Random Chapters of MTL Novel

These live-stream platforms looked stupid and rich, but they were not really stupid. They were very smart in this aspect.

Liu Liang pondered for a moment and asked, "What about the attitude of the other live-stream platforms?"

The employee who came to report answered, "They also find it expensive and are trying to lower the price with Longyu Corporation."

Liu Liang nodded. "Yes, I'll talk to the stewards of the other live-stream platforms in a while. We have to reach a consensus on this matter. This price is too high. We can only accept it if it's at most seven million yuan!"

The popularity of ICL would definitely not reach half of GPL from Liu Liang's point of view. The additional money was on account that FV Team had just won the championship.

Of course, Long Yu Corporation would not give in so easily. Both sides would have to haggle for a long time.

However, Liu Liang was confident that as long as a few live-stream platforms worked together to lower the price, Long Yu Corporation would be the one to make the final concession.

He had to work hard to obtain an acceptable price even if he could not make too many concessions.

The competition between these live-stream platforms was usually very intense, the Vice Presidents still looked harmonious on the surface but they could not wait for their brains to explode. The price of the ICL league this time was too high. No one wanted to be a spendthrift. Working together to lower the price was in the common interest of all live-stream platforms. They did not have to worry about everyone not cooperating.

The employee who came to report nodded and left.

Liu Liang looked at the product manager and programmers in the conference room. "Alright, let's continue discussing this new function!"

"We'll start on a 996 working hour system this week and finish developing it in a month. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

...

In the evening...

Shanghai, Long Yu Corporation headquarters.

Eric was raging in the conference room.

"There has to be a limit to the price! You want to get broadcasting rights for ICL for six or seven million yuan? Dream on!"

Long Yu Corporation had been in contact with various live-stream platforms over the past two days. They had revealed to them that the ICL league was about to begin. At the same time, they had also revealed a rough price: the broadcasting rights were 11 million yuan.

Eric had wanted to set the broadcasting rights higher than GPL, but he was stopped by Zhao Xuming.

Eric was thinking that if the price was too low, it would be equivalent to admitting defeat. It would be equivalent to admitting that the ICL league's popularity and commercial value could not compare to the GPL.

However, Zhao Xuming was more realistic. He repeatedly persuaded him that the current ICL league was not as popular and commercial as GPL! Wouldn't it be awkward if he set the price so high that no one bought it?

Thus, after much consideration, Eric decided to set the price at 11 million yuan—one million yuan lower than GPL.

Eric had his reasons as well. IOI was currently one of the most popular games in the world. The overseas league slots were sold very smoothly and the price was not low. ICL was also IOI's championship zone. It would be a joke if the price was set low.

11 million yuan might be a little expensive, but the live-stream platforms in the country were going crazy trying to fight for popularity. Someone should buy it.

However, after discussing with a few larger live-stream platforms in the country, the reactions of these live-stream platforms were surprisingly uniform: they found it expensive!

Most live-streaming platforms would accept about six to seven million yuan, almost cutting off half of Eric's price.

How could Eric accept this?

One had to know that the ICL league was one of his important ways to promote IOI. The broadcasting rights would be sold for an entire season. If it was sold at a low price from the beginning, wouldn't the live-stream platforms benefit for nothing when the ICL league became popular in the future? Wouldn't Finger Games suffer a huge loss?

Thus, Eric was not willing to sell it cheaply but the live-stream platform was not willing to be a spendthrift. Both parties were frozen.

Eric looked at Zhao Xuming. "Boss Zhao, what do you think?"

Zhao Xuming quickly answered, "I think we have to reduce the price."

"Don't be angry, let me finish."

"I know. IOI's international league slots are very easy to sell. After all, IOI's influence overseas is not bad."

"But we have to consider the special circumstances of the local server, right?"

"The local server, IOI, is the most severely squeezed by GOG. There are not many players left, and it is not popular enough to begin with. These live-stream platforms might not be lacking in money, but they are more inclined to pay high premiums for popular competitions. As for popular competitions, they will think of ways to lower prices and control costs."

"What's more, a few live-streaming platforms are working together to lower the price. Their interests are the same, and it's not easy to divide them."

"That's why I think it's reasonable for the broadcast rights to be reduced to eight million yuan and the total price to be over forty million yuan."

"Let's first organize the league and make it popular. It won't be too late to sell it for a high price next season."

"However, we definitely cannot lower the price directly. Otherwise, people would think that we are easy to talk to. Perhaps these live-stream platforms would not be satisfied and would continue to lower the price."

"What we should do now is to quickly publicize ICL league and create enough popularity. As long as it becomes popular and the live-stream platform recognizes its value, their alliance will naturally collapse. Then, there will be platforms to buy the broadcasting rights of the ICL league privately."

Eric nodded. "Yes, that makes sense."

"At the end of the day, we have to let these live-stream platforms see the popularity."

"How's ICL's promotional video going?"

Zhao Xuming said, "Don't worry, it's done! This time, we gathered all the veteran clubs and all the celebrity players in the country to film the promotional video. We obtained many scenic spots in Shanghai. The effect is absolutely great!"

"What's more, we learned from the previous World Competition promotional video. We made many cool post-production special effects for the promotional video. It's definitely not bad!"

Previously, when Zhao Xuming was working on the promotional video for the international competition, he happened to bump into GPL's Spring Competition promotional video. It was a tragic sight.

The promotional video for the GPL's Spring Competition directly used a pure CG method to press Zhao Xuming's traditional method of publicity film to the ground.

That was why Zhao Xuming had learned to be smart this time. He added many cool special effects and game material in the promotional video. He combined the players, scenes, and game characters with CG technology while filming many landmarks in Shanghai to create a promotional video that he was very satisfied with.

The reason why he did not copy the GPL's pure CG format was mainly because he was afraid of being scolded.

The current version was not a copy of the GPL, but it had a style and standard. It could only be said that the huge price was worth it.

Zhao Xuming was very confident about this.

Eric nodded. "Very good. Get ready. We'll release it tomorrow. Then, we'll follow up with the publicity as soon as possible. We have to make the ICL league more popular as soon as possible!"

...

...

February 29th, Wednesday...

Tengda Corporation, marketing department.

Meng Chang was watching the promotional video "Coming Out of the Cocoon Without Becoming a Butterfly" seriously. At the same time, he was once again amazed at the efficiency of these young men.

The entire promotional video was actually about a story of a young internet addict with a broken E-Sports dream. The plot was very straightforward and understandable, the filming process was very smooth.

Meng Chang even deliberately buried some details in the promotional video, such as the training environment of the E-Sports Club, salary remuneration, future insurance, and so on, waiting for the audience to discover.

He had to admit that the promotional video for Bunny Tail Live-Stream had dealt Meng Chang a huge blow.

He had not expected that the live-streaming industry of AOE would have such a positive publicity effect when it came to Bunny Tail.

He could only say that he had been tricked by Boss Pei!

However, it was different this time.

Bunny Tail Live-Stream was a new industry. It had not been released at all. It was easy to change it. Boss Pei could naturally succeed easily if he had not planned it.

However, the e-sports industry had existed for so long. All sorts of chronic illnesses were present. Moreover, according to Meng Chang's knowledge, Boss Pei seemed to have not managed Tengda's e-sports industry for months.

He could not possibly be tricked by Boss Pei again, right?

Meng Chang, who had failed twice in a row, was eager to regain his pride.

It was already the end of the month and he was about to calculate the publicity effect and salary of these plans. According to the current situation, Meng Chang would not get a single cent of commission.

However, what if the E-Sports promotional video had a good reverse publicity effect?

There might be a turnaround for the commission.

Therefore, Meng Chang was also very anxious. He prepared to release the promotional video as soon as it was completed.

Meng Chang felt that there was no problem after reading it several times.

Thus, he decided to upload the promotional video online!

...

At the same time, in Shanghai.

Wolf Fang live-stream headquarters.

Zhao Xuming had just arrived and was planning to discuss the ICL broadcasting rights with Wolf Fang's Vice-President, Zhu Yan.

Wolf Fang Live-Stream was a late star, unlike veteran live-stream platforms such as Waiwai Live-Stream and ZZ Live-Stream. However, it was developing very quickly and the financial resources behind it could not be underestimated.

What's more, Wolf Fang Live-Stream was a platform for relatively 'straight men'. The main content of the live-stream was the game business. Most of the live-streamers were more down-to-earth.

That was why Zhao Xuming had specially made a trip here to find a breakthrough point.

Previously, several major live-stream platforms had unanimously felt that ICL's broadcasting rights were too expensive and wanted to work together to lower the price. On the one hand, Zhao Xuming had released the ICL's promotional video and bought a lot of popularity, creating the illusion that ICL was very popular and anticipated; on the other hand, he had tried to contact and persuade these live-stream platforms separately.

Wolf Fang Live-Stream's main business was in gaming and they were very rich. What's more, its headquarters was in Shanghai. It was top priority in all aspects.

The two quickly got down to business after exchanging pleasantries in the guest room.

Zhao Xuming asked. "Boss Zhu, you should have seen the ICL promotional video, right?"

Zhu Yan nodded. "Yes, I saw it. It was indeed very well shot! The players, Shanghai's scenery, and the hero characters in the game were all combined together, giving people a refreshing feeling."

"Especially the scene where the five members of FV Team appeared. A large number of bullet screen comments almost covered the entire screen. It can be seen how popular they are."

"The publicity film's popularity and response were quite good after it was released. It was indeed unexpected."

Zhao Xuming smiled. "Of course."

"Boss Zhu, some live-stream platforms think that ICL's broadcasting rights are a little high. I understand that very well. After all, from the popularity of the game, IOI is indeed far from GOG."

"However, we have to take into account the future popularity."

"Finger Games has decided to spend a lot of money to promote IOI domestically. You should have heard some news, right? We invested a lot for the promotional video this time, but it's only an appetizer. There will be more publicity in the future."

"Finger Games will definitely not lose out in burning money!"

"Our Long Yu Corporation will also cooperate fully with Finger Games. In the future, IOI's local server's market share will definitely continue to expand. ICL league's popularity will definitely continue to increase!"

"If we take this into consideration, 11 million yuan is actually very reasonable."

"In addition, to express my sincerity..."

Zhao Xuming deliberately lowered his voice. "We can also make some concessions on the price. Reducing one or two million to make friends is nothing to the wealthy Finger Games."

"It's just that such preferential treatment is not always available. Boss Zhu, you had better make plans early."

Zhu Yan remained silent for a moment and did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.

Zhao Xuming was slightly surprised seeing Zhu Yan's expression.

Why did it feel like Zhu Yan was not moved at all?

Zhu Yan paused for a moment and said slowly, "Boss Zhao, I've seen the promotional video for ICL. It's done very well."

"But if I'm not wrong, you haven't seen the E-Sports promotional video that Tengda just released, right?"

Chapter 916: The Comparison Between The Two Promotional Videos Was Too Obvious!

Zhao Xuming was lost and confused.

Tengda had released an E-Sports promotional video?

What... has that got to do with what we're discussing?

Tengda's promotional video was definitely meant to promote GPL, but hadn't GPL's broadcasting rights already been sold? It wouldn't affect ICL even if it continued to heat up the GPL.

However, Zhu Yan seemed to be saying that this promotional video had a huge impact on ICL.

Zhao Xuming could not figure it out no matter how hard he tried. He could not understand Zhu Yan's attitude at all. He had a feeling that something had gone wrong.

Zhu Yan did not explain much. He took out his cell phone and found Tengda's new promotional video, 'Coming Out of the Cocoon Without Becoming a Butterfly'. Then, he handed it to Zhao Xuming.

Zhao Xuming took it and opened it.

Zhao Xuming became even more confused after watching the first half.

Wasn't that normal?

The first half of the film was very conventional. It was nothing more than a story about a young internet addict who had overcome many obstacles and embarked on the path of E-Sports. One had to say that there were a few scenes that were very moving. For example, his father's kneeling had highlighted a kind of parental sadness.

Similar stories were not uncommon in the E-Sports circle. Many famous E-Sports players had similar experiences when they were young. However, after they achieved success and obtained good results, they would understand each other with their families.

This was the basic routine of ordinary E-Sports promotional videos: first describe how miserable the lives of professional players were, how incomprehensible they were. Then, describe how they could rely on their own hard work to obtain fame, achieve results, live a better life, and even let their originally poor parents live a rich life.

Zhao Xuming looked up at Zhu Yan with a puzzled expression.

Didn't that mean that this was just a very ordinary promotional video? It didn't seem to have spent much money. It was worlds apart compared to our ICL promotional video.

Zhu Yan only said, "Boss Zhao, continue watching."

Zhao Xuming could only continue watching the second half of the promotional video.

However, as he watched, his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. The puzzled expression on his face was completely replaced by shock.

"What is this?!" Zhao Xuming almost blurted out.

The second half of the promotional video's plot had taken a sharp turn. The protagonist had become a professional player as he wished but he did not have the chance to play. After wasting a few years of his youth, he had no choice but to go home and work at a construction site!

In the last scene, the protagonist looked at his father's back as he left. He recalled his days in school. He was so regretful that tears streamed down his face. Those who heard about it would be sad, and those who saw it would shed tears.

Zhao Xuming was completely speechless.

He wanted to smash his cell phone on the ground and shout, "Crazy!"

What stupid E-Sports promotional video was this? It was obviously used to defame E-Sports!

The E-Sports promotional video was meant for the audience and even the outside world. Shouldn't it be used to promote the classic? There were so many successful and life-changing professional players, but instead of promoting them, you had to promote those unknown, low-level cannon fodder?

The key was that even if it was the truth, he could not say it out loud!

On the other hand, Tengda had not only announced it, but also created a promotional video to publicize it!

What was their motive?

It would make sense for it to create an AOE to attack its competitors if Tengda did not have any E-Sports-related business. The problem was that Tengda had its own GPL league and had a lot of professional players under it. Wouldn't the promotional video be criticizing itself as well?

No.

Zhao Xuming suddenly realized that Boss Pei was definitely not someone who would make such a low-level mistake. Since Boss Pei had sent out this promotional video, he must have calculated the subsequent actions!

He quickly opened the comments section of the video.

What he saw made his heart turn cold!

"I feel so sad watching this film. It reminds me of my younger days when I was ganked by my parents at the internet cafe. Sigh, I was young and ignorant back then. Now that I think about it, I really regret it. I really should've studied hard."

"In the past, the protagonist of the promotional video was always shot for professional players who won the world championship. This was the first time someone filmed it from a passer-by's point of view, right? I have to say, it gives people a very shocking feeling."

"The world champion is indeed successful, but the world champion is only a small group of people at the top of the pyramid. If you overly publicize this small group of people, it would easily give people a misleading feeling. It would make people feel like playing a profession is a win-win situation. It would make many internet addicts who are addicted to games use 'playing a profession' as an excuse to avoid studying. Instead, it would waste their youth and narrow their future path."

"This promotional video has shattered their fantasies. Tell them that you might as well study hard and find a job if you don't have the talent."

"Previously, Fei Huang Workspace had filmed a documentary called 'Coming Out of the Cocoon as a Butterfly'. Now, it has produced a new documentary called 'Coming Out of the Cocoon without becoming a Butterfly'. It has been well received!"

"That's right. Boss Pei is trying his best to persuade those internet addicts not to be deceived."

"That's why Boss Pei is still the most responsible. Boss Pei did not blindly advocate for the future of the e-sports industry and trick internet addicts into blindly entering the e-sports industry even though Tengda might also have an e-sports industry under it and it has a high market share. Instead, he exposed the current situation of the e-sports industry sincerely and made those internet addicts think twice before doing anything. I think this behavior is extremely virtuous!"

"This promotional video is a stark contrast to the ICL promotional video."

"That's right. ICL's promotional video might be perfect, cool, and outstanding in all aspects, but its filming idea is still based on the old age. It's trying hard to package the concept of E-Sports to be very high-class. However, this way, it doesn't seem down to earth and seems very unreal."

"On the other hand, the documentary 'Coming Out of the Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly' is a complete victory in terms of depth of thought! It might not look like it had much funding and there are no particularly fancy techniques for filming, it can resonate and be discussed. I can only say that there is a gap between the two standards!"

Zhao Xuming flipped through the comments below the video, his nose almost crooked from anger.

What the f*ck was the difference in standards!

This opponent was not playing by the book!

The ICL's promotional video was perfect from a commercial point of view. It was invulnerable and had invested a lot of money. All sorts of details were better than 'Coming Out of a Cocoon Yet to Become a Butterfly'.

However, who would have thought that Boss Pei would change his mindset!

He was not playing with techniques, he was playing with psychology!

Coming Out of the Cocoon without becoming a Butterfly was equivalent to dissecting the chronic illness within the entire e-sports industry. It exposed the less well-known but objective side of the industry mercilessly.

If the audience insisted on comparing the ICL promotional video, they would definitely think that the ICL promotional video was fake!

Of course, this comparison in itself did not make sense. The ICL's promotional video was a legitimate commercial promotional video. It did not make any mistakes. Who did they offend to be compared like this?

However, Zhao Xuming could not do anything about it since he had no choice. If the audience insisted on comparing.

He looked at the time when the video was released. 'Coming Out of the Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly' was only half an hour later than the ICL promotional video. It could be said to have been released before and after.

Since they were so close to each other, the audience would definitely discuss the two videos together!

Zhao Xuming gritted his teeth in anger.

This was a scam! A blatant scam!

Boss Pei must have prepared this promotional video long ago. He was just waiting for the ICL's promotional video to be shot!

This was a killing move.

Zhao Xuming had been full of confidence. He had thought that the ICL promotional video would not lose, even if it cost a lot of money. Yet, Boss Pei had already skipped the stage of burning money to improve the quality of the promotional video. He was playing mind games!

He had used a few investments and simple methods to eliminate the core of the ICL promotional video from the spiritual level. He had stolen all the attention and popularity!

The popularity of ICL's publicity was greatly reduced. This was a huge blow to Zhao Xuming.

After all, the more popular the ICL became, the more bargaining chips he had.

Fortunately, that was all, it wouldn't hurt your nerves and bones.

Zhao Xuming pondered for a moment and felt that there was still room for him to salvage the situation with his glib tongue.

However, he continued scrolling down the comments section and saw a few new high praises.

"This film shows a lot of the industry's chronic illness. I don't know if everyone has noticed the details in the film. These professional players' food and accommodation are actually very bad. Their working hours are reversed, and they eat take-out frequently. All of these are expending their health."

"Indeed, it makes me sad to see it. I know that the E-Sports industry is a youthful rice, those who did not survive on this are miserable, but those who survive on did not receive much better treatment!"

"Eh? That's not right, right? Didn't they say that GPL's treatment is very good? The members of DGE are all well-built and full of energy. They are definitely not figures that can be eaten by day and night upside down."

"Of course, there's no problem with the GPL! Boss Pei had already set the industry standards when he entered the venue forcefully. All the clubs are managed uniformly. There are standard contracts to ensure the rights of the players, the unified meals of Fish-Catching Take-Out, the daily training of the Deposit Fitness, and people who are in charge of nutritional meals and the health of the players..."

"However, in the fields other than GPL, e-sports players are still living the same bitter life as before. There are no changes!"

"Indeed, the other games companies are all taking care of their own businesses. It's unlikely that the various clubs would take the initiative to bear such huge expenses. How many bosses with foresight and responsibility like Boss Pei are there?"

"Can I ask what's the situation with ICL?"

"What could it be? It's the same as other projects. Anyway, I've never heard of Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation making any moves to guarantee the rights of ICL players. If they had, they would have boasted about it long ago, right?"

"Sigh, it looks like ICL is just a superficial article. The promotional video might be quite good but their details are far from GPL! This way, it looks like GPL is the more professional, more mature, and healthier league. ICL is still not good."

"What I think is interesting is that the promotional video are filled with GOG's game graphics, however GPL is the best among all the E-Sports competitions! This creates a very strange contrast: It's obviously an AOE skill, but GPL is perfectly immune to all damage. Instead, other E-Sports competitions are being beaten into sieves!"

"Hahaha, only Tengda has GOG's copyright after all. It cannot display the game graphics of other projects. However, it is actually hinting at something. Those who understand would understand."

Zhao Xuming was stunned after reading the praises.

He realized that something was wrong!

If the netizens' discussions were limited to the filming techniques and intentions of the two documentaries, then it would be nothing more than the initial popularity of ICL being affected. It would not shake the foundation of the entire league.

However, the netizens' discussion had already reached the basic structure of the GPL and ICL league. That was a huge problem!

Everyone guessed correctly. The ICL really did not have any similar measures. There was no standard contract for players, no uniform schedule, and accommodation standards.

Similar to other E-Sports projects, the health and rights of ICL league players were not guaranteed much.

However, Zhao Xuming felt very wronged. We are the organizers of the competition. This is not something we need to be responsible for!

This was the club's business, what had it got to do with us!

However, the audience did not care about this. They saw the gap between the GPL and ICL in the lower levels of the structure. There was no need to find excuses. Finger Games and Longyu Corporation were not good enough. ICL was not healthy and had bad prospects!

Zhao Xuming finally understood the reason for Zhu Yan's attitude.

That was because Zhu Yan had seen this hot news and knew that the ICL was about to be sucked into the vortex of public opinion. Its value would be severely affected.

Since that was the case, why was he in such a hurry to be a sucker?

Of course, he had to continue watching and haggling. He had to obtain the ICL broadcast rights at the lowest price!

Chapter 917: Eric Is In A Dilemma!

Zhao Xuming sighed silently after understanding his current situation.

It looked like he had made a wasted trip today.

Zhu Yan might not have said anything, but his attitude was definitely very firm. This public relations incident was simply a godly assist. If he did not make good use of it to cut off one or two million yuan, it would be a dereliction of his job!

Under such circumstances, the possibility of both parties negotiating the price was infinitely close to zero. They could only delay it further.

Before leaving, Zhao Xuming asked, "Boss Zhu, may I ask what is the psychological price of ICL broadcasting rights from Wolf Fang Live-Stream?"

Zhu Yan smiled and said, "Seven million yuan. However, don't worry, Boss Zhao. Wolf Fang live-stream will definitely invest a lot of resources to promote ICL league. Your side will have a lot of hidden benefits if this deal can be achieved."

Zhao Xuming laughed in his heart.

They had already offered seven million yuan in the beginning. Now, they had spent a lot of money to publicize ICL league and the popularity had obviously increased. Yet, you are still only offering seven million yuan?

Zhao Xuming would not agree, let alone Eric.

As for the 'publicity resources' that Zhu Yan had mentioned, they were nothing more than pleasantries. These were things that could not be quantified. When the time came, Zhu Yan could give as much as he wanted.

It was more practical to use real money.

He would also activate platform resources to publicize it after Zhu Yan spent a lot of money to buy the broadcasting rights for the ICL league.

Zhao Xuming was well aware of Zhu Yan's words. However, the ICL league was currently in a storm of public opinion caused by Tengda. Zhao Xuming was in a disadvantageous position, so he could not say much. He could only force a smile and nod. "Alright, let's be more considerate of each other. I hope that we can facilitate the cooperation between our two companies as soon as possible!"

...

Zhao Xuming immediately rushed to the conference room after returning to Long Yu Corporation's headquarters.

He received a call on the way back. Eric was waiting for him in the conference room.

Eric was sulking in the conference room. The atmosphere in the room had reached a freezing point.

Obviously, Eric already knew about the promotional video "Coming Out Of The Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly".

He looked up at Zhao Xuming when he had returned and asked. "How was it?"

Zhao Xuming shook his head slightly. "You should have seen Tengda's promotional video, right? Wolf Fang Live-Stream still insisted that they were only willing to pay seven million yuan because of this promotional video."

Zhao Xuming was very careful with his words, afraid that Eric would immediately slam the table and scold him for being ridiculous.

However, Eric did not fly into a rage. Instead, he heaved a sigh of relief and slowly calmed down.

"Indeed, I cannot relax for even a moment when fighting Boss Pei."

"This time, we invested heavily in ICL's promotional video. We thought that it would be foolproof, but we did not expect that there would still be a problem."

"Let's all calm down and think about how to deal with this."

Eric's words had a certain effect. At first, the conference room was lifeless, and everyone was shocked. However, after Eric finished speaking, the atmosphere obviously improved.

That's right, we're fighting Boss Pei now!

It was normal to encounter major setbacks when fighting Boss Pei. It would be ridiculous if everything went smoothly.

At this point, he could only rack his brains to think of a solution for everyone's jobs and performance prizes.

Zhao Xuming had been thinking about this on the way back. He was the first to speak now that he had a general idea.

"Boss Pei's move is too vicious. It could be said to be killing people's hearts."

"The scariest thing is that he had already buried this foreshadowing when the GPL league was established. He only used it against us today."

"We want to use ICL against GPL. That means that Boss Pei will catch up and beat us as long as we don't do well in any aspect. The rights of the players are the easiest to cause a topic and discussion. If we ignore them, it will definitely have a fatal impact on the popularity of the ICL league."

"Therefore, we have to make up for this shortcoming."

Eric nodded. "Yes, that's right."

He was very unwilling to accept it but it was the truth. Such big news at the beginning of the ICL league was a huge blow to the popularity. If it was not handled well, the popularity might fade before the league even started. This was a risk that Eric could not accept.

Zhao Xuming continued, "Standard contracts, basic salary for players, insurance and money, better food and accommodation conditions, and health insurance... These are definitely not a small figure if they are to be widely spread."

"On one hand, we want to protect the basic rights of all the players. Not only are they the main players, but they also include the reserve players and the trainees. Over time, they will accumulate. On the other hand, standard contracts would actually cause certain restrictions on the club and make them unhappy."

"All in all... we can use money to solve the problem, but we will definitely spend a lot of money. We have to invest a huge sum of money in the beginning to improve the environment of the training base and change all the equipment. After that, we have to continue spending the base salary, food expenses, insurance, gold, and other expenses of the players. If we don't spend twenty to thirty million yuan in the first year, we might not be able to win."

Eric was very unhappy after hearing this number.

"Of course, we can take out twenty to thirty million yuan, but it's too ridiculous to take money for this reason!"

"How much popularity would we be able to generate if we spend this money elsewhere to promote ICL?!"

"We are going to give twenty to thirty million yuan to these clubs to improve their training environment just because of a video by Boss Pei? Why!"

"Did Boss Pei pay for this?"

Zhao Xuming hesitated for a moment before replying, "Er... he did, but he didn't as well."

Eric: "?"

Zhao Xuming explained, "It's like this. The GPL slots were publicly bid, and the prices were very high. A single slot was sold for twenty million yuan. Shenhua Real Estate was the king of bidders back then, and raised the GPL slots to twenty-six million yuan."

"The results of the auction at that time were even on the news. The total price reached a sky-high price of 180 million yuan."

"Then... Boss Pei transferred all the money back."

"A large portion of them are returned to these clubs to improve the treatment of the players, and to establish a budding training base."

"Therefore, even though the money was paid by Boss Pei in name, it was actually the money from the various clubs. The money might have travelled from left pocket to right pocket but, these clubs are very grateful to Boss Pei."

Eric :"..."

Eric had already been removed by Finger Games and replaced with Chrétien when these things happened. He was far away in the United States and did not know much about these things.

Now that he heard what Zhao Xuming said, Eric finally knew what kind of situation he was in.

Boss Pei's left and right hand operation was akin to offering Buddha a helping hand. He did not spend a single cent to improve the treatment of the players. At the same time, the club could improve the training environment and obtain real popularity. They were also very grateful to Boss Pei.

However, Eric could not do that!

The ICL slots were basically half bought and half given. They basically did not make much money.

At the moment, there were only a few powerful clubs in the country that had IOI branches. What's more, they were not very rich. Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation needed their support. Thus, they did not ask for much money. They only offered very low friendship prices and cabbage prices.

What's more, even if Eric wanted to strangle them and make them spend more than ten million yuan to buy a slot, it was probably not feasible given the financial situation of these clubs.

On the other hand, GPL had actually relied on Boss Pei's connections to attract a lot of capital. It was equivalent to creating something out of nothing. Everyone had spent money together to organize the GPL league.

However, how could Eric and Zhao Xuming have so much power?

What's more, GOG was extremely popular in the country before they started to plan for the GPL. It was a natural process. On the other hand, IOI's popularity was far from enough. ICL was held to promote the game. It was the complete opposite.

Eric's idea was to only open a limited number of slots in the early stages and let in only six or seven teams. After the competition was organized, they would sell slots in succession every season. That would maximize the benefits.

However, this also meant that Finger Games had not earned much money from the ICL league when it first began.

ICL could not play the GPL game.

At the end of the day, they could only fork out this huge sum of money from two places: either the clubs or from Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation.

The club would definitely not fork out any money. Why should they have to fork out an additional two million yuan a year to increase the treatment of the players? It would not benefit the club much.

At the end of the day, it was all thanks to the company!

If they did not fork out this sum of money, the ICL would forever be at a disadvantage. Boss Pei would definitely have to keep bringing this up. However, Eric would feel extremely aggrieved if he were to fork out this sum of money!

Eric's face was dark as he fell into a dilemma.

However, after much consideration, he still did not have a good solution. This was like a dead end. He would either lose money or lose popularity.

After much consideration, Eric could only choose to lose money.

That was because the popularity of the ICL league was equivalent to money. If they ignored it, it would cause the popularity of the ICL to decrease. The effect of all the initial investments would be greatly reduced, and the actual loss would be greater.

On the other hand, if he spent money to maintain the popularity, he might still be able to earn back the money in the future.

After much consideration, Eric gritted his teeth and said, "We'll pay for this!"

"Contact the various clubs in ICL immediately and get them to cooperate with us. Then, spend a sum of money to publicize it. Before the public opinion stirs up, let everyone know our efforts to standardize the ICL ecology and protect the rights of the players!"

Eric knew very well that since he had to do this sooner or later, the sooner the better.

If he hesitated and allowed everyone to discuss it, it would definitely hurt the popularity of the ICL.

If he reacted quickly enough and showed everyone enough sincerity, he might turn the crisis into opportunity and leave a good impression on the audience.

Zhao Xuming quickly nodded. "Understood, I'll arrange it now!"

Chapter 918: Match the GPL Standard!

Zhao Xuming did not dare to delay any longer after leaving the conference room. He immediately arranged for his subordinates to do something. The three tasks were done at the same time.

The various clubs had to contact them to work together. The money might be from Finger Games but the specific improvements to the food and accommodation environment, the treatment of the players, the standard contract, and so on had to be done by every club.

This sum of money was not small and could not be wasted. They had to immediately arrange for people to publicize it. The treatment in ICL was definitely top-notch in the industry. It did not lose to the GPL at all. Some parts had even surpassed it. They had to quickly resolve the current public opinion storm and leave a good impression on the passers-by.

In addition, they had to take this opportunity to continue promoting the ICL and increase the popularity of the league.

Eric might have given instructions to Zhao Xuming often after taking over Chrétien's job but Zhao Xuming did not dislike Eric too much.

It was mainly because while Eric was in charge of many things, he was a man of his word.

Dayak Corporation and Finger Games gave Eric very high authority to use a large sum of money. Take this matter for example. Eric could settle problems that Zhao Xuming could not solve.

More importantly, Eric would be the one to take the blame. Zhao Xuming would be safe.

The reason why Zhao Xuming was able to continue being the person-in-charge of IOI's business cooperation department was because he was very good at shifting the blame.

Eric was now in charge of all matters and Zhao Xuming was his assistant. This was not bad news for him.

Zhao Xuming could immediately draw a clear line if something really happened. Whether IOI's local server succeeded or not would not affect his position in Long Yu Corporation.

All three aspects of work were rather important. However, after careful consideration, Zhao Xuming felt that the first issue was the most important. Thus, he decided to communicate with these clubs personally.

Finger Games might be the one paying but some details would affect the club's interests.

For example, the standard contracts of the players.

Back then, SUG Club had been on bad terms with Tengda because of this matter. It was directly removed from GPL by Boss Pei and became the scapegoat.

If not for this little episode, the standard contract would probably have caused a stir.

On the other hand, the standard contract that Boss Pei requested was only limited to within the GPL. The contracts for other E-Sports projects were definitely not manageable. At the moment, the contracts that IOI's players were using were still old contracts.

Now, Finger Games wanted all the clubs in IOI to change into standard contracts. Would that cause them to resist?

These clubs were all partners in the ICL league after all. Their attitudes had to be on point and could not be neglected.

Thus, after some consideration, Zhao Xuming decided that he had to do it himself.

What's more, how to spend the money after it arrived in the account was a problem. If these clubs took the money but secretly embezzled it and used it to do other things, wouldn't Finger Games lose money and lose face?

He had to use it specifically and supervise it.

Many details could only be decided after careful discussion.

However, there was good news. After the previous storm, the standard contract had already been accepted by many clubs. The resistance would be much less if ICL were to implement the standard contract.

After some consideration, Zhao Xuming called FV Club's manager, Wu Yue, and briefly explained the matter, hoping that Wu Yue would cooperate.

On the other end of the line, Wu Yue smiled. "Boss Zhao, there's no need. Our club has already done what you said!"

"That's because our club's standards are based on GPL standards. Be it food, accommodation, training, or fitness, they are all very good. In addition, our players' contracts have long been changed to standard contracts. You don't have to worry about that."

Zhao Xuming was stunned.

It was already set in stone?

He knew that Boss Pei treated FV Club quite well, but he did not expect it to be this good.

That was because the members of FV Club had already won the championship. They had a prize reward of more than two million US dollars. Even if the five of them split it equally, it would still be a huge sum of money.

With so much money, who would care about food, accommodation, fitness, and standard contracts?

The team members would not complain even if Boss Pei did not do anything.

However, he did not expect Boss Pei to be so stingy with the details without leaving any loopholes.

Zhao Xuming had originally heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that he could save some money. However, on further thought, something was amiss!

His tone immediately became firm. "Boss Wu, we have to fork out this sum of money!"

Wu Yue was stunned. "Huh? That's not necessary, right?"

He could not help but wonder why people were fighting to pay for this.

Everyone had so much money to burn?

Zhao Xuming was obviously not burning money because he had too much money. He had thought of a very important problem.

Wouldn't that leave Boss Pei with something to use against them if Finger Games paid for all the clubs in ICL except for FV club?

FV Club was a club in the ICL league after all. Since Finger Games had decided to fork out money for subsidies, they had to treat them equally. How could they treat them differently?

If news of this were to spread, everyone would think that Finger Games was petty. Saving these two to three million yuan would cause another crisis for public relations.

Wu Yue could not help but secretly rejoice at that thought.

It was another trap left behind by Boss Pei. I almost stepped into it. Fortunately, I'm smart!

Wu Yue did not understand why Zhao Xuming was so determined, but he had no reason to reject it since Zhao Xuming was willing to subsidize it.

FV Club had been receiving benefits from Boss Pei which made them a little embarrassed. Now that they had a chance to save some money for Boss Pei, why not?

Thus, Wu Yue agreed readily.

Zhao Xuming asked again, "By the way, Boss Wu, can you briefly organize the food and accommodation standards, training standards, fitness standards, and the like and send me a copy? If it's not convenient to show me the standard contract, you can briefly explain the key points. That way, we can arrange it according to this standard."

The ICL league did not intend to copy the GPL completely but he had to at least understand it.

That was because these two leagues were directly related in terms of standards. He had to ensure that these conditions were close. If the gap was too big, it would be equivalent to working for nothing.

Wu Yue readily agreed. "No problem. I'll organize the general terms and send it to you."

Apart from the standard contract, the rest of the content was not considered confidential. It was nothing more than Fish-Catching Take-Out, Deposit Fitness, accommodation standards, training computer hardware, and so on.

Zhao Xuming had many other channels to understand it even if Wu Yue did not say it. It did not take much effort. Therefore, Wu Yue did not hide it and straightforwardly sorted out the content and sent it to Zhao Xuming.

Zhao Xuming waited patiently for more than ten minutes before he received a form from Wu Yue.

The content of the form was very simple. It only contained club-related standards. For example, they were to order special training meals at Fish-Catching Take-Out. There were fitness tasks at the Deposit Fitness every day. The computer used for training was ROF Computer-Installation.

Zhao Xuming looked at the form and could not help but gasp.

This standard was really high!

Of course, high standards and spending more money were secondary. The most important problem was that these were all Tengda's own businesses!

Not to mention take-out and gyms, even the computers used for training were Tengda's own computer-installation business.

If ICL implemented similar standards, wouldn't they have to book Fish-Catching Take-Out and Deposit Fitness?

Wasn't that nonsense!?

Boss Pei's promotional video had caused Finger Games to spend twenty to thirty million yuan more. Yet, they still had to spend that money on Boss Pei's businesses? And allow Boss Pei to earn more?

Ridiculous!

It was not a matter of money. It was not much money, but it was difficult to accept it emotionally.

Forget about Eric. Zhao Xuming himself was furious just thinking about it.

All in all, he could not allow himself to suffer a double loss! He could give this money to anyone but Boss Pei!

Fortunately, there were alternatives. The clubs could spend money to hire a cook in terms of food. In terms of sports, they could also apply for fitness cards and private training at other gyms. Computers were even simpler. They could just buy a more expensive and high-class brand.

Zhao Xuming found other alternatives based on the market prices on the list.

It was expensive and painful, it was still necessary.

What's more, it was fine as long as he did not pay out of his own pocket.

After sorting everything out, Zhao Xuming called SUG and other ICL clubs to communicate.

Some clubs showed some resistance to the standard contracts but Finger Games was full of sincerity after all. They paid money to improve their training environment. Considering that the ICL league slots were given with just a word from Finger Games, these clubs did not dare to say much and agreed one by one.

Zhao Xuming sent his plan to the managers of the various clubs and told them to follow this standard.

There were clear criteria for hiring a cook, building a fitness card, purchasing a training computer, providing basic salary for all players, contributing to their insurances and pensions.

Finger Games might be the one paying but the entire process had to be very standard and clear. It had to eliminate the possibility of these clubs filling their pockets.

As for FV Club, they were happy using Fish-Catching Take-Out and Deposit Fitness. It would seem unreasonable to forcibly replace it.

Thus, FV Club was the only exception in the entire ICL league. It continued to maintain its current conditions. However, the money that was originally from Tengda would be paid by Finger Games.

Zhao Xuming heaved a sigh of relief after making all the arrangements.

All the loopholes would be plugged that way!

ICL's publicity work could finally return to normal.

Chapter 919: Meng Chang's Basic Salary of 3,000 Yuan

At the same time, Pei Qian was flipping through the comments under the promotional video 'Coming Out Of The Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly' in his office. He was in a daze.

What the f*ck was going on!

Meng Chang, Meng Chang, I asked you to reverse advertise the E-Sports industry and AOE the GPL league at the same time to reduce its popularity. What was this result?

Pei Qian was so angry that he wanted to die. This Meng Chang dug into him time and again!

Meng Chang had already come up with three publicity plans since he joined Tengda Corporation last month: the first was publicity for Tengda's physical industries, the second was publicity film for Bunny Tail Live-Stream, and the third was publicity film for the E-Sports industry.

In the end, the effects of these proposals were better and better!

Especially the promotional video, "Coming Out Of The Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly". Not only did it completely crush the ICL's newly released promotional video, but it also triggered widespread discussion among audiences. It made the various benefits of the GPL more widely known, and the GPL's attention increased!

Pei Qian could imagine Eric and Zhao Xuming grinding their teeth in anger.

However, Pei Qian felt wronged. He really didn't do it! Friendly forces, they accidentally harmed friendly forces!

If Pei Qian had not signed the agreement with Meng Chang and knew everything about Meng Chang, he would have thought that Meng Chang was a spy who had schemed to infiltrate Tengda's internal department. He was here to mess with his mentality.

It would have been fine if it had only happened once or twice, but it would have been too much to say that it was an accident if all three publicity events had been successful!

Pei Qian wished he could roll up his sleeves and do it himself. In his opinion, he could have done a few publicity plans with his feet and things would not have turned out this way!

However, on further thought, Pei Qian felt that he was too confident.

It wasn't like he had never done it before. The results weren't any better than Meng Chang's.

I can't even succeed even if I were the one doing it. Forget it then.

Pei Qian sighed silently, feeling extremely melancholic.

It was precisely because his publicity plans were always inexplicably popular that he hoped to recruit Meng Chang under his wing and let a professional like Meng Chang work on reverse publicity for him.

In the end, why was it that Meng Chang, a professional, could not achieve it as well?

Meng Chang racked his brains last month to think of three publicity plans. In the end, the publicity effect got from good to better. There was no need to think about it. He could forget about getting a single cent in commission last month other than his base salary.

If Pei Qian did not know that Meng Chang owed a huge sum of money, he would have thought that he was actually a person who did not care about fame and fortune.

However, Pei Qian would definitely not forgive Meng Chang because of this. It wasn't easy for you, Meng Chang, but was it easy for me?

Did you know how much trouble these promotional proposals would cause me with the popularity, the publicity effect, and the money earned?

How much effort would I have to put into getting rid of all these effects?

Pei Qian sighed softly and opened the reports from the various departments under Tengda. He began to think about how to clean up the mess that Meng Chang had left for him.

At that moment, the phone on the table rang.

Pei Qian picked it up and saw that it was Wu Yue from FV Club.

"Boss Pei, I have something to report to you."

"Finger Games has prepared a special fund because of the pressure of public opinion. They forced all clubs in ICL league to arrange the daily life and training of the players according to their standards..."

Pei Qian could not help but frown. "Eh? Pressure from public opinion?"

Wu Yue: "That's right, Boss Pei. The promotional video for 'Coming Out Of The Cocoon Without Becoming A Butterfly' created huge public pressure. Finger Games' ICL league must be matched with GPL in all aspects, so..."

Pei Qian was a little confused as he asked, "What has this got to do with us? FV Club must have met the requirements, right?"

Wu Yue: "That's right, Boss Pei, we definitely reached the standards. However, Zhao Xuming is treating all the clubs in the ICL league equally. Therefore, he will not give a single cent less to our club."

"I thought that there is no way to reject it since this is the unified rule of the ICL, and there is no reason to reject it."

"You don't need to pay FV Club regularly since Finger Games has offered this sum of money. I've already called Finance to tell them not to pay in the future."

"I'm informing you as I'm afraid you wouldn't know. Don't worry, Boss Pei. FV Club can rely on ourselves in the future. We'll be responsible for our profits and losses and won't need to spend your money anymore!"

Pei Qian's mouth opened slightly, and he nearly fainted.

Finger Games was crazy!

Who asked you to fork out money for FV Team, ah? Did you have so much money to burn!

I spend a bit of money on FV Team every month, it's comfortable giving them meals and building fitness cards. It might not cost much but it's still a psychological comfort.

Yet, all of you want to stop me? You want to deprive me of the right to spend such a small sum of money?

It was too much!

Pei Qian hung up and began to think about how to take revenge.

A windfall had appeared out of nowhere. He had to spend it immediately, or there would be endless trouble!

He was just thinking about it when someone knocked on the door.

Assistant Xin pushed the door open and entered. "Boss Pei, Meng Chang is here."

Pei Qian's face darkened. "Yes, let him in!"

It was March 1st today. According to the agreement signed previously, Meng Chang had to report to work and determine the commission based on the marketing effect.

Pei Qian arranged for a special analysis team to follow Meng Chang's advertising plan throughout the entire process. They would also analyze various factors such as influence and give a very detailed analysis report. Finally, they would come up with a suitable popularity index from 0 to 100.

The exact amount of commission would be based on the popularity index.

Pei Qian had already sent the report to his email last month, but he had not read it yet.

That was because the outcome would be the same whether he read it or not.

Of course, he had to go through the motions. That was also why Meng Chang came here today.

Pei Qian found the report and opened it on his laptop, waiting for Meng Chang to arrive.

A moment later, there was another knock on the door outside the conference room. Meng Chang had arrived.

"Boss Pei."

Meng Chang's expression was filled with disappointment. He seemed to have suffered a huge blow. The high-spirited feeling he had previously was gone.

What's more, he was looking at Pei Qian with mixed emotions. There was fear, evasion, and a little hatred.

To Meng Chang, the effect of the three consecutive publicity plans were all contrary to his wishes. Boss Pei was definitely behind this!

Until now, he finally understood why Boss Pei had signed such an agreement with him. He could only say that Boss Pei's intentions were vicious!

However, despite saying that, Meng Chang was obedient and did not dare to show any anger because he could feel that Pei Qian had almost killed him with every step he took.

Meng Chang felt helpless in the face of absolute suppression in intelligence.

Pei Qian's anger dissipated by more than half seeing Meng Chang in such a miserable state. He even felt sympathetic.

Sigh, he couldn't blame Meng Chang. He looked like he had tried his best after all.

"This is the analysis report from last month. Take a look." Pei Qian handed the laptop to Meng Chang.

Meng Chang took it and scanned it symbolically before putting it back.

There was no need to look. All three proposals were extremely popular.

Pei Qian's heart ached as he said, "There's no commission, only three thousand yuan. No objections, right?"

Meng Chang nodded. "Yes."

Pei Qian was in a similar state of grief as Meng Chang at that moment as he had not been able to successfully reverse publicize and had not been able to produce high commission.

However, Pei Qian was a strong person after all. He had seen such a situation too many times. He felt that he should encourage Meng Chang. After all, the two of them had signed a contract for a full ten years. It was only the first month.

It would definitely not be good news for Pei Qian if Meng Chang could not recover from consecutive setbacks.

"The first month's results are not ideal, but don't be discouraged."

"After all, you've only been in Tengda for a while. You don't know much about the company's work. Sometimes, things go against your wishes."

"However, people learn from their mistakes. You're a smart person. You should learn from your mistakes. I believe that you'll benefit from these three experiences. Keep it up in March!"

Pei Qian sounded very sincere.

However, Meng Chang was filled with question marks.

Logically speaking, the boss's words to his subordinates should have been very heartwarming and encouraging.

His subordinate had not done his job well. The boss expressed his tolerance, hoping that he could learn from his lessons and do his job well in the future. There was nothing wrong with any word.

However, Meng Chang felt that there was something wrong with those words!

He was obviously being sarcastic!

Meng Chang's publicity plan was a huge success. Tengda Corporation's various industries earned both popularity and money. What's more, Boss Pei only paid three thousand yuan for the three proposals.

Boss Pei should have profited from any angle.

Yet, Boss Pei had pretended to let him learn from his mistakes and work harder?

Ridiculous!

Yet, Boss Pei's expression was so sincere. It was as if every word he said was sincere.

Meng Chang could not help but feel emotional. If Boss Pei were to act, he would probably be able to get an Oscar. How would Lu Zhiyao, Zhang Zuting, and the others be able to do anything?

Meng Chang had nowhere to vent his anger and could only nod stiffly. "I... I'll work harder."

Pei Qian nodded, very satisfied with Meng Chang's attitude.

Very good, young man, don't give up so quickly. Those with ambition will succeed.

"You've worked hard this month. Go back and have a good rest. I'll look for you when I think of a new mission."

"Of course, you can look for me anytime if you have any good ideas."

Pei Qian comforted Meng Chang again.

Meng Chang smiled stiffly and turned around to escape.

Pei Qian began thinking about the ICL after watching Meng Chang leave the office.

It would be impolite not to reciprocate.

Since Eric and Zhao Xuming saved him money, he had to spend more on them!

However... Where should he spend it?

Pei Qian casually browsed the internet and realized that there were a lot of publicity materials for the ICL league. It was overwhelming.

Apart from the promotional video, Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation were also trying their best to publicize the ICL league's subsidies to the various clubs. It was quite popular.

Many industry insiders analyzed that the reason why Finger Games was willing to spend so much money to improve the training conditions of the various clubs was partly to deal with the public crisis and build a good reputation. On the other hand, it was to better maintain the commercial value of the ICL league.

According to rumors, Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation seemed to be discussing the broadcasting rights of ICL with domestic live-stream platforms. However, they had not discussed it yet. It was unclear as to how exactly it was progressing.

Pei Qian's eyes lit up.

ICL's broadcast rights?

Wasn't this a good opportunity to spend money?