Chapter 115: Fishing Qualifying Round (II)

After speaking, Zhao brother patted Ye Cheng's shoulder and laughed, "Why are you still worrying about this? Your skill will definitely be first."

"Don't, my brother, don't talk nonsense."

Just now Zhao brother's words were loud, many people heard them; Ye Cheng now feels like dying, this is just stirring up hatred for himself.

He thinks he's not dying fast enough.

Indeed, after he said that, not only did the competing players glance over with unfriendly looks, even the old men drinking tea on the judges' bench deliberately glanced at Ye Cheng.

Chairman Jiang Weiyang sat on the makeshift Chairman's Platform, several people pointing and commenting on Ye Cheng.

"Chairman Jiang, who is this? I haven't seen him before."

"Exactly, he just came up aiming for first place—this delicate, tender-skinned guy, not even balding, doesn't look like it."

"He probably fished at some fish farm, fed by the boss into thinking his skill is good."

"Sigh, young people are still too arrogant; there's always a higher mountain."

Jiang Weiyang's face showed no ripple, he pointed at Zhao Zhiming and said, "Old Zhao introduced him, saying he's an expert; let's see later, maybe he's really good, bringing such a big Water Tank."

Here, check-in was already complete; at 8:30, with the referee's whistle, over a hundred people began finding their spots according to their numbers.

Since it's not a regular venue, the numbers are quite scrambled; Ye Cheng walked around a big circle before finding his spot in a corner, where the number 99 was written on the ground.

The neighboring numbers 98 and 100 were already taken by two middle-aged men fully armed, their skin bronzed, about the same as that Hong Kong star.

The two had been chatting, but stopped when they saw Ye Cheng approach.

Ye Cheng gave a dry laugh twice as a greeting.

"Young man, I haven't seen you before; you just joined the association, right?" said the man with number 98, speaking first.

"Yeah, I joined yesterday." Ye Cheng answered directly.

"No wonder you look unfamiliar; are you from the city or not?" said the man with number 100, picking up the topic.

"No, I'm from Baiyun Village, a bit away from the city."

"Oh, that area has several fishing villages."

Obviously, the two aren't very familiar with Baiyun Village.

Since they were still in the preparation stage, all three were preparing their own fishing gear and bait.

For fairness, baiting spots is not allowed in the competition.

According to his previous fishing experience, Ye Cheng looked down to check the water depth.

"You're not here for the first time, are you?" teased the man with number 100.

"Yeah, I used to fish over there in the village."

"Then it's no wonder; come, no need to look, let me tell you: the water here is 3–5 meters deep, and there are all kinds of fish."

"Looking at you, it's your first time and you already want first place—hehe, we're not trying to discourage you, it's just a bit difficult," added the man with number 98.

Ye Cheng smiled helplessly, took out a cigarette and offered it to both, saying, "I never said I wanted first place; it was Zhao brother shouting nonsense. Besides, with my skill I'm just here to learn—you two look like fishing‑god level, so please give me some pointers later."

Seeing Ye Cheng's attitude and hearing him call himself a fishing‑god, the hostility on their faces eased, and they took the cigarette and started smoking.

Well, my surname is Lin; you can call me Laolin. I've been fishing for over ten years—I wouldn't call myself a fishing‑god, but I do have some seniority in this circle." said Laolin, the man with number 98, introducing himself.

"You can call me Laochen; I've also been fishing for over ten years." said Laochen, the man with number 100, who is surnamed Chen.

"You two are impressive, both fishing for over ten years—this competition will surely be won by you two." Ye Cheng hurriedly offered flattery.

The two waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "Forget it, our level is just mid‑high; making it to the finals is about as far as we'll get, but taking first place is impossible—the real experts are over there."

Ye Cheng followed their gaze and saw a clean‑cut young man sitting in the central spot, wearing a spotless white sports outfit, clear jawline, distinct eye sockets—damn, this guy seems to have nothing to do with a fishing bum.

Seeing Ye Cheng's puzzled look, the two exchanged a knowing smile and said, "You can't tell, right? Like a movie star, Cui Shuran isn't just good at fishing; his family also has a strong background, and he's handsome to boot."

"Exactly, the annoying part is he fishes with sunscreen, unlike us who get tanned from fishing."

The two's words carried a hint of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

But if it's really as they say, then he'd indeed be inviting hatred.

Ye Cheng was looking over there when Cui Shuran suddenly turned his head, looked at Ye Cheng, and their eyes met.

This made things a bit awkward; Ye Cheng could only squeeze out a small smile as a greeting.

But the other's response was a slight smirk of disdain, the corner of his mouth turned up.

Damn!

So arrogant?!

"You're being looked down on? I guess it's because you just said you wanted first place and they didn't like it." said Laolin.

"Ah, little Cui is just like that—no one looks up to him. Don't mind him, come, sit down quickly; it's about to start." said Laochen, urging Ye Cheng to sit.

Ye Cheng sat down steadily; let anyone who wants to be an idiot be an idiot—no need to worry about it.

Just as he finished setting up his fishing rod, the whistle blew, the competition officially began—lasting six hours, testing skill, luck, and endurance.

On both sides, Laolin and Laochen flicked their rods; the line whooshed out and landed steadily on the Sea Surface, the colored bobbers standing upright.

But why only two bobbers? The two simultaneously glanced at Ye Cheng in the middle.

Ye Cheng was taking a deep breath, then steadily flicked out his line—hmm, steady.

It landed on the Sea Surface two meters away.

The two opened their mouths wide, looked at Ye Cheng in awe, gave a thumbs‑up, and said, "Buddy, how many years have you been fishing?"

That gaze made Ye Cheng a bit embarrassed; he replied, "Just started learning."

After the bobber dipped, Ye Cheng began watching it nervously.

According to his previous experience, there should be some movement within at most two minutes.

Sure enough, at the two‑minute mark, the previously upright bobber twitched slightly; Ye Cheng didn't think, just jerked the rod!

That's exactly the feeling!

"What happened to the 30 Luck Value?"

Let me tell you, we can actually catch a fish!

With a whoosh, a silver line shot up to the horizon, and a few sparkling drops of seawater followed the fishing line and landed on Ye Cheng's face.

On the hook, the bait remains, but everything else is empty—nothing at all.

"Your float just bobbed with the sea for a moment; why are you in such a hurry?" Laolin shook his head from the side.