"I like it," Shi Jing said with a smile, "but I'm not very talented at fishing, I'm basically just a casual participant."

When Shi Jing was little, she would occasionally go to the countryside for summer vacation, and she often saw people fishing. She was also curious, and when she got older, she even bought a fishing rod to try, but unfortunately, she never caught a single fish.

Even so, Shi Jing was quite interested in watching others fish.

"We happen to have extra fishing rods at home, so let's play together."

As soon as Zhao Xunkan finished speaking, he immediately stood up, and Shi Jing also put down her nearly empty milk tea cup.

Mr. Zhao has recently taken up fishing with some old friends, but his fishing skills are really not very good. In order to improve his skills and not embarrass himself in front of his old friends, he has been putting a lot of effort into fishing lately.

When the two went out, they saw that the old man was still staring intently at the fishing line, afraid of missing even the slightest opportunity to pull the rod.

They didn't disturb the old man, and sat down some distance away. Together they prepared the fish food and cast their lines.

The spring sunshine was not scorching, and a gentle breeze rippled across the lake, making it comfortable and pleasant.

Zhao Xunkan sat on a small stool, gently moving his fishing rod as he asked curiously, "Uncle Nan told me you're a freshman at Beijing University?"

"yes."

"Not really."

"What do you mean?" Shi Jing glanced at him. "Are you saying I look old or young?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Zhao Xunkan chuckled. “I just felt that you didn’t have the air of a student.”

Shi Jing hadn't paid attention to this before, but she didn't mind what Zhao Xunkan said. She had lived for over twenty years in her previous life, and another four or five years had passed since her rebirth, so it was normal for her to be more mature.

"Really? Then I'll take that as a compliment on my maturity," Shi Jing said with a smile.

The two were chatting casually when suddenly they heard some excited shouts.

"Hey, I caught one! I caught one!"

The two turned around and saw a lively little fish on the old man's hook. Although the fish was small, the joy of the catch was obvious, and the old man could hardly stop smiling.

This was the old man's first fish of the day. He happily took it off the hook and put it in the bucket before he could focus on anything else. Turning his head, he saw his grandson and Shi Jing fishing as well, and his eyes lit up.

"Hey Xiaoshi, you're here! How was your haul?"

Shi Jing and his family knew their own situation and did not have high expectations for the harvest.

However, she didn't show it. Instead, she greeted the old man first: "Hello, Grandpa Zhao."

After saying that, he smiled and added, "I just started casting, I don't know if I'll have any success."

"Hey, don't rush, you can't be impatient when fishing," the old man said with a smile.

“Okay, I understand,” Shi Jing replied.

The old man was eager to strike while the iron was hot, so he didn't chat for too long. Seeing that Shi Jing was also fishing, he happily returned to his small stool to continue fishing.

Shi Jing was well aware of his fishing luck, but when Zhao Xunkan pulled up his fishing rod for the umpteenth time and caught something, Shi Jing was still somewhat helpless.

Zhao Xunkan has already caught five fish. The old man has also caught three, but her bucket is still empty.

"It seems you're not very popular with the fish."

Seeing the envy on Shi Jing's face, Zhao Xunkan couldn't help but laugh.

"Sigh, even though I already knew, the comparison is still too stark." Shi Jing couldn't help but laugh.

The three of them fished by the lake for more than an hour. As the weather gradually cooled down, the Zhao family's steward came out to remind them that the temperature was dropping, and the three of them packed up their lines and went home.

Shi Jing didn't need to collect the fishing gear himself; the Zhao family's servants came to help. The old man didn't care about anything else; he just focused on carrying his bucket to hold his catch.

While holding the bucket, he looked at Zhao Xunkan's catch and couldn't help but say, "I didn't realize there were so many fish in this lake. I'll have your dad ask you to release some more fish fry in later."

After saying that, he looked at Shi Jing and invited with a smile, "Xiao Shi, don't be discouraged if you didn't get anything. I'll have someone cook the fish for you later, so you can eat more tonight."

"This..." Shi Jing hadn't expected to be asked to stay for dinner. She had only come to pay a visit, and it felt inappropriate for her to stay for a meal.

"It's alright, my parents and brother also want to meet you. Stay and try the fish Grandpa caught today."

Shi Jing hesitated for a moment, but then agreed.

"Okay. I definitely want to try the fish you caught."

Dinner was prepared by the Zhao family's chef. When Old Master Zhao heard that Shi Jing had brought a box of fine tea, he pretended to be serious and told Shi Jing not to do this again next time. After saying that, he took out his own tea set and brewed a pot of tea.

"Come on, the meal won't be ready for a while. Let's have some tea and snacks first."

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Zhao." Shi Jing took the teacup, took a sip, and found the tea to be fragrant and indeed quite good.

"How's school lately? Are your classmates easy to get along with?" The old man asked Shi Jing as he sipped his tea.

"It went very smoothly, and the classmates were all easy to get along with."

Shi Jing spoke the truth. Apart from Cai Jiajia, everyone in the dorm got along well. Although Cai Jiajia was arrogant and didn't like to talk to people, she was quite easy to manage; she hadn't caused any trouble in almost a year, and her temper seemed much better than when she was younger.

"That's good." The old man nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Don't be afraid if anyone bullies you, Grandpa will teach them a lesson for you."

Shi Jing couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. She didn't know why the old man found her so agreeable, but regardless of whether it was just polite talk, she was still quite happy that the old man had said he was willing to stand up for her.

"Is the company doing well? I heard from Xiao Kan's dad that you've started a few small companies."

Shi Jing was taken aback for a moment, but not surprised. It was normal for a family of Zhao's status to investigate the people around them.

She paused for only a moment before realizing what was happening, and replied with a smile, "Everything is fine, things are progressing smoothly."

What the two said surprised Zhao Xunkan. It was as if he had just learned that Shi Jing also ran a company.

"No wonder I felt you had a mature air about you," Zhao Xunkan said thoughtfully.

Shi Jing smiled.

She felt she had matured a lot, so she took it as a compliment.

"What do you know, kid?" The old man rolled his eyes at his grandson and said irritably, "You're not a kid anymore, it's time to find something serious to do."

"Grandpa, I understand," Zhao Xunkan replied.

"Why don't you go to the family company to get some experience first?" the old man suggested.

"Grandpa, you're here again." Zhao Xunkan said helplessly, it sounded like this topic had been brought up more than once.

Zhao Xunkan looked at Shi Jing, his eyes flickered, and he quickly shifted the blame: "Grandpa, it's rare for Miss Shi to come over. You two chat first, I'll go ask Mom when she'll be back."

After saying that, he ran away in a flash.