Xi Hao gave a few simple instructions before going back to work.
Boss Qiu did not say much about this inspection. He did not even ask them to prepare in advance.
Xi Hao subconsciously wanted to prepare, but on further thought, what could he prepare for?
Everyone's working conditions were not bad. They were positive and full of emotions. The development of each project was going smoothly. Even if some projects were not progressing on schedule, it was because they had better ideas to modify the development plan.
In short, Xi Hao felt that the incubation base was working perfectly. There was nothing to hide.
The only problem was that he did not work overtime, which made him seem less hardworking. However, Boss Qiu never advocated overtime. Since Boss Qiu did not advocate it, the leaders who came to inspect should not advocate it as well, right?
Therefore, Xi Hao did not arrange for everyone to make any sudden preparations. He was relieved when he walked around and saw that the independent game designers and employees of the administrative department were working hard.
The inspections this time were probably just for show. The leaders of the inspections would walk around, ask a few questions, and give some irrelevant suggestions and suggestions. That would be all.
...
At 2: 30 PM, Qiu Hong led Tang Yishu to the independent incubation base of the 'Destitution Plan'.
The two drivers followed Tang Yishu carefully like bodyguards, always on guard against any possible dangers.
Wu Zhicheng saw Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu from afar. However, he did not realize that this young lady was the 'leader' who had come to inspect.
She was too young. Wu Zhicheng highly doubted that she was even twenty years old.
What's more, she looked timid and obedient; more like a schoolgirl walking with her head lowered. She did not look like a leader at all.
However, she looked like someone of high status judging from Qiu Hong's attitude towards her and the two bodyguards behind her, who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Could it be the beloved daughter of Boss Qiu's rich backer?"
Many scenes from novels appeared in Wu Zhicheng's mind.
While he was a little surprised, Wu Zhicheng felt much more relieved after seeing Tang Yishu's true face.
Initially, he was naturally a little resistant to things like 'inspection by the leaders'. He was afraid that he would meet those unreasonable, brainless leaders who would ask some brainless questions and make some brainless suggestions in order to make their presence known.
In the end, it was just a timid little girl who looked very easy to talk to. Wu Zhicheng felt much better, feeling that this "inspection" was probably just a formality.
What could a young lady like her know about game design? She must be just taking a quick look. Boss Qiu would be able to get over it with a few words.
When Xi Hao saw Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu, he rushed forward. "Boss Qiu!"
Qiu Hong introduced, "This is Little Tang, the representative of the donor of the 'Destitution Plan' project. This is the person-in-charge of the daily operations of the incubation base, Xi Hao."
Qiu Hong felt that Tang Yishu had to be a person-in-charge in Tengda if she could be the 'special envoy' to inspect the work, right? Logically speaking, she should have a position when addressing her.
However, he could not tell what Tang Yishu's position in Tengda was because Boss Pei did not mention it.
Thus, he could only vaguely introduce them.
Xi Hao quickly extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
Tang Yishu was afraid that her luck would stain someone else again, but she felt that it would be impolite not to shake his hand. Thus, she reluctantly extended her hand and shook it. "My name is Tang Yishu. Please call me Little Tang."
Xi Hao was quite happy to see that the 'leader' who came to inspect did not put on any airs. He quickly said, "Alright, let me introduce the daily work of the incubation base. Please follow me."
Xi Hao led Tang Yishu and Qiu Hong around the incubation base and briefly introduced them.
"This is our resting area, lunch, daily meetings, reception, and so on are conducted here."
"This is the administrative area. Our administrative department is mainly in charge of planning the game development plan and various supporting services. Apart from being in charge of the daily operations of the incubation base, we also have a lot of work to do."
"Our lunch is delivered by a Fish-Catching Take-Out nearby. The coffee and drinks were provided for free."
"As for the development of the games, they are going smoothly at the moment. The fastest game might be released next month. The slower ones might have to wait another three to five months. The capacity of each game is different, and the development time would be different."
Xi Hao briefly explained all aspects of the incubation base. During this process, Tang Yishu listened intently and nodded frequently but did not raise any questions.
Initially, Xi Hao had intended to give a simple introduction, he was sure that Tang Yishu would definitely ask him questions, which he would answer in detail.
Unexpectedly, Tang Yishu only listened and nodded after this round. She had no intention of asking any questions.
That was a little awkward because it would only take about ten minutes for the entire incubation base to be introduced. The other party had traveled all the way from Jingzhou to the capital. They could not possibly leave in ten minutes, right?
However, the entire incubation base had been introduced and Tang Yishu did not ask any questions. Xi Hao felt that it was a little strange for him to take the initiative to introduce it in detail from the beginning again.
Xi Hao quickly thought of something as he noticed that the situation was a little awkward.
"Why don't I ask the producers to show you a few DEMOs with higher completion rates?"
Xi Hao was impressed with himself.
There was nothing special about the incubation base, but there were many independent games!
These independent games had not been officially released yet and had only completed a portion of them, it was not a problem for them to be displayed as DEMO.
If he showed these DEMOs, it would show that the incubation base's work was very effective. Boss Qiu would also feel proud.
Tang Yishu said uncertainty, "There's no need if it's very troublesome..."
Xi Hao quickly said, "No trouble, no trouble! Come, this way please."
"Old Yu, pull out the DEMO of your game. Yes, the stable demo that was just completed a while ago."
An independent game designer with a beard beside him immediately switched on the game editor and pulled out his game's demo.
Xi Hao walked up to take a quick look. There was nothing wrong with the DEMO interface. He looked at Tang Yishu and pointed to the seat. "Please take a seat."
This was a stable demo with fewer bugs.
There would also be different versions of the game during the development process. In order to prevent irreversible bugs from appearing in the game, the new versions would not immediately replace the old versions after they were developed or developed. Instead, many versions would be saved.
After each version was completed, they would repeatedly modify it to ensure that there were no major malignant bugs before continuing the development of the next version.
This DEMO was a stable version. It could run smoothly after a few revisions of bugs.
Of course, Xi Hao was afraid that a bunch of malignant bugs would appear halfway through the game and leave a bad impression on the other party. Thus, he chose a stable version of the game DEMO.
Tang Yishu sat on the chair and picked up the controller on the table awkwardly.
She did not play many games normally. What's more, her reaction was a little slow and her hands were a little weak. That was why her grip on the controller was a little stiff.
Xi Hao was a little surprised. Why did the sponsor of the Destitution Plan seem like she did not know how to play games?
However, he did not say anything. He only briefly introduced the game's operation method and which skills each key corresponded to.
Tang Yishu gently pushed the joystick. The little person on the screen took a few steps and jumped on the spot.
However, before the first monster was defeated a notification popped up on the game window.
Error!
Both Xi Hao and Old Yu widened their eyes in disbelief.
Wasn't this a stable version of the DEMO?
There were no more malignant bugs after revising it more than a dozen times, right?
Xi Hao looked at Old Yu, that gaze meant: What's going on? Why did you drop the ball at the critical moment?
Old Yu was also very innocent. He spread his hands, meaning: How the hell would I know!
This stable demo had not been revised for a long time. Everything was working fine previously.
The atmosphere was a little awkward when the error came on. Xi Hao quickly said, "Small bugs, small bugs. These are unavoidable problems during the development of the game."
"Old Yu, quickly take a screenshot of this bug and edit it as soon as possible. Don't let it affect the official version."
Old Yu nodded. "Aye! No problem."
Tang Yishu played with the controller while Old Yu stood at the side and used the mouse to take the screenshot. He quickly created a new form to record the bug to await for further edits.
Then, he closed the error window and resumed the game.
Tang Yishu entered the game again. This time, there were no bugs after running for a minute.
Xi Hao wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Look, that was a small bug that appeared out of nowhere. It doesn't appear every time. Today should be a coincidence. There should be no prob..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the small person on the screen being beaten to death by a group of small monsters. However, there was no new option to choose from. The game flow was stuck.
Xi Hao: "Erm..."
This time, there was no need for him to say anything more. Old Yu quickly took screenshots, recorded down, and restarted the game in one go. The entire process did not take more than a minute.
Xi Hao was speechless. "Please continue."
Half an hour later, Tang Yishu finally managed to get through the short DEMO.
However, there were at least fifteen lines on the form and a bunch of screenshots of bugs on the table on Old Yu's side.
Xi Hao was a little ashamed and did not dare to look Qiu Hong in the eye.
What a mess!
He had wanted to show Little Tang the game developed by the incubation base, but it turned out that he had developed bugs!
The fifteen bugs made Old Yu dizzy. The bugs here were all different in severity. Some were directly reported wrongly and quit the game. Some were wrong renderings and affected the visual effect. Some would only cause the game to be stuck, but they could still continue playing.
However, no matter whether the bug was serious or not, they had to be repaired.
Old Yu had originally felt good about himself. He had thought that there would be no problem with this stable DEMO display. However, he had no idea why everything was so bad today, those bugs that only appeared occasionally happened all at once!
Xi Hao said awkwardly, "This should be an accident. We're not very lucky. Come and take a look at this game instead. It shouldn't be a problem."
"Little Zhou, open your game."
Xi Hao was eager to get back, to prove that not all the games in the incubation base were trash; there were still games that could be played.
However, Little Zhou scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "Brother Hao, for some reason, I can't open this game..."
Xi Hao felt light-headed. "Wasn't everything fine this morning? Why can't it be opened?"
Little Zhou looked innocent. "I don't know either! I didn't change anything!"
Xi Hao was speechless. "Hurry up and check!"
At that moment, the entire independent game incubation base was in chaos.
There were many bugs in independent games in the first place.
That was because there was usually insufficient manpower for independent games. Testing bugs or revising the bugs were usually not done in a timely fashion.
However, these independent game designers were already used to it. Some experienced independent game designers would choose more mature and complete proposals to reduce the existence of hidden bugs.
Moreover, after arriving at the incubation base, producers and employees of the administrative department would often play each other's games and find bugs for each other. Thus, there were much fewer bugs compared to before.
These independent game designers had always been in a 'peaceful time' state. They felt that there were not many bugs in their game. At the very least, it would not be a problem for them to run smoothly.
In the end, everyone was slapped in the face today!
All sorts of strange bugs kept popping up. All the game designers felt like they were stuck in a rainstorm. It was as if all the bad luck in the world concentrated their attacks today!
Wu Zhicheng was filled with confidence about his 'Black Ink and Clouds' and wanted to show it off to this little girl of the inspection team. However, he had secretly played it and discovered a huge bunch of bugs!
There were many bugs that he had never seen before. It seemed like they had been lurking around since the beginning of the production of Black Ink and Clouds. They had been hidden for several versions before they were suddenly exposed today.
Wu Zhicheng was doused with cold water and fell silent.
How could he show this off? Stop embarrassing yourself and quickly change the bugs!
He did not dare to let down his guard against the hidden bugs anymore. Fortunately, they had been exposed during the development process. If they had remained hidden until the game was released and a vicious bug had erupted, wouldn't he be cursed to death by the players?
The game that he had worked so hard to create over the past few months would be ruined by such a bug. That would be too unfair.
The atmosphere in the incubation base quickly turned from lively to serious, and then from serious to devastation.
Countless bugs ruthlessly pierced through these producers' fantasies, making them feel less confident.
Xi Hao was a little embarrassed as well. He had wanted to showcase the results of the incubation base, but he had failed.
Little Tang did not look angry and continued to look kind, Xi Hao, however, felt immense pressure.
It looked like he would have to focus on the game test in the future. At the current level, it was still far from being released online!
Since there was no more game to play. "Why don't we go to the resting area and have some coffee?" Xi Hao suggested.
Tang Yishu nodded. "Alright."
Everyone came to the resting area and ordered a cup of coffee each.
Xi Hao was apologetic. "I'm really sorry about today. I don't know why, but all the bugs managed to appear today! However, don't worry, our attitude towards modifying the bugs is definitely not a problem. These bugs will be fixed very soon. In the future, we will also put in 120% effort to test them a few more times to minimize the existence of bugs."
"Er... do you have any other questions? I can answer them all."
Tang Yishu had wanted to say that there were no other questions, but she suddenly recalled Pei Qian's instructions before she left. She quickly said, "I want to ask, how's your work efficiency?"
"Work efficiency?" Xi Hao answered immediately. "Of course, the work efficiency is very, very high!"
"Our administrative department helped the producers solve their worries so that they could focus on designing the gameplay. Since it is their interest and the most creative work of every game designer is fully unleashed..."
Xi Hao finally found a suitable place for himself to express himself and began to talk.
His words were slightly exaggerated but that was actually not much of a problem. The incubation base had indeed provided an environment for independent game designers to create with peace of mind. It had greatly increased their work efficiency. This was the consensus of all game designers.
Xi Hao explained his point of view in detail and used various details to prove that the incubation base was very efficient.
He noticed that Tang Yishu had been listening intently the entire time. She kept nodding, obviously moved by his words.
Xi Hao could not help but feel a little proud. After all, he was the person-in-charge of the administrative department.
Shouldn't he be praised?
However, after listening to Xi Hao, Tang Yishu said, "It sounds like there are serious problems with your daily workflow."
"In the future, force all employees to take ten hours of working time each week to play games. That must be during working hours and cannot take up the rest time after work."
"Huh?" Xi Hao uttered in surprise.
He almost thought that he had heard wrongly.
Why did high efficiency indicate serious problems with daily workflow?
The solution was to force them to play games during working hours? They had to play ten hours a week?
Tang Yishu spoke without much confidence because she was only repeating what Pei Qian said before.
Pei Qian had mentioned that everyone should be forced to play games as long as the working environment in the incubation base was very efficient. They had to play ten hours a week.
As for why they had to play games when their work efficiency was high? Tang Yishu naturally did not understand since Pei Qian did not mention it.
The silent Qiu Hong suddenly looked up. "Little Tang, do you think that Xi Hao's description of 'high efficiency' might not be a good thing?"
Xi Hao was stunned. "Huh? Why isn't it a good thing to be efficient?"
Qiu Hong explained, "According to conventional thinking, it would definitely be better if the work efficiency is higher. However, pure efficiency might not be a good thing in some artistic and creative works."
"Game design is also a type of art creation. Sometimes, it relies heavily on inspiration. Most of the time, a person's mind would be stuck at a dead end. When one is stuck at a dead end, a person's mind would be highly focused and their work efficiency would increase significantly. However, the final product might not be good."
"Take these game designers for example. They are very invested and efficient in their work, but it is precisely because of this that they might fall into a state of stubborness. They would focus all their energy on their own game, blindly believe that their current approach is the best, and ignore some better possibilities."
"The mandatory requirement for everyone to play more games is for everyone to be able to walk out of their own little circle while maintaining their efficiency. They would be able to see how other games are done and learn from the masses. They might be able to inspire others."
"I think that's what Little Tang meant."
Realization dawned on Xi Hao. "I see, I understand now! I'll start organizing everyone to play games together to gather inspiration and material!"
Tang Yishu could not help but nod after hearing Qiu Hong's words.
So that was what Senior meant!
Senior is so awesome! He had predicted and planned everything in advance!
The inspection of the incubation base was finally over. Qiu Hong took out his cell phone and glanced at the time. He said to Tang Yishu, "Let's call it a day then. We'll go to Lady Cold Face's place tomorrow at 9 AM."
...
...
December 9th, Friday morning.
Meng Chang instructed the employees and the cleaning auntie to do their own jobs in the flagship store of the Cold-Faced Lady. The entire store, including the kitchen, was cleaned. At the same time, the tables and chairs in the store were neatly arranged.
The long term 'Cold-Faced Lady' was a Chinese fast food brand. Of course, they also sold breakfast.
It was five in the morning. While they had already done a round of cleaning after the closing last night, Meng Chang was still worried. He arrived early in the morning and checked the shop one last time before opening it for business. He wanted to ensure that the shop was in its best state.
Meng Chang did not know that Tang Yishu had come to the capital. He did not clean for her today, but for the few investors who were here for inspection.
Tang Yishu had coincidentally bumped into these investors.
It started from the time when Meng Chang received six million yuan from Dream Realization Ventures.
Meng Chang did not dare to divulge that the six million yuan had been obtained from Tengda because of Boss Pei's request. However, Meng Chang was very smart. Naturally, he had other ways to pass this information to the investors.
Many investors had already extended an olive branch to Meng Chang before Pei Qian decided to invest six million yuan.
However, Meng Chang rejected all of them. That was because the terms of the investment were too harsh on him. They were either valuation adjustment mechanism agreements or locked up the founder's shares. It was very unfriendly to him.
The investors did not insist nor give up immediately after Meng Chang rejected them. Instead, they maintained a neutral attitude and continued to observe.
They were waiting for the Cold-Faced Lady to run into financial problems.
Now, all investors could tell that Meng Chang was a founder who was passionate about burning money for marketing. It would not be able to sustain Meng Chang's speed of burning even if the Cold-Faced Lady could turn its losses into profits.
Of course, this was not a bad thing because Meng Chang was good at marketing. He had indeed burned money to forcibly instill the Cold Faced Lady brand into his customers. Not only was this money not a loss, it was very profitable.
This was in line with internet marketing in the eyes of many investors. Meng Chang had done it beautifully.
Meng Chang and capital were both needed by each other.
In order to maintain the popularity and money chain of Cold-Faced Lady, Meng Chang would definitely continue to think of ways to finance it. Once the Cold-Faced Lady's brand became successful and its valuation skyrocketed, the capital would also reap rich rewards.
Therefore, these investors thought that Meng Chang's temporary rejection was just a bargaining tactic.
Meng Chang would naturally let go of his pride as long as they waited for the Cold-Faced Lady to run into financial problems. He would have to accept the investment agreements that included terms such as valuation adjustment mechanism and shares lockdown.
There was no problem with their plan. In fact, if Dream Realization Ventures did not continue to invest, Meng Chang would really be caught in a dilemma.
However, Meng Chang, who had the character of a gambler, placed his bet on the right horse once again.
After getting the bullets from Dream Realization Ventures, Meng Chang had a perfect chance to counterattack even though he could not flaunt it.
He started to burn money at an even faster rate. He even spent hundreds of thousands of yuan to rent a venue. He started to organize his own speech, and used his excellent eloquence and business sense to endorse the brand 'Cold Faced Lady'.
On one hand, it was to continue expanding the influence of the cold-faced lady. On the other hand, it was to send a very clear message to the investors.
Aren't you not investing? Did you think that I won't be able to get any investments from other places?
Sorry, not only did I get it, I also got a lot of it!
Are you still going to stick to that agreement and not take a step back? If you don't invest, if you don't invest now, you might not even have a chance to invest in the future.
These investors could not help but panic when they saw how the Cold-Faced Lady was burning so much money without any problems with the capital chain. Meng Chang still looked like he had everything under control.
That was because the company's valuation would grow faster and faster with more capital.
The price of investing one month earlier versus one month later was vastly different because of the difference in company valuation.
Therefore, it was now the investors' turn to lose their cool. They wanted to inspect the place before deciding how much to give in with regards to the investment agreement.
Meng Chang planned to get everything done in one go. Today, he would try to hoodwink these investors and continue to push up the valuation of the Cold-Faced Lady so that he could prepare for the next step.
Even someone with a huge heart like Meng Chang could not help but feel nervous. That was because if he were to mess up today and the investors continued to observe, the amount of money he had on hand would not allow him to continue burning for too long. There was a risk that the capital chain would break at any time.
Of course, even if there was a small problem with the capital chain, the Cold Faced Lady brand would not die on the spot. Meng Chang still had many ways to find money.
However, in such a situation, money would be more difficult to obtain.
Therefore, Meng Chang was actually continuing to show off his muscles to the investors on the one hand while showing the good prospects to the investors through good eloquence and business models. On the other hand, he was proving to the investors that he had the ability to turn good prospects into reality through clean and popular stores.
After confirming all the details of the shop like a paranoid maniac, Meng Chang began to rehearse what he had prepared to say to the investors today to ensure that the morning's presentation was foolproof.
...
10 in the morning.
Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu went to Lady Cold Face's shop and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down.
It was not lunch time yet but there were still quite a number of people in the Cold-Faced Lady's shop. About 60% of the seats in the shop were taken. It looked like there would definitely be a queue during the afternoon peak period.
Tang Yishu looked around curiously, her eyes filled with confusion.
Everything was good, she could not see any problems.
Before coming, Pei Qian had specifically instructed her to keep an eye on the Cold-Faced Lady and report the situation to him when she returned. She did not have to worry about not being able to understand it. There was no need for her to study it on purpose. She could just observe it based on her first impression.
However, Tang Yishu realized that she had not observed anything weird when she first arrived at the shop.
The restaurant was quite clean and tidy. It looked like business was going well. The waiters were not as formal as other fast-food restaurants, but they still had faint smiles on their faces. They were very attentive to their customers and even had a better attitude than traditional fast-food brands.
In Tang Yishu's eyes, this was just a normal, very profitable restaurant.
The two of them ordered some of their signature dishes and were served quickly.
Tang Yishu fretted as she ate. She could not sense any major flaws or problems in the restaurant.
Of course, it was not perfect. It was a fast food brand after all. They could not count on much on its taste, but it would definitely be passable.
At the same time, Meng Chang was waiting for investors in an inconspicuous corner of the shop.
Meng Chang looked calm on the surface, but was in fact, a little anxious. That was because they had agreed to meet at 10 PM. These investors were already a few minutes late.
All of a sudden, Meng Chang's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and walked towards the door.
Before long, Meng Chang and a few other investors walked into the shop, chatting and laughing.
"Boss Meng, I'm really sorry. There was a traffic jam on the way and I arrived a few minutes late. Sorry for making you wait."
"It's alright, it's alright. I'm honored that you're willing to come to my restaurant. Please don't stand on ceremony."
Meng Chang appeared calm and collected, as if he had everything under control. After a simple exchange of pleasantries, he began to explain the Cold-Faced Lady's situation to everyone.
That included the results of the Cold-Faced Lady's recent marketing plan, the preparation of the new restaurant, feedback on the new dishes, details of the various services of the restaurant, and so on.
The Cold Faced Lady brand was also continuously developing. The management model and taste of the restaurant were also continuously improving. Even if these investors had been here before, they could see obvious improvements now.
Meng Chang was burning more money after all. It wouldn't make sense if the shop remained the same.
Tang Yishu, who was sitting in a corner, sipped her roasted cold noodles as she pricked up her ears to listen to the contents of their discussion.
However, Meng Chang did not speak very loudly. Tang Yishu could only listen intermittently even if she concentrated. She could not help but feel anxious.
How was she going to report to her senior if she could not tell anything from her visit to the Cold-Faced Lady?
Meng Chang began to enthusiastically introduce the shop to the investors.
"The decoration style of our shop has been slightly adjusted. There are some new embellishments, mainly to create an atmosphere that combines tradition and modernity. Everyone, look, this is an element of traditional Chinese style. There are also posters with a bit of artistic aura. These are all part of the cultural heritage of the brand Cold Faced Lady."
"With a mix of different styles, customers' dining environment would be unique. These styles would become material for customers to happily share on Weibo or social circles. That would make customers become our free promoters."
"These details are also reflected in all aspects. For example, our dining tables and chairs were specially custom-made by factories. They are also fashioned in between new trends and nostalgic old fashion. Moreover, they are both beautiful and practical so in theory, there shouldn't be any problems for about 10 years..."
Meng Chang was casually playing with the swivel chair as he introduced. However, he suddenly heard a soft creak as the swivel chair was stuck.
Meng Chang: "?"
He thought that he had made a wrong turn. He tried to turn it back, but it was indeed stuck!
The atmosphere was extremely awkward.
Meng Chang was puzzled. What was happening?
He was not lying. These tables and chairs were indeed custom-made that were made with top quality materials. In theory, they should be good to be used for a few years.
However, something went wrong!
It wasn't a big problem, but the axis of the dining chair was stuck for some unknown reason and couldn't continue spinning. However, the feeling of being slapped in the face still made Meng Chang feel very awkward.
The investors gave him face and did not say anything but Meng Chang knew that these investors would definitely have some thoughts in their hearts. The accumulation of these minor flaws would affect the evaluation of the Cold-Faced Lady in the hearts of the investors. The investment agreement terms that he could obtain would be even harsher.
However, Meng Chang had a strong mental fortitude after all. This little episode was not enough to make him panic. He smiled and said, "It looks like there are still some minor problems with the quality control of this furniture factory. It's just as well. The problem can be corrected as soon as it's exposed. That might not be a bad thing."
"We'll definitely ask them to improve their quality control."
"Apart from the dining environment, the recruitment and culture of our waiters are also different from other restaurants..."
Meng Chang quickly changed the topic. He did not want to continue arguing about this to leave an impression on the investors.
However, just as he was speaking, he saw a customer stand up impatiently. He walked to the front desk and said, "Why isn't my cold noodles ready yet? Didn't you promise to serve the food in fifteen minutes? It's been twenty minutes!"
The receptionist said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I'll rush the kitchen."
The customer returned to his seats speechlessly.
The investors had obviously noticed it as well. Their expressions changed subtly.
Meng Chang's heart dropped as he silently cursed the people in the kitchen a hundred times.
Weren't they normally fine? What's more, he had just instructed for the food to be served fast many times in the morning. Why did they have to cause trouble at such a time?!
This was really messed up!
However, he knew that he could not dwell on this now. The more he struggled, the more flaws he would have. Thus, he pretended that nothing had happened and continued to explain it to the investors in high spirits.
However, less than half a minute later, something happened again.
A burly man who looked like he had been waiting for too long said from his seat, "Why hasn't the side dishes been served yet? The noodles are almost finished! Aren't they cold side dishes? Why, are you only starting to grow them now?"
A waiter hurried over and comforted him in a low voice.
The corners of Meng Chang's mouth twitched slightly. It was impossible to ignore it this time. Happening once could be said to be a coincidence, but what about two times?
The Cold-Faced Lady's identity was a fast-food brand, which required the meals to be served within 15 minutes, the faster the better. Now that there was a problem with the timing of the meals being served, the impression on the investors would be that the kitchen management was in a mess. That could directly affect the Cold-Faced Lady's brand and reputation.
What's more, it was not the peak period for lunch yet. No matter what, there should be no delay in serving the food.
There was no way he could fool them.
Meng Chang adjusted his mentality and maintained his poise. "I'm sorry, there seems to be a small problem with the kitchen. Please wait for a moment, I'll go and settle it."
Meng Hao walked to the kitchen briskly and whispered angrily, "What's going on?! Why are the dishes being served so slowly today?!"
The waiters were busy with their work. When they saw Meng Chang, they quickly explained, "Boss Meng! I don't know what happened today, but my luck was a little bad. I accidentally burnt a pot of noodles just now. Then, I accidentally tripped when I was serving the main dishes. I missed out on the side dishes..."
Meng Chang gritted his teeth in anger. Why did this have to happen at such a critical juncture?!
However, at this point, Meng Chang did not have any good solution. He could only curse at them and ask them to serve their meals as soon as possible.
Meng Chang resumed his calm expression after he left the kitchen.
He walked to the center of the store and clapped his hands lightly. "I'm very sorry, customers. There was a small problem in the back kitchen today. However, don't worry, I guarantee you that anyone who doesn't serve food within 15 minutes will be completely exempted from paying the bill!"
At a time like this, he could only pour out money to extinguish the customers' anger.
If there was a problem, he had to solve it quickly. These investors were still keeping an eye on him. If he did not solve it in time, he would have to deduct points again.
The customers who were waiting anxiously finally calmed down when they heard that the bill would be waived.
Qiu Hong was a little puzzled. He said softly, "Eh, the dishes were served quite quickly when we arrived. Did something go wrong with their kitchen?"
Tang Yishu continued to eat her roasted cold noodles, pretending not to hear him.
She still remembered the first time she went to Ming House for dinner, even Boss Li's high-end restaurant had been affected. A lot of problems occured in the kitchen.
The Cold-Faced Lady was just an ordinary fast food restaurant. The kitchen would definitely not be as good as Ming House's. How could it hold up?
Tang Yishu felt a little guilty. She had come to visit in secret today, but looking at the current situation, she was a little worried that she might accidentally ruin Senior's plans.
Tang Yishu took out a tissue and wiped her mouth. "Boss Qiu, let's go."
Qiu Hong was stunned. "Huh? You're not going to watch anymore?"
Tang Yishu shook her head. "No."
She knew that Pei Qian was the one who had invested in the Cold-Faced Lady. If she were to sit here and the situation in the kitchen continued, the consequences would be dire.
It was better to leave as soon as possible before causing more harm.
Qiu Hong did not say much. Tang Yishu was the one who came to visit in secret after all. He was only in charge of accompanying her. The two of them stood up and left.
Meng Chang continued to explain things to the investors, but he could clearly feel that the investors were no longer as interested as before.
There was no other way. The unexpected mishaps today had been too damaging. Many investors who had been tempted returned to the wait-and-see state.
"Alright, Boss Meng, let's call it a day. We'll discuss the investment when we get back. I'll give you an answer in two days."
The investors were still very polite, but their attitudes were obviously slightly different from when they first arrived.
Meng Chang was well aware of this, but he had no choice. He could only bite the bullet and continue to act nonchalant as he sent the investors away with a smile.
Meng Chang sighed silently and found an empty seat to sulk after returning to the Cold-Faced Lady.
The waiter walked over quickly and said in a low voice, "Boss Meng! There are no more problems with the kitchen. The few customers who were delayed have also been exempted from paying. We will definitely be able to ensure that the peak lunch period will not be affected!"
Meng Chang glared at her, not knowing what to say.
How tiring.
hapter 776: Did Something Went Wrong?
Friday afternoon.
Pei Qian was reading the latest report from Shang Yang Games in his office.
This weekend, the IOI Qualification Competition and the GPL pre-season competition would start at the same time. The timing clashed.
There was no need to talk about the pre-season GPL competition. The players had been paying close attention and could not wait ever since the news had been released.
Apart from the fixed number of shares left for the company the rest of the tickets for the GPL season's pre-season competitions had long been sold out. Those who did not manage to get tickets could only watch the live-stream or go to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to experience the atmosphere.
Long Yu Corporation had also spent a lot of resources in promoting IOI's qualifiers, including the official website of IOI's local server, some video game websites, clubs, and media platforms.
During the publicity process, Long Yu Corporation tied the IOI Qualification Competition to a few established clubs and IOI World Competition. The publicity effect was not bad.
On one hand, the words 'Challenge the Summit of the World' sounded more classy. On the other hand, the reputation of several old clubs like the SUG were well-known. They were considered familiar faces to E-Sports enthusiasts. The qualifiers' value and recognition were increased objectively.
Long Yu Corporation's publicity was out later than the FV Club, but they obviously spent more money than the FV Club.
FV Club had spent three million yuan on publicity. According to this standard, Long Yu Corporation probably spent at least ten million yuan on publicity.
Pei Qian was not sure if it was because FV Club's publicity had stimulated Long Yu Corporation or because Long Yu Corporation had already decided on a publicity plan, but it was just two days late.
However, none of that mattered. The IOI Qualification Competition had gained a lot of attention. It's heat would not be robbed away by the GPL season. That was a good thing for Pei Qian.
Pei Qian looked at the time. It was four in the afternoon. He could get off work soon to welcome the wonderful weekend.
He closed Shang Yang Games' report, turned off his computer, and prepared to go home to sleep.
At that moment, someone knocked on the office door.
Knock, knock.
Pei Qian was stunned. Why were there people reporting their work on Friday afternoon?
"Enter."
Just as Pei Qian finished speaking, Tang Yishu pushed the door open and entered.
She looked travel-worn. She must have rushed back to the office as soon as she arrived in Jingzhou.
"Senior, it's a rest day tomorrow. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it in time, so I came to report directly." Tang Yishu's chest heaved slightly. Obviously, she ran a little on the way.
Pei Qian poured her a cup of tea. "Don't worry, it's not something important. We can talk about it on Monday. Come, have some tea."
Tang Yishu sipped from her teacup and began to narrate her experience in the capital.
"Senior, there are many bugs in the incubation base. The completion rate looks bad. However, their efficiency is not bad. I've already forced them to play ten hours a week as per your instructions."
"As for the Cold-Faced Lady, I... I couldn't tell anything. Everything seemed to be going well. The renovations and services were fine, and business was booming. However, there was a small problem in the kitchen when I was there. The food was served a little slower."
"Oh, and I happened to meet some people when I went there. The boss of the Cold-Faced Lady seemed to be doing some sort of introduction to some people, but I... I didn't hear what exactly was said."
Tang Yishu followed Pei Qian's instructions and observed the incubation base and Cold-Faced Lady from her own perspective. She reported the details that she had tried her best to recall to him.
Pei Qian rubbed his chin and frowned.
Little Tang's report was mixed with joy and worry for him.
There were many bugs in the incubation base? Yes, that was to be expected. There were many bugs in independent games to begin with. In addition to Little Tang's halo, just fixing the bugs would be enough to make these independent game producers anxious.
That way, bugs would greatly affect their energy. The development of the game would definitely be greatly delayed. That was good news.
These producers had high productivity. That was not a good sign. However, if they were forced to play the game for ten hours a week, they should be able to divert their attention from developing the game like a bug in itself.
In other words, there were only a few minor problems with the incubation base. They were all within his expectations, and they had more or less been resolved.
However, things were not looking good for the Cold-Faced Lady.
As an ordinary consumer, Tang Yishu did not find anything wrong with the dining environment, service attitude, taste, and other aspects. This meant that Meng Chang had done well!
It was enough for a fast-food brand to achieve this.
Take those large chain fast food brands for example. How was their food? Not that delicious.
The essence of fast food was speed. It was a standardized process that allowed all dishes to maintain their taste and quality as high as possible.
According to Tang Yishu, the Cold-Faced Lady would undoubtedly pass if she were to judge it by fast food standards.
The only problem was the speed at which the dishes were served. However, that was probably due to Little Tang's influence and not a problem with the Cold-Faced Lady's kitchen.
How could an ordinary fast food restaurant like the Cold-Faced Lady be able to withstand it if even Boss Li's Ming House could not withstand it?
Everything should be back to normal once Little Tang left the shop.
Wouldn't that mean... that there was nothing bad about the Cold-Faced Lady in the eyes of ordinary consumers?
The passable food and service, Meng Chang's incredible marketing skills, and Dream Realization Ventures' endless funds...
Something was bound to happen to this project sooner or later!
Even if the shop did not make money, with Meng Chang's active fund seeking, the value of the Cold-Faced Lady would definitely skyrocket. On the other hand, Dream Realization Ventures held a lot of shares in the Cold-Faced Lady. This was equivalent to holding a hot potato, and the longer one held it, the hotter it became!
Little Tang also said that Meng Chang was receiving some guests and introducing the various details of the Cold-Faced Lady to them.
Who were these people? If they were ordinary friends, would Meng Chang have to personally receive and introduce them in the store?
They were probably investors!
The Cold-Faced Lady was doing quite well. Meng Chang was also very eloquent. It was only a matter of time before he lured other investors in.
Cold-Faced Lady's valuation would definitely skyrocket!
After making this deduction, Pei Qian suddenly realized that the situation was much more dangerous than he had imagined.
Of course, Pei Qian could not be sure if the Cold-Faced Lady would become popular. However, he did not dare to take the risk when he considered his character.
It looked like he had to be mentally prepared to leave to stop earning money.
However, given the current situation, it would be difficult to sell the eight million yuan worth of shares that he had obtained at a low price. He could only try his best to let it earn some money and cut his losses as soon as possible.
He would be able to earn more if he continued to take more shares.
Pei Qian silently noted this down and prepared to look for He Desheng next week. He wanted him to find a suitable time to sell all of the shares of the Cold-Faced Lady. He could not hold on to them anymore.
After asking a few more details, Pei Qian was even more convinced of his own views.
"You've worked hard for the past two days. You don't have to attend the Manage Loss Trainees conference tomorrow. Have a good rest and revision."
...
...
December 10th, Saturday...
GOG's GPL and IOI qualifiers began at the same time!
They might have started at the same time but there was a huge difference in their schedule.
The pre-season competition for the GPL would last until the end of the month. Thus, only two to three 'best-of-three' matches were arranged every day. The longest day would start at one in the afternoon and would end at nine at night.
On the other hand, IOI's qualifiers were different. There were very few participating teams, and they were basically just going through the motions. They had to quickly decide the spots for the international competition, so the competition schedule was very packed.
There were competitions throughout both Saturday and Sunday. They would play from morning to night. In two days, they would finish all the qualifiers and decide the three spots for the world competitions.
This seemingly unscientific schedule was specially arranged by Long Yu Corporation's Zhao Xuming, mainly because of the following considerations.
First, he had to create a drainage effect.
IOI qualifiers would start in the morning even though the competition started on the same day as GPL. Many players who were waiting to watch GPL would definitely come to watch the IOI qualifiers since they had nothing to do in the morning. Objectively, they would have achieved the goal of attracting traffic.
Secondly, it was to squeeze out some time for the teams to prepare for the international competition.
Zhao Xuming had already received insider news from Chrétien that the game would be updated with a new version for the international competition. There would be an appropriate adjustment to the gameplay to display IOI's new style.
IOI's new version was gradually gaining the recognition of some players around the world. What's more, Finger Games had discovered through research that the new version would indeed speed up the pace of the game, increase the competitiveness, and increase the viewing pleasure of the competition.
Thus, the new version of the World Series could show the interesting aspects of IOI's new version to the "stubborn" old players. It could also better attract new players.
However, the changes in the version would have a huge impact on the various teams. That was why Zhao Xuming hoped that the qualifiers would be completed as soon as possible. That way, the three teams participating in the world tournament would be able to undergo training for IOI's new version earlier.
In the end, he had to make use of the time to go through the motions to prevent any unforeseen events from happening.
E-Sports was different from traditional competitions. The difference in strength between teams was not that big. Many times, there could be a shake up in the strength of teams if the game version was changed slightly.
If there was an extended period of time, he could not rule out the possibility that certain teams would be substituting the competition as training. The more they played, the better.
Zhao Xuming wanted these three veteran clubs to qualify. Naturally, he wanted to avoid this situation as much as possible.
The shortened competition schedule would be completed within two days. The weaker teams would not be able to substitute the competition for training. There would be no suspense in the outcome.
...
Zhao Xuming was supervising the battle at the backstage of the recording studio.
The staff were getting ready in an orderly manner. The director was adjusting the equipment, and the contestants were making tactical arrangements in the lounge backstage. The audience had also begun to enter the venue.
While the studio the qualifiers were held could not be compared to the GPL venue, it did look quite decent now after the sudden set-up two days ago.
Apart from the smaller venue and the smaller audience size, there was nothing wrong with it.
Zhao Xuming was in a difficult position as well. He had not intended to spend so much money at first, but the publicity by FV Club had indeed brought about a lot of popularity. Long Yu Corporation was the organizer of the competition. It would not be right if he did not do anything about it.
He could only pray silently and hope that the qualifiers would be exciting. That way, money would not be wasted and he would be able to buy popularity. The cooperation between Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation would also be more stable.
Zhao Xuming heaved a sigh of relief after checking his work and ensuring that there were no problems. He relaxed a bit.
At that moment, he heard hurried footsteps.
Zhao Xuming turned around and saw the boss of SUG Club, Ding Gan, walking over with a livid expression. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand and looked very angry.
Zhao Xuming was stunned. "Boss Ding? Why are you so angry? Shouldn't you be preparing for battle in the lounge of the SUG Club?"
Ding Gan was indeed very angry, but he did not dare to lose his temper at Zhao Xuming. He reached out and handed the paper over. "Boss Zhao! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
Zhao Xuming was confused. He reached out to take the piece of paper from Ding Gan and realized that it was FV Club's name list.
The preparations for the qualifiers had been rushed, and they did not have the time to confirm the list of members of many small clubs. They only managed to finalise it yesterday.
Zhao Xuming was not very familiar with these players and did not realize that there was a problem with FV's name list. What's more, it was already very late, so he did not have the time to look it up.
The competition between FV Club and SUG Club was this afternoon. Ding Gan had just received FV Club's name list and came storming for Zhao Xuming.
Zhao Xuming still did not understand what was going on. He scanned FV Club's name list but did not find anything amiss. He asked, "What's wrong with this name list?"
Ding Gan was speechless. "Boss Zhao, all five members of FV Club were celebrities from the IOI branches of our established clubs. They were all bought over by the GPL clubs previously!"
"These five players are all very strong individually. Now, all of them have gone to FV Club. This is a dream team!"
"Boss Zhao, what do you think this means?"
Zhao Xuming was shocked and immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.
This meant that one of the veteran clubs, including SUG, might be squeezed out of one spot!
Zhao Xuming frowned and said in confusion, "How can that be? Where did FV Club get the money to buy so many celebrities?"
Ding Gan was speechless as well. "How would I know?! I only just saw the name list. Boss Zhao, you have to take care of this. Our three clubs spent a huge sum of money to buy people to make up for our weakness in order to get a place in the international competition. If someone were to pick our fruits, t-then..."
Zhao Xuming was frustrated. "How am I supposed to take care of this?"
"Are we going to disqualify FV Club directly? How is that possible! They are going to participate in the competition according to the official process and bought players to make up for their weakness. If we were to disqualify them by force, wouldn't all the players in the country laugh at Long Yu Corporation?"
"Let's not even talk about disqualifying the company. Any small action would ruin the reputation of the Long Yu Corporation once it was exposed. It might even affect the reputation of Finger Games and the upcoming world finals."
"I can't do anything about this. You guys have to count on yourselves."
"Long Yu Corporation has already given the green light to your three clubs when buying people. If you still can't win the qualifiers, then you're pure trash with no need to enter the international competition!"
Ding Gan grimaced. "Boss Zhao, think about it. There must be something fishy behind this!"
"FV Club is just a small club. Where would they get the money to buy so many star players? The transfer fee for these players would be more than ten million yuan. What's more, the GPL clubs are not short of money. Why should they be sold? There must be something wrong here!"
"Boss Zhao, aren't you afraid that GOG is doing this on purpose?"
These words moved Zhao Xuming. He had to admit that this was a very suspicious point.
However, on further thought, even if that was the case, there was nothing he could do.
Everything that the FV Club did was in accordance with regulations. The qualifications for the competition were given by Long Yu Corporation, and the buyers must have gone through the proper process. There were no restrictions on the players of previous teams. Even if they knew that FV Club was related to GOG, they could not possibly chase them away now.
What's more, if FV Club really managed to squeeze out an internally decided club based on their own capabilities, there would still be three teams going for the international competition. The overall strength of the domestic teams would also become stronger.
It was nothing more than a certain veteran club's interests being damaged. It would not affect the overall situation at all. At most, they could think of ways to compensate them later.
At that thought, Zhao Xuming waved his hand and said, "I can't take care of this. Think about it yourselves. I've already done my best to pave the way for you. If you don't win the qualifiers in the end, it only means that you're not good enough. You can't blame others."
"This..." Ding Gan opened his mouth, but he could not think of a more convincing reply. He could only leave in embarrassment.
The more Ding Gan thought about it, the angrier he became on the way back to SUG's club lounge.
He could not help but want to speak to the boss of FV Club, Wu Yue, but he held himself back in the end.
It made no sense to argue over such things.
He could only hope that the members of the SUG would be able to do their best and secure a spot in this world competition!
...
In the afternoon, Pei Qian took the subway to IOI's competition venue after leaving Shanghai's high speed rail station.
Pei Qian decisively chose the latter between the opening ceremony of GPL league and IOI qualifiers.
The reason was very simple. It was probably the same whether he watched the GPL league or not. The popularity would definitely not be low. Pei Qian wanted to see the situation of the IOI qualifiers. It would be best if he could confirm that FV Club would be eliminated. Then, he could watch the GPL competition in peace.
The qualification competition for IOI was held in a studio on the top floor of a shopping mall in Shanghai. The location was very good even though it was not very big and could only accommodate 600 viewers.
It was only a few subway stations away from the Shanghai high speed rail station.
The qualifiers had already begun in the morning. Pei Qian had watched a few competitions on the high-speed rail. However, he had not played IOI much and did not know much about the heroes and their skills here. He thus found it boring. He could only roughly tell that there was a gap in the strength of these teams.
The competition schedule was rather strange. There were a total of eight teams that were divided into two groups. Four teams would be selected in the morning and in the afternoon. Then, one team would be eliminated through the 'best-of-five' knockout rounds tomorrow.
FV Club's competition was in the afternoon. They were in the same group as the veteran club, SUG.
The entire competition schedule was very packed. Thus, to Pei Qian, the best outcome would be for FV Club to be eliminated this afternoon. Then, he could relax.
If they were lucky and entered the elimination round, Pei Qian would book a hotel nearby and leave after watching the elimination round tomorrow.
Of course, Pei Qian felt that the possibility of that happening was negligible.
Considering that there were many young people in Shanghai, Pei Qian decided to put on a black mask in order to keep a low profile.
While Jingzhou was now called the 'E-Sports Capital' by netizens and attracted many young people, it was still far from being a first-tier city like Shanghai.
The shopping mall was filled with people. Many young people were chatting and laughing. The escalators upstairs were filled with people.
Pei Qian could only follow the crowd to the top floor seeing that there were more people at the elevator.
"Eh, are these people here to watch the IOI qualifiers? Long Yu Corporation's publicity work is quite good."
"At first, I was worried that the number of viewers on the live-stream platform was fake. Now, it looks like even if there were fake viewers, it shouldn't have been a huge percentage."
"Yes, that's a good sign! I hope they can rob more traffic from GPLs!"
In the morning, Pei Qian had already noticed that IOI's live-streams on various live-stream platforms were quite popular. However, there were not many bullet screen comments. He was also worried that the popularity might have gone down.
However, Pei Qian felt much more at ease after seeing the passionate scene in front of him.
He hoped that Long Yu Corporation and Finger Games could take root in Shanghai and create another E-Sports Capital to compete with Jingzhou!
Pei Qian continued upwards. Many people were here to shop, so the number of people was gradually decreasing.
Pei Qian did not mind. He lowered his head and scrolled through his cell phone. Most people would probably go to the top floor anyway.
However, the crowd suddenly dispersed after a few levels!
About half of the people did not continue to walk up the escalator but stayed on this floor.
Pei Qian was stunned. He suddenly felt that something was amiss.
He kept his cell phone and looked up. This was the seventh floor, and IOI's qualifiers should be on the ninth floor.
Pei Qian's expression froze when he took a closer look at where they had gone.
There was actually a Fish-Catching Internet Cafe here?
That's right, it was still the familiar Fish-Catching Internet Cafe logo. What's more, it was the logo for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's 3.0 Live eSports Museum.
The big screen outside the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was exactly the same as the one in the live-stream. It was the countdown for the opening battle of the GPL season. The two teams facing off were EK and H4, respectively. They were also the champion and runner-up teams of the previous international invitational tournament.
It could be said that the GPL season's opening battle card was full.
The ten members of both teams had been re-shooted. Huang Wang and Jiang Huan, who were the core members of the two teams, were posing in a handsome pose. The muscles under their uniforms could be vaguely seen.
Apart from the two of them, the other team members had also undergone obvious changes in their physiques and muscles during this period of training.
There was a huge empty space outside Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The seats had been set up. Most of the audience were already seated.
Pei Qian was confused.
The crowd was not because of the popularity of the IOI qualifiers but because of the popularity of GPL!
More than half of them had come to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to watch the competition!
Speaking of which, why would a Fish-Catching Internet Cafe suddenly appear here?
When did this happen?
A long time ago, after Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's 3.0 mode was successful, Pei Qian had already decided to expand the business. He wanted Xiao Peng to open Fish-Catching Internet Cafes anywhere on his own accord as long as he could spend the money that he had earned.
Now, it seemed like this Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was the result of Xiao Peng entering Shanghai.
Pei Qian was speechless.
Long Yu Corporation's Zhao Xuming is really bad at choosing the location!
Couldn't you have picked a shopping mall without the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe? Must you charge head on with GOG?
However, on further thought, Pei Qian realized another possibility.
The venue that Zhao Xuming chose for the IOI Qualification Competition must have been carefully selected. It could not be too big or too small. There were not many live-streaming halls in Shanghai that fit the criteria. Moreover, most of them were in large shopping malls.
On the other hand, if Xiao Peng wanted to open Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0 in Shanghai, he would definitely prioritize shopping malls and crowded places.
Thus... this collision might seem coincidental, but it was inevitable to a certain extent.
He could even imagine a more terrifying possibility. Perhaps Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had already been opened in the most famous and largest shopping malls in Shanghai?
Pei Qian could not help but shiver, shocked by his own thoughts.
There were some things that he really could not delve into. The more he tried, the more flustered he became.
After taking a look at the time, Pei Qian decided to walk around Fish-Catching Internet Cafe before heading to the IOI competition venue.
Pei Qian was stunned when he walked in through the front door.
It seemed to have changed slightly from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0!
The most eye-catching thing was that the entire internet cafe had the team flags of various teams hung all around like the GPL stadium. The team flags for the next competition would automatically light up.
The front desk was distributing various small items and souvenirs for today's competition team. The wall behind the front desk was displaying the heroes' small office, the team uniforms of each team, and some trinkets. Many people were asking for prices.
The current model had a huge improvement in the atmosphere as compared to the initial 3.0 model.
That was because while Xiao Peng said the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0 model was part of Tengda's E-Sports strategy when it was first created, there was no sign of the GPL league at that time. The Live eSports Museum was just an idea without any physical support.
However, now that the GPL league had been set up, the participating clubs had been finalized, and even the GDL and internet cafe competitions had been prepared. The renovation style of the stadium, the matching of the team uniforms, the celebrity players, and other details had been perfected.
Therefore, there were many materials that could be used to decorate Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0. It was no longer as monotonous as before.
The entire Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was obviously built according to a mini GPL venue. The style and the various details were made to be aligned with the GPL venue. The audience would still be able to feel the atmosphere of the competition even if they could not physically go to the GPL venue.
What's more, the players who participated in the internet cafe competition would be able to experience the feeling of playing offline matches earlier. Gaining fans and fame within a small area would also help them to walk further down the difficult path of playing professionally.
Most of the people in the internet cafe were playing GOG. Some of them were drinking milk tea while waiting for the GPL competition to begin.
As for the people outside the internet cafe, some of them had come specially to watch the competition. Some of them might be tired from shopping and had come to rest.
However, looking at the traffic and popularity outside the internet cafe, Pei Qian suddenly felt more worried about the IOI Qualification Competition at the top floor.
The atmosphere outside the internet cafe was very lively. A few young people seemed to be together, talking loudly.
"I think IOI's competition hall is upstairs. Do you want to take a look?"
"I'm not interested. I don't know how to play IOI, why should we watch it?"
"I checked on my cell phone in the morning. The difference between the teams is too big. Apart from the two or three strong teams, the rest are all rookies. There's no suspense. Moreover, the contestants are basically strangers. The competition is not exciting at all."
"It's more interesting to watch the DGE battle. Huang Wang vs Jiang Huan. I wonder how the two teams are doing after not competing for so long."
"If there's a chance, I should go to Jingzhou to take a look. It should be more exciting."
"Indeed, it is still better to watch the competition with a group of people. It's already so lively at the entrance of the internet cafe. How exciting would it be if we were to watch it at the venue itself? When I have the chance, I'll definitely go to Jingzhou for a few days. I'll gank the professional gamers and take pictures with them at the entrance of the club. After that, I'll go to the original GOG hero phone booth and check in. Finally, I'll watch a few GOG competitions. Perfect!"
Many shopping malls in Shanghai also had shared phone booths for GOG's heroes. However, the only flaw was that the concept art heroes were not hand-drawn.
Therefore, most players still felt that the hand-drawn heroes in Jingzhou were the original.
From the conversation between these young people, it could be seen that both the shared phone booth and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0 played an objective role in accelerating the spread of GOG's culture.
Many people had not been very interested in GPL competitions. However, as long as they watched the competition with their friends in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0 and experienced the excitement of watching the competition live, they would naturally want to go to Jingzhou and buy tickets to experience GPL.
Pei Qian walked around and left quietly.
He had wanted to leave Jingzhou and come to Shanghai to relax and watch the competition. He had not expected to be attacked suddenly!
That was unbearable.
When he reached the top floor, Pei Qian followed the crowd and the directions on the way to the IOI competition venue. He found a seat and sat down.
In the morning, Pei Qian had already watched the live-stream of the IOI Qualification Competition. He was already mentally prepared for what the venue would look like. However, he still felt that it was a little small when he arrived at the venue.
The GPL's venue was 12 meters tall with an area of 4,500 square meters. It could accommodate 1,800 people at full capacity. It was exactly three times the size of this venue.
However, the director of the IOI Qualification Competition did not send a large number of cameras to the venue, perhaps because of the arrangement of the cameras and the changing of the live-stream camera. Thus, it was considered good news that they could not see such a huge gap in the live-stream.
The two commentators had already started to rally the crowd by the time Pei Qian sat down because of his detour to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
At the same time, players from both FV Club and SUG Club also entered the venue and began adjusting their equipment.
The two commentators were not bad. They were able to lift the atmosphere. After a simple opening speech and self-introduction, they briefly talked about the competition in the morning and confirmed that the other two veteran clubs had made it to the next day's elimination round.
After the team competition in the afternoon, two other teams would enter the elimination round. One team would be eliminated from the four teams, and the remaining three would participate in the world competition.
After the warm-up, the two commentators' topic naturally shifted to the battle between the two teams.
"I really didn't expect the first game in the afternoon to be the highlight. FV Club versus veteran team SUG Club."
"Perhaps many viewers do not know much about FV Club and think that this would be a one-sided battle. Actually, I also thought that FV Club was the weakest team in this group. However, after I realized that it was not the case after I saw the participant list."
"The members of the FV Club are all celebrities from the previous IOI branches of various clubs. They are all IDs that we are familiar with!"
"I don't know how long has this team been established and how well they work together but this is definitely the best IO team we can have I in-country based on the lineup of this team alone!"
"The first game in the afternoon might be even better than the one in the morning. Therefore, the audience who came to the venue in the afternoon have profited greatly. The exciting game will start soon. Let us wait and see!"
The two commentators were filled with passion, obviously looking forward to the next match.
However, Pei Qian's eyes became blank after he heard the commentary. A question mark slowly floated above his head.
?
All-star team?
Best team?
Are they describing FV Club?
Are you describing the incomplete bottom-ranking team with only three players that I have invested in?
Did something went wrong?