Recaps

Lu Ao and Song Zhou spent the evening with friends, then prepared for an early fishing trip with Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan. The chapter ended as Lu Ao asked Lin Manzhang how many nets they planned to cast.

• Lin Gongshang discussed plans to build a house and arranged to ask Da Wu about hiring workers from Lu Ao's crew.
• After dinner, Chubby overate and had to be carried home by Lu Ao and Song Zhou.
• Lu Ao and Song Zhou shared a quiet early morning before Song Zhou went to fetch breakfast and Lu Ao fed his geese.
• After breakfast, Song Zhou went to work while Lu Ao headed out to sea, leaving Chubby at home.
• Lu Ao met Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan with two fishing nets, and Lin Manzhang brought out the nets they had prepared.

Lu Ao, Lin Manzhang, and Lin Qiyan set their fishing nets and waited offshore while fishing with rods. As they began hauling Lu Ao’s nets, he caught a large Flower Crab and prepared to bring in the rest of the catch.

• Lu Ao drove the boat to their fishing grounds while Lin Qiyan filmed, and Lin Manzhang and Lu Ao set five and two nets respectively.
• While the nets soaked, Lu Ao caught several fish, far more than Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan.
• Lu Ao and Lin Manzhang began hauling Lu Ao’s nets, and Lu Ao caught a large Flower Crab that was tangled in the first net.
• Lu Ao tied up the Flower Crab, put it in the fish hold, and continued pulling in the net.

Lu Ao hauled in an exceptionally abundant fishing net while Lin Qiyan and Lin Manzhang helped remove the catch. After the three finished, they packed away the torn, debris-covered net and prepared to continue fishing.

• Lu Ao used the net hauler to pull in a net full of fish, and Lin Qiyan filmed his work without showing his face.
• Lin Qiyan and Lu Ao removed several large Flower Crabs from the net as Lin Manzhang steered the boat.
• Lin Qiyan found an unusually large Green Prawn, measured it against his forearm, and put it in the live well.
• Lu Ao hauled up a catch weighing at least forty pounds, and Lin Manzhang estimated it was worth more than a thousand yuan.
• Lu Ao, Lin Qiyan, and Lin Manzhang freed the catch and packed away the net, which was dirty and torn in several places.

Lin Qiyan, Lin Manzhang, and Lu Ao hauled in their nets, with Lu Ao’s catch especially plentiful, and arranged seafood for Lin Qiyan’s fans to buy. After returning to the pier, Lin Manzhang agreed to sell Lu Ao’s catch, while Lu Ao took prawns and crabs home and gave Lin Qiyan prawns for his grandmother.

• Lin Qiyan and Lin Manzhang helped Lu Ao haul in a net packed with Flower Crabs and Prawns, then brought in Lin Manzhang’s smaller catches.
• Lin Qiyan asked to buy seafood for his fans, and he and Lu Ao agreed to offer large prawns and crabs while Lin Manzhang supplied medium-sized ones.
• Lin Qiyan’s twenty proxy-buying slots were claimed before they reached the pier, and Lin Manzhang and Lu Ao set aside the requested seafood.
• Lin Manzhang offered to sell Lu Ao’s catch in town because Lu Ao planned to go home instead of selling it that evening.
• Lu Ao took large Prawns and Flower Crabs home and gave Lin Qiyan a bag of prawns for his grandmother.

Lu Ao returned home with a haul of shrimp and crabs, and he and Song Zhou prepared a generous dinner together. They shared the meal with pastries and spirit wine as the evening settled in.

• Lu Ao refused Lin Qiyan’s offer to pay him back, left the catches with him, and drove home.
• Song Zhou greeted Lu Ao at the gate, and they planned to make braised prawns and steamed crabs.
• Lu Ao shared cream pastries with Song Zhou while Song Zhou prepared and cooked the seafood.
• Lu Ao and Song Zhou sat down to a dinner of seafood, vegetables, reheated dishes, and soup.
• Song Zhou served spirit wine, and Lu Ao sipped it alongside the fresh shrimp and crabs.

Lu Ao took Song Zhou on a date at sea, steering them away from the shipping lane until they spotted Flying Fish. They stopped the boat to watch and settled in to fish together.

• Song Zhou and Lu Ao planned a daylong trip at sea, and Song Zhou told You Li not to disturb them unless there was a red-level emergency or higher.
• The next morning, Song Zhou and Lu Ao left Chubby at home, checked their boat and supplies, and set sail.
• Lu Ao steered away from his usual fishing route and the shipping lane to take Song Zhou along a quiet, scenic stretch of sea.
• Song Zhou spotted Flying Fish, and Lu Ao stopped the boat so they could watch them glide over the water.
• Lu Ao set out reclining chairs and taught Song Zhou how to chum the water before fishing.

Lu Ao and Song Zhou witnessed a huge school of Flying Fish leaping from the sea, then fished and gathered the ones that landed on their boat. By noon, they had caught several fish and prepared a seafood lunch, ending with Lu Ao praising the steamed Humphead Wrasse.

• Lu Ao and Song Zhou watched a vast school of Flying Fish leap from the sea after predators frightened them.
• Song Zhou collected eight Flying Fish that had landed on the boat, and Lu Ao and Song Zhou began fishing among the scavenging fish.
• By noon, Lu Ao and Song Zhou had caught nearly half a bucket of fish, including a small Humphead Wrasse and a sea bream.
• Lu Ao pan-fried the Flying Fish and steamed the Humphead Wrasse while Song Zhou sliced the sea bream for sashimi.
• Lu Ao tasted the steamed Humphead Wrasse and said it was delicious enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Lu Ao and Song Zhou spent a relaxing day fishing and eating together before returning home late. That night, they took Chubby out for a walk, where the dog ran into the fields to relieve itself while Lu Ao checked his phone.

• Lu Ao shared the best pieces of their fish with Song Zhou, and they enjoyed the flying fish with rice.
• Lu Ao and Song Zhou spent the day together at sea, fishing, resting, and enjoying each other's company.
• Lu Ao gave a black seabream to the old man at the dock before he and Song Zhou returned home.
• After dinner, Lu Ao and Song Zhou took Chubby out for its nightly stroll.
• Chubby ran into the wasteland to relieve itself while Lu Ao joked with Song Zhou and checked his phone as it chimed.

Lu Ao and Song Zhou joined the Marine Conservation Volunteers for a dinner in Qianyong City, where they learned that a Platypus had escaped from the city zoo. The volunteers had been asked to watch for it while patrolling rivers, and Lu Ao warned that a male Platypus could be venomous.

• Lu Ao accepted Xiang Xingchang’s invitation for him and Song Zhou to attend the volunteer team’s dinner.
• Lu Ao and Song Zhou arrived at the gathering and joined the volunteers for lamb hot pot.
• Xiang Xingchang told the volunteers that the zoo had asked them to look for an escaped Platypus during river patrols.
• Lu Ao explained that male Platypuses had venomous spurs, prompting Xiang Xingchang to say he would check the animal’s sex.

Lu Ao joined Xiang Xingchang and ten other volunteers on a cold-water dive to collect trash near a reef, while the escaped male Platypus remained at large after injuring someone. The volunteers worked across the seabed, and Lu Ao surfaced to look for another area to search.

• Xiang Xingchang learned from the zoo that the escaped Platypus was an adult male, and the volunteers discussed the danger it posed and upcoming cleanup activities.
• After a cold wave struck, eleven volunteers, including Lu Ao, signed up for the seabed cleanup and gathered at the shore for the dive.
• Xiang Xingchang told the volunteers that the Platypus had pricked someone near Hu Qizigang and escaped again, then said they might search for it after the cleanup.
• Xiang Xingchang checked the volunteers' equipment and led them by boat to a reef, where they spread out underwater to collect trash.
• Lu Ao quickly gathered rubbish across more than a hundred square meters of seabed, checked a teammate's area, and surfaced to find another place to search.

After a morning of exhausting cleanup work, Lu Ao joined Xiang Xingchang and the volunteers in searching Hu Qizigang for the missing Platypus. Lu Ao found gray fur and confirmed the animal had passed through the reeds that morning, then alerted the others.

• The volunteers ate lunch with Xiang Xingchang before setting out to search for the Platypus at Hu Qizigang.
• Xiang Xingchang split the volunteers into three teams and sent them to search the riverbanks for signs of the animal.
• Lu Ao led a team with Little Liu and Old Cat, and after finishing their assigned stretch, he urged them to keep searching farther ahead.
• Lu Ao found a tuft of gray fur and shared a photo in the WeChat group, bringing the other volunteers to his location.
• Lu Ao inspected the reeds and confirmed that the Platypus had left footprints there that morning.

Lu Ao followed faint webbed footprints along a riverbank and deduced that a Platypus was nearby, leading the search party to a concealed hole in the bank. The group reached what Lu Ao believed was the Platypus's nest, but had not yet found the animal.

• Lu Ao examined the footprints and warned Little Liu and Old Cat that the Platypus might be venomous as they searched the reeds.
• After Little Liu and Old Cat found no further traces, Lu Ao searched the muddy riverbank while Xiang Xingchang and his team joined them.
• Lu Ao found a faint, sideways webbed footprint and explained that the Platypus's tracks pointed toward its likely nest.
• Lu Ao told Wu Anzhi not to record his deduction, then followed the footprints into the reeds.
• Lu Ao found a large hole concealed by grass in the riverbank.

Lu Ao found and dug open a riverbank burrow, revealing a Platypus, which he quickly caught. While the group waited for zoo staff, they leashed the animal and prepared to find somewhere to eat.

• Lu Ao identified a burrow as a possible Platypus nest, and Xiang Xingchang told the team to fetch hoes and dig it open.
• Lu Ao dug into the burrow, and a Platypus startled the group by darting out.
• Lu Ao caught the Platypus before the others could react, and Xiang Xingchang called the zoo.
• Lu Ao explained that Platypuses hibernated, and the group waited for zoo staff to arrive.
• Old Cat fetched a dog collar and leash, and Lu Ao secured the Platypus with them.

Wu Anzhi tried to recruit Lu Ao for an ocean-conservation reality show, but Lu Ao declined and recommended Lin Qiyan instead. Lin Qiyan joined the production team in Qianyong City, while Lu Ao continued making only occasional trips out to sea as winter set in.

• Wu Anzhi offered Lu Ao a role in a celebrity reality show about ocean conservation, but Lu Ao said he was uncomfortable living under the camera and refused.
• Lu Ao showed Wu Anzhi Lin Qiyan's profile and recommended him for the show.
• Wu Anzhi said the production team would consider Lin Qiyan, though he could not promise he would be selected.
• A few days later, Lin Qiyan told Lu Ao that the show had accepted him and thanked Lu Ao for helping him get the opportunity.
• At the end of November, Lin Qiyan moved in to prepare for filming in Qianyong City, while Lu Ao limited his trips out to sea because of the cold and his lack of need for money.

Lu Ao considered joining Wu Anzhi's program crew on an Antarctic voyage, while Song Zhou reassured him that he would visit at night despite his busy work. Lu Ao secured a private cabin for the trip, which the program crew's scientific mission and limited whaling quotas made especially appealing to him.

• Lu Ao discussed the Antarctic voyage invitation from Wu Anzhi with Song Zhou and worried about being apart from him.
• Song Zhou encouraged Lu Ao to go and promised to visit him at night, even if he had to turn invisible.
• Lu Ao and Wu Anzhi's team arranged for Lu Ao to have a private cabin, with his pay reduced to fifty thousand for the trip.
• The chapter explained that the program crew's ship had obtained ten whaling quotas for conservation work, allowing it to capture cetaceans near N Country's waters.

Lu Ao and Song Zhou prepared for a seventeen-day Antarctic research trip to help rebuild cetacean populations. After packing, they planned to buy outdoor gear, and Lu Ao confessed his love to Song Zhou, who warned they might not leave the house if he kept talking.

• Lu Ao coordinated with the production crew and arranged to depart on December 21 for a trip returning January 6.
• Song Zhou packed Lu Ao’s suitcase and checked the supplies against a detailed list while Lu Ao watched him fondly.
• Song Zhou said they still needed to buy outdoor gear, and he and Lu Ao agreed to go shopping after dinner.
• Lu Ao climbed onto Song Zhou’s back and told him he loved him more than the ocean.
• Song Zhou warned Lu Ao that another word might keep them from leaving the house, and Lu Ao suggested they could go tomorrow instead.

Song Zhou and Lu Ao spent the night together, then planned their future by arranging custom rings and shopping for Lu Ao’s trip. They left the ring design unfinished and prepared for Lu Ao’s upcoming departure.

• Song Zhou and Lu Ao spent the night together, and Song Zhou stayed with Lu Ao until he fell asleep.
• The next morning, Song Zhou brought Lu Ao beef pies and porridge, then suggested they shop and have rings custom-made.
• Song Zhou and Lu Ao met with a designer, who made a preliminary ring plan because they were in a hurry.
• Song Zhou bought Lu Ao more than ten bags of travel gear, and Lu Ao stopped him from shopping further.
• After eating something light, Song Zhou and Lu Ao prepared for the day of departure, which arrived soon afterward.

Lu Ao prepared to leave for Antarctica with the production team while Song Zhou saw him off at the airport. They exchanged matching rings before Lu Ao boarded, where he found Lin Qiyan sitting beside him.

• Lu Ao and Song Zhou arrived at the airport in New Luzhou to join the production team for their flight to Drake City.
• Song Zhou gave Lu Ao a silver-white ring with an ocean-blue diamond, and Lu Ao put a matching ring on Song Zhou's finger.
• Lu Ao boarded the international flight after exchanging a reluctant farewell with Song Zhou.
• Lu Ao found Lin Qiyan in the seat beside him, and Lin Qiyan admired their rings and remarked on how quickly Lu Ao had settled his future.

Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan traveled with the production crew to Drake City, where Lu Ao paid extra for a private room and settled in without waking Song Zhou. After showering, Lu Ao answered a persistent knock and found Lin Qiyan admiring his physique.

• Lin Qiyan and Lu Ao endured the long flight and arrived at their destination with the production crew.
• Lu Ao took Lin Qiyan's luggage, and they boarded the hotel bus together.
• In Drake City, Lu Ao paid the room fee difference so he could stay alone, then messaged Song Zhou that he had arrived safely.
• Lu Ao began showering after the exhausting journey and told the person outside in Spanish that he did not want room service.
• Lin Qiyan came to Lu Ao's door, blushed at his appearance, and complimented his body.

Lin Qiyan invited Lu Ao to join him on a nighttime King Crab fishing trip before their Antarctic voyage, and they traveled to the docks to meet Captain Yang. They boarded Captain Yang’s boat and headed out to sea, where Lin Qiyan asked how they would catch the crabs.

• Lin Qiyan asked Lu Ao to come King Crab fishing with him, and Lu Ao agreed after finishing his shower.
• Lin Qiyan explained that he had arranged the trip with Captain Yang and had set up a safety check-in before they left.
• Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan took a ride to the docks and found Captain Yang after Lin Qiyan called him.
• Captain Yang welcomed them and led them aboard his boat with three other Chinese crewmen.
• Captain Yang started the boat and headed toward the fishing grounds as Lin Qiyan asked whether they would use nets to catch King Crab.

Lin Qiyan and Lu Ao joined Captain Yang’s crew to retrieve deep-sea King Crab traps, and the first cage yielded eleven large crabs. As the crew hauled more cages through the cold night, Lu Ao volunteered to help and effortlessly pulled one up in under five minutes.

• Captain Yang explained that King Crabs were caught with baited trap cages lowered to the seafloor, and the boat reached the buoy-marked fishing grounds.
• The crew hauled up the first cage and found eleven large King Crabs inside, delighting Captain Yang, Lin Qiyan, and Lu Ao.
• Captain Yang put the crabs in the live hold, explained how King Crabs differed from ordinary crabs, and returned the baited cage to the sea.
• The crew continued retrieving cages, and Lu Ao offered to help despite the crew’s warnings that the work was strenuous.
• Lu Ao pulled up a heavy crab cage in less than five minutes with little effort.

Lu Ao helped Captain Yang’s crew haul crab pots, displaying extraordinary luck and catching a rare blue King Crab. As the crew sorted their catch, Captain Yang explained how warming waters had allowed King Crabs to spread toward Antarctica and threaten its ecosystem, leaving Lu Ao troubled but unable to do much about it.

• Captain Yang praised Lu Ao’s unusually large catches and promised to treat him to as much King Crab as he could eat.
• Captain Yang spotted a rare blue King Crab in Lu Ao’s pot, and Lin Qiyan filmed it as Captain Yang joked that it resembled Lu Ao’s ring.
• Lu Ao helped the crew haul all the crab pots in just over three hours, and Captain Yang inspected the catch and sorted out pregnant and undersized crabs.
• Captain Yang told Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan that warming seawater had spread King Crabs toward Antarctica, where they threatened local ecosystems.
• Lu Ao felt troubled by the environmental damage, but Captain Yang said fishermen could only leave the problem to scientists and focus on their work.

After selling most of the King Crab, Captain Yang brought Lin Qiyan, Lu Ao, and the deckhands to his home for a late-night meal. They began preparing the crabs for a barbecue in his courtyard.

• Captain Yang returned to the dock, sold the catch, and kept ten large King Crab to eat at home.
• Captain Yang invited Lu Ao and the others to his house, and a deckhand explained why the coastal trees leaned in the same direction.
• Captain Yang brought the group to his home, where Mrs. Yang welcomed them and prepared tea and a barbecue.
• Captain Yang demonstrated how to kill a King Crab and remove its legs while Lin Qiyan filmed.

Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan joined Captain Yang and the crew for a feast of freshly caught King Crab, learning how to prepare and eat it. After Lu Ao ate nearly ten grilled crab legs, a crewman served chilled King Crab meat as sashimi.

• Captain Yang prepared the King Crab and explained how the crew grilled its legs and baked its shell.
• Sister-in-law Yang brought garlic chili sauce and condiments, and Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan sat down to eat with the crew.
• A crewman showed Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan how to twist crab legs open and pull out the meat.
• Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan ate the sweet, tender grilled crab while Lin Qiyan filmed and drank with the crew.
• After eating nearly ten legs, Lu Ao began dipping the meat in sauce, and a crewman served them chilled King Crab sashimi.

Lu Ao and Lin Qiyan shared a King Crab feast with Captain Yang, who tried to recruit Lu Ao to work with the local fishing crew. When an otter wandered into the courtyard, Lu Ao fed it life force and then sent it away, while Lin Qiyan wished otters could be kept as pets back home.

• Lu Ao sampled King Crab sashimi and grilled crab while Captain Yang invited him to join the crew, but Lu Ao declined because his partner had a confidential job back home.
• Captain Yang went to retrieve the baked crab shell and found an otter near his feet, saying it had snuck in to steal crab innards.
• Lin Qiyan and Lu Ao took turns petting the docile otter while Captain Yang explained that people there could keep registered, vaccinated otters.
• Lu Ao gave the otter a crab leg and secretly fed it a trace of life force, making it cling to his wrist and want to follow him.
• Lu Ao used his will to make the otter leave, then suggested that Lin Qiyan keep a cat instead.