Chapter 972: Avoiding Suspicion
On the Yuefeng Fishing Tackle side, the total catch weight for five rounds in a two-and-a-half-hour competition was 87.7kg. The opposing Sleeping Beauty Club only had 62.1kg.
The Yuefeng Club is leading by a large margin and successfully advanced to the semifinals!
A few minutes later, the results for the other teams' matches also came out.
Yuefeng Club, Hua Club, Tianyuan Team One Club, and Zhongsheng Club successfully entered the semifinals.
Among the teams that made it to the semifinals, Hua, Tianyuan, and Zhongsheng are all recognized domestic top-tier Taiwan fishing powerhouses. Their competitive teams were established early, are well-staffed, have strong company support, and each has its own Fishing King.
If you pick the team with the shallowest experience among the four semifinalists, it's definitely the Yuefeng Fishing Club. However, after more than two years of competition, no one calls Yuefeng Fishing Tackle a dark horse team anymore.
The Yuefeng team has earned the respect of everyone in the circle with a series of straightforward victories, and the various highlights from competitions and live streams are talked about with great interest.
Especially the young Fishing King Yue Feng, who has become the absolute leading figure among the young generation of fishing enthusiasts.
After the quarterfinal matches were over, there were no new matches scheduled for the morning. It was only a little past ten when a victorious Yue Feng made a grand gesture.
There's plenty of time for lunch, come on, pack up, and let's find a place to eat!
The government does not withhold food from soldiers, and Yue Feng has never skimmed on this aspect, arranging for two cars to take Wang Xiaomin and Taozi to a fine hotel.
For the internal team gathering, Yue Feng and Niu Ben didn't invite any outsiders, but during the meal, Yue Feng noticed a small detail: the usually steady team leader, Manager Niu, seemed to have something on his mind today. He didn't seem very interested in the great food and drinks.
"Brother Niu, is something bothering you? You seem a bit down!" Yue Feng lifted his glass with a toast and asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Niu Ben was slightly taken aback by Yue Feng's direct question but didn't hide anything.
"Not really down, just feeling a bit awkward! Old Lv called me just now, but I didn't pick up!"
"Lv Zhongsheng, Teacher Lv?"
"Yes, before joining our team, I was working over at Zhongsheng. After my contract ended and their competitive team restructured, I submitted a report and left! It's all in my work resume!" Niu Ben replied candidly.
"I know, didn't you leave on good terms? You're still friends even if you're not working together! Why not answer the call then!"
Yue Feng indeed knew Manager Niu's history, but his view on such interpersonal matters was quite rational, separating them from business, unlike some who over-interpret and doubt others.
Niu Ben shook his head, "Friends, naturally still friends, but once you have your stand, many things become tricky! I know you don't mind, but I still want to avoid suspicion! If Old Lv were to make a request, I'd have a hard time refusing, so it's better not to pick up the call!"
"If you're friends, why would he make a difficult request? Teacher Lv wouldn't lack such courtesy, would he?" Zhao Zheng couldn't resist chiming in.
Niu Ben shook his head, "You don't know, Old Lv is great in every way, his character and demeanor in both personal and professional matters are top-notch!
But no one is perfect, and he has his weaknesses too!
He's spent a lifetime fishing, even winning titles like Fishing King, and still has a strong fascination with small drugs, medicinal wine, and additives!
I suspect that calling at this juncture probably means he wants some of our medicinal wine or additives! When it comes to the team's honor, it's important to separate public and private matters."
Upon hearing this, Yue Feng laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, Brother Niu, have you gotten so stressed that you've forgotten something?"
"Hmm? What are you referring to?"
Yue Feng: "From the semifinals onwards, it's all public bait, it's clearly stated in the rules; we use bait provided by Hua throughout the process, mixed on-site under the staff's supervision, with no small drugs or additives allowed!
When I won the Fishing King title, Teacher Lv even gave me the prize! It's just a bit of medicinal wine additive, give it to him if you want, no big deal!"
Hearing what Yue Feng said, Niu Ben slapped his forehead, "Shoot, I forgot about that! Indeed, the next three matches are public bait points matches! Even if we gave them the small drugs, they can't use them in this competition!"
"Get back to him with a call now!" Yue Feng casually picked up a spicy crayfish and began eating it with gusto.
Before Niu Ben could call back, Yue Feng's phone rang first.
A number from Hubei Ezhou, one Yue Feng hadn't stored, but from the number segment, it seemed to be an old number.
Not many strangers knew Yue Feng's current private number, so calling at this time could mean it's something. Thinking of this, Yue Feng casually picked up.
"Hello, this is Yue Feng, who is this?" Yue Feng politely greeted as the call connected.
"Hahaha, Little Yue, it's me, Old Lv, Lv Zhongsheng!" A hearty laugh came through the receiver from Lv Zhongsheng.
"Oh, Teacher Lv, hello, is there something you need?" Yue Feng's tone immediately turned more respectful.
"I watched the whole mixed-species match in the morning, you did very well, leaving everyone in the dust, absolutely top-notch!"
"Oh, you flatter me! Just good luck and good performance!"
"You rascal, playing humble with me! Alright, alright, it's good for young people to stay humble!
I'm calling because I actually need something; since the quarterfinals are over, I heard from my disciples that you have some excellent herbal wine additives. Initially, I wanted to ask Old Niu for some, but he didn't dare answer my call!
It's just normal job mobility from me to your club after all, nothing disharmonious about it!
Couldn't reach him, so I had to call you personally!"
"That's no problem, I'll personally bring it to you later! Brother Niu's phone screen had issues; it's not intentional that he didn't pick up your call! Please don't overthink it!"
"I knew Old Niu couldn't be that stingy! So that's what happened!"
"Haha, you're joking!"
"Alright, then it's settled, I'll send someone over to pick it up later!"
"No problem!"
"Let's leave it at that for now; after the competition ends, let's arrange a meetup for a get-together. Ever since you won the Fishing King title, we haven't really seen each other!"
"Sure!"
...
After hanging up, Yue Feng grinned and looked at Niu Ben, "You really called it right! So who will go deliver it, you or me?
While small drugs and additives do have their effects, their use is ultimately limited by the scenario, and in the end, it's all about skill,
for friendly rivals without any serious grievances, sending some samples is no big deal, in the future, there's no need to specially mention it to me, you can decide completely yourself!!"
Hearing the words "completely decide," Niu Ben felt a warmth rise in his heart.
Even though it might seem like Niu Ben had a low presence in the team, in fact, his pressure after joining Yuefeng Club was no less than when he was at Tianyuan.
It wasn't that the team was hard to manage; it's just that Yue Feng was so outstanding that in many training aspects, Yue Feng guiding the team was far more effective, and his level was well above Niu Ben's. He had already taken over some of Manager Niu's role as a technical guide.
After all, he was an experienced adult in society for years, and Niu Ben valued his position as the club manager and technical advisor very much, especially the young boss's views. Otherwise, he wouldn't avoid suspicion so much.
Yue Feng's words "completely decide" deeply moved Manager Niu.