Chapter 518: Catching Fish

"You... open this door!" A sharp pain shot through the back of Angela’s hand. She instinctively swung back, but her palm smacked squarely against the door. She hissed in pain and, unable to contain her fury, kicked the door and yelled.

"Angela, that’s enough!" Yarn, returning from the dining hall, saw Angela throwing a fit in front of Su Qing’s room. A wave of anger rushed over him. He strode forward, seized Angela’s wrist, and snapped, "Go back to your room right now. Have you no shame, making a scene like this?"

Because of Angela’s obsession with marrying him, Yarn had started to feel an involuntary aversion to her.

"Yarn, you’re taking her side against me?" Angela glared at Yarn, furious. "Tell me, are you interested in her? Your attitude toward me was never this awful before. You’re the one who’s being unreasonable today!"

"Angela, can you please not drag other people into our problems? I’ve only just met Susan." Yarn found Angela completely unreasonable. "Please, try to be rational."

"I..." Angela still saw Su Qing as a threat. She could tell this girl was prettier than she was; Yarn must have taken a liking to her.

Before Angela could finish, Su Qing threw open her door. "If you two have personal matters to discuss, I’d appreciate it if you’d take them to your own rooms," she said icily. "Don’t disturb my rest out here."

"I’m so sorry, Miss Susan," Yarn said quickly to Su Qing. "Angela disturbed you. I apologize on her behalf."

Seeing Yarn’s sincere attitude, Su Qing couldn’t bring herself to remain cold. "Then please keep an eye on her," she said. "Don’t let her come and disturb my peace again."

"Yes, of course. I’m truly sorry," Yarn said hurriedly. Then, ignoring Angela’s struggles, he dragged her back to his room.

Su Qing glanced at the onlookers still gathered in the hallway but said nothing more before closing her door. Afterward, the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves. Those who knew Angela and Yarn speculated in hushed tones about what could have possibly happened between them and Su Qing.

For the next two or three days, neither Angela nor Yarn came to bother her again, and Su Qing was left in peace. She wasn’t one to seek out crowds, so aside from eating, sleeping, and enjoying the sea breeze and the view from the deck, she spent her time in her room contemplating how to deal with Master Zhang and his entourage.

「On this day.」

Su Qing, bored of staying in her room, had a sudden thought. ’The scenery on the ocean’s surface is getting a little old. I could try exploring the seabed! My Domain has a three-kilometer radius, which is more than enough to reach the bottom. Who knows, maybe I can even grab some seafood to store in my space while I’m at it.’

Deciding to act at once, Su Qing left her room and went out onto the deck. She stood by the ship’s rail as several Vine Seeds slipped silently from her hand into the water. They latched firmly onto the ship’s hull, and in an instant, the seeds sprouted several vines that began to snake their way down toward the seabed.

A slight smile played on Su Qing’s lips. To any observer, she was watching the seagulls flying far off in the sky, but her true focus was fixed on the ocean floor.

Just then, Su Qing’s eyes practically sparkled. Far below, she spotted a massive, ball-shaped school of fish heading her way. A closer look revealed it to be a mixed school of yellowfin tuna and bonito.

Su Qing was practically bursting with joy. Tuna was her absolute favorite, and bonito was incredibly tasty as well.

Su Qing quickly directed the vines toward the enormous bait ball. Worried that a few vines wouldn’t be enough, she spurred the growth of many more. In an instant, in the ocean depths roughly three hundred meters beneath the *Jixiang*, dozens of vines were dancing wildly, periodically snatching up yellowfin tuna and bonito, binding them tightly, and dragging them toward the surface.

Su Qing steadied herself against the rail. As the vines neared the ship’s hull, a single thought from her sent dozens of yellowfin tuna and bonito into her pocket dimension. She looked inside her space at the seven or eight yellowfin tuna, each one to two meters long and weighing between one and two hundred pounds, along with the dozens of bonito. The smile on her face widened. ’Looks like the ocean’s bounty is just as tempting as the mountains’. Why didn’t I think of fishing out here before? Well, it’s not too late. I’ll be at sea for the next few days, so I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.’

"Miss Susan, you seem very happy." Su Qing had been so focused on the depths below that she hadn’t noticed anyone approaching. She turned her head in surprise when Yarn’s voice sounded beside her.

"Mr. Yarn." Su Qing’s smile vanished. "You probably shouldn’t stand so close to me. I have no desire to have Miss Angela kick down my door again."

"I am so sorry about what happened the other day," Yarn said quickly. "I’ve been wanting to apologize, but I haven’t had the opportunity. I hope you can forgive me."

"You weren’t the one who kicked my door," Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow. "You have no need to apologize. However, if you insist on speaking with me, Mr. Yarn, there’s no telling if Miss Angela will pay my door another visit tonight. And if she tries the same stunt again, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do in response. After all, I feel I’m being harassed."

"I know Angela’s behavior has caused you trouble, and I promise it absolutely will not happen again." After apologizing once more, Yarn said to Su Qing, "Miss Susan, I genuinely wish to be your friend. I hope you won’t reject my offer of friendship."

Su Qing replied in a level voice, "Miss Angela mentioned that you’re a scion of the Hall family. And according to her, your family probably wouldn’t approve of its children befriending someone of Chinese descent. So, to avoid causing trouble for either of us, I think it would be best if you kept your distance, Mr. Yarn. I, for one, despise trouble."

Su Qing’s words made the color drain from Yarn’s face. "Do you dislike me that much, Miss Susan?" he asked, his voice full of dejection.

"I don’t dislike you. I dislike trouble."

"I’m sorry for causing you distress." Yarn’s expression was one of pure dejection. ’I was drawn to Su Qing the moment I saw her. Honestly, she’s the first girl who has ever caught my eye like this. Even though she’s Chinese, I truly wanted to be her friend, or maybe even something more. It’s just a shame Angela ruined everything.’

Because he liked Su Qing so much, Yarn didn’t want to cause her any more problems. He knew that if he kept approaching her, he couldn’t fully guarantee Angela wouldn’t go after her. He couldn’t watch Angela twenty-four hours a day, after all.

Watching Yarn walk away, Su Qing assumed they would have no more interactions. Little did she know, the very next day, she would be dragged right back into the drama of his and Angela’s relationship.