Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King-Chapter 619 - 360: Award Ceremony Accident (Part 2)

"Mr. Zhang Yang, don't rush off! Our award ceremony isn't finished yet!"

Sun Yi's voice was almost tearful. The behavior of this man in front of him was completely unorthodox; instead of coming up to receive an award, it was as if he was here to cause trouble.

Zhang Yang paused, seeing Chairman Zhou of the local fishing association approaching quickly.

Just now, Chairman Zhou had quickly gathered information from the referees about what happened during Zhang Yang's match.

The higher-ups were watching. This incident had already occurred, and the smartest way forward was to face the problem head-on and resolve it!

So, Chairman Zhou stepped up.

"Mr. Zhang Yang, don't rush off the stage! Let me introduce myself; I'm Zhou Guofa, the chairman of our local fishing association!

We appreciate your acknowledgment of our event, and your words on the award podium clearly show you care about the healthy development of our sport!

Firstly, on behalf of the event organizers, I apologize to you for our shortcomings that led to a poor competition experience for you!

During meetings, Mayor Zhang always educates us that problems aren't scary; as long as we can perfectly solve them, it allows us to grow! And the same issue won't happen next time.

Here, I represent the fishing association and promise you and all anglers in the audience that we will thoroughly investigate the disruption behind the Fishing King Cup qualifying rounds! Within three days, we will provide a satisfactory explanation to all anglers!"

From these few words, one could tell the caliber of Chairman Zhou.

Avoiding the issue won't help now that it's already happened; rather, a proactive approach to tackling the issue is more likely to solve it.

Having said this, Zhang Yang nodded: "I look forward to Chairman Zhou's investigation results!"

After a brief exchange, the award ceremony resumed. The hostess brought up the trophy and a check model representing the prize money. In a rather awkward atmosphere, Zhang Yang accepted the trophy, completed the award ceremony, and strode off the stage.

After this tumultuous episode on stage, it was certain to say that Zhang Yang had made a big splash! He had instantly gained fame in the competitive fishing circle!

Imagine a person with eight one-point finishes in the competition, boldly speaking out on stage about severe unfairness during the matches, prompting an apology from the fishing association chairman. What does this signify?

To a professional media person, this incident perfectly encompasses all elements of a viral story.

For hype, there's the unmatched eight one-point streak.

For conflict, there's being targeted during a competition. Conspiracy theories are a favorite among onlookers.

For highlights, there's the public apology and statement from relevant leaders, making it hard not to get famous.

As Zhang Yang walked off the stage, he finally exhaled a breath he had been holding.

It's true that having reason can get you anywhere, but that doesn't mean Zhang Yang was fearless. What he did today was somewhat too audacious.

Not to mention, the host and the local staff were undoubtedly offended by Zhang Yang.

"Boss, your speech just now was incredible! I recorded it; let's upload it to Kuaishou later!" Wang Yan said with a grin.

"The awards are over, shall we head back to the hotel? Where to celebrate tonight?" Han Mocheng asked.

"Boss, I'm craving some crayfish; should we get some shellfish tonight to celebrate?" Liu Zi chimed in with a cheeky smile.

The group gathered around, each giving their own suggestion.

Zhang Yang unusually shook his head: "Let's stop here; the material can't be uploaded!

If it gets any bigger, it'll put those leaders on the spot, and once the public opinion spirals out of control, it'll be a huge issue!"

Zhou Chu agreed: "Right! The captain was indeed a bit rash on stage!

We can't post it, and we should also contact the platform to suppress the topic!"

Zhou Chu was level-headed, and his words reminded Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang nodded: "I'll call the platform immediately!"

...

Thus, the much-anticipated Fishing King Cup qualifying award ceremony ended, unexpectedly and not so smoothly.

As for Zhang Yang, the instigator, he would remain the talk of the competitive circle for quite some time.

It could be said that no matter how well Zhang Yang performed in the past, he only barely got familiar in the competitive circle; but today was different, and after today, Zhang Yang had truly established himself in the competitive scene!

Mention Zhang Yang, and everyone would know him as the fierce competitor who scored eight points in eight rounds and dared to create a scene at the award ceremony.

...

On the other side, the event committee gathered all qualified staff, related referees, and the host for a meeting after the ceremony.

Chairman Zhou had a grim expression, sitting at the head of the meeting room table.

"The incident has already happened! I've made public statements, let's discuss a concrete execution plan!

Before we start, I must criticize Xiao Sun. For this stage incident, you must bear at least half the responsibility!"

Sun Yi was close to tears upon hearing this.

As a host, controlling the scene was indeed his responsibility, but that irritating man said everything on stage without a filter, and Sun Yi couldn't foresee it at all.

So the little girl felt deeply wronged, unable to hold her emotions in front of dozens of people, her mouth pouting, ready to burst into tears.

The chief referee, Wu Xiao, sighed: "Alright, Xiao Sun couldn't control the situation, she shouldn't be blamed for this!

Let's focus on the interference issues Zhang Yang mentioned during the match!

I asked a few people and roughly verified the situation; it's not baseless, and Zhang Yang spoke conservatively, giving us some leeway!

To put it simply, the issues in this qualifying aren't as benign as they seem on the surface! Secret betting, targeting anglers, high bounties—a lot of nonsense! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In particular, the names of a few key individuals are..."

In this circle, getting some intel is just a few words away. Old Wu quickly gathered a lot of information, and he even discovered Qin Xiao's high bounty.

However, knowing is one thing; handling is another. Traditionally, the approach to problem-solving has always been to downplay and minimize issues, and this time is no different.

After some discussion, the group quickly came up with a handling plan that appeased all sides.

During the competition, the two anglers interfering with Zhang Yang's match were reported to the Capital General Fishing Association and given maximum penalties according to the rules.

The undisclosed private betting issues resulted in private warnings and partial fines for those responsible.

As for the issue of Qin Xiao's bounty targeting Zhang Yang, Qiu Wu, who conveyed messages for Qin Xiao, was made the scapegoat.

With these maneuvers, both a public explanation and private interests were addressed, making everyone happy.

Qiu Wu was expelled from the fishing association and banned for life, which also solidified the enmity between the Qin Xiao team and Zhang Yang!

...

Besides the strained relationship between Qin Xiao and Zhang Yang, another person held a grudge against Zhang Yang — Sun Yi, who had fallen from grace.

The young beauty initially had a very positive impression of Zhang Yang, but now, she was furious enough to want to swallow his heart.

A professional host experiencing such a significant stage accident was tantamount to a lifelong blemish; to put it harshly, she might never have another similar hosting opportunity.

"Damn Zhang Yang! Bad Zhang Yang! Shameless Zhang Yang! I curse you, drawing a circle, that in all future competitions you draw terrible fishing spots, catch nothing at all! I'm so mad! Sob sob sob..."

A tear-streaked Sun Yi sulkily returned to her hotel room, her eyes swollen like peaches.

"Ah-choo!!" While dining and drinking with his team, Zhang Yang suddenly felt an itch in his nose and sneezed heavily.

"Damn! Someone must be cursing me! Come on, old Han, everyone, let's have another drink!" Zhang Yang nonchalantly rubbed his nose, picked up his beer, and downed it in one go.

Having successfully qualified and even won the championship, Zhang Yang could consider this competition mission accomplished.

The group loosened up, enjoying food and drinks together until past ten at night, eventually finding a designated driver to take them back to their lodging.

Without further incident, they checked out at past nine the next morning and headed home!!