The Fish I Catch Can Level Up

Chapter 225: Jiang Luoluo Also Gets a Little Cheat

The dance shoot wrapped up, and by then it was already past nine at night.

Chu Mingcheng paid for everyone's late-night snacks, and they finally headed home amid Zhang Ruomei's relentless teasing.

That woman was an old hand at this—more experienced than even he was. She'd seen right through Jiang Luoluo's condition today and had been mercilessly poking fun at them all evening.

Never mind Jiang Luoluo—even he couldn't handle her suggestive jokes.

In the end, Chu Mingcheng had to quickly settle the bill and beat a hasty retreat.

"Zhang Ruomei is terrifying. How can she just say those nouns and verbs out loud like that?"

"That's just how she is..." Jiang Luoluo said, though she was pressing the button to roll down the car window, letting the cool night air calm her overheated cheeks.

"Women over thirty are a force to be reckoned with," Chu Mingcheng remarked with feeling. Once a woman hit thirty, her prowess in certain areas was truly formidable.

Of course, the main issue was that with Jiang Luoluo by his side, he was a taken man and had to restrain himself. If he were single, no woman—no matter how fierce—would be his match.

Back home, having been delayed for two days, Chu Mingcheng decided to implement Plan B tonight. He still hadn't used the Life Conversion from his last scavenger fish haul.With a wicked grin, he swept Jiang Luoluo up in his arms amid her startled cry and charged into the bathroom.

The commotion continued until one in the morning before finally subsiding.

Looking at Jiang Luoluo, who had fallen into an exhausted sleep, Chu Mingcheng smiled triumphantly. He'd been prepared to use Life Conversion tonight, but he'd underestimated his current physical condition. Clearly, for now, Jiang Luoluo was no match for him.

Of course, she'd be even less of a match in the future.

Chu Mingcheng's Plan B was simple: tire her out until she fell asleep. In this state, she would sleep deeply and not wake up easily, allowing him to sneak out in the middle of the night to continue hunting scavenger fish.

Naturally, there was still a chance he could be discovered, so Plan B had to be executed relentlessly until she couldn't take it anymore and kicked him out. On that point, Chu Mingcheng was quite confident.

Taking his gear, he drove off. He was just about to use the tracking function when he was surprised to see Jiang Luoluo's data panel appear in the Aquatic Species Codex.

"This..." Chu Mingcheng was genuinely surprised. Why would Jiang Luoluo appear in the data panel?

He hadn't checked the Aquatic Species Codex for the past two days and hadn't expected this new development.

【Jiang Luoluo】

【Identity: Spouse】

【Bound Functions: None (As the host's partner, she can enjoy special abilities bestowed by the host. The inherited abilities will differ from the host's and will have more suitable variations.)】

After reading the explanation, Chu Mingcheng was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his cheat to be so user-friendly as to extend to his woman.

But a moment later, his brow furrowed. What about his parents, future in-laws, and friends?

However, since Jiang Luoluo could now enjoy his cheat, his family and friends might be able to as well. So he temporarily set the matter aside.

He then bound the two abilities he currently possessed to Jiang Luoluo. To his surprise, the abilities bound to her were drastically different from his own.

【Jiang Luoluo】

【Identity: Spouse】

【Bound Functions: Effortless Swim, Affinity Aura】

【Effortless Swim (0/100): Maximum increase of 10% in all-around physical fitness, 3 minutes and 30 seconds of dynamic breath-hold time, 20% reduction in water resistance (Requires half an hour of diving practice per session, proficiency can only be increased once per day).】

【Affinity Aura (96/100): Increases affinity, eliminating 96% of malice from all nearby creatures, making her safer. (The deeper her feelings for the host, the lower the malice of surrounding creatures towards her.)】

Looking at the changes in the abilities, Chu Mingcheng was very satisfied.

Let's not even talk about Effortless Swim. Although it was very different from his own and required a hundred practice sessions, according to the description, it would take at least a hundred days to reach the ability's upper limit.

But at least this wouldn't make Jiang Luoluo suspect she had gotten a cheat, and it wouldn't make her overthink things.

Never mind the physical fitness boost—the breath-hold time alone would be incredibly useful for her. After a hundred practice sessions, she'd be able to complete a full dance underwater without any trouble.

The ability provided by the Affinity Aura was even more important to Chu Mingcheng, as it could ensure Jiang Luoluo's safety in any environment.

According to the explanation, perhaps one day she could even go pat a tiger on the rump?

He just didn't know if the ability would work if she took the initiative.

Secondly, the deeper her feelings, the safer she would be. That seemed quite insightful!

Currently, Jiang Luoluo's affection value for him had reached a high of 96. Comparing this to some game data, it was not far off from being completely devoted.

This didn't surprise Chu Mingcheng. He could feel the depth of her feelings for him in their daily interactions.

He was very satisfied with the new service provided by the Aquatic Species Codex. This must have appeared after he and Jiang Luoluo had consummated their relationship—he just hadn't noticed it at the time.

Never mind the Affinity Aura, the Effortless Swim ability still required a hundred practice sessions. Jiang Luoluo had already filmed her dance video and was just waiting for the post-production to be finished before releasing it. These next few days would be perfect for going out to sea with him to practice freediving.

After understanding everything, Chu Mingcheng switched to the scavenger fish data panel, used the tracking function, and continued his grand undertaking of strengthening his physique.

However, this time he didn't use up the full four hours of the Fish Gathering function. Instead, at four in the morning, he packed up and hurried back.

When he returned to the complex, he didn't go straight to Jiang Luoluo's place. He went back to his own apartment first to shower before heading over.

He carefully opened the door—the room was quiet. Chu Mingcheng slowly climbed onto the bed, gently slipping under the covers.

Perhaps feeling a draft from the lifted covers, Jiang Luoluo stirred from her sleep, mumbling his name as she instinctively snuggled closer.

Chu Mingcheng quickly lay down and held her. Her smooth, soft, warm body was incredibly comfortable to hold, and he immediately felt a stir of excitement.

And so, the symphony played once more in the early morning room.

This led to the sun being high in the sky before Jiang Luoluo finally woke up in a daze.

She lay blankly in bed, staring at the white ceiling, feeling sore and weak all over. The joys of being a woman—she now understood. It was just that this joy seemed a bit... excessive!

Just then, the door opened, and Chu Mingcheng walked in with breakfast. Seeing she was awake, he said softly, "Luoluo, time to get up and eat."

"Mmm..." Jiang Luoluo replied, propping herself up on her hands and leaning against the headboard.

This caused the blanket to slip, revealing a large expanse of tempting scenery that made Chu Mingcheng's eyes widen.

Jiang Luoluo noticed his gaze and was so startled she immediately pulled the blanket up to cover herself, warning, "Don't you dare try anything, or I'll ignore you!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're so alluring!" Chu Mingcheng's smile was a little smug. Having a girlfriend who could dance was an experience beyond words—he was completely hooked.

But he was mindful of the situation. They were planning to go out to sea today, and she needed to start her practice, so she had to have enough energy and stamina.

Seeing that he didn't make a move, Jiang Luoluo relaxed. After so much exercise last night and again in the early morning, she was starving.

She put on her pajamas, went to brush her teeth, and then started eating breakfast without even washing her face.

"By the way, now that we're back in Xiamen, when are we going to pick up Mimi and the others?"

"We'll see when Zhang Wei and the others come to Xiamen and ask them to bring them then."

Chu Mingcheng had naturally considered the arrangements for Mimi and her family. Although these tabby cats couldn't swim with him like a dog could, it was still nice to have a cat to pet when he was resting at home.

Therefore, he wouldn't leave Mimi and her family back in his hometown for too long.

But speaking of Mimi, he was reminded of the little sea lion he had rescued.

"Let's go check on the deserted island when we go out this time. I wonder how the little sea lion is doing."

"Oh, right, I'd completely forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it." Jiang Luoluo's eating pace paused, then quickened. It was clear she was also eager to go out to sea and check on the deserted island.

Because it was quite late, it was already noon by the time Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo set off.

They had a simple meal out, bought many necessities for this sea trip, and then arrived at the pier.

They moved their things onto the boat, refueled, took on fresh water, and gave the boat a simple cleaning.

The fishing boat had originally been docked at Yanmen Island. Chu Mingcheng's plan had been to return to Yanmen Island after the Nansha trip and then sail the boat over.

But he hadn't expected the haul from the Nansha trip to be so tremendous, so he had specifically asked Chu Yongxin to hire a skipper to help sail the boat to Xiamen.

The fuel cost would be the same if they sailed it themselves. They just needed to pay the skipper's fee and reimburse his return ticket. This cost was less than a quarter of the fuel for the whole trip.

For convenience, Chu Mingcheng naturally didn't mind this small expense.

Therefore, the fishing boat had actually been in its berth for over half a month.

Setting off, the weather was beautiful today, with bright sunshine. Jiang Luoluo was at the helm in the cockpit. Chu Mingcheng took a rope and tied it across the gunwales on both sides, then went into the bedroom to get the quilts to hang up and air out.

Three hours later, a sharp whistle sounded near the deserted island.

Chu Mingcheng had marked the navigation. His first stop was the deserted island to check on the little sea lion.

But the two waited on the deck for a long time without any sign of it.

Jiang Luoluo said worriedly, "Do you think something happened to the little sea lion?"

What she said was very possible, but Chu Mingcheng still tried to be optimistic. "Maybe it left. You stay and handle the boat—I'll go ashore and take a look."

He then brought the fishing boat alongside the reef. He climbed from the bow of the foredeck onto the reef island and took a walk around.

He didn't find the little sea lion, nor did he find any traces of it having lived there.

In this situation, either it had died, or it had encountered its own kind and left.

Unable to find it, Chu Mingcheng could only return to the boat and take Jiang Luoluo diving to practice.