Chapter 52: The Wave Snatcher

After arriving at the beach, the three of them—Zhou Yu, Li Tianbiao, and Wang Fugui—took off their shoes. Holding their surfboards, they stepped into the seawater. Once the water slowly reached their waists, Li Tianbiao lay down on his surfboard and began paddling with his hands toward the deeper part of the ocean.

Gouwa Wang Fugui did the same, lying flat on his board and using his hands and feet to paddle forward.

Seeing Wang Fugui’s turtle-like crawling posture, Zhou Yu couldn’t help but laugh. He knew he could never learn a style like that.

“Huzi, lead the way,” he called to Huzi. Then he put on his life jacket, lay down on his surfboard, and paddled forward with his hands.

Both he and Li Tianbiao were using longboards, which were suitable for beginners and had high stability. That guy Wang Fugui, however, was using a shortboard, the kind for skilled surfers.

Hearing Zhou Yu’s command, Huzi beside him let out a low bark. He then swam ahead, leading the way, while occasionally looking back at Zhou Yu.

Wang Fugui, lying on his surfboard, watched as Li Tianbiao and Zhou Yu quickly passed him. He wasn’t in a hurry and continued paddling leisurely. “Brother Universe, Biaozi, don’t paddle so fast. The good waves are still behind.”

Zhou Yu and Li Tianbiao didn’t even turn their heads. They kept paddling forward. Thanks to living by the sea, almost no one in Taoyuan Village couldn’t swim. Everyone could paddle a bit, even if it was just a doggy paddle.

When they were kids, they often swam by the shore. Back then, there were always two or three adults keeping watch, telling the children not to go into the water. But through sneaking around, they had all learned to swim.

Soon, Zhou Yu and Li Tianbiao reached the surfing spot, a good distance from the shore. Some people were already there with their surfboards, waiting for the waves.

For a surfer, perhaps the most important thing wasn’t skill, but patience—waiting for the waves to come.

After a while, Wang Fugui paddled over slowly. Seeing Zhou Yu and Li Tianbiao, he grinned. “Brother Universe, you guys paddled fast, but without waves, it’s no use.”

“Gouwa, is your skin itching again? Want to go by the old rule?” Li Tianbiao glanced at him and immediately pulled out his trump card.

Wang Fugui instantly raised his hands in surrender. “No, Biaozi, I was wrong, okay? I admit it. The old rule—competing with Brother Universe in fishing is just asking for trouble.”

Out in the sea, more than ten people either sat or lay on their surfboards, waiting for the waves. Judging by the nervous looks on some faces, they were probably beginners.

Surfing was very popular abroad, but it was just starting to develop domestically. Most people didn’t know how to surf; they just held a surfboard and played along with the small waves for a while.

“The waves are coming! The waves are coming!” a person at the very front suddenly shouted excitedly from his surfboard.

This shout broke the surrounding calm. Many people stood up, preparing to surf. They checked their safety leashes and maintained a safe distance from other surfers nearby.

Zhou Yu stood on his surfboard, gazing into the distance. The previously calm sea surface now had waves rolling in, rushing toward them.

He quickly adjusted his position, bending his knees slightly. Then he said to Huzi on the front of the surfboard, “Huzi, stand steady. We’re going to ride this.”

Huzi stood on the surfboard, barked at Zhou Yu, and stood straight with his legs, staring ahead.

Just then, Zhou Yu suddenly felt a push, making his body tremble slightly. He stood firmly on the surfboard, keeping his legs tight. At the front of the wave, he adjusted his body with the rise and fall of the sea, always moving quickly along with the wave’s momentum.

After that smaller wave passed, a bigger wave rushed in from behind, almost catching up to him. Zhou Yu quickly crouched a little, shifting his weight back to keep the surfboard balanced. He then sped toward the shore with the wave.

Throughout, he didn’t use any fancy moves. For someone who hadn’t surfed many times, being able to ride the wave was already pretty good.

Huzi on the front of the surfboard kept barking excitedly. During the ride, Zhou Yu was surprised to see Huzi adjusting his own body, seemingly helping to keep the surfboard balanced.

Riding the wind and moving with the waves, leaving a beautiful trail in the water—it was an indescribable thrill. Watching the waves always behind him, unable to catch up, brought a satisfaction that many sports couldn’t provide.

After getting used to the rhythm of the waves, Zhou Yu took a moment to look behind him. Some people had been knocked down by the waves, lying on their surfboards with looks of despair. Others followed beside or behind him, riding the waves toward the shore.

Wave after wave chased behind them, giving them even greater pushes. Zhou Yu also let out an excited shout.

Then, suddenly, someone on a surfboard quickly shot past him from the side. The force nearly made Zhou Yu lose his balance.

Zhou Yu glared at him angrily, only to see the guy whistle back at him.

Huzi growled fiercely. If they were on land, he would have chased after him right away. “Brother Universe, that guy just stole my wave. Hurry to the shore; don’t let him get away!” Wang Fugui’s annoyed voice came from not far behind.

Zhou Yu glanced back. Wang Fugui looked furious. No wonder Gouwa, who had some surfing experience, hadn’t caught up—his wave had been stolen. This guy seemed pretty arrogant, not only snatching waves but also ignoring safe distances.

Looking at the guy ahead who was paddling quickly and showing off some fancy moves, Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes. “Huzi, focus on keeping our balance.” Through his earlier attempts, he already knew that Huzi helped him maintain balance. This allowed him to have greater control over the surfboard.

Huzi barked, his body tensing up. Zhou Yu then applied force to the surfboard, changing direction to chase a bigger wave. Using its push, he sped up.

During this, Huzi kept adjusting his body, working with Zhou Yu to keep the surfboard balanced. If they lost balance, the fast-approaching wave behind would slam them right into the sea.

With Huzi’s help, Zhou Yu didn’t have to worry too much about his own skills. Riding the big wave quickly, he got closer and closer to the wave-snatching guy.

With the help of an even bigger wave, he zipped past the guy at high speed, splashing water everywhere. As he passed, he gave the guy a disdainful look and flipped him the middle finger.

This guy looked to be in his twenties, with a buzzed haircut and a gold chain around his neck, giving off a very arrogant vibe.

Huzi on the front of the surfboard also barked twice at the guy, almost like he was mocking him.

Seeing that he had been mocked by a person and a dog who just passed him, Buzzed Hair with Gold Chain couldn’t take it. He adjusted his direction and started chasing after Zhou Yu.

But no matter how hard he tried, Zhou Yu always stayed ahead, even blocking his path at times.

A couple of times, when he got blocked, Buzzed Hair with Gold Chain almost got flipped over by the waves behind him, making him curse angrily.

Wang Fugui, some distance behind them, saw all this and laughed heartily. Whether Zhou Yu could hear him or not, he shouted, “Brother Universe, well done!”