A Whale Shark this large wouldn’t even feel the small fishhook, even if it was snagged in its flesh.
It had only noticed the tug and followed the force to the surface when Yun Jiao pulled on the fishing rod earlier.
The Whale Shark obediently opened its mouth.
And its mouth was truly enormous.
When it opened its mouth, Yun Jiao clearly felt a powerful suction. She quickly swam underneath the Whale Shark’s belly.
Only after its mouth was fully open did she swim back.
Nearby, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe were just approaching when they saw Yun Jiao disappear right into the Whale Shark’s mouth. They gasped, and their vision momentarily went black.
"Jiaojiao!"
If that giant fish accidentally closed its mouth and swallowed, it would be a disaster!
Yun Jiao, who was inside the Whale Shark’s mouth removing the hook, was startled by the loud shout. She poked her head back out and turned to look at the two concerned adults with an innocent, bewildered expression.
"Dad, what’s wrong?"
Yun Linhai took a deep breath. "What’s wrong? Do you have any idea what this fish is? And you just climb right inside!"
The two men drew closer, eyeing the massive Whale Shark with extreme caution.
It was immense—so much bigger than the killer whales.
"It only eats tiny fish and shrimp. Its teeth are super small."
As she spoke, Yun Jiao pried open the Whale Shark’s mouth to show them, proving she was telling the absolute truth.
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe leaned in for a look. The big fellow’s teeth really were tiny.
But that mouth...
"It could swallow you whole in one gulp."
An adult could fit inside that huge mouth.
Yun Jiao tossed the hook aside and shouted to Fu Mingyu on the shore, "Fu Mingyu, reel in the line!"
Her voice wasn’t loud enough, so it wasn’t until Yun Linhai shouted as well that Fu Mingyu started reeling the line back in.
After their initial fear and caution, they discovered the Whale Shark was truly gentle.
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe, who wouldn’t even dare get too close to killer whales, circled the Whale Shark once, growing excited.
"Ah, we should’ve brought Xiao Fu’s camera. We could take a picture of this big fella."
A picture like that would look so impressive.
Yun Linhe said, "That won’t work. Can the camera even go in the water?"
His eyes lit up. "Jiaojiao, can you ask it not to leave yet? I’ll go get the boat and bring Xiao Fu over so he can see it up close too."
Yun Jiao nodded. "Of course."
Her uncle left, but Yun Linhai was still worried and stayed behind.
Yun Jiao, meanwhile, played with the Whale Shark.
She tried to communicate with it.
"Do you have a name? Do you have a pod?"
"How old are you?"
"How did you end up swallowing my hook?"
To most of her questions, the Whale Shark indicated it didn’t know.
Fish don’t have names, Whale Sharks are solitary creatures without pods, and it had no idea how old it was.
After all, fish don’t keep track of time.
As for swallowing the hook, that was purely a coincidence.
Yun Jiao’s hook had landed right in the middle of a small school of fish that the Whale Shark had been herding.
When a Whale Shark hunts, it just opens its mouth wide and inhales. All the little fish, shrimp, and plankton get sucked in all at once.
Naturally, Yun Jiao’s hook was sucked in along with them.
After getting the Whale Shark’s permission, Yun Jiao climbed onto its back.
Its back was so broad, especially the part by its head.
Unlike a killer whale, a Whale Shark’s body is mostly flat, with a very wide back.
Yun Jiao climbed up and found she could roll around on it.
This was an adult Whale Shark, probably over a dozen meters long.
While Yun Jiao was having fun, Yun Linhe returned on the boat with Fu Mingyu.
"Xiao Fu, want to get in and play? This big fish really doesn’t bite."
As soon as he arrived, Fu Mingyu snapped several photos of the Whale Shark and Yun Jiao on its back.
It was a magnificent sight.
This was the second time he had seen such a massive sea creature. The first, of course, was the pod of killer whales Yun Jiao had brought with her before.
The sense of awe he’d felt that first time was unparalleled; not even this Whale Shark, which was bigger than the killer whales, could compare.
But for a boy who had lived his whole life inland, his first trip to the ocean—though a bit harrowing—had shown him a world vaster than any he had seen in his seven years.
Hearing Yun Linhe’s question, he shook his head. "I can’t swim."
Yun Jiao said, "It’s okay if you can’t swim! I’ll have it carry you."
In the end, with encouragement from the two adults and Yun Jiao, Fu Mingyu decided to give it a try.
Since he couldn’t swim, Yun Linhe and Yun Linhai helped him over.
He was surprisingly brave, showing little fear in the face of the Whale Shark.
The Whale Shark was so large that there was more than enough room for two children to roll around on its back.
Yun Jiao patted the Whale Shark’s head. "I’ll open some oysters for you later."
’With a mouth this big, I’ll have to open a ton of oysters just for it to taste anything,’ she thought. ’But it’s been playing with us, so it deserves a little reward.’
Once he was on the Whale Shark’s back, even the usually expressionless boy grew a little excited.
His eyes, in particular, were visibly sparkling with joy.
The corners of his mouth also curved up into a noticeable smile.
Of course, compared to the rich tapestry of expressions on Yun Jiao’s face, his own were still pitifully scarce.
"Fu Mingyu, you’re smiling!"
Fu Mingyu touched the corners of his own lips.
"Mm."
He could feel it. He was very happy right now.
’So this is what happiness feels like.’
Yun Linhe got back on the boat and, holding the camera, began snapping photos of them. CLICK-CLICK.
The Whale Shark swam slowly across the surface with the two of them on its back, while Yun Linhai rowed the boat, following along.
"WAHAHAHA..."
"When my brothers find out about this, they’re definitely going to pester Dad and Uncle to take them out to sea again."
"Fu Mingyu, when you get the photos developed, you have to give us a copy! I’ll pay you for it."
Fu Mingyu said little, so most of the sound was just Yun Jiao’s cheerful chattering.
"You don’t have to."
Fu Mingyu said, "You don’t have to buy them."
He was also very happy today. He had never been this happy in his entire life.
The boundless azure sea, the colossal figure of the Whale Shark clearly visible within it, and the two beautiful children on its back, each in their own way. Bathed in the light of the blue sky with distant seabirds in the background, the moment was frozen in time.
When they had played their fill, Fu Mingyu was helped back to the boat. Yun Jiao, however, stayed in the water, swimming all around the Whale Shark like a beautiful sea sprite frolicking beside her giant friend.
"Dad, open lots of oysters!"
"We know, we know."
The oysters, of course, were for the Whale Shark.
There were still plenty of oysters on the island. They could always go back for more after feeding the fish.
"Keep an eye out for pearls!"
The words had barely left Yun Jiao’s mouth when a surprised cry came from Yun Linhe.
"A pearl! I opened one with a pearl in it!"
Immediately after, Yun Linhai opened one with a pearl too.
Only Fu Mingyu remained quiet.
He said nothing, simply continuing to shuck the oysters.
But he still wasn’t very strong, so opening the oysters was a real struggle for him.
"I’ll help!"
Having had her fun in the water, Yun Jiao climbed back onto the boat to help shuck oysters.
They put the shucked oyster meat into a bucket.
Yun Jiao’s first oyster didn’t have a pearl, but her second one revealed a large, perfectly round one.
It was over 8mm, and its luster was far more beautiful than the other oyster pearls.
"Dad, Uncle, I found a big one!"
Fu Mingyu looked utterly dejected.
’It’s confirmed,’ he thought. ’My luck is terrible. The universe is out to get me!’