"Uh... I remember you mentioned last time that before YOYO joined our company, there were some not-so-pleasant dealings with the TV station.

So, when we sign up for the competition this time, are we going to get the cold shoulder?"

Hearing this, Meng Fan, who had been silent, frowned slightly and asked in an uncertain tone.

Hearing this, Zhang Yang was taken aback. Meng Fan's concern was indeed not unfounded.

Previously, YOYO had almost fallen out with the TV station leadership over contract and advertisement placements, and Wang Yan even pulled a heroic move to save the day with a display of violent aesthetics.

Although things didn't blow up afterwards, the matter wasn't perfectly resolved, and now with the Happy Fishing Channel as one of the event organizers, Meng Fan's worry could indeed be justified as they had the power to make things difficult for us.

After a moment's pause, Zhang Yang scratched his head and continued, "It's possible, but as long as we leave no loopholes, we're not afraid of being treated differently!

TV broadcasts of these sorts of events can't be overly ugly!

Besides, YOYO and Wang Yan aren't participating this time, so we are all fresh faces, there shouldn't be too much of a problem!

Even if push comes to shove and they really make things difficult for us, we aren't easy to mess with either; worst-case scenario, we'll just use social media to expose them and go down together.

If someone like Wang Defa can get thrown behind bars, can Happy Fishing be much harder?

Let's keep a level-headed attitude. These are minor details and shouldn't consume too much of our energy!"

Meng Fan grinned and shrugged, "Uh, when you put it that way, it makes sense. Take life and death lightly, if we disagree, we fight back..."

"Alright, does anyone else have anything to say? If not, let's start preparing early, make sure to bring everything except for bait and minor supplies, and stock up on anything missing from the storeroom.

We'll be there for five days, so pack enough changes of clothes! Old Han will stay behind, everyone else, you're temporarily dismissed. We'll regroup at one in the afternoon and set off together!"

Having arranged the pre-departure preparations, Meng Fan and the others stood up and left the meeting room, leaving the large room with only Zhang Yang and Han Mocheng sitting still.

"What's up? You kept me here, is there anything else that needs special attention?" Han Mocheng pulled out a cigarette and tossed one to Zhang Yang before lighting his own.

Zhang Yang didn't hold back, lit up the cigarette, and took a few drags.

After a few puffs, Zhang Yang slowly said, "About that competition pursuit last time, I found some clues but haven't told you, so mentioning it now before we leave, just keep it in mind!"

"What? You found something? Tell me, what actually happened last time? I'm still confused about it!"

Hearing Zhang Yang bring up the last competition, Han Mocheng suddenly perked up, stopped smoking, and looked at Zhang Yang eagerly for an explanation with big bright eyes.

Zhang Yang said unhurriedly, "Somehow, elements of a fish repellent got mixed into the bait you used in the competition, which caused the exceptionally poor results!"

"What the heck, are you messing with me? I personally prepared the bait, all the materials were brought from home! The only uncontrollable thing might have been the water used to mix the bait, everyone was watching; how could this happen! You weren't there, how did you come to this conclusion?"

Facing Han Mocheng's persistent questioning, Zhang Yang smirked mysteriously, "I'm not joking, I can be a hundred percent certain about this information's accuracy! As for how I found out, you don't need to know, I have my ways."

"Damn! You're still keeping secrets from me! Just spill everything you know, let me analyze it! Aren't we good bros, stop dawdling!"

Not satisfied with Zhang Yang's evasiveness, Han Mocheng pursued the conversation further.

"Alright, I won't keep you in the dark. Someone brought back a sample and I had Yu Dong test it in the laboratory!

The sample contained saponin! Saponin is one of the primary components in tea-seed cake used to poison small nuisance fish in fishery ponds!"

Zhang Yang spread his hands as he disclosed the truth, without mentioning Meng Fan's name.

"Damn!!" At this, Han Mocheng could no longer hold back and stood up abruptly.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Yang glanced at him sideways, showing a bit of dissatisfaction in his expression.

"Is there a mole in the team? We've only got a few people and the relationships are good, who the hell would do this! Isn't it thankless work?"

Han Mocheng stubbed out his half-finished cigarette in the ashtray, his chest heaving visibly, showing strong emotions.

"The issue might not have happened in any particular step! It may not have been our own people pulling tricks!

Stay calm, just keep it in mind, I'm counting on us doing well in the upcoming competition! You get all worked up after just one sentence, how can you lead as the team captain like this?" Zhang Yang shook his head, critiquing.

"Alright, I get it, I'll keep an eye on it!" Han Mocheng returned to his seat, forcibly calming his tangled emotions.

"Now that business is done, let's get going!" Zhang Yang stood up from his seat, heading to the door.

"Don't be in a rush, we're only meeting up in the afternoon, chat a bit more?" Han Mocheng called out to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang shook his head, "Chat about what? I need to go pack clothes and luggage!"

"Come on, I have one last question. Do you have confidence in this leg of the FTT?

Honestly, since I've been at the company, I have a vague feeling that when you compete with the team, and when you aren't with us, the team's performance is different! Since I've known you, I haven't seen you fail at a competition!" Han Mocheng expressed sincerely.

Zhang Yang thought Han Mocheng wanted to chat about something else, but after hearing that, he waved his hand dismissively, "It's not just about the other team members needing to grow, you need to put in more effort too! My role is the domineering CEO, the competitive team captain is your job! I'm off!"

With those words, Zhang Yang left the meeting room, and Han Mocheng didn't give chase. Alone in the room, he lit another cigarette, contemplating Zhang Yang's words deeply.

...

At one o'clock in the afternoon, everyone gathered punctually downstairs at the club. Including Zhang Yang and the live assistant Xiao Yi, there were six people heading out this time, split between two cars, racing onto the highway around the Northern Outer Ring Road towards the direction of Spring City.

To be fair, after the initial nervousness and anxiety of the first few competitions, the young members of Zhang Yang's competitive team have become much more composed.

The cars sped down the highway, and those in the seats were either engrossed with their phones or chatting leisurely, far removed from the initial nervousness of setting out for a competition. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The distance from W City to Spring City is less than 300 kilometers, so starting at one in the afternoon, they were off the highway before five, heading towards the pre-booked lodging.

This time, the FTT branch competition was held at the Tian Tian Fish Competitive Fishing Center, and the hotel where Zhang Yang's group stayed was a medium-sized motel very close to the fishing center entrance.

Double rooms were 220 yuan per day, with only average conditions. The only advantage was the proximity to the competition venue; a mere five-minute drive. They would spend the next few days here.

Once accommodations were arranged, dusk was setting in. Reporting wasn't until the next morning, so they had plenty of time.

The team initially thought that this evening, Zhang Yang would take everyone out to enjoy some local cuisine, but Zhang Yang had no such plans.

They ordered takeout to the rooms for dinner, and Zhang Yang drove out once. When he returned at seven-thirty, he had a big bag of bait from the local fishing gear store.

"Once you've eaten and drunk your fill, put down your phones, let's have a chat about the bait for the competition!"