Chapter 805: Chapter 548: True Secret Technique · Talking Therapy_2

Hearing the referee call the players, Zhang Yang casually took out his phone and logged into the draw page. With a light tap, the draw result came out.

There’s no group division, just a solitary number.

Among the four people, Zhang Yang drew number four, according to the angler PK battle arrangement, Zhang Yang will face off in the first match against the angler who drew number three. Before entering and taking their seats, it’s temporarily unknown who this lucky number three is.

Among the four finalists, if Zhang Yang had to pick a challenging opponent, it would definitely be Huang Zheng, the slipper. Apart from not being very nice, this guy is an extremely skilled angler, a cerebral fisherman with solid fundamentals.

With a faint sense of anticipation, Zhang Yang entered the venue carrying his fishing box and rod bag, and under the guidance of the staff, he arrived at fishing position number four. Just as he put down his fishing box, he saw Huang Zheng strolling over.

"Did you draw number three?" Seeing Huang Zheng, Zhang Yang was slightly taken aback. This luck, really no one can compare. The first match after the top four, two anglers from the Hua Clan facing off, Zhang Yang and Huang Zheng ended up together.

"Yes! Number three! Tsk tsk, didn’t expect that the first match would be the PK between us. The stakes we agreed on yesterday, do you have any issues on your side? If not, we’ll be settled before the competition starts!"

Huang Zheng glanced up and down at Zhang Yang and casually inquired about Zhang Yang’s fish-grabbing tactics.

"No problem, we’ll execute according to yesterday’s agreement!"

Zhang Yang responded while opening the fishing box and baiting bowl, preparing the bait for the competition on site.

While preparing the bait, Zhang Yang deliberately turned one side of his body towards Huang Zheng, shielding the proportion and water details of the bait mix from Huang Zheng’s sight with his body.

"Damn! Just a few common baits, can you still play tricks with them? You even guard the bait preparation against me, is it necessary?"

Huang Zheng saw Zhang Yang shielding him with his body, muttering a bit resentfully, looking as if he was curious but publicly rejected and wary, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Zhang Yang glanced at Huang Zheng, his hands stirring the bait without stopping at all, half-jokingly and half-seriously bluffing: "Of course I have to guard! Even if I don’t guard against others, I have to guard against you!

Studied late into the night yesterday, came up with a killer recipe specifically for today’s competition. What if you steal it!

Apart from the prize money, just the stakes are worth twenty thousand real cash. Your team has a big family business, but we small team don’t have that capital!

To achieve good results, being cautious is essential!"

"Damn, that sounds somewhat reasonable. But you’re a dignified CEO, not lacking in small change, right?"

"It’s not as simple as you think. Starting from scratch, every penny has to be spent wisely, unlike your big companies with deep pockets, where all kinds of costs are covered!

Don’t laugh, the stakes that Xiao Fan and Han Mocheng lost to you were worth their several months’ salary! It’s just those two have some money at home; if it were me, I couldn’t stand it!"

"Uh... fish-grabbing is just fish-grabbing, don’t tell me a sob story, we’re not that close!"

Listening to Zhang Yang, the tone in Huang Zheng’s conversation with Zhang Yang was distinctly less confrontational compared to yesterday evening; their oppositional mood had visibly mellowed.

Huang Zheng wasn’t aware that Zhang Yang’s seemingly earnest nagging had unknowingly lowered a large part of Huang Zheng’s guard.

Seeing this, someone might find it incongruent, thinking Zhang Yang took the wrong medicine today? They’re clearly opposing each other, why accommodate Huang Zheng?

The fact is that Zhang Yang wasn’t planning on accommodating Huang Zheng at all; this deliberate nagging served a tactical purpose.

This trick has a professional term known as "talk therapy"!

Huang Zheng’s mentor, Deng Gang, suggested using talk therapy on Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yang wasn’t doing it without the same intention!

If both parties remain tense and combative, how can talk therapy proceed?

When both are of roughly equivalent strength and tense, talk therapy is difficult to achieve substantive influence, as the opponent remains guarded.

At such times, with Zhang Yang mildly softening the tone, the effect is different. Although the other person knows it is insincere, subconsciously they relax.

Zhang Yang continued with the conversation: "I’m not crying poor; a man’s word is his bond. If I lose, then I lose! I’m just speaking casually, with no other meaning!

In the PK match, I’ll go all out! Speaking of that, how are the benefits and contract angler treatments over at your company? Do you guys recruit regularly?"

"What do you want? Why ask that?" Huang Zheng glanced at Zhang Yang again, his bait stirring visibly slowed down.

"Just talking; the conversation led here. Casual chatting! What, is the salary treatment so sensitive it needs confidentiality?"

Zhang Yang continued asking, and by the time he spoke, the bait had been evenly mixed, compacted into a ball removing air. Splitting it with his hand, he checked the filament, perfect condition.

Huang Zheng seriously said: "For disciples like me, it’s a few thousand per month!

The basic salary is ordinary, but competing expenses are reimbursed by the company! Prize money largely goes to the individual, and there’s a bonus if you perform well by year-end!"

"Oh, sounds alright, pretty similar to our place!"

After preparing the bait, Zhang Yang assembled the fishing rod and line set for adjustment.

Notably, Zhang Yang assembled two fishing setups at once: one for main operation and one as backup. The fishing rods expanded, rested in the rod bag. For change, just grabbing it takes a few seconds.

Seeing Zhang Yang finish the bait preparation while chatting, Huang Zheng was slightly stunned.

Being interrupted by Zhang Yang, his bait preparation slowed a bit.

Apart from being distracted by conversation, Huang Zheng felt the bait state, after water addition, slightly lacked, a small clump formed due to slow stirring.

Such small errors for Huang Zheng, at this level, are not a big deal; Huang Zheng just finely kneaded the prepared bait along the bowl walls multiple times to adjust to the proper state.

"Tsk tsk, a master is a master, preparing bait so meticulously. No wonder Xiao Fan and Han Mocheng lost to you without regret!

Listen, it’s less than ten minutes to the start of the competition, let me ask one last question, what strategy are you thinking for the competition later on?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Zhang Yang didn’t hold back, asking somewhat naively a sensitive question.

"Strategy? 15-minute rounds followed by position swaps, what strategy? Just fish as is!" Huang Zheng, eyes now calm, replied vaguely, not revealing much.

"Look at you, afraid to speak out, losing in fish-grabbing? I’m not afraid; I can say boldly!

Yesterday, I tried loosening the bait ball at the rod tip before the start, setting a spot to gather fish worked well. Once fish bites increased, I gradually set up and caught double tails.

I feel this strategy works well; what do you think?"

For a moment, Zhang Yang transformed into a chattering talker, continuously offering Huang Zheng some "talk therapy."

What Zhang Yang said about the strategy was indeed reasonable. Huang Zheng’s team noticed Zhang Yang’s performance during post-game analysis and reviews. From the match footage, it almost matched what Zhang Yang stated now.

This left Huang Zheng feeling a bit puzzled.

Grabbing fish seemed quiet in previous matches; how did it become so chatty this time? The key issue is what he said isn’t mere talk, but highly credible content.

What is Zhang Yang up to?

"Hey? Huang Zheng? What are you thinking? I’m asking you a question! How can you be so unresponsive, the competition hasn’t started, and you’re already ignoring me!" Zhang Yang saw Huang Zheng in a daze, secretly pleased, and intensified his words.

"I... I think what you say makes sense!" Huang Zheng returned to his senses, feeling somewhat insecure.

"Otherwise, how about we gentlemen agree to use the same strategy for a match?" Zhang Yang, seeing the foundation laid, finally proposed his big move.