"Xiaobao just started learning to fish for a little over half a year, 155 pounds, Meng Fan 179 pounds, Han Mocheng, 181 pounds! Not much, just average performance, casually fished!"

Zhang Yang spoke with obvious intent to provoke, so his words were much more arrogant than usual.

"I..."

Huang Zheng almost choked on his breath when he heard these results, feeling a bit off.

After four rounds of the competition, Huang Zheng felt that even though he lost to Zhang Yang, he still had a solid foundation, and his performance in the latter half was decent; overall, it should have been satisfactory.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Yang's words dealt him a fatal blow.

"As expected from a wealthy family, I'll gladly accept these ten premium cigars! We'll meet again when there's another chance!"

Seeing Huang Zheng at a loss, Zhang Yang smoothly took the premium cigars he brought and tossed them to Liu Zi beside him.

"Humph, winning a match by unconventional means is nothing. If you have the guts, make it to the top eight. When we're both in the top eight, we'll have a one-on-one match, and I'll see what you're really made of!"

Huang Zheng's face was somewhat humiliated, and he started to salvage his reputation.

"Alright! What are the stakes when making it to the top eight? Let's set it up again!" Zhang Yang's eyes brightened up at this, clearly very interested in the proposal.

"We'll talk about it once in the top eight! Winning early doesn't count, there'll be times you'll cry! I have some matters to attend to, let's meet again later, Xiaotao, let's go!" Huang Zheng threw out a few words to maintain his dignity, turned around, and left with his followers.

Watching Huang Zheng walk away, the smile on Zhang Yang's face gradually settled.

"Boss, we hit a jackpot! Ten premium cigars, five hundred bucks each, netting us five thousand just in one fishing session!"

Hugging the ten cigars, Liu Zi was extraordinarily excited. Normally he smoked cheaper brands, and the price of each premium cigar was enough to buy a whole pack of his regulars.

Zhang Yang scoffed, "Look at you with your limited vision! Put them in the car to take back, and let's split them among us! These expensive smokes aren't for casual use, keep a pack or half for showing off, and exchange the rest at a smoke shop for regular ones, so we can smoke for a few more days!"

"Damn, boss, you're being generous like Song Gongming! Thanks, boss!"

"Thank you, Brother Yang!"

...

The others didn't do anything but ended up with entire packs of premium cigars, grinning and giving sincerely-posed thanks that sounded phony.

Zhang Yang knew his own brothers' nature very well and waved his hand irritably: "Stop with the fake crap! With your teeth showing and thanking me, let's get real. Next time, who will wash my tournament-used shorts and stinky socks for me?"

Xiaobao rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Laundry, isn't that the sister-in-law's job? We want to help, but wouldn't that overstep?"

Zhang Yang, "Xiaobao, get lost!"

"Hahaha"

Everyone laughed as a group.

...

The first day's competition concluded after a morning and an afternoon session.

Zhang Yang was quite satisfied with everyone's performance. Except for Liu Zi who was unexpectedly disqualified for a violation, everyone else advanced to the top 32. Tomorrow's round of 16 is still mixed fishing, which is their advantageous event, but after reaching the top 16, moving to other events will test a more comprehensive angling skill set.

The team, having successfully completed their task, returned to the hotel early. Liu Zi followed Zhang Yang's instruction and distributed the premium cigars they had won, and everyone enjoyed the luxury smoke without spending a penny, their mood incredibly joyful.

While Zhang Yang's team was chatting and laughing in high spirits, Huang Zheng, who also made the top 32 but lost in the cigars game, felt quite miserable.

Huang Zheng had good treatment at his company, with most of his competition expenses covered, so he didn't have much financial pressure. But losing five thousand bucks worth of cigars at once still stung a bit.

In the car, Huang Zheng took out his phone and vented to a friend who had asked for a favor over WeChat.

"That Zhang Yang you told me to call out is a tough nut, isn't he? In a two-hour, four-round competition, he caught over 200 pounds of fish and completely owned me! Damn it, those ten cigars are gone just like that!"

The mysterious friend quickly replied: "I'll reimburse you for the cigars! Technically, mixed fishing should be your strong suit, so how did you lose?"

Seeing this question gave Huang Zheng a headache. The more he praised Zhang Yang now, the more his previous words would backfire.

After hesitating, Huang Zheng explained truthfully, "Damn it, this Zhang Yang is simply a monster. In this mixed fishing contest, where positions change every thirty minutes, he actually used the Flying Kicking technique from the start! Full-grown carp weighing nearly two pounds were all caught with the Blocking Needle method!

I tried following suit but couldn't beat him! This guy may not look very old, but his skill with his hands is genuinely solid!"

"Mixed fishing with Flying Kicking, huh? Haha, that takes some guts. Alright, I got it! I'll transfer the cigar money to your bank account later!"

"Uh, don't rush off yet. I've already done the cigar gamble, and I accept I lost, but you still haven't told me what you're up to? As far as I know, you don't seem to have any major grudge with him!"

Huang Zheng eventually couldn't hold back and continued to ask what the other person wanted to achieve by asking for his help.

"Haha, you'll find out eventually, it's not the time yet! Let's leave it at that, I have some things to do, we'll chat later, I'm off!"

Seeing the other person disappear right after the interaction, Huang Zheng was stunned for a long while, unable to comprehend, until he realized the conversation was cut off. Only then did he, frustrated, burst out a curse: "Damn!!"