FV E-Sports Club.
Wu Yue, who had just received the news, was fuming speechlessly.
"Is there a need for the official platform to do this? Our FV Club's participation quota was given by the official platform. Our first seat was obtained based on our own capabilities. In the end, there are a total of three teams. The other two teams were arranged to go to Los Angeles for training, but there was no news for us?"
"You really don't treat us as your own?"
"Just because you have some conflict with Boss Pei, you're messing with people's mindsets?"
These E-Sports clubs were all well-informed. FV E-Sports Club quickly received news that the other two teams from Long Yu Corporation would be going to Los Angeles to train in advance and had already applied for urgent visas. It was said that Long Yu Corporation would cover all of the accommodation fees in Los Angeles this time. They would even pull strings to help arrange for teams from Europe and America to compete in mock competitions.
In the end, all of this information was obtained through other channels. Long Yu Corporation had no intention of informing the FV Club at all. They did not even bother to explain hypocritically!
That could only mean one thing: Long Yu Corporation deliberately did not want to bring FV Club along to Los Angeles.
Manager Lu quickly tried to persuade him. "Boss Wu, please calm down. This is indeed too much, but we don't have a good solution."
"Long Yu Corporation must have organized the mock competition in Los Angeles in advance. It's not part of the international competition process organized by Finger Games.
"Therefore, it can also be said that it's not Long Yu Corporation's duty to bring us along. They can bring whoever they want with their own money. Many teams in other zones would not enjoy such treatment either."
"This is discrimination! It's preferential treatment! We should appeal or just post it on Weibo and let everyone see the true colors of the Long Yu Corporation!" Wu Yue exclaimed.
Manager Lu quickly shook his head. "Boss Wu, that's not appropriate!"
"Long Yu Corporation did not publicize this matter in an official capacity. If we expose it, Long Yu Corporation can immediately say that it was a spontaneous act by the other clubs. Long Yu Corporation is only responsible for connecting the dots and playing a small role. That's because the truth of this matter is very easy to cover up. If we are to start an attack rashly it would be very easy to cover up as long as Long Yu Corporation plays Tai Chi with us. It would instead make us seem petty and narrow-minded."
"As for making a complaint, that would be even more useless. Wouldn't that be equivalent to 'who would sue me'?"
"What's more, at the end of the day, results speak for E-Sports. What if we are to blow this matter up on the internet but we don't play well in the international competition? At that time, public opinion would definitely backfire and we wouldn't be able to justify ourselves."
"Just think about it. What would netizens say when we lose the World Competition: Such a lousy team still has the cheek to ask the officials for money to go to Los Angeles to attend mock competitions? They should have just given up their spots to the SUG initially then!"
"In any case, as long as we lose, the tempo would definitely skyrocket. We can't ignore the consequences now."
Wu Yue's face darkened as he nodded. "Yes, it looks like Zhao Xuming knew this well. He thought that we would not be able to get anything out of it even if we revealed it. That's why he acted so brazenly. He wanted to make an example out of us and teach Tengda a lesson."
"Then... We can only suffer in silence? Long Yu Corporation did such a disgusting thing and we can't even say anything?"
Manager Lu thought for a while. "Of course we can, but not now."
"Only an idiot would jump out to attack before the results of the competition are out. On one hand, it would increase the pressure of public opinion on our own team members and affect our performance. On the other hand, if we are to lose the competition, the other party would take the opportunity to hit us while we're down and the bystanders would not stand on our side. That would really be digging their own graves."
"The best way is to settle accounts after the game. If we win the competition, we can make use of the momentum of the victory to clarify all of these things. The best option would be to attack with the wind on our side."
"Therefore, the best choice for us now is to endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden. Try not to let this matter affect the mentality of our own players and actively prepare for war. Once we achieve good results in the international competition, we can use the pressure of public opinion to fight back against Long Yu Corporation."
"As long as we do better than the other two clubs, we will have a voice even if we don't win first or second place."
"At that time, we can say that the official preferential treatment caused the results of the entire competition zone to be bad. If we get the same treatment, our results might even be better. We should wait."
"In short, everything depends on results. Without results, everything would be useless."
Wu Yue was silent for a moment before he sighed softly. "That's difficult!"
"Our current lineup might look good on paper, but judging from the qualifiers, our strength is only about the same as the other two teams. What's more, we're basking in the glory of the competition schedule. Who knows, we might not be able to beat them if we play another round."
"The benefits of going to Los Angeles to train are obvious.They'll be able to meet the stronger European and American teams and adapt to the game better, they'll definitely improve in Los Angeles."
"We can't just rely on our imagination if we want to defeat them."
Manager Lu nodded, feeling that the situation was indeed dire.
E-Sports could not be won with determination and perseverance alone. It also required scientific training methods and good facilities.
Many players were extremely talented, but they could not achieve results in certain clubs. This was often because the management of the clubs was not good, the training methods were wrong, and the facilities could not keep up.
Wu Yue asked, "Should we go to Los Angeles as well?"
Manager Lu was silent for a moment. "Long Yu Corporation organized for them to go to Los Angeles because they could get in touch with Finger Games. Once they get there, they can get high-end accounts for European and American servers. They could use their official identity to get veteran European and American teams for the training tournament. Looking at Long Yu Corporation's attitude towards us, we definitely won't have these things even if we pay out of our own pockets!"
"We can't possibly travel all the way to Los Angeles, for our team members just to play Rank in the lower parts of the European and American servers all day long, right? Wouldn't that make them worse?"
"What's more, we have a large group of people. Our expenses are huge as well. We have to take care of our own meals and accommodation in advance. We have to give our team members good food. On top of that, we have to include our entourage... Based on the calculation of eight people, we would need at least 200,000 yuan. If we consider the training situation and bring our second team over, we would have to double the amount."
"Of course, our club can afford it. The problem is that even if we spend money, we might not be able to guarantee the effect of the training. The price-quality ratio is too poor."
Wu Yue pondered for a moment. That was indeed the case.
Long Yu Corporation had organized the other two teams to go to Los Angeles for training because they had high-end game accounts and could meet the teams from Europe and the United States for training competitions. If they did not, there was no need to spend hundreds of thousands just to adapt to the environment.
After much consideration, Wu Yue said, "It doesn't seem appropriate to disturb Boss Pei over such a small matter. How about this? I'll give a call to Boss Zhang from Tengda's E-Sports Industry Department and ask him to give us some advice."
"If there's really no need, we won't go. We'll stay in China and play mock competition with the local teams. We'll arrange for the other training competitions during the international competition."
...
...
December 17th, Saturday...
There was a routine meeting for the Manage Loss Trainees today.
The Lunar New Year this year was relatively early. It was January 23rd, so the examination week was slightly earlier. The Manage Loss Trainees spent a lot of time revising while working.
There was not much information to pay attention to at the Management Loss Ceremony this time. After all, most of the products were still in the final stages of research and development. Even products such as Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine had not shown any signs of backstabbing. Naturally, there was not much useful information here.
Pei Qian knew very well that a tough battle would start next month.
In the end, the settlement cycle happened to coincide with the examination week. He had to admit that this feeling was very sour.
Whether or not he could beat Old Ma in this exam depended on his hard work before the exam.
The Manage Loss Trainees reported the situation of their respective departments as usual. Soon, it was the Manage Loss Trainee from the eSports Division's turn.
This Management Loss student had been following Zhang Yuan. He was originally in charge of the DGE Club, but after forming the E-Sports Faculty and the GPL league, he naturally entered the internal circle. At the moment, no matter if it was DGE Club or other clubs, or even the entire E-Sports Club, nothing could escape his eyes.
"The pre-season GPL competition is about to enter the latter half of the competition. Everything is going smoothly at the moment. We have coincidentally encountered some bugs in the game and the equipment problems but they have been resolved. That should be able to accumulate a lot of experience for the spring competition."
"Currently, the main forces of the various clubs in GPL have basically been fixed. Those teams that did not participate in the GPL season's pre-season competitions are also playing training competitions and actively preparing for the spring competition."
"The new members of DGE Club have been wiped out. They might be slightly weaker than the first batch of members but they are talented after all. They have also undergone special training from the older members. Thus, they are still the main force in each new team..."
Pei Qian's hand that was holding the teacup trembled.
He might have been mentally prepared for this but his heart still trembled when he heard the news.
Ten more players. How much would that sell for?!
This group of players was the second group after Huang Wang, Jiang Huan, and the others. They were still selling very well. The transfer fee was enough to make Boss Pei suffer.
There was a reason why DGE's players were selling well.
First of all, DGE Club had a good reputation. Newbies with potential tended to come to the DGE Club to raise their value. The other clubs also felt that the players from DGE Club would not lose out, so they bought them rather straightforwardly.
Newbies with real potential were all willing to join DGE Club because once they achieved results, they could immediately jump to other clubs to get big contracts. DGE would never do anything fishy with the contract. Newbies had a greater sense of security. On the other hand, for other clubs, DGE Club would not directly participate in the competition. It would not pose a threat to their own results. Instead, it would help train members. Thus, they were happy to buy people from DGE.
The older members who left DGE would come back every now and then to give pointers to the new members of DGE. As time went by, "every member of DGE would be able to hold their own" became the impression that the entire league's audience and club had. DGE's operations entered a virtuous cycle.
Thus, the new members of DGE were like a bunch of leeks. Every once in a while, they would be sold off and realize a considerable transfer fee for DGE.
Pei Qian was helpless about this.
He pretended to sip his tea calmly and asked, "So, how much is the transfer fee?"
The Manage Loss Trainee said, "The performance of each of the ten players are different. Some of the C-rank players who are good at operations or have the ability to command are more valuable. The highest transfer fee is more than 1.5 million yuan. If they were ordinary, they would probably only fetch seven to eight hundred thousand yuan or about one million yuan. All of these players added together were probably sold for 13 million yuan."
Pei Qian: "..."
He almost cursed out loud.
This number had exceeded his expectations!
Before this, Huang Wang, Jiang Huan, and the others' transfer fees were about two million yuan. That was why Pei Qian thought that one million yuan each would be the maximum for these young players.
However, that was obviously not the case!
At the beginning, Huang Wang and Jiang Huan's transfer fees were a little too high. After all, the various clubs were aiming for GOG's international invitational competition results to increase their bonuses and exposure.
However, as GOG's global market share increased, GOG's international invitational tournament became successful, and the GPL league became more popular...
After this series of operations, the net worth of star players like Huang Wang and Jiang Huan also increased rapidly as more and more capital entered!
Their transfer fee was no longer two million yuan.
As the value of the top players increased, the value of DGE Club's second batch of potential rookies would naturally increase as well.
Ten people might not seem like a lot, but the transfer fee added up to thirteen million yuan.
What made Pei Qian feel like vomiting blood was not this number but time!
Boss Pei was someone who had seen much of the world after all. He had already invested hundreds of millions of yuan into the company several times, let alone ten million yuan.
In any case, it would not end up in his hands. It was just a figure.
The key was how much time he had spent earning those ten million yuan!
This group of players entered some time in September. It was December now. They had only trained for three months and yet they had sold them for 13 million yuan!
Based on this calculation, the DGE Club earned about four million yuan a month on average. It was a piece of cake.
Not to mention DGE Club's commercial sponsorship and live-stream contract!
On the other hand, the daily expenses of DGE Club were not much. The training base was rented from Boss Li, and Manager Cui of Ming Yun Villas who wanted to treat Boss Pei like their own father. The rent, utilities, and other daily expenses did not cost much.
The only place to spend money was probably the daily expenses such as meals and fitness.
However, how much money could be spent since they were taken care of by Fish-Catching Take-Out and Deposit Fitnes?
Pei Qian was exhausted.
Other people would burn money if they opened a club. His original intention for opening a club was also to burn money. Yet it became profitable in the end!
A club that specialized in buying and selling players to make money, a club that could not compete but was even more famous than the champions, just thinking about it was ridiculous.
It was said that DGE Club would earn over ten million yuan if they groomed them well. However, the problem was that these players were good seedlings!
That was because all the potential newbies were trying their best to enter the DGE Club. They treated this place as their first choice. Thus, any random trainee would be considered newbies with potential.
It was just like many super secondary schools. The best students around applied, would their results be bad?
Pei Qian sipped his tea quietly to adjust his mentality. "Continue."
The Manage Loss Manager continued, "At the moment, many clubs have already received sponsorships. The numbers are different and they cannot rely on sponsors to maintain the operations of the clubs for the time being, but this is a good start."
"Some teams' uniforms should have the logo of sponsors before the Spring Competition begins. It's not good to have too many sponsors, it's not good to have no sponsors at all. It would make the audience feel that the popularity of the league is not enough."
Pei Qian nodded slightly. If the sponsors want to give money to the club, just do it. It has nothing to do with me.
The Manage Loss Trainee changed the topic and said, "In addition, many sponsors have expressed strong interest in the exclusive title sponsorship of the GPL, including computer manufacturers, external manufacturers, sports clothing, digital products, cars, and other manufacturers."
"However, the specific price has not been finalized. We are still in negotiations."
"At the moment, the exclusive partnership price for a single type of business is about five million yuan a year. The exclusive title sponsorship price is about 20 million yuan a year. We are still discussing it because it involves some details in the sponsorship."
"As for the live-streaming platform, the rights to broadcast the GPL's Spring and Summer Competition will be given to three live-streaming platforms. The starting price is 10 million yuan, and the current bidding price should be above 12 million yuan..."
"All these are still being negotiated. Boss Zhang is also summarizing all sorts of information. He should be reporting it soon."
Pei Qian felt his limbs turn cold as he listened to the figures. His mind went blank.
He had thought that it was bad news for DGE Club to be selling people like crazy. Now, he realized that the real bad news was yet to come!
Recently, Pei Qian's attention had been completely focused on the IOI Qualifiers and the Cold-Faced Lady. He had not paid much attention to the GPL. He had not expected the situation to be so serious!
In fact, he should have thought of this earlier. With so many sponsors looking for teams to work with, there would definitely be more people looking for official partnerships!
At the moment, there were different levels of sponsorship for the GPL league.
A single type of exclusive collaboration meant that a certain brand would monopolize a certain type of product after sponsoring it. For example, if a certain sportswear signed an exclusive collaboration with the GPL, then the GPL would no longer collaborate with other sportswear in the future.
Of course, this did not affect them from looking for computers, cars, digital products, and other manufacturers to work with.
As for the exclusive title sponsorship, it could also be regarded as the chief sponsor. That meant that the official platform would have the best recommendation resources. Naturally, the price would be the highest.
As for the live-streaming platform, the competition was even more intense. All the major live-streaming platforms were burning money at the moment. If they could not obtain the GPL broadcasting rights, they would give their users the feeling that this platform was not very good. Thus, the bidding price was very high.
Speaking of which, this amount could not be compared to the hundreds of millions of yuan sponsorship fees that Pei Qian remembered.
But the problem was, how was that even possible at this juncture?
GOG had only been created less than a year ago, and the country had not recognized E-Sports at all. To be able to get such a high sponsorship fee was already ridiculous to Pei Qian!
However, on further thought, this made sense.
Due to the popularity of the GOG World Finals, everyone could see the huge potential of the E-Sports competition. On top of that, the GPL was so well done that there were almost no competitors.
What's more, Shenhua and the other big companies had entered the scene one after another. News of the sky-high prices of GPL spots had been constantly stirring the audiences' senses. When the sponsors saw the advertising effect brought about by the huge popularity and compared it to the price of traditional sports, they felt that it was very worth it and naturally entered the scene.
Pei Qian silently calculated in his heart that the GPL would most likely be able to earn hundreds of millions of yuan through various sponsors and broadcasting rights for the spring and summer competitions.
The good news was that hundreds of millions of yuan would be earned throughout the year. It would be easier to accept if the money was distributed every month.
The bad news was that the sponsorship fees would be higher next year.
After some consideration, Pei Qian realized that he could not push the money away.
Since that was the case, he had to let Zhang Yuan know that the sponsors had to pay in installments and distribute the money each month. He could not transfer all of the money at once, especially not at the critical juncture before settlement.
Otherwise, Boss Pei would die on the spot.
"Is there anything else?" Pei Qian felt a little tired.
The Manage Loss Manager pondered for a moment. "Oh, there's another small matter. It's about FV Club. I heard that Long Yu Corporation has arranged for domestic teams to train in Los Angeles, but they left FV team behind..."
Wu Yue called Zhang Yuan to discuss this matter. The Manage Loss Trainee knew about it since there was no need to keep it a secret.
Pei Qian's eyes lit up when he heard that.
How could this be a small matter?
Spending money was no small matter!
This Wu Yue and Zhang Yuan, both of them should be severely criticized! Why didn't they report this to me immediately? What were they thinking?
Long Yu Corporation had brought two teams to Los Angeles, leaving only FV Club behind?
That's great!
This is giving me a very precious opportunity to spend money!
If they brought more people and set the highest food and accommodation standards that the system allowed... That would probably cost a lot according to Los Angeles' expenses!
After hearing so much bad news, he finally had good news.
Pei Qian called Wu Yue immediately after the Manage Loss Trainee meeting ended.
...
At FV Club, Wu Yue was feeling conflicted about team training. He quickly picked up the call when he saw that it was from Boss Pei.
"Hello? Boss Pei, what's the matter?" Wu Yue asked.
Boss Pei seemed unhappy. "Why didn't you tell me about the other clubs going to Los Angeles?"
Wu Yue was stunned for a moment before he quickly explained, "Oh, Boss Pei, you don't have to worry about such a small matter. I can handle it."
Pei Qian: "What can you do? Can you make the decision to arrange first-class tickets and five-star hotels for all the team members, or can you find opponents for the team to train?"
Wu Yue: "I..."
He thought about it and realized that he really could not. He might have enough money on FV Club's accounts but it was really difficult for him to make the decision to spend hundreds of thousands of yuan to get to Los Angeles in advance.
Pei Qian said, "There's no need to think about this anymore. Get everyone an urgent visa immediately! How many people are there in FV Club?"
Wu Yue pondered for a moment. "Team One has five members, Team Two has five as well. In addition, Manager Lu, the rest of the team staff, and so on..."
"Ah, but we don't need so many people. We can just get Team One and Manager Lu to go. Three rooms would be enough for six people."
Pei Qian was very unhappy after hearing that. "How can you only have six people?"
"As the saying goes, the provisions and fodder move before the troops. How can we fight if the logistics and supplies can't keep up?"
"You are not familiar with Los Angeles so you have to find a translator and a local tour guide who is familiar with the place. You have to have someone make arrangements for meals and accommodations."
"We can't be sloppy when it comes to food. Go over there and check if there are any Chinese cuisines with better flavors. Make sure that there are no problems with the team members' daily diet and that nothing affects their physical condition."
"We'll hire four more bodyguards. I heard that security in the United States is not good. We have to ensure the safety of our team members."
"Bring a team of sparring partners... I think SUG is not bad. How about this, I'll fork out money to bring the team members from the SUG along with you."
"How about this, a total of 30 people. We'll budget 3,000 yuan per person per day for food and accommodations alone until the end of the competition. That would be about five weeks, right?"
"Just the food and accommodation standards alone cost 3.15 million yuan. Yes, when you arrive in Los Angeles, you might have to do some shopping, buy some local specialties, some cheap digital products, and so on. On top of that, you might also have to pay for a tour guide and a bodyguard, and consider some possible emergencies..."
"Let's round it up to four million yuan."
Wu Yue was flabbergasted.
Spending four million yuan on a trip to Los Angeles?
The entire FV Club was not worth that much money!
Wu Yue quickly said, "Boss Pei, there's no need for that, right? Finger Games will provide food and accommodation after the main competition starts. That's why the money we really need to spend is just a return flight."
"Even if we go a week earlier, we don't need to pay 3,000 yuan per person to take care of our food and accommodation. We can stay at a decent hotel with a double room near the venue for less than 1,000 yuan."
"The accommodation arranged by Finger Games is better, but a double room only costs 200 US dollars a night. That's about 1,400 yuan..."
Pei Qian did not like hearing that.
What do you mean? You don't want me to spend money?
According to your minimum requirement, six people will stay in standard rooms costing 1,000 yuan a night, moreover, we are only going to pay for the first week?
It will be impossible to spend much!
Pei Qian immediately interrupted Wu Yue. "Must we use the accommodations arranged by Finger Games for us? What if Finger Games' accommodation cannot meet our requirements?"
"Do you think you can shoulder the responsibility of having your team members meeting problems after traveling all the way to foreign countries to compete? As the saying goes, prepare for a rainy day. It's quite worth it to spend some money to eliminate these hidden dangers!"
"Do as I say. I'll transfer the money over soon."
Pei Qian hung up.
Wu Yue looked at the screen of his cell phone that had been hung up and fell into a daze.
30 people?
FV Club's Team One, Team Two, and the five main players of the SUG only consisted of 15 people.
Where could he find 30 people?
Chapter 791: Ultimate Dream Logistics Team
December 18th, Sunday...
Wu Yue was counting the total number of travellers with Manager Lu in the office.
"Once we arrive in Los Angeles, we'll hire a local tour guide, four bodyguards and a chauffeur, and rent a minibus."
"FV Club's first team, second team, SUG Club's five main players, plus you, me, team leader, personal trainers, and the analyst, there are a total of twenty people. There are also two translators and three photographers shooting documentaries. In this case, there will be 25 people."
"We need five more people."
"Bring a doctor to ensure that the team members are healthy, he can also guide everyone in some simple physical training in the hotel to maintain their health."
"Four more people."
Wu Yue counted with his fingers, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not gather thirty people.
The main reason was that Boss Pei had given him too many slots. Wu Yue had even brought three photographers. The rest, including translators, team leaders, trainers, analysts, the doctor, and other logisticians that he had to bring along, had also been brought along. In the end, he still needed four more people. He really did not know who else to bring.
While Boss Pei did not have any special requirements for the employees' identities, this was a business trip after all. The people he brought had to be related to the competition, right?
Boss Pei was very generous. He acted as if he was asking everyone to go on a public holiday to Los Angeles. However, Wu Yue did not dare to really turn it into a public holiday. Instead, he felt immense pressure.
He had given them a few million yuan. What if they could not produce good results?!
Manager Lu suggested, "Boss Wu, there are only so many people in our club. We really can't think of any more candidates. Why don't you ask Boss Zhang and see if he has any suitable candidates?"
"Boss Pei is the one who is sponsoring after all. The remaining four slots should be taken by Tengda. That would make the situation more acceptable. What's more, Tengda's employees would probably want to come on such a fully paid high expense trip."
Wu Yue nodded in realization. "That's right, I'll ask Boss Zhang."
"How about this? I'll give Boss Zhang a call, and you can call Boss Ding Gan of SUG Club."
...
DGE E-Sports Club...
Zhang Yuan: "There are four slots left? No one else to choose?"
"Hmm... it's not a problem for us to send four people. Let me think about it."
Zhang Yuan fell into deep thought after Wu Yue explained the situation over the phone.
Boss Pei had personally asked about FV Club's expedition. He had given them very generous travelling standards. What's more, he had forced them to bring 30 people with them!
What's more, this did not include the tour guide and bodyguards hired in Los Angeles.
Why should he bring so many people?
The e-sports environment in the world was not proper, let alone in the country now. Professional players in the country often spent money to play competitions just two years ago. They often heard about them sleeping by the roadside and eating instant noodles with cold water.
This was especially so for international competitions like this. They would save as much as they could since the expenses would be huge when they went overseas. The fewer people, the better.
Yet, Boss Pei had given them a treatment that far exceeded the norm. Why was that?
After a brief consideration, Zhang Yuan immediately thought of two points. First, it would be to show the outside world Tengda's financial resources and the significance Tengda placed on E-Sports through FV Club. Second, he would do his best to ensure logistics and achieve good results at all costs!
That was because FV Club was already tied to Tengda. The better FV Club's results were, the more face Tengda would have. Comparatively, it would be a slap to Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation's faces.
Whether or not he would get a bonus was secondary. The key was the popularity and advertising effect.
Therefore, the entourage this time was definitely not going on a holiday. They had to be more or less useful.
Zhang Yuan said, "If we look at the entire Tengda Corporation, there are four suitable candidates. However, I don't know if they are willing to go."
"Ye Zhizhou, Min Jingchao, Bao Xu, Zhou Pengyuan."
"Ye Zhizhou is the person-in-charge of Shang Yang Games and a game designer. He was once in charge of the operations of IOI's domestic server. He is very familiar with the various data of IOI. Of course, his understanding is limited to the old version."
"Min Jingchao, GOG's designer. He has been in charge of game design and balance since GOG was released."
"Bao Xu, a veteran designer of Tengda Games and a veteran gamer. He is proficient in most games. GOG and IOI are not a problem for him. What's more, he has a lot of experience in traveling. His physical fitness is good, and he is very resistant to pressure."
"Zhou Pengyuan, the former commander of DGE Club's second team. However, he is indeed older and his condition is deteriorating. Some time ago, he decided to retire and return to DGE Club to take on the role of head coach. He is very experienced in games and is very familiar with GOG's various tactics."
"These four people definitely have the best understanding of GOG and IOI. They should be able to provide guidance on tactical development and data analysis."
"The only problem is... I have to ask Boss Pei about this."
"Other than Zhou Pengyuan, who is now DGE's head coach, whom I can arrange, the other three are either senior members of Tengda or department heads. They are on the same level as me, and I don't have any control over them."
Wu Yue was stunned on the other end of the line. "Boss Zhang, there's no need for that, right?! That's too much!"
"Our club is going to Los Angeles to play a competition yet, two core games department heads and chief designer are going to accompany us? That... doesn't seem appropriate."
Zhang Yuan said, "Don't worry about that. Whether it's appropriate or not is something Boss Pei has to consider. I'll consider other candidates if Boss Pei is afraid of delaying their work and doesn't allow them to go."
Wu Yue thought about it and nodded. "Alright, Boss Zhang. I'll wait for the news then."
Zhang Yuan hung up and immediately called Boss Pei to explain the situation.
Pei Qian had just woken up not long ago on the other end of the line. He was having brunch at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Pei Qian's eyes lit up when he heard that Zhang Yuan wanted to transfer Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao away. He readily agreed.
"No problem! Let them go! What's more, they have to go. They cannot turn it down!"
Pei Qian was still worried that he could not make appropriate arrangements for them.
Ye Zhizhou was in charge of the operations of GOG's overseas version while Min Jingchao was in charge of the updates and domestic operations of GOG's new version now. These two people could be said to be Boss Pei's greatest threat.
If they worked hard, GOG's market share would increase significantly!
The better their work, the harder it would be for Boss Pei to incur losses.
This time, Pei Qian had arranged a schedule for the entire FV Club until the end of next month, which was the end of IOI's global finals.
Pei Qian did not think that FV Club could win the championship at all. After all, the European and American teams had started early and trained a lot. They had even adapted to the version first. FV Club was a team that had only been reorganized for less than a month. What did they have to fight against veteran European and American teams?
They would probably be eliminated in the quarterfinals at best.
However, being eliminated did not affect their tour in Los Angeles!
The other clubs had booked tickets to return to China the day after they were eliminated. That was inhumane. The team members had worked hard during their training. It was not easy for them to get a visa and go overseas. Why shouldn't they have a few days of fun?
Thus, no matter what FV Club's results were, Pei Qian would ask them to stay in Los Angeles until IOI's global finals ended.
In that case, if Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao, the two greatest threats, went to Los Angeles, wouldn't GOG's work slow down and stagnate for an entire month?
Even if these two wanted to work online, Jingzhou and Los Angeles had a time difference of more than ten hours. One was during the day while the other was at night. Tengda would be done with work by the time they woke up.
Good!
Thus, Pei Qian did not think much about it and readily agreed.
As for Bao Xu and Zhou Pengyuan on the list, Pei Qian felt that they were dispensable. However, since Zhang Yuan had asked for them, Pei Qian decided to let them go. He would be able to spend more money.
Zhang Yuan was quite touched.
Boss Pei really trusted him. How could he give such an important department head away just like that!
He immediately called the four of them and asked them to arrange the handover of work and prepare an urgent visa.
A few minutes later, Bao Xu, who was happily playing games at his desk, received a call from Zhang Yuan.
His expression changed from ease to shock and confusion.
Bao Xu froze in his workstation and started thinking about life after hanging up. He did not move for a long time.
...
On the other side, Ding Gan also received Manager Lu's call in SUG Club.
"What? Bring five members of SUG Club's IOI branch to Los Angeles???"
Ding Gan almost thought that he had heard wrongly.
Ding Gan did not recover from his confusion after hearing Manager Lu explain the entire story.
He had not expected that his team would still be going to Los Angeles even though they had been eliminated in the domestic qualifiers.
The members of SUG Club would go as sparring partners.
That was because this team was considered a first-rate team in the country. Their strength was only on par with the other two teams.
In the last round, they were defeated 3: 0 not because they were not good enough, but because they had a mental breakdown and did not have enough tactical reserves.
The members of the IOI branch had been dejected for a long time after the qualifiers.
They initially had the chance to show their faces in the international competition. However, one step away meant the difference between heaven and earth. Who could stand that?!
However, things seemed to have taken a turn for the better now.
They might not be allowed to play in the international competition, but it would be good for the players to take a breather for such a high end trip!
Ding Gan thought about it and realized that he really had no reason to reject him.
The only question was, why would Boss Pei do that?
Ding Gan buried his head in his thoughts.
"Could this be... Boss Pei's hint?"
"Boss Pei has always been a person who distinguishes between love and hate, rewards and punishments. Previously, SUG had conflicts with Boss Pei because of the GPL quota. Thus, it was removed from the GPL. However, Boss Pei did not kill them. Instead, he gave them the GDL quota."
"It's the same this time. After Boss Pei reorganized FV Club, he squeezed out SUG's slots for the World Competition. However, Boss Pei is humane, this move wasn't targeted at SUG club. He is spending money to invite our team members to Los Angeles. He treats them very well even though they would be there as sparring partners."
"Boss Pei is such an open-minded person! SUG Club offended him, but he did not put the hatred to heart... On the other hand, Long Yu Corporation said that once SUG was eliminated, they would immediately abandon us..."
"The difference is obvious!"
Ding Gan immediately nodded and said, "Alright, I appreciate Boss Pei's kind intentions!"
"However, I have a presumptuous request."
"Can I go to Los Angeles with you? I have been thinking about going out to play for a few days. Don't worry, I'll pay for my own expenses. You just have to manage the expenses of the five players. I'll play by myself when I get to Los Angeles. I won't disturb the daily training."
Manager Lu thought for a while. "Boss Ding, of course you can."
Since Ding Gan was paying for his own expenses, there was nothing more to say. If he wanted to go to Los Angeles, could Manager Lu and Wu Yue stop him?
What was one more person with 30 people?
What's more, the members of SUG were helping them train. Ding Gan was the boss of SUG Club. They had to give him some face.
...
After settling the SUG Club, Manager Lu returned to Wu Yue's office.
"Boss Wu, we've arranged with SUG club!"
Wu Yue nodded. "Okay, we have the remaining four slots."
"Boss Pei has taken FV Club's expedition to Los Angeles very seriously. Our team can be said to be the Ultimate Fantasy Team now!"
"Look at the four coming with us. They are GOG's designer, IOI's former operations manager, Tengda Games' veteran game designer, GOG's former star commander... In addition, we have our own coach, analyst, and members of the three teams. Their reserve strength is off the charts!"
Manager Lu was shocked when he heard Wu Yue introduce the four new members.
Even GOG's chief designer had to go personally?
It was too magical!
This was akin to GOG's international invitational tournament where the chief designer of Finger Games personally analyzed the data of a certain club. Killing a chicken with a butcher's knife was not enough to describe such behavior!
Now, FV Club's data analysis team could be said to be the most gorgeous.
More importantly, Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao were not fighting on their own. Behind them were the games departments of Shang Yang Games and Tengda Games. The designers of the two departments could solve them together if they encountered any problems.
Manager Lu could not help but feel emotional. "If that's the case, we don't need the IOI World Server account anymore!"
"What's the point of playing with high ranks? We are bringing three teams and fifteen people. It's enough to train within ourselves!"
"The members of Team One can compete in the training competition with the members of Team Two and SUG respectively. Then, when Team Two and SUG test the strength of the lineup in the training competition, the members of Team One can listen to the analyst review and explain the tactics."
"During the break time, the team members can be divided into several groups to practice together. They can maintain their hand sensitivity. Isn't this much more efficient than playing with the high ranks?"
Manager Lu and Wu Yue had been hesitant about going to Los Angeles at first, mainly because they were worried that they would not be able to obtain high-end game accounts there. The training effect could not be guaranteed.
They couldn't possibly go there and start from the bottom of the ranks right?
However, there was no need for that now. As long as he brought enough people, their training schedule would naturally be filled. It did not matter whether the high rankers would train with them or not.
Wu Yue immediately became full of fighting spirit. "Everything is ready. We have to train well this time. We will let Boss Pei down if we don't get good results!"
Chapter 792: Investing And Divesting Repeatedly
December 19th, Monday...
Pei Qian went to his office as usual. He browsed the recent news and discussions online as he checked the reports from the various departments.
The visas of the relevant personnel had been rushed after it was decided that FV Club would go to Los Angeles last week. All sorts of work was being prepared.
The thought of Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao packing up and leaving for Los Angeles to stay for more than a month made Pei Qian indescribably happy.
While Pei Qian would be able to follow them to Los Angeles for fun, he decided against it after some consideration.
On one hand, it was almost exam week. His goal to surpass Old Ma for this semester would basically GG if he were to go out to play for a month. On the other hand, Pei Qian was not very interested in going overseas. He preferred to stay in China.
Jingzhou was good enough. Why would he travel around?
He could do whatever he wanted in Jingzhou. In any case, he had a lot of System Funds now. Instead of spending money to go out and play, he might as well spend money to transform Jingzhou into something he liked.
What's more, if he wanted to go out and play in the future, he could always find a reason to do so. For example, he could collect materials for games, inspection and study, and so on.
What's more, Pei Qian did not want to repeat the tragedy of the qualifiers. If he went to the venue to watch the competition, all his team members would be on steroids. It would be too awkward if he created another 'world famous painting'.
Pei Qian casually browsed the webpage and suddenly saw a post.
"Is the cold-faced lady about to turn cold?"
"Some time ago, the popularity on the internet had been very high. Cold-Faced Lady's marketing could be seen everywhere, and the hot searches had not stopped. However, it seems like the popularity has dropped quite a bit recently? Is it about to die?"
This post was quite popular. Many people were discussing it.
"I don't think so. Didn't Meng Chang just give a speech a while ago? There was a sea of people at the venue. It was quite lively. Meng Chang was full of confidence the entire time. There was no sign of panic."
"Don't worry. He would be able to sustain for a long time just by just casually funding it. Do you think that someone as good as Meng Chang can't even make a cold noodles shop?"
"To be honest, I went to eat it once, and felt that it wasn't as good as they made it out to be? Of course, I admit that their restaurant environment and various details are not bad, but in the end it is just roasted cold noodles. It's really not that delicious."
"Didn't they say that they have accepted Boss Pei's investment? It seems like the companies that Boss Pei invested in have all succeeded so far, right? Jingzhou's investment myth is not something to be trifled with."
"I heard that it seems like Boss Pei is no longer in charge of Tengda's investments. Some of the projects have been incurring losses, but they are still generating profits overall. The word 'investment myth' can only be used to describe Boss Pei, not Dream Realization Ventures."
"I heard that Boss Pei had already divested some time ago. I don't know if that's true. If Boss Pei doesn't think highly of the Cold-Faced Lady, does that mean that it has some fatal hidden danger and is about to die?"
The netizens were discussing fervently. No one knew the truth or what was going on, but it did not affect their heated discussions. They began to furiously analyze the situation on their keyboards.
Pei Qian looked at everyone's discussion and was confused.
Can this Cold-Faced Lady make it or not?
In the eyes of some people, the Cold-Faced Lady had unlimited prospects which could easily earn a few hundred million yuan with just a few rounds of financing. Wouldn't it be easy for Meng Chang, a pioneer godfather of entrepreneurship, to make roasted cold noodles?
However, there were also some people who belittled the cold-faced lady, saying that it was all a bluff, as if they would go bankrupt tomorrow.
That confused Pei Qian.
One moment, he felt that he had done the right thing by withdrawing in time. The next moment, he felt that he had missed a good opportunity to incur losses. He felt conflicted.
After much consideration, Pei Qian called He Desheng.
"How's the Cold-Faced Lady doing recently?"
He Desheng was stunned and slightly surprised.
He was a little puzzled. Hadn't Boss Pei resolutely sold all of Cold-Faced Lady's shares? Why was he asking about Cold-Faced Lady today?
Logically speaking, someone like Boss Pei, who was decisive and determined to not change his mind, should have no reason to turn back, right?
However, He Desheng did not dare to ask too much. He answered honestly, "Boss Pei, we have nothing to do with the Cold-Faced Lady at the moment. The money we earned has not been moved yet. Even the finance manager we sent to the Cold-Faced Lady, Jing Haibing, has returned to Jingzhou. We are waiting to invest in the next company."
"Therefore, I'm not sure about the exact situation on the Cold-Faced Lady's side now. Why don't I ask Meng Chang? However, we have nothing to do with each other after all. He might not tell me."
"Or I can ask Jing Haibing. She was in charge of the Cold-Faced Lady's financial affairs previously. She might know some inside information when she handed over the work."
After some thought, Pei Qian decided not to ask Meng Chang since he had already withdrawn his investment.
He should ask Jing Haibing.
If he could not get any useful information, then so be it. The matter with the Cold-Faced Lady was over. If there was a turnaround, then so be it.
At that thought, Pei Qian said, "Alright, set up a video conference."
He Desheng hung up and quickly held a video conference.
Jing Haibing adjusted her spectacles, her expression still as serious as the last video conference. "Boss Pei, you're looking for me?"
Pei Qian nodded. "What do you think about the Cold-Faced Lady? Based on the work situation there, do you think this company will succeed?"
Jing Haibing shook her head. "This is beyond my capabilities. I'm just a finance manager. I still don't dare to show off in front of Boss Pei when it comes to judgment."
Pei Qian had expected this answer.
That was because Jing Haibing was a very calm and low-profile person. She would never judge anything she did not understand. Instead, she would meticulously complete her work.
Before this, Jing Haibing had not participated in the Cold-Faced Lady's decision, nor did she 'complained' to Pei Qian or He Desheng.
Pei Qian thought for a moment and changed his way of asking. "Then, tell me from a financial perspective, how is Cold-Faced Lady's company?"
After some consideration, Jing Haibing said, "Meng Chang's model should be the standard internet marketing model. While he didn't fake any financial accounts, he used some methods to make the financial statements look especially good."
"However, strictly speaking, the cash flow of the Cold-Faced Lady has always been very tight. Meng Chang is used to spending lavishly on marketing, so he has always been lacking in funds."
"Before I left, the last investment that Cold-Faced Lady received was eight million yuan from you, Boss Pei. It was spent very quickly."
"However, whether the Cold-Faced Lady will have any problems or not depends on whether Meng Chang can get money from others. If he can, Cold-Faced Lady's valuation will continue to increase. If not, there might be problems with the capital flow this week."
"If I'm not wrong, Meng Chang should be looking for money anxiously now even though he looks very calm now."
"However, if Meng Chang's marketing expenses are reduced, he should be able to last for a long time. After all, the expenses of the stores are not big. The bulk of the money is spent on marketing."
He Desheng thought for a moment and said, "I think he most likely won't do that. The reason why Cold-Faced Lady has such a high valuation is because investors pay a lot of attention to it. If Meng Chang doesn't continue to spend money to maintain its popularity, the investors' interest would weaken and they would fall into a vicious cycle."
"That's the real danger for Meng Chang."
Pei Qian listened quietly, still confused.
He Desheng and Jing Haibing could not come up with an explanation either. They could only say that the cold-faced lady was currently in a very critical period.
If a large sum of money was injected to push up the valuation and restore the confidence of the investors, the Cold-Faced Lady might be praised to the skies. However, on the other hand, if the investors were to watch, the Cold-Faced Lady's capital chain might very quickly have problems and could only go bankrupt.
Earning huge profits and incurring crazy losses were all in the blink of an eye.
That made Pei Qian feel like he could not make a decision. He was afraid that the Cold-Faced Lady would really take off if he invested more money in the game; however, if he were to walk away from this investment, he was afraid that he would incur a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to incur losses.
Suddenly, Pei Qian had an idea. He asked, "How much does Cold-Faced Lady spend on marketing every week?"
Jing Haibing thought for a while. "On average... less than a million yuan per week. However, some marketing activities are done monthly, such as finding endorsements and shooting advertisements. The expenses are huge. However, there are many other daily expenses of the shop."
Pei Qian pressed on. "If we give him one million yuan a week, would that be enough to extend the Cold-Faced Lady's life without making it explode in popularity?"
Jing Haibing was a little confused. After some thought, she replied, "In theory, yes. However, I don't know how to run a business, so I can't guarantee it."
Pei Qian felt that he could give it a try and said, "Alright, He Desheng, pay attention to the Cold-Faced Lady. If you find out that he really has no more money, invest one million yuan per month to help him extend his life. However, if you find any signs of others wanting to invest, stop immediately."
He Desheng felt a little dizzy. He did not know what Boss Pei was up to.
Was he teasing Meng Cheng?
He had already sold all his shares previously. Why was he giving money to Cold-Faced Lady now in drips and drapes?
Sell it, buy it, sell it, investing and divesting repeatedly into the Cold-Faced Lady?
However, since it was Boss Pei, the God of Investments', operation, He Desheng felt that there must be a deeper meaning. Thus, he nodded. "Alright, I still have the money left from the sale of the Cold-Faced Lady shares. I'll use this money."
Pei Qian was very satisfied with his own operations.
Since the Cold-Faced Lady was jumping between takeoff and sudden death, wouldn't it be fine as long as it was kept in this area?
Quantitative blood transfusions would not allow it to die or take off. Wouldn't it be perfect for Meng Cheng to keep up his marketing and help him spend money at the same time?
Chapter 793: Take Off!
December 22nd, Thursday...
Shanghai Airport.
Zhao Xuming and theplayers of the other two clubs were waiting for their flight.
This time, IOI's global finals had been finalized. It would be held on December 31st, which would officially start on next week's Saturday. It would last a month, until the end of January.
The competition format was similar to GOG's international invitational tournament. There were also sixteen teams and four teams. They were divided into two stages: group competition and elimination competition.
In terms of competition schedule, the focus of the group stages and elimination rounds were basically arranged on weekends and legal holidays, while less important competitions and rest days were arranged as much as possible on working days.
The arrangement was not perfect but it was reasonable.
However, due to the time difference, the domestic audience's viewing experience would be relatively poor. For example, the domestic viewing time would be from three in the morning to twelve in the afternoon on the second day for group battles. The timing was relatively bad.
It was held in Los Angeles after all. There was no other way to arrange the schedule.
Finger Games would only provide hotels and accommodation the day before the competition, until the team was eliminated.
Thus, most of the poorer clubs would only arrive at the hotel near the competition venue one or two days before the start of the competition.
On the other hand, Zhao Xuming decided to head over a week earlier to allow the local clubs to compete with the European and American teams in advance and adapt to the local environment. They would stay in the hotel arranged by Finger Games.
Long Yu Corporation had reimbursed all the flight tickets and accommodation expenses for the week.
There were a total of 20 people in the team. The two clubs had five members, a team leader, a coach each, which made up 14 people. In addition, Long Yu Corporation also had six staff members, including Zhao Xuming.
Zhao Xuming went to Los Angeles purely to take the opportunity to go out and play and watch IOI's competition. After all, Long Yu Corporation's IOI Operations Cooperation Department would mainly use IOI World Competition for promotion. It was only right for him to go to Los Angeles.
When he arrived in Los Angeles, Zhao Xuming would visit Finger Games' headquarters with his colleagues from IOI's operations and cooperation department in addition to settling down the members of these two clubs.
A group of 20 people were waiting at the airport.
At the moment, only a few cities like Beijing and Shanghai could fly directly to Los Angeles, and the ticket prices were relatively more expensive. Most other cities would need to transfer flights. The ticket prices were relatively cheaper but the entire journey would take much longer.
Zhao Xuming did not choose a cheaper route. Instead, he chose the lesser expensive direct flights. The entire journey would only take about 13 hours.
Zhao Xuming was still a little proud. The tickets would be reimbursed by Long Yu Corporation after all. Choosing a direct flight was considered quite generous for these clubs.
Most of the players in these clubs were internet addicts. They had not been overseas and had not seen much of the world. Zhao Xuming felt that he had shown ample sincerity.
As for the seats, Zhao Xuming was a high-level executive of Long Yu Corporation. Of course, he could choose business class for business trips. However, after much consideration, he still chose economy class.
It was not that he was saving money for the company, but it did not look good on the surface.
That was because there were more people this time. It would be too expensive if all twenty of them took business class. After all, business class tickets were three times more expensive than economy class tickets. If all of them were reimbursed, it would cost three to four hundred thousand yuan more. That would not be appropriate.
On the other hand, Zhao Xuming was too embarrassed to take the business class and let the club members take the economy class. Thus, he had no choice but to suffer.
Of course, the leaders and team members of these two clubs did not care about this. It was already very good that Long Yu Corporation was reimbursing the plane tickets. It would be too much to ask them to spend three times the money for business class.
What's more, wasn't Boss Zhao taking economy class?
There was still some time before boarding. Zhao Xuming chatted with the leaders of the two clubs and briefly introduced the arrangements after Los Angeles.
"The hotel that Finger Games arranged for us this time is Courtyard by Marriott. It's about 200 meters away from the competition venue which is within walking distance. It's very convenient."
"There's nothing to say about the hotel's environment. It's very good. In any case, we have everything we need."
"Once we get there, we'll check into the hotel. You can ask me for reimbursement for the hotel expenses before the competition. The day before the competition, everyone can check out and move in again. We'll move into the rooms arranged by Finger Games."
"Our company has assigned a translator. When the time comes, we'll have to trouble the two team leaders to search for nearby internet cafes and restaurants with our translator. We'll see where we can train and eat."
"Finger Games might have also arranged for training rooms and accommodation but they will only be ready one day before the competition. We will have to rely on ourselves this week."
The two team leaders nodded repeatedly as Zhao Xuming explained some details.
The other members were also a little excited. Some of them were nervous as it was their first time on a plane.
Zhao Xuming was chatting with the two team leaders when he suddenly heard footsteps in the distance.
"Come, let's do it here. Everyone, stand according to your height. Yes, stand in three rows. The main players stand in front and raise the team flag of the club. Alright, I am going to take the photo now."
"One, two, three! Not bad, one more."
Zhao Xuming could not help but to turn around. He was stunned.
Wasn't this FV Club?
Why were there so many people?!
At that moment, about thirty people were standing together for a photo. The front row was even holding FV Club's team flag. The five main players were standing at the front. Zhao Xuming recognized them with one glance.
Two photographers were holding their cameras and shooting wildly at the crowd. There was also a cameraman who was recording the entire process.
Zhao Xuming quickly saw more familiar faces in the crowd, including Ding Gan, Wu Yue, Manager Lu, and the members of SUG Club.
Zhao Xuming was confused.
What the hell was happening?
Since these people were already here, it meant that they were here to take a plane. Since they were taking a plane, they must be flying to Los Angeles.
However, even the people from FV Club had to fly to Los Angeles. There would only be seven or eight people at most, right?
Why were there so many people?
Why were the people from SUG Club here as well?
Zhao Xuming had originally thought that the team he had brought along with him from the two clubs was already huge. However, one FV club had crushed him in terms of numbers!
Zhao Xuming had no idea what was going on. This encounter was completely out of his expectations.
Wu Yue, who had just finished taking his photos, saw Zhao Xuming waiting for his flight.
Wu Yue was a little surprised as well. While he did not have a good expression on his face when facing Zhao Xuming, it would be too much to pretend not to see him when they were looking at each other.
Thus, Wu Yue immediately stepped forward and greeted Zhao Xuming.
"Boss Zhao! I didn't expect to meet you here. What a coincidence."
Zhao Xuming forced a smile and stood up. "Boss Wu, are you taking this flight to Los Angeles?"
Wu Yue nodded. "Yes, Boss Zhao too? Hey, isn't this a coincidence?"
"However, that's normal. This flight is more suitable in terms of time. Great minds think alike."
Min Jingchao, Ye Zhizhou, and the others lived in Jingzhou while Wu Yue, FV and SUG clubs were both in Shanghai. What's more, there were no direct flights to Los Angeles in Jingzhou, so everyone chose to leave from Shanghai.
Wu Yue and Zhao Xuming happened to bump into each other because of the takeoff time, landing time, scheduling, flight seats, and the price of plane tickets were the most appropriate.
The meeting was slightly awkward.
That was because Zhao Xuming deliberately did not bring FV Club to Los Angeles. Both parties knew this very well.
Given the current situation, Zhao Xuming had no choice but to keep mum about it. He pretended to be polite and said, "Boss Wu, there's still some time before boarding. Let's find a place to sit first."
Wu Yue smiled. "Alright, you don't have to worry about that, Boss Zhao."
After exchanging pleasantries, Wu Yue called out to the others, "Come, everyone, follow me to find a place to rest."
However, to Zhao Xuming's surprise, Wu Yue and the others did not sit in the resting area next to them. Instead, they walked straight into the VIP lounge slightly further away.
Zhao Xuming was confused.
What was going on?
The VIP lounge was meant for business class passengers or high-end members to wait for their flight. There were television, newspapers, magazines, snacks, drinks, and other supporting services in the lounge. It provides service such as changing flights, changing their seats, and other services. What's more, there were individual leather sofas which were much more comfortable than the hard row seats in the resting area!
Zhao Xuming was even more shocked when he saw that all thirty people had entered, including the cameraman who was following behind.
What was the meaning of this?
Could all thirty of them have booked business class?
Zhao Xuming was very clear about the price of the plane tickets. The economy class was about 10,000 yuan while the business class was about 30,000 yuan. If all 30 of them booked business class tickets, that would be spending 600,000 yuan more than the economy class!
It was utterly ridiculous!
Zhao Xuming quickly denied this idea.
Why would FV Club be willing to spend 600,000 yuan extra on plane tickets? That did not make sense!
Yes, he must have paid to rest in the VIP lounge in order to show off in front of us!
Zhao Xuming knew very well that even though these business class lounge were meant for business class ticket holders or high-networth individuals, they could still pay to enter. The price was 100 yuan per person.
If that was the case, 30 people would only be 3,000 yuan which was still alright.
Zhao Xuming felt that he could also spend 2,000 yuan to show off. However, on second thought, the plane was not delayed and would take off soon. There was no need to spend money on it.
It was better to pretend that nothing had happened.
After being interrupted by Wu Yue and the others, Zhao Xuming was no longer in the mood to chat with the club leaders. Everyone was surfing their cell phones while waiting for their flight.
For some reason, Zhao Xuming could not help but to think about the scene in the VIP lounge.
The environment was quiet, and no one was making a fuss. They sat on comfortable leather sofas, read magazines, and watched movies. There was an unlimited supply of free snacks and drinks...
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was being mocked.
Zhao Xuming looked at his watch frequently. Fortunately, they were about to board the plane.
Everyone arrived at the boarding gate and waited in line.
The direct flight to Los Angeles this time was a large passenger plane that could seat close to 500 people. It was divided into two floors, so there were more people queuing.
Zhao Xuming and the others stood up in advance and waited patiently in the front row.
As the queue grew longer and longer, Wu Yue and the others did not come out of the VIP lounge. Zhao Xuming became more and more suspicious.
What was going on?
Were they not in a hurry to queue or...
Finally, Wu Yue and Ding Gan led the group of 30 out of the VIP lounge. However, they did not line up at the end of the line. Instead, they walked straight to another boarding gate.
Wu Yue and the others were unimpeded under the attentive reception of the flight attendants.
The long line on the other side formed a stark contrast.
Zhao Xuming and the team leaders of the two clubs watched helplessly as Wu Yue and the others boarded the plane, while their own team moved as slowly as a tortoise.
This large passenger plane was divided into two levels. There were two independent boarding entrances. Boarding and disembarking did not interfere with each other. Business class was on the upper level while economy class was on the lower level. There was no need to queue for business class.
Zhao Xuming :"..."
He quietly shut himself up looking at the backs of Wu Yue, Ding Gan, and the others.
Chapter 794: Can I Upgrade My Cabin?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After Wu Yue and Ding Gan boarded the plane, they instructed their team members to keep their hand luggage before they settled into their seats.
It was the first time that FV Club's captain, Pan Ying, had taken a plane. After sitting down in his seat, he looked a little helpless.
"Are the seats on the plane that spacious? I thought they were similar to high-speed trains," Pan Ying mumbled softly.
Wu Yue chuckled. "You wouldn't say that if we were in economy class. Of course, there are more spacious first class seats, but there aren't enough first class seats on the plane. What's more, we shouldn't be too extravagant, so we booked business class."
First-class cabins were similar to private rooms. One first-class cabin was equivalent to six economy-class seats. The distance between the front and back was more than two meters. They could even roll down and sleep.
However, there were less than thirty first class seats. Wu Yue did not want to have a different treatment and did not want to waste too much money, so he did not choose it.
Business class was only slightly worse than first class, but there was not much difference.
While there were no individual private rooms, the business class cabin was a semi-independent space structure. It could be seen as a small cubicle with a certain amount of privacy. However, it was not like the first class cabin where the entire private room could be completely isolated from the outside world.
However, the seats in the business class cabin were still spacious. There was a huge table at the side. There was a huge screen in front and various interfaces at the side. The seats could also be placed 180 degrees. Thus, the experience was much better than economy class.
Everyone took their seats. The business class compartment separated everyone, making many players who were taking the first flight slightly flustered.
Pan Ying said, "Manager Lu, is there anything I should take note of? Is there anything that cannot be used?"
Manager Lu smiled. "Order whatever you want to eat. Ask the air stewardess if you don't understand anything. Just say that it's your first time taking first class. The air stewardesses are professionals. They won't laugh at you."
The air stewardess had already arrived just as he was done speaking. She offered drinks, hot towels, and various snacks.
The air stewardess squatted beside the seat. First, she handed a warm damp towel to wipe his hands and face. Then, she served a cup of lychee coconut milk. After that, she handed the menu over and specially instructed that if there were any special requests on the food.
Pan Ying flipped through the menu and was dazzled.
Previously, he had thought that the airplane meal was a standard box lunch. However, when he saw the menu, he realized that it was not a box lunch. There were many different types!
There were dishes like prawns, oranges, salads, etc.
There were exquisite main dishes, including pan-fried steak with roasted onions, asparagus and red-skinned potatoes topped with red wine gravy, or fried black cod with cherry tomatoes, roasted potatoes, and black olives;
There were cheese, fruits, desserts, seafood noodles, chicken cheese sandwiches, and Chinese desserts.
Apart from that, there was also a breakfast menu, including radishes and scrambled eggs, mushroom and soybean milk, fried dough sticks, chicken and mushroom fried noodles, bacon, pork intestines, pancakes, and so on.
The most amazing thing was that Pan Ying even saw instant noodles on the menu. Perhaps some passengers liked that.
Of course, apart from these, there were also various types of alcohol, including wine, champagne, and so on.
All in all, this menu had already dazzled Pan Ying. He did not know what to order.
However, he was not in a hurry. He still had a long time to consider before the plane took off.
After the plane took off, Pan Ying deeply understood the benefits of business class.
He could freely choose whether to rest or eat first. If he rested first, he could lie down and sleep. After waking up, the air stewardess would ask if he wanted food. If he chose to eat first, he would order dishes, appetizers, entree, main dishes, cakes, ice cream, and so on. If he ate slowly, it was normal to eat for two to three hours.
Once he was tired, he could lie down and sleep.
What was different from the economy class was that the seats in the business class could be laid flat at 180 degrees. There would be small blankets, pillows, pajamas, slippers, overnight bags, and so on. The experience of resting was completely different.
When he went to the bathroom to change into his pajamas and slippers, Pan Ying felt much more comfortable. Even though he was in the air, it was not much different from the sofa in his house.
The toothbrush, toothpaste, hand cream, and other toiletries in the overnight bag were all branded. Even the overnight bag was very exquisite and of high quality. Pan Ying did not know that such a small bag alone cost more than a thousand yuan.
Apart from that, some of the accompanying items were completely different from economy class.
Not only could the seats be completely flat, but they were also equipped with adjustable cushion-inflating systems. They could be automatically adjusted according to the size of the passengers to the most comfortable sitting position.
The earphones were high-quality noise-canceling earphones. They would immediately be immune to the roaring of the plane's engine once they were put on.
The safety belt was a thick leather seat belt with filling. Not only would it be thicker, but it would also be safer.
The screen he was looking at was several times bigger than the one in the economy class. There was also a special remote control that could allow one to communicate with other business class passengers in real time.
Pan Ying was not sleepy at all. Thus, he began to order crazily after the flight attendant asked him about it.
Previously, when Pan Ying and the others won the qualifiers, Wu Yue had also invited them to a shopping mall near the venue for some good food. It was a Western restaurant that cost 400 yuan per head.
On the other hand, the food served in the business class cabin on the plane, be it the plate presentation or the taste, made it difficult for Pan Ying to think that this was an airplane meal. Instead, he felt that it was about the same standard as the food he had eaten at the western restaurant.
Pan Ying took two bites of the food and tasted the red wine. He felt relaxed and even wanted to stretch.
"Is it so comfortable to take a plane?"
"I can eat and sleep whenever I want for the next thirteen hours. I can watch movies whenever I want. It's not tiring at all!"
...
On the other side, in the economy cabin.
Zhao Xuming had already put down his seat, but the economy class seat could only be lowered to 120 degrees. He still felt uncomfortable even if he used a U-shaped pillow.
After the plane took off, the air stewardess started distributing the meals. However, there were only two types of lunch boxes to choose from. No matter which one they chose, they would not taste good.
The narrow seats and the shaky small table made the meal less enjoyable. He had to be careful, afraid that the lunchbox or soup would spill on his lap.
There was naturally no pyjamas, slippers, toiletries, and so on.
The only good news was that everyone was seated together. They did not have to worry that their neighbor was a 200-pound fatty who was squeezing himself so tightly that they did not have any personal space.
Even so, the cramped economy cabin still made Zhao Xuming feel uneasy and regretful.
He regretted sharing the joys and sorrows with the members of these two clubs. He should have booked business class for himself!
He could only say that he did not think too much about it when he was booking the plane tickets. He felt that he could make do for the trip to Los Angeles. It would not be nice to get special treatment.
However, Zhao Xuming's mentality collapsed instantly when he saw the 30 people from FV Club sitting in business class while he could only squeeze in the economy class.
A flight attendant happened to pass by. Zhao Xuming quickly asked, "Can I apply for a cabin upgrade now?"
The air stewardess had a professional smile on her face as she answered, "I'm sorry, sir. The first-class and business class for this flight are all filled. There are no more seats."
Zhao Xuming was stunned. "No more seats?"
The air stewardess smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm very sorry."
Zhao Xuming was a little surprised. Logically speaking, there were often some empty seats in the first class and business class cabins because they were very expensive. It would be possible to pay to upgrade their seats.
However, FV Club had booked thirty business class tickets at once. Coupled with the fact that this was a popular flight to Los Angeles, there were no more seats left!
In other words, Zhao Xuming had no other choice. He could only squeeze in the economy class for more than ten hours and then get a good rest in Los Angeles.
Zhao Xuming's lips twitched as he forced a smile. "Alright, thank you."
His gaze reluctantly grazed the corridor, towards the business class cabin in front of him. He saw a stewardess smiling as she pulled the curtain between business class and economy class.
Zhao Xuming :"..."
He suddenly had an ominous feeling. This trip to Los Angeles would probably not end well...