Inside the room, Liu Zi was already done sprucing himself up. Apart from his hair being a bit long and having so unhealed scabs on his face, he looked quite refreshed.
Especially those inky black eyes of his, they gave off a sense of vitality.
"Forget the old clothes, put on the new ones. There are boxers underneath, change those too! Damn, you nearly knocked out with your biohazard stench on the way here!"
With a laugh, ng Fan handed the clothes to Liu’Er, who was wrapped in a towel, speaking with a touch of exaggeration in his voice.
"Thanks, Brother Fan! Consider the money for the clothes a loan, I’ll definitely pay you back once I start working and earn money!"
"Sheesh, you little guy are quite polite! It’s just a bit of money, no need to pay back!"
"Hehe! Thanks, big brother!"
Liu’Er hurriedly thanked him but stood there wrapped in the towel, not making a move.
ng Fan realized instantly; this guy was feeling shy.
"Ah, we’re all guys here, why be shy? Alright, you change inside, I’ll wait outside. Quick, alright? After you change, I’ll take you to et my boss!"
ng Fan stepped out of the room. In less than three minutes, Liu’Er changed and opened the door.
They say clothes make the man, and after putting on new clothes, Liu Zi gave off a different vibe. The only downside was that the guy was quite skinny, so the clothes were the right length but a bit loose.
"All spruced up, you actually look kinda handso! Grab your stuff, let’s go!"
"Alright!"
Liu Zi carried the clothes ng Fan bought for him, not throwing away the dirty ones but folding them neatly and putting them into a plastic bag. After all, they were just dirty and could be washed and worn again.
The two of them drove to Zhang Yang’s fishing tackle shop. They’d already called once on the way, so Zhang Yang knew ng Fan was back and had gathered everyone who was free to welco him. They could all have lunch together, a little welco back party for ng Fan.
The car stopped in front of Zhang Yang’s tackle shop, and Zhang Yang ca out to greet them.
Seeing ng Fan was expected, but when his gaze fell on the kid beside him, Zhang Yang was montarily stunned, feeling an absurd sense of deja vu.
Damn, this world is so small.
"No way! What’s your na again? Liu’Er? You’re the one who got beaten up at the competition in Feng City, right?" Zhang Yang asked with a dramatic reaction.
"What? You know Liu Zi? This guy was walking against traffic on the highway, and I picked him up!" ng Fan was also surprised to see Zhang Yang recognized his little brother.
Liu Zi was equally surprised to see Zhang Yang. He had a good mory. When Zhu Wu was beating him, this big brother had stood up for him at the competition!
"Big brother, it’s ! Zhu Wu hit , I couldn’t take it and ran away! What a coincidence to find out you’re friends with my boss!"
Liu Zi greeted him politely, feeling mostly relieved from his initial anxiousness.
A person who stands up for a stranger can’t be all that bad.
"Damn! Just a few days apart, and now Little Fan has a little brother!" Zhang Yang found Liu Zi’s address amusing and a bit exaggerated.
"What’s the story here? How do you know each other?" ng Fan still hadn’t grasped the backstory, feeling a bit confused.
We went as a team to Feng City for a car fishing competition. I sat next to this guy Zhu Wu, and this little kid was Zhu Wu’s fisherman. Zhu Wu was quite rough with him. He hit him right in front of , and I couldn’t stand it, so I said a few words.
This led to a fight between our group of five and Zhu Wu. Wang Yan whacked Zhu Wu with a fishing umbrella and almost gave him a rectal tear!
Zhang Yang recounted the earlier incident to ng Fan.
After hearing Zhang Yang’s explanation, ng Fan felt even more compelled that this was fate and continued, "Liu’Er’s ID is with Zhu Wu. I took pity on him and brought him back. Is our company shorthanded? Maybe find him sothing to do?"
"Boss’s boss, I can do anything! I can carry a fishing box and net fish! I can even work hard in the workshop!"
Liu’Er was eager to seize the opportunity, fervently promoting himself, afraid Zhang Yang might not agree and let him go.
"Sheesh! Boss’s boss, how can you manage to call that! Now that you’re here, we won’t let you leave!
Stop standing at the door, co inside, and once everyone’s here, we’ll have lunch first, and then figure out what to do!"
And so, after this dramatic eting, Zhang Yang brought Liu Zi and ng Fan inside, and soon other team mbers arrived one after another. They all went to a pre-booked restaurant in their car.
During lunch, Zhang Yang thoroughly inquired about ng Fan’s experiences in Zhongsheng, and also asked Liu Zi about so matters related to Zhu Wu.
By the end of the al, they had basically understood Liu Zi’s background.
Liu Zi’s real na was Wang Dazhi, the sa na as a certain third-tier actor. His father died unexpectedly, and his mother remarried, taking his sister with her. The only family he had left was an eighty-year-old granduncle. In a few months, he’d be eighteen, having dropped out of school in the eighth grade.
After mixing with Zhu Wu for a few months, and unable to endure constant beatings, he ran away. On his journey ho on foot, ng Fan picked him up and brought him back to W City.
"Boss, I brought Liu Zi back, you can’t just ignore him! I’ve been bragging about it!" With a full belly, ng Fan said to Zhang Yang in front of Liu Zi.
Zhang Yang chuckled, "Don’t worry, who said I’d ignore him! But before we settle Liu Zi, you tell what your plans are after coming back!"
"? What plans could I have? I got sent back from learning fishing, so I’ll just stick with you. At worst, I won’t be a professional angler anymore! I can try livestreaming or sothing else, whatever works!"
"Sheesh, giving up on your dream after encountering so setbacks?" Zhang Yang teased him with a scolding tone.
"What else can I do? I’m at a loss here!" ng Fan sighed.
"If you still want to continue learning, let’s skip looking for a ntor. I’ll train you!" Zhang Yang said with great confidence.
"Huh? You’ll train ? But you haven’t competed in many professional matches, right? It’s not that I doubt your fishing skills, but isn’t this a different type of subject? Can it work?"
Hearing Zhang Yang say he would train him, ng Fan’s imdiate reaction was a bit of skepticism.
After this trip, although ng Fan hadn’t learned much technically, his horizons had broadened considerably. The basic skills and qualities of a professional competitive angler were worlds apart from regular fishers.
"Sheesh! Questioning my ability? I don’t compete because it’s not challenging, not because I can’t do it! With a bit of practice, I could be a top-tier professional angler, believe it or not?"
Zhang Yang felt quite confident hearing his good brother doubt his abilities.
"Okay, okay, I believe you! Isn’t that enough?" ng Fan, seeing Zhang Yang getting a bit upset, quickly nodded to show he believed him.
Zhang Yang continued, "That’s more like it! I’ll arrange a month of special training for you, and as long as you stick with it, your skills will definitely improve, just as much if not more than in a fishing class!
But the competitive scene isn’t friendly to lone wolves. Without teammates, you have to be ntally prepared for that!"
"And Liu’Er? What’s he gonna do?" Having settled his own business, ng Fan, being very loyal, also cared about his little brother’s situation.
In fact, even without leaning on Zhang Yang, ng Fan could arrange a decent job for Liu’Er himself. But the reason he kept asking about this was because he’d been bragging earlier and needed to follow through. Honestly, the whole big brother thing was quite impactful for soone of ng Fan’s age.
Zhang Yang continued, "Liu’Er is too young, not even an adult yet, so working in a factory isn’t suitable!
How about this, I’ll give him so living expenses each month, and he can keep you company!
The path to becoming a professional is tough, having soone by your side will be comforting, whether you’re training at ho or competing outside!
Liu’Er, I’ll cover your living expenses, and you can practice fishing with Brother Fan, how about that? Once you’re an adult and pass the assessnt, I’ll arrange sothing else for you!"
Zhang Yang spoke while observing Liu’Er’s expression, trying to gauge the young man’s reaction.
While Zhang Yang was kind-hearted, he wasn’t a pushover, and he maintained a cautious attitude toward unfamiliar youngsters. Having Liu’Er stay with ng Fan for a while to observe him was the best interim solution.
To Zhang Yang’s surprise, Liu’Er seed very excited about the idea of practicing fishing with ng Fan.
"Really? I’m in! I don’t need a salary, as long as I have sothing to eat and a place to stay!"
With a simple conversation, this was how ng Fan and Liu’Er’s arrangents were finalized.
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