Chapter Summaries

Ma Mingyuan and Wang Yueshan traced counterfeit Yuwan Seafood to a seafood merchant on Blue Island, who claimed his stock came from someone in Pinghai County. Ye Yuan realized the seller might be an insider on Fishing Bay Island, and his second uncle identified the man in the police sketch as Gawa.

• Ma Mingyuan had Zheng Afu arrested for selling counterfeit Yuwan Seafood, and Zheng Afu said an insider from Yuwan Seafood had supplied him.
• Ma Mingyuan and Wang Yueshan went to Blue Island, where a seafood merchant admitted selling the goods but claimed they had come from Fishing Bay Island.
• Wang Yueshan showed Ye Yuan a police composite sketch, and Ye Yuan said he did not recognize the man and ruled out theft from the guarded abalone and lobster grounds.
• Ye Yuan suspected an insider on Fishing Bay Island and sent the sketch to his second uncle, who called back and identified the man as Gawa.

Ye Yuan investigated how seafood from Yuwan Seafood had reached the market and learned that Ye Dakui had been stealing it with help from his nephew. The police arrested Ye Dakui and began pursuing his nephew, while Director Li explained how the theft started.

• Ye Yuan called Li Hui after suspecting Ye Dakui, and Li Hui agreed to investigate and contact the police.
• Ye Yuan drove to Pinghai with Ma Mingyuan and others, then met Li Hui at the county police station.
• Li Hui told Ye Yuan that Ye Dakui had been stealing fish and that the police were pursuing his nephew.
• Director Li explained that Ye Dakui had grown resentful of the fish farm's success and complained about his wages to his nephew.
• Ye Dakui's nephew persuaded him to steal small amounts of seafood and sell it through his connections.

Ye Yuan learned that Ye Dakui and his nephew had stolen seafood worth nearly a million yuan and asked County Mayor Zhang to ensure the case was handled fairly. After rejecting Second Uncle’s plea to let Dakui off, Ye Yuan heard Li Hui explain how family ties and favoritism had undermined his authority at the fishery.

• Ye Dakui confessed that he and his nephew had secretly sold stolen lobsters and abalone for 600,000 yuan over five months.
• Ye Yuan asked County Mayor Zhang to ensure the theft was punished, and Zhang promised to monitor the case.
• Second Uncle asked Ye Yuan to fire Ye Dakui instead of having him prosecuted, but Ye Yuan refused and confronted him about the scale of the theft.
• Ye Yuan and Li Hui left the police station while Wang Yueshan and Ma Mingyuan stayed to help police investigate the stolen-goods network.
• Li Hui told Ye Yuan that workers resented his hiring rules after Second Uncle repeatedly pressured him to employ villagers’ relatives.
• Li Hui explained that some older workers had begun dragging out tasks and claiming the fishery was understaffed.

Ye Yuan fired eight villagers from his fish farm after learning they had concealed Ye Dakui’s fish theft and challenged Li Hui’s management. He returned to Fishing Bay Island to find the workers avoiding him and heard Second Aunt scolding his second uncle.

• Li Hui told Ye Yuan that seven or eight workers had caused trouble at the fish farm and asked to be transferred off the island.
• Ye Yuan confronted his father, the Old Village Chief, and eight workers, then announced that they were fired and would receive all their wages.
• One worker argued that the villagers deserved higher pay and had helped the fish farm succeed, but Ye Yuan rejected his claims and left the meeting.
• Father Ye shouted after Ye Yuan as planned, since the two had agreed that Father Ye would play the bad cop to soften the conflict with the villagers.
• Ye Yuan returned to Fishing Bay Island and noticed the workers avoiding him.
• Ye Yuan went to his second uncle’s house and heard Second Aunt berating his second uncle for gossiping and angering Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan reassured Second Uncle after firing the fish farm workers who had abused their positions, then turned to business in Pinghai County. There, he and Zhang Wujin pushed back against a proposed new investment round, insisting that if the county sold its shares, they had the contractual right of first refusal.

• Ye Yuan visited Second Uncle and explained why he had fired the troublesome workers, while Second Aunt said she and Second Uncle planned to move to Ye Jianlin's home in Blue Island.
• Ye Yuan told Second Uncle he could return to his house if he did not settle in at Ye Jianlin's, and Second Uncle gave only a brief reply.
• Ye Yuan gathered the fish farm workers to stress confidentiality, then told Li Hui to handle future problems promptly and arrange for Second Uncle's house to be cleaned.
• Ye Yuan called Ye Jianlin while traveling to Pinghai County, and they discussed the island's recent events and the garbage disposal plant.
• At the county government meeting, Zhang Wujin objected to the county bringing in more investment, and Ye Yuan said they should follow the contract and exercise their right of first refusal if the county sold its shares.

Ye Yuan and Zhang Wujin rejected County Mayor Zhang’s attempt to bring Hu Xiaoguang into their tourist-area project and insisted the county honor their contract. Ye Yuan then returned to Blue Island to comfort his father, where he found him drinking rare Longjing tea and listening to a song tied to their shared memories.

• Zhang Wujin refused to let Hu Xiaoguang take over the tourist-area project unless the county reimbursed their initial investment, and Ye Yuan backed him.
• County Mayor Zhang agreed to proceed according to the contract, and Zhang Wujin left with Ye Yuan.
• Zhang Wujin joined Ye Yuan on the drive to Blue Island, and Ye Yuan dropped him off downtown before going home.
• Ye Yuan found Father Ye drinking the Pre-Qingming Shifeng Longjing that Old Xu had given him and listening to Straw Hat Song.

Ye Yuan visited Father Ye, eased the tension over his clash with his second uncle, and heard that his father wanted to start something of his own in Blue Island. The chapter left Ye Yuan walking through the Blue Island Flower and Bird Market with Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin.

• Ye Yuan reflected on the film Proof of the Man and the popularity of its song, "Straw Hat Song," in Huaxia Nation.
• Father Ye complained that Ye Yuan had angered his second uncle, and Ye Yuan explained that he stood by his actions.
• Father Ye asked Ye Yuan to support him in finding something to do, then said he would discuss ideas with his second uncle in Blue Island.
• Ye Yuan saw that Father Ye's anger had passed, and Mother Ye welcomed him home with bean curd sticks.
• Ye Yuan walked around the Blue Island Flower and Bird Market with Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin as they chatted about recent events.

Ye Yuan joined Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin at Blue Island’s largest flower-and-bird market, where they browsed ornamental fish and discussed Ye Yuan’s breeding base. They found a rare Black and White Stingray, which Ye Yuan recommended to Zhao Chuan, leaving him considering the fish.

• Zhao Chuan reassured Ye Yuan that he had done the right thing by firing the troublesome workers at the fish farm.
• Ye Yuan met Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin at the flower-and-bird market, where Zhao Chuan hoped to find an ornamental fish to keep.
• The three men toured a large fish shop, and Ye Yuan identified its fish and described his breeding base’s growing reputation for koi.
• Zhang Wujin asked why the shop’s Manta Ray cost more than similar fish in Ye Yuan’s wholesale catalog, and Ye Yuan explained the difference between retail and wholesale pricing.
• Zhao Chuan spotted a Black and White Stingray, and Ye Yuan told him it was rare and suggested he buy it.

Ye Yuan reunited with fish-shop owner Wang Kai, who asked for priority when buying koi from Ye Yuan’s breeding base, and the group then witnessed a fire at a nearby general store. They learned the shop owner’s unattended kettle had caused the blaze, while bystanders hesitated to intervene for fear of being held liable.

• Ye Yuan identified an albino Alligator Gar and recognized the fish-shop owner as Wang Kai.
• Wang Kai revealed that he had visited Ye Yuan’s breeding base and asked for first pick of a batch of koi.
• Ye Yuan promised Wang Kai priority under equal conditions, though a manager handled the breeding base’s daily operations.
• Ye Yuan and the others saw smoke rising from a nearby general store and joined the gathering crowd.
• A shop owner explained that an unattended kettle had sparked an electrical fire and that bystanders had stopped students from breaking the glass to help.

Ye Yuan rushed into a burning shop and rescued the shop owner's infant daughter, Yuanyuan, despite explosions inside. After the fire was extinguished, he discovered the child had pooped on him and went with Wang Kai to clean up at the fish shop.

• Neighbors fought the shop fire but hesitated to enter after hearing that the shop owner's eight-month-old child was inside.
• Ye Yuan took a fire extinguisher and charged into the burning shop as explosives went off around him.
• Ye Yuan found the crying baby in a back room, covered her with a blanket, and carried her safely out through the smoke.
• The child's mother thanked Ye Yuan, while Zhang Wujin joked that Ye Yuan and Yuanyuan were fated to meet.
• After firefighters extinguished the blaze, Ye Yuan realized the baby had pooped on his chest, and Wang Kai took him to his upstairs living quarters to wash while Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin went to buy him clothes.

Ye Yuan visited Wang Kai’s fish shop with Zhao Chuan and Zhang Wujin, where Zhao Chuan considered buying an Alligator Gar. After learning how dangerous it was, Zhao Chuan decided against it, and the three friends left the shop.

• Ye Yuan showered and changed at Wang Kai’s fish shop while Wang Kai praised him for rescuing a child.
• Zhao Chuan asked Wang Kai about buying his Alligator Gar, and Ye Yuan explained how difficult it was to kill and how it could eat other fish.
• Wang Kai warned Zhao Chuan that the Alligator Gar could threaten wildlife and people, and that its eggs and flesh were poisonous.
• Zhao Chuan gave up on buying the fish because it would be dangerous to keep in his shop.
• Ye Yuan and his friends left the shop after Wang Kai invited himself to visit Ye Yuan’s island, and Ye Yuan offered to look for suitable fish for Zhao Chuan at sea.

Ye Yuan, Zhang Wujin, and Zhao Chuan reunited at the Blue Island International Beer Festival, where they reminisced and watched the festivities. As they explored the stalls, Ye Yuan noticed an unusual beer booth that restricted purchases and warned customers to drink moderately.

• Ye Yuan and his friends decided to attend the Beer Festival after Zhao Chuan reminded them it was opening the next day.
• Ye Yuan, Zhang Wujin, and Zhao Chuan arrived at Ximate Plaza for the festival’s opening ceremony and discussed the differences between beer and baijiu.
• The friends watched contestants race to finish large mugs of beer, where a fair-skinned foreign young man won in 5.8 seconds.
• Ye Yuan noticed a booth that barred samples, limited purchases, and warned customers in English and Chinese that drinking could endanger their lives.

Ye Yuan sampled the high-alcohol Snake Venom beer at the Blue Island Beer Festival, then spent three days enjoying the festival with Zhang Wujin. He left for Fishing Bay Island after Huafei Industry delivered his new Y-5, and the chapter ended as a worker approached him while he inspected the plane.

• Ye Yuan tried Snake Venom with Zhang Wujin and Zhao Chuan, and all three found the expensive beer unimpressive.
• Ye Yuan and Zhang Wujin attended the Blue Island Beer Festival for three days while Zhao Chuan returned to oversee the jewelry store.
• Ye Yuan received a call from Manager Yang and hurried back to Fishing Bay Island to receive his Y-5.
• Ding Yi inspected the Y-5 with Huafei Industry's test pilot, completed a low-altitude test flight, and Ye Yuan signed the contract.
• A worker familiar with the Ye family approached Ye Yuan as he inspected the newly delivered plane.

Ye Yuan reassured the fish farm workers that he would not dismiss them lightly, then agreed to attend a high school reunion organized to help Qiu Minghui after a fatal car accident devastated his family. Li Hui asked Ye Yuan to offer Qiu Minghui an Aftertaste Wine agency, and they headed to the reunion together the next morning.

• Ye Yuan promised the fish farm workers he would not lay them off without good reason and explained that buying a plane would help the business.
• Li Hui told Ye Yuan that their former classmate Qiu Minghui's wife had died after a car accident, leaving Qiu and his young son in debt.
• Ye Yuan agreed to attend the reunion and learned that Li Hui wanted him to offer Qiu Minghui an agency for Aftertaste Wine.
• The next morning, Li Hui told Ye Yuan that Ding Xiaoning had organized the reunion, and they went to meet their classmates outside Pinghai No. 1 High School.

Ye Yuan and Li Hui attended a gathering of their former classmates after hearing about Qiu Minghui’s family, where Li Hui easily joined the lively conversation while Ye Yuan remained on the sidelines. Tang Mingyu arrived and greeted them, ending the chapter by proposing a business partnership with Li Hui.

• Ye Yuan and Li Hui arrived at the gathering in a Raptor and were welcomed by their classmates, who called Li Hui by his old nickname, Melon.
• Li Hui caught up with Wang Bing and Wang Li, then changed the subject when Wang Li mentioned she was pregnant and the class fell quiet over Qiu Minghui’s family.
• Ye Yuan watched Li Hui socialize and briefly spoke with another quiet former classmate.
• Tang Mingyu arrived, made a pointed remark to Ye Yuan, and then went to greet Li Hui.
• Tang Mingyu offered to help Li Hui with his family troubles and proposed working together with Yuwan Seafood.

Ye Yuan and Li Hui drove to the class reunion with their former friend Shānmāo, who explained how a prison sentence and criminal record had derailed his life. As Tang Mingyu plotted to use Li Hui to reach Ye Yuan’s mysterious boss, classmates on the coach speculated that Li Hui’s Raptor was borrowed and learned he managed Yuwan Seafood.

• Wang Li cut off Tang Mingyu’s private conversation, organized the classmates onto a coach, and left Tang Mingyu to follow in his Bora.
• Li Hui and Ye Yuan drove with Shānmāo, who said he had been expelled and imprisoned after seriously injuring someone in a fight, then struggled to find work and became a taxi driver.
• Shānmāo explained that he had reconnected with Wang Li after rear-ending her car, and Li Hui learned that Wang Li’s husband oversaw local taxi drivers.
• Li Hui told Shānmāo that Ye Yuan had helped him when his father was ill, while Tang Mingyu privately planned to exploit Li Hui to approach Ye Yuan’s mysterious boss.
• On the coach, Wang Li complained about classmates arriving in cars, and a classmate claimed Li Hui’s Raptor was borrowed because Li Hui managed Yuwan Seafood.

Ye Yuan, Li Hui, and Shānmāo attended their class reunion, where classmates gossiped about their work and the new Pinghai tourist area. At the restaurant, Tang Mingyu pulled Li Hui away from Ye Yuan and Shānmāo to join the other table, leaving the reunion divided between two crowded tables.

• On the drive to the reunion, Xiao Na said she was preparing for an interview at Pinghai's new tourist area and described its young, wealthy investors.
• The classmates arrived at Yijing, where Ding Xiaoning greeted Li Hui and Ye Yuan warmly after noticing their Raptor.
• Ding Xiaoning explained the restaurant's location and arranged for the classmates to choose seats at two tables.
• Li Hui sat with Ye Yuan and Shānmāo, but Tang Mingyu pulled him away, saying he and Ding Xiaoning had something to discuss with him.
• The thirty-seven attendees settled into two tables, one seating twenty people and the other seventeen.

At a class reunion organized around a donation for Qiu Minghui, Ye Yuan recognized that Ding Xiaoning and Tang Mingyu had planned to use donations to cover the meal before classmates challenged the arrangement. The donation and reunion proceeded separately, and the chapter ended with classmates assuming Ye Yuan still depended on Li Hui after Ye Yuan said they worked at the same fish farm.

• Ding Xiaoning proposed deducting the reunion meal expenses from the donations, but a bespectacled girl and Liu Wenna objected and asked for separate accounts.
• Tang Mingyu urged classmates to join the group, while Ye Yuan refused and said Li Hui would cover the meal; Li Hui agreed to pay the bill.
• Ding Xiaoning collected 23,500 yuan from thirty-seven donors, and the classmates toasted together before the reunion began.
• Zhang Wenna asked Ye Yuan whether he and Li Hui worked together, and Ye Yuan said Li Hui managed a fish farm while he worked as a fisherman.
• The classmates assumed Ye Yuan still relied on Li Hui, while Tang Mingyu listened closely to Ye Yuan's answer.

At a class reunion, Ye Yuan advised Zhang Wenna to apply for an underwater guide position at Pinghai Tourist Area and referred her to Li Hui for help. Li Hui warned her that their boss was a pervert, then admitted he was joking, leaving Zhang Wenna uncertain about what to expect.

• Ye Yuan answered his classmates' questions about his fishing work and drank with Shānmāo.
• Ye Yuan told Zhang Wenna that Pinghai Tourist Area had above-water and underwater guide positions, and urged her to apply for the underwater role.
• Ye Yuan said Li Hui had more influence with their boss and called him over when Zhang Wenna asked about getting help with her interview.
• Zhang Wenna asked Li Hui to pull strings if she failed the interview and drank a glass of beer to show her sincerity.
• Li Hui claimed their boss harassed women and drove them from Yuwan Seafood, frightening Zhang Wenna before he said he was joking.

At the class reunion, Li Hui fielded questions about Yuwan Seafood while Ding Xiaoning tried to secure cheap abalone for his manager. Ye Yuan and Shānmāo stepped out to smoke, then returned to the increasingly boisterous gathering, where Zhang Qiang began telling a story.

• Tang Mingyu asked Li Hui whether Yuwan Seafood’s boss would sell sought-after seafood, and Li Hui said he would ask.
• Ding Xiaoning asked Li Hui for a discount on Double-Head Abalone to resell to his manager, but Li Hui offered only five percent off.
• Ye Yuan left the private room to smoke, and Shānmāo joined him, complaining about classmates showing off at the reunion.
• Ye Yuan and Shānmāo returned to the room, where classmates drank, bragged, and compared the restaurant’s seafood with Li Hui’s.
• Shānmāo reminded Ye Yuan that the classmate drawing attention at their table was Zhang Qiang, who had repeated his senior year.
• Zhang Qiang began telling the table about an incident in a neighboring county the previous year.