"Since you have a professional fishing gear company and your own products, have you considered joining the higher-tier national competitions?
I just checked the registration info, and it seems you're not a member of the CAA (Chinese Fishing Association) yet, nor do you have the relevant competition points!"
Seeing Zhang Yang seize every opportunity to steer the conversation toward his products, Lin Nianwei forced herself to bring the topic back.
"Chasing national competitions and getting an athlete rating as a professional angler is currently not in our plans, but we may consider it as the company develops further in the future!
For now, our team's main focus is on social media.
We have a video account on WeChat called 'Black Pit Jianghu' that our team handles, with around 150,000 targeted followers at the moment.
The highlights of this Thousand People River Fishing Competition, along with some behind-the-scenes content, will also be updated on the account later!
If anyone is interested in this kind of content, please consider following us for more updates!"
Alright, interrupting here and there, Zhang Yang managed to sneak in an advertisement for his public account without anyone noticing.
The anglers in the audience who didn't know Zhang Yang instinctively took out their phones upon hearing this, searching for and checking out the relevant account.
If the earlier introductions of his fishing gear store, company, and team only surprised Lin Nianwei slightly, hearing about Zhang Yang's 150,000 followers professional public account certainly raised her impression and favor of him to another level.
Skilled in fishing, good-looking, wealthy, and capable, all these qualities rolled into one person have an almost lethal charm for someone like Lin Nianwei, a girl just out of school.
Now, some might want to complain, asking if such a young girl could be so practical? What about the conscience of a college student?
I want to say, it has little to do with practicality. The more independent a person's personality, the more mature their thinking, and the more just and objective their perspective on issues will be.
Lin Nianwei is just such a person. She doesn't care too much about money since her family is well-off and she's never been short of it. However, Zhang Yang's excellence left a deep impression on her.
"Wow, I didn't expect you're also into social media! After the awards ceremony, I'll check out your public account too!"
Zhang Yang nodded: "You're welcome to give valuable feedback!"
"With time limited, let's end our chat here for now. Next, let's welcome Director Wang from Zheng City's Sports Bureau to the stage to present the champion award to angler Zhang Yang!"
Lin Nianwei glanced at her watch out of the corner of her eye, ending the interview and speech to move into the final award ceremony.
Upon hearing the host's call, a potbellied middle-aged man came onto the stage, took the trophy and certificate handed by the etiquette lady, and also gave Zhang Yang a mock check for a 100,000 yuan prize.
Zhang Yang shook hands with the officials and then received the honors while camera flashes went off, capturing the award ceremony moment.
With the champion award over, the closing ceremony was essentially concluded. Zhang Yang, holding the trophy and the model check, stepped off the stage and was quickly surrounded by his teammates.
Han Qiang: "Whoa, captain, you were kind of explosive on stage just now!"
Wang Yan sneered: "Damn, usually Zhang Yang doesn't stand out much, but at the crucial moment, he shows off way too smoothly!"
"I think it's great. This isn't the time to be low-key! Good advertising will certainly boost the company's recognition!" Zhou Chu remained reasonable, showing unusual support for Zhang Yang's speech.
Zhang Yang grinned: "Of course! Not showing off after achieving results is like wearing precious clothes at night with no one to appreciate them! I would have preferred to keep a low profile, but my skills don't allow it!"
"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed together.
During this moment of casual chat after stepping down, the usually quiet Xiao Yi suddenly interjected softly: "Boss, I think that long-legged host seems to have a thing for you!
When I zoomed in for a mid-shot just now, I noticed her gaze towards you was a bit unusual!"
"Whoa! Xiao Yi, stop talking nonsense!" Hearing this, Zhang Yang was a bit startled, reacting somewhat strongly.
"It's normal; Zhang's a cool guy in society, strong and silent! Even President Zhao once said he wanted him as a son-in-law!" Wang Yan muttered some gossip.
"When did this happen? How come I've not heard of it!"
"Tell me, how old is Old Zhao's daughter?"
As soon as the topic was raised, a group of gossip-prone guys began creating a buzz again.
…
As everyone was chattering away, Luo Dapeng came over.
"Ready? Going with me? Let's head straight to the hotel!" Luo Dapeng asked.
Zhang Yang scratched his head, looked at the time, and saw it wasn't even six yet, so he asked, "Now? Isn't it a bit early?
Plus, I've worn the sun cloth for two days straight, and it feels a bit rude not to change clothes first, doesn't it?"
"True! How about we split up? You guys head to the hotel to change clothes, and we'll meet at the hotel?" Luo Dapeng nodded and continued to ask.
"Alright then! Just send me the address! We'll go back and freshen up and then head over!"
"Deal!" Luo Dapeng nodded, finalized the details, made a call, and left.
Once everyone was in the cars, Wang Yan, sitting in the passenger seat, continued teasing: "Rare opportunity, you should try to get that long legs' phone number, right?"
Zhang Yang sneered: "Forget it, Xiao Yi was joking, and you actually believed it!"
"What difference does it make? We're skilled, good-looking, and talented, so why not get her number? If you're shy, I'll get it for you!" Wang Yan's social prowess began to show again.
"She's gone long! Everyone's leaving, so chaotic, where to find her! Let's just safely head back to change and prepare for the fight, not think about random stuff!"
Though Zhang Yang spoke confidently on stage, he now had an inexplicable touch of... shyness.
Under Zhang Yang's strong "suppression," Wang Yan didn't continue coaxing, and the two cars slowly drove out of the parking lot, following the traffic onto the main road, heading straight for the resting hotel.
The story branches out. Zhang Yang's team drove to the hotel to change clothes, while on the other end, the event organizers considered their work satisfactorily complete.
As the chief referee of the competition, Lin Yaozong had a dinner planned with the local government leaders in the evening, while Lin Nianwei and her cousin Lin Hao had nothing else planned. Based on the volunteer stipend standard, two days of work earned them 200 yuan.
Lin Hao and Lin Nianwei got in a family friend's car to go back to the hotel, and as soon as they got in, Lin Hao started chatting with his cousin while holding his phone.
"Sis, this guy named Zhang Yang is quite impressive! Look at his public account; there are lots of comments and high view counts!"
"Does your phone have a data package? Let me see!"
Since stepping down from the stage, Lin Nianwei had been a bit distracted, thoughts unclear. Hearing her cousin mention the public account, she took the phone and started looking.
Lin Nianwei majored in media during university, and she was also the station manager of the campus broadcast station, making her particularly sensitive to videos. So seeing this, her gaze quickly became focused.
In Lin Nianwei's eyes, the content Zhang Yang and his team produced wasn't highly refined, nor did they use many camera angles or professional editing techniques, but they included the essentials.
It was like telling a story, with a beginning, a twist, and highlights. For a self-media account, it was already sufficient.
Seeing the highlight moments of Zhang Yang's video where he effortlessly caught fish in the pit, Lin Nianwei's eyes brightened even further.
"They really did a good job! I have classmates who are managing public accounts too, but they're not as successful. The fan growth mechanism on WeChat isn't very friendly. If the fifteen thousand followers are genuine, it's quite valuable!" Lin Nianwei continued.
At that moment, Uncle Chen, the driver, asked: "Who are you two talking about? That Zhang Yang? My friend organized a dinner tonight with people in the circle, and Zhang Yang will be there too. If you're free, why not join in for some fun?"
For events with the social dinner elements, especially with some elders present, Lin Nianwei usually resisted, but upon hearing Uncle Chen say that Zhang Yang would be there, her eyes lit up.
"Sure, we're not doing anything at the hotel anyway!" Lin Nianwei agreed without hesitation, without even consulting her cousin.