Chang You gathered all the information and began to further optimize the details of the artificial intelligence voice assistant AEEIS after seeing Yu Pingan off.
One of the very important points was the voice of AEEIS.
Chang You had not been able to fully finalize the voice details of AEEIS.
Boss Pei had made the requirements for the voice of AEEIS clear: that it had no emotion and had a neutral mechanical voice.
However, there were also many types of mechanical sounds, and different types of mechanical sounds gave a world of difference to people listening to them.
There were actually many levels, from pure mechanical sounds to natural human sounds.
The pure mechanical sounds were the sounds of robots in some old movies. They sounded a little dull, hollow, without any tone at all, and they had obvious interruptions between words.
Currently, most intelligent voice assistants are working hard to move closer to the pure human voice and make the dialogue more natural through a large number of voice recordings.
Chang You was only able to roughly determine that the AEEIS voice should be somewhere between these two voices, but the specific extent to which it should be done was not yet finalized.
Pure mechanical sound could well highlight the artificial intelligence attributes of AEEIS, but it might be inconvenient for users to use it. After all, pure mechanical sounds were laborious to listen to. It wasn't easy to hear clearly and did not meet the AEEIS 'easy to use' and 'efficient' characteristics.
Therefore, the focus of AEEIS voice this time was to be as efficient and easy to use as possible on the premise of highlighting the characteristics of the personality, without affecting the user experience.
If someone was to consider the slightly poisonous tongue attribute of AEEIS, they could continue to add more features, such as speeding up its speech when they spat out the poison—which could highlight the attribute of 'quick thinking'.
Of course, the specific tone to be used requires the staff to slowly adjust to it. There might be many kinds of plans, which would be finally decided by Chang You.
On the other hand, Chang You provided all these requirements to the staff and asked them to work hard in this direction.
...
...
October 27th, Thursday...
At Dream Realization Ventures...
He Desheng immediately got up to greet Pei Qian and Ma Yang as they walked in.
"Boss Pei, Boss Ma, he has arrived and is waiting in the meeting room."
"Chen Yufeng has four years of testing experience in a laboratory in Beijing and worked for Shaohu Reviews for some time, but he left because he was dissatisfied that Shaohu Reviews accepted bribes.
"There is no problem in terms of professional quality. He also has contact with some specialized laboratories and evaluation agencies. It should not be a big problem for him to cooperate with Boss Ma."
Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, let's meet him."
Pei Qian said that he would prepare a professional team Old Ma so he arranged for He Desheng to find a suitable candidate.
Fault-finding was a technical task, and the contents this time were not limited to the evaluation of digital products so professional knowledge would be more important.
Once the person in charge of the professional team was selected, he would search for professionals in various fields.
He Desheng knocked on the door lightly and entered when they reached the conference room.
Chen Yufeng quickly stood up.
He looked to be in his early thirties—with glasses and short hair—and gave off a very capable feeling.
He Desheng gestured for everyone to sit down after a brief introduction.
Chen Yufeng was a little nervous.
He was only small and transparent in the evaluation circle with no visible results before He Desheng came knocking on his door. The only thing he could show was that he had been responsible for several manuscripts at Shaohu Reviews, which was regarded by many as criticism.
Shaohu Reviews had influence in China, but its reputation was also very bad. Many viewers knew that they did things for money. It would be scolded every time a new video was released.
Chen Yufeng's business acumen might be good, but it was useless to have only business acumen in this industry.
The evaluation industry relied on the trust of their influence. If there weren't enough people paying attention to someone, it would be difficult to be seen no matter how good that person's business acumen was.
According to He Desheng, the project leaders this time were Tengda's Boss Pei and Boss Ma. There would be no shortage of attention, money, and other aspects. It was a good platform.
The key depended on whether Boss Pei and Boss Ma could be satisfied with them or not.
Of course, Chen Yufeng didn't say that he would definitely join because He Desheng just told him that it was an evaluation project without any specifications.
He would have to reconsider if it was a project that did things for money like Shaohu Reviews. That would be disgusting.
Chen Yufeng stood up and handed his resume to Boss Pei with both hands.
"Boss Pei, this is my resume for your perusal."
Chen Yufeng's gaze swept across Boss Pei and Boss Ma at the same time.
Boss Ma was rather young; his face was so long...
Boss Pei was the same as in the video, so young.
Wait, that wasn't right; didn't they say this was an actor for Boss Pei?
Chen Yufeng did not respond for a short while. He was looking forward to what Boss Pei looked like, but he was looking at the actor who acted as Boss Pei?
There must be some misunderstanding here.
However, he didn't ask too much; he just froze for a moment and quickly understood what was going on.
Pei Qian took the resume and flipped through it briefly: "I have read your resume previously, and I am quite satisfied.
"I am sure you are capable since He Desheng recommended you.
"Let me briefly talk about your tasks. If you feel that there is no problem, then I'll let He Desheng cooperate with you to form an evaluation team and then start working on the project."
Chen Yufeng was stunned for a moment.
Ah? Wasn't that a little rash?
Generally, he and Boss Pei had never met and were not familiar with each other. What could he tell from the resume?
When interviewing job applicants in general companies, they would at least ask about the candidate's past work experience in detail and talk about some specific business issues to gain a deeper understanding?
Moreover, most companies would have a probation period after the interview. If they were not satisfied with the candidate after the probation period, they could just leave. The company would not lose much.
In the end, Boss Pei skipped this stage directly?
Wasn't Tengda a company famous for being difficult to enter?
Didn't it mean that there would be written examinations, interviews, and Tengda spirit tests?
Chen Yufeng felt a little psychedelic. It seemed that the internal operating rules of the entire Tengda Group were very mysterious. Sometimes, it was very difficult to get a job; sometimes, it was very simple and completely baffling.
However, Chen Yufeng certainly wouldn't ask too much. Of course, it would be good to be able to join the company directly, and he would still be the person-in-charge of the department. Where could he find such a good thing?
He was silently waiting for Boss Pei to assign his tasks.
Pei Qian coughed slightly: "Your task is very simple. You just choose a variety of products from the market, digital products, daily necessities... as long as they can be evaluated.
"During the evaluation, you should look carefully for the shortcomings and problems of these products and write a draft for Boss Ma."
Chen Yufeng was stunned for a moment. "...just write the shortcomings?"
Pei Qian nodded. "That's right."
Chen Yufeng: "Choose any product? Will there be... whitelisted product? Tengda's own products wouldn't be on that list, right?
Pei Qian smiled. "Why would they not be on the list?
"Tengda's products are no exception. They must be tested with even more stringency than other products!
"And you cannot take money from any company, regardless of whether they want to exaggerate their product or keep it silent about their product—just ignore it."
Chen Yufeng opened his mouth slightly and didn't know what to say for a while.
Was this Tengda?
Wasn't it... just too hard-line?
When hearing this task, Chen Yufeng's first reaction was not that it was outrageous... but that they were iron-hard, and their background was really hard!
If it was a general evaluation agency that dared to do this kind of thing, they would be afraid that they would soon be overwhelmed by the black manuscripts and would soon be ruined and lost in the long river of history...
Because of this behavior was basically smashing the jobs of various manufacturers.
It would be okay if it was the exposure of some not-so-famous manufacturers. Those manufacturers did not have so many fans and energy after all.
However, almost every big manufacturer had an army of fake reviewers. There were also a large number of fans even if they did not have fake reviewers. One would immediately face huge public pressure if one dared to pick faults.
Moreover, the other party would definitely try to dig the other's dirt and attack each other.
Say that the evaluation agency did not accept bribes, but it would still be difficult to guarantee that it would never make a mistake, right? If something were to go wrong, the other party would definitely fight to the end, desperately discrediting. When the public opinion and the machinery were really activated, the situation would become completely uncontrollable.
Therefore, no one would do something like that because it was thankless and difficult to survive, let alone make money from it.
Chen Yufeng felt a lot of pressure and swallowed, "Boss Pei, this job is really challenging for me.
"It is difficult to guarantee absolute objectivity in evaluation. Some people will think that a shortcoming is acceptable while there would be others who could not accept it completely. There will definitely be a certain degree of subjectivity.
"If there is a mistake or just an improper wording where someone caught a language loophole, it may be hated by the entire internet.
"If mistakes in my work bring public opinion pressure or bad influence to Tengda Group, it will be difficult for me to bear the consequences..."
Pei Qian sniggered inside.
Huge public opinion pressure?
That's great!
I was still worried that no one was able to criticize me!
Pei Qian smiled slightly: "Well, it is inevitable to make mistakes. Once such mistakes occur, they must be borne by the company.
"First of all, we must proofread more. Some controversial and subjective issues should not be mentioned as much as possible. We are not afraid of criticism. The main reason is that we should not mislead our audience.
"It will still be based on the shortcomings and problems of the products.
"If something went wrong, you should apologize right away. It's no big deal. You should apologize, clarify, and compensate.
"As for the public opinion of the whole network, there is no need to worry about this. Boss Ma will be there even if the sky falls. Any pressure from public opinion will just go to his Weibo."
Pei Qian had never doubted Old Ma's ability to take pressure.
This person did not have many advantages, but he had a good mentality. He would not swell no matter how bad the results he obtained were, and he would not collapse under pressure. This might be the advantage brought by the lack of IQ.
Chen Yufeng looked at Boss Ma suspiciously.
Ma Yang slammed his chest: "Yes, I can stand up to any pressure; these are all minor problems!"
His expression was deadly serious.
Chen Yufeng hesitated for a moment and said: "Okay, then, I will try. But... I hope I can quit at any time if I really can't cope with this job."
Pei Qian nodded. "Sure, no problem!"
He was totally not worried about Chen Yufeng leaving halfway.
If that happened, it meant that the goal of losing money had been achieved, and Pei Qian would definitely try to keep him by raising his salary.
There was no problem that more money could not solve!
Chapter 706: Boycott of the Esports Club
October 28th, Friday...
The conference room of the DGE Club...
The managers of the various clubs gathered together and chatted while drinking tea.
It had been a while since these clubs moved to Jingzhou. After the GOG International Invitational Tournament, the life of each club could be said to be a little boring in leisure.
The clubs were still playing mock competitions as usual, but the effectiveness of the training games would definitely be greatly reduced without the official competitions.
However, the muscles of the players had been steadily growing.
GOG's version update was not fast so the teams don't need to be too anxious to adapt to the new version. Everyone was eagerly waiting for GOG to officially launch the next phase of the plan.
The clubs had speculated that GOG would be launching a league mode soon.
It was not hard to guess. The esports industry might have many deficiencies in this regard, but some popular sports events had many rules to refer to so they could just copy them directly.
Moreover, the formation of domestic leagues was also very easy. The venue of the world competition could be used directly as the venue of the league. The clubs were concentrated in Jingzhou, and the match schedule could start immediately.
No matter how someone looked at it, it seemed like Boss Pei had prepared in advance, and none of the other regions had such unique conditions.
Zhang Yuan invited everyone over this time probably for the league.
This was also why the club managers vaguely had the idea that Zhang Yuan was taking the lead because everyone knew that Boss Zhang was not only the manager of the DGE club. He was also someone who could talk to Boss Pei directly. If he really wanted to have the GOG league, then Boss Zhang must also be one of those in charge.
Therefore, the managers of these clubs came over immediately after Zhang Yuan notified the clubs today.
They realized that Boss Pei was actually there, sitting quietly beside him, without saying a word after they had arrived.
That confirmed everyone's suspicion that what they were going to say today must be extraordinary.
Zhang Yuan distributed the new regulations in his hand to the clubs in turn and then went straight to the point, affirming all the requirements put forward by Boss Pei.
"We will start planning for GOG's domestic league next, which will be named GPL. Everyone present had contributed to the development of the GOG professional circle. You are important participants in the first Global Invitational and have the strongest players in China. Therefore, everyone has the priority to enter the GPL.
"However...
"You still need to accept some official supervision and terms if you want to join.
"Tengda is planning to establish an esports division to coordinate the development of GOG games and the entire esports circle. There are several requirements in it, which I hope everyone can cooperate with."
The club managers looked at the new regulations distributed by Zhang Yuan.
Manager Su of the H4 Club looked at this page, frowning slightly; and his face became ugly as he read on.
The content was quite general; however, while there were no detailed terms, every one of them looked unfriendly:
Tengda established the Esports Division to manage the GOG League and World Games system in a unified manner.
The esports business department would provide unified standard contracts for the club and the players, only stipulating the basic content such as time, liquidated damages, transfer fees, salary, etc.; and dual contracts were strictly forbidden and various other additional clauses.
During the transfer period, the club and the players can contact each other freely but cannot sign privately. The esports business department must coordinate, and both parties must abide by their promises.
In the event of a dispute, they must first seek mediation from Tengda, which was the Esports Division.
If the above terms are not complied with, the Tengda Esports Division could withdraw the clubs' qualifications for the GPL League at any time, and the clubs whose qualifications were withdrawn could transfer the GOG Division to a third party or to Tengda, and the Esports Division will find a suitable third-party to take over.
Manager Su subconsciously looked at the others and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
These requests were a bit excessive in the eyes of these clubs!
They might allow Boss Zhang to take the lead, but that was on the premises that Boss Zhang did not infringe their interests!
Since the emergence of the esports industry in China, the attitude between most game manufacturers and clubs had always been to mind one's own business.
Most game manufacturers did not have the ability or leisure to carry out such management and requirements on clubs. Moreover, these game manufacturers had to count on the major clubs to join in the competition so they turned a blind eye to the behavior of these clubs in private.
To protect their own interests, the major clubs would more or less play some dirty tricks.
This was actually a problem left over from history. The current esports clubs were basically established by a group of wealthy people. There were one or two rich second-generation heirs behind more than half of them. The management in all aspects was very irregular. There was no need to be too formal in their view.
Why spend so much effort if they were just playing around?
Many clubs were afraid that their players were being poached by other clubs and have their entire team dug away so they had to sign contracts with some harsh terms akin to 'selling away their life' with new players.
In other words, they were all now very careful, but because they were scammed by players or other clubs before, they passed this risk to more rookie players so they wouldn't suffer.
The clubs felt that doing so would safeguard their legal rights.
However, Boss Pei's request was obviously 'violating their legitimate rights and interests' because the set of rules they had set before had been completely invalidated.
Manager Su pursed his lips, but after thinking about it, he remained silent.
He knew that more than half of the clubs present would have opinions on these terms so he didn't need to be the first to speak.
The conference room fell into a short period of silence.
Manager Li of the SUG club was the first who could not hold back. After clearing his throat, he said: "Boss Zhang, there are some terms that do not seem to be very appropriate...
"Tengda has established an esports division to manage esports competitions. This is, of course, a good thing, and we all support it hands down.
"But... is the standard contract necessary? Different conditions are given to different players when the clubs negotiate with the players. How can a standard contract cover all possible situations?
"I think it is okay to let the club and the players contact and sign contracts by themselves. To put it bluntly, this is a legal issue. Your energy in this area as the official organizer is a little wasted.
"Moreover, this esports industry is maintained by all clubs. We should seek common ground while reserving differences. Tengda has its rules, and our club also has our habit of doing things. Isn't it good for everyone to respect each other?
"Everyone in this room has supported Tengda. Isn't it a bit inhumane to kick us out this way?
"So I think this rule should be reconsidered and deliberated; what do you think?"
Manager Li looked at the other club managers after he was done.
"Yes, Manager Li has a point!"
"Yes, Mr. Zhang, this is a bit of a fuss, which is unnecessary. Besides, signing a standard contract will definitely have many other problems, and it will be more troublesome to solve them. What's more, there is no such precedent in the domestic esports circle..."
"Boss Zhang, everyone is particularly supportive of Boss Pei, which is why we bought players and moved our divisions to Jingzhou. If we are kicked out because we did not accept these terms, then who would dare to cooperate with Tengda in the future?"
"Yes, we were the first group of clubs to support GOG esports competitions. We have worked hard even if we are without merit..."
"It's not easy for clubs now. Most clubs are purely burning money. We are also a disadvantaged group. If there are no additional terms, the rights of the players are guaranteed. What about our rights?"
Many club managers have expressed similar ideas to Manager Li.
Obviously, it was impossible for them to accept the supervision of Tengda Esports Division without saying a word.
The managers of these esports clubs are all old slippery foxes, and they knew their way around.
The point was that even if they accept it, the owner of the club would probably not accept it.
They did not dare to make things clear, but they could play favors and create some pressure through both soft and hard approaches without making it absolutely clear.
Generally speaking, game makers would give them some face and would not turn things into a stalemate.
Manager Su did not speak and secretly looked at Boss Pei, who was silently sitting on the sidelines.
He also couldn't guess what kind of mentality Boss Pei had.
If it's someone else, that person might be smiling and appease the club managers. This matter could be discussed slowly and long-term.
However, it was Boss Pei. It was not impossible for him to scold all these managers mercilessly. Boss Pei had the confidence to do so.
The regulations given by Zhang Yuan were clearly written out. If they did not agree, they could transfer the GPL access qualifications and even the entire GOG division to a third party.
This showed that President Pei had a strong determination to promote this matter.
However, things were not so absolute. After all, there was always a plan for the worst case, which did not mean that it would be used. Boss Pei had to give a buffer no matter how resolute he was, right?
Manager Su looked at Boss Pei and found that the corners of Boss Pei's mouth were slightly raised, seeming to carry some... joy?
Impossible?
Was this a soothing smile or a sneer?
Manager Su suddenly felt that something was wrong and did not develop as he expected so he quickly swallowed what he wanted to say.
Zhang Yuan sighed silently; this group of sly old fox would definitely not give in so easily.
They dared not bang the table directly, but they could play emotional cards and pretend to be pitiful.
There was a saying: 'no one can slap a smiling face'. It would be easier to handle these club managers if they dared to get angry. However, he was afraid that they would continue pretending to be weak. If Tengda handled it too harshly, it would generate some bad public opinion and give other clubs an impression that 'Tengda is unreasonable'. That would not be easy to deal with.
Zhang Yuan subconsciously looked at Mr. Pei who was sitting at the side.
He would have to depend on how Boss Pei would deal with such a critical situation.
Chapter 707: Boss Pei's 'Tai-Chi'
Pei Qian's smile was sincere.
The voice of protest was much louder than he thought!
That was a good thing!
In fact, Pei Qian never wanted these clubs to come to Jingzhou—let alone for them to buy the DGE Club players, but they understood him wrong which led to the situation today.
It would be a great thing if he could take this opportunity to drive away a few clubs!
It would be even better if Tengda could buy all the clubs.
Spend a few million dollars per club to make losses without doing anything more to them, wasn't that plan just beautiful?
Facing the seemingly pitiful club managers who harbored evil intentions, Pei Qian smiled and spoke kindly.
"Don't worry, we understand the difficulties of your clubs.
"We are aware of everyone's efforts in the development of GOG esports.
"All clubs are disadvantaged and have been losing money. Clubs' interests are not guaranteed. This is indeed very sad.
"Really, I really understand your feeling."
Manager Su was at a loss after listening to Boss Pei.
That wasn't right; that did not seem like something Boss Pei would say?
Something was amiss...?
The other club managers also looked at each other. They did not imagine that Boss Pei would be so easy to talk to; it did not seem very reliable.
Pei Qian smiled slightly and continued: "Since your clubs have been losing money and have been in such a perilous situation, let Tengda take care of sufferings!
"Your GOG divisions are nothing more than paying rent and salaries. The bulk of the cost is on the players' worth. Such a heavy burden should be handed over to Tengda.
"If you feel that you can't keep going, just sell the division to Tengda. We can pay a little premium so that you can make a bit. It's definitely not in vain. What do you think?"
Pei Qian worked hard to make his attitude very sincere and his expression very kind.
It's great that you didn't agree with me! I couldn't wait to take over!
The managers of the clubs turned pale instantly.
Boss Pei might have said with a smile, but it was more uncomfortable than being scolded.
It would be easier for these clubs to handle if Boss Pei were to blast off directly. They would make Tengda wear all kinds of 'unfriendly' and 'kick them to the curb when they've outlived their usefulness', so that other clubs would not dare to approach, and the GOG league qualification would rot in Tengda.
However, Boss Pei was behaving very considerately while refusing to give up. This was equivalent to weird meeting the weird; everyone was weird together. Whoever became serious first would lose.
President Pei kicked the ball back to their court perfectly; how should they return it?
Continue to complain? However, Boss Pei said 'sell to him if it was so hard for them'.
Stop complaining? What other ways would they have then?
Everyone fell silent for a while.
Manager Li coughed twice: "How about this, Boss Pei, we can't make a decision in haste on such a big thing. Can we have a two-day grace period for us to talk to our bosses in detail before replying to you?"
Pei Qian nodded: "Of course, I hope that all your bosses can seriously consider it. If you sell the division, you can instantly make some money. This kind of good deal isn't common!"
Manager Li: "..."
Pei Qian said everything sincerely, but in the ears of various clubs, it had completely changed into another meaning.
They were completely defeated by Boss Pei's Tai-Chi!
Fortunately, they gained a certain buffer time; the clubs would discuss countermeasures with their bosses.
The managers of the various clubs stood up to leave.
"Everyone, take care. By the way, you can take this paper back and show it to your boss. You must seriously consider it!"
Pei Qian did not forget to remind everyone to bring the new regulations with them.
The managers were stunned.
What did Boss Pei mean? Sending us back with bullets to fire on ourselves?
Boss Pei was not afraid that the above terms would be leaked, causing unanimous resistance from all domestic esports clubs?
The other club owners might not believe it if there was no proof. If they took this piece of paper away, it would force other clubs to the same battle frontline!
The club managers folded this piece of paper and put it in their pockets; they took it with them with an attitude of 'what a waste if they did not take it away'.
Zhang Yuan was a little worried: "Boss Pei, is this really okay? Let these clubs think about it for two days is to give them time to unite."
Pei Qian smiled slightly: "Isn't that better?"
If only one club was going to sell, they might be able to find takers.
If all of them were to sell and could not find any takers, then they could only rot in Tengda's hands.
Pei Qian couldn't desire more for it to happen!
...
In the evening, several club managers came to the SUG club and met with Manager Li.
Their expressions were ugly as they came to the conference room.
They had spoken to their bosses this afternoon and shown the paper to the bosses. It was obvious that the bosses could not just accept these conditions willingly.
Why?
GOG was not the first game that these clubs engaged in esports. They were also in esports for games such as 'Fantasy Battle' and 'Starcraft'. Since when were there any game manufacturers that interfered with the club's contract with players?
Weren't they meddling too much?
Therefore, the attitudes of the bosses were also very consistent—as much as possible to 'protect the rights of the club'!
"Manager Li, what should we do?"
The SUG club was the richest of these clubs. The owner has always been tough so it was the most suitable to be the one who headed this.
Other clubs were not willing to be restricted and being held by Tengda so they would naturally spare no effort.
Of course, there were also three or four clubs who felt that the matter was not that serious. Tengda has not harmed the core interests of the club, but they are all present because the interests of all clubs were the same.
They weren't that determined, but it was above their pay grades.
Manager Li was silent for a moment and said: "Boss Pei has always been tough. It could be seen from the meeting today. That Tai Chi caused us to be powerless.
"However, we can't just let it go! We have been in the business for so long; when have we experienced such bullying? What can we do if we were to accept it and for there to be more rules in the future?
"Why should we sign a standard contract with the players? It is so hard to cultivate a good seed. What if the player runs after the contract expires; how can our interests be guaranteed?
"Besides, everything else is plentiful, but there are so many internet-addicted teenagers. If we really let the players come and go freely, wouldn't our club really become a truly disadvantaged group? We cannot allow this to happen!
"We are in esports not for charity so we absolutely cannot compromise on this matter!"
A manager showed a face full of dilemma: "Manager Li, it's correct to say that, but Boss Pei's attitude is very firm."
Manager Li smiled slightly: "Boss Pei is indeed a person who doesn't care about anyone else, but we are not completely helpless!
"There are other companies besides us in the domestic esports field. It is a very small circle.
"What Boss Pei means is probably he could get other clubs to enter even if we leave.
"However, he probably didn't think what if all the clubs were to bend together and refuse?
"Other clubs have the same interests as us!
"Let's talk to other clubs first and carefully choreograph something together.
"We can be said to be a great help to the GOG World Invitational and can be said to be senior partners of Tengda? At that time, we will explore Tengda's requirements and then invite some fake reviewers to create public opinion that 'Tengda is squeezing the clubs' or that 'Tengda is undermining the GOG gaming environment'.
"Then let other clubs speak out, hoping that Tengda will not interfere with the normal operation of the club and that both parties will benefit and create a win-win situation.
"Then, we will take advantage of the trend and publicly state that we would transfer the GOG division, raise the price by 20%, and then talk to other clubs and tell them not to take over.
"Don't you think Boss Pei will be anxious if no one were to take over?"
"What if Boss Pei really pays for them all and transfers them?" Manager Su was a little lost.
Manager Li laughed. "Transfer? To whom?
"We will talk to other clubs in advance, we let the news go that we are going to sell, and no one buys. Then, Boss Pei should know that even if he really buys all the clubs, he wouldn't be able to sell them!
"Wouldn't that all rot in his hands?
"Then what? Compete internally? Wouldn't that be a joke?
"Furthermore, each of our clubs will cost him millions, tens of millions; could he eat them all? Does Tengda have so much liquidity? Would he take such a big risk to burn so much money just for this standard contract?
"Therefore, the scenario you imagined will not happen.
"The most likely thing is our carefully choreographed scheme will bring about public opinion. No one would take over the clubs, and Tengda would not know where to put its face.
"Boss Pei would have to give way.
"Changes to any one of these terms would be worth it, don't you think?"
The managers of the clubs nodded.
"Yes, makes sense!"
"Manager Li, your idea is really good."
"Yes, the domestic esports circle is a small circle and a circle of favors. As long as we unite with other clubs, we will be invincible!"
"We'll wait for Manager Li's good news then!"
Obviously, the owners of these clubs did not want to be subjected to too much control as well. They had already told their bosses that they could not just accept it unless it was a last resort.
Manager Li and the SUG club were taking the lead, and other clubs were happy to watch the changes. Anyway, it was all in their own favor.
Only Manager Su felt uneasy.
He had never heard of Boss Pei giving way!
This plan might look seamless, but Boss Pei's strategizing ability was also extremely terrifying.
Manager Su thought silently in his heart that he still had to prepare a two-pronged approach.
Wait and see first; of course, it would be best if Boss Pei could compromise.
However, he would change camp to Boss Pei's side if he had a sniff that something was wrong.
The GPL quota was not something that can be obtained casually after all. Wouldn't it be a total loss if they were to lose at this game and also had their GPL quota revoked?
Chapter 708: Boss Pei's Psychological Battle!
October 30th, Sunday afternoon...
Pei Qian sipped his coffee while checking through forums online with his laptop at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Indeed, the managers of the clubs had begun discussing their opinions on the Internet after receiving Tengda's regulations and reading them.
On Friday night, someone leaked news of Tengda's preparations for the GPL on Weibo and other forums. At the same time, there was also news that Tengda was suspected to be squeezing clubs dry.
Among those discussing the news was the very influential Big V and hints of fake reviewers. They shared their own versions of the news rapidly until it became impossible to find the source of the leak. Naturally, no one knew which club was responsible.
The content of all the news was similar, and they were mostly accompanied by the original text of the rules and regulations.
"Tengda is setting up the Esports Division and requesting clubs not to enter into contracts with athletes in private. Moreover, clubs must allow Tengda to mediate any conflicts that arise with athletes. Clubs would not even be allowed to draft their own contracts and freely decide on terms with athletes. Instead, they have to accept Tengda's standard form contract. If the clubs don't accept the above regulations, they would not be able to obtain permission to join GPL. Isn't that harsh?"
"The clubs had invested money and effort into making GOG's invitational tournament so huge. Is Tengda turning against them now?"
"The clubs and the official platform should be seeking to achieve a win-win solution since both are good at what they're in charge of. The official platform for games should be spending its time and effort on improving the contents of the games and keeping the esports competitions. It should not be micromanaging the clubs' environments and acting so rigid!"
"They should be protecting the rights and interests of the clubs. Major clubs would only take part in the GPL without any worries if they are sure that their interests would be well taken care of. What if the League makes ducks and drakes of the funds and resources that the major clubs invest? Would any major club dare to join? This is a lose-lose situation for athletes, the audience, and the clubs alike!"
"I think that the Tengda's official platform should seriously consider protecting the major clubs' interests, and respect the experience and professionalism that those major clubs have accumulated in their years in the industry. The country's esports industry can only develop healthily if each player plays their own role well..."
Many people were already sharing similar content and saying similar things.
All of them were merely emphasizing that Tengda's numerous rules for GPL and excessive restrictions on the clubs served to exploit the clubs and hinder the healthy development of the esports industry. All the clubs seemed to be joining forces to resist this move...
Many clubs had also shared similar viewpoints and expressed their interest in the matter.
Although they did not express themselves plainly, their attitudes were clear.
Below these Weibo posts, players had varying opinions.
Some agreed, some did not, and some just stood by to watch the events unfold.
"I took a look at the rules and regulations, and I think that Tengda had good intentions. It wanted to regulate the esports environment, but it should have thought about what would become of the professional league without any clubs supporting it. The clubs are their business partners, and they should not have attempted to exploit them!"
"That's right. Tengda is obviously doing this for its own interests. It's putting too much pressure on the clubs. Now, look at how things have turned out. The clubs are joining forces to resist this move. How would the GPL form?"
"I think Tengda has acted too quickly. There's no need for this now. They should have given the clubs some room to live and develop."
"What are all of you above talking about? Tengda is not stopping the clubs from generating profits. No restrictions were placed on representing, competing, and sponsoring. There's only a standard form contract and a request for clubs to submit to Tengda's mediation and supervision. Is that too much to ask? Why is everyone reacting so intensely?"
"These are good moves to regulate the industry. What's more, I believe in Boss Pei. Boss Pei has a reason for doing everything!"
"Forget it. Now's not the time to argue who's right and who's wrong. Everyone should take a step back and give one another room to live and make mistakes. Boss Pei can only successfully run GPL if the major clubs cooperate, right?"
"Only children try to decide who's right and who's wrong. Adults only look at profits and interests. I think that it's too much for Tengda to try and exploit clubs from the beginning. They should have offered some sweet treats to begin with before introducing regulations slowly."
"I'm just a member of the audience, and I don't care about any of this. In any case, I just want GPL to be established as soon as possible. I want to watch more competitions!"
Obviously, there were signs of fake reviewers, but they were so faint that ordinary people would not have been able to identify them.
There were two reasons why the discussions did not seem skewed. On one hand, the clubs' voices were too loud, and fake reviewers were joining in. On the other hand, there were too few people thinking about the interests of the athletes.
That was because, at the moment, the local esports industry was only just starting to take off. The athletes had only just gone from eating instant noodles every day to not having to worry about their food or clothing. Many young internet addicts had achieved full transformations into high-income professional esports players.
Many people, who were merely bystanders, did not think that those players would be miserable if they were cheated and exploited in their contracts.
After all, they could earn hundreds of thousands or even a million-odd yuan a year by playing games. How could they have the cheek to claim that they were being cheated?
Furthermore, there was not much news of vicious contract disputes at the moment.
Thus, the vast majority of bystanders had not realized the importance of the matter. They leaned toward the clubs' side and were being instigated by the fake reviewers. As a result, many of them thought that Tengda was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Anyone else would have felt incredibly wronged at that moment. They would have felt immense frustration with nowhere to vent.
However, Pei Qian felt quite happy reading the discussions.
It did not matter whether they understood or not!
In fact, it would be best if the clubs felt like they were winning the game and then sold all of their GOG teams!
That would allow Pei Qian to take over all the GOG teams and incur losses over time. How much would he be able to spend if that happened?!
Just thinking about it made him happy.
Thus, he had no intentions to clarify himself. Even if he did, it would probably be ineffective.
He would allow the public's resentment to fester. In any case, he would not be disadvantaged.
He was still browsing forums online when his cell phone vibrated. It was Zhang Yuan.
"Boss Pei, the people in charge of the clubs are here again. They're saying that they have talked to their respective bosses and hope to discuss the details of our partnership further.
"They also hope for you to be present."
Pei Qian could not help but smile slightly.
The clubs' managers had read the forums and sat on their anger for a while now. They thought that Tengda was beginning to relax, and so they wanted to discuss and test them out.
Zhang Yuan had no say, and so they wanted to speak to Boss Pei face-to-face.
At once, Pei Qian replied, "Tell them that it's Sunday today, and Tengda doesn't work on Sundays. If there's anything to say, we can talk about it on Monday afternoon."
Obviously, not enough time had passed. Waiting an additional day would not do Pei Qian any harm.
Moreover, Pei Qian was not lying. Tengda's employees did not work on Sundays. Pei Qian could allow himself to drink coffee and surf the web over the weekends if he had nothing to do, but meet club managers and discuss work...?
Pei Qian did not want to do that at all.
...
On the other end of the line, at the DGE Club...
Zhang Yuan remained silent for a moment and then said, "Alright, Boss Pei."
He turned around and faced the club managers who had come to visit him. "Boss Pei said that we don't work on Sundays. Please come at 2 PM tomorrow. I'm sorry. You've made a wasted trip.
Manager Li and the other managers exchanged looks. After a long time of silence, they finally nodded. "A-Alright... we'll come back when Boss Pei gets to work, then."
As they left the DGE Club, Manager Li and the others looked confused.
They had taken the initiative to come knocking today because they had thought that enough time had passed since the discussions began. They guessed that Boss Pei had come to realize the seriousness of the problem and that it was about time that they could discuss it.
They had wanted to give Boss Pei an out. He was an intelligent man after all. He would have understood in a second and graciously accepted the way out. Both parties would sit down and have a good talk, and they would reach a compromise...
Yet, they were leaving without having done anything!
Everyone spoke in whispers.
"What just happened?"
"Manager Li, this is very different from what you imagined..."
"Does Boss Pei still have the mood to enjoy his weekend? The forums are going crazy. Is he really going to allow them to fester for another day?"
"Could we have gotten it wrong? Does Boss Pei even care about this? We've prepared so hard for this. Would it all go to waste?"
"Not necessarily! I think Boss Pei is putting on a front and delaying matters for a day on purpose. He is acting like he doesn't care, so that he would have more bargaining chips during negotiations."
"Hmm, that makes sense. That's why Boss Pei is only delaying the negotiations for a day."
The club managers continued their analysis, but nobody dared to guarantee anything.
That was because Boss Pei's moves were very illogical. Nobody could guess what he was up to.
In addition, Tengda was in the dominant position, which made Boss Pei's actions even more inexplicable. They had to put in effort to decipher his intentions.
Manager Li felt very uncertain, but he still managed to calm himself down quickly. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't scare yourselves, everyone. Perhaps Boss Pei himself is unsure and is purposely releasing smoke bombs to put pressure on us.
"Just continue doing what you have to do. If Boss Pei isn't anxious, there's no need for us to be either.
"We'll wait until we get to the conference table to discuss anything else.
"As long as we remain united against Tengda, victory will be ours!"
...
...
October 31st, Monday...
Pei Qian woke up naturally as he always did and then ate his lunch very calmly. After playing games at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe for a while, he sauntered towards the DGE Club.
Zhang Yuan and the club managers had an appointment at 2 PM. Pei Qian arrived fifteen minutes late on purpose.
He had no special reason for doing so, other than to anger the club managers a bit more.
If they got angry, they would probably decide to sell their GOG teams, wouldn't they?
At the same time, in the DGE Club's conference room...
The club managers looked like they could hardly hang on for any longer.
What was the meaning of this?
It was one thing to not meet them over the weekend, but Boss Pei was now arriving later than their agreed time?
It was said that Boss Pei was a very punctual person.
Could Boss Pei really be that stubborn? He delayed the meeting and then arrived late. That was a clear threat to the club managers to fall out with him if they dared.
Manager Su began to have a bad feeling in his gut.
On the other hand, SUG's Manager Li maintained a straight face. No matter what, he could not give in now. If he did, the other clubs would as well. Then, they would all have worked for nothing.
What's more, Boss Pei was probably only putting on a front. He could not afford to show his weaknesses.
Pei Qian arrived at an empty seat in the conference room. After looking around, he decided not to mention the fact that he was late. Instead, he smiled and said, "Have you spoken to your bosses, everyone? If there are no issues, please raise your hand if you want to sell your GOG teams. We'll sign the transfer contract today."
The club managers looked stunned. Their heads filled with question marks.
???
There seemed to be more question marks in Manager Li's head.
Everyone was confused. They wondered if they had missed a meeting or lost their memory.
Wasn't a negotiation supposed to take place today?
Why was Boss Pei assuming that they would sell their teams even before saying anything else?
Chapter 709: The Clubs' Figures
Manager Li looked confused. "Boss Pei, have I gotten the flow wrong? Shouldn't we be negotiating today? Neither party has expressed their interests or requests. I think we should communicate sufficiently before coming to a decision."
Pei Qian was astonished. "Huh? Haven't you all considered it carefully? I thought it was true that all the clubs have joined forces to resist GPL online!"
Manager Li felt light-headed.
It's true, but we never said we would sell our GOG teams!
We were merely trying to put some pressure on you. Do you understand that?
Yet, Boss Pei ended up assuming that all the clubs would be selling their GOG teams.
At that moment, Manager Li was speechless.
Manager Li and the others had tried to stir a debate to increase their bargaining chips. They wanted Boss Pei to see that none of the clubs were willing to hand over control, so that Boss Pei would rid himself of the idea of buying their GOG teams.
In the end, not only had Boss Pei refused to budge, but he had also taken the conversation to an ultimatum.
Now, there seemed to be no room for negotiation!
The ball was in the clubs' court.
Could they say that they had no plans to sell their GOG teams and were only intending to bargain on equal ground to reach a compromise?
No, that would be equivalent to going soft and allowing Boss Pei to take more advantage of them!
Yet, if they didn't say that, they would have to raise their hands in surrender and sell their GOG teams, wouldn't they?
The club managers exchanged blank looks, not knowing what to do next.
Nobody had expected things to develop in this manner when they had been imagining it before. Boss Pei was not acting according to plan. What should they do?
Seeing the club managers remain silent, Pei Qian began to feel anxious as well.
What was going on?
Didn't they agree to sell the GOG teams to Pei Qian?
Why was everyone keeping quiet now?
Quickly, sell them to me so that I can incur losses by holding onto them.
There was an awkward silence in the conference room. Pei Qian cleared his throat and said, "Manager Li, your reaction seemed to be the biggest. How about this? Tell me what you think. Are you going to sell your team or not? Be straightforward with me."
The corners of Manager Li's mouth twitched slightly.
Boss Pei was placing him at the heart of the struggle!
The most important thing was that he had, in fact, organized all of these things. If he said he would not sell his GOG team, the other clubs would not be fools and would follow suit. Wouldn't Boss Pei win on all fronts, then? What else would there be to talk about?
However, it would not be realistic for Manager Li to sell his GOG team either because he did not have such authority. Whether the club sold the team or not was still up to the boss.
What should he do?
The cogs in Manager Li's mind turned very quickly. Soon, he came up with a solution.
He smiled and looked around at the other club managers before resting his gaze on Boss Pei. He looked nonchalant and acted as if everything was under control.
"Boss Pei, let me make this clear first: we still want to continue working with you as equal partners. We never intended for both parties to lose miserably.
"In addition, even if I want to sell my team, we cannot possibly deal directly with the official platform, can we? That would put our own interests at risk.
"For example, if a third party offers a higher price than Tengda, and Tengda buys our GOG team at a low price, it wouldn't make sense, would it? Our interests would be at stake.
"That's why I think that we should look for third-parties to deal with. The one who offers the highest price will get our team. Moreover, the offer must be higher than the figure we have in mind before we decide to sell the team."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up.
Higher than the figure you have in mind?
Do you mean you're trying to ask for a higher price?
That's great!
Pei Qian nodded immediately. "No problem. How about this? Tell me what figures you have in mind. We'll run an auction to sell the GOG teams together with the GPL quota.
"What's your bottom line? Please be upfront. Zhang Yuan, take note of this."
Zhang Yuan nodded and retrieved a pen and paper to take notes.
The other club managers looked at Manager Li and immediately understood his intentions.
The plan remained the same, but they were just entering the next stage ahead of time.
Before this, everyone had intended to pressure Tengda using public opinion, so that Boss Pei would retreat. However, if Boss Pei decided not to back down, they would act like they were selling their GOG teams. This would make Boss Pei believe that nobody would be willing to take over the teams and then willingly compromise.
Everyone had already agreed to raise their prices by twenty percent. For example, if their own GOG team was worth five million yuan, they would quote six million yuan. If it was worth ten million yuan, they would quote twelve million yuan.
On top of that, the original valuation would be inflated to include the value of individual athletes, branding, and other relevant factors.
Manager Li had already spent the past few days speaking to all the other clubs. None of them would take part in the auction.
That meant that no one would take over the teams at those prices.
Then, Boss Pei could either bite the bullet and buy all the GOG teams at those inflated prices, or take a step back and negotiate a compromise with the club managers.
What's more, Boss Pei was not going to hold a private auction this time, but a public one.
None of those clubs had real intentions to sell their GOG teams. Thus, if one single club raised their quote, all the others would follow suit. That would cause all the prices to seem even more inflated.
Manager Li smiled. "The bottom line for SUG Club's GOG team is eleven million yuan."
The other club managers took turns to report their own quotations.
The highest figures were given by the H4 Club and the EK Club, which had just won the first and second places at the international invitational tournament. Their asking prices were 13 and 12.5 million yuan respectively.
On the whole, the clubs had quoted pretty similar prices.
That was to be expected. Boss Pei had distributed the old members of DGE evenly among the other clubs earlier.
All the clubs were similar in terms of strengths and operating costs. Naturally, they did not differ much in their quotations as well.
Soon after, the clubs began to report their expected quotations. All of them had been inflated with premiums.
After all, they were all renting the training locations for their GOG teams at the moment. They did not have much fixed assets, and their most valuable assets were their players. The players' transfer fees were already well-known and no secret to Boss Pei.
Since the esports industry had just taken off and was not that popular yet, the clubs could not ask for too much.
Asking for such prices was already too much in the eyes of the club managers.
Pei Qian frowned, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Everyone, are you not going to ask for more?
"Wouldn't you be incurring losses by selling your GOG teams for over ten million yuan?"
Pei Qian could not wish for anything more than for the club managers to raise their prices.
If they did, he would be able to spend more money!
None of the club managers said anything.
None of them knew if Boss Pei was being sarcastic or not...
Was he saying that the teams were too expensive?
Was he being deliberately sarcastic?
Yet, Boss Pei looked more sincere and genuine than sarcastic.
Thus, everyone was confused by Boss Pei's acting. At that moment, all of them were stumped.
Manager Li could not help but rejoice a little as he saw Boss Pei frown and say those things.
You can't accept the quotations, can you?
Boss Pei must have been sarcastic. On the surface, he was asking if they would sell the teams for a higher price. However, in reality, he was unhappy that they were asking for so much.
He must have been sarcastic. He must have been angry!
The corners of Manager Li's mouth curled upwards. He cleared his throat and said, "Boss Pei, this is the figure that we have in mind. It's indeed higher than the amount we invested into the teams, but I think it's reasonable. After all, we've spent so much time running our GOG teams. We can't let it all go to waste, can we?"
Upon hearing Manager Li's words, Pei Qian immediately realized that his own words had been misunderstood.
Forget it. He would not waste any time explaining himself. The harder he tried, the bigger the problem would become.
The clubs were collectively asking for close to a hundred million yuan now anyway.
Pei Qian pondered for a moment. Someone would surely buy those teams over. All things aside, Boss Li would definitely join forces with a few other investors and buy a team for fun.
Thus, it would be unlikely that the teams would be left unsold. Pei Qian could only say that not all the teams would be bought over.
Boss Pei would fork out money to buy the remaining six or seven teams. He could try his best to squeeze some money out of Tengda for sure. It would not cause any damage to the capital chain or affect departments that were conducting research and development.
He could deal with this. If he had to take the teams at a lower price, so be it.
Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, we will go and speak to third parties with these prices. Everyone will be free to place their own bids!
"However, one thing has to be clear. Now that you have agreed to sell your teams and have given me your expected figures, you cannot go back on your word.
"We will sign an intermediary agency agreement now. Tengda will guarantee the expected price for your GOG teams. We will only pay you more, but not less. If you fail to sell your teams, Tengda will pay for them. Conversely, if third parties offer a price that reaches your expectations, you cannot back out from selling your teams.
"If you breach the contract, you will have to bear the consequences. Compensation will suffice."
This was like doing business. Pei Qian could not allow the seller to back out once he had named his price, and a buyer had expressed interest.
Pei Qian was afraid that the clubs would regret their decision when the time came. What would he do if he failed to spend the money?
That was why he suggested signing the intermediary agency agreement. Its main purpose was to prevent them from backing out once Tengda offered to cover their bases and buy all remaining GOG teams.
For Pei Qian, once the contract was signed, Tengda would either have to spend money buying the teams or pay damages for failing to do so. Either way, Tengda would spend money, and it would be perfect.
Upon hearing that they had to sign an agreement, the club managers shuddered.
Manager Li cleared his throat. "Boss Pei, can I call my boss to ask for his guidance?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Of course, you can."
All the club managers dispersed to various corners at once to call their respective bosses.
Manager Li walked to the garden outside the villa and dialed the number of the boss of his club.
"Hello? Boss, I want to report an update on the GOG team. Boss Pei wants us to sign an agreement...
"That's right, I quoted eleven million yuan. If we really manage to sell the team, we will earn a considerable amount after taking into account the value of each player, the GPL quota, and our operating costs. We won't lose out for sure.
"GPL quota? We can always buy it again if we want to. The quota itself is not worth much. How many local esports clubs are there anyway?
"That's right, Boss. The GPL quota would probably not be worth much because Tengda is now developing the esports ecosystem. Players are allowed to form their own teams and start competing at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe from the get-go. Since that's the case, we can always buy a capable internet cafe team that would be able to take part in GPL.
"That's right. The worst-case scenario is that we sell our team for eleven million yuan and then spend a little more money to buy a new team from the internet cafe. We will not lose out for sure."
"Alright, Boss. I'll sign the agreement, then."
Manager Li hung up and felt much more confident.
No matter which angle he looked at it, the worst-case scenario if he signed the agreement would be earning less money. The club would probably not incur any losses.
The athletes' values and club costs were fixed. The premium was more than enough to cover them.
The club had set up the GOG team for fun and recovered their capital by accepting a couple of sponsors and spokespersons. Now, by selling their team to outsiders at a premium, the club would earn a considerable profit as well.
What's more, even if they sold the team now, they could easily return if they wanted to in the future.
At the moment, the entry requirements for most esports professional leagues around the world were easy to meet. The reason for that was simple—few people took part.
There were only so many clubs to begin with. No one would fight to be counted within the GPL quota.
How could an internet cafe team manage itself forever after making it to the GPL? It would still have to cozy up to a powerful club, wouldn't it? He would be able to buy a club like that with just a bit of money.
Then, SUG would successfully be included within the GPL quota with an internet team, and Boss Pei would have to eat his words and warmly welcome the SUG club anyway!