Chapter 418 - Chapter 780: Physical Advantage Revealed!

The competition continued.

The second match was between SUG Club and the first team in Group A. The overall strength of SUG was obviously slightly worse, but the match was abnormally tight. It filled out the entire set of 'best-of-five' matches.

Ding Gan was so nervous that he broke out in cold sweat.

He had spent a long time working with his team after the competition yesterday. He had told them to focus all their energy on preparing for today's first match and strive to win the first match directly.

There were two main reason for this arrangement:

First, the opponent of the first set of 'best-of-five' matches was confirmed. The opponent of the second set of 'best-of-five' matches was uncertain. What if FV lost? The opponent of the first set of 'best-of-five' matches would be easier to deal with.

Second, the first match was when the players were the most energetic. The chances of winning were higher. The next set of 'best-of-five' matches would be even harder once they lost.

Thus, Ding Gan had given his team members a lot of motivation yesterday. At the same time, he had instructed the coach to make all sorts of targeted tactical arrangements for the familiar team in Group A. Today, they had indeed achieved great results.

However, things did not develop as Ding Gan had imagined.

There was still a gap in strength between the two sides. The players of SUG fought five rounds, but they still lost.

Ding Gan, who was seated below the stage and watching the entire game, nearly fainted. However, he did not have any other good ideas. He could only take the opportunity to comfort his players at the back stage and get them to continue preparing for the next set of 'best-of-five' matches.

...

At the same time, Pei Qian was browsing his cell phone in boredom.

The competition schedule was too tight. The break was longer this time in order to allow the players and the audience to take a break.

It was confirmed that FV club would be able to enter the international competition after they had won the first set of 'best-of-five' matches. Pei Qian's hopes had been dashed.

However, as the saying went, he was already here.

He had traveled all the way to Shanghai, and the competition had been quite exciting. He had to finish watching the last two matches before leaving.

Today's demonic competition had been going on from morning to afternoon. There were two sets of 'best-of-five' matches, but what was more terrifying was that there were two more sets of 'best-of-five' matches.

Many of the audience could not take it anymore. Their stomachs were rumbling and their voices were almost hoarse from shouting.

Some viewers were very smart. They brought a lot of snacks and drinks and kept ordering food . Those who did not bring snacks were more awkward. They had no choice but to leave midway to buy burgers and sandwiches to fill their stomachs.

Of course, Pei Qian would not go hungry. He sneaked back to FV Club's lounge and had a good meal.

Thus, Pei Qian was full now. He swiped his cell phone while waiting for the competition to start.

There were many unread messages on his cell phone. They were all from Zhang Yuan, Lin Chang, and the others.

"Boss Pei, how are things in Shanghai? Do you need our help?"

"Boss Pei, there's a lot of news about you on the internet. It might have been released by Long Yu Corporation. They're trying to ride on your popularity while stepping on GPL. Should we fight back?"

Obviously, everyone on the internet knew that Pei Qian had been 'caught' by the director at the IOI Qualification Competition.

Pei Qian did not reply. Instead, he scrolled through the popular comments on his cell phone, looking pleasantly surprised.

Long Yu Corporation was not bad!

The intelligence gathering was not bad, and the tempo was brilliant!

At the moment, there were two main topics being discussed on the internet. The first was that the FV Club was a club that Tengda had spent a huge sum of money to build. It was aiming to build the strongest IOI team. Boss Pei was very concerned about that. The second was that Boss Pei had personally come to the competition venue for the IOI qualifiers. Obviously, the IOI qualifiers were more popular than the GPL's pre-season competition.

This was a very standard killer technique.

First, they would use fake reviewers to create hype, saying that FV Club was established by Tengda and was a dream team. They were determined to win the championship, and their excessive praises would arouse the disgust of passers-by. At the same time, they would attract more attention.

That way, as long as FV Club lost in the competition, the fake reviewers could immediately change the direction of the game and trample on FV Club until it was worthless.

The classic left-to-right fighting, setting targets and hitting them with their own actions which would have a precise strike effect. The targets were naturally FV club, Boss Pei and Tengda Corporation.

As one could imagine, once FV Club lost, comments like these would immediately spread across the internet:

"Isn't Tengda very good at e-sports? They spent so much money to build a warship in the Milky Way just to be beaten up?"

"It has been proven that IOI is greater than GPL. Boss Pei, who was the authority in GOG, cannot play well in IOI. He can only be beaten up!"

"So what if the GPL is so gaudy? Didn't Boss Pei come all the way to Shanghai to watch his own club being tortured?"

Long Yu Corporation would have a lot of space to make use of as long as he could muddle the waters.

Of course, it would not affect GOG's dominance in the country. However, IOI would definitely take away some of its popularity.

Zhao Xuming had made use of Boss Pei to increase the traffic flow and build momentum for the IOI World Finals that were about to begin. That would be a huge contribution to Finger Games.

Pei Qian could not help but give a thumbs up in his heart.

Well done!

The FV Club had won a series of consecutive victories and had even obtained the qualifications for the IOI World Competition. Pei Qian's heart had been heavy at first, but he could not help but feel comforted after seeing that Long Yu Corporation was finally working.

That way, the internet would be filled with negative comments as long as FV Club lost in the competition for the top seeded team.

As for whether FV Club would lose or not? Pei Qian felt that there was a high chance of that happening.

They had made ample preparations for SUG to win the entire set of 'best-of-five' matches. FV Club was not that well-prepared. On the contrary, the other party must have studied FV's playing style.

What's more, the other party had just won the set of 'best-of-five' matches. Both their morale and state were at their peak. It was highly likely that they would win against FV in one go.

Pei Qian and Zhao Xuming were in the audience and backstage of the recording studio, patiently waiting for FV Club to fail.

...

The competition continued as the audience cheered and shouted.

In the first round, FV Club's playing style seemed to have been figured out by the other party. The players were not in the right state either, and their performance was a little abnormal. They resisted symbolically for a while before being flattened.

Zhao Xuming was overjoyed. He asked the fake reviewers on the internet to work harder on FV Club and Tengda.

In the second round, FV Club changed to a new tactic that they had never used before. They won through a surprise attack. They managed to get back at them even though there were some twists and turns in the middle.

FV Club made a small mistake and was caught by the opponent in the third round. They lost by one move and the opponent won two points.

In the fourth round, FV Club fought for close to fifty minutes. In the end, they narrowly won.

After four rounds, both sides arrived at the deciding round.

Pei Qian looked at his watch. It was already past eight in the evening. The audience had already entered a state of hopelessness. All of them slumped weakly in their chairs, occasionally shaking the empty drinks cup in their hands. They licked their dry lips and helplessly put them down.

They had no choice, they kept cheering until their throats were hoarse.

Some of the audience could not take it anymore and wanted to leave. However, they gritted their teeth and persevered considering that it was already the fifth game.

Pei Qian could not help but want to leave. However, on further thought, he was already here. He had watched four rounds of 'best-of-five' matches. He had to finish watching the final round, right?

He suppressed his restlessness and watched the fifth round patiently.

The commentator might have changed, but the new one was already parched and hoarse.

Even so, they tried their best to liven up the atmosphere.

"Alright, the final deciding round is about to begin. Everyone, please clap and cheer for the team you support!"

"I have to say that today's competition is worth the price of tickets. Everyone could enjoy watching three full sets of 'best-of-five' matches at a shot."

"Many viewers might not be able to hold on much longer. For the players, reaching this stage is no longer just a competition of skills and tactics. It is a competition of willpower."

"Indeed, we can see that many contestants don't look too good. They are taking advantage of every moment to recover their energy."

"Let me explain to everyone here. Players would not dare to eat too much during competitions because their blood would be directed to their stomachs after eating. That would cause their brain to run out of blood and slow down their reactions. For professional players, a single reaction would usually determine the outcome of a competition. Thus, we can see that the players on both sides did not eat too much. They only ate high-calorie food like chocolate and candy to replenish their energy."

"My heart aches for our players. They have been playing competitions from morning until night. Each team has already played nine games. Most of them have reached their physical and mental limits. I hope that they can withstand the final deciding game and risk an exciting competition for us while not leaving any regrets…"

Pei Qian was stunned when he heard the commentator's words.

He realized that something was amiss!

He took a closer look at the expressions on the screen.

The players of the FV Club were all rubbing their hands together. While it was obvious that they were tired as well, they were still in high spirits.

He looked at the opponents again. Some of them were slumped in their E-Sports chairs, resting with their eyes closed. Some of them had their heads lowered on the table. Those who were still struggling to keep their eyes on the computer screen were pale as well. They were chewing their chewing gum to refresh themselves.

The physical difference between the two parties was obvious at this moment!

E-Sports mainly relied on brain power. Under normal circumstances, physical fitness would not have that much of an impact. For a competition like the GPL, a team could at most play one set of 'best-of-five' matches. Therefore the players' competitive state could be maintained at a relatively good level.

However, the situation in the invitational tournament this time was special. It had become a tag-team battle. Both sides were in a deadlock. In the end, it became a set of 'best-of-ten' matches. Naturally, the players on the other side could not take it anymore.

On the other hand, the members of the FV Club had been working out every day at the GPL Club. Their physical fitness had improved greatly. They were also very tired now, but they were in much better condition than their opponents.

This difference could very well determine the outcome of the competition!

Pei Qian felt his limbs turn cold.

This is bad!

The final game officially began as Pei Qian was in a state of worry!

Both sides already knew each other very well by now. Moreover, they did not dare to use any risky moves in the deciding match. They only wanted stability. In the end, the battle became a contest of willpower.

Both sides began to make mistakes, but it was obvious that FV Club was in a better state and were more focused. After seizing a few opportunities, the scales of victory gradually tilted towards FV Club, and the economic gap between the two sides grew bigger and bigger…

"Let us congratulate FV for obtaining the first seedled team qualification for IOI's global finals!"

The commentator's voice echoed throughout the entire stadium. FV's players jumped up and hugged each other excitedly.

"You're really something!"

"We did not let Boss Pei down. We did it!"

"International competition, here we come!"

The audience was not stingy with their applause and cheers. The entire venue was filled with enthusiasm.

SUG might still have one B5 that had not been played and the last slot had not been decided at the moment, but at that moment, FV Club was the absolute focus of attention!

...

Zhao Xuming sat paralyzed in his chair, looking like he had nothing to live for in the backstage of the recording studio.

That was it?!

In the end, FV Club still won?

Wouldn't all the preheating and preparations he had made earlier go to waste?

Zhao Xuming's mind went blank.

The director frowned. "This is bad, Boss Zhao. Many viewers are leaving!"

Zhao Xuming looked up. Indeed, a large group of audience was leaving the venue!

Many viewers finally persevered and finished watching this set of 'best-of-five' matches. It was almost 9 PM. Many people could not take it anymore and left the stage to go home even though there was still another set of 'best-of-five' matches to be played.

Zhao Xuming had a good plan originally when he was arranging the competition schedule.

If there was a weakling team, they would be able to play less rounds and it would have ended at about nine.

He saved the last place for the final battle so that the suspense would linger till the last moment. He could hold an expedition ceremony once that was done. That would be perfect.

However, all the previous arrangements were messed up with FV shaking things up!

Now the last set of 'best-of-five' matches had yet to start but it was already very late. The audience could not take it anymore and wanted to leave. Would the audience still be left for the last match later?

Zhao Xuming stared blankly at the ceiling feeling that the situation in the IOI qualifiers had completely gone out of his control!

Chapter 781: New World Famous Painting

The competition was not over yet. SUG Club still had to fight with another unlucky team for the last ticket to the IOI World Tournament. However, the audience could not take it anymore.

That was too much!

They had played three sets of 'best-of-five' matches the entire day, and all of them were long drawn. Each game lasted between 35 minutes to 50 minutes. They were about to puke no matter how exciting the game was.

What's more, the top seeded team had already been decided. While this set of 'best-of-five' matches would be the final competition, it would not be as exciting as the competition for the top seeded team.

It was late and Shanghai was huge. Some viewers were afraid that they would not be able to make it home on time by subway, so many people left early.

It might be a little wasteful to give up watching since they had already bought the tickets. However, considering that they watched the three crazy set of 'best-of-five' matches today, it was completely worth the price of the tickets so they would not feel like it was a total loss.

All in all, all of these factors combined to cause the audience to leave the stage one by one. Many empty seats in the venue appeared.

Pei Qian slumped back in his seat, looking up at the sky with mixed feelings.

The entire day of the competition was akin to being tortured to death!

He had wanted to watch FV Club lose two sets of 'best-of-five' matches and go home happily. He had not expected FV Club to become more and more courageous as the battle progressed. They had won both sets of 'best-of-five' matches and became the King of the Bladder!

Every time Pei Qian felt that FV was about to fail, these players would find a way to turn the tables in the face of adversity.

Pei Qian could only sigh.

He had no choice. He could not possibly rush onto the stage and ask his team to lose, right?

He looked at his watch. It was slightly past nine.

The question was, what should he do next?

The other viewers had left the venue early because their accommodations were far from the venue and they needed to catch the train home. However, Pei Qian's hotel was near this shopping mall and it was only a five-minute walk.

Nine o'clock was still too early for Pei Qian to go to bed. He had nothing to do when he returned to the hotel.

At that moment, Pei Qian's cell phone rang. It was Wu Yue.

"Boss Pei! Where are you? I'm planning to bring my team over for supper before coming back for the expedition ceremony. Please come with me!"

Wu Yue's voice was filled with excitement and ecstasy.

It would have been unimaginable for FV Club to achieve such results a month ago!

In the past, the FV Club was just a small, unknown club. It did not have any star players or thick stack of funds, much less any reputation.

Even in IOI, which was not popular at all in the country, FV Club could not be ranked at the top. It could be said that they were purely just playing around.

However, everything changed after Boss Pei invested!

He had a celebrity team, results, attention, and everything was going well!

The first seeded entry for the IOI World Competition this time had proven that FV Club was currently the strongest club in the country. They should be able to gain a lot of attention and fans soon.

They would gain even more fans once they make a name for themselves in the international competition!

As long as these results could be maintained for a period of time, as IOI's top club, FV would definitely receive more sponsorships and endorsements. There would also be more fans, and everything would get better!

Therefore, Wu Yue was especially happy and wanted to treat his players to a feast.

He had to ask Boss Pei along since he was here.

Wu Yue was not sure if Boss Pei would come along. Perhaps Boss Pei had other matters to attend to, and he might not be able to invite this great Buddha himself. However, it was still necessary to ask. That was the most basic courtesy.

The corners of Pei Qian's mouth twitched.

What? You want to eat a meal after the competition and give me another whipping again?

Pei Qian rejected it immediately. "I still want to watch the competition. I won't join in the fun."

"The protagonists today are the players. Let them have a good meal and rest."

Wu Yue saw that Boss Pei was determined and did not insist. "Alright, Boss Pei. Please call me at any time if you need anything."

Pei Qian sighed silently after hanging up.

It was still too early to go back to sleep.

He would continue watching two more competitions and would go back to sleep around 11 PM. The timing was just right.

The competition continued, and the remaining two teams fought for the last slot.

The commentator was very professional and was still using his hoarse voice to stir up the atmosphere, but the audience still left silently one after another.

Even Pei Qian could not bring himself to pay attention to the competition.

There was no helping it. He had watched too many competitions today. He was almost numb to it. It was already very kind of him to stay and listen to the competition.

Pei Qian yawned and took out his cell phone, wanting to browse the internet.

After a while, he did not notice a few more messages. They were all from Zhang Yuan and the others.

"Boss Pei, you're so smart! You used yourself as bait to catch a big fish!"

"Long Yu Corporation thinks they're fishermen, but they're actually the fish! All of the popularity that Long Yu Corporation has been trying so hard to generate has been earned by the GPL and FV Club. Boss Pei managed to turn the tables without much effort. Such a strategy is too powerful!"

A row of question marks appeared on Pei Qian's head as he read the message.

???

What did that mean?

Weren't the public opinions on the internet still trampling on FV Club and GPL?

Why? Had the winds changed so quickly?

He quickly opened Weibo and various gaming forums to check on the players' discussions.

"I'm laughing. Is this the IOI Qualification Competition? Which idiot came up with this mentally retarded competition schedule? They haven't even finished playing from morning till late at night. They're playing a full set of 'best-of-ten' matches in a day. The audience can't even take it, let alone the players!"

"At the end of the game, both sides are making serious mistakes. Their conditions have deteriorated too much, and they have lost their viewing pleasure. The organizers should take the blame. Why did they have to create such a strange competition system?"

"I have a friend at the venue. I heard that after FV's game ended, a large number of viewers slipped away. They really could not take it anymore. Watching the competition today is even more tiring than running a marathon."

"I'm dying of laughter. It's rare to see a competition that takes the audience away. The organizers are really talented!"

"What about those people who stepped on FV Club previously? Come out now? Say something like 'Boss Pei's All-Stars Team is just like that', 'It'll shatter with a single touch', 'Boss Pei is just playing GOG, and he'll be beaten up when he gets to IOI'? Are you still going to continue? Didn't FV destroy all your teams?"

"What a joke. So many veteran clubs have been crushed by Boss Pei's team that had just been established less than a month ago? This is a demotion wave!"

"The facts have proven that Boss Pei has the power to turn something rotten into something magical. He could casually set up a club to play in IOI's territory and beat all of IOI's veteran clubs!"

"Don't exaggerate. The five members of FV are the star players of IOI. Their hard skills are not bad to begin with. Do you expect Boss Pei to take credit for this? What has this got to do with him?"

"Think about it carefully. Are you sure this has nothing to do with Boss Pei?"

"Think about it carefully. Who invested in FV Club and poached the right five players from different teams?"

"FV's playing style is obviously different from other clubs. It's more inclined towards GOG's tactics. Who arranged for it?"

"These five players have obviously trained harder, and their physical fitness has improved. That's why they can maintain a good state in the sets of 'best-of-ten' matches. Who advocated this idea?"

"Boss Pei is still taking the time out of his busy schedule to supervise the battle and encourage the players. Do you think FV's tenacity in their gameplay has nothing to do with this?"

"Boss Pei might not have participated in the team tactics meetings, but didn't Boss Pei solve all of these macro problems? Obviously, no one can replace Boss Pei's role in completing today's set of 'best-of-ten' matches miracles!"

"I'll reluctantly agree to other things, but isn't it a little far-fetched to win the set of 'best-of-ten' matches because of physical training? It's only been a few days since the team was formed, right?"

"Indeed, these people have been working out for less than a month. However, working out not only increases muscles, but also means that their working hours are regular, they have sufficient rest, and their diet is balanced. As long as they maintain it for more than a week, they will definitely feel that their mental state has improved significantly."

"These players might not be comparable to muscular men like Huang Wang, but they definitely have an advantage over the skinny internet addicts!"

"What's more, the schedule was beneficial to FV. FV played the first and third sets of matches of the day, while the opponent played the second and third games. The opponent's advantage was that playing two or three consecutive sets of 'best-of-five' matches would become more familiar with it at the start of the game. Thus, FV lost the first round of the game without any suspense. However, the advantage of FV was that there would be sufficient time to rest and adjust between the two games. This was also a key factor in maintaining a good state during a long battle!"

"Now that I think about it, there's a problem with the competition system! That's not fair!"

"That's right, but this is not the FV's fault. As I said before, the organizers are trash. If the organizers had not arranged this brainless competition through 'best-of-ten' matches, it would be hard to say what would have happened."

"That's why I said that Long Yu Corporation might be a big company, but it's not professional at all when it comes to organizing competitions. It's far from being comparable to Tengda! Just look at the comparison between the IOI Qualification Competition and the GPL pre-season Competition. From the venue, the details of the competition, and the schedule, GOG is a complete mess! This is the difference between professional and amateur!"

"To be honest, IOI's competition is too draggy. Each game is too long! A set of 'best-of-five' matches can't be played for five hours. The tempo is too slow. I can't say that the viewership of IOI would be good if the world competition is still the same."

"Indeed, the difference is too great. There won't be any IOI competitions for the time being. Let's go watch the GPL. It's much better than this."

"I wonder how Boss Pei felt when he was there?"

"Hehe, some people even said that Boss Pei went there because IOI's competition is better than GPL's? What an international joke! I think Boss Pei's thinking should be: How can they still have the cheek to organize a competition like this? They don't even know how to copy homework properly!"

"Boss Pei's presence today was obviously a provocation! The club I invested in directly took away your number one seeded entry, and you can't do anything to me. Are you angry? What's more, I'm going to personally witness FV Club win the championship and mock you. What can you do to me?"

"Indeed, Boss Pei is probably invincible in GOG. He doesn't feel threatened at all and has lost his passion. That's why he used FV Club to fight IOI. He wanted to have some fun, but IOI's teams were so weak that they broke at one touch! If I were Boss Pei, I would only feel that life is as lonely as snow. It's so boring!"

"I don't think Boss Pei will be watching IOI's competitions in the future. It's so disappointing."

"I was watching the replay of the competition when I suddenly realized that Boss Pei's close-up seemed to have a deeper meaning. Look, Boss Pei might be wearing a mask and keeping a very low profile but his posture is very relaxed. He looks like he had victory in his hands. When the camera panned to him, he was completely indifferent and calm. Did he expect the results of today's competition?"

"Handsome, handsome, handsome, mummy loves you, the Boss Pei that doesn't reveal your face!"

"He personally went to the venue to watch a competition organized by a competitor's company, sit in the first row and watch the club he invested in win the first seeded team. How domineering!"

"I think that Boss Pei only wanted to keep a low profile and not slap Long Yu Corporation in the face too hard. He didn't think that Long Yu Corporation would take the initiative to bring the camera to him! I'm dying of laughter!"

Pei Qian was stunned as he read the comments.

What are these idiotic netizens talking about?!

There was only one thing that was right: Boss Pei felt that life was as lonely as snow.

Everything else was wrong!

I only wanted to watch FV lose the competition. I didn't think so much!

However, it was useless to say anything now. The trend of public opinion had already formed online!

After Zhao Xuming and Long Yu Corporation discovered that Boss Pei had personally appeared at the scene, they used this as an excuse to buy hot searches and hire fake reviewers to boost their popularity. Once FV lost, they would be able to direct all of their popularity to the IOI World Competition.

However, the script was completely different now!

In the end, FV won the first seeded team by trashing the 'best-of-ten' matches. Thus, all of the comments that Zhao Xuming had prepared to use to guide public opinion, discredit the GPL, and generate popularity for IOI World Competition were all ruined!

It had not been easy for him to accumulate popularity, but now it was all concentrated on FV Club and GPL!

The winner of the E-Sports competition was king. Whether it was 3: 0 or 3: 2, the audience would only remember the winner and view the runner-up as the biggest loser.

At first, not many people paid attention to FV Club, probably only the older fans of the players. However, the audience knew that it was Boss Pei's club after Long Yu Corporation spared no effort in introducing the club. The attention naturally soared now that it had achieved results!

Pei Qian sighed softly, feeling that life was meaningless.

...

"It's a pity that there are no more miracles. SUG Club lost this crucial game with 0-3 and failed to obtain a slot in the world competition."

"To be honest, it's really a pity. SUG team displayed very good competitive skills in today's first set of 'best-of-five' matches. It was originally very hopeful. However, perhaps this is what they mean by 'Spurt on the first try, tired on the second try and fail with exhaustion on the third'. I can clearly feel that they were not particularly prepared for the second set of 'best-of-five' matches. Their competitive state was also not very good..."

"I can only hope that they can continue to work hard in the following matches..."

Ding Gan was so angry that his blood pressure rose and he almost fainted below the stage.

Even though he had a premonition about this, he did not expect the SUG to be wiped out with a 3: 0!

The main reason why they were in such a state was because SUG had spent most of its energy on the first set of 'best-of-five' matches. In the end, they failed at the last step and the team's mentality was greatly affected.

Many times in the elimination rounds, they had to hold back their anger. That was because they would collapse once that anger was released.

Ding Gan subconsciously looked at the audience. Most of the audience had left by now. There were not many people left.

After all, it was already past 11 PM. There would be no subway if they were to leave any later.

Boss Pei's figure stood out in the empty front row seats.

Ding Gan was very angry but he could not hate Boss Pei for some reason.

Logically speaking, it was Boss Pei who reorganized FV Club and snatched a spot in the international competition. That was why SUG Club could not qualify. It also caused Ding Gan to lose all his investment in this team.

However, Ding Gan felt that this was not Boss Pei's fault but Zhao Xuming's!

Would the team have been torn down if Zhao Xuming had come to the club earlier to discuss the IOI World Competition?

Zhao Xuming patted his chest confidently and guaranteed that SUG would definitely make it into the international competition. What happened in the end? The moment something happened, he immediately threw SUV aside!

How did he come up with this brain paralysis competition?

Was there a way to arrange the schedule for a game ithrough morning till late at night?

If he split the two sets of 'best-of-five' matches into two days, SUG would have more time to prepare. Perhaps the results would be different?

Indeed, Boss Pei was the reason why SUG Club did not qualify.

However, Ding Gan knew very well that Boss Pei was not targeting SUG Club.

Boss Pei had reorganized FV Club. His primary goal was to slap the faces of IOI and Long Yu Corporation. SUG had been accidentally AOE[1.'AOE' refers to Area of Effect where everything within the area takes damage or healing]by Boss Pei.

Zhao Xuming was the one to blame for not being able to qualify SUG!

If not for the fact that Zhao Xuming was such a good-for-nothing who could not even fight back after being beaten by Boss Pei, would the SUG be dragged down?

The more Ding Gan thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Zhao Xuming! I'll be a dog if I follow you around!"

"I would rather play GDL in the future and never enter GPL in my life than to touch IOI again!"

For some reason, the more Ding Gan looked at Boss Pei, the more despair he felt.

He should not have had anything to do with Boss Pei's chess games. How unlucky!

He had made up his mind to follow Boss Pei. So what if he had been unhappy before and had been a little worse off previously? It was still better than being pulled into an AOE for no reason!

Ding Gan's face was ashen. He did not intend to look for Zhao Xuming anymore. He flicked his sleeves and left.

On stage, the three teams that had qualified for the next round went on stage one by one in the expedition ceremony.

However, the audience in the front row had already left. After all, it was really too late. What's more, there was nothing much to see during the expedition ceremony.

At first, Pei Qian stood up and wanted to leave. However, after taking two steps, he realized that there were many people at the exit. If he left now, he would be squeezed into a crowd. After some thought, he sat back down in the middle of the crowd. He took a look at the expedition ceremony and waited for everyone to leave before leaving.

He would arrive at his hotel in five minutes anyway, he was in no hurry.

At that moment, an audience member who was about to leave suddenly had a stroke of inspiration. He took out his cell phone and took a photo of Pei Qian's back in the empty front row.

Click.

In the photo, Pei Qian sat in the middle of the first row of audience seats. In front of him was the competition stage and the big screen. His lonely back view was particularly eye-catching.

On the stage, the fifteen players of the three teams were lined up in a row. The five players of FV Club returned after finishing their supper. They stood in the middle, closest to the front, and echoed Boss Pei in the audience.

In fact, Pei Qian had originally been seated near the front row because he did not want to attract too much attention. However, he happened to sit right in the middle after he tried to leave but decided against it.

The enthusiastic viewer took a look at the photo and was very satisfied with the composition. He posted it online.

Another new world famous painting: The Last Spectator!

Chapter 782: One Brave Hero To Conquer A Million Weak Soldiers

December 12th, Monday…

Pei Qian slept in the hotel until eleven in the morning. He ate something after checking out and headed straight to the high-speed rail station to return to Jingzhou.

Wu Yue and Manager Lu wanted to hold a lunch banquet but were rejected by Pei Qian.

The competition over the weekend was a nightmare for Pei Qian. All he wanted to do now was to leave Shanghai and return to Jingzhou. Then, he would stay at home and play games while covering himself with his blanket.

Pei Qian adjusted his state of mind on the high-speed rail back to Jingzhou. Only then did he take out his cell phone to check the idiotic netizens' comments on the competition yesterday.

It was almost 12 AM after watching the competition last night. Pei Qian went straight to bed when he returned to the hotel. He had not checked the comments online until now.

Pei Qian immediately saw the most popular post upon opening the forum. It had been pushed up more than a thousand posts and was extremely popular.

The title of the post was very simple: 'World Famous Painting'.

Pei Qian was a little confused when he saw the title.

Had the thread been dug out again?

There were a total of three 'world famous paintings' so far. They were all pictures taken by idiotic netizens. They were named 'Boss Pei at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe', 'Boss Pei at Fish-Catching Take-Out', and 'Boss Pei at work'.

The first picture was taken when Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0 opened for business. The second picture was taken when he was having a meal at Fish-Catching Take-Out and the reporters happened to be interviewing them. The third picture was taken when he was sorting out the mindmap in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe near Handong University.

However, wasn't this topic long gone?

The incident of drawing a mind map at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had indeed caused a heated discussion on the internet. However, netizens should have long forgotten about it with their goldfish memories. Why were they discussing it again?

Pei Qian glanced at the time of the post.

That's not right. It seemed to have been posted last night?

It had only been one night and he had already been pushed up more than a thousand posts?

Pei Qian had a bad feeling about this and quickly clicked on it.

At the top of the post was a photo at the IOI Qualification Competition last night. The top half of the picture was normal. The players were standing in an orderly manner. The five FV team members were standing in the middle, ready to represent IOI in the World Competition. However, the bottom half of the picture was ridiculous. There was only one audience in the empty front row!

Pei Qian took a closer look. Wasn't that himself?

"When was this taken?!"

Pei Qian was very confused. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that this should have been taken when the audience finally left the stage. Coincidentally, there were a lot of people walking in the front row. However, Pei Qian could not be bothered to squeeze in and found a random seat to sit down. That was how the composition of this picture came about.

In fact, the person who took this photo was very crafty. He did not capture the entire truth.

The truth was that many people had just left the venue before the photo was taken. Pei Qian was the last to leave the venue among the audience in the front row. After all, he was staying closest to the venue and was the least anxious to leave.

However, that did not mean that the audience had left early, leaving Boss Pei to watch the competition till the end.

What's more, many people in the back row were waiting in their seats like Pei Qian. They were not in a hurry to leave.

However, the photographer had deliberately only taken the first three or four rows. He had not filmed the audience in the back row. Thus, by a freak combination of factors, he had created the feeling that Boss Pei was the only one left in the vast, empty stadium.

He looked at the post below the picture.

The author had only uploaded the photo. He did not and needed not do too much describing.

Everyone could tell that there were fifteen players on stage and the figure below the stage was Boss Pei.

There did not seem like there was much to discuss on the surface. However, it had to be said that the netizens' wisdom was boundless. The comments with the highest number of likes were compiled by several netizens, and they actually managed to create a 'masterpiece appreciation'!

...

"World famous painting: The Last Spectator."

"This is the newest and most famous painting in Boss Pei's world. It is also about to become the most famous work. Among all the other works of the same genre, this painting is regarded as an unprecedented work. Its concept is ingenious, it has an excellent layout with realistic details, it has a deep meaning and is fascinating."

"In the video, FV Club members' ecstasy, the other two clubs in the background, and the empty auditorium presented a perfect contrast to the center of the picture. It conveyed rich, psychological content and is a rare masterpiece."

...

"Introduction to the Story:"

"'The Last Spectator' tells the story where Boss Pei went into battle alone in Shanghai towards the end of the year 2011."

"The international conglomerate Dayak and Long Yu Corporation had organized a qualifying competition in Shanghai. They wanted to use the international competition to show their might and suppress Tengda. Eight E-Sports Clubs responded and gathered in Shanghai, seemingly having an advantage over Tengda in terms of preparations."

"There was also an evil group trying to lead public opinion astray by spreading rumors everywhere."

"At this juncture, the situation was urgent. Tengda's generals were in a state of panic. They asked Boss Pei: The enemy is powerful, what can we do?"

"Boss Pei smiled indifferently: They were just a group of small fries trying to show off. What's there to fear? The enemy will collapse without a fight in less than three days."

"Everyone was skeptical when they heard that."

"It was time to travel to the battlefield."

"Boss Pei traveled all the way to Shanghai alone and faced the battle alone. Tengda's generals were all shocked. How could the commander-in-chief put himself in danger? However, Boss Pei had already secretly sent five elite spies in the qualifiers. If the five of them worked together, no one would be able to stop them. They are very powerful, but they don't know that the situation in Shanghai is already in Boss Pei's hands."

"The next day, the five brave warriors fought tirelessly against the various clubs. The battle was intense from dawn till dusk. Millions of corpses were laid on the ground, and blood flowed into rivers. Boss Pei was supervising the battle from the front line. The ten thousand soldiers were calm and composed. The five warriors fought on with increasing courage. The enemy's fleet was reduced to ashes with a calm smile.

"After this battle, the reputation of the five warriors in the qualifiers spread far and wide. The demons and small fries fled at the sight of the wind, collapsing without a fight. Boss Pei went deep into the enemy's lair alone. Every club in Shanghai was scared out of their wits. Even little children would not dare to cry at night when they hear Boss Pei's name."

"There's a poem that goes:"

"Boss Pei's wisdom is rare in the world. He would get back at his enemies by charging into enemy territory alone. A small boat covers a thousand miles and a million strong soldiers take off their battle robes."

...

"Painting analysis:"

"This painting uses a symmetrical design. The composition can be roughly divided into three parts: the center of the upper portion, the sides and the lower portion.

"The center of the upper portion is made up of the five players of FV Club. They have just won the qualifiers after 10 excruciating rounds and obtained the seeded entry for IOI World Competition. They are in high spirits and occupy the main position in the painting."

"On both sides of the upper division are the other two teams that have won the international competition. Those who have won the second or third seed have calm expressions, which would serve as a contrast to the FV Club members in the center.

"An empty audience stand except for Boss Pei in the middle of the front row."

"The empty audience stand showed a desolate and cold atmosphere. There are two meanings to this: On one hand, Long Yu Corporation's competition arrangements were unreasonable and the audience was not satisfied with the competition process. Everyone had already left the stage before the competition officially ended. On the other hand, there was a huge commotion before the competition and nothing left after the competition. The mob was defeated by Boss Pei alone."

"While only Boss Pei's back view had been captured, I can roughly feel his current state of mind from his relaxed and confident sitting posture."

"On one hand, the five players of FV Club and Boss Pei were exchanging glances from their positions. That meant that Boss Pei was in charge and loved his soldiers like his sons. On the other hand, the venue was already emptied out. Yet, Boss Pei remained until the end. That meant that Boss Pei respected the competition, the stage, and his opponents. On top of that, Boss Pei was calm and collected. That meant that everything was under his control."

"The fifteen people in the picture had different personalities and identities. Their expressions were also slightly different, giving the viewer a slightly messy feeling. However, Boss Pei's back view connected the expressions of these fifteen people. They resonated with each other and connected with each other, so that the emotions of the characters in this masterpiece would no longer be isolated."

"On the stage, below the stage, the faces and back view, one light, one dark, one moving, one quiet, forming a sharp contrast. The meaning is profound, the layout is exquisite, and it is worthy of being a masterpiece!"

...

Pei Qian fell into a daze after reading the hottest comments in the post.

What the h*ll was that?!

Who took the photo? Why did you take a photo of me?

The comments below were even more ridiculous. What was going on?

Why did it become a world famous painting?

He had even written a piece with classical chinese? He had even composed a f*cking poem!

The most outrageous thing is that there were people who made up the story for it entirely with their imaginations, making up the artistic value of this photo and the inner world of everyone in the picture!

These idiotic netizens were all brain-damaged.

Obviously, netizens had completely misinterpreted Pei Qian's trip to Shanghai.

At first, Pei Qian did not think too much about it. He simply did not want to watch the GPL. He only wanted to relax by watching FV compete in Shanghai. He had come alone with a mask on and had intended to keep a low profile.

For some reason, the organizers recognized him unexpectedly. The competition went well but they insisted on giving him a close-up shot. They had even fanned the flames online.

Great, now the entire world knew that Boss Pei had personally attended the IOI qualifiers!

It would have been fine if FV Club had lost, IOI would have earned all of its popularity. However, he had not expected FV Club to have such a strong bladder. They fought ten rounds and became more and more courageous, every win stabbed deep into Boss Pei's heart.

Pei Qian knew what was going on, but the onlookers did not!

Boss Pei had always been a good strategist from the perspective of bystanders, right?

Boss Pei was the one who invested in the restructuring of FV Club, right?

Boss Pei had personally come to supervise the competition until the end, right?

In any case, in the end, the popularity was earned by FV Club and GPL league.

On one hand, everyone felt that IOI's competition was not properly organized. They should still watch GPL if they want to watch a proper competition. On the other hand, the answer to the question of the strongest domestic team to most people was FV Club.

While this club did not have much brand value, there were celebrities players with strength and achievements that could be made into topics. It became the top traffic in IOI.

He analyzed the cause and the results.

What role did Boss Pei play in all of this? Wasn't it all things that could not be proven?

Boss Pei was the only one carrying the burden of the IOI Qualification Competition and FV Club's championship, right?

Who could refute? Who dared to refute?

Since that was the case, it was reasonable to add a little bit of color to the story to increase its artistic sense and drama as the reasons, right?

After all, most of the legendary stories were exaggerated. The more exaggerated they were, the more popular they would become.

Thus, after an entire night of teamwork, the literary giants on the internet embellished the story of 'Boss Pei went into battle alone in Shanghai'.

This was especially true for the poem 'A small boat covers a thousand miles and a million strong soldiers take off their battle robes', which made it infinitely more impressive.

The meaning of this poem was that Tengda had a million strong soldiers who were supposed to march to Shanghai and meet the Long Yu Corporation on the battlefield. However, Boss Pei came to Shanghai alone and the enemy collapsed immediately. Tengda's one million strong soldiers did not even need to go to war and took off their battle robes.

Boss Pei alone was equivalent to a million soldiers!

Boss Pei was not only good at strategizing, but he was also extremely intelligent. Such courage was rare in this world!

The entire story was getting more and more ridiculous.

Chapter 783: Meng Chang's Performance

Jingzhou, Dream Realization Ventures.

Meng Chang kept his cell phone, his expression as calm as usual. He was very shrewd, and no one could tell his true emotions.

Meng Chang had been thinking on the way here.

This weekend, Boss Pei had gone to Shanghai alone. The news of Long Yu Corporation and IOI being utterly defeated had spread like wildfire on the internet. He had broken through the circle without a doubt.

Meng Chang might not be interested in the esports industry at all, but he did not dare to be negligent and paid close attention since it concerned Boss Pei.

The more he read into it, the more amazed he was!

Meng Chang carefully analyzed Boss Pei 's actions in the IOI qualifiers and realized that Boss Pei really had a flawless plan. He did not make any mistakes at all and was ahead of Long Yu Corporation in every step.

What was even more amazing was that many of the steps in Boss Pei's plan seemed to have a huge element of luck.

One coincidence could be said to be luck, but what about many coincidences?

Boss Pei would be very scary if it was all planned by him. That meant that his ability to devise strategies had surpassed most people's imagination.

Boss Pei would be even scarier if it was not planned by him. That meant that his luck was heaven-defying.

One could not afford to offend someone who had a flawless plan. That was because he would use the difference in their IQs to rub you against the ground. One who had heaven-defying luck could not be provoked, because bad things could happen to them if they provoked him.

It was precisely because Boss Pei was so famous that many timid scammers kept their distance from him and did not dare to approach him.

Who did not know that Boss Pei had unparalleled wisdom and had a clear distinction between love and hate?

There were so many precedents, even big companies like Dayak Corporation and Long Yu Corporation could not withstand the pressure. Ordinary small fries would not dare to try and stop Boss Pei.

Meng Chang was in a similar state now. He felt very guilty!

He had only taken money from Dream Realization Ventures because Dream Realization Ventures was the easiest to obtain investment.

However, during this period of time, from the news conference to the additional investment that Boss Pei put in... Meng Chang felt that things were not that simple.

Boss Pei did not seem to be paying attention to the Cold-Faced Lady on the surface, but he could see everything clearly in the dark. None of his tricks escaped Boss Pei's eyes.

However, the problem was that Meng Chang had already come this far.

If he had known that things would develop to this stage, Meng Chang might have chosen not to take Boss Pei's money from the start.

However, the valuation of the Cold-Faced Lady had increased now that they had physical stores and was famous. Meng Chang was already trying all ways and means to get in touch with all the major investors and was just one step away from his final goal.

Meng Chang could not give up now.

He was just like a gambler who had already placed his chips on the table. The cards in his hand were not bad either. He would definitely not give up if he did not see the other party's trump card now.

The situation with the cold-faced lady had changed ever since that inexplicable blunder last week.

Last week, Meng Chang had arranged for some investors to inspect the cold-faced lady's store. In the end, he had no idea what happened but the kitchen was in a bad state and left a very bad impression on the investors. The investment that he had been so confident about getting had also failed.

Of course, these investors would not completely look down on the cold-faced lady just because of the mishap. However, once their expectations were discounted, the investment conditions would naturally become stricter.

Meng Chang could not accept these harsh conditions at all, so both sides entered a stalemate once again.

Both parties looked evenly matched on the surface, but the pressure was all on Meng Chang.

Investors had the money in their hands so it didn't matter how long they wanted to wait. However, Meng Chang was burning money every second!

He had been spending more money previously. He had booked the entire venue for a conference and organized various marketing activities. The cold-faced lady had to make it to hot searches every now and then, and was becoming more famous.

However, all of these were sustained by burning money.

The cold-faced lady's true form would be revealed once the money was gone.

What's more, Meng Chang could not slow down his burning of money. Once the popularity dropped, investors would become even more suspicious of the cold-faced lady's true situation.

Thus, Meng Chang had to continue looking for money. Otherwise, the cold-faced lady's capital chain would become very dangerous.

After much thought, he could only look for Boss Pei.

Meng Chang could feel that most of the investors' attitudes were already very relaxed. He would definitely be able to get more money from the other investors and continue playing the game as long as Boss Pei gave him another sum of money to sustain the Cold-Faced Lady for a while longer.

However, Boss Pei had only given him six million yuan, not even half a month ago.

Meng Chang was a little worried that he would burn money too quickly and make Boss Pei unhappy.

Therefore, Meng Chang decided to personally make a trip to Jingzhou after making sufficient preparations to persuade Boss Pei.

He had already carefully prepared his powerpoint. At the same time, he had also worked hard to turn the statistics of the two stores profitable.

For example, he could use a longer period of depreciation for the various assets of the shop to push the capital expenditure further away, or, he could use word play to remove some of the marketing expenses from the capital expenditure. That way, the cold-faced lady would look very healthy and profitable on the powerpoint with very good prospects.

The Cold Faced Lady was impeccable in all aspects coupled with current brand reputation, cognition, trending figures, etc.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Meng Chang was not faking it. He had indeed used the correct number. However, he had modified the powerpoint and could easily lead investors astray with his words.

Of course, Meng Chang did not think that he could fool Boss Pei 100%. He was not that arrogant.

However, Meng Chang felt that he could at least give it a try and used real data, and Boss Pei was more or less clear about the financial situation of the cold-faced lady. Meng Chang had never thought of ways to get kickback from the cold-faced lady. He had been wholeheartedly thinking about generating high valuation profits.

Boss Pei would not invest anymore at best if he was not satisfied. Would he be able to undermine the company on the spot?

That was very unlikely.

Therefore, Meng Chang came to Jingzhou after making ample preparations and decided to give it a try.

Meng Chang saw He Desheng when he arrived at Dream Realization Ventures. Both of them shook hands warmly.

"Give me a moment. Boss Pei has agreed to meet you, but he just returned from Shanghai. He's on his way here," He Desheng said.

Meng Chang quickly nodded. "Of course, Boss Pei gave me this chance despite being so busy. I'll definitely perform well!"

He Desheng did not say much and got someone to serve tea. The two of them chatted in the guest room as they waited for Boss Pei to arrive.

Boss Pei arrived about half an hour later.

Meng Chang quickly stepped forward and said eagerly, "Boss Pei! Welcome back from Shanghai! The legend of a small boat covering a thousand miles and a million strong soldiers take off their battle robes is really admirable!"

Meng Chang had been taking money from Boss Pei for the past few months, but he had never had the chance to interact with him face-to-face.

He could only say that Meng Chang's level was too low previously and it was not worth Boss Pei taking the time to meet him.

However, as the cold-faced lady's valuation grew higher, its performance in Dream Realization Ventures could be said to be outstanding. He had gradually gained Boss Pei's favor and attention.

Thus, Meng Chang was filled with praises for Boss Pei when they met.

In his opinion, Boss Pei had gone to Shanghai alone and defeated Long Yu Corporation without using a single soldier. That was something to be proud of.

As the saying went, one should not slap a smiling face. Many people might say that they did not like bootlicking, but who would be unhappy if they felt comfortable while being bootlicked?

However, Boss Pei's expression collapsed instantly to Meng Chang's surprise. If he had been nonchalant earlier, he was obviously unhappy now.

Meng Chang could not help but feel a chill in his heart. This was bad.

What's going on? Did I say something wrong?

It couldn't be.

Meng Chang was extremely confused. Boss Pei did not even like ordinary compliments?

The corners of Pei Qian's mouth twitched. The more he looked at Meng Chang, the more he disliked him.

I've just returned from Shanghai and my anger has yet to subside. Yet, this person is rubbing salt into my wounds!

However, Pei Qian was a magnanimous person after all. He did not say much and just entered the guest room with Meng Chang and He Desheng.

He Desheng had already called to report that Meng Chang had arrived in Jingzhou, hoping to report the situation of the cold-faced lady in person when Pei Qian was still on the high-speed rail.

Pei Qian did not think too much about it and agreed immediately. He had been keeping an eye on the cold-faced lady previously after all. He was very worried that he would suddenly start making profits one day and make him a lot of money. He was prepared to slip away at any time.

On the other hand, Meng Chang knew nothing about this. He thought that Boss Pei had agreed so readily because he thought highly of the cold-faced lady. He could not help but feel more confident.

He Desheng showed a powerpoint on the projector. Meng Chang readied his emotions and started his performance.

"Boss Pei, I came to Jingzhou this time mainly to report good news to you! The cold-faced lady has turned its losses into profits! While I cannot say for sure that this business model will succeed, it definitely means that the cold-faced lady has taken a solid step on the road to success!"

Pei Qian picked up his teacup and was about to take a sip of tea to moisten his throat when the teacup stopped in front of his mouth.

"The losses have been turned into profits? So fast?" Pei Qian sounded shocked and frightened.

Meng Chang could not help but feel elated when he saw Boss Pei's reaction.

Boss Pei's reaction was huge. That meant there was a chance!

He quickly continued, "That's right. Boss Pei, you can see the current situation of the cold-faced lady from this graph. Our financial situation is very healthy. As long as we continue to invest more, we will definitely be able to reap rich rewards..."

Meng Chang was well-prepared. He had even made the data into various columns and pancake-like images. It was a clear picture.

Pei Qian looked at He Desheng skeptically and asked, "Are these figures... all accurate?"

He Desheng hesitated and nodded.

Meng Chang's forceful operations to generate profits were a little flashy, most companies would more or less have similar operations in order to make their profits look good. It could not be considered fraud.

Boss Pei asked if the data was accurate, but he did not ask anything else. Of course, He Desheng answered truthfully. The data was indeed accurate.

Meng Chang was filled with excitement and was prepared to show off seeing Boss Pei's reaction.

It looked like he would definitely win Boss Pei's favor as long as he performed well today. It would not be a problem for him to get another few million yuan in investment!

However, Boss Pei raised his hand to stop him just as Meng Chang was about to continue.

"Alright, you don't have to continue."

Pei Qian turned to look at He Desheng. "Sell all of our shares in Cold-Faced Lady!"

Chapter 784: Sell Them as Fast As You Can!

He Desheng and Meng Chang were both stunned by Boss Pei's words.

Meng Chang was about to continue speaking when Boss Pei's words poured a bucket of cold water over him.

Meng Chang's expression changed from shock to confusion to lost.

His usual calm and composed demeanor disappeared without a trace. He was so flustered that his words collided. "B-Boss Pei, why do you say that? You're joking, right? You can point out what the cold-faced lady did wrong!"

Meng Chang panicked.

It was very important to get the money from Boss Pei today. However, it would not be too much of a loss even if he could not get the money since he had enough money to last for a while.

Under such circumstances, it was always right to try his luck.

However, Meng Chang never expected Boss Pei to withdraw his investment!

This news was like a bolt out of the blue to Meng Chang!

That was because what Meng Chang needed the most at the moment was not money but the confidence of the investors.

It was all to increase the confidence of the investors whether it was taking investments from Boss Pei, burning money to make speeches or generating hype.

The company's valuation would continue to rise only if the investors were confident in the cold-faced lady and money kept rolling.He would then be able to continue playing the game, cash out and achieve financial freedom.

However, on the other hand, Meng Chang wouldn't be able to sustain it for long with its current burning speed once the investors' confidence collapsed and no one thought highly of the cold-faced lady brand.

Once Boss Pei left, the news would not be kept a secret. It was very likely that the cold-faced lady would collapse completely!

Therefore, even Meng Chang, who had always been calm and composed and could handle all sorts of situations with ease, could not help but panic.

Pei Qian smiled very politely. "There's no problem with the Cold Faced Lady brand. I'm doing this purely because of Tengda's internal affairs. It has nothing to do with you."

The corners of Meng Chang's mouth twitched. He felt like his intelligence had been insulted.

What the f*ck, do you take me as a fool?

We had a good discussion when you just arrived, but you suddenly said you wanted to leave halfway through my PowerPoint presentation and then said it had nothing to do with me?

Who are you trying to fool!

Boss Pei is doing this on purpose!

However, Meng Chang had no other choice. He could not possibly point at Boss Pei's nose and scold him now, right?

Pei Qian sipped his tea. "Given Cold-Faced Lady's current situation, there should be many investors fighting to invest. People will definitely buy the shares that Tengda wants to sell. The Cold-Faced Lady's valuation will not be affected. What's more, since it's already profitable, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Meng Chang's mouth gapped, speechless.

He could not refute what Boss Pei said since he made sense.

Indeed, Tengda's exit would not affect the cold-faced lady if everything was in accordance with Meng Chang's bragging. There would be many people waiting to take over. However, the problem was why did Tengda want to leave?

Wouldn't it be better to keep holding onto shares and wait for the value to rise?

Or could it be that Boss Pei had already seen through my plan and was playing with me on purpose?

Was this sarcasm or humiliation?

Meng Chang froze for a moment. He could not figure out what Boss Pei was really thinking even with his intelligence and cunning. He was at a loss.

He Desheng, who was seated at the side, did not speak. Instead, he paid close attention to the subtle changes in Boss Pei's expression.

From his point of view, Meng Chang's Powerpoint data did hide some tricks up his sleeve. It was obvious that he had played some numbers game in the finance department. However, this was a common phenomenon. The flaws could not hide the beauty of the moon. The cold-faced lady was still a company worth investing in.

Boss Pei was not thinking about selling a portion of the shares to cash in and retaining a portion of the shares. Instead, he was thinking about leaving the game and cutting all ties with the cold-faced lady.

Could it be that Boss Pei was still firmly implementing his previous investment strategy? Even a brand like the cold-faced lady was no exception?

However... Strictly speaking, the so-called 'turning losses into profits' of the cold-faced lady was actually very fake. It was the 'turning losses into profits' of the PowerPoint after moving a lot of the expenditure into the future and deducting a portion of marketing fees. It was not really making money.

He Desheng felt that he had to remind him as his subordinate.

He leaned close to Boss Pei's ear and said in a low voice, "Boss Pei, the cold-faced lady has not really made profits yet. It is only showing signs of making profits. Should we strictly follow the previous investment rules and wait for the cold-faced lady to make a profit before withdrawing, or should we withdraw now?"

Eh?

Pei Qian frowned and hesitated.

He was afraid that he would kill a loyal subject if he were to withdraw his investment, however, if he did not withdraw his investment, he would be afraid that the valuation would become higher and higher. The later he withdrew his investment, the more he would earn. Then, he would be in trouble.

After some consideration, Pei Qian decided to give Meng Chang his last chance.

He looked at Meng Chang. "Don't talk about those fancy things on the Powerpoint. Just tell me the truth. How high is the probability that the cold-faced lady would let me earn money and how much I would earn?"

"Is there any possibility of incurring losses? What is the maximum loss we will incur?"

"Tell me the truth and give me an accurate number."

Meng Chang saw He Desheng whispering in Boss Pei's ear. While he did not know what exactly he said but he could tell from Boss Pei's attitude that things had taken a turn for the better.

Meng Chang was overjoyed as if he had found a straw to clutch at.

In his opinion, Boss Pei was obviously trying to give him a warning to show his determination!

Meng Chang could not help but feel slightly regretful because he felt that he had made a fool of himself earlier.

Once Boss Pei said that he wanted to withdraw, his reaction was a little extreme. This showed that the cold-faced lady was indeed very reliant on Tengda's financial support.

The latter part of Boss Pei's question was like asking how much benefits Meng Chang could bring to Tengda Corporation after accurately grasping their influence on Cold-Faced Lady's life.

At this point, Meng Chang had no other choice. He had to stand firmly on Boss Pei's side and promise him bright prospects in exchange for Boss Pei's continued support.

At that thought, Meng Chang immediately became very serious and assured Boss Pei decisively. "Boss Pei, don't worry. The cold-faced lady will definitely make you money! It's just a matter of how much you earn!"

"I can assure you that at least one of the two ways to make money can be realized."

"The first is that the cold-faced lady continues to generate profits. As the cold-faced lady's major shareholder, you will receive dividends for a long period of time. You will gain long-term benefits if you hold on until we are listed. The second is that once more capital enters, you can leave whenever you want. The longer you hold, the higher the value, and the more you will earn!"

"As for incurring losses, I promise you that this will not happen."

"Up until now, every step of Cold-Faced Lady's development was in accordance to my plan. Your investment will definitely be able to reap rich rewards without any risk of incurring losses as long as we continue to develop step by step!"

"Therefore, I hope that you can persevere for at least another three months, no, a month. You will definitely see a return! Of course, it would be even better if you could invest more money..."

Pei Qian fell into a long minute of silence.

Then, he picked up his teacup. "Send the guest out!"

Meng Chang was shocked. "Eh? Boss Pei!"

He looked at Boss Pei, then at He Desheng, his mind blank.

What was going on? Didn't things just take a turn for the better? Why did Boss Pei's face suddenly collapse?

Did I say something wrong?

He Desheng stood up. "Please."

Meng Chang refused to give up. He wanted to say something more to try and change Boss Pei's mind. However, seeing Boss Pei's resolute attitude, he hesitated again and again before giving up.

That was because he knew that he would be on the losing end if he was concerned. If he lost his composure now because of his anxiety, he would easily expose himself in front of Boss Pei. Boss Pei would only be more determined to retreat.

Retreat for now. Things might take a turn for the better in two days once Boss Pei's emotions settle down.

There was no other way.

At that thought, Meng Chang could only nod reluctantly. "Alright, Boss Pei. Take your time to think about it."

He Desheng sent Meng Chang off and returned to the guest room.

"Boss Pei, are you sure you want to sell all of Cold-Faced Lady's shares? Are you not going to reconsider?" He Desheng asked.

Pei Qian's attitude was firm. "Sell! Sell them immediately!"

"Are we going to make a lot of money if we sell them now?"

Pei Qian was prepared for the worst.

He Desheng shook his head. "Boss Pei, that's hard to say. Cold-Faced Lady is not listed yet, and their valuation is very low. How much these shares are worth would depend on the negotiation between the two parties. We'll see how much the buyer is willing to spend."

"However, don't worry, Boss Pei. I'll do my best to negotiate and fight for the highest price."

"Moreover, Meng Chang would not allow your shares to be sold at a low price. After all, this would affect Cold-Faced Lady's valuation and the confidence of other investors. He would definitely work hard to facilitate a high transaction. If the two of us go together, we should have a 90% chance of success. However, it would be difficult to guarantee a specific number."

The corners of Pei Qian's mouth twitched.

Work hard to sell them for a high price?

No way!

Pei Qian had invested a total of eight million yuan into Cold-Faced Lady. Wouldn't he vomit blood on the spot if he managed to earn twenty to thirty million yuan?

He had to sell it cheaply. He had to sell them at a lower price than eight million yuan!

Pei Qian pondered for a moment and said, "Can we... sell them at a lower price?"

He Desheng was stunned.

What did he mean by selling them at a lower price? Did Boss Pei think that it was too expensive?

However, he quickly reacted. "Oh, Boss Pei, are you saying that we should not negotiate repeatedly just to sell the shares at a high price but to sell them off as soon as possible? In order to sell them off as soon as possible, we can sell them at a lower price?"

Pei Qian: "...More or less."

He could not tell He Desheng that he was selling it cheaply, so he could only hint to him. However, it was not a big mistake for He Desheng to understand it this way. The outcome should be the same.

He Desheng nodded. "I understand, Boss Pei. I will handle this matter properly!"

...

...

December 14th, Wednesday...

At the filming location of Mission and Choice.

"Cut!"

"Alright, this part is not bad. We'll continue another part and then call it a day."

"Not bad, the situation has been getting better recently. The filming is progressing faster than I thought. I knew that we had the right person for the main lead!"

Zhu Xiaoce was not stingy with his praise for Lu Zhiyao.

Lu Zhiyao smiled embarrassedly. "Sigh, this is all thanks to Boss Pei's good guidance and the script. I'm just adding flowers to the brocade."

Zhu Xiaoce patted him on the shoulder. "Why are you being humble? Here, this is the next part of the script. Take a look at the time and feel it."

Lu Zhiyao reached out to receive it.

According to Director Zhu Xiaoce's plan, the film for "Mission and Choice" had to be completed by March or so. That was because there was still a lot of time needed for post-production and special effects.

Almost all of the scenes in "Mission and Choice" had special effects. It would be very time-consuming to create them. One had to reserve enough time for that area of work to ensure that it would be released in June according to the original plan.

There was a lot of pressure on the filming portion as well.

The current filming progress had not completely followed the script. Many scenes in the first part of the plot had not been filmed to their most satisfactory state. However, Zhu Xiaoce felt that Lu Zhiyao's acting skills and state of mind had more or less been adjusted. Basically, he could perfectly take on the role of Qin Yi from the previous stage. He could almost give him the next stage of the script so that he could figure out the next stage of Qin Yi in advance.

The filming was progressing smoothly. He had to thank Boss Pei.

On one hand, Boss Pei had given Lu Zhiyao confidence and stimulated his potential. He had allowed him to figure out his own character, train his acting skills, and improve his acting skills without anyone guiding him. On the other hand, the Fully-Automated Intelligent Bickering Machine that Boss Pei had arranged for someone to create allowed Lu Zhiyao to act with AEEIS whenever he had the time. He could then immerse himself in figuring out his character.

Lu Zhiyao was about to accept a new challenge now.

Lu Zhiyao could not wait to open the script and read the rest of the plot.

In the previous plot, Qin Yi had understood the inevitability of the previous commander and AEEIS commander. Lu Zhiyao could not wait to welcome the final battle between humans and Zergs.

...

Qin Yi commanded the battles one by one expressionlessly and methodically. Countless starships were destroyed around him. Countless humans and Zergs were blown to smithereens. Not even their bones were left.

He was like a perfect war machine, giving orders one after another and commanding battle after battle. The death of the soldiers was unable to stir up any more emotions in him.

If the death of one person was a tragedy, then the death of many would just be a number.

During this long shot, there was an emotionless voice over by AEEIS. It seemed like it was meant for Qin Yi, but it was also for the audience in front of the camera and players in the game.

"Command is the most important part of the war. It gathers countless soldiers together to form a powerful force."

"Command can also be divided into two aspects: the handling of information and the decision of action."

"In war, information processing is especially important because wrong information means wrong decision. Both sides will obtain a huge amount of information at every moment. How to process this information and determine its authenticity and severity often determines whether the final decision is right or not."

"Information can be regarded as a 'transmission chain': whether a message is uploaded or issued, it has to go through various levels and channels like a chain. The transmission chain determines the efficiency of information."

"Messages transmitted under any circumstances are 'selective'. Otherwise, both the commander and his subordinates would be drowned by the massive amount of information and become overwhelmed."

"Such selectivity is the most basic logical setting. Therefore, deception has always existed with war."

"In ancient China, there was a story of 'looking at plum blossoms to quench thirst'. In the modern war, the Japanese army deliberately hid the truth of the war after the Battle of Midway Island."

"The truth of the Battle of Midway was not revealed to the public nor to the senior officials. Instead, it was announced that the war was 'a battle to determine the overall situation'. The citizens who were deceived even celebrated 'victory' with bright lights and colorful decorations."

"'Deception' is not 'telling falsehood' but 'deliberately hiding part of the information' in most circumstances."

"Very few superiors would directly give orders to the soldiers to give up their lives. That would not give the soldiers any sense of honor, but would also deal a fatal blow to their morale."

"In commanding war, the commander would usually only issue a clear mission. For example, hold a position for two hours and then retreat. However, the commander would never say anything unnecessary like: 'There is a high chance that this operation will wipe out the entire army.'"

"Therefore, deception is not a hypocritical trick. More often than not, it is the most efficient way to deal with information transmission chains. It is to improve results, reduce losses, and obtain greater victory."

Qin Yi began to command one battle after another with the voice-over from AEEIS.

These battles were mixed with real battles and virtual battles because of the existence of simulated elements.

If Qin Yi failed in a certain battle or was dissatisfied with the results, he could ask AEEIS to review and simulate the battle. It would restore the initial deployment of the forces of both sides'. However, a series of random events would still occur during the war because of the system's calculations. Each review would be different.

In such a situation, Qin Yi could tell that this was an AEEIS simulation and not a real battle because in reality, these people had already died because of the initial failure.

The battles that Qin Yi had encountered for the first time were also mixed with real and fake battles. According to AEEIS, sometimes he was commanding the real army, and sometimes he was commanding virtual battles.

However, regardless of whether these battles were real or fake, Qin Yi would use 120% of his focus to command. That was because he was already used to treating every single unit on the screen as a living person.

It was precisely because of this mentality that Qin Yi began to rely more on the various data provided by AEEIS.

That was because Qin Yi realized that most of the time, data was more reliable than people. If a soldier's morale had already fallen to rock-bottom, then commanding him to carry out important tasks would result in obvious results.

During this long process, Qin Yi gradually became numb.

Apart from the necessary sleep every day, Qin Yi was continuously giving instructions one after another, operating the machinery.

If they succeeded, they would continue with the next battle; if they failed, they would review the game countless times until they won.

The cycle repeated endlessly day after day.

There was no day or night in the command cabin. Only AEEIS which accurately calculated the time for Qin Yi to sleep or wake up.

Qin Yi did not remember how many times he had slept or how many days had passed. That was because the decisive battle was coming at any moment. He had to make the best use of his time to prepare.

Finally, one day, Qin Yi was awakened by AEEIS in his sleep.

Qin Yi saw the overwhelming swarm of insects moving in and out of the nest on the holographic image around him. The human stronghold on the planet and the starship floating in the starry sky were ready for battle.

The current situation was self-evident. A new round of large-scale battles was about to begin.

This battle might last for a long time, or it might collapse and end quickly because of an insignificant mistake.

Qin Yi walked towards the console. He felt an unprecedented sense of calmness when this day finally arrived.