Free Web NovelChapter 884: Chapter 589: Yangma Mountain Reservoir (Part 2)
Zhang Yang’s move of retracing the steps of his predecessors, effectively cornering them in a unique way, can definitely be considered a shortcut to gaining popularity.
After the team regrouped, a simple internal meeting was held to review the results, and the conclusion was that the skit format had enormous impact, and they could continue producing series under this model.
As a result, Zhang Yang immediately started a new round of fishing location solicitation activities within the die-hard fan group.
With the foundation laid by millions of fans on Kuaishou, there are dozens of die-hard fan groups. It’s relatively easy to solicit good fishing spots nationwide.
After a thorough sorting and selection, the venue for the second episode of Boss Pan’s reservoir series was freshly chosen.
According to fellow anglers in the group, located in the outskirts of S City, the Yangma Mountain Reservoir has a large density of big fish like black carp and grass carp released seven or eight years ago and hasn’t been fished or opened for business for many years. Just last week it opened on a small scale within the community, and the feedback from anglers’ real-world experiences affirmed that the fishing situation is extremely exciting, making it a perfect choice for venue shooting skits.
Armed with the relevant information, Zhang Yang’s team swiftly gathered and set off. Two cars, four people, re-entered battle mode, driving 570 kilometers straight to Yangma Mountain Reservoir.
The journey under the stars and moon is set aside for now. By 8 p.m., Zhang Yang’s car arrived at the nearest town to Yangma Mountain Reservoir to rest for the night, with plans to officially head up the mountain the next morning.
Compared to the previous shoot at East Lake Reservoir where they encountered the real-deal angler Boss Pan, the filming schedule at Yangma Mountain Reservoir was decidedly less formal.
Zhang Yang’s fishing trip here was arranged and recommended by the die-hard fans in the group. To put it bluntly, it’s akin to having connections to fish and play in some non-public waters.
But there’s no other option; for the material to be interesting, good fishing conditions are a must, there have to be fish to catch.
Besides, although the scenario in the last skit where Xu Cheng and Dai Bing were discreetly blurred while mocking rich second-generation individuals, and despite obtaining their consent, the public opinion in the skit’s comments section was a bit off.
Many die-hard fans and casual fans held opposing attitudes, which brought some tension. Thus, Zhang Yang and the team decided that such pretentious mock-themed content would be removed from future skits, focusing entirely on positive energy.
Early the next morning, just after five o’clock at dawn, Zhang Yang’s alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but his phone rang first.
Always a light sleeper, Zhang Yang quickly opened his eyes, glanced at the time, and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Zhang Yang, are you awake? Get up to pee! I’m Old Wu, WeChat nickname is S City’s Daniel Wu!" A clear male voice said over the phone, judging by the sound quality, he shouldn’t be very old.
"Whoa, Old Wu, you’re a night owl, huh? Calling me to get up at four-thirty!" Zhang Yang rubbed his face in mild annoyance upon recognizing the familiar voice.
This Old Wu is one of the admins of Zhang Yang’s fan group, often chit-chatting and bantering in the group but never met in person, a buddy familiar online but unknown in real life.
"Haha! I told you yesterday in the group, would wake you up to pee, since you’re here in my territory, I must get things done right!"
"Yesterday rested only around eleven; everyone’s still not up yet! Where shall we meet later? We’re currently staying at Jiuyou Hotel, right in the town center!"
"I’ve already sorted breakfast for you; we’ll eat up the mountain! At five-thirty, I’ll wait for you at the traffic light intersection on the north side of town and bring you up the mountain!" said Old Wu.
"Okay!"
Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang was fully awake now, with less than an hour until five-thirty. Getting up, washing, and tidying would take about ten minutes at most, giving Zhang Yang theoretically forty minutes of rest time.
However, for an angler, curiosity about an unknown fishing spot, the exciting fish situation, and reconnecting with old friends unseen for years brought a sense of anticipation to Zhang Yang’s mood.
In such circumstances, it’s impossible to turn around and sleep again.
Resignedly, Zhang Yang turned over, opened his phone apps, and started casually fiddling around.
Half an hour flew by, the wake-up alarm rang, and Zhang Yang decisively got up, dressed, washed, and tidied up before knocking on his teammates’ doors to wake them. Once everyone freshened up, they checked out and hopped into the car, heading straight to the agreed-upon location.
The small town near Yangma Mountain only has one central street, very spacious and empty early in the morning. Zhang Yang led the way driving, and from a distance, spotted the flashing Wuling Hongguang van next to the agreed road section.
The van looks quite ordinary from the outside, just a normal van, but Zhang Yang took a glance at the license plate numbered 2222, which was rather flamboyant. To put it bluntly, the license plate value alone could buy several vans.
Zhang Yang honked the horn, parked on the roadside, and saw a neatly dressed handsome man getting out of the driver’s seat.
Objectively speaking, Zhang Yang himself is quite good-looking, considered slightly handsome to regular folks, but compared to the guy stepping out of the van, completely outclassed.
A tall guy standing at 1.85 meters, with long legs, trendy hairstyle, stylish attire featuring a coal gray T-shirt with a gold fishhook pendant on his chest, white ice silk sleeves with the Ming Yang logo covering his lower arm, and sharp, well-defined features, fitting the novel’s description of "sword brows and starry eyes." Other than the male celebrities on screen, it was Zhang Yang’s first time seeing such a level of handsomeness in real life.
If one were to nitpick, the guy’s slightly dark complexion slightly affected the overall beauty, moving him away from the typical pretty boy range.
"Old Wu??" Zhang Yang exclaimed tentatively.
"Welcome to S City, boss! It’s great to meet real people!"
Old Wu instantly recognized Zhang Yang and warmly announced his welcome without hesitation.
"Wow, you kept boasting about being handsome in the group, I thought you were bluffing, but I never imagined you’re this handsome, almost catching up with me!" Zhang Yang jokingly said with a grin.
"Hehe, do you think it’s that easy to be called Daniel Wu? Hello, sis-in-law, hello, Sister YOYO! And this handsome guy must be the photographer Xiao Yi right, nice to meet you, Teacher Xiao Yi!"
Old Wu was very personable, greeting everyone individually, creating a "sunshine cheerful boy" first impression.
"Hello, handsome!" Xiao Wei nodded slightly as a greeting.
YOYO, with her somewhat extroverted personality, was a bit more ’bold,’ sizing up Old Wu: "Wow, your group profile picture is actually you, I thought it was a stock photo! Oh, handsome, do you have a significant other? Can I introduce my girlfriend to you?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
YOYO’s straightforward matchmaking caught Old Wu slightly off guard.
Old Wu scratched his head: "Well, I’m already taken, so you don’t need to worry about that, YOYO. Anyway, let’s cut the chit-chat, I’ll lead you up the mountain! We can talk more at the destination!"
"Alright!"
After brief greetings, everyone boarded their vehicles again, with Old Wu’s van leading, guiding them straight out of town and then twisting and turning up the Yangma Mountain road.
Before coming, Zhang Yang had done some background research to know roughly what to expect. Simply put, Yangma Mountain Reservoir is a typical mountain reservoir. Though S City is not particularly high in altitude, the reservoir location is quite elevated, nearly at the summit according to the map, nestled in a ravine between two mountain peaks.
The mountain road wasn’t easy, a dirt path layered with sand and small stones, barely wide enough for two cars to pass face to face.
Old Wu was well-acquainted with the roads around, maneuvering the van deftly, quickly leading Zhang Yang and his team up the mountain.
