "Same here."

"Alright, then let's go," Jiang Wei laughed, and with a shout, the large group of people drove off in a flurry.

Soon, they arrived at a riverside manor.

Inside, there were many facilities: billiards, a movie screening area, a large TV, and a row of computers and arcade machines.

It didn't look like a farmhouse resort; it looked more like a party house.

"Tomorrow is a day off, so play whatever you want today. Dinner will be served later, and there's plenty of drinks," the director shouted.

"Woohoo!"

"Thank you, Director!"

"The director is generous!"

Jiang Wei called out: "Don't thank me, thank Qi Hui!"

"I'm dirt poor, I have to split every cent in two to use it; where would I get the money to treat everyone?"

"Thank you, Teacher Qi!"

"Teacher Qi is truly a hero, sharing joy with the people!"

"Teacher Qi, I love you!"

A crowd of people followed suit, cheering happily.

Qi Hui shouted: "Everyone eat, drink, and play well, but be careful. If you've been drinking, don't go near the water."

As he spoke, he headed toward the water himself.

By the river, Teacher Feng Enhe opened his bag, took out his fishing rod, line, and hook, and prepared to start fishing.

Wu Gang and Zu Feng were also nearby, looking eager to try.

"Boss, are there many fish in this lake?" Zu Feng asked.

"There used to be many, but I'm not sure now," the boss sighed slightly and answered truthfully: "A lot of people come here to fish."

For some reason, there had been more and more anglers lately.

"Little Qi is here?" Feng Enhe called out: "Come and fish with us, young people shouldn't spend too much time on computers and games."

As he spoke, he handed a fishing rod to Qi Hui.

Qi Hui: "..."

You didn't say that when you were stealing vegetables before.

Taking the fishing rod, Qi Hui skillfully tied the hook and attached the line, and even prepared the bait with ease.

"Eh?" Feng Enhe said in surprise: "Little Qi, have you fished before?"

He was too skilled, like a veteran air force pilot... cough, a veteran angler.

"I've fished once or twice..." Qi Hui coughed lightly; of course he hadn't, he was a total novice.

But didn't the system draw a fishing skill for him?

Zu Feng said with emotion: "Fishing is good; it cultivates the character and brings one closer to nature."

After many years of marriage, he found that apart from fishing, there wasn't much else he liked.

Wu Gang also said with emotion: "Teacher Zu is right."

Reaching middle age, with household chores and work troubles.

Supporting parents, raising children, the pressure was all on one person.

Only when fishing could a man find himself again.

Splash! Splash!

Bursts of water exploded, immediately interrupting the two men's reflections.

"What are you standing there for?" Feng Enhe shouted: "Chum the water! If you don't chum, you won't catch anything."

As he spoke, several large balls of bait were thrown in.

"Teacher Feng, there's no need to use that much," Zu Feng hurriedly stopped him.

Feng Enhe sneered: "If you don't use a lot, you'll find out in a moment that you won't catch anything."

"Cultivate character? Close to nature? It'll be good enough if you don't get high blood pressure!"

Zu Feng: "..."

Wu Gang: "..."

"Mr. Feng is right!" Qi Hui repeatedly cast the bait: "Only heavy bait can hook big fish!"

"Mm, the lad Qi has a real talent for fishing." Feng Enhe felt deeply gratified; the Dao is not without followers!