The three rooms were connected, facilitating mutual support. After a brief greeting, everyone returned to their respective rooms.
Li Haochen, having just put down his luggage, immediately asked, "Uncle Liu, what's the situation with those three teammates? They seem like soldiers."
"They should be high-level athletes trained by the country. I haven't seen them in any domestic fishing competitions. In fact, I know very little myself. They were arranged by our superiors. I heard from an old leader that you weren't originally supposed to be here, but for some reason, someone was replaced, and you were chosen."
"Uh, there's such a thing? So I should be thankful, haha!"
"Haochen, this is a great opportunity. Achieving good results will bring you fame and greatly benefit your future development."
"I'll do my best, Uncle Liu. Some things aren't obtained just by wishing."
Liu Changhe nodded and said no more. While he was showering, Li Haochen called Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian to report his safe arrival. They likely knew about the time difference and that it was already night, so they didn't keep him on the phone for long.
The time difference was indeed uncomfortable. Li Haochen went to bed right after showering. He needed to rest well; otherwise, falling ill would make him unable to participate in the competition.
The next morning, after breakfast, they went together to the competition venue to register. Li Haochen was surprised to run into Zhang Yuan.
"Brother Yuan? I thought I recognized you incorrectly."
"Haochen, you're here for the competition too? It's great to see you. This godforsaken place is full of red-haired and green-eyed foreigners, it's so dull, haha!"
"Also? Brother Yuan, you..."
"Oh, I'm representing Hong Kong and Macau this time, haha!"
Old acquaintances meeting again, their eyes welled up with tears. As they were chatting happily, Liu Changhe returned after completing the registration. He was also surprised to see Zhang Yuan and walked over to give him a hug. "Ah, Old Yuan, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Old Liu, it seems you've been promoted. You must treat us to drinks, hahaha!"
"Not at all, it's just the trust placed in me by the organization. We'll have a good get-together when we return. We'll be going now."
Li Haochen and Liu Changhe had no interest in sightseeing and returned to the hotel to rest. Zhu Wenxuan and the other three, however, had already slipped away to explore, which was fine as the daytime was quite safe.
In the evening, Xu Qing and the other three returned, clearly having had a good time. Judging by the exquisite small calfskin paper bags they carried, their shopping spree was very fruitful.
They didn't come down for dinner, likely having eaten out. Not long after returning to their rooms, Liu Changhe received a call and left in a hurry.
He returned about ten minutes later and immediately called Xu Qing and the others over for a meeting. "We'll be competing tomorrow. The organizers just notified us that the bonus for the heaviest single catch of the day has been canceled. This means we don't have to return every day. Furthermore, apart from the participants, no one is allowed to go out to sea with the team. You'll have to rely on yourselves for everything."
"In that case, can we bring enough supplies and stay at sea for five days? But none of us know how to captain a boat, what should we do?" Xu Qing was a bit embarrassed. The three of them trained in the same team and had some experience with boats, but they hadn't specifically learned to operate them.
"Leave the boat to me."
It was Li Haochen who spoke. Although he didn't know the make or model of the boats used in the competition, he had been captaining a boat for nearly a year, so he was confident.
"Alright, then this task will be assigned to Haochen. As for the competition, I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts. Should we stay at sea for five days before returning, or what?"
"I think it's better to stay at sea for five days and then return. After all, we are not familiar with these waters, and it would be a waste of time to go back and forth."
"I agree."
"We agree too."
"Okay, since everyone agrees, we'll proceed this way. Since we can't go with you, one of you will need to coordinate. So... Xu Qing, you'll be in charge. Any objections?"
Liu Changhe actually wanted to have Li Haochen take charge. After all, they knew each other well and had worked together, so he knew his character. More importantly, Li Haochen had multiple practical experiences. However, if he chose Li Haochen as the coordinator, Zhu Wenxuan and the other two males might have some objections. After careful consideration, he decided it would be better to assign the role to Xu Qing.
"Me? Hmm, very good. Remember to listen to your three younger brothers, hehe!"
Li Haochen's mouth twitched. Her demeanor was quite strong. It seemed this five-day sea journey would require careful navigation.
As for Zhu Wenxuan and Tang Shengtian, they looked like subservient younger brothers. It was unclear if they were interested in her or if they were arranged to be her "little brothers" when they came.
It didn't matter to him; he just needed to do his job well. He would captain the boat, fish, and after the competition, there were more important things waiting for him.
"Then it's decided. You all rest first. I'll go prepare the competition supplies. Yu Xin, please come out with me. We need your help to translate when buying things, hehe!"
"Okay!"
"I'll go out for a walk too. I feel a bit restless after staying in all day."
Li Haochen accompanied Liu Changhe and Xia Yuxin out. They didn't go far, as there was a supermarket not far from the hotel. Supermarkets abroad were indeed cheap, but some things were terrifyingly expensive, especially fruits. What were common roadside lychees in China were priced at $7.99 per pound here, which could buy ten jin back home.
Li Haochen and Liu Changhe parted ways to shop. As the top scholar, he wasn't incompetent. Although he hadn't had many opportunities to interact with foreigners, his English was solid. Communication was not a problem, but he didn't buy much, as he had everything he needed in his spatial storage.
The supermarket wasn't large; a quick walk took only a little over ten minutes. When they returned to the meeting point, Liu Changhe and the others were already queuing to pay. They had quite a few items: rice, flour, seasonings, biscuits, drinks, etc., but no vegetables or meat. They should be able to catch up by waking up early the next day.
Back at the hotel, Li Haochen made a video call to Murong Yanran. He had to let her know he would be at sea for five days. Otherwise, if he went missing for a few days without contact, she might even search for him through the embassy.
Waking up the next day, Liu Changhe was not in the room, likely having gone to buy groceries.
Indeed, a while later, he walked in carrying several large bags. After putting them down, he went to call Liu Zixuan and the others, keeping him extremely busy.
Ten minutes later, they each carried a large bag out of the hotel entrance. Zhang Chao was already waiting for them.
Upon arriving at the assembly point, it was already crowded and bustling with activity. Besides the participants, there were more tourists from all over the world. The stage was filled with VIPs from the organizing committee. After an hour-long speech, three clear and loud bronze bells rang, and the competition officially began.
"Let's go, we're departing."