Super Rich: Spend money on handsome guys and get cashback, turning your life around

Chapter 136 Fishing

A gentle breeze rippled across the water, creating countless tiny ripples that shimmered in the sunlight.

On the shore, Bai Li, dressed in a simple yet elegant long dress, sat lazily at her carefully arranged fishing spot, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat that perfectly covered most of her face, revealing only her beautifully shaped chin.

A handcrafted carbon fiber fishing rod rests quietly in her hand, the fishing line dangling into the water, seemingly blending into the tranquil world.

This is Bai Li's private fishpond in Southeast Asia.

That is, one of the prizes I received from the Wheel of Fortune two years ago.

I haven't had time to come and inspect it before, but this time it's a good place to stay.

Although it's called a private fishpond, it's actually a private resort island.

The entire island is Shirai's private property.

Because it's a tropical island, it enjoys a spring-like climate year-round, with flowers blooming in abundance, interspersed with various tropical green plants, including many exceptionally rare varieties such as traveler's palm, foxtail palm, and traveler's tree...

The fishpond is also extremely large, divided into freshwater ponds and saltwater ponds. The place where Bai Li is currently is a saltwater pond. The water is as clear as pure crystal. Standing on the shore, you can clearly see all kinds of colorful saltwater fish swimming in the water. There are many varieties, which means that they have been well raised by the NPCs here.

Besides the fishponds, the island also features several exquisite wooden villas, all built in a distinctive Southeast Asian architectural style that blends perfectly with the surrounding natural environment. However, the interiors are decorated in a modern and luxurious style, offering exceptional comfort.

On the villa's balcony, there are lounge chairs and coffee tables made with top-quality rattan weaving techniques, and the cushions on the lounge chairs are made of the finest alpaca wool.

Here, you can enjoy the gentle caress of the sun and take in the picturesque scenery of the fishpond and the surrounding area.

Whether it's the first rays of sunlight in the morning or the magnificent sunset in the evening, it's a unique kind of romance in a wonderful vacation experience.

Unfortunately, Bai Li wasn't here for a vacation; she was all alone, and she really wasn't in the mood for one.

—On the first day after Jingye left, I missed him.

"Miss Bai, the fishing is going well today."

A gentle voice came from behind, breaking the brief silence.

Ah Yu, the NPC administrator of the fishpond, dressed in a neat and tidy light-colored uniform, slowly approached and handed Bai Li a glass of chilled lemonade.

Bai Li turned her head at the sound, her slender fingers gently brushing away the strands of hair that had been ruffled by the sea breeze. She simply took the water glass and put it aside, letting out a dejected "hmm."

Her gaze remained fixed on the calm surface of the fishpond, her lips slightly pursed, the corners of her mouth downturned, and a hint of barely perceptible loneliness in her eyes.

Ah Yu's gaze fell on the fishing rod in Bai Li's hand, which hadn't moved for a long time, and then she looked at the calm, still water, and softly reminded her:

"Miss Bai, fish are actually very smart. They know when to bite the hook and when to dodge it."

"If the bait stays quietly in the water for a long time without making any noise, the fish will become wary."

A gentle sea breeze rustled through the trees and shrubs along the pond's edge, carrying a faint, salty scent. Ah Yu continued, "..."

"Only active, energetic baits can successfully attract the attention of fish. You can try shaking the fishing rod."

Upon hearing this, Bai Li did not refuse. She simply gripped the fishing rod gently, exerted a little force in her wrist, and rhythmically shook it up and down.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the surface of the fishpond, and at the same time, the fishing rod in her hand felt a slight but real pull. Although the pull was not strong, it made Bai Li's heart beat faster.

They actually took the bait?

As the fishing rod slowly rose, a super plump fish leaped out of the water. Sunlight shone on its body, making its scales shimmer with dazzling light. It then vigorously twisted its body, splashing water everywhere.

"It's a sapphire spotted fish!" Ah Yu clapped her hands in congratulations, genuinely happy for Bai Li's harvest.

"The joy of fishing really isn't in the fish itself," Bai Li murmured to herself, her voice so soft it seemed as if it could be instantly blown away by the sea breeze.

Her thoughts drifted away involuntarily.

Fishing is actually not much different from what she's doing now.

The bait was like her meticulously planned scheme, while the Green Vine Organization was the cunning fish.

Only by offering enticing bait can you entice them to bite the hook, driven by greed.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

Bai Li took out her phone from her pocket; the screen displayed an encrypted message from the black market.

Mission successful.

Bai Li's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

In other words, the gout medication taken by the head of the Qing Teng family has been successfully replaced.

The first step of the plan was successfully completed.

"It seems the first 'fish' has taken the bait," Bai Li said softly. She gently bent down and released the plump sapphire-blue spotted fish back into the water.

The fish flicked its tail and quickly disappeared into the water, leaving only ripples that gradually faded away.

Bai Li stood up, turned around, and left the fishpond.

The sea breeze ruffled her hair, and her clothes fluttered in the wind.

It's time to add new bait; she doesn't have much time left.

The chaos within the Qing Teng family has only just begun.

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“The old man was already unconscious last night. It was a problem with the medication. I’ve already disposed of that whole group of medical staff.”

The Third Elder's voice was low and cold, devoid of any emotion, as if he were recounting a trivial matter.

The jade pipe rang crisply against the sandalwood table, the smoke swirling like venomous snakes in the conference room. His gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on the center of the table. "Tell me," he said, "who did it?"

The family's medicine supply channels are a closely guarded secret.

Aside from key family members, it's very difficult for outsiders to obtain such top-secret information.

Now that this crucial link has encountered a problem, it is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the family's heart, and this is a trivial matter that cannot be tolerated.

The twelve-member council was surrounded by people; this was one of their few family meetings.

The desktop was covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

—Last night, when the head of the household fell ill, he used an antique Tang sword to chop at this century-old black rosewood wooden table.

At this moment, the young heir of the eighth branch suddenly chuckled, his gilded cufflinks reflecting a cold light: "Three days ago, when that batch of Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain was seized by Interpol in international waters, I said that there were traitors among us."

The Second Elder sat to one side, his face calm as still water, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed the gilded pocket watch in his hand, the Sanskrit inscriptions on the surface flickering in the morning light: "It wasn't me, I just returned from Congo. But you, you sent someone to take care of the old man, are you putting on a show of the thief crying 'stop thief'?"

The Second Elder's voice was unhurried, yet carried a subtle hint of mockery.

"Don't make false accusations here..."

……

Outside the window, the rain was pouring down, with large raindrops pounding against the glass, making a loud, pattering sound, as if it were the prelude to the end of the world.

Inside the manor, a six-meter-tall Siamese statue flickers in the lightning, its mysterious face appearing even more eerie in the interplay of light and shadow, as if coldly observing this internal family conflict.

Just as the argument was raging in the room, the person in charge of the Fourth Elder suddenly burst in, and rainwater seeped through his black trench coat, leaving blood-like stains on the Persian carpet.

His breathing was rapid, and his face showed barely concealed panic.

"The cargo ship carrying the Angkor Wat golden Buddha in the Gulf of Thailand was intercepted by the coast guard fifteen minutes ago, and the cargo on board is probably lost."

The Fourth Elder's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the teacup in his hand suddenly shattered, leaving winding water marks on his sleeve from the scalding hot Junshan Silver Needle tea.

He was completely unaware, with only one thought echoing in his mind: this was the Mekong River route he had opened against all odds, a route that had cost him countless efforts and money, and it had been exposed so soon after it opened.

A ruthless glint flashed in his sinister eyes as he quickly swept his gaze over the people opposite him.

These people have always been very envious of this flight route.

Is it them?

“This is not normal.” The elder spoke slowly, his withered fingers tracing the fresh cracks on the table, his voice low and hoarse.

In smuggling, losses are normal. If you're unlucky or don't have the right connections, the goods might be discovered, but this is a low-probability event.

The fact that two low-probability events have occurred simultaneously raises suspicions that someone might be deliberately plotting something behind the scenes.

A strong sense of unease welled up in the Grand Elder's heart, and he felt that something was gradually getting out of control.

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In a secluded hideout, Jingye sat alone in a dimly lit room. The walls around him were marked with the marks of time, and a lone lamp flickered overhead, casting shadows that danced across his face.

He stared intently at the communication device in his hand. The moment the latest news came into view, a fleeting look of surprise flashed across his usually calm and composed eyes, a brief but unseen moment that betrayed the turmoil within him.

In fact, Bai Li was not the only one eyeing the Qing Teng family's smuggling chain; Jing Ye also had his sights firmly set on the chain.

During his long years of serving this family, he knew clearly that the smuggling chain was like the "seven inches" of a snake to the Qing Teng family—the most fatal and sensitive vital point.

As long as we can firmly grasp the key information of this smuggling chain, it is equivalent to seizing the lifeline.

The reason they were able to escape unscathed from the Qing Teng family was because they possessed information about their smuggling network, which they could use as leverage to threaten them.

However, as time goes by, most of those former bargaining chips have lost their effectiveness and are no longer enough to compete with or challenge the Qing Teng family.

In order to make the Qing Teng family completely hesitant to act, and to get rid of their constant entanglement and live a peaceful life, Jing Ye knew that she had to accumulate more powerful leverage.

So, three days ago, he deliberately let his informant discover a financial report with extremely realistic forgery, seemingly by accident.

Every piece of data and every detail on this report was meticulously designed by him, taking a lot of time and effort, and was so realistic that it could easily be mistaken for the real thing.

When news of this financial loophole reached the Qing Teng family, everything unfolded exactly as Jing Ye had predicted.

In order to plug any potential financial loopholes, the family's audit team immediately launched a comprehensive audit of the data system.

At the critical moment of the verification, he immediately infiltrated the group and quietly connected a specially made signaling device to the family's data system.

The verification was completed, and no one noticed the extra string of code that appeared during the server upgrade.

All of the Qing Teng family's smuggling ships are equipped with an advanced Beidou + Galileo dual-mode positioning system. This seemingly robust protection has become their fatal weakness.

After a period of in-depth analysis of massive amounts of data, Jingye finally succeeded in cracking the precise geographical locations of several important new smuggling chains belonging to the Qing Teng family.

However, just as he was preparing to launch an operation based on this crucial clue, he was shocked to learn that these new smuggling chains had already been destroyed in advance.

This sudden turn of events plunged Jingye into deep confusion.

According to his extensive inquiries over this period, the situation in the Qing Teng family is currently in complete chaos.

Within the family, due to the patriarch's mental instability, the infighting among the various factions intensifies, with each faction resorting to any means to undermine the other in their struggle for supreme power.

The already crumbling power structure collapsed in this internal strife.

Externally, Interpol and the domestic cultural relics administration, having received accurate information from unknown sources, launched a precise crackdown on its smuggling network.

Smuggling ships were intercepted one after another, precious cultural relics were recovered in batches, and illegal trading channels hidden in the dark were exposed one by one.

The Qing Teng family is clearly going to suffer a huge loss this time, and I haven't even had a chance to implement my subsequent plans yet.

Is all of this really just due to internal family strife?

Or……

Jingye frowned; this wasn't the first time he'd had this feeling.

Looking back on the previous actions, I always felt as if there was a mysterious and powerful force targeting the Qing Teng family in the dark, like an invisible hand controlling everything from behind.

However, regardless of the faction, it is undoubtedly a good thing for him.

These recent upheavals have drawn almost all of the family's attention, and I seem to have been completely ignored.

Compared to the major issues concerning the survival of the family, the problems he was involved in seemed insignificant.

If the Qing Teng family could be wiped out, it would undoubtedly be a great thing, and the gloom that had shrouded his heart for many years would be completely dispelled.

He will be able to safely return to Bai Li's side...

If Shirai still needs him.

He will personally apologize to her...

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In the manor's meeting room, the arguing among the twelve elders nearly lifted the roof off.

Such scenes have been occurring frequently recently.

In just one month, the number of family meetings exceeded the total number of meetings held throughout the entire previous year.

"Shut up, all of you!" The Third Elder slammed his hand on the table, his jade pipe cracking on the sandalwood surface. "The most important thing now is to find the mole!"

Before the words were even finished, the conference room door was suddenly kicked open, and someone stumbled in: "It's terrible! Interpol has raided our warehouse in the Gulf of Thailand!"

The elder's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the teacup in his hand shattered with a "crack".

That's not just his core business, but the business of his entire family.

Who could be so cruel?

If only the smuggling chain is damaged, the resulting losses can be compensated, but the warehouse is the lifeblood of the family.

Moreover, the warehouse in the Gulf of Thailand is one of their largest warehouses.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Although none of you here are particularly virtuous, those who have reached this position are certainly not foolish.

They immediately realized that this was no longer a family feud, but most likely an attack from the outside.

They've probably been tricked!