Chapter 371: Chapter 226 Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger_2
If I lose, the previous bet is offset, and I’ll give you one more. If I happen to win, you’ll give me three in total! This will settle the score once and for all!"
If it were the normally calm Liu Xiaoyun, hearing such a noticeably risky bet would definitely make him more cautious. After all, the stakes are a bit high, and his own money doesn’t just fall from the sky; Huazi has to be bought with real cash.
But today was different. Being outplayed by a young angler, Liu Xiaoyun was a bit fired up.
His emotions had brewed to a point where he temporarily lost the ability to calmly assess the situation.
"Two strips it is, I promise!" Accumulated complex emotions led Liu Xiaoyun to grit his teeth and agree to Zhang Yang’s proposal!
Hearing their conversation, other anglers nearby looked over, especially Chen Xueqiang, who leisurely walked over to the two.
"What’s going on, Master Zhang, Master Liu, are you going for a showdown?" Chen Xueqiang said meaningfully.
Zhang Yang grinned, speaking in a harmless tone: "Look at you talking like that; it’s just a fish catch, but the way you say it makes it sound bloody and brutal.
It’s rare to meet a master like Master Liu, shouldn’t I let my little brother improve a bit? Right, Brother Liu?"
Liu Xiaoyun nodded: "It wasn’t Zhang Yang who brought this up; I wanted another round! Pressure brings motivation, let’s improve together!"
Hearing Liu Xiaoyun say this, even if Chen Xueqiang had a mind to remind him, he couldn’t say anything further. He took out cigarettes and passed one to each, chatted briefly, and excused himself to the bathroom.
Very quickly, Ding Wen totaled up all the results of this round.
Liu Xiaoyun, with a score of 195, clinched the champion title of group fishing, recovering part of his losses.
Zhang Yang came in second, slightly edging out.
Liu Zi came third with a commendable catch of 177 fish.
The competition ended, and it was another short break of over ten minutes before the next round of fishing resumed.
Thinking about the upcoming ’battle of the peak’, Liu Xiaoyun made very thorough preparations even before starting the next round.
He adjusted his bait according to the current conditions, and replaced his bobber with one that could hold more weight, determined to win back the lost Huazi.
On the other hand, Zhang Yang seemed nonchalant.
The bait from the previous round was not used up, leaving a lump the size of an egg. When he mixed new bait, he didn’t want to waste the old one, so he casually mixed them together and prepared a new bait aggregation.
The resting time ended, and they continued to draw lots, beginning a new battle!
From the first cast, Liu Xiaoyun gave it his all, having figured out the fishing conditions completely in the last two rounds, feeling hot in his hands.
Sitting beside him, Zhang Yang also shook off his lazy demeanor and became extremely focused!
The fish conditions this round were almost a replica of the previous one, the only difference being there were no ten extra fish to be counted.
The competition seemed like a sure win for Liu Xiaoyun, but the actual results were surprising.
The rhythm at which the two threw their rods was tightly synchronized, but ten minutes in, Zhang Yang’s mysterious advantage showed up again!
The following competition almost entirely repeated the last one.
However, this time, Zhang Yang’s fish didn’t slow down at the end, with fish being pulled from midway and continuing with double catches till the end.
The familiar alarm sound rang out again.
When the match ended, Liu Xiaoyun did not look too happy.
He was dominated the entire time, falling just a bit behind in the catching rhythm, unable to keep up.
While the last round at least bore some reward in the end, this round, it was as if Zhang Yang was fueled by madness, with each rod catching two fish, leaving Liu Xiaoyun pained.
Last round, they at least counted to see who won or lost, but this time, Liu Xiaoyun knew he was a goner even before counting!
After tallying up, Liu Xiaoyun counted 203 fish.
Zhang Yang, 235 fish.
A full 32 fish lead!
Even if he had been confused earlier, by now, Liu Xiaoyun realized!
In the first two rounds, Zhang Yang hadn’t fully displayed his abilities; he had been holding back for this grand finale.
Two Huazi, plus the earlier one, it made three in total, which was way more satisfying than winning small bets from everyone!
"Master Liu, thanks for letting me win! You were too kind to your younger brother, easing up on the water!" Zhang Yang reverted to his nonchalant state, smiling at Liu Xiaoyun.
With things at this point, any harsh words would be too late. Liu Xiaoyun’s face was a bit unpleasant as he took a deep drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out on his shoe.
"A bet is a bet, I’ll take the loss!"
After this, Liu Xiaoyun strode towards the exit.
Across the street was a convenience store; over a thousand yuan wasn’t much for Liu Xiaoyun, who could still afford it.
Soon, within five minutes, Liu Xiaoyun returned with three packs of premium cigarettes. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he used a black, opaque bag to hold the cigarettes and wordlessly handed them to Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang didn’t stand on ceremony, nodded in thanks, and accepted the cigarettes.
After the handover, Liu Xiaoyun said to Ding Wen, "I always heard friends say that W City has hidden talents in fishing, I didn’t believe it, now I do! You guys continue; I’m taking off! Not in the best state, we’ll fish again tomorrow!"
After this, Liu Xiaoyun promptly packed up his gear, soon carrying his fishing box to the car and driving away from the practice pool.
After Liu Xiaoyun was gone, Liu Zi and Meng Fan drolly huddled over.
"Boss, scored another one?" Meng Fan gestured with three fingers, making a gripping motion, his tone cheeky.
"Brother Yang plays deep, winning big with a single hook!" Liu Zi looked admirably.
"What are you talking about, just nonsense!" Zhang Yang cast his eyes sideways, glancing left and right, speaking in a peeved tone.
"I overheard a guy next door saying that this Master Liu is a national second-level competitive fishing master? Lost two rounds to you! Now I believe it, boss you’re amazing!" Meng Fan gestured a thumbs-up to Zhang Yang, exclaiming repeatedly.
"The boss’s boss is truly incredible, I’m convinced! Really impressive!" Liu Zi echoed.
"Say what you need to at home, smoking can’t shut you two up!" After saying this, Zhang Yang pulled out a cigarette and offered it around, lighting one up himself.
Just then, Ding Wen and Chen Xueqiang, who were a bit late, also came over.
"Alright, my street brother Yang, few words but lethal! Even Liu Xiaoyun was convinced by you! So, does this mean everyone gets a share?"
Ding Wen had his keen little eyes fixed on the cigarettes under Zhang Yang’s arm as he spoke ingratiatingly.
Zhang Yang didn’t have a good impression of Ding Wen to begin with, so there was no way he would play this share-everything game. A box of premium cigarettes costs dozens; it’s better to keep it or give it as a gift.
Zhang Yang smiled, shook his head, and patted the cigarette, saying: "This stuff was won under immense pressure and can’t be distributed loosely! Liu Zi, go buy some ice cream, we won with a single fish hook, so I’m treating everyone to four-ring Yili!"
With Zhang Yang’s call, Liu Zi immediately complied, running towards the fridge selling cold drinks!
"Damn! You’re so stingy, won three packs of premium cigarettes, just treating us to ice cream?" Ding Wen tried to protest further, grumbling a bit discontentedly.
Zhang Yang sneered: "Just tell me if you want it? If not, I’ll have Liu Zi buy one less!"
"Not having is a waste! Even a four-ring one costs quite a bit!
Damn, I’ve realized, I’m working so hard, just to make things easier for you!
If it’s target fish next time, you’re better than Liu Xiaoyun, you have to give us an advantage with the number of catches!"
"I’ve played enough today, you guys carry on, but I won’t join the fishing next time!" Zhang Yang directly stated, completely shutting down Ding Wen’s subsequent words.
The storm about winning cigarettes with a single fish hook quickly quieted down under Zhang Yang’s miserly display; everyone got another free round of ice cream and began a new round of fishing.