Shocking! The Protagonist of the Mpreg Story Is a Straight Man - Chapter 23

Pei Nan was clearly evading him because of what happened that morning. Xue Xingqi didn’t want to push him too hard, fearing that it might backfire and drive the “straight man” further away. In any case, he had plenty of patience and time; it was better to wait for Pei Nan to slowly enlighten himself. In his view, the fact that Pei Nan felt embarrassed about the morning’s events meant he wasn’t far from realizing the truth.

He acted as if he were casually covering up the morning incident, and Pei Nan, with unspoken understanding, did not bring it up again.

“Let’s have a meal before we head back. The iron-pot stewed fish they make here is quite delicious. You can catch the fish yourself do you want to give it a try?”

Xue Xingqi pointed toward the row of fishing rods in the lobby and the adjacent photo wall.

Pei Nan looked over and noticed that quite a few people had fished here before. The people in the photos were holding the large fish they had caught, smiling like children. He scanned the entire photo wall and noticed that almost no small fish made an appearance.

“Have the fish here been eating growth formula? Why are they all so big?”

Xue Xingqi followed behind Pei Nan and, upon hearing this, speculated, “Maybe people see that only big fish are posted here, so those who catch small ones are too embarrassed to leave their photos. Or perhaps it’s a seasonal thing they specifically come when the fish are plump and sturdy.”

“That makes sense,” Pei Nan said, propping his chin in his hand. “If I caught a small fish, I wouldn’t really want to post it either.”

“Have you ever fished before?”

“No.”

“Then why not try? Actually, once you’ve fished for a long time, you don’t really care whether the fish is big or small. What you enjoy is the process of fishing quietly sitting still and thinking. It’s very effective for calming the mind.”

“What if the fish never takes the bait? Wouldn’t that just make you more anxious and frustrated?”

“You’ll only know if you try.”

Pei Nan was tempted; he did indeed want to try.

Seeing his resolve waver, Xue Xingqi immediately sought out the guesthouse owner to take them to pick out fishing rods.

The rods provided by the guesthouse were naturally inferior to those brought by professional anglers, but Pei Nan, being a beginner, didn’t have high requirements. He simply followed Xue Xingqi’s guidance obediently and picked a rod that felt comfortable in his hand.

Carrying all the fishing equipment and some fresh earthworms Xue Xingqi had dug up from the guesthouse flowerbeds, they walked together toward the riverbank.

The thin sunlight offered little warmth, but the moisture in the air was gradually decreasing. The breeze by the river was cool and refreshing, making Pei Nan feel extremely comfortable.

They set up their seats and adjusted everything, and Xue Xingqi began to instruct Pei Nan on how to cast the line.

After two failed attempts at casting, Xue Xingqi stood behind Pei Nan, teaching him hand-on-hand what kind of strength and angle to use.

It was only then, as he snapped out of the excitement of trying something new, that Pei Nan realized their posture was somewhat inappropriate. Xue Xingqi used the excuse that his foot couldn’t take too much strain, so he was already standing close to him; now, they were practically pressed chest-to-back.

“Do you see this? Your hand needs to go out in this gesture and then pull back. Try it two more times.” Xue Xingqi sensed the body in front of him stiffening slightly, so he quickly finished explaining the key points and took a step back to pick up his own rod. “When you see the float sitting on the water like this, you’re good.”

“Oh, okay, I see.” Pei Nan mechanically swung his arm out and finally managed a successful cast.

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xue Xingqi.

“Sit down. When a fish bites, lift the rod. Keep the line taut so the fish doesn’t bite the hook and escape.” Xue Xingqi signaled for Pei Nan to sit and wait.

They had scattered bait to “nest” the fish before they started, but this was also Xue Xingqi’s first time fishing here. He couldn’t say for sure when the bait would start working, but given the guesthouse owner’s business sense, they likely wouldn’t be allowed to return empty-handed.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the fish began to bite.

Pei Nan pulled them up one by one. The fish were not small, and before long, the bucket was full. They had only brought one bucket, never expecting it to be filled with fish in less than an hour. Pei Nan felt like he hadn’t had enough yet. “Can we take these fish with us?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll go get another bucket.” As a first-time fisherman, Pei Nan wanted to commemorate his current good luck.

Xue Xingqi was about to say he could just ask the owner to bring one over, but Pei Nan moved too quickly, standing up and running off, nearly startling the fish in the water.

As soon as Pei Nan left, Xue Xingqi’s interest plummeted. He propped his rod to the side and took out his phone to reply to accumulated messages.

After replying for a while, he realized one message required a phone call. He had no choice but to walk a bit further away from the bank to avoid scaring the fish. It didn’t matter to him whether he caught anything, but he didn’t want to ruin the fun for the enthusiastic Pei Nan.

As he spoke on the phone, he kept an eye on the small path Pei Nan would have to take to return.

However, in the time it took him to find some documents and send them over, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that “Pei Nan” was already back at the riverbank, rummaging through the fish bucket for something. Xue Xingqi was just about to walk over when he saw the person stand up holding a fish, revealing a profile that he did not recognize.

Xue Xingqi froze in his tracks and immediately used his phone to record the person’s actions.

He keenly sensed that there might be a secret hidden behind this strange behavior.

Through the high-definition lens of his phone, Xue Xingqi saw more clearly. The person was wearing a mask, revealing only their eyes. However, their forehead wasn’t as full as Pei Nan’s, their brow shape wasn’t as handsome as Pei Nan’s, and their eyes certainly lacked Pei Nan’s spark. Only the clothes were identical to what Pei Nan was wearing; from certain angles, it really could pass for the real thing.

But upon closer inspection, it was obvious the person was a hollow imitation; their body proportions were definitely not as good as Pei Nan’s.

He watched the person carry the fish away via another small path before saving the video.

Almost without thinking, Xue Xingqi decided to keep this matter a secret for the time being. Pei Nan was about to compete and shouldn’t be distracted by such things. Xue Xingqi had a faint suspicion in his heart, but before things were settled, he needed to investigate carefully.

“Xue Xingqi, why are you over here?”

Pei Nan came over carrying a bucket and holding two bottles of drinks. “Are you watching your fishing rod?”

“I was making a call.” Xue Xingqi waved his phone. “You’re back just in time. let’s go over together.”

“Your foot seems fine now. Did it heal that fast?”

“It was treated in time. I should thank you. Walking slowly is fine, but if we’re driving, I’ll need you to take the wheel.”

Pei Nan’s eyes lit up. “Really? You trust me to drive?”

“What’s there to be worried about? My car has full insurance and is built like a tank. Just drive.” Walking back to their fishing spot, Xue Xingqi seemingly carelessly dragged the previous bucket of fish to the base of a tree. “Put the new bucket here.”

When away from home, it was best to discard things others had touched. Who knew if that person had taken the opportunity to add something to the water? If it weren’t for the fact that Pei Nan had worked so hard to catch these fish and was looking forward to taking photos to show them off, Xue Xingqi would have disposed of them already.

“Alright. Once this bucket is full, we’ll head back.”

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